Mountain Man Stew

As the days grow shorter and colder, the desire to cook and eat comfort foods grows exponentially. A perfect meal for this time of year is a recipe my wife discovered online several years ago, that we have since made a few changes to, Mountain Man Stew. It's good and hearty, and it's a great way to use some of the seasonal vegetables found at your local farmer's market.

Ingredients

1.5 sticks of butter
1 large green pepper, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 head garlic, chopped
454 g. baby carrots, chopped
454 g. mushrooms, sliced (I suggest the crimini or portobello mushrooms for their earthy flavour)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
454 g. stewing beef
1.35 kg. white potatoes, thickly sliced
900 mL beef broth
5 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled
120 mL beef bouillon concentrate
120 mL red wine
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large deep skillet over medium heat, cook the bell pepper, onion, garlic, carrots, and mushrooms in the butter, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the basil, oregano, Old Bay, salt, pepper and stewing beef. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are softened, and the meat is browned. Stir frequently.
2. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a saucepan, and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and stir the potatoes into the vegetable/beef mixture.
3. Pour the beef broth, the beef broth concentrate, and the red wine into a saucepan, and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the liquid. Bring to a boil.
4. Carefully combine the liquid component with the vegetable/beef mixture until both are well combined. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot with a warm baguette and butter.

Hockey and Chicken Wings

I remember the first time I ever made wings. It was a Sunday in February back in 2002, I believe it was the 24th. My roommates were watching a hockey game that afternoon, and I was trying to take a nap to avoid watching the hockey game. It's not that I don't like hockey, but the team I was hoping to win didn't play all that well leading up to this important game, and I didn't want to see them get embarrassed. But the noise from downstairs and my own curiosity made me go down to the living room midway through the first. The score was 2-1 for the good guys. At the end of the first, I decided it was time to add some food to the beer we were drinking and decided that wings would hit the spot. While waiting for the wings to defrost in the microwave, I noticed a package of Shake N Bake in the pantry, and the deep fryer that was on the counter, and had a "Eureka!" moment. After cutting the tips off the wings, I coated the wings with the Shake N Bake, and dropped them into the hot oil. The results were I got some tasty, but gritty chicken wings. In hindsight, it wasn't the Shake N Bake that was the problem, it was the quality of the oil in the deep fryer. When I decided to clean the deep fryer months later, I was disgusted at the dark goopy mess I poured into the garbage. It looked like something people had to cleanup after the Exxon Valdez spilled. The recipe below is the method I use now for chicken wings. As for the game, I later watched Iginlia put the game away for Team Canada as they beat the Americans 5-3. I celebrated with along the rest of the country at 80's Night at Barrymores later that evening with my roommates. A lot of honking, hollering, flag-waving, and beer drinking was seen and done, it was one of the few times I've seen Ottawa enjoying itself. As an NHL lockout is preventing hockey fans from doing some hooting and hollering, I hope my chicken wing recipe brings you some joy - go Sens go.

Ingredients

2 eggs
2 pounds chicken wings, split and tips discarded

3 cups all-purpose flour or cornstarch
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

enough canola oil for frying

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Pour over the chicken wings in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Combine the flour with the poultry seasoning, Old Bay, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the chicken wings from the egg mixture, coat them in the flour mixture. Cook in batches in the preheated deep-fryer until the wings are golden brown on the outside, and no longer pink at the bone, about 10 minutes per batch. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, and season to taste with salt before serving.

Favorite TV cooking shows

With the new fall season about to begin, I can't think of a better time to talk about some of my favourite cooking shows, listed in alphabetical order.

• Chopped (Food Network Canada)
  Premise: Four chefs must take a mystery basket of ingredients and turn them into a dish that is judged on their creativity, presentation, and taste in a short period of time, anywhere between 20 to 50 minutes. The competitors are given access to a pantry and refrigerator stocked with a wide variety of other ingredients. The show is divided into three rounds, Appetizer, Entrée, and Dessert.  After each round, a panel of judges critiques the dishes and decides which chef is eliminated from the competition, or "chopped". The final two chefs are then judged not only on their dessert course, but on the entire meal presented by each chef as a whole. The winner then receives $10 000.
  
