The Need To Know Classic That Is: Cacio e Pepe

When people go to Italy, the dish that usually gets the most raves is one of the easiest dishes there is to make. Cacio e pepe, literally cheese and pepper, has been pleasing people since the days of ancient Rome. To get them through a hard day's work, shepherds would bring dried pasta, some hard, salty sheep's milk cheese, and black pepper with them in order to make a filling meal. While not traditional to cacio e pepe, bacon or seafood may be added, and other shapes of pasta may be used. However you serve it, it's simple but sophisticated comfort food at its best. Consider this the dish you deserve for surviving this year of the pandemic in the year Two Thousand and Twenty.  

Ingredients

450 g pasta (spaghetti, tonnarelli traditionally)
225 g pecorino Romano, very finely grated
7 g pepper (coarsely ground)
salt
extra-virgin olive oil

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil. When the water is at a hard boil, add the pasta, then turn off the heat. Place a lid on the pot and remove it from the burner - in 15 minutes you should have perfect al dente pasta. Save at least two cups of the pasta water after draining the pasta.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large pan over medium heat with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the pepper, and let it cook for about 20 seconds. Pour 175 mL into the pan and let it boil.
3. Add the drained pasta to the hot pan. Using tongs, toss the pasta to coat it in the peppery liquid, then sprinkle in about 80% of the cheese. Keep tossing the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce that sticks to the pasta, tasting and adding salt as needed.
4. Once done, finish with the remaining cheese and more pepper. Serve immediately.

Bake Yourself Happy - Skuish Cookies

Cookie connaisseurs rejoice - Skuish will change how you think about baking cookies. This Ottawa-Toronto based company sells and delivers (free of charge) raw and frozen cookies. The cookies last up to three months in the freezer and can be baked straight from frozen, allowing you to quickly whip up a batch of cookies better than the ones that come from that chemically enhanced doughboy. 

Skuish cookies don't use eggs, butter, or milk in their cookie dough, which is good news for those allergic to those ingredients, and they have plant-based cookie options as well for vegan and vegetarian tastes. The chocolates used in their signature flavours contain milk, while the plant-based cookie options use chocolate without milk.  Because of their desire to make a positive impact in the communities they sell in, Skuish plans to do their part to end child hunger in Canada by donating five meals for every box sold, so no need to feel guilty for not baking from scratch. 

When the sample I was graciously sent arrived this week, I didn't expect billiard ball-sized cookie dough balls when I opened the box. Weighing in at about a quarter-pound each, I took one from each bag sent, their Classic Chocolate Chunk, White Chocolate Birthday Cake, and Resse Peanut Butter Crumble flavours.  Then it just a matter of following the instructions on the box, and soon I had three giant cookies fresh from the oven. You may have to adjust how long you keep your baked goods in the oven depending on whether you prefer your cookies soft and gooey, or crisp and crunchy, but it will be worth the wait. My favourite was the Resse Peanut Butter Crumble, which I devoured during a coffee break. If you need a last-minute gift idea for that special cookie monster in your life, or if you want to really impress Santa this year, you can't go wrong with Skuish cookies. Just be sure you have something at the ready to dunk them in.

Skuish cookies can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tiktok

Pemmican - The Original Energy Bar

Dan Levy made news recently when he encouraged others to take the free Indigenous peoples course at the University of Alberta that he was enrolling in to improve his knowledge of Indigenous histories and issues in Canada. I must confess, my knowledge of this country's Native people has been lacking since high school history classes. One of the things I do remember is that one of the many things Canada's Indigenous people made from buffalo (they use every part of the animal don't-you-know) is pemmican.  From the Cree word pimikan, meaning fat or grease, pemmican is dried bison meat pounded into a coarse powder and mixed with an equal amount of melted fat, and occasionally berries. High in protein, and easy to carry, it would last for months or even years if made properly. It was the perfect food to carry during the hunting season, and soon fur traders were using it to supplement their food supplies as well. Pemmican is still made in Aboriginal communities to this day, and you can be made at home with the recipe below. It's perfect for when you tire of the taste of your regular energy bars, and you feel like making something healthy and natural.

Ingredients

910 g lean raw meat (beef; bison, venison, caribou, or moose meat, if available)

45 g berries (blueberries, cranberries, Saskatoon berries - feel free to experiment with different berries)
25 g non-hydrogenated lard
sugar (optional)

1. Assuming you don't have a food dehydrator (who does?), you will have to dry out the berries and the meat in the oven. Break the skin of the berries by either slicing or poking them to allow their juice to evaporate, then place the fruit on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and put it in an oven pre-set to 77 degrees C. The berries will be done when they’re completely dry with no juice left in them, so keep an eye on them,  and remove them from the oven when they are done.
2. Chill the meat you plan to use in the freezer for an hour, then cut it into strips, going against the grain. Place the strips on another baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then place it in the oven already set at a low temperature. It may take up to 12 hours for the meat to fully dry depending on how thick it is, so plan accordingly. You'll know the meat is ready when it’s dry but still pliable.
   
