Archive for Food
February 11, 2008 at 1:29 pm · Filed under Family+Friends, Food
On Saturday night we had 5.5 friends over for dinner. They arrived at around 6:30 but preparations started a few hours earlier.
I leapt (well ok, crawled) out of bed at around 8, grabbed some tea and cereal then headed out to Atwater market for a big pile of veggies and a big hunk of pork shoulder. Sadly it’s almost impossible to get a piece of pork with the skin on around here, but at least it was still on the bone.
Back at home at 10:30 I chucked a bunch of chopped up fennel, carrots and onions in a roasting pan and sat the meat on top of it. Then I rubbed some bashed up fennel seeds and paprika into the meat and put it in the oven on max for 20 minutes before turning it down to 250. There it stayed for the following nine hours.
After a quick lunch of a bacon sandwich I fried up some celery and onions, added some peeled and chopped sweet potatoes and a mix of cumin, coriandor, cardomom, cinnamon and cloves followed a few minutes later by a pint of stock. After 40 minutes of simmering I whizzed it up with my oh so handy hand blender and left it, ready for the coconut milk to be added at the last minute.
The afternoon was spent helping Jen clean the apartment before launching into veggie preparation. I peeled and cubed a few potatoes, four beets and a large onion, halved a few carrots, chopped up a cauliflower and snapped a bunch of asparagus. The potatoes got oil and rosemary treatment. The beets got oil and balsamic treatment. The onion was left naked. The carrots got some oil and the tops of the fennel bulbs. The cauliflower got oil, cumin and coriander and the asparagus just got some oil.
The guests arrived, with wine, the Amazing Race DVD game, bread, smoked salmon and cheese sticks. Drinks were served, despite our oversight of forgetting to buy soft drinks. Everyone got drinks, including the meat which was treated to a bottle of white wine for the final hour of cooking.
Now was the time to add the coconut milk to the soup, heat it up and serve it. It tasted good, but could’ve done with a tad more spice. Luckily Kim had brought bread, because we forgot to get that too.
As the meat came out of the oven, the veggies went in. I transferred the meat to a board and mashed up the veggies it had been sitting on in the pan with the wine and meat juices and a bit of flour to make a sauce.
Everything came to the table at around the right time. The meat could’ve done with another hour or two but it still tasted great. The veggies were also a tiny bit underdone, but lets just call them al dente.
Good wine, good conversation, cake, and a slightly confusing game of the Amazing Race complete with a surrogate Phil finished off the evening nicely.
November 16, 2007 at 12:42 pm · Filed under Family+Friends, Food, Movies + TV
Ridiculing the contestants of the Amazing Race is a lot more fun if you can do it with a group of people, so we’ve started inviting friends over on Sunday nights to enjoy the spectacle of dysfunctional couples taking on bizarre challenges around the world.
For the first episode we ordered pizza and drunk beer and ate maple chocolate buns that she brought.
For episode two I decided I felt like cooking, so I cracked open one of my Jamie Olivers and went to work.
For the main course I seasoned some pork tenderloins, sprinkled them with fennel seeds, browned them, put them in a roasting pan with a sliced up fennel bulb, a handful of rosemary, 8 garlic cloves and half a bottle of white wine. Loosely covered with foil and bunged in a hot oven for an hour.
To go along with that, I boiled some potatoes and peas and mushed them together with a handful of mint leaves to make minty mushy peas.
For dessert we had cream puffs kindly provided by her followed by sliced up pineapple sprinked with sugar bashed up with the leftover mint leaves.
We ate, we drank, we enjoyed a fire, and we laughed at those crazy Racers.
