Well Seasoned Blog

Cup Winning Beer Braised Brats with BBQ Onions

1 dozen brats

Beer, to cover

2 large sweet onions sliced

3 tbsp. butter

1 jar of your favourite bbq sauce (we love House of Q Apple butter)

Place brats in an aluminum pan with 1 of the onions and 2 tbsp. of butter, cover the brats with beer. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until brats are fully cooked. Remove brats and set aside beer mixture. Grill brats until golden brown and return to beer mixture until ready to serve. Serve brats on fresh baked toasted buns with bbq onions.

For the onions;

In a separate pan, sauté sliced sweet onions with 1 tbsp. of butter until translucent.  Cover with BBQ sauce and reduce until thick.

Top your beer braised brat with the sweet bbq onions.

Bacon Jam Potato Skins

3 russet potatoes, scrubbed
8 tbsp bacon jam
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ cup cheddar cheese
sour cream in a squeeze bottle, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake potatoes on middle rack until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.  Preheat grill to medium heat.  Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving a half inch shell.  Melt the butter in saucepan and add minced garlic. Brush potatoes with the butter and garlic mixture. Flip over and butter the bottoms.  Place potatoes on grill and cook until crisp, about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes on each side and remove from grill.
Spread 1 tbsp. of bacon jam in each potato skin, top with cheddar cheese and put it back into the bbq until bubbly and golden brown.
Drizzle with sour cream and serve immediately.

Over-Time Charred Tomato & Onion Salsa

4 plum tomatoes, whole – cut in half

1 tablespoon olive oil, for charring the tomatoes

½ red bell pepper, finely diced

1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped

1 sweet onion cut into slices

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 fresh lime

Dash of your favorite hot sauce to taste

Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper

2 ripe avocados diced

Pre-heat grill to high.

Brush the tomatoes & onions with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Grill tomatoes & onions, turning as they brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Chop the tomatoes & onions and transfer them to a medium bowl. Add the red pepper, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, hot sauce & avocado. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Toss. Taste for seasoning and adjust as required.

I love the fine folks at JD Farms and I love cooking with their turkey products.  Tonight I just  happened to have some of their fresh ground turkey in the fridge so this is my riff on a Cuban Classic – Picadillo.  I am serving my Picadillo with steamed brown basmati rice & fresh tortilla shells.    www.jdfarms.ca

1 lb ground JD Farms Turkey

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup golden raisins

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

¼  tsp. ground cumin

dash ground cloves

dash ground cinnamon

¼  cup toasted slivered almonds

¼  cup sliced pimento stuffed olives

Brown turkey in oil, combine with other ingredients and simmer 5 mimutes.

Picadillo is perfect for stuffing tacos, burritos, or tamales

Also great for stuffed peppers, or you can serve it with steamed rice.

There is no middle ground when it comes to cilantro – you either love it or hate it, there is no fence sitting here.  In fact a vocal group of haters even took the time to dedicate an entire website to those that live to loathe the herb www.ihatecilantro.com where they generously compare the flavour to pine-sol flavoured grass clippings.  I stand firmly on the love side but let me just say that I do think it is possible to overdo it.  Too much cilantro added to a dish can make it taste soapy and really unpleasant.  The right amount can add a floral citrus note that frankly brightens up alot of food.  As an example, avocados really love cilantro; every fantastic guacamole I’ve ever had contained just the right amount.  Black beans are a big fan as are fresh tomatoes and watermelon but I never would have thought about pears until recently when I had the opportunity to enjoy a Pear Cilantro Margarita made with top shelf tequila, pear nectar, fresh squeezed lime juice, simple syrup and muddle cilantro that was so delicious and refreshing, it made me forget about the unseasonal monsoon going on outside.   Cilantro; sometimes called Chinese Parsley or Fresh Coriander leaves are best removed from the often woody stems, roughly chopped and added to your dish at the last minute or as a garnish.  Over chopping the leaves will make them black and slimy additionally lessening their appeal.  Coriander is the dried seed of the cilantro plant and offers a completely different flavour & complexity to a dish.  Seeds are commonly used in whole curries or ground and added to chilli, stews, bbq rubs, sausages & sauces.  The seeds seem to be less offensive to the haters than the leaves but still take a beating on line.  Coriander seeds benefit from a little toasting in a dry pan before you grind them, to me they taste a bit like lemon & sage and I wouldn’t consider making Mexican or Indian food without them.  In the summer I make a fresh strawberry mango salsa with both ground coriander and fresh cilantro that is phenomenal on grilled fish or chicken.  And because I can, when the cilantro is cheap & plentiful I make a big batch of pesto with lots of garlic, pumpkin seeds, parmesan cheese, olive oil & lemon zest that I freeze in small containers and whip out in the winter when I need a fix.  It’s amazing what a little dollop of cilantro pesto can do for a squash soup or a cream sauce on roasted chicken.  So if you are on the fence jump off , come on over to the love side, we are eating really well over here.

