Tag: cooking

Culinary Q & A with Cathy Walsh

Occupation:  The job that pays me is with the Federal Public Service. I am an Advisor, which means I provide advice, guidance and instruction to do with policy and Federal legislation. Although I never consciously thought of this as a career choice when I was growing, it made sense that I did. As a child, I converted my closet into a cubicle by putting in a desk, chair and telephone. My Dad would bring home pads of discarded forms from his office, and I would spend hours filling them out and filing them in a box.

What did you eat today?

Coffee, yogurt parfait (unsweetened yogurt, blueberries, apples, granola), apple, veggie sub, Coke Zero, roast chicken with coupe ondulée frites enrobées faites avec du sel de mer, homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, and tea.

What do you never eat? Calamari, octopus, geoduck – basically anything with a slime-factor, has the potential to suction-cup onto my face, or looks like an enormous old-man penis.

What is your personal speciality?

Bolognese sauce. It’s a rich, meaty thing that allows a lot of flexibility depending on my mood and what’s available in the apartment to put in it. I don’t mean putting in house plants or remote controls, but whatever happens to be in the fridge and pantry. When I cook this I usually go through a bottle of wine, have the tunes cranked, and sing along with the likes of Lady Ga Ga to Tom Jones. It’s very fun and relaxing. The recipe is from my Auntie Anne, but it is suspiciously similar to one found in the red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Milk, eggs, cheese, butter, yogurt, apples, oranges, onions, bagged salad, assorted veggies in the crisper, a bottle of white wine, beer, a jug of water, a jar of mayonnaise, maple syrup, and an assortment of condiments.

What is your weekday meal standby?

Campbell’s tomato soup, and/or, broiled cheese and tomato on toast.

What is your favourite kitchen item? 

Le Creuset enamelled cast iron French oven.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

Wine. Medium rare prime rib. Wine. Yorkshire pudding. Wine. Roast potatoes. Wine. Perogies. Wine. Nalysnyky. Vodka shots. Pizza. Wine. Gnocchi. Wine. Sashimi. Sake. Bowls of rice with an unlimited supply of Japanese Village’s steak sauce. Sake. Gooey cinnamon buns with pecans. Coffee with more Bailey’s than coffee. A wafer thin mint.

Where do you eat out most frequently?

The honest answer is the Food Court at Canada Place. When we go out for supper, we frequent Japanese Village’s sushi bar, Furusato, and Route 99.

What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

I tried a nibbling the corner of the Hotel McDonald once, but it made my fillings vibrate so I stopped. Where’s the best place to eat, maybe? [Ed: Sigh, you caught my poor grammar.] Haven’t found it yet. Been here for 12 years, and haven’t found THE spot yet. In Calgary, we were regulars at a place called Gaston’s. It was run by Gaston Langlois, Pat and Val Arrotta and Pierre Langlois. The food was amazing. The service second to none. The ambience was relaxed, intimate, yet social and friendly. I don’t think the place still exists. Ever since then, haven’t found anything that comes close.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

It sounds so cliché, but I’d love to be in the Italian country-side, maybe along the sea, and drink wine while watching the sun set, eating olives, prosciutto, fresh bread, fresh fruit, and different cheeses. That said, I’m happy buying this stuff from the Italian Centre Shop and sitting in the sun on our little patio at home.

Cathy blogs at Walsh Cooks.

The Cooking Chronicles: Dinners by Giada

I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a Food Network baby. Not in the sense that I was raised in front of the channel, but coddled and comforted by their flashy, entertaining programming until I was ready to cook myself.

I also admit that I’m not one of those people has been experimenting in the kitchen since I was three. Save for occasional adventures in baking, my time in the kitchen up until a few years ago was spent eating my mother’s food. So for me, the easy but tasty recipes put forth by Food Network chefs provided an uncomplicated gateway to cooking.

Giada de Laurentiis was one of the first food personalities I latched on to. On Everyday Italian, her food looked beautiful, her techniques were straightforward, and her flavours were approachable (her panna cotta recipe is still my go-to dessert for potlucks). It took me a while to actually buy one of her books, as many of her recipes are online, but I eventually added Everyday Italian and Everyday Pasta to my collection.

Now, though I find her show a bit grating sometimes (the Giada drinking game would involve “peppery” arugula, and the phrase, “just like that”), I still uncover inspiration in her cookbooks. And while some of her recipes involve things that I wouldn’t normally have on hand, two recent meals were pantry approved.

