[Sunday Dinner] Lamb and chanterelle casserole

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.

One of my favourite products in summer is a great Saskatchewan resource, the amazing Chanterelle! Chanterelles have a very short season so this is the time to get your fix of these delicious yellow fungi. Keep them in the fridge in a brown paper bag for up to two weeks and just before you want to use them fill a bowl with cold water, trim the stem and dunk the mushrooms under a few times to get rid of any grit/leaf material then use straight away. The combination of wild mushrooms and lamb is perfect for the cooler summer evenings.

Ingredients

• 8oz Chanterelles trimmed and washed (SaskMade)
• 1 packet ground lamb (SaskMade)
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 2 tsp chopped thyme
• 2 tbsp mustard (SaskMade)
• 2 shallots diced
• 1 large clove garlic chopped (SaskMade)
• 8oz baby carrots sliced (SaskMade)
• 1 pint chicken stock
• Salt & pepper
• Cornstarch to thicken

Method

• In a casserole dish place the carrots, mushrooms, shallots, garlic.
• Place the lamb into a bowl and add the parsley, mint, thyme and mustard mix well and season with salt and pepper
• Make into golf ball size balls and place on top of the vegetables.
• Pour on chicken stock and cover with a lid.
• Bake in a preheated oven 365F for 45 minutes.
• Strain off the liquid and thicken with cornstarch then pour back over the lamb.
• Serve over rice/potatoes/pasta.

[Sunday Dinner] BBQ Cedar Plank Trout, Wild Rice & Pickled Salad

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.

SaskMade is just oozing product right now, and to be honest this blog was a hard one to decide on. There are so many choices on the shelves but I went with some local trout, wild rice and veggies…my way!

BBQ season is in full flow and to make a change from the usual steak or chicken, try cooking some trout. Planked fish is a great way to make a meal for a small group with little clean up involved. On top of that, the plank imparts a lovely smokiness.

Trout is a fish which requires a variety of strong flavours that can cut through the richness. I added the brown sugar for some sweetness and the light pickling of the vegetables is a crisp, refreshing addition.

This recipe uses trout but of course if you happen to be at the lake and catch a pickerel or two, this would be the perfect way to cook them next to the water!

SaskMade Shopping List

• Wild West Steelhead Trout Fillet
• Floating Gardens Fresh Dill, Mint
• Floating Gardens Fresh Tomatoes
• Floating Gardens Fresh Chard
• Grandora Gardens Mini Cucumbers
• Golden View Colony Fresh Radishes
• Northern Lights Wild Rice

 

>> Planked Trout <<

Ingredients

• Cedar plank
• 1 trout fillet
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 3-4tbsp soft brown sugar
• Salt and pepper

Method

Soak the plank in water for at least 30 minutes

Place the trout on the plank, season with salt and pepper then sprinkle the fresh dill and brown sugar over.

Light one side of the BBQ on a medium high heat, around 350F, then place the plank on the opposite side and close the lid.

Cook for about 25 minutes then increase the heat to lightly caramelize the sugar.

 

>> Pickled Veggies <<

Ingredients

• 3 baby cucumbers
• 6 radishes
• ½ basket tomatoes
• 3 tsp fresh chopped dill
• 1 tsp fresh chopped mint
• 4 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup white wine

Method

Mix together the wine, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, dill and mint.

Thinly slice the cucumber and radish, add to the vinegar mixture and let pickle for an hour. Cut the tomatoes in half, add to the vinegar and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Drain and serve.

>> Wild Rice <<

Method

Cook the wild rice for about 40 minutes, until tender. When the rice is almost finished cooking, get a sauté pan and add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of canola oil. Sauté the chard until tender then add in the wild rice. Season with salt and pepper and the juice of ½ lemon or to taste.

This is a great little dish and it will taste even better with a glass of chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

[Sunday Dinner] Deep fried cheese with tomato chutney and Saskatoon berry mustard dressing

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.

