Chicken Livers

We are lucky to have access to produce from Wildfire Farms and this year I was especially lucky to pick up chicken livers. Oh my goodness, they are delicious. It's easy to cook delicious food when you have access to good product.  

Chicken livers

Sweet onions

Brown mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms

Dry Sherry

Montreal chicken spice

How about you?  Do you have a favourite farm that supplies you with your good eats?  

Salad de Polvo (Octopus Salad)

This is a perfect summer time dinner salad. The recipe for this dish came from Ana Ortins' latest cookbook Authentic Portuguese Cooking. I couldn't find a whole octopus and used baby octopus instead. It worked well but I didn't have enough octopus for the amount of onions called for in the recipe. Next time, I think I will substitute shallots for the onions.  

Oh and I added oregano to the dressing and served with arugula.  Yummy.  

Fish Tacos

I have to say that when I stumbled across Old Mill white corn tortillas at the grocery store on the weekend, I was pretty excited. I can't recall the last time I ate a tortilla or a wrap for that matter. And not only are they gluten-free, they're good too.   

I used Mahi-mahi for my fish that was marinaded with olive oil, cumin, oregano, chill powder, cilantro, and a 1/3 of a seeded hot pepper. This dish was inspired by the Fish Taco recipe I found here at Epicurious.com.  

Instead of the tomato salsa and Mexican crema suggested in the Epicurious recipe I went with a simple and delicious favourite, Mango salsa.

I'm so glad I didn't skip the red onions soaked in red wine vinegar. Oh my, love these!  

Now that I have found gluten free tortillas, that I like I'm sure I will be revisiting this recipe over the summer.  

Lasagna

I usually make the Ooh-la-la-sagna recipe from The Looneyspoons Collection cookbook but today I just went with what I had on hand since I was missing a few key ingredients.   

Instead of making the centre layer with spinach, ricotta and parmesan cheese and egg I went with what vegetable I had in the fridge. 

3 medium onions roughly chopped

4 zucchinis

2 yellow peppers

large package of mushrooms

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato oil

Toss and roast for 30 minutes in a 350º F oven.  Meanwhile, I worked on my meat sauce.  I removed the skins from fifteen hot Italian sausages, diced and cooked with one white onion. When meat is cooked add 

1 jar of Marinara sauce 

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

Once is reaches a boil, reduce, and simmer for 20 minutes.  

Now comes the fun part. Start with a layer of meat sauce, then a layer of Le Veneziane Gluten-free Corn and Rice Lasagna noodles.  They are oven ready so no need to pre-cook these noodles. Top with more meat sauce, 1/2 of the roasted vegetables (I made enough for 2 trays of lasagna), mozzarella cheese, lasagna noodles, meat sauce and a final layer of cheese.  

Bake in a 350º F oven for 30 minutes. And then enjoy!

Remembering My Tia

This dish is a tribute to my Tia Elvira. Back-in-the-day, I was blessed to meet her even though we did not share the same language. My cousin had to translate our conversations. What my Tia and I did share was a love for good food. She was an amazing cook and I wish I inherited a fraction of her talent, but I did not. It doesn't stop me from trying to recreate one of my favourite dishes that she used to make, Portuguese Steak Sandwiches.  

I started with thinly sliced sweet onions, thinly sliced shallots, minced garlic and bay leaves.  

Add some red wine, olive oil, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, Portuguese pepper paste, and freshly cracked pepper.  

Toss in thinly sliced beef and mix well, leaving it to marinate.  

Add some lard to a roasting pan, add the marinated meat and roast until tender and desired doneness. Note:  adjust seasoning half way through, if desired, I added more salt, Creole Seasoning and lemon juice.  

These Portuguese crusty buns are not gluten-free so I won't be enjoying these ones. They are the type of buns that my Tia used to serve this dish. These ones will be for others. Hmmm, I wonder if there is a gluten-free version of Portuguese crusty buns?  

Happy Eats!  

  

Summer-time!