Creamy Orzo

Simple and flavourful (it helps when there is a lot of cream involved), this creamy orzo recipe, featuring diced tomatoes and peas is appealing to the eye, and as comforting as macaroni and cheese. I served it with some sliced prosciutto to make it even more rich.

Creamy orzo

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

While the weather still had that pre-spring chill in the air, Giada’s Tuscan white bean and garlic soup was the perfect warming cure. Silky from the pureed white beans and some cream, a bowl made a great light meal paired with a green salad.

Tuscan white bean and garlic soup

Who’s your favourite Food Network personality?

Culinary Q & A with Lillian Leung

Occupation: Speech-Language Pathologist with K.I.D.S (Kindergarten Inclusive Developmental Services)- Edmonton Public Schools. I help Kindergarten kids that may have difficulties understanding or producing language.

What did you eat today?  

Had a pack of Thin Addictives (these cranberry – almond cookies) on the drive to work. Also had some strawberry yogurt somewhere in the morning. For lunch, I had half a donair from High Voltage. Still good, even though it was left-overs. The tzatziki sauce over meat, lettuce, tomatoes all wrapped up into pita, then grilled with a special spice on top is incredibly tasty! Dinner was pretty simple as I was in a rush. I toasted a sun-dried tomato ciabatta sandwich with provolone, smoked turkey slices, tomato and cucumber as I had just gone to the Italian Centre for groceries.

What do you never eat?

Cilantro. I cannot bear the taste of this herb. It’s strong and way too pungent. I feel it takes away from the taste of whatever it was supposed to garnish.

What is your personal specialty?

My personal specialty would be baking desserts. Banana breads, chocolate-chip granola cream-cheese, chocolate spice and ginger-bread cookies, brownies,and creme brulee to name a few.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find: 

A chunk of Piave Vecchio (my favorite cheese!), romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, a dip from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market and my home-made salad dressing.

What is your weekday meal standby?

A salad made with the above ingredients and usually with some sort of meat on top such as chicken, steak, or pork. 

What is your favourite kitchen item?

My glass mixing bowls by Anchor. I got them for my birthday and they are amazing. They are quite heavy, but the weight is perfect so they don’t move around too much when I’m using the hand mixer. They are also great for baking, mixing a salad or even marinating meat.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

It would have to include salmon sashimi from Sushi Wasabi, smoked salmon with lemon juice & capers, calamari (probably the way Milestones does it), Dadeo’s sweet potato fries, a beautifully done steak, chicken shawarma (from Barakats in London, ON), a plate of macarons, Haagan Daaz Vanilla & Almond ice cream bar, creme brulee, a scoop of green tea ice cream and finally, two or three Ya pears depending on how much room I will have left!

Where do you eat out most frequently? 

This depends if it is a sit down or take out meal. If I’m heading out somewhere, then I will take out from Dadeo’s, High Voltage, or Maki Maki. If it’s a sit down meal then it would be any of the previous 3, along with Manna Noodle and Famoso. Oh and of course Transcend and DaCapo for coffee!

What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

This is hard to decide. I would say Culina is the best for brunch, lunch and dinner. However, if you wanted sushi, then Sushi Wasabi would be my pick. Oh and of course the Duchess Bake shop for their pastries and macarons.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

While I would enjoy the food in Italy, I would pick Paris mainly for the fresh baguettes, breads, pastries, cheese, wine, all their desserts, but especially the macarons!

Lillian blogs at Beyond Umami.

Culinary Q & A with Sarah Clarke

Occupation: Officially I’m the Business Planning Manager for Alberta Justice. Unofficially I bake cakes and cupcakes.

What did you eat today?

French toast and a latte for breakfast, cheese quesadilla for lunch and grilled chicken with spinach/mozzarella ravioli for dinner.

What do you never eat?

Fruit and fresh tomatoes. Seriously, no fruit! I’ll eat raisins but not grapes and I’ll  eat banana bread but not a banana! My mom told me I’d get scurvy not eating fruit but I’ve made it this far so I think I’m in the clear!

What is your personal specialty?

My chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Eggs, butter and milk (gotta be ready to bake in a blink of an eye!)

What is your weekday meal standby?

If time is really limited, it’d be grilled cheese and soup otherwise I like making a stir fry or curry over rice.

What is your favourite kitchen item?

I love my Kitchen Aid mixer!

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

Tough question. My mom’s breaded chicken, a baked potato with butter and roasted corn on the cob followed by a slice of my chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Basic, clean, but absolutely delicious food!

Where do you eat out most frequently?