Locally made cheese is a rare commodity in Saskatchewan and I’m not fully tuned in to the reasoning behind this. Although a few brave souls are starting to pop up selling said locally made cheese.

So a lovely summer treat for me is to take a ripe Camembert style cheese and cover it in panko crumbs and fresh dill then pop it into my deep fryer. I actually double crumb mine and then put the crumbed cheese into the freezer for half an hour. This will help ensure the cheese stays where it should and doesn’t end up oozing into the frying oil.

To accompany this I made a tomato and rosemary chutney. I also tossed some pea shoots in a simple vinaigrette of Saskatoon Mustard and Camelina Oil. It gave me a strong enough flavour to cut through the rich oozing cheese and to be honest the results were delicious, especially with a glass of wine.

Here’s the recipe so grab some cheese and get frying!

Shopping List

• Floating Gardens Cherry Tomatoes
• Floating Gardens Fresh Dill & Rosemary
• Herschel Hills Stranraer Cheese
• Gravelbourg Saskatoon Berry Mustard

 

>> Fried Cheese <<

Ingredients

• 1 wheel of Stranraer cheese cut into four wedges
• 2 eggs
• 8 oz panko crumbs
• 2 tbsp fresh dill
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour

Method

Dip the cheese into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs and lastly the dill.
Repeat the egg and crumb again to double crumb the cheese, place on a tray with parchment paper and pop in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Deep fry till the crumbs are golden and serve.

>> Cherry Tomato Chutney <<

Ingredients

• 1 basket cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 shallot chopped
• 4 oz red wine vinegar
• 5 oz brown sugar

Method

Place in a saucepan and simmer until it begins to look like syrup. Puree and chill until needed.

>> Saskatoon Berry Mustard Vinaigrette <<

Ingredients

• 1 tsp mustard
• 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Mix well and toss pea shoots until thoroughly coated.

[Sunday Dinner] Tomato, goat's cheese and pesto salad

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.

So how was your long weekend? Too short that’s right.

Well we got home Monday from Edmonton and needed a fast and tasty salad to have with dinner. Although it wasn’t actually Sunday it felt like it, so I decided to keep it really simple.

Tomato and basil is a classic flavour combination so a large plate of various tomatoes topped with basil pesto and creamy goats cheese, now this is my idea of Summer!

Pesto originated from Genoa in Northern Italy but nowadays is found anywhere you can grow fresh basil. And normally olive oil is used in salad dressings and pestos, but Camelina Oil is a recent discovery and works well in this fragrant paste.

Tweak yours with more garlic, more cheese, more basil however you like it. We just added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and mopped up the remaining juices with crusty bread. I’m pleased to say Summer in Saskatoon has finally arrived!!

Ingredients

• 1 basket tomatoes
• 1 bag basil
• 1 bag arugula
• 1 tsp M& M fresh minced garlic
• 75g pine nuts
• 75g parmesan cheese
• 3 tsp crumbled goat’s cheese
• Three Farmers Roasted Onion and Basil Camelina Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

• Slice the tomatoes into interesting pieces or chunks and plate, season with salt and pepper.
• Make the pesto by adding a few basil leaves, garlic, parmesan, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse. Slowly pour in the Camelina Oil while the machine is running until it gets to a dressing-like consistency.
• Drizzle pesto over the tomatoes and place torn basil and arugula leaves on and around, finish with crumbled goat’s cheese.

[Sunday Dinner] Bison Bacon & Garlic Pesto Pasta

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.

SaskMade was closed for a few days recently, undergoing some refurbishments, so I was very interested to see the end result. When I opened the door there was a lovely wooden floor stretching from the front to the rear and masses of open space, perfect for browsing. Nice job!

I was actually limited for time so I looked for some ingredients that would make a quick supper and there it was, locally made pasta. Everyone loves pasta right!

I also checked out the freezer and found some bison bacon (never used this before) and a jar of garlic “pesto” from the shelf. I hit the kitchen to see what I could turn this small batch of ingredients into.