   NOTE: Don't substitute beef jerky to save time, as it will taste awful and it defeats the purpose of making pemmican - the Indigenous did not have access to nitrates.
   
   
3. Once the meat is ready, grind it into a powder with a food processor or, for a more authentic feel, a mortar, and pestle. Repeat with the berries and combine the powders in a bowl. Melt the lard, then add it to the bowl and mix until it’s sticky enough to be formed into shapes. If the mixture is still too powdery, add another 10 g of melted lard. Sweeten to taste with 10 g sugar if desired. Shape the pemmican into patties and let them dry before eating.

Better Bacon

We all know that the love people have for bacon borders on obsession. But what is the best way to prepare the salt-cured pork belly everyone craves? Inspired by a feature on Cooking for Engineers, I tested several different cooking methods and compared the results. As it was on sale at the time, I used Schneiders Classic Cut brand bacon for the tests. Each piece of bacon was rated out of five, with five being excellent, and a score of one being inedible. Assisting me with the tasting part of the experiment were the other bacon eaters in the house, my wife Dawn Xanklin, and our son, a fourth-grade bacon connoisseur.

Baked on Aluminum Foil
I placed enough aluminium foil to line a baking sheet, then I put the bacon on top, and baked it at 205°C until it was done to my liking, flipping the bacon occasionally.


Cooking Time: 17 minutes + 17 minutes for oven to reach temperature = 34 minutes
Scores: Franklin on Food: 5 DXanklin: 4 Kid Franklin: 5

Cast Iron Skillet
For this I placed the bacon in a cold cast iron skillet and cooked it at medium heat, flipping the bacon occasionally until it looked good enough to eat.


Cooking Time: 11 minutes
Scores: Franklin on Food: 4 DXanklin: 4 Kid Franklin: 4

Grilled
I put the three strips on some aluminium foil and placed it over two burners on a BBQ at high setting.


Cooking Time: 17 minutes
Scores: Franklin on Food: 4 DXanklin: 5 Kid Franklin: 5

Instant Pot
The bacon was made to fit in a single layer in the Instant Pot cooking chamber. Then I hit the Saute button and cooked everything for three minutes intervals, flipping the bacon before hitting the button again.



Cooking Time: 9 minutes
Scores: Franklin on Food: 3.5 DXanklin: 4 Kid Franklin: 5

Microwave
I took three slices of bacon and placed them on three paper towels on a dinner plate, which I then I put into my microwave oven.


Cooking Time: 3 minutes on high, then cooked 30 seconds until it was done to my liking = 4.5 minutes
Scores: Franklin on Food: 3 DXanklin: 3 Kid Franklin: 5

Water in Skillet
After arranging the bacon in a cold metal frying pan, I added just enough water to cover everything. I then cooked it over high heat until the water boiled, lowered the heat to medium until the water evaporated, and then continued cooking the bacon over medium-low heat until it was ready.

Scores: Franklin on Food: 5 DXanklin: 5 Kid Franklin: 5
Cooking Time: 14 minutes

Notes and Observations:
The overall favourite was the one I was the most skeptical about, the water in the skillet method. It's the method the food scientists over at America's Test Kitchen recommend, as they theorize that the water keeps the cooking temperature low and gentle, allowing the bacon to retain its moisture and stay tender. This gave the bacon a nice ratio of crispiness and chewiness. While it does let the bacon cook in its own fat, the oven is not the most efficient way to cook a small amount of bacon, and it takes the longest of the methods tried. It's much better for larger amounts. Instant Pot bacon isn't an option if you don't have the all-in-one wonder device and barbeque grilled bacon may not be an option if you don't have the equipment or the desire to cook outside. It doesn't get more old school than cooking bacon in a cast oven pan, and while you can't beat the speed of a microwave, it did produce the least liked bacon of the tests. To see which way works best for your bacon needs, you will have to try each method on your own. If you do decide to try this experiment, please note that cooking this much bacon at one time will make the area around your kitchen smell amazing.