I don’t think I play favourites…I cater to my moods more often than frequent one restaurant. But a few of my favourites are OPM, Mikado, and New Asian Village.

What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

My favourite dish is at the Cactus Club in WEM. I love their butternut squash ravioli with scallops and fried sage leaves!!! Making myself hungry…

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I’d like to go to Thailand and try some authentic green curry…and of course ride an elephant (maybe not at the same time though)!

Sarah blogs at Thoughts about Things and Cake Sarah Sera.

The Cooking Chronicles: Chicken for Lunch

With pan-frying and roasting being our go-to methods of cooking chicken, I really never considered poaching an option before. From reading tips on various websites, it seemed the trick to moist, flavourful meat was to throw in some flavouring agents (bay leaves, peppercorns, onions, garlic, salt, etc.), and not to overcook it.

Needing some cooked chicken for a We Eat Together recipe for curried chicken and apple soup, I decided to poach a chicken breast in the chicken stock and coconut milk that would become the base of the soup anyway. Good idea, in theory, except that coconut milk has a tendency to boil over…very quickly. Besides having to clean the stove though, the method worked reasonably well. The apples were an interesting textural addition to the soup – they became almost translucent in appearance, and lost most of their sweetness to the broth. I probably wouldn’t have known they were apples if I didn’t add them myself. It’s hard not to love a soup that contains coconut milk though!

Curried Chicken and Apple Soup (photographed in the very drab lunch room at my office – between the fluorescent lighting and the grey tables, I admit defeat)

A second meal involving poached chicken (this time just in water, with a few aromatics thrown in), was a variation on Donna Hay’s chicken pot pies, from No Time To Cook. Her version involved combining cooked chicken with sour cream, shredded cheddar to be baked in ramekins and a puff pastry crust. I decided to throw in some peas and steamed potatoes and carrots for good measure.

Chicken Ramekin Pies

The final product was perfectly sized for lunch the next day (and the puff pastry wasn’t too worse for wear heated separately in a toaster oven).

Mmm…puff pastry

It’s always handy to have more cooking methods at my disposal, especially ones that don’t involve a lot of work on my part!

Slow Food Edmonton’s Grilled Cheese Olympics: Recap

Combining comfort food with competition, Slow Food Edmonton’s first-ever Grilled Cheese Olympics took place this afternoon at Coast Wholesale Appliances. At stake: gift certificates for Paddy’s International Cheese Market, a grilled cheese sandwich at Madison’s Grill, Transcend Coffee, and the title of Grilled Cheese Olympic Champion.

Engraved Paderno spatula, in lieu of a medal

Coast Appliances turned out to be the perfect venue for the event – the space was bright and lofty, and equipped with some of the most beautiful ranges I have ever seen (all brand new, of course). Each of the competitors not only had top of the line stoves to work on, but the spectators also had plenty of room to watch.

Raymond Richmond and Nate Box work in front of the crowds

For a $2 entry fee (with all of the day’s proceeds going to send a young Albertan producer to Slow Food International’s Terra Madre), spectators were treated to samples of each of the thirteen sandwiches, which fell either in the “classic” or “contemporary” categories. Spectators were encouraged to vote for their favourite, which would earn a People’s Choice award.

Slow Food member Carrie distributes sandwiches to the hungry masses

While all sandwiches had to adhere to the Slow Food principles of “good, clean and fair”, competitors could choose to make either a “classic” sandwich (white bread, cheese, butter), or a “contemporary” sandwich (containing at least 60% cheese, and allowing for accompaniments). Some competitors did opt to enter both categories.

Ben Staley & Nathan Gour’s contemporary creation, made with goat cheese, brie, prosciutto, sundried tomatoes and served with a tomato compote (it won our People’s Choice votes)

The competition attracted a great mix of professional and amateur chefs – from Culina’s Cindy Lazarenko and Cyrus Shaoul from Kerstin’s Chocolates to Slow Food member Renita Falkenstern and two of Valerie’s Home Economics students from junior high school, it was obvious that everyone in the room loved food!

Cyrus means business

Renita presents her deep-fried grilled cheese sandwich

I didn’t envy the judges at all – besides having to sample and rate eighteen different sandwiches, they were pretty much grounded to the judges table for the entire competition. And lasting just over three hours, I know I felt exhausted, even with the freedom to move around to observe the prep work and cooking at the various stations.