Bison is a very popular meat being lean and packed with flavour. It worked great with the pasta and garlic pesto so this is one hearty meal for the last days of April’s cool weather.

Ingredients

• 1 package bison bacon shredded
• 12oz. heavy cream
• ½ jar garlic pesto
• 2 cups uncooked pasta
• 2 shallots finely diced
• 4 handfuls baby spinach
• Canola oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

• Cook the pasta in salted boiling water and drain. Add the garlic pesto and cream, simmer to the desired thickness.
• In a frying pan add a glug of canola oil. Sauté the shallot and bison for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time.
• Then add the spinach, parsley and dill; cook until they wilt. 
• Place the pasta in a bowl, top with the bison bacon mix and finish with grated parmesan.

[Sunday Dinner] Roast garlic sausage, black bean & apple salad

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.

I popped into SaskMade just before the weekend and went looking for some local produce to accompany my next creation but alas a fridge had failed and produce is temporarily unavailable.
So I turned to the masses of jarred goodies and one word popped into my head…garlic, I love garlic and SaskMade offers a number of items in the garlic range including garlic sausage in the freezer section. Garlic is great not only for flavour but also apparently helps keep away colds.

Now although there is a lot of garlic in this dish everything is cooked, pickled, dried so the flavours melt into the spicy sweet peppery salad. The beans add texture as well as nutrients. The apple works great with the sausage and the dish as a whole so try something a little different.

• 1 garlic sausage
• 2 tbsp sweet and spicy garlic jelly
• ½ eating apple
• 4 cloves hot and spicy pickled garlic cloves
• 12oz cooked black beans
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp dried chopped garlic
• 3oz apple juice
• 2 tbsp grainy mustard
• 2oz white wine vinegar
• 8oz extra virgin olive oil or use camelina oil
• 4 handfuls arugula rinsed and drained
  

Slice the sausage and place onto a tray with parchment paper, top each piece with a little garlic jelly and roast in the oven at 365F for about 10 minutes or until the jelly caramelizes on the sausage.
Slice the apple and place around the sausage.
Place onto a plate and place slices of the pickled garlic on the plate.
Make the dressing by mixing the apple juice, mustard, vinegar, parsley, olive oil and pinch of salt and whisk together.
Place the beans, arugula and dressing into a bowl and toss together.
Divide the salad mix on top of the sausage and serve.

Easter Brunch Recipe: Honey-Roasted Apple and Brie Stuffed French Toast

Hello!  Before I get all distracted talking about Easter and stuffed French toast, let me introduce myself.  I’m Renée Kohlman - a chef and food blogger over at Sweetsugarbean.  My blog is about whatever I happen to be cooking in my little green kitchen - with a focus on local, whole foods, but butter, bacon and chocolate will happily make an appearance now and then.  Just over two years old, the blog has been an excellent creative outlet for me, gathering national attention as well when the National Post named me one of Canada’s Best Food Bloggers.  It was quite the honour!  When I’m not cooking in my kitchen I can be found out in my garden (when it’s not covered with snow, of course), admiring my tomatoes and smelling the sweetpeas.  Growing my own food has been a passion of mine and I cannot wait for the snow to melt so I can get out there and start digging in the dirt.  I believe strongly in knowing where your food comes from, and supporting local, independent food producers.  I was quite pleased when Ken asked me to write a few words for the March newsletter.  Saskmade Marketplace is a great store showcasing so many of this province’s talented food producers.  I mean, where else can you find Black Pansy Syrup, frozen sour cherries and dried morel mushrooms?  

Easter is my favourite holiday.  Being a chef - the Christmas season is too stressful and chaotic to really enjoy.  Easter is more my style - the snow is melting, the birds are singing and the earth is letting out a long sigh, preparing to begin again.  Easter is fresh starts and new beginnings and splashing around in rubber boots.  It’s about looking forward and being hopeful of the future.  And let’s be honest - having a little hope is not a bad thing.  That smell of damp earth and sunshine and wet grass - it gets me every time and I’m glad for it.  