  I don't what I would do if was told to make a dessert using avocado, oyster sauce, tofu skins, and star fruit in 30 minutes. Seeing these chefs work under pressure with ingredients they wouldn't normally use, and still managing to make something that tastes and looks good is fascinating. This show is food porn at its best.



• Chuck's Day Off (Food Network Canada)
  Premise: Whether it's roping steers with Mexican cowboys or diving into sinkholes, the viewer gets a look into what the host does in his off hours when he's not at one of the two restaurants he's a part owner of, and sees  the dishes he makes for the people he meets along the way.
  
  I'm not buying the idea that this is what this chef does with his time off from working at Garde Manger, and Le Bremner in Old Montreal, but like any reality show, it needed a hook. I stumbled across this show when I was looking for something to watch during dinner. Host Chuck Hughes believes in  a cooking style that stresses keeping things simple, fresh ingredients and having fun, and it shows with his laid back presence on the show. Don't think though that he's a cooking lightweight though, he's the youngest Canadian chef (only the third to do so) to win "Iron Chef America", defeating Iron Chef Bobby Flay.



• Iron Chef (Food Network)
  Premise: This defunct Japanese cooking show was a cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient.
  
  I first saw this show when I was visiting a friend in London, Ontario while we were killing time before hitting the local bars. The over-the-top theatrics and English dubbing were what made the show for me; for that reason, I've never been a fan of Iron Chef America. Bobby Flay and Mario Batali got nothing as interesting as this opening.



• Man v. Food (OLN)
  Premise: Series host Adam Richman visited restaurants that offer big food offerings before facing off against a pre-existing eating challenge.
  
  Any show that celebrates gluttony the way this show does has be entertaining, and with the help of its jovial host, the show manages to walk the fine line between fascinating and disgusting.. The show has since been rebranded as "Man v. Food Nation" as Richman has wisely decided that after three seasons, it's time to treat his body better.



• Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (BBC Canada)
  Premise: Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay visits a failing restaurant and acts as a troubleshooter to help improve the establishment in just one week. He then revisits the restaurant a few months later to see how business has fared in his absence.
  
  I've been a huge fan of Gordon Ramsay ever since I saw a preview clip of his show "Hell's Kitchen" online. His fiery temper and foul mouth may be a turnoff for some, but  you can't deny his passion for culinary perfection. I like the UK version of Kitchen Nightmares better than the American version because there's more of a focus on how a restaurant runs and a kitchen works, and less about the squabbles and personal lives of the people who own and work in the restaurant. Plus, I sometimes can't believe that some of people on the American version actually work in the food industry as they're portrayed so cluelessly. But I guess that's why Ramsey calls them donkeys.
• Top Chef (Reality Channel) / Top Chef Canada (Food Network Canada)
  Premise: Chefs compete against each other in a variety of culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode. The winning chef gets acclaim and a boatload of money.
  
  Quickfire challenges; Elimination challenges; Restaurant Wars. There's isn't a foodie alive who hasn't watched at least one episode of this series. With the right amount of focus on the chefs themselves and the dishes they create, this is how a cooking competition is supposed to be filmed. Skilled contestants who know their craft (unlike some of the schlubs on "Hell's Kitchen") and knowledgeable judges who hand out appropriate praise and criticism make this show thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, even without the eye candy in judges Padma Lakshmi  and Lisa Ray.
• You Gotta Eat Here! (Food Network Canada)
  Premise: In this show, the host travels across the country, searching for great comfort food at various diners, greasy spoons, and restaurants. He then interviews the people working at these establishments, and shows how some of their signature recipes are made.
  