Judges table (the Edmonton Journal’s Liane Faulder, Lux Steakhouse Executive Chef Tony Le, Fern Janzen of Paddy’s Cheese, and Madison’s Grill Executive Chef Blair Lebsack)

Each sandwich was introduced to the judges without the name of the competitor attached. They had to rate each sandwich for their presentation, taste, texture, style and “slowness” (if the product adhered to the principles of Slow Food).

Hard at work

During the lengthy judging process, I had a great time catching up with competitors, volunteers, and fellow spectators. It was a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Food bloggers represent! (Chris, Eating is the Hard Part)

Before the results were announced, the judges noted that they were impressed by the creativity of the entries. I have to second that – everything from chocolate to Danish pickles found their way into the sandwiches, and though I thought Sylvan Star would be the main player today, I was glad to see a variety of cheeses used including goat cheese, mascarpone, ricotta and caraway havarti.

Valerie presenting her students’ sandwich

And the winners were:

  • People’s Choice Classic: Nate Box, with his Tree Stone Bakery brioche and Sylvan Star Gouda sandwich
  • People’s Choice Contemporary: Valerie Rodgers-Lugonja and her Home Economics students, with her smoked paprika bread, applewood smoked cheddar, mozzarella, Asian pear and cumin seed bacon spread sandwich
  • Judges Choice Classic: Jeff Johnson, with his homemade bread, emmental, sharp cheddar (both raw milk cheeses) and goose fat sandwich
  • Judges Choice Contemporary: Ben Staley and Nathan Gour (of North 53 Catering), with their goat cheese, brie, prosciutto and sundried tomato sandwich

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Thanks to Thea for organizing a great event!

You can take a look at Mack’s photo set here.

The Cooking Chronicles: I Heart Donna Hay

I was lucky enough to receive two Donna Hay cookbooks for Christmas this year – Instant Entertaining and her newest, No Time To Cook. When I first started browsing cookbook shelves a few years ago, her volumes immediately caught my eye – the full-colour photographs were unlike any I had encountered before. Simple, elegant and beautiful, Hay’s food stylist could make anything look good.

I was particularly drawn to No Time To Cook, which focuses on quick meals – whether assembled, thrown together in one pot or baked in a single dish. I’m still working my way through the book (many a recipe are bookmarked), but I’ve had a chance to try two thus far.

Hay’s crunchy parmesan-crumbed chicken recipe was, in Mack’s words, “like Shake and Bake”. Chicken breasts were topped with a mixture of melted butter, dried herbs, parmesan and breadcrumbs, then baked at 390F. We made the mistake of not first filleting the breast in half to reduce the baking time (and further prevent the chicken from drying out), but we know now!

Crunchy Parmesan-Crumbed Chicken, with Rice and Vegetables

Hay’s recipe for baked risotto was chosen as much for convenience as it was to use up the leeks I had in the fridge. As I ran back and forth between the kitchen and the living room (the Canadian Men’s quarter final hockey game was on), once the prep was done, the dish finished itself in the oven. Of course, somewhere in between, I forgot to add the butter, but it didn’t seem to affect the final product too much, after I stirred it in at the end. While there is a definite textural difference between the baked rice and lovingly-stirred, creamy stovetop risotto, with the addition of two crunchy leeks, the rice was decent (and even better served with salty prosciutto, Hay’s suggestion).

Baked Risotto with Roasted Vegetables and Prosciutto

I’ve earmarked several more recipes to try – no doubt this cookbook won’t sit idle on my shelf for long!

The Cooking Chronicles: Pigs Without a Blanket

No, the actual name of the recipe we made is Toad in the Hole, but I couldn’t resist (especially when there doesn’t seem to be a satisfying explanation of why a dish made with sausages has such a name to begin with).

After our successful meal of red wine-braised sausages, we decided to give another Irvings Farm Fresh recipe a try (I think the “very easy to make” part sold it for me). While I browned the sausages, I whipped up what was essentially Yorkshire pudding batter, and eventually poured it into a baking dish containing hot oil. I placed the sausages on top, and the dish went back into the oven for about half an hour.

The result wasn’t visually appealing, but was darn tasty. The edges that had baked up crispy and golden were the best, and though it was mostly doughy and not at all like Yorkshire pudding, given the amount of work it took, I was pleased with the outcome. We had both sundried tomato basil and rosemary leek sausages on hand, but we decided we would stick with the latter – the tomato flavour was just a bit too strong for our taste.

Toad in the Hole

I served the dish with a simple apple celery slaw, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil (more because that was all we had in the crisper). The refreshing salad turned out to be a good accompaniment to the heavy main course.

Pigs Without a Blanket and Apple Celery Slaw

I encourage you to give this a try one day if you’re looking to have something different for dinner!

