My Favourite Cookbooks

The local literary world is buzzing about "Ottawa Cooks", a cookbook featuring recipes from some of the city's best chefs. While I usually rely on the Internet when it comes to finding recipes, there's something about cookbooks that still appeals to me. Here are some of my favourites:

	Cooking for Geeks My love for this cookbook can be found throughout this blog, and for good reason, as it reads less like a cookbook and more like an interesting textbook. It's the perfect book for people who consider the kitchen their personal laboratory and should be required reading for anyone teaching an elementary or high school Home Ec class.
	DC Super Heroes Super Healthy Cookbook This is the first cookbook I've ever followed a recipe from. Given how popular superheroes are these days (in spite of things like "Batman vs. Superman", ironically enough), it's a bit surprising it is still out of print.
	The 4-Hour Chef For people who want to do things better, and do it in as short a time possible, look no further than this book, not surprisingly from the author of "The 4-Hour Workweek".
	The Joy of Cooking You could get by with just this cookbook for the rest of your life and be happy with your results. A must-have for a cook of any skill level, whether you're a millennial, a baby boomer, or anyone in between.
	The Laws of Cooking A protege of the mad scientist of the cooking world Alton Brown, Justin Warner breaks down cooking into combinations based on familiar foods (ie. bitter+fat+sweet=the Law of Coffer, Cream, and Sugar), that teach why certain flavors work better than others, with recipes that force you out of your cooking comfort zone whether you like to or not.

Summertime Quick Pickling

As we sweat through the dog days of summer, it's easy to forget that the cold bite of winter will soon be upon us. While it's not possible to bottle up the warmth of the season, it is possible to capture the taste of summer by pickling some of your vegetables. It's not as hard or time consuming as you would think, it's a great way to savour the bounty from local farmer's markets, and it adds a little something to a meal no matter what season.




Ingredients / Equipment

vegetables (cucumber; baby carrots, cauliflower, green beans, okra, onions, radishes, zucchini)
equal parts water and vinegar (enough to cover the vegetables, ratio can be adjusted according to tastes)
30 g granulated sugar
30 g kosher salt
15 g brown mustard seeds
5 g whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
enough canning jars for your vegetables

1. Pack your vegetable of choice tightly in a glass jar, leaving about 1 cm of room at the top. Place each vegetable in its own jar as vegetables pickle differently and at different rates.
   
   Note: Crunchy vegetables, like carrots, should be boiled a little before pickling; delicate vegetables such as cucumber and zucchini, don’t need to be cooked ahead of time.
   
2. Toast the mustard seeds and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium heat for about two minutes, or until fragrant . Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved, and bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Pour the brine into the jar immediately, covering the vegetables completely. Allow about an hour for the mixture to cool to room temperature, then tightly seal the jar. Shake it or rotate it to evenly distribute the brine and spices, then store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and preferably a week before using. Your vegetables should last for about a month.

Your New Favourite Way To Cook Chicken

Longtime readers of this blog know that while it gets the job done, beer can chicken is a load of crap. If you're looking for a new way to cook your poultry, try butterflying the bird first. By removing the bird's spine, or spatchcocking it, you flatten it out, allowing the heat from the grill to come from a single direction, making it easier to cook, and for it to get a nice, crispy brown skin. Great for either the BBQ or the oven, I recently tried a version of the recipe below as part of my vacation cooking responsibilities.


Ingredients

1 1.5 to 1.75 kg. chicken
30 mL olive oil
10 g ground cumin
10 g ground ginger
10 g paprika
5 g cinnamon (I used five-spice powder)
2 g crushed red pepper flakes (I used Chipotle)
2 g crushed saffron (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Once the bird is out of its wrappings and the innards have been removed, pat it dry with some paper towels
2. Turn the carcass so that the neck flap is facing you, and cut down the right side of the spine with a pair of kitchen shears. Try not to cut into the spine itself, just to the side of it. Once the first cut is done, flip the bird around again and cut it down the other side. The spine can now be thrown out or saved to make stock.
   
   NOTE: This can be done by a butcher if you ask them.
3. Flip the chicken over skin side up, and using both hands, press down on each breast to break the sternum so that the chicken lies flat. You can remove the keel bone that connects the two halves of the chicken together, but it's not required.
4. Brush the olive oil on the chicken, and then season it with the spices, and the salt and pepper.
5. If you're doing your cooking in the oven, place the chicken skin side up on a wire roasting tray in a roasting pan, and broil at medium heat for about 10 minutes. Once the skin has browned, turn the meat over, and switch your oven to the bake setting, at 350°F (177°C). Cook until either the juices run clear when you poke it with a fork, or when a thermometer reads 165°F (71°C).
   