October 18, 2007 at 11:54 am · Filed under Food
Jeremy Cooperstock is a very clever man. According to his resume he is:
an associate professor in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, a member of the Centre for Intelligent Machines, and a founding member of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology at McGill University. He directs the Shared Reality Lab and leads the technical development of the Ultra-Videoconferencing system, for which he was recognized by an award for Most Innovative Use of New Technology from ACM/IEEE Supercomputing and a Distinction Award from the Audio Engineering Society. Cooperstock’s past accomplishments include the Intelligent Classroom, the world’s first Internet streaming demonstrations of Dolby Digital 5.1, uncompressed 12-channel 96kHz/24bit, multichannel DSD audio, and three simultaenous streams of uncompressed high-definition video. Cooperstock is a member of the ACM and chairs the AES Technical Committee on Network Audio Systems.
Wow. Impressive stuff, and it all sounds very exciting, but none of the above is why I like Jeremy Cooperstock. The reason he has earned a place on my prestigious blog is that he publishes “Jeremy and Vinita’s Montreal Restaurant Guide“, an honest, humorous and very useful look at the Montreal restaurant scene. It’s the first place I go to when I want to find out about a particular restaurant, or I’m looking for somewhere new to try.
I only have one request of Mr Cooperstock, if he happens to read this. Please, please add a last updated date so we can see how fresh the information is…
May 7, 2007 at 11:13 am · Filed under Food
BBQ season is upon us, so I decided it was time for some ribs at the weekend. As Blork mentioned a while ago, there are many techniques and “secret” recipes for the perfect BBQ ribs, but the generally accepted method is to cook them for a long time at a low temperature.
Of course, before you cook them you need to tenderize and flavour them a bit. I did that with a dry rub mix of paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano and salt and pepper, rubbed into the meat the night before cooking.
The next day I took the ribs out of the fridge to come up to room temperature, then prepared the BBQ. I had some hickory chips left from when I made pulled pork last year so I threw them in an old tin with holes in and put them over the heat.
When the BBQ was stable at 300 degrees F. I put the ribs in on the side with the burner off and quickly closed the lid. 300 is a little hotter than I would like, but I only had a 3 hour cooking window. If I had the time I would do them at 200 for 5 hours.
I made a quick mopping sauce with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, water and pepper. You can add other flavourings if you like but I decided to let the rub do most of the flavouring. I mopped the ribs every 30 minutes.
After three hours the ribs were tender and delicious, but not quite falling off the bone. Slower and longer would’ve fixed that. I made a quick potato salad and a green salad to go with them. I’m having the leftovers for lunch today.
April 27, 2007 at 2:17 pm · Filed under Food, Montreal
If you love Indian food, there is an Indian food fair tomorrow (Saturday 28th April) night from five until ten pm at Lucien Page School (8200 St-Laurent corner Jarry).
They have the fair every year, and we went a couple of years ago so I can speak from personal experience when I say that the food is delicious and varied (although all or almost all vegetarian) and very different from anything you get in the average Montreal Indian restaurant.
Most booths sell their wares for one or two dollars per portion.
April 10, 2007 at 9:17 am · Filed under Food
The cupboard was bare on Saturday apart from a few bits and pieces. When all you have is a few bits and pieces it’s time to improvise.
I made a very quick tomato sauce with the one and a half tomatoes we had, along with some onion, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and chili powder whizzed up in the food processor and cooked on the stove for a while.
That sauce was distributed over the four frozen pita breads we had left over from the Greco birthday bash and topped with some grated gouda and cheddar cheese (not very italian, but it’s all we had).
The pita pizzas were finished off with a sprinking of chopped kalamata olives and ham and thrown in the oven for 10 minutes (straight on the shelf for extra crispiness).
The result was surprisingly delicious.
April 4, 2007 at 9:36 am · Filed under Family+Friends, Food
At the weekend we had P&J and J&K and K over for a small and belated celebration of Jen’s birthday. The plan had been for Jen’s Mum to be there too, but she ran off to Vancouver, something to do with some baby being born or something.
Jen’s Mum is the master salad creator, and the plan was for her to bring a big Greek salad for the occasion. In her absence I took on the job of creating a Greek salad, and used that as an inspiration for the rest of the food.
The classic Greek salad is a combination of rustically chopped tomatoes, cucumber and green pepper tossed with kalamata olives, salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil with feta cheese crumbled over the top. That’s exactly what I did.