Easter is also about the food - honey glazed hams and scalloped potatoes and devilled eggs as far as the eye can see.  Loaves of Easter bread are sliced and enjoyed with big sweeps of butter.

Brunch always holds a special place in my heart (and belly) so that’s how we celebrate the Easter feast.  It can be savoury -  a ham and brie tart with tomatoes and thyme or breakfast tacos with avocado salsa or sweet - strawberry, rhubarb and mascarpone crepes or my new favourite brunch item:  honey-roasted apple and brie stuffed French toast.  I used a lovely loaf from Earthbound Bakery and some cinnamon honey from Tu-Bees.  The whole thing was slathered in Saskatchewan Birch Syrup by Prairie Infusions and it was glorious.  Sharon, from Herschel Hills makes a fine Camembert, so if you want to use that instead of brie, it would be an excellent substitution.  However you feast, I hope it’s a fine one.  

I’ll be having some other tasty brunch items for sampling on March 23rd at Saskmade, so do come in and say hello - I’d love to meet you!  

Honey-Roasted Apple and Brie Stuffed French Toast

2 Gala apples, cored and sliced

1 heaping tbsp butter

1 heaping tbsp TU-BEES cinnamon honey

pinch of salt

4 slices good French bread

2 eggs

¼ cup milk or cream

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp butter

6 slices of Brie (or Camembert)

¼ cup toasted walnuts or pecans

Birch Syrup, to serve (but Maple will do, too)

Combine the apples, butter, honey and salt in small roasting dish.  Roast in a preheated 400*F oven for about 30 minutes until golden and soft - stirring every 10 minutes.  You want the juices reduced.  When done, set aside.  

Whisk the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla in large bowl.  Dip the bread, making sure thoroughly soaked.  Over medium high heat melt 1 tbsp butter in skillet and fry two pieces of bread at a time.  When one side is golden, flip over continue cooking until that side is golden as well.  Place 3 pieces of brie, half the apples and walnuts on one slice.  Top with the other piece of bread - it’s like you are making a French toast sandwich!  Reduce heat and flip over once more.  Cook until the brie is melted.  Slide off to a baking dish and keep warm in low oven while you repeat with the rest of the ingredients.  Serve warm with Birch syrup and more butter, if you like.  Serves 2.  

[Feb'13] Sunday Dinner with Chef Simon

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.

Valentines is over and I’m finally caught up so for this months blog I’m going to keep it as simple as possible and do one of my favourite desserts a crumble (crisp). This one is also going to be free of gluten and has a secret ingredient to make the topping.

Now the key to me is getting a tart fruit base with a reasonably sweet crunchy topping so this is a Granny Smith apple and blueberry fruit base and for the top it’s a wheat free oat, brown sugar, butter and… chick pea flour - that’s right chick pea flour!

As I type this I’m actually eating the subject and its perfectly balanced, sour, sweet, crunchy, hot… wow!

Here’s the recipe which makes about 4 portions.

Ingredients:

• 450g wheat-free oats
• 225g chick pea flour
• 3 tbsp apple cider
• 125g diced butter
• 200g soft brown sugar
• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 175g wild blueberries

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 325f
• In an ovenproof dish add the blueberries, peel and quarter the apples and remove the core, slice into the dish and mix.
• Pour over the apple cider
• In a bowl add the oats, chickpea flour, brown sugar and diced butter and blend with your fingers but keep some flecks of butter.
• Top the fruit with the crumble and ensure not to press down.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the top is crisp, serve with a large ball of vanilla ice cream.

It’s a perfect dessert at anytime and quick to make.

[Jan '13] Sunday Dinner with Chef Simon

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.

Pan fried herbed chicken breast, spicy salsa and porcini mushrooms

January 2013 and the start of another culinary year! This month I’m going to keep it simple, hearty and tasty.