   If you're cooking on the BBQ, you'll be using indirect heat. Preheat your grill at its high setting, and turn off either the middle or the side burner(s) to provide the indirect heat. Get your heat to about 425°F (220°C). Place the chicken skin side up on the turned off burner(s). Cook with the lid closed for 35-45 minutes, or until either the juices run clear when you poke it, or when a thermometer reads 165°F (71°C).

The Secret of Soffritto

Carrots, celery, and onions by themselves may not look like meal starters, but together, they become an amazing combination that brings flavour to a variety of meals. This magic ingredient is called soffritto, an Italian term for onions, celery, and carrots, diced small and cooked in a bit of butter or oil until they are soft and golden. When combined, the caramelization of the vegetables brings out the sweetness of the carrot, the umami of onion, and the freshness of the celery, and is used as a flavor base for many sauces, soups, and stews. It can also be added to scrambled eggs, leftover meats or fish; mixed into jarred pasta sauces; or tossed in with vegetable sautés. With a recipe this versatile, your mealtime will never be the same again.

Ingredients

Butter or olive oil
Carrots
Celery (even the limp stuff will do)
Onions

1. Roughly dice the vegetables into equal amounts (when in doubt, go with more onions than more of the others).
2. Heat some of either the butter or olive oil in a pan at medium heat. Toss in the onions, and cook them until they’re translucent. Add in the carrots and celery, lower the heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the vegetables are soft and limp, and start to turn golden. Depending on how brown you want it, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Store the soffritto in oil for up to three days in your fridge, or freeze it by spooning it onto either sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap, and then rolling everything up into a log and then freezing it in a resealable freezer bag. This way, you can cut slices off as needed in the future.

NOTE: Storing soffritto carries a small risk of botulism, as low-acid vegetables, like onions can provide a home for botulism-causing spores. For more information about botulism, please contact this Health Canada webpage.

Common Sense BBQ Tips

It's that time of year when people leave the confines of the kitchen and go do some cooking outdoors. If you are about to fire up the barbeque for the first time or plan to make the most of your grill, here are some grilling tips to help make things go more smoothly this BBQ season:

• Make sure you have extra charcoal or propane. Seems obvious, until you can't get your fire started, or when your fire goes out.

• Take your meat or fish out of the fridge at least two to three hours before putting it on the grill if you don't want to deal with your food being cold on the inside.
  
• Mise en place isn't just for indoor cooking. Have your BBQ tools - tongs, spatulas, a sharp knife, basting brushes, fire extinguisher - cleaned and nearby before you head outside.

• Using a gas grill? Let it heat up for at least 10 minutes. Got yourself a charcoal grill?  Let it heat up for at least 20 minutes.

• If you’re using a charcoal grill, empty the ashes from your last grilling session. Check the grease tray as well for gas grills.
  
• Use only one cut of meat or fish. It's hard enough to get the right cooking temperature for one cut of meat, let only several.

• Go with lump charcoal if you want the best smoky flavour. Don't fret if you have a gas grill as you can still get some of the smoky flavour from the fat of the meat cooking at high heat if you don't have a smoker box.

• Don’t light your charcoal with lighter fluid. It's a fast way to start the fire, but it can make your food taste funny.
  
• Create gradations of heat on your barbeque by stacking your coals asymmetrically once they are hot. By doing this, you can move things that are charring on the outside across to the cooler part of the grill. Always keep an area of the grill with no coals under it at all – a place to rest food that is cooked and to move things to if you have a flare-up.

• Avoid squirting water on the flames when things flare up, as this will send ash flying over your food. Try moving the food over the part of the grill with no coals underneath it instead.
  
• If you are nervous about getting it right, use a meat thermometer to check it your meat is done. To make sure your meat is cooked to the right temperature, this is a link to a temperature cheat sheet.

• If you have any leftover marinade, cook it up on the grill in a metal bowl to kill off any bugs. or pour it over the cooked meat as a sauce.
  
• Consider rubbing in a separate marinade after you have cooked it. Barbecued fish is delicious if rubbed with very finely chopped parsley and garlic in olive oil. When cooking meat, smear some butter blitzed with herbs, salt, pepper and garlic on top of a chopping board. Place the cooked meat on the butter so it can melt and soak into the meat as you carve it.
  
• Be lazy and don't clean your barbecue after use. If you leave the fat on the grill, it will prevent rust from forming. To clean it, get your grill nice and hot and then rub the charred debris off with a coarse wire brush.