Victoria Gin is my new favorite libation….if this recipe doesn’t brighten up your day you seriously need to have your head examined.  This cocktail completely added a fresh perspective to my week.

Handmade in small batches from a wood-fired still on Vancouver Island, Victoria Gin is Canada’s first premium gin.  Victoria Gin can be found in most of the BC Gov’t Liquor stores and some private liquor stores or you could always take a road trip visit the distillery on the island.

Happy Friday !

Carrot Cilantro Sour

1 oz Victoria gin

1oz Cointreau or your fave orange liqueur

1oz fresh squeezed carrot juice  (Odwalla or Happy Planet Brands are excellent)

The juice of ½ a fresh lime

1 tsp simple syrup

pinch chopped fresh coriander

coriander leaf, to garnish

carrot stick, to garnish

Place the gin, orange liqueur, carrot juice, lime juice, simple syrup and chopped coriander into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice. Shake well and strain the mixture into an old fashioned glass or a tumbler.  Top up the glass with crushed ice and garnish with a coriander leaf and a carrot stick.  Don’t sit down too quickly, you will need to make another one right away !

Victoria Gin

http://www.victoriaspirits.com/our-gin/

It started out innocently enough, a friend mentioned that he like peanut butter cookies so I decided to make some as a treat for him. I sent an e-mail to my favorite spatula (www.thepinkspatula.ca) and asked for her best recipe. She sent me back a Dorie Greenspan version of a classic with chopped peanuts & a grating of fresh nutmeg. Tina recommended I omit the nutmeg, it didn’t work for her. I asked her if there was a recipe that used natural peanut butter…because, that was what I had and truthfully it’s what I prefer. Why eat all that crap if you can avoid it ? I digress…

She e-mailed me another recipe, this time for a flourless cookie that called for natural peanut butter and only 3 other ingredients from Joy the Baker. I was drawn to the flourless recipe because of its natural simplicity but I decided it was time for a Peanut Butter throw-down (hahahha-that’s awesome) so I made both of them and here’s how it went down…

The natural recipe was up first, it came together in less than 5 minutes and made about 18 cookies – they have great flavor and texture. The ones I added the chocolate to are outstanding, everything I had hoped for and more!

Then the old school recipe with the regular peanut butter (I used chunky) and left out the chopped peanuts and as Tina suggested the nutmeg. I wasn’t looking for all that texture and I didn’t want a spiced peanut butter cookie – that’s just weird. These ones also whipped up quickly but made a considerably larger batch (natch!). The color wasn’t as dark and while the flavor was good, they were still missing something. So on the second sheet pan, I gave ‘em a light sprinkling of murray river sea salt, that smartened them right up. The regular peanut butter recipe was the recipe for the peanut butter cookies of my youth, with the signature fork indentations and everything – they were virtually unmistakable for my mom’s.  The cookies had good peanut flavor and excellent texture but the color was extremely pale compared to the natural version and the peanut butter flavor wasn’t intense – obviously because of all the extra ingredients that tone it all down.

Just because I can, I added a chocolate chunk to the second recipe as well and while the addition of chocolate can rarely be a bad idea, it messed with the whole thing. I didn’t like them nearly as well as the natural version with the dark chocolate.  Chocolate chips stirred into the batter might have been a better idea  ?  But I was moving on already….I had decided that the cookie needed salt and the chocolate wasn’t my favorite combo I decided to try one more thing and if you have read my blog before, you know how I roll….