Tomato sauce is a staple in most households but after a while they tend to taste the same, so instead of a tomato sauce I’m going to cook the chicken breasts in salsa! This will give the chicken a bright zippy flavour and a taste of fresh tomatoes, which is perfect for January in Saskatchewan. Herbs are another way of imparting lots of flavour. and eating fresh is no longer a challenge especially with Floating Gardens and their Hydroponics growing methods.

SaskMade shopping list:

• Rylee Green canola oil
• M&M Just Right Salsa
• Floating Gardens' fresh thyme, rosemary and tomatoes
• Prairie Infusions' dried porcini mushrooms
• Willow Creek golden flax seed

 

Ingredients:

• 2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1 pack fresh thyme
• 1 pack fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• ½ jar salsa
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ½ pack dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 tbsp flax seeds
• 2 cup cooked pasta of your choice

Directions

In this dish I made some fresh Gnocchi but you can use any pasta you have in the house.

Take the herbs and pull off the leaves chopping them well to release the oils and then place them over the chicken breasts with a glug of canola oil. Turn the chicken breasts over a number of times in the bowl so the herbs are evenly distributed, then season with salt and pepper. You can do this 4-6 hours ahead to allow the herbs to flavour the chicken thoroughly.

In a warmed sauté pan, sear the chicken breast for 1 minute on each side. Place into a casserole dish with the porcini mushrooms, chicken stock and the salsa, pop on the lid and into a pre-heated oven at 365F. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken breast is cooked through, if the sauce is too runny just pour into a saucepan and reduce to the desired consistency.

Cook your pasta and place in a bowl, slice the chicken breast and place over the pasta then pour the sauce over the top. o I sprinkled flax seeds over at the end to give a lovely nutty flavour as well as a boat load of Omega 3s!

The end result is a perfect comfort food for a cold Sunday night.

Sunday Dinner with Chef Simon [Dec'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.

Wild rice, lentil, bean, vegetable and goats cheese Pasty

This month’s blog is about what we chefs in the UK used to call “Cornish Pasty” until July 2011 when it received Protected Geographical Indication by the European Commission, which means I have to describe it as above.

Here are a few other names it’s known by: Cornish pasty, pastie, British pasty, oggie, oggy, teddy oggie, tiddy oggin to name a few.

There’s an amazing amount of history behind this simple pastry, and some of the more fun aspects include the reasoning behind the design - specifically the crimping. It was designed to allow the Cornish tin miners to take a meal down the mine, hold on to the pasty by the crimped section, eat the pasty and throw away the piece they held - now covered in dirt. Now that’s some clever food design right there! Some pasties even had savoury at one end and sweet at the other.

 Christmas is fast approaching and food will be the main topic over the holidays so here’s a great way to eat some healthy items in a perfect pastry package.

This recipe is vegetarian, but you can fill your pastry with anything, beef, lamb, chicken, and any flavour to boot.

Here’s the recipe for the pastry I used and I’ll add a gluten free recipe too. The filling can be prepared the day before to speed up the process.

[ Pastry ]

Ingredients  

Gluten free pastry dough

• 2 cups brown rice flour 
• 1 cup cornstarch 
• 1/2 cup quinoa flour 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 3 tsp xanthan gum 
• 2 eggs 
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
• 8-10 Tablespoons cold water 
• 1 c water 
• 1 c butter 

Regular Pasty dough (makes 6-8 pastries) 

• 2 cups all purpose flour 
• 1 cup diced cold butter or lard 
• 2 pinches salt 
• 8-10 tbsp ice cold water 

Method

In a bowl add the flour, butter and salt and with your fingertips blend quickly until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the cold water and bring together to a dough, careful not to over work. Cling film (or plastic wrap) the ball of pastry and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.

[ Filling ]

Ingredients   

•  4tbsp wild rice cooked and drained 
• 4tbsp pinto beans cooked and drained 
• 4tbsp lentils cooked and drained 
• 3 carrots chopped finely 
• 3 potatoes chopped finely 
• 4tbsp goats cheese 
• 1 small onion chopped finely 
• 3tsp dried garlic 
• 3tbsp chopped parsley 
• 1tsp fresh thyme picked 
• 1tsp fresh sage chopped 
• Salt and pepper 
• 3-4 tbsp tomato paste 
• 1 egg beaten 

Method

In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well. The veggies are uncooked in the mix and will cook in the pastry. Take out the pastry and divide into 8 pieces, roll out to the size of a tea plate (6-7 inch). Place a mound of rice mix on one half and test to see if the pastry will close.

