Working on My Zuchinni Body

So, a few weeks ago I posted a recipe for fresh pasta and I'm sure you have practising every weekend. Right? Well, I have. So today I made a stuffed pasta. It's not quite a ravioli, more like an agnolotti for the people who know the difference.

Precooked Agnalotti

The filling can be anything you like: meat, cheese, squash, spinach or whatever. It's usually made into a paste and laid into the pasta and fold it into the desired shape.Here I cubed grilled zucchini and covered a square sheet of pasta with another layer of pasta and sealed it.

It is an easy stuffing that takes minutes to make. If you want to make a cheese filling, you can easily research a recipe or if you want me to post a recipe, please write a comment asking me for a recipe you would like to see.

If you are adventurous enough to make the recipe, this gives you some serious street cred. And with ingredients that costs next to nothing, what do you have to lose?

When adding salt to the boiling water to cook the pasta, be sure to add enough salt to the point where you can actually taste the salt when you try tasting the water. Add a small drizzle of oil to the water so that it is less likely to boil over while cooking the pasta. If you added too much salt to the water, simply press control, salt, delete.

Grilled Zuchinni Stuffed Agnalotti with Caramelized Onions and Spinach

Photos by my totally talented daughter Iris. 

1 Zuchinni, cut into 4 strips
Tsp. Dried Basil
Fresh pasta (see previous post)
1 Red Onion, julienne
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Handful of Spinach
A few drizzles of oil
250 ml Tomato Sauce (preferably homemade)
1 tbs Parmigiano-Reggiano and Flatbread for garnish
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Make fresh pasta and lay down on your prep table into long strips.

Preheat your grill to high heat. Toss zucchini in oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and dried basil. Grill 2 minutes on each side. Allow to cool and cut into small cubes.

Using a pizza cutter, cut pasta into approximately 1" by 1" squares. Spoon a small amount of the grilled veg on every second square. Take another square of pasta and cover. Using a fork, press the edges along the side to seal the stuffing into the pasta square. Repeat until stuffing has been used up. This recipe made approximately 12 agnolottis making it 2 portions. Set aside.

Bring salted water to a boil.  

In a frying pan, drizzle small amount of oil and sauté onions for 2 minutes. Add crushed garlic and continue for another 7 minutes or until onions are caramelized. Add spinach, pinch of salt and pepper. Keep warm on low heat.

Throw pasta into the water and cook for 7 minutes. Drain and lightly toss agnalotti in oil to keep from sticking. Heat tomato sauce and spoon small amount of sauce into the base of the bowl. Layer agnolotti on top of the sauce, garnish with onions and spinach, cheese and flatbread.

Serves 2.

A Humble Chef's tip: use lots of water when cooking the pasta. It absorbs a fair amount when cooking.

Like Peanut Butter

My son is a peanut butter fiend. He's nuts about the stuff. We usually buy a large container and whoosh! it's gone. We use it for sandwiches, sauces, soups and right off the spoon. It is unfortunate that the allergies out there are so potent and dangerous that we all must spread lightly.

Here is a recipe my daughter and I did on a lovely Sunday afternoon as an after thought. We took a recipe from an old cookbook from my childhood and changed it up a little. It is extremely quick and easy peasy. Perfect for a kid to do.

We tried buying the all natural peanut butter over the icing sugar peanut butter but it did not go over very smoothly. I actually prefer the all natural product over the standard non-splitting kind but it is a battle that I'd rather not fight.

Some of you may not be aware that peanut butter was invented by a crafty Canadian. It's one of those odd trivial pieces of information that I just have to spread.

PBJ Cookies

175 g (3/4 Cup) Butter, softened
115 g (1/2 Cup) Brown Sugar
55 g (1/4 Cup) White Sugar
1 Egg
Splash of Vanilla Extract
1 Tbs. Smooth Peanut Butter
225 g (1 3/4 Cups) AP Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder

Peanut Butter and Jam of your choice for the filling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Don't bother greasing your cookie sheet.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter for 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add sugars and continue to beat for 3-4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix for one minute. Fold in peanut butter.

In a separate bowl, add baking powder to the flour and sift together. Add flour and blend.

Mold cookie dough into an even amount of balls and lay on your cookie sheet. Using a fork, press down on dough to create a disk. Create a cross hatch pattern on the cookie dough by pressing the fork the opposite direction.

Bake for 13 - 14 minutes.

Let cool slightly prior to spread peanut butter and jam and making your cookie sandwiches.

Makes 10 or 12 full cookies sandwiches.

A Humble Chef's tip: use a good quality jam for the sandwiches. If you're going to go through the trouble of making the cookies, might as well use a bloody good jam.