I have one just word for you my friend…BACON. That’s right baby. Crispy chunks of bacon added to the last bit of dough changed the recipe entirely. Bacon really does make everything better. Elvis would definetely approve – peanut butter and bacon play together really well.  The addition of the bacon gave the cookies that hit of salt they needed and a bit of texture without the addition of all the chopped peanuts…we have a winner.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies ( if you listen carefully, you can hear angels singing).  Next time, I am adding the bacon to the flourless recipe & getting on with my life. Done & done.

Don’t believe me ? Try it for yourself and see what happens…..

Here are the recipes I used:

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies  (from www.joythebaker.com)

• 1 cup all-natural chunky or smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar (1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line your sheet pan with parchment. With a hand mixer combine peanut butter and sugars until well combined, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg and baking soda – mix for another 2 minutes.  Roll into walnut sized balls and cris-cross with a fork.  (chocolate is optional)  Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool on a baking sheet & eat.

Dorie’s Peanut Butter Cookies

(from Dorie Greenspans Book: Baking from my house to yours by the Houghotn Mifflin Company)

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 sticks unsalted butter-room temperature
• 1 cup peanut butter-your preference chunky or smooth (natural won’t make a good cookie)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¾ sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups chopped salted peanuts
• An additional ½ cup sugar for rolling

Preheat your Oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the flour, nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder in mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each addition is mixed in, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and on low speed add the flour mixture. Mix in the chopped peanuts.  Scoop dough into desired size and roll into a ball. Drop ball into the rolling sugar and coat.  Place on baking sheets with about 2 inches of space between each cookie.  Dip the tines of a fork into the sugar and press the tines against each cookie. You should have a flattened round of dough with a criss-cross indentation.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are a lovely light golden brown. Cool & eat.

Creamy Coconut Cardamom Rice Pudding (adapted from Kate Zuckerman’s book, The Sweet Life)
makes about 6 cups, serves 8

Rice:
½  cup + 2 tbsp basmati rice
¼  cup brown sugar
1 (13.5 fluid oz) can coconut milk
1 cup whole milk
¼  tsp kosher salt

Custard:
16 cardamom pods
½  cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups whipping cream
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla paste

Cook the rice: Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the rice in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Place the rice in a heavy-bottomed medium-sized saucepan with 2 cups cold water. Bring the rice to a boil and immediately remove the pan from the heat. Strain the rice and discard the starchy water. Place the blanched rice back in the pan and add the sugar, coconut milk, milk, and salt. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and cover the pan with a lid. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the rice expands and absorbs all liquids, 30 minutes. If the pan is not oven proof, transfer the rice to a metal or glass baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. If there is still runny milk in the pan, continue to bake, covered, for another 5 to 10 minutes. When the rice is done, remove it from the oven, leave it covered, and set it aside.

Make the custard: While the rice is baking, make the custard. Using a mortar & pestle, crush the cardamom pods to split them open. In a heavy saucepan combine the cardamom pods and seeds, ½ cup of the sugar, milk, and cream & bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and allow the cardamom to steep for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, egg, and remaining 2 tbsp of sugar and briefly whisk for 1 minute. Using a ladle, slowly whisk some of the hot cream into the egg mixture to temper it. Gradually pour the warmed egg mixture into the hot cream, whisking the cream constantly as you pour to avoid scrambled eggs.

Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring continuously with a spatula or wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and strain the custard to remove the cardamom pods and seeds.

Combine the custard and the rice: Scoop the rice into a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot custard over the rice and, using a whisk, slowly whisk until all of the rice granules are dispersed evenly and the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract. Spoon the pudding into ramekins and let set at room temperature.  Sprinkle sugar over top of custards and place under the broiler or use a torch to caramelize it.  Serve immediately.

Whole Caradmom Pods  available at www.wellseasoned.ca

Spiced Guinness Banana Nut Bread

I was invited to cook tomorrow on the Global Morning News with Steve & Sophie.  In a deliberate attempt to avoid all things green, I decided to give this twist on a breakfast favorite a go…it turned out great and I suspect will be even better when the ice cream is ready. Assuming, there is any of the bread left to sample with the ice cream !