Culinary Q & A with Valerie Rodgers Lugonja

Occupation: Professional Educator (BEd) in my 30th year of teaching with Edmonton Public Schools. I am an Early Childhood Specialist (ECE Diploma), with two other “majors”, or specializations: English Literature, and Fine Art (drawing) I am currently teaching Foods, or cooking to about 200 grade 7-9 students every 2 days, for the second year. It was an invitation I could not refuse after watching my students come to school at 7 am eating chips and drinking Coke.

What did you eat today?

Baby Bocconcini (from the Italian Centre Shop South) with Olive Oil and black salt. It’s Saturday. I’ve been running, and I haven’t had dinner yet, which will probably be soup. Homemade in my Thermomix, of course 🙂 I tend to eat a lot of soup and yogurt.

What do you never eat?

Fried liver. I love liver pate, but not fried liver. I have thought about the latest “taste” sensation in our Edmonton Blogging Community (EatingistheHardPart and TheBruleeBlog): balut. I am drawn to this delicacy as I am so intensely interested in cultural foods. Maybe one day.

What is your personal specialty?

Vanja says “improvising”. Really, I haven’t a clue. I am always trying new things. I think appetizers and desserts. That first bite is so important, and I love that. And, the finale – well, what is a meal without something luscious? And, a little bite of chocolate?

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

half eaten jars of homemade canned goods, homemade yogurt, Gull Valley tomatoes (unless they are on holiday), Sunworks Farm fresh eggs, red peppers, onions, garlic, charcuterie and cheeses from the ICS south, whipping cream, and a jug of orange juice with pulp.

What is your weekday meal standby?

I cook a completely different meal every night for Vanja than I eat myself. A typical standby for him is pasta. I will fry onions, peppers, sausage (casing removed) or ground meat of some sort, add herbs, mushrooms if I have them, lots of fresh chopped garlic, tomato paste and canned diced tomatoes and leave it to simmer on the back of the stove until he gets home. I put on the penne 15 minutes before I expect him home, and that is it.

What is your favourite kitchen item?

My Thermomix. I never thought it would change my life as it has. It has enabled me to accomplish so much more with so much less effort! After that, my wooden cutting boards and my sharp knives.

I am more into tasting and cooking part except when it comes to chocolate and ice cream! I would love a professional kitchen staffed with really capable sous chefs, and I would have a ball working with them and learning from them to create something from whatever is in the pantry!

Where do you eat out most frequently?

We like change and usually eat out every Friday, or every other Friday, at a different place. I prefer the small independent restaurants in our city: love Zenari’s for lunch, and Duchess Bake Shop for coffee and a treat!

What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

I guess I would have to say my mom’s! I cannot get enough of her meatloaf!

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I would eat at a large rustic table with my family, extended family, and friends out in the Alberta countryside sans wind, rain and mosquitoes. A home-cooked potluck meal where everyone has contributed their personal specialty. And, beside the Atlantic Ocean, near Cape Cod, eating shell fish would be a strong second.

Valerie blogs at A Canadian Foodie.

The Cooking Chronicles: Lentil Burgers

In an attempt to reduce our overall meat protein consumption, Mack and I have been deliberately substituting meat alternatives in some of our meals – tofu in stirfrys, chickpeas in pasta, lentils in curries. More than anything, we’ve found the variety quite refreshing, and sometimes even a time saver (lentils, for example, cook in a snap).

Something we hadn’t yet tried was a vegetarian burger. While we do love our ground beef, we were curious about the texture of a non-meat patty. So, armed with a recipe from The Frugal Foodie Cookbook (thanks, Megan!), we cooked down onions, grated carrots and lentils until the mixture was of a pasty consistency. Though the recipe did not call for any spices, I added a touch of cumin and turmeric in an attempt to avoid a bland outcome (I couldn’t find a link to the recipe I used, but this one comes pretty close to it).

An egg and some breadcrumbs helped bind and solidify the mixture somewhat, and we were able to shape out four patties. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and into the oven they went, to, in the recipe’s words, “firm up”.

While the patties weren’t as unyielding as one made of meat, they were pretty dense, and the time in the oven crisped up the external layer of the lentil mixture. Served with a healthy squeeze of ketchup on a hamburger bun, their compacted nature made the burger substantial enough so I wasn’t left looking for more. Still, while the lentil burger was good on its own accord, it certainly could not be compared with the beef variety.

Lentil Burger (served with a side salad)

Maybe next time though, we’ll top it with bacon ;).