Uno, Dos, Trays

Do any of you like making hors d'oeuvre? Honestly? Really? Seriously? Come on. No you don't. Maybe you enjoy presenting a tray full of bite sized gems at parties, but making them is such a pain. However I bet you love eating them. Yes, I am sure you do. So, keep your hors d'oeuvre selection simple, light, hopefully inexpensive and definitely full of flavour.

This recipe is the first of three from tonight. The theme was Central American which is often simple, inexpensive and full of flavour. This a super simple recipe that takes moments to assemble and will cost you pennies (if you still have some). 

You can purchase canned beans if you want. I wouldn't. It will taste metallic and mushy. Do yourself the party favour and cook the beans from dry: Soak the beans overnight, drain, cover with fresh water, and boil  for 70 - 80 minutes. Add a pinch salt for last 5 minutes of cooking and drain. That's it. Then, allow to cool and do whatever you want with them (including the next recipe I will post on the blog). You all know the health benefits of beans so I won't even go into it. 

One more note: soaking beans. There are two sides to the coin. Heads: soaking removes flavour and does little to the cooking time and is actually inadvisable. Tails: soaking them removes phytic and enzyme inhibitors which helps with digestion. I still soak them myself. But go ahead and do your own research and decide for yourself which argument is more full of beans.

Tortilla Chip with Black Bean Salsa

150 g Black Turtle Beans, cooked
1/2 Avocado
1 Roma Tomato, diced
1 Garlic Clove, crushed
1 Tbs. Tamarind Paste (if unavailable, use the juice of half a lime)
A Few Spinach Leaves, chiffonade
Corn Tortilla Chips (Que Pasa makes a great Organic Unsalted Tortilla Chip)
A Few Splashes of Tabasco

In a metal bowl, smash avocado to a paste. Add garlic and tamarind and mash for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, Tabasco, salt and stir until blended. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. Check for seasonings.

Dollop a spoonful onto a chip and garnish with spinach chiffonade.

Makes a few dozen appetizers.

A Humble Chef's tip: this is completely vegetarian,dairy free and gluten free. Great for parties where you aren't sure of any allergies. 

What To Do On a Date

Yesterday was fun. I spent the afternoon trying out some recipes and spending time with Iris. After making pasta,she asked if we could bake some cookies. I went through our baking goods and found dried dates beside the brown sugar. And so I decided to use them up for sticky toffee pudding.

This is a simple recipe that I used for Mother's Day brunches in large quantity. Compared to many others I researched, this is by far the simplest. No steaming, you see. Easy to freeze and reheat, sticky toffee can be made individually or in large quantity. It is also very inexpensive and uses ingredients that most people will have in their home inventory most days of the week.

Anyways, try this recipe on a Sunday afternoon for your fam. They won't be disappointed. In fact, it is so simple that you should deduct an administration toffee from their dessert account.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

55 g Dried Dates, finely chopped

200 ml Water, boiling

1 Tsp Baking Soda

100 g Butter (plus a little extra for greasing ramekins or muffin tins or whatever), room temp

150 g Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Tsp.  Almond Extract

125 g Flour

.5 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking Powder

For the sauce:

120 g Butter

175 g Brown Sugar

1 Tbs Frangelico liqueur (optional?) 

200 ml 35% Whipping Cream 

Pinch of Cinnamon 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease ramekins with butter. 

On your stove top, bring water to a boil. Add your dates and removed from heat. Stir for 1 minute. Add baking soda and watch it rise. Let cool for a few minutes.

In a stand mix or with a hand mixer, cream the butter for one minute. Add sugar and continue blending for another minute. Add eggs one at a time and almond extract and mix until blended. 

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powpow. Whisk to combine and add to the wet mixture. Mix until blended. Pour in liquid dates and fold together. 

Pour mixture into your ramekins and bake for 20 - 22 minutes. Careful not to fill too high. The pudding rises and can overflow. It's a neat look but a pain to wash.

For the sauce: In a sauce pan melt butter until frothy. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add 100 ml of the cream and bring to a boil stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add Frangelico and stir. 

Whip remaining cream until stiff peaks. Add pinch of cinnamon. 

Using a paring knife, cut around the pudding in the ramekin and remove onto plate. Drizzle (or drown, according to preference) with caramel sauce and garnish with whipped cinnamon cream. 

Makes 8 servings. 

A Humble Chef's tip: when chopping up your dates, dip your knife into hot water occasionally and wipe. 

Brave Noodle World

I posted many years ago a recipe to make fresh pasta and quite honestly, my feelings haven't changed that much from then. Fresh pasta is a bit of a novelty. But it is a fun one.

I have a new recipe that is a little larger quantity but I find it works well and it's easy to remember: 3 cups flour, 6 eggs, drizzle of oil. Plus a little extra flour during kneading.

This post will have mostly photographs taken by my lovely daughter who is really interested in doing things with me, include cooking. She has a good eye and none of the pictures taken were cropped or edited. Not bad eh?