My favourite time of the year is when yellow string beans start to appear at the farmer's market. Once upon a time, my folks grew these in the garden and my Mom learned this way of making them from one of her co-workers. It quickly became a family favourite.  

Yellow beans trimmed, cut, and boiled

Sweet onions, diced

Sea Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Olive oil

White vinegar

Toss and enjoy!  

Summer-time Burger

I use portabella mushrooms (also known as Agarics bisporus) instead of hamburger buns when having a burger. I will warn you that they are messy! But at twenty-two calories per hundred grams and no fat I can deal with the mess. And I don't feel as guilty as I should that there is bacon and cheddar cheese hiding in the middle of that burger. Shhh, our secret.  

To add to the mess factor I dress one side of the "bun" with dijon mustard and the other with snap pea coconut chutney. Oh my! That chutney is so de-lish, I could eat it by the spoonful. The chutney is thanks to KarenFood. You might know her as a regular visitor on CBC Radio with Terry McLeod on the weekends. But I digress, if you're in the Winnipeg area you just might be lucky enough to pick up some Snap Pea and Coconut Chutney at the Hydro Building's downtown Farmers Market on Thursdays.

Good Eats!

Paella

This picture was taken at the last leg of the cooking stage, just before it went into the oven until the clams and mussels opened up. If you don't own a paella pan, could I recommend that you invest in one--you won't be disappointed. I've made paella in a stock pot and it is not the same outcome.  

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced green pepper

1 cup diced yellow pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

4 ounces chorizo

1/2 cup green peas

2 cups short grain rice

4 chicken thighs

1 pound shrimp

1 pound mussels

1 pound clams

5 cups clam juice

Happy Cooking!  

Stuffed Pork Loin

Oh my goodness, this is one de-lish dish!  

To make the stuffing cook one diced onion with about a tablespoon of olive oil. When the onions begin to soften, add about 10 ounces of homemade Portuguese chorizo. Brown chorizo and remove from heat and let it cool.  Add cheese and parsley.  

Remove fat from a pork loin and slice open so that it can be stuffed and rolled jelly-roll style.  Layer the stuffing and roll tying with butcher's string.  

Mix olive oil, salt, parsley, paprika and chilli powder and rub the pork loin.  

Roast in a 350° F oven until the internal temperature reaches 150° F.  Enjoy!  Left-overs are delicious when thinly sliced for sandwiches.  

Portuguese Cod Fish Dish

This is another favourite dish around here--a traditional Portuguese and gluten-free dish! Cod fish, potatoes and other goodness...

Layer par-boiled sliced potatoes, thinly sliced onions, thinly sliced roma tomatoes, cod fish and hot pepper paste oil (homemade pepper paste, garlic and seasonings). Repeat and Bake in a 350˚F oven.  

If you are not lucky enough to be born into a Portuguese family or have Portuguese friends willing to share their own homemade pepper paste, you can find this essential ingredient at your local Portuguese market.  

Happy Eating!  

Roasted Mushroom and Brie Soup

This soup is inspired by a recipe that I found online, I just tweaked it to make it a gluten-free version after being tempted by pre-made Mushroom and Brie Soup available at Costco but wasn't gluten free. I typically like cooking with sherry when making a mushroom soup but I didn't have any on hand. The white wine worked quite well.  

Super yummy creamy mushroom soup! Start with about 2 lbs of mushrooms, a tablespoon of olive oil, a cookie sheet and 400˚F oven.  

Roast the mushrooms for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile melt some butter (2 tablespoons) in a soup pot, and cook down onions for about 8 minutes.  

Add garlic and dried thyme.

Cook for about 1 minute more.

Add gluten free all-purpose flour blend. I like Cloud 9 gluten free flour, it is a cup for cup replacement for non-gluten-free recipes. Deglaze the pot with white wine.  

Add stock and roasted mushrooms, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it simmer away for about 20 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of milk and brie cheese, skinned and cut into cubes. Stir until cheese is melted and milk has been blended.  

Puree the soup and serve.

Happy Eating!

