[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!

[product feature] Spelt and Millet: Ancient grains for today’s healthy diet

When I was growing up, whole wheat flour and rice were exotic options. Now we have a whole range of intriguing choices – buckwheat, spelt, millet, kamut – the list goes on and on. My problem is that I don’t know very much about some of these grains, so I arranged a phone call with Nicole Davis, the Owner/Manager of Daybreak Mill near Estevan.

Daybreak Mill grows and processes approximately 18 different kinds of flour, whole and de-hulled grains, flakes, cereals, and legumes. They are 100% organic. “We want people to have access to healthy, wholesome food,” Nicole explains.

Two of Daybreak’s products – spelt and millet – have been nourishing people around the world for over 9,000 years.

 

 Spelt

Spelt was cultivated by ancient civilizations in Europe and the Middle East for thousands of years. It grows well in poor soil and doesn’t require fertilizer. It’s resistant to frost and the thick husk protects the grain from insects. However, spelt requires more processing than wheat as the hull must be removed.

There are, however, advantages to eating spelt. It has more protein than wheat and contains a different form of gluten that is easier to digest.

Daybreak has been growing spelt since 2003, and it’s their most popular product. “It has a high moisture content and makes a light, moist loaf,” Nicole says.

They also sell spelt flakes and whole grain. Spelt flour is one of the main ingredients in Daybreak’s Sunrise pancake mix.

 

Millet

Millet is a member of the corn family with long, broad leaves. Daybreak grows a very old variety of millet that came from the Ukraine. “We call it Alvin’s Millet,” Nicole says, “after Alvin Scheresky, one of the first organic farmers in North America and the original owner of the farm and mill.”

In North America, millet is primarily used for bird seed, but it’s the sixth most important cereal grain in the world, sustaining more than one third of the world’s population. Millet has a short growing season and grows well in hot, dry conditions. It also stores well, so it’s often set aside in case of famine.

Millet is gluten-free. Its protein content is similar to wheat and corn, and it’s rich in B vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, iron and zinc.

Millet is one of the main ingredients in Daystart cereal, which also contains buckwheat, oat bran, sunflower seeds and brown flax.

 

Did you know?

• There are references to both millet and spelt in the Bible (Ezekiel 4.9, Isaiah 28:25).
• In 1850, 94% of the cereal acreage in one region of Germany was planted with spelt. Only 5% was producing wheat for bread.
• Sweet millet porridge is a popular dish in Russia and Germany.
• Millet is fermented to make beer in Taiwan, pombe in East Africa, and a distilled liquor called rakshi in Nepal.
• Daybreak Mill has a wide assortment of processing equipment to handle all its different crops. Millet seeds are much smaller than grains of spelt, so they require a different de-huller. The spelt flakes are processed using an old roller mill.

- by Penny McKinlay, Wanderlust and Words (www.wanderlustandwords.blogspot.com)