I have decided to make fresh pasta once a week and practice making different types of shapes and fillings. Last week I made tagliatelle and this week a thinner spaghetti shape. Next weekend, I intend to continue this recent trend and bend the pasta into a penne lisce shape.

This recent trend is an attempt to feel more connected to my food and kind of get back to basics. I have recently taken a job where I am no longer a chef (I am now a Food & Beverage Manager of a golf course in the Ottawa region) and I don't intend to cook in a professional kitchen anymore. Home, however, is another story. Cooking remains a love of mine and making more homemade meals is, without a doubt, an absolute knead.

Fresh Egg Pasta

3 Cups or 725g AP Flour
6 Eggs
Drizzle of Olive Oil

Make a volcano with the flour

Fill volcano with lava yolks

 Whip the lava with a fork and slowly mix with the flour.

Once eggs are combined, start mixing with your hands and make a ball.

Knead for several minutes. The way I knead is lift dough from the top towards you.
Then use the palm of your hand and push into the dough away from you.
Turn dough 90 degrees and repeat until dough is firm and a little sticky.

Keep kneading!

Kneading gets harder and harder until it forms this type of shape.
Cover with plastic wrap and put in your fridge for an hour.

Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough before using the roller.

Time to pull out that pasta roller from your wedding.

Stage 1 of rolling. There is a dial on the side to adjust thickness.
Turn the dial one notch after every roll to make the pasta thinner and thinner.

With the spaghetti attachment. 

Easier when you have help.

Cook in boiling salted water for 5 - 6 minutes with a small amount of oil and stirring frequently.

Makes 10 - 12 portions.

A Humble Chef's tip: I'm freezing half of the batch in individual portions. The pasta cooks well right out the freezer. 

Pop Goes The Corny Jokes

I love popcorn. I love it as a random snack. I love it at a movie. I love sharing it during family time. I love throwing Peanut M & M's into a bowl of freshly buttered popcorn and searching for the candy coated crunchiness as I'm enjoying them. But most of all, I love making popcorn. Either by myself or with one of my kids. It's the simplicity and nostalgia of it. I know few people who don't love the comfort of popcorn while watching Bilbo Baggins walk through the Misty Mountains.

For years I've been using a Whirley Pop that I purchased at a Home Sense many years ago. It was precious to me. But, like everything else, time and use has caught up to this simple cooking device. And now that we've moved to a smaller home, kitchen equipment has to be reduced. And with a colon and a front parenthesis I had to let go of my  Whirley Pop and move on.

But one day, my wife and I visited a friend for dinner and a drink. And out comes a large Le Creuset cast iron pot and some corn kernels. She makes her popcorn by adding a spoonful of oil and adds the kernels, covers it and shakes it on top of her stove top. So simple. So easy. And while it doesn't work quite as well as the Whirley Pop design, it certainly does the trick.

And as everyone knows, popcorn is inexpensive and fun and very adaptable. And so instead of just melting butter and tossing it with some salt, why not try something else....

Oh, and by the way, microwavable popcorn is truly terrible. I have purchased it of course but I never will ever again. It has way too many ingredients that I can't pronounce (a bad sign) and it has a terrible texture and an awful flavour. I'm dead against anything that isn't butter but tries it's best to be butter. It just doesn't work.

Time now for a quiz about Popcorn. We shall call it a Pop Quiz.

Q: What did Mama Corn say when she got angry at her kid kernels?

A: Wait 'til your Pop Corn gets home.

Q: When does popcorn get lost?

A: When it's in the maize.

Q: What do you call the one kernel never seems to pop at the end?

A: Unicorn

Simple Caramel Corn

1 Cup of Popcorn Kernels
Drizzle of Peanut Oil
50 ml Maple Syrup
1 Cup Brown Sugar
Splash of Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp. Baking Soda

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add popcorn and shake for 3 - 5 minutes or until popcorn has completed popping. If you use other methods of making popcorn (not microwaving obviously) use the method most comfortable for you. Put popcorn in a large bowl and set aside.

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add brown sugar, vanilla extract and maple syrup and bring to boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add baking soda immediately. Slow pour over popcorn while tossing to evenly coat. Continue to toss until caramel has been absorbed. Lay out on a baking sheet and allow to cool.

Place back into a bowl and serve.

Serves 6.

A Humble Chef's tip: have a friend help when pouring the caramel sauce. This is a great recipe to do with kids also. 

A Second Humble Chef's Tip: I've also been told to keep popcorn in the freezer. It keeps the kernels fresher. I was skeptical at first but I find it is fluffier and pops in the "butterfly" variety versus the "mushroom" variety. Besides, the side of the packaging usually recommends it. Colon and back bracket. 

