Clam Chaos at the IncrEDIBLE Picnic

Last Saturday I decided to participate in the Select Nova Scotia IncrEDIBLE Picnic at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth. I concocted a little dish for the event called "Clam Chaos". Some of you may have been a part of the lucky few one who got to try it (I sold out after 3 hours). Many had asked for a recipe, so here it is!

Clam Chaos

• 5lbs clams; steamed and shucked and kept in their cooking liquid until needed

• 1 lbs snow peas; julienned
• 1 apple; julienned
• 10 radishes; thinly sliced
• 1 lbs potatoes; thinly sliced and cooked
• 1/2 cup basil; chiffonade
• 1/2 cup parley; chopped
• 1/4 cup walnut oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 white wine vinegar
• salt & pepper
• truffle oil; optional

Mix all the ingredients together and add the drained clams at the end. This recipe makes enough for 4 people as a main course.

Tip: Use a mandolin or Benriner to prepare the thinkly sliced or julienned ingredients. As you may already know a Benriner is one of my favourite kitchen tools. Click here for my 10 Kitchen Tools I Can't Live Without.

Peas, Glorious Peas!

Peas, those little green beauties that were the bane of my existence as a small child. My mother tried everything; hiding them in a Shepard's pie, in a beef ragout and even dousing them in honey. Nothing worked for me until I grew my very own peas and was able to pluck them off myself and eat them out of the pod. Peas have been in season here for a while, but seeing as every weekend has been spent away from my kitchen, it wasn't until last night when my husband showed up with a bag of fresh snap peas from Noggins Corner Farm in the Annapolis Valley, that I was able to get my fix. I have many favorite ways to eat these bad boys; sauteed with pancetta, with mint and cream, or quickly blanched and tossed in a salad. A few summers ago, I had the pleasure of cooking for Leo Ricci, who happens to work for Lungarotti Winery in Torgiano, Italy. Here is the recipe for the clam and pea risotto that I prepared for him and paired with their white wine, Torre Di Giano; needless to say, it was a major hit!

Risotto of Fresh Peas and Clams

• 3 cups fresh peas
• 3 lbs clams; I prefer the local Black Point clams
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves; minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 l fish stock
• 1/2 cup green onion; finely chopped
• 1 bag arborio or carnaroli rice
• 3 tbsp mint; chopped
• 2 tbsp tarragon; minced
• 3 lemons; zest
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano

Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a pot and add half the garlic. Cook for 1 minute and add the clams and 1/2 the wine. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook until all the clams open. Any unopened clams ca be discarded. Strain, using a colander over a bowl so that you can collect the liquid. Leave to cool and take the clams from their shells. Take the liquid and pass through a coffee filter or fine sieve to remove any dirt or grit. Put clams in the liquid and save.

Blanch the peas in salted water until tender. Heat the stock to a simmer. Heat remaining olive oil in a large saucepan and add the green onions. Cook gently until they start to soften. When soft, add the rest of the garlic and rice. Stir to coat all the grains of rice and add the wine. Cook and stir and start adding the stock, one ladle at a time until it gets absorbed by the rice. Continue stirring and adding liquid until the rice is almost cooked; about 15 to 20 minutes. At the last minute, add the peas and clams and the clam liquid and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the herbs, cheese and lemon zest.

If You're Fond Of Sand Dunes & Salty Air

I have been living on the East coast for about six years. One of the best things about living here is waking up to the smell of the salt in the air on a misty morning. It makes me think of sand dunes, waves and believe it or not, clams! I recently had the pleasure of being invited to Pictou by my friend, Nick, who also happens to be a fish supplier. His father, Paul, aka "Chip", happens to be the mastermind behind the Black Point clams and oysters that I am so very fond of. So off we set on a rainy Friday afternoon to spend the weekend on the Northumberland Shore with this "fishy" family. I had visions of me in a bikini with a snorkel and a mesh bag, diving in the warm, salty water; clams, oysters and bay scallops a bounty! To my dismay, Mother Nature decided to rain on my parade, and instead I was only able to walk down to the water's edge and hand pick these beauties out of baskets. Oh well, at least they were in the water, and I didn't have to scare anybody with the sight of me in a bikini and snorkel! Luckily enough when the weather let up, Paul and his wife took us on their boat and gave us a tour of one of their nearby "bottom leases". It was amazing for us to see all that went into the production of these delicious mollusks.

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My favorite recipe for the Black Point clams is to simply grill them until they open and then toss them with a little "salsa verde" or depending on the time of year, "nasturtium butter". Seeing as the nasturtiums are bountiful in my yard right now, I'll pass along my recipe for the butter. Enjoy.

Nasturtium Butter

• 1 lb salted & softened butter
• 2 cups nasturtium flowers
• 1 cup nasturtium leaves
• 3 lemons; zest and juice of two
• 1/4 cup cracked black pepper

In a food processor, soften the butter. Once very soft, add the rest of the ingredients. Make sure not to process too much or you will end up with "green" paste instead of the "speckled" effect.

Now here's the Catch...

This past weekend I had the extreme pleasure to be involved in the first ever Catch Nova Scotia Seafood Festival.  I spent two full days shucking, slurping, wining and entertaining.  I am going to venture a guess and say that my co-shuckers from Little Fish Oyster Bar and I must have shucked over 1500 Black Point, Eel Lake and Bay Enterprise oysters, as well as some sweet ass little-neck clams.  At the end of our shifts, we all raised our palms, tattooed with big, circular bruises (ouch..quite painful!) and hailed each other to a job well done!

I was also involved with Taste Of Nova Scotia, and spent Saturday and Sunday doing on stage demonstrations.  For both of my demonstrations I decided to make a simple salad with golden and candy cane beets, celery root, radishes, walnut oil and smoked mackerel from Willy Krauch. I felt that this recipe was a success. Not only was is super simple, but it was very crunchy and fresh!  I was lucky enough to have great interactive crowds on both days that were kind enough to chuckle at my horrendous jokes.

Beet and Smoked Mackerel Salad Recipe

So, a shout out to all those suppliers, organizers and volunteers that made Catch a great place to be..Merci!

Shellfish, wine, sun, friends...Success!

Nothing makes me happier than when a perfect plan comes together...sunny Saturday, friends, food and wine. I was lucky enough to have my friend Nick & his wife Nicole come over to my house with the most spectacular oysters and clams, that Nick’s family harvests. Add some cheeses, bread, veggies & meat that were acquired at the Halifax Farmers’ Market that morning as well as a few more friends and we’ve got a dinner party! The oysters needed nothing but a good scrub and a few shavings of fresh horseradish to be ready to slurp down. The clams were placed on my old school charcoal bbq and grilled until they opened, only to be doused with some fresh lemon juice. The meat and sausages from Roselane Farm were done up on a platter with the most colourful radishes that were picked up from Hutten  Family Farm, and some Red Fife bread from Boulangerie La Vendéenne. The Old Growler & Dragon’s Breath were paired with red pepper jelly that Doug’s Auntie Susan made. All this glorious food was washed down with a little Benjamin Bridge Nova 7 (courtesy of my old co-worker and partner in crime, Darrick). The meal was topped off with ice cream sandwiches from Dee-Dee’s. With a full belly and a rosy glow to my cheeks, my evening was over and I can only look forward to my next one.