Spiced Guinness Banana Nut Bread

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla paste
2 tablespoons oil
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon cardamom
2 cups Guinness
2 cups broken walnuts
2 cups raisins
1 teaspoon ground Jamaican ginger
Preheat oven to 350 F . Lightly grease two 9X5 inch loaf pans
In a large bowl cream the brown sugar, banana, eggs, vanilla and oil.
Set aside.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt,
cinnamon, allspice, cardamom and cloves.
Alternately blend the flour mixture and the Guinness into the creamed

mixture.  Stir in the walnuts, raisins, and ginger to the mixture and blend well.
Pour into the two greased 9X5 loaf pans.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick emerges dry and clean.
Leave in pan for 15 minutes to cool before turning out to cool completely on rack.

For the ultimate breakfast of (Irish) Champions add a little…

Guinness Ice Cream

12 ounces Guinness
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
6 egg yolks

In a large saucepan, simmer the Guinness until reduced by 3/4 in volume, about 8 minutes. Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium, heavy saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan and add the vanilla bean halves. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks. Gradually add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, to the hot cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 170 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and add the Guinness reduction, whisking until well blended. Pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

It is always SO much fun being on the QM FM Morning Show with Mike & Tara but this week Tara was away so I got to hang out with Erin.  We had a chat about what to feed your crew for St. Patty’s day this year and decided that midweek meals can be a real challenge especially when you are trying to pull off something festive.  Give this recipe a try on Thursday.  Serve it with some fresh soda bread to sop up all that delicious Guinness fortified gravy.

Happy St. Patrick’s day…

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Slow Cooker Irish Stew

• 2 ½ cups beef broth
• 3 carrots, cleaned & cut into 2” pieces
• 2 onions, cut into 8 pieces each
• 5 medium sized russet potatoes cut into chunks
• 3 parsnips, peeled & cut into chunks like the potatoes
• 2 pounds beef strip loin cut into 2” cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled & cut in half
• 1 can of Guinness beer
• ¼ cup of all purpose flour for dredging
• 3 ribs of celery coarsely chopped
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil for browning the beef
• 1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• finely chopped parsley, for garnish optional

Prepare your beef by cutting it into chunks.  In a small bowl, mix the flour with the salt & pepper.  Add the beef chunks and toss to coat.  Remove the beef from the flour dusting off any excess.  In a hot frying pan with vegetable oil, add the meat a few pieces at a time – you just want to brown it, not cook it through.  Remove the beef & set aside while you do it all.  Do not over crowd the pan, you want a sear not for the meat to steam.  When all of the beef is seared & brown, pour about ½ the can of Guinness beer in the pan to deglaze it and let it reduce by about ½ , add the beef stock and remove from the heat.

In your slow cooker add the veggie chunks, thyme & garlic and arrange the beef on top.  Add the hot stock and another pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 7 to 9 hours on LOW.  Right before serving, remove the thyme sprig & discard – sprinkle generously with freshly chopped parsley and serve hot with thick, crusty bread.         Serves 4.

Moving is without question the worst job on the planet.  Worse than cleaning the litter box, picking up yard cigars and filling the car with gas combined.

Part of moving obviously includes the purging of the pantry and the cleaning of the fridge and freezer.  I think I may have inherited a food hoarding gene from my Mom’s side of the family; I have an innate fear of not having food on hand if someone shows up unexpectedly so I always tend to have an over stocked pantry. The fact that I also own a food store may contribute to the problem as well but I have no scientific proof of that.

Now, I don’t buy alot of fresh food in advance…I like my fresh food fresh but I do freeze food seasonally, like fruit & veggies and occasionally there will be meat in my freezer but as I rule, I like to buy that as I need it as well.  So during the purge of the pantry, which incidentally went really well since I have technically been purging for months and had alot of inventory to run down I combined efforts with the purge of the freezer.  Somewhere near the bottom of the deep freeze right underneath the black box from the Hindenburg, I found a roast and I was pretty sure it was beef.  Huh!  Who knew?