And In The End, The Love You Make Is Equal To The Love You Bake

My family and I had company over and we had a great time having Beef and Black Bean Stew with a lovely red. After dinner, and dessert, we had a wonderful time playing poetry challenge, which inspired me to write  a poem for today's recipe post.

John Keats I am not, but I doubt he could bake a cookie as tasty as I do.

Ode to the Chocolate Chip Cookie

A kitchen of smells and mellow spiciness, 

Close bosom-friend of the delectable bun;

Conspiring with him how to make a mess

With fresh fruit the sugars grow in the warmth of the sun;

To bake with desire, and on our hands and knees, 

And fill all bellies with deliciousness to the core;

To swell the taste buds, and bellies all too well;

With a sweet tooth; to keep eating more,

And still more, later dipped into our teas,

Until the crusty baker decides to cease,

For I have a recipe I have decided to tell. 

Spiced Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2 and a Half Sticks Of Butter, softened

1 Cup of Firmly Packed Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup of White Sugar

2 Eggs

Splash of Vanilla Extract

1/4 Cup of Maple Syrup

3 Cups of Flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tps of Salt

1/2 Tsp Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp Allspice

1/2 Tsp Cloves

1 Cup of Chopped Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 f. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes. Add sugars and beat for 3 more minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and maple syrup and blend.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices and sift together. Add to the butter mixture in two batches. Add chocolate chunks. 

Spoon into your hand and make a ball. Place on baking sheet and flatten. Bake for 9 - 11 minutes.

Serve with Pomegranate Seeds or Orange wedges for garnish.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Sweet. 

I Ain't Alfredo No Ghosts

Pasta. Who doesn't love it? Well, maybe someone who is gluten intolerant.

Garlic Cream Sauce. Who doesn't love it? Well, maybe someone who is lactose intolerant.

Sausages. Who doesn't love them? Well, maybe a vegetarian.

Mushrooms. I know someone who doesn't love them. And he's 11.

If you are not one of these people, you must try this super easy recipe. Ten minutes prep time, 15 minutes cooking time and an hour of divinity. A great recipe for beginners of cooking and you have guests coming over and you're not sure what to make them. It is a sure fire hit for most guests and kids. Trust me. I've fed this recipe to a ton of people.

This is also something you can make in advance if you're nervous about people watching you or if you're nervous about having everything ready on time. Cook your pasta ahead of time and after draining from the water, toss in a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Heat sauce and toss pasta in the sauce to warm it through. You will see how easy entertaining can be.

Classic Fettuccine Alfredo with Sausages

Half a stick of Butter
2 Medium Sized White Onions, finely diced
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
Pinch of Nutmeg
50 ml Vodka
500 ml 35% Cream
15 Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
Juice of a Half a Lemon
5 Smoked Sausages, sliced in half and cut into half moons
2 (more!!)Garlic Cloves,
Parmigiana Cheese to taste (for garnish)
1 Package of Fettuccine (I like Barilla)
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a tall stock pot, bring water and 1 tbs. salt to a rapid boil.

In a frying pan, melt half the butter until frothy. Add onions and garlic, and cook for five minutes. Add vodka and allow to deglaze your pan. Add cream and bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat. Liquefy in a blender and hold.

Melt remainder of butter in the same pan. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and smoked sausages and cook for 1 minute. Add cream puree and bring to a slight boil and hold. Since sausages are cooked, they only need to be heated through.

Add pasta and follow manufacturer's instructions. Drain and toss with cream sauce. Garnish with cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Serves 4 - 6

I Recommend You Fight Off Disease However You Cancer

Today's recipe was the product of a class I taught this evening at the Gloucester Loblaws Cooking School. It was very simple and was well received. Thanks to all those who attended,including my wife and son who were kind enough to attend and offer support and attention. I hope to see you all again. The original recipe had potatoes as a thickening agent for the soup but we changed it to parsnips and I preferred this final product much more. It added a touch of sweetness and depth to the flavours.

During the class, Donna, the coordinator of the cooking school, offered many of her own tidbits of knowledge. She is one of the most informative people I know when it comes to the nutritional benefits of all types of food. I continue to marvel at her knowledge every time we have a class together.

And so: broccoli is high in dietary fiber and vitamin C. Which I knew.  But it also has many anti-cancer properties - which can be lost if overcooked. Which is fine with me. I like lightly blanched broccoli in lightly salted water as a side veg. And so she told the class that broccoli fights off cancer cells and helps DNA repair. How does one know this stuff off the crown of one's head?

And red peppers? She said green peppers are anemic compared to the nutritional value of the red pepper. Which works for me since they taste so much better. They contain high amount of vitamin C which is very coolis, but it is the anti-oxidants that are really beneficial. I may need to bring a notepad to all the classes we teach together. I shall call it "Who Knew-tricioius?"

