[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.