Carpe Diem Eating: The Travis Scott Meal

During a recent visit to the drive-through at McDonald's, I asked my son if he wanted his usual order of a cheeseburger, medium fries, and a medium cola. Instead, he asked for a Travis Scott meal. I assumed he meant that he wanted to hear Travis Scott on the radio, and ordered what he usually eats. While he did eat his lunch, my son was annoyed that it wasn't what he asked for and bemoaned that his father wasn't as knowledgeable and cool as his 9-year-old self. I knew that the restaurant still associated with a clown as its mascot, rebranding be damned, didn't name their sandwiches after people like a New York deli would. Until that moment, I only knew Travis Scott as the rapper who lip-synced his hit "Sicko Mode" during an awful Superbowl halftime show. But Kylie Jenner's baby daddy is also a big deal in the fast-food world. Last month, Scott teamed with McDonald's to market the way he levels up his order of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and the Cactus Jack meal was born for a limited time offer. What does this combo have to do with Mick Foley's hardcore wrestling persona? Who the hell knows, but it apparently led to some McDonald's locations running out of ingredients for this meal. This promotion somehow slipped under my radar, but it's still possible to have this celebrity-endorsed meal if you want to appear with it even when it sounds strange and weird. Who knows, maybe it can be a secret menu item if enough people ask for it.

THE TRAVIS SCOTT / CACTUS JACK MEAL

• Order a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and ask for it to be topped with bacon and lettuce (I forgot that you can add toppings to hamburgers now).
• Ask for BBQ sauce for your French fries instead of ketchup (Travis likes the tanginess).
• To properly wash down a meal of this magnitude, order a Sprite with extra ice. 
• Bonus cool points if you substitute the Sprite for "Blueberry Faygo", the title of Scott contemporary Lil Mosey's biggest hit. As you can't get Faygo of any flavour at McDonald's, head to the nearest Dollar King in your area for a bottle.

Foods That Unsettle Conservatives

To say the announcement of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's choice for vice president caused a stir across the border is an understatement. Her biggest critics responded in predictable ways, with FOXNews saying she was both too radical and not radical enough, and the Orange Goblin reviving the birther nonsense that didn't work against Obama. But I don't think anyone predicted the current vice president's take on his potential successor. Speaking at an event called “Farmers & Ranchers For Trump” Mike Pence vowed to make America great again by protecting America’s red meat from the Democrats. After learning Harris was in favour of "changing dietary guidelines and would encourage moderation to promote healthy eating, revise the food pyramid, and protect the environment", Pence responded with this:

"Well I've got some red meat for you - we're not going to let Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cut America's meat!"

You got to hand it to Pence's speechwriter, you have to know your audience if you want to reach them, and telling a room full of beef producers their livelihood will be threatened if Trump isn't reelected is like throwing chum in shark-infested waters. I can also see how the threat of losing access to well-done steaks with ketchup would shake the MAGA crowd to their no-soy-or-tofu-eating core. Anyone else should know that any changes to the USDA food guide aren't mandated by law, they're just healthy suggestions. If you want to stuff every orifice in your body with meat, that's your God-given right as an American or a Canadian. This isn't the first time a politician has used the food we eat to stoke fear and discontent into people, and with the threat of an election in this country looming, I'm sure it won't be the last. So if "owning the conservatives" is a thing for you (or if you're looking for some new ways to eat better), here are some recipes that are red meat-free that are sure to drive Pence crazier than his hydroxychloroquine-hyping boss. Packed full of nutrients and flavour, these recipes are from the Wired food issue from August 2016 back when Pence was starting his own vice-presidential aspirations.

Remember to buy local produce whenever possible.

THE BEAUTIFIER

1. Chop one head of broccoli into florets. Toss with grapeseed or safflower oil, some diced shallot, fresh lime juice, sambal (an Indonesian chili sauce or paste), a bit of fish sauce; season with salt and pepper
2. Layer on the bottom of a medium-sized bowl and top with Swiss chard sautéed in garlic and avocado halves
3. Top with chopped toasted peanuts and hazelnuts served with more lime on the side

The greens, nuts, and oils in this bowl are great sources of vitamin E, which helps the growth of your hair and nails, and has shown to lower incidences of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and dementia.

THE HEART HELPER

1. Pile steamed brown rice into a medium-sized bowl and top with sautéed Swiss chard or spinach, boiled mini potatoes, sliced avocado and tomatoes, and lima beans
2. Whisk finely chopped shallots, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil together and season with salt and pepper, and drizzle it over the bowl
3. Top with seared mackerel fillet and some chopped pistachios, sunflower seeds, and parsley sprinkled over everything

Potassium and magnesium-rich, this bowl helps reduce high blood pressure, a leading cause of heart attacks, heart failure, kidney disease, and stroke.