I also cubed some pork tenderloin, skewered it and marinated it in olive oil, oregano and salt and pepper for a few hours before throwing it on the bbq. The kebabs were served with pita breads, tzatziki, and sliced red onion.
To accompany the salad and kebabs, I picked up some taramosalata, some crusty bread and a few spanakopitas. There was too much food, but that’s the way a Greek meal is supposed to be, right?
We finished the evening with a fun game of 80s Trivial Pursuit which through some stroke of luck the girls won, and carrot cake fetched from our old favourite the Homestyle Bakery (hey, the owner’s Greek!).
Opa!
February 15, 2007 at 9:09 am · Filed under Family+Friends, Food
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. If that causes surprise, you’re either single or in big trouble.
I dashed to the florist on the way home, dashing past Blork in Place Ville-Marie, who was dashing in the opposite direction carrying his own bouquet of flowers. The florist was manic, but I finally managed to get a dozen tulips (Jen’s favourite) and headed home with flowers in one hand and President’s Choice Tiramisu (also one of Jen’s favourites) in the other.
At home I presented the flowers to Jen along with a card from me and a card from Aidan. In return I got a hug, a card from Aidan and three cards from Jen. After getting Aidan fed and washed and into his pyjamas it was time to prepare dinner while Jen rocked the boy to sleep.
Dinner was going to be pasta with smoked salmon (yet another favourite of Jen’s) and asparagus. Here’s my recipe:
Snap the asparagus and put it in a hot oven on a baking tray. Put a large pot of water on to boil and a frying pan to heat up. Chop an onion and some celery and fry them until they start to soften. Put the pasta (I chose linguine) into the boiling water. Add some capers to the celery and onion and continue to fry. Chop up the smoked salmon and a bunch of dill. When the pasta is almost done, add the asparagus, salmon and dill to the frying pan along with a few dollops of yoghurt or cream; mix well. Drain the pasta and toss with everything else. Serve with fresh italian bread and a good red wine.
The rest of the evening was spent watching TV, because we’re sad like that and we don’t care.
January 23, 2007 at 11:58 am · Filed under Food
What do you do when you have five hungry people to feed and a half-eaten turkey carcass in the fridge? Chili turkey hash of course:
Pick all the turkey off the carcass and chop or shred.
Chop an onion or two.
Peel, chop and parboil some potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Fry the onion in some oil in a big skillet. Add the potatoes.
When everything starts to brown, add the turkey.
Throw in any other leftovers you find in the fridge (we had mash, red cabbage and turnip left over from 2nd xmas dinner).
Add your desired amount of your favourite chili seasoning.
Mix and fry well then squish down to make a hash cake. Let it cook until the underside is well browned.
Impress your friends or family with a daring flip to brown the other side. Be prepared for this to go horribly wrong.
December 7, 2006 at 10:07 am · Filed under Food
Thanks to some specials a the local supermarket, we have a lot of chicken in the freezer.
When time is short and some thawed chicken is in desperate need of cooking, I turn to one of the easiest recipes, Paprika Chicken.
Not only is it very easy, it’s also very forgiving. You can add the ingredients in almost any order and it will turn out ok.
Here’s how I did it last night:
Chopped two onions roughly and sauteed until soft.
Chopped four chicken breasts into bite size pieces and browned.
Added a chopped sweet potato (sweet potato? In Paprika Chicken? Sure, why not?).
Added a small/large pile of paprika and flour to the mix, sieving to reduce risk of lumps.
Add a couple of wine glasses of water.
Bring to a boil and simmer for a while (I had to get Aidan to sleep at this point so it simmered for about an hour).
Stir in some plain yoghurt (it’s supposed to be sour cream but we didn’t have any) and warm through without boiling.
Serve with rice or noodles or potatoes or gnocci or whatever other starchiness you feel like (I found some rice and macaroni remnants in the cupboard and used them both).