Ham, Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

Nothing says the holidays better than a big pot of Jambalaya

lard from spare ribs

white onions

celery

shallots

red bell peppers

homemade sausage and reserved cooking liquid

ham

tomatoes

beef broth

jasmine rice

sea salt

freshly cracked pepper

cayenne pepper

green onions

shrimp, peeled and deveined

Happy New Year and Good Eats!  

Duck Fried Rice

Oh, what to do with left over roast duck? I usually make a fried rice dish when I have left over protein but I will have to say using duck is the best version of fried rice I think I have made.   

Sesame seed oil

Jasmine Rice

Celery, diced

Carrots, diced

Red bell pepper, diced

White onions, diced

Garlic, minced

Fresh ginger, diced

Roast duck, cut in bite-sized pieces

Gluten-free soya sauce

Lamb Korma

This lamb korma was cooking in the slow cooker while I was away at work today. It was nice to come home to a hot cooked meal.  

Lamb (shoulder) cut into pieces

Avocado oil

Mustard seeds

Turmeric

Ginger

Cayenne pepper

Water

Onions

Spinach

Sea Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Greek Yogurt

Balsmati rice

Chicken stock

Untraditional, Yes!

This weekend we're celebrating Thanksgiving and I'm thankful that there is no turkey on the menu. Oh and I'm thankful for my family too.   

On the menu there was stuffed pork loin, mushroom gravy, roasted red and sweet potatoes with red onions and rosemary, green peas, caesar salad and gluten-free pumpkin pie from Lorenzo's. At Lorenzo's I was able to find gluten-free pumpernickel bread for the stuffing. They ran out by the time I got there but there was a mini-loaf that they let me have that worked out to be the perfect amount. Thank you!  

While the food was in the oven, there was time to set the table.

No croutons left over for the salad, de-lish non-the-less.  

Cheesey fall themed decorations for a simple centre piece.  

So thankful for so much. 

Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating this weekend.   

Borscht

Gotta love autumn for all the food gifts that find its way to the table. These are organic beets that someone found in their organic food delivery box but didn't know that to do with them.  

I thought I would give a try at making borscht.  I used a recipe that I found in Classic Home Cooking by Mary Berry and Marlena Spieler.  

Red cabbage

Beets

Carrots

Red onions

Tomatoes

Red potatoes

Chicken stock

Dried dill

Dried Celery

Red wine vinegar

Organic coconut cane sugar

Sea salt

Black pepper

I know it is a popular soup but I think it needs something.  I added back bacon and that helped. I think it could use more seasoning, cumin perhaps? I do like cumin.  

Corn and Crab Chowder

Olive Oil

Unsalted butter

Diced celery

Diced white onion

Minced garlic

Diced bell yellow bell pepper

Diced red potatoes

Vegetable or Chicken stock 

Cayenne Pepper

Gluten-free Creole Spice

Sea Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Milk

Gluten-free all-purpose flour

Corn

Crab meat

Green onions

Portuguese Lasagna

Okay, it is really not called Portuguese Lasagna. Just a little joke there. But it is delicious and that is no joke!  

Start with some sliced potatoes, par-boil them and layer the bottom of a baking sheet.  

You'll also need some cooked salt cod that has been broken into pieces.  

Some thinly sliced onions and shallots.  

Layer and top with diced tomatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil that has been dressed with homemade hot pepper paste, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic. Bake for 45 minutes in a pre-heated over (375 degrees).  

Enjoy!  

Braised Red Cabbage

Thinly sliced onions

minced garlic

fresh thyme

bacon drippings

chopped granny smith apple

apple sauce

apple juice with equal amounts of water

red wine vinegar

brown sugar

red cabbage

parsley

cooked diced gluten-free bacon

Braised Short Ribs

Bison Short Ribs

Fresh Thyme

Minced Garlic

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Fennel

Onions

Celery

Beef broth

Seared and then cooked slowly in a low oven for about four hours until the meat just falls off the bone...

Serve with braised red cabbage.