Random Thoughts About Ottawa's CRAFT Beer Market

Ottawa has quickly become a hotbed for craft breweries, and the opening of the CRAFT Beer Market at Lansdowne has to have beer lovers very excited. With 14,000-square-feet to play with, and over a 100 beers on tap, this restaurant hopes to make as big a splash here as they did in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The official opening is May 12, but I was lucky enough to snag an invite to a sneak peek of the place (who says nobody ever wins Facebook contests?). Here's how it went and what I thought about it:

• The event started at 5PM, and by the time my friend Perry and I arrived at quarter to six, the place was packed. It looked like standing room only until we discovered the communal-style tables on the top level.
• Nice looking place, very open with the high ceilings and all the large windows.
• This was the second pre-opening party, as the previous night was for the local breweries and partners.
• No patio as of yet; it would have been nice seeing how warm and sunny like it was.
• Because we were invited to this shindig, we got two drink tickets each. I started off with a Ransack the Universe IPA, and Perry went with nut brown ale from Black Oak. No complaints with either choice and the beers came promptly, despite how insanely busy it was.
• They use the appropriate glass for the beer you ask for - you got to like that.
• With about 60 percent of the restaurant’s taps dedicated to Ontario brewers, and more than half of those dedicated to craft beer offerings, along with the remainder of the taps featuring beers from across Canada, the U.S. and overseas, if you can't find something you like to drink on the beer menu, you either just don't like beer, or you're not trying.
• No issues here with female staff in sexy uniforms or high heels, if that is a thing that concerns you when you go out to eat.
• I was expecting chicken wings as the complimentary food offering (not that there's anything wrong with that) but was pleasantly surprised with the steamed mussels and the pork belly with noodles that was offered. I also was a fan of the falafel balls in the house tzatziki sauce.
• Perry now thinks I'm a savage because I attacked my first serving of pork belly and noodles with my hands because I didn't see the chopsticks or forks available. Screw him, I was hungry, and it was good.
• Wandering around, I saw the mezzanine which will be hosting a Brewmaster’s Dinner next month, with a different local brewery pairing their beer with a four-course dinner menu designed to complement the brew. From what I could see, they got a nice kitchen area setup too.
• Maybe CRAFT's community focus has stemmed the tide with them having already volunteered with the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group, but I haven't heard any of the usual complaints about the noise from Glebe residents; maybe it's because I've been listening to less AM talk radio these days.
• Ordering off the menu, I decided to go with the fish tacos, while Perry chose the BLT. The food was OK, I'd probably order the tacos with guacamole next time; there's something about avocado and Mexican food that just makes it work for me.
• For our second free drink, Perry went with an ABC vanilla stout, but I couldn't make up my mind.  I asked my server for a recommendation, and she suggested one of her favourites, the Side Launch wheat beer. As I don't like the taste of bananas, I went with another of her suggestions, a white ale from Unibroue. I liked my choice, but Perry thought the vanilla flavour was too subtle for his tastes.
• We got a quick speech from the owner who thanked us for our support.
• Planning ahead for a ride home after going through the beer menu is a good idea.
• OVERALL IMPRESSION: As long as lagers and ales are still popular to drink, the Craft Beer Market will be THE place to go for a pint when you head to Lansdowne. You'll probably have to wait for a seat, but it will be worth the wait.

Year of the Lentil

As meat prices continue to stay high this year, people are looking for other sources of protein to add to their diets and dinner tables. A popular alternative is lentils, enjoyed by millions for their nutritional benefits, as well as for their versatility and ease of cooking. Full of vitamins, complex carbohydrates, and dietary minerals and fibre, lentils are such an important dietary staple that the United Nations declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, the name of the food family lentils, peas, chickpeas, and beans are a part of. So much of a fan of pulses is famed chef and Food Network Canada personality Michael Smith, he is an ambassador for Canada's Year of Pulses (being the host of the web series "Lentil Hunter" doesn't hurt either). Farmers are also big fans of pulses because they are sustainable and net-positive for the soil, with the majority of Canada's pulses being grown in Saskatchewan. But there may be no bigger fan of lentils than my wife, who converted a dedicated carnivore like me with the recipe below - try it out if you're looking for a healthier meal option.

Ingredients

940 g dried lentils
1 796 mL can crushed tomatoes
120 mL cup red wine
15 mL olive oil
15 g basil
15 g cumin
15 g oregano
5 g cayenne pepper
5 g red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper

1. In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil and cook the onions until tender. Stir in green, red peppers and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add all the spices and toss to coat.
2. Stir in the lentils. Add the wine, tomatoes, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. If more liquid is needed, add either water or chicken broth.
3. Stir the stew occasionally, and season with salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve, garnish with some chopped parsley.
   
   Note: If you need to have meat in this recipe to eat it, you can brown 454 g of pork chops, and add them after the peppers and carrots have cooked. Once everything has simmered, remove the chops from the pot, pull the meat from the bones, shred the meat and return it to the stew.