Broccoli and Leek Soup with Red Pepper Coulis

Drizzle of Vegetable for frying
3 Cooking Onions, roughly chopped
1 Leek, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped
3 Parsnips, peeled, cut into chunks
3 Cloves of Garlic
Pinch of Dried Marjoram and Oregano
2 Bunches of Broccoli, cut into crowns
2 L Vegetable or Chicken Stock
1 Stick of Butter, cold, cut into cubes
Dollop of Greek Yogurt
Salt and Pepper to taste

Red Pepper Coulis

3 Bell Peppers
Drizzle of Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a soup pot, heat oil on medium heat. Cook onion and parsnips for 5 minutes. Add leek and garlic and herb blend. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Add stock. Bring to a rapid boil for 1 minute. Reduce to half boil and cook for 15 - 20 minutes.

Reduce heat to simmer and puree. Add butter and whisk in.

For Red Pepper Coulis, coat peppers in oil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast for 10 - 15 minutes or until charred. Place into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam for 10 minutes. Remove from bowl and remove char from peppers and remove seeds. Puree and season to taste.

Garnish with yogurt and drizzle of coulis.

Serves 8 - 10

Feeling Grill At Ease

Feeling like a simple meal? A grilled cheese sandwich is as simple it can get; yet no other sandwich has as many possible variations. Have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or midnight snack. There is no wrong time for a grilled cheese sandwich. Have it with a coffee or juice or beer or even wine. Imagine what wine you can have with a Grilled Gorgonzola and Bresaola Sandwich.

I had some leftover bacon grease, jalapeno bread, monterey jack cheese, cranberry and rhubarb sauce in the fridge and I thought, "That will result in 6 heavenly bites." Obviously you can make any alterations as you like, but this really came together well.

A little tip when making grilled cheese: I like to lightly fry the cheese in the pan to cut the edge off the cheese. Once you add it to the bread, be sure the cheese is fully melted.

The temperature of your stove top can range from medium-low to medium, depending on your pan and elements. I'm sure you already know the temp you need to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. If you do not, start with medium low and allow your bread to brown.

I like using cast iron for grilled cheese. I swear to you it makes a huge difference in the flavour and it adds to the rustic quality of your food. If you don't own one, either buy one or ask your grandmother for hers.

Grilled Monterey Jack Sandwich with Cilantro and Cranberry

2 Tbs of Butter (but I used bacon fat leftover from breakfast)
4 Slices of Jalapeno Cheese Bread
4 Slices of Monterey Jack Cheese (it was about 80 g for people who weigh)
2 Tbs. Cranberry Sauce or Peach Preserve
10 Leaves of Cilantro, ripped into small pieces
Tabasco Sauce to Taste (I used 5 - 6 drops and it had enough heat for me)

Heat cast iron pan skillet on your stove top at medium to medium-low heat.

Spread fat on one side of the bread. Spread cranberry sauce and Tabasco sauce on one side of the opposite side of the bread. Lay greased side down on hot pan. Sprinkle ripped cilantro on bread and add cheese. Allow to brown for 2 minutes. Close the sandwich and allow cheese to melt.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

A Humble Chef's tip: some pork with this would be nice, but then again we did use bacon grease to brown the bread. It really adds a nice smoky flavour. 

How To Propose A French Toast.

For my daughter's 13th birthday, she asked for a homemade breakfast: Classic French Toast with Bacon and Grilled Pineapples. Oh, a girl after my own heart. Well...I am her father and she already owns my heart, but asking for such a simple yet irresistible meal certainly doesn't  hurt.

Firstly, I won't provide a recipe for bacon. But I will tell you that the best way to cook bacon is to cook it in the oven and not stove top. On a baking sheet lined with parchment, line the sheet with bacon slightly overlapping. Place into oven preheated to 325 F and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or to to desired doneness/crispiness. Remove from the oven and drain the rendered bacon fat into a heat-proof glass. You may keep the fat for other uses such as frying home fries. If you do discard it, do not run it down your sink. Place it into your organic waste.

We always use McCutcheon's MapleSyrup - a fantastic maple syrup and highly recommended to anyone who travels near Orillia or Mount St. Louis-Moonstone. The uses of maple syrup are limitless and enjoyable. The obvious ones are dessert toppings or even a glaze for a main course. Not so obvious is to use the sugar to make Gravlax combined with Canadian Whiskey. Di-effin-vine.

This is a meal for anytime of the day but I can't think of much that exceeds the warmth and comfort of waking up on a Sunday morning, preparing French Toast with bacon and fresh fruit while listening to Classical music with my family. Does it get better?

Classic French Toast with Bacon, Grilled Pineapples with Lemon-Pineapple Smoothie

For the French Toast:

1 Loaf of Italian Bread or Egg Bread, cut into near inch slices
5 eggs, whipped
50 ml Milk
Pinch of Preferred Spices, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, whatever you like
1 Tbs. of Brown Sugar
Butter or Bacon Grease to cook

Lay out bread slices on a baking sheet for 10 minutes to allow to dry out.