How much paprika you put in is up to you, but it should result in a sauce that is orange to deep red in colour. When I’ve made it before I’ve dredged the chicken in the paprika/flour mix before browning, which works just as well.
For proper authentic Paprika Chicken you should use a whole chicken cut into pieces, keeping all the bones in, but it’s easier to cook and eat in a hurry with boneless chicken breasts.
Now, what should I do with the other multitude of chicken breasts sitting in the freezer?
November 13, 2006 at 10:31 am · Filed under Food
I made chicken and leek pie at the weekend. Having Aidan around means I don’t have as much time to cook as I used to, so I cheated a bit by buying frozen pie dough. I felt guilty for all of about 30 seconds.
Chop up a couple of rashers of bacon and fry in a big pot until all the fat is rendered.
Throw in some cubed chicken, about 3 handfuls or so and brown off for a few minutes.
Chop and wash three leeks and add them to the pot, fry for a few more minutes.
Add some chopped mushrooms, a glob of wholegrain mustard, a squeeze of honey, a dollop of plain yoghurt and a pint of some kind of stock (I actually used an old leek soup sachet I found in the cupboard).
Simmer for a while (30 minutes to an hour), season if necessary, thicken with some flour if necessary (I didn’t need to because the leek soup had seasoning and a thickening agent), and pour into a baking dish of suitable size.
Cover with pastry, make it pretty however you like then bake in the oven until the pastry is golden brown and delicious looking.
It was a big hit with everyone, including Aidan.
October 5, 2006 at 7:57 am · Filed under Food
For our anniversary I got a large and varied selection of beer and a large and varied selection of candy and chocolate.
My wife knows me so well.
September 22, 2006 at 7:43 am · Filed under Current events, Food, Games
The Book - It was found by a BookCrosser. It amused me to leave a book about English country walks in Canada; I apologise if it’s not a very exciting read.
Dawson - VampireFreaks, the online goth community where the Dawson gunman chose to display his mental defects, have been busy raising money which they are donating to the Montreal Children’s Hospital (after the hospital got the OK from the da Sousa family). It may not be for completely altruistic reasons, but it’s still a really nice gesture. So far they’re up to 2500USD.
The Hamster - He’s out of intensive care and “stable”. Clarkson managed to get a smile from him by calling him a crap driver. Fans have already raised over 30,000UKP for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance on his behalf.
No Cars Go - Today is car-free day in Montreal. The timing is between the two rush hours, which kind of defeats the object. The trains weren’t any busier this morning.
Breakfast - We’re going to Eggspectations for breakfast tomorrow. I heart Eggspectations.
August 30, 2006 at 7:34 am · Filed under Food
My Sister-in-law-in-law asked me for my rhubarb crumble recipe. I figure if I’m sharing I may as well share it with everyone. If you’ve seen any of my other recipes you’ll know I’m not very precise with quantities. This one will be even worse, as crumble is very forgiving so I usually don’t even bother measuring.
For the filling, chop your rhubarb into inch long pieces and throw into a saucepan with some brown sugar (how much depends on how tart you like your filling), cinnamon, and ginger if you’re feeling in a gingery mood.
If your rhubarb plant is small and pathetic like ours you might need to add some other fruit to make enough filling for your dish. I’ve tried it with apples and blueberries, both work well. Cook the mixture on medium for about 15 minutes or until the rhubarb is starting to go soft but not disintegrating. Pour it into your crumble dish.
For the topping, take some self-raising flour (about 2 cups?) and cut in enough butter to make a moist biscuit crumb texture. Add more butter if you’re feeling decadent. Stir in some brown sugar. The ratio of flour-sugar-butter is probably about 3-1-1. Add some oats if you’re into that kind of thing (I usually don’t). Spread the topping out over the filling, being careful not to push it down.
Cook in a 325F oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the topping goes golden brown. Serve with custard or ice cream.
January 12, 2006 at 2:20 pm · Filed under Food
From the McGill events calendar, happening today:
Analysis of the polymorphic transitions in cocoa butter.
Sounds to me like an excuse for some students to smear goo on each other.
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