Walk Widely. Eat Wisely. Live Gratefully.
When it turns unseasonably cold, you might have your heart set on a grilled dinner, but it’s too cold to eat outside, and salad just won’t cut it. That’s when we turn to the BBQ Potato Thing.
Pair it with a lovely striploin steak, or some lamb chops from the farmer’s market or Royal beef (check out the options in our blogroll!)
You’ll have the classic summer grilled dinner flavour, but it will still warm you against the summer storm.
We like Eggs Benny as much as the next guy. But sometimes 
you want simple and delicious. With all the fresh herbs popping up in the urban farm, this is a tremendous breakfast, full of flavour. If you’ve just baked a batch of bread to be used for toast, more’s the better.
Start with some great eggs – we like the Rowe Farm ones from Better Bulk. Chop up a couple of tablespoons (30ml) of thyme, and add a splash of milk. Whisk the whole thing together with a fork.
Cook with a dab of butter over medium low heat, stirring, stirring, and stirring. (It’s that patience thing again!) Serve with a tomato, because it just looks (and tastes) great.
Pork Chops on the barbecue are an acquired art. It’s so easy to char them to a 
cinder, or dry them out, or undercook. (Mom would say, “either a burnt offering, or a bloody sacrifice”). But Steve’s got it down to an art. I admit it, I’ll cook almost anything. And gender lines are pretty well meaningless when it comes to division of work around here. But there are two territories where we never cross the line. I don’t grill, and his only involvement in breadmaking the occasional dough-watching or ingredient selection.
These ones turned out delectably moist and tasty as usual. The secret, he says, is patience. And not flipping too early. A good lesson in many endeavours.
Well, I can’t say I was surprised that the world didn’t end yesterday – too much advance warning. And I’m pretty sure The Book says we won’t get any of that.
So before heading out to Church we ate nature’s perfect food, dressed up a bit. Starting with toasted whole-wheat English muffins, we topped each slice with a slice of fresh hothouse tomato. Can’t wait until the “outdoor” local crops are in the market.
On top of the tomato, some Herbes de Provence Sheep Camembert from Fergus (by way of Leslieville Cheese Market).
Top this with a poached egg, which will melt the cheese. A sprinkle of cayenne, and you’re set!
So what did we do with the remaining Glazed Lake Huron Char? We made a delicious Salade Nicoise – that is, Salade Huron-coise!
There was a leftover red potato, so we cut that up, along with the remaining fillet.
Some greens, a few steamed haricots verts, a boiled egg, some capers and olives, and we were nearly set. For the dressing, a tablespoon each of lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, and a sprinkle of lemon pepper.
So good!
We’re well-served on our walkable route to food and feast-stuffs, except for one thing. There is a limited supply of places to buy good-quality fish. Recently we visited Hooked, on Queen Street. They have an amazing selection, arranged west-to-east in a gorgeous glass fridge. Advice and provenance of the fish are freely provided.
The only problem we had with Hooked was figuring out which fish. Too many to choose from, and all of them looked good. In the end we settled on a huge fillet of Lake Huron Char. Then, what to do?
We baked it, glazed (see our recipe page, here).
Of course it was too big for two, so we put a couple of pieces in the freezer for a day when we want a delicious meal, but fast. So much better than the corner burgermeisters. There was still some left. What to do?
Stay tuned tomorrow!
I had thought I’d get burgers on the grill or take-out for my Mother’s Day 
dinner, but Steve surprised me. Walking about in the neighbourhood while I was at French class, he popped into Royal Beef, where they had some awesome lamb roasts.
He cooked this one one the barbecue with a marinade of Dijon mustard, olive oil, 5-spice powder, salt, and pepper. 
He served it with some new potatoes 
and spring asparagus.
Consider me spoiled.
If you made our Slow-Braised Turkey Legs you probably had some delicious-looking gravy in the bottom. (More than you could eat with the mashed potatoes!)
If so, add about 4 cups of water, and simmer in the same casserole. Then cool overnight and use for Next Day Soup.
Bring the broth to a boil. Add 1 chopped onion, two chopped carrots, 3 or 4 stalks of diced celery, and a diced bell pepper (I used a yellow one). Add 5ml or a teaspoon of cumin and a dash of hot sauce or cayenne. To this, stir in 25oml or 1 cup each of green lentils (dried) and brown rice (uncooked). Let simmer for about half an hour.
Recycled food – better than it sounds!
Sometimes there’s just too much going on in your day – you get over-stimulated and you need to take a break. That’s when some simple poached salmon, a boiled potato, and whatever veg you have on hand, can help you decompress. (A nice sauvignon blanc can round out the meal, too).
Calms the nerves, calms the tummy…and calms you, too.
For our Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Pizza, we started with the same basic crust as the Delicious Artichoke Pizza, but we put some chopped fresh tarragon in the dough.
Meanwhile, we were caramzelizing the onions…two onions, thinly sliced, and about a tablespoon (15ml) each of butter a
nd olive oil. Yes, it’s an indulgence…but well worth it. 
We also added about 5ml of maple syrup to add an extra flavour note. Cook the onions over medium-low to medium heat, stirring often, as they turn a delicious golden brown. When they look not quite brown enough, stop…they’ll continue to cook a bit. When you’re nearly at the end, add a tablespoon or so of white wine vinegar (balsamic would work also), and about a quarter cup (60ml) of water. 
Stir, cover, and let this stand and cool until your dough is doubled in size (about 10 minutes).
Next, press the dough out into a circle on a piece of parchment. This makes a 
medium-thin crust on a standard pizza pan. Divide in two if you like extra-thin, or use a smaller circle if you want a thick crust.
Use the onions instead of sauce. Top with sliced mushrooms – we used a mix of cremini (brown) and white (button) mushrooms, but any kind you like will work. We topped this with some nutty gruyere and a 
bit of part-skim mozza.
At 400F, the pizza doesn’t take long – about 18 minutes. Then cool on a board for about 4 minutes, slice, and indulge yourself in onion-y goodness.