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, spices and brown sugar. Whip to combine.

On your stove top, set heat to medium or just under. Heat choice of fat for 5 seconds. Dip bread into egg wash and fry for 90 seconds per side.

Serve immediately. If you have much to cook, place in baking dish and place into a hot oven to re-heat before serving.

Top with butter and maple syrup.

Serves 4 - 6

For the bacon:

12 Slices of Bacon

Preheat oven to 325 f.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out bacon slightly overlapping. Cook bacon for 20 - 25 minutes.

Drain fat and hold bacon in warm oven.

Serves 4.

For the smoothie:

1 L Lemonade
1 Peach, cut into chunks
3 - 4 Strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 Pineapple, peeled and cored
Splash of Maple Syrup
3-4 Ice Cubes

In a blender, combine all ingredients and puree for 30 seconds.

Serves 4.

For the grilled pineapples:

3/4 Pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into slices
Drizzle of Canola Oil
Pinch of Smoked Paprika

Heat grill. Grill Pineapples. Hold with bacon.

Simple!!

Serves 4.

A Humble Chef's Tip: 200 f is standard warming temperature. You can hold the breakfast for up to 30 in a warm oven before serving. 

Give It Up For Lentils

I saw lentils in my cupboard last night. I've had them in my cupboard for a while and I found them and thought, "Huh. Haven't cooked you for a while. What the heck?" What a pleasant surprise. On so many levels.

I bought them due to their nutritious properties. And my, lentils own a lot of properties. Protein is the major tenant along with dietary fiber. My dietitian told me of the high protein real estate value and highly recommended them to me due to my cholesterol issues. Along with the low cost (a few bucks for a bag) and simplicity of the legume, I have decided to add lentils to my monthly grocery shopping.

And, much to my surprise, my home and native land is the world's top producer of this venerable food. So, what the heck? I made a batch last night and the family (and guest) loved the end result. So simple. So easy. So healthy. I didn't presoak overnight, but I thoroughly rinsed them and soaked for an hour. Seemed to do the trick.

I have a theory about the hesitation of the consumption of the lentil, texture. It's different than beans and not everyone loves the texture. After mixing it with Basmati rice and some yogurt, even my skeptical daughter offered praise to lentils. What the heck?

Curried Green Lentils with Peaches and Apples

Dab of Butter
250 g Green Lentils, rinsed and soaked for an hour
750 ml Vegetable Stock
1 Spanish Onion, diced
1 Carrot, diced
1 Stalk of Celery, diced
2 Macintosh Apples, grated
2 Peaches, cored and cut into chunks
Pinch of Ginger
1 Tbs. Curry Powder
Splash of Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Honey
1 Tbs.Chili Sauce

In a sauce pan, heat butter. Add onion, celery, carrot, curry and ginger and saute for 4 minutes. Add grated apples and peaches and cook for another 4 minutes. Add lentils and stock. Bring to a boil and cover. Stir occasionally. let cook for 30 or until preferred doneness. Add soy sauce, chili sauce and honey and adjust to taste.

Serve with Rice Pilaf.

Serves 6.

A Humble Chef's Tip: if lentils are too wet, drain and keep liquid. Heat to reduce and add to the lentils and rice.  

Magnum Pie

Comfort food means different things to different people. To me, it means a simple meal that removes pretentiousness. There's nothing wrong with craving a meal that remind us of a simpler time. Comfort food does not mean something pre-made or processed. It means done with care and for the love of simple cooking.

Growing up, my family always referred Shepherd's Pie as Chinese Pie. I never understood this. Until I read the French side of PC Sheppard's Pie and noticed it was called Pâté Chinois. Strange no? If you are interested knowing why it's called that in Quebec, you can read the Wikipedia page Pâté Chinois for the possible reasons.

Doesn't really matter; a pie by any other name would taste as sweet.

This is a version that is very different than the one taught  to me at George Brown. In that version, there were peas, lots of carrots and the ground lamb was cooked and served in demi-glace. So I like the creamed corn version. Also, the mashed potatoes had egg yolks and nutmeg (Duchess) giving the mashed potatoes added flavour and creaminess. My preference is to leave out the eggs but I would do either way.

The only really important thing to remember is make sure you keep the recipe simple that you enjoy making it and that you can maximize the flavours you've added.

Stevo’s Sheppards Pie

About 500 g Ground Beef or Lamb, or whatever amount 8 family members would normally eat

2 Cans of Creamed Corn or maybe just 1

1 Clove of Garlic or 2 if you like garlic

1 Large Cooking Onion, diced

1 Stalk of Celery, diced

1 Carrot, diced

1 Pinch of Cumin, Oregano, Paprika, Marjoram and Basil

6 Large Baking Potatoes, peeled and in cold water

¼ lb. Butter (1 Stick)

150 ml 35 % Whipping Cream

250 g Marble Cheese, grated

Splash of Worcestershire Sauce, aka “What’s This Here Sauce?”