I love a culinary challenge as much as the next guy and the roast was cryovac’d for freshness, I was fairly certain it would be all right so I thawed it, in the fridge overnight and discovered much to my delight in the morning it was indeed beef and it was indeed salvageable.  Bonus!  It was an eye of round and I think when I bought it the plan was for shaved beef sandwiches, which clearly didn’t work out too well for me. Did I mention I am moving?  So most of my dishes and appliances were packed but I hadn’t found a home yet for the slow cooker and I still had some quality merchandise in the pantry and the fridge so I got a busy with my version of a recipe from Eric Akis’ Everyone Can Cook Slow Cooker Meals.  The whole book is fantastic but this recipe was particularly satisfying on a random Wednesday night even after realizing I had to eat my dinner from a cutting board with a spoon!  In a splash of olive oil in a frying pan on the stove top, I browned the roast on all sides and transferred it to the slow cooker.  With 2 yellow onions thinly sliced, 2 cups beef stock, 1 cup of bottled barbecue sauce, about 2 Tbsp. each of brown sugar,  balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard with 3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped and generous pinch of chilli flakes. I flipped the switch to low and let it work  it’s magic on the counter for about 7 hours.  I took the lid off the cooker and the roast was starting to melt into the cooking juices.  Using the non business end of 2 spoons ( did I mention I also had serious MacGyver like skills in the kitchen ? No, sorry – I should have.)

I shredded the meat and stirred said meat back into all of the roasting juices.  In went what was left of a bag of frozen peas and some chopped fresh parsley that was languishing in the fridge.  Spoonfuls of the braised meat went onto fresh buns and I served them with plenty of napkins and a cold beer.  It was a perfect mid-week moving meal, so good in fact I might do it again one day soon on purpose.

Thanks to Kendal Harris from Shaw TV for coming out to visit the Well Seasoned kitchen, I always have a great time cooking with her.  We will feature these 3 recipes on Tuesday’s episode of The Express.  The episodes will air on Channel 4 at 3pm, 6pm, 8pm & 10pm.

Happy Cooking !!

Artichoke Garlic Sauce for Pasta

¼ cup butter

4 large garlic cloves minced

1 6 oz jar marinated artichokes roughly chopped

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

salt to taste

lots of ground black pepper

2/3 cup whipping cream

4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

4 tbsp chopped parsley

Melt butter, add garlic and sauté till translucent – stir in everything else except cheese and parsley.

Cook @ a gentle boil until sauce has slightly thickened.  Add cheese and parsley.  Toss with hot pasta and garnish with extra grated parmesan cheese.

This should be enough sauce for about ¾ pound of pasta.

Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup

Serves 4

2 teaspoons Mexican style chili powder
4 cups homemade turkey or chicken stock

1 16-ounce can san marzano tomatoes, crushed

1 10-ounce package frozen corn

1 can white kidney beans (drained & rinsed)

2 cups diced cooked turkey (leftovers are perfect)

1 cup coarsely broken corn tortilla chips

2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño

4 tablespoons shredded cheddar or mozza

1 whole lime

Place chili powder in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth and tomatoes with their juices. Increase heat and bring to boil. Add corn, beans, turkey, 1/3 cup corn chips and minced jalapeño. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt & pepper and your favorite hot sauce if you like a bit more heat. Ladle soup into deep bowls, dividing equally. Sprinkle with remaining corn chips & some shredded cheese serve with a fresh lime wedge for squeezing

Mascarpone Filled Poached Pears

4 small firm-ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears

2 cups pure not from concentrate apple juice or apple cider

1/2 cup sugar

1 bay leaf

2 whole star anise (or cloves if you prefer)

1 teaspoon  orange zest

1 cup whipping cream

½ cup mascarpone cheese or best quality cream cheese

6 Fresh basil leaves finely chopped

2 tbsp. icing sugar

8 Amaretti cookies for garnish

Peel Pears and slice in half from top to bottom, core pears melon-ball scoop

In a 2-quart saucepan simmer pears in juice with remaining ingredients, uncovered, turning occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes, or until pears are tender but still hold their shape. Transfer pears to a plate with a slotted spoon, reserving poaching liquid, and chill in freezer 15 minute.

While pears are chilling, boil reserved liquid until reduced to about 1 cup. Pour liquid into a bowl and put bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Stir liquid until cooled lightly.

Stiffly whip cream in a chilled bowl, add icing sugar and mascarpone – whip to combine.  Gently stir in fresh basil.

Place pears in shallow bowls, gently fill with mascarpone filling and drizzle with some of the reduced poaching liquid.  With your hands crush the Amaretti cookies on top of the cream as a garnish.

Serve immediately