Sunday Dinner with Chef Simon [oct 12]

SaskMade Marketplace would like to welcome the esteemed Chef Simon of Simon's Fine Foods in Saskatoon for a new post series here on our blog. Sunday dinners have become a rare and treasured time for families to make time for each other, make meals to remember, and make memories to last a lifetime. Chef Simon will be bringing you inspiration and instruction for your own Sunday meal, using local Saskatchewan ingredients and European inspiration.

Boneless BBQ Wild Boar side ribs, pearl barley and wild mushroom risotto

This month’s dish is inspired by the weather getting cooler, but still longing for those BBQ days of summer.

People who love to barbeque do so all year round, whatever the weather, but if you want an indoor version then this a great way to achieve a similar product in the oven.

I thought about putting pumpkin somewhere in the dish and you can of course add some to your recipe, but I’m already getting pumpkin fatigue so I went down the road of local carrots and dried wild mushrooms to add depth to my dish.

Firstly, I do want to mention that I’m used to making all my food from scratch so when I design a recipe, one of the most important things is the taste test. This is one of the things I really like about SaskMade - they actually have samples of most of the products they sell for tasting, which makes life much easier when purchasing a new product.

I actually tasted a couple of products that day; one just didn’t quite fit for this dish and the other was the BBQ sauce which tasted very similar to one I make so this was a great fit.


Golden Prairie Wild Boar side ribs: Wild Boar meat is a darker leaner version of domestic pork and the taste really depends on what the animal has foraged but generally it’s a little gamier than pork. The side ribs are generally tougher than the back ribs so just need a little more cooking time.

Prairie Infusions: Porcini and Chanterelles both dried, Porcinis have a chewy texture and a strong nutty-woodsy, sweet, and meaty taste. Chanterelles have a fruity and nutty taste with a little peppery note. Drying actually increases the taste of mushrooms and they work great in the barley risotto.

Living Soil Farms : Carrots which are a good size, but still tender and sweet.

Floating Gardens Greenhouse: Hydroponic produce giving me fresh Oregano, Dill and Italian flat leaf parsley.

Barrs BBQ sauce : Very tasty and I can recognize all the ingredients
Willow Creek : Pearl Barley which is very common in the UK and classically used in Lamb stew and broths.

• 3 packages of Wild Boar Ribs
• 6 cups apple juice
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 carrots peeled and diced
• 1 medium yellow onion peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
• 1 bag dried Porcini mushrooms
• ½ bag dried Chanterelles
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 5 cups chicken stock (canned or homemade)
• 2tbsp Canola oil
• 2tbsp soft butter
• 6tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 4tbsp fresh chopped Oregano
• 2tbsp fresh chopped dill
• 6tbsp BBQ sauce
• Salt and pepper

• Firstly you need to remove all the membranes and cut the rib in half for ease of use.
• Lay out a sheet of aluminum foil and a sheet of baking parchment (1 pouch per packet of ribs)
• Lay the fresh thyme on the paper and one packet of ribs; place the ribs meat side up.
• Bring the edges of the foil together to make a pouch then add 2 cups of apple juice to each pouch and seal tightly.
• Place on a baking tray and into a preheated oven at 325 for 2-2.5 hours till the meat is very tender.
• Once cooked you can allow them to cool then refrigerate for up to 3 days allowing you to do the prep the day before.
• While hot remove the meat and place into a bowl. (you can leave the meat on the bone and just brush with BBQ sauce)
• Add the BBQ sauce and mix well then place the meat on a clean tray and broil or roast for 2 minutes until lightly caramelized.
• While the meat is cooking you make the barley risotto
• In a thick bottomed pot add the canola oil and butter and soften the diced carrot and onion
• Next add the garlic, barley and dried mushrooms and 5 cups of chicken stock.
• Bring to the boil and simmer stirring occasionally until the barley is tender.
• Finally add the fresh chopped parsley, dill and oregano and taste, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Serve with the BBQ meat on top of the risotto.

Wild Boar is a great option to the home repertoire, and is perfect for long and slow cooking techniques. Combined with barley, it’s a delicious meal for cold autumn evenings and add a glass of your favourite red wine - wow!