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to 350.

In a tall pasta pot, cook potatoes. Drain well. In a separate pan, heat cream and half a stick of butter. Whip with cooked butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep hot.

In a large sauté pan, heat butter and add onions, celery and garlic. Add herbs and spices and sauté for 3 – 5 minutes. Add either the lamb or beef and brown. Reduce heat by half and continue to cook until browned through. Season to taste. If the beef is particularly wet, drain. Place cooked meat in a rectangle baking dish (maybe a 13 x 9?). Add desired amount of Worcestershire  Sauce. Top with corn and cover with mashed potatoes and coat with grated cheese.  Toss in the oven to melt the cheese and brown to desired colour.

Serves 8.

Variation: try roasting one sweet potato and while whipping the mashed potatoes, add the cooked sweet potato for a little sweetness and richer flavour.

A Humble Chef's tip: to reduce the stress of a weekday, make this on a  Sunday, save it and heat in the oven 1 hour before serving. 

Looking At the Entire Cholesterol Effect

The last soup recipe I wrote was 2010. Well, I do enjoy making a good soup and I made one recently I think I should share. The response from friends and family was positive including a young baby name Bea. So it passed the test.

I recently had an appointment with a dietician. It was truly an eye opening and gut wrenching experience. I learned much about of my eating habits and what type of eater I am. Turns out I do something that apparently some people do as well; I eat when I'm upset. Especially chocolate. I know right?!  Apparently my serotonin levels have been a little lower than I care to admit. Thankfully I am not a pastry Chef or a chocolatier. That would be a bad recipe. 

I have been given a request for a rice pudding recipe which will come soon. However, I get many requests for root vegetable recipes in the winter time and so I am all too happy to oblige with.

I have to share a part of my conversation with the dietician. She told me that I was the first Chef she had ever consulted with. She was intrigued by this and asked me why this is. My theory is that Chef's have a very know-it-all attitude when it comes to food and cooking. Some of us want feedback and comments, but we generally don't want criticism when it comes to what we choose to feed people or ourselves. "I'm feeding you medium rare Prime Rib" I would say,  "with fluffy mashed potatoes, crispy Yorkshire Puddings and lightly steamed broccoli tossed in garlic butter. Trust me, you will like eating it as much as I do." Sure you can comment on presentation, portion size, texture and, for some Chefs,  even the doneness of the roast and I usually listen with genuine interest. But, at the end of the day I decide what people eat because I am the Chef. That is a very typical mentality of a Chef. Until they discover they are travelling a path that will lead to high cholesterol and a stoke at an early age. Well, I once said that I offer two choices for dinner: eat what I make, or don't. I still offer those two choices for dinner, but from now on I will offer healthy choices. 

The pressure is on for my heart.  

Curried Sweet Potato Soup and Squash Soup with Red Curry 

Bit of Butter

1 Tbs. of Canola Oil

2 Red Onions, diced

1 Lemongrass, smashed

1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced 

1 garlic clove, minced 

1 Small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

2 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed 

1.5 l chicken (or vegetetarian) broth

1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste 

1 tsp.red curry paste

1 Can of  coconut milk 

2 tsp. fresh lime juice 

150 g Almonds, whole (if you don't have a scale, use about 1 cup)

8 Asian Pears, cored and peeled

1 Tbs Sesame Oil

1 Tbs Canola Oil

1 Tsp Ginger, minced

250 ml, white wine

Pinch of Salt

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Toss squash and potatoes in oil and lay on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove and hold.

To core the pears, use an apple corer down the centre and remove core and discard. Cut 1/4 inch off the top and bottom of the pear. In a food processor (blender works but not as well), combine almonds, oils, ginger and salt. Chop mixture until slightly chunky. 

In a glass casserole dish, place pears top of pears facing up. Stuff each pear with the almond mixture. Pour wine into the dish and cover with foil or parchment. Bake for 15 minutes or until tender. Set aside and keep warm.

In a large pot over high heat, warm the butter. Add the onions and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ginger, lemongrass and garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Add the squash, broth and the 1/2 tsp. salt, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. 

Put the curry paste in a small bowl and stir in the coconut milk until well blended. Remove lemongrass and discard.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup, in batches if necessary, until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the coconut milk mixture. Heat the soup until just hot, then stir in the lime juice and adjust the seasoning with salt. Place pear in the centre of the bowl and ladle the soup into warm bowls and serve immediately. 

Serve with grilled pita points.

Serves 8. 

A Humble Chef's tip: when reheating soups back to a boil, constantly stir to prevent burning or use a double boiler. 