VISION OF HEALTH

1. Toss chopped sweet potato, carrots and/or butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 205°C until golden-brown
2. Wilt some spinach in a large skillet and chop, then stir it into some cooked quinoa, along with some olive oil, fresh lemon juice, chopped parsley, scallion, and salt and pepper
3. Arrange the quinoa mixture in a medium-sized bowl and top with the roasted vegetables, a fried egg, and some chili flakes

The vitamin A in the ingredients in this bowl is key for eye and immune health. The quinoa supplies vitamin B and iron, as well as being protein-rich and gluten-free.

THE BONE BUILDER

1. Mix some finely grated garlic into full-fat Greek yogurt, season with salt and pepper, then smear it onto the side of a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle with Aleppo pepper (also known as Halaby pepper) and orange zest
2. Add wilted kale to the bowl, and top with a piece of seared rainbow trout, with the juice of half an orange squeezed over everything
3. Top with flaky sea salt and a fresh egg yolk

The calcium in the kale pairs well with the vitamin D in the yogurt, egg yolk, and the trout.

THE BLOOD BOOSTER

1. Pile warm buckwheat soba into a medium-sized bowl and top with steamed Chinese (or regular) broccoli, bok choy, baby shrimp, cooked edamame, and some spoonfuls of silken tofu
2. Pour hot dashi broth over everything, then drizzle with some soy sauce and toasted sesame oil
3. Squeeze lots of lime over everything and top with chopped toasted cashews and cilantro

Broccoli and bok choy are packed with vitamin C, which helps the body absorb the iron from the tofu, edamame, and shrimp. A good balance improves oxygen transport and blood health.

NO-FAIL KALE

1. Finely chop some kale or any green leafy vegetable you have on hand (Swiss chard, spinach, collards, parsley will work) and mix with finely grated garlic, lemon zest, and lots and lots of olive oil
2. Season with salt and pepper and toss with zucchini noodles
3. Serve in a medium-sized bowl with watercress, chopped toasted pistachios, a squeeze of lemon, and plenty of shaved Parmesan on top 

The vitamin K from the greens and the cheese are essential for bone remodelling and blood clotting when you get cut.

The Need To Know Classic That Is: Coq au Vin

The person who first cooked something in wine had to have known they were onto something. While this technique can be traced back to Julius Caesar's day, coq au vin (literally chicken with wine) was perfected by the French, with a recipe for poulet au vin blanc, appearing in a cookbook as far back as 1864. This dish is so perfect an example of French cooking that it's little wonder Julia Child added it to her repertoire, and best of all, it is a dish that is dead simple to make. I recently made the recipe below for an anniversary dinner, and I highly recommend it for when you want to have a special dinner but you don't want to go out to eat.

Ingredients

1.8 kg chicken, cut into eight pieces, or eight chicken parts
710 mL red wine (use Burgundy if you're a traditionalist)
450 g pearl onions, peeled
330 g mushrooms (button mushrooms are normally used)
225 g lardons

• a lardon is a small strip or cube of fatty bacon, or pork fat. Pancetta can be used as a substitute; I used whatever bacon I had in the fridge

30 g butter
30 mL olive oil
at least 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 bouquet garni

• a bouquet garni is a bunch of herbs tied up in cheesecloth used to season your food. Traditionally bay leaves, parsley, and thyme is used; I used what was in the "Mixed Herbs" packet I had in the cupboard

flour
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Put some flour in a large plastic zip-top bag, add the chicken, seal, and shake to cover the meat evenly. Heat the olive oil and the butter in a Dutch oven or casserole dish, and cook the chicken over high heat for five to six minutes until browned - depending on the size of your pan, this may require doing so in batches.
2. Remove the chicken when it has finished cooking and set the meat aside somewhere to keep warm. Cook the bacon in the same pan until it is crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, add the onions and cook them for four to five minutes until they begin to brown. Pour in the wine and stir the contents to remove anything sticking to the sides and bottom of the cooking dish.
3. Place the chicken and the bacon back in the pot and add the garlic and the bouquet garni. Bring everything to a boil, cover, then place the dish in the centre of the oven for 75 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and let everything cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, take out the chicken, bacon, mushrooms, and onions, and place them in a serving dish. The bouquet garni can be thrown out.
5. Return the cooking dish and its juices to low heat on the stove, and check to see if more salt and/or pepper is required, then bring to a rapid boil until the sauce is thick and glossy. Pour the sauce over the food and serve immediately on its own, or with crusty French bread, mashed or roasted potatoes or anything starchy to soak up the sauce.

Note: The above recipe was taken from "Cook's Bible" by Lorraine Turner, Parragon Books Ltd.