  This show is very similar to "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives", but with Canadian content and no sign of annoying douchebag Guy Fieri. I like how it's possible to recreate some of the dishes by watching the demos shown if the restaurant visited isn't in your area  (though you may want to check a cookbook for a similar recipe to get the amounts of the ingredients correct). When they featured the Elgin Street Diner, I learned they are not only known for their poutine, but also for their meatloaf...who knew? I've been to the ESD a bunch of times and have enjoyed their poutine, but I've never seen anyone order or eat their meatloaf. I'll have to try it the next time I'm in the area.

If there something on TV that I should (or shouldn't) be watching, please let me know in the Comments section.

Julia Child Remixed

In honour of the announcement that Kanye West will be collaborating with Skrillex on his upcoming album, here's what legendary chef Julia Child would sound like if her show was produced by T-Pain:

Anniversary dinner / Food Day Canada

As I Twitted Saturday, in honour of both Food Day Canada and my wedding anniversary, I made duck confit for dinner. Food cooked confit-style means it was cooked in fat for a long period of time at a low temperature. Here's the recipe and method I used.

Ingredients: four duck legs; salt; olive oil 

Rub salt into the outside of the duck legs. Put the salted duck legs in a ZipLoc bag and store them in the fridge for several hours.

This will add flavour to the meat and draw out some of the moisture from the legs. After dry-brining the duck legs, wash off the salt. (Or just sprinkle some salt on the legs if you're pressed for time.) 

Place the duck legs in the bowl of your slow cooker and cover them with olive oil. Set the slow cooker to low and leave the meat to cook for anywhere between six to twelve hours.

After cooking, the legs can be eaten with the skin either removed (duck confit shredded on spaghetti, aka duck confit sugo is to die for), or pan seared to crisp the skin up. If you're not going to use the legs immediately, store them in the fridge.

I Scream, You Scream...

...on hot day like this, we all scream for ice cream. If you forgot to pick some up over the long weekend, or if you don't want to chase down the ice cream truck, you may want to try this super-fast way to make a cool treat.

Summertime Sandwich Review

How's your summer been? Mine has been filled with entertaining family and friends. Finally got a chance to bang out a blog post...

Where I work, my lunchtime choices when I'm not brown-bagging it are either the fast-food places around Bronson Ave., or the wallet-taxing restaurants in Little Italy. Luckily I managed to find some alternatives to those places that aren't to far from my office when I want to have a sandwich for lunch, Di Rienzo Grocery and Deli, and Pressed. For what it's worth, here's what I thought of both places:

Atmosphere
Di Rienzo's: A cozy family business. When it's busy, you will be in a lineup that weaves around the grocery aisles until you can place your order. Luckily the lineup moves quickly, which is good as there is no air conditioning in the place.

Pressed: Kitschy, laid back layout, with both table and lunch counter style seating. Performances by musicians are a regular occurrence. A strong commitment to serving organic/fair trade coffee and supporting the use of local ingredients.

Sandwich Chosen
Di Rienzo's: Cold turkey and prosciutto with lettuce, tomato, Havarti, mayo, and spicy eggplant (on request)
Pressed: Warm Chicken Caesar Salad

Sandwich Impressions
Di Rienzo's: The soft crusty bread and the authentic deli meats and cheeses are filling, tasty, and blow anything from Subway or Quinzo's out of the water. Strongly recommend adding the spicy eggplant to any of the 17 different sandwiches available.
Pressed: Fresh crispy lettuce and flavourful seasoned chicken make for one good pressed sandwich.

Time of Sandwich Preparation
Di Rienzo's: About a minute
Pressed: Approximately ten minutes

Cost
Di Rienzo's: $5, all sandwiches, extra for additional meats and/or cheeses.
Pressed: $10; sandwiches range from $7-11

Final Verdict:
If you're in the area, and watch a quick bite, go to Di Rienzo's. If you're looking for a place to impress someone on a lunch date, head to Pressed. You can't go wrong with either taste-wise.