Brush the outside with beaten egg and fold over the pastry, seal the edges well and place on a tray with parchment paper. Brush the pasty with beaten egg all over and pierce the top of the pasty to allow steam to vent. Bake at 400F for about 45 minutes. You can eat the pasty hot or cold.

These pasties are a perfect way to use up meats and veggies and will look amazing on a Boxing Day buffet.

Sunday Dinner with Chef Simon [Nov '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.

Pan fried Saskatchewan lamb, pickled carrot and black bean salad, mustard mayo, fingerling potatoes, Saskatoon berry syrup.

Serves 3 Ingredients

• 1 package lamb loin chops (roughly 6 chops)
• 1 bag fresh oregano
• 1 bag fresh mint
• ½ tsp dried garlic
• ½ bag fingerling potatoes
• ½ cup dried black beans
• 5 pickled carrots
• 4 tbsp Saskatoon berry syrup
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp grainy mustard

  Suppliers

• Floating Gardens Greenhouse
• M&M Garlic
• Living Soils Farm
• Willow Creek Organic Grain Co
• Prairie Berries
• West Bridgeford Meats Ltd.
• Rylee Green

Lamb History of Saskatchewan  I did a little digging and Sheep have been part of Saskatchewan’s economy for over 140 years with the first Sheep arriving on the Prairies in the 1800’s. There are around 70,000 ewes in the province producing 110,000 lambs each year but there is still room to double this production due to high demand. - CTV news, Saskatchewan Sheep development board

Great news for lamb lovers, SaskMade is soon to carry lamb too! I did my monthly run to SaskMade to look for ingredients for the November blog and as usual I look for the main ingredient and build the dish around it, Candace Ippolito one of the owners of SaskMade had mentioned earlier there was soon to be lamb and beef making its way onto the shelves and I grabbed a package of lamb chops which gave me a head start in my choice.

Prep Work This is a dish in which most of the stages can be prepared ahead of time.

• Marinate the lamb chops in the chopped mint, oregano, dried garlic and canola oil and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Boil the potatoes until tender and run under cold water until cold, then into the fridge.
• Making the salad ahead of time will actually improve the flavour, so boil the beans for 60-90 minutes until very tender, then under cold water to chill.
• Slice the carrots into bite size pieces and place in a bowl, add the drained beans, mayonnaise and mustard and mix well, place in the fridge till required.

Here’s my tip for lamb: if you’re purchasing rack or loin chops then cook the lamb pink! This is going to give you the most taste and the tenderest lamb you can eat.  

Let’s finish the dish...

• Remove the chops from the fridge about an hour before cooking to allow the meat to come up in temperature.
• Cut the fingerling potatoes length ways and sauté in canola oil and a knob of butter until golden, then season with salt and pepper and place to one side.
• In the same pan, add the chops and cook for 3-4 minutes each side on a medium heat. Take the Saskatoon berry syrup and drizzle generously around the lamb to give a sweet kick.
• Place the potatoes back in the same pan to warm up again and then plate as the photo.
• Add the pre-made salad to the plate and serve.
• This dish is so tasty and the combination of the flavours works extremely well with the minty lamb and the piquancy of the pickled carrots with the sweetness of the Saskatoon berry syrup!!

If you have bad memories and experiences eating lamb then a chop is one of the best ways to remedy this as the meat is mild, tender but rich which is perfect for adding lots of flavours to. The recipe allows two chops per person, but I would personally eat at least three.

So for a quick and easy Sunday dinner with lots of flavour try this at home and slam on the lamb!

Happy Cooking!
Chef Simon 
 

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!