Pairing My Cordon Bleu Tooth

Another turkey recipe in time for the holidays. And it's an easy one. I've done many Christmas themed classes through the Loblaws cooking school for the last 4 to 5 years and I figured it's time to post a few of them.

Cordon Bleu is simply a dish where meat is stuffed with cheese. That's it. That's the meaning of the fancy term. And there are many versions of Cordon Bleu with the chicken likely being the most famous. Where a chicken breast is butterflied, flattened, stuffed with emmenthal cheese and ham (or prosciutto), breaded and fried. I'm unaware of any connection to the Le Cordon Bleu (the Blue Ribbon) culinary schools and if anyone knows of any, I ask that they let me know in the comments section below.

I remember reading that Chicken Cordon Bleu is actually an American invention. Curious to know the validity of this.

I made Lyonnaise potatoes with this dish. I thought the caramelized onions went well with the honey dijon sauce. Give a a try!

Well, this blog post is pretty flat. I guess I better wrap it up.

Turkey Cordon Bleu with Honey Dijon Sauce

2 Large Turkey Breasts, butterflied

200 g Emmenthal Cheese, cut into long sticks

200 g Black Forest Ham, sliced

2 Tbs. Dijon Mustard

2 Tbs. Liquid Honey

1 Red Onion, finely diced

500 ml 35% cream

250 g Panko Bread Crumbs (1 Cup)

6 Eggs

250 g A.P. Flour (1 Cup)

½ Stick of Butter

Bunch of Sage, finely chiffonade

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay out turkey breast and slightly flatten with tenderizer. Lay down slices of ham and cheese side by side. Roll up turkey breast and slightly season.

Make a breading station by laying out three bowls: 1 for flour, 1 for eggs and 1 for panko bread crumbs. Start by coating turkey with flour, then roll into egg wash and then into bread crumbs.

In a large frying pan, pour generous amount of oil and allow to get hot. Fry breast until golden on seam side down first. Then carefully turn over and continue to sear. Be sure to add any oil if frying pan is too dry. Place turkey into oven and cook for 35 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

In a separate frying pan, heat butter until frothy. Cook onions for 2 minutes. Add honey and Dijon and allow to get hot. Add cream and bring to a boil. Whisk thoroughly. Season to taste and garnish with sage. Serve with turkey breasts.

Serves  6 - 8.

A Humble Chef's tip: if you like to tie up the breast, it's better to show in person or with images. Try a search of tying up chicken breasts and see if that helps.

Variation: Instead of Emmenthal and Ham, I also like Gorgonzola and Salami. But I never get to do it since I'm the only one in my family who likes blue cheese. 

Prosciutto: The Cure For The Common Home

My wife and I are trying to cut down on eating out for lunch for numerous reasons. I imagine many people can relate with the desire to save money, control the types of food we eat and use up any leftovers throughout the kitchen. I feel ashamed by the amount of waste that comes out of my home kitchen. The professional kitchen is different and far more complicated.

I am not going to discuss the impact of food waste in our current society. I would think the investigation of the statistics would be far too alarming and shocking. I choose to keep myself in the dark on the topic. For the moment. Trust me, if you were a Chef, wilful blindness would be a very tempting option when it comes to the politics of food. I constantly battle with the idea of donating food versus discarding food. And believe me, it ain't no picnic. But I do know that food waste in Canada is extremely high and the majority of it comes out of homes and not professional kitchens.

And so now we are going to have lunch at home more often. Kind of ironic since I make a living off people going out to eat.

Today's recipe is a simple sandwich that takes 5 minutes of preparation time and another 5 minutes to make. It should take more than 5 minutes to eat it but that depends on how much time you get for lunch and how much an aversion you have towards chewing.

I used a pretzel bun for this sandwich but that is at your own discretion. Pretzel is a different type of bread than what most people usually have (actually, I think it adds a nice twist) and since the sandwich is such a popular and common type of food, a simple thing like changing the bread goes a long way.

I like using prosciutto (dry cured ham) in sandwiches to compliment other meats. Here I used plain leftover chicken breast. Many of you may be familiar with some appetizers that use prosciutto to compliment sweet fruit. Melon Wrapped with Prosciutto and Goat's Cheese and Figs with Mascarpone and Prosciutto are two classic examples of this. Having said that, I used peach preserve in the sandwich but you can use any number of preserves for this recipe. Apple jelly being one of them.

Prosciutto is a little expensive but very versatile and flavourful. It keeps for a good amount of time (if it lasts that long in your household) and is easy to use in cooking, salads and sandwiches.

Prosciutto and Chicken on a Pretzel Bun

2 Pretzel Buns, sliced
4 Thin Slices of Prosciutto
100 g of Chicken Breast, sliced lengthwise, as thin as you can make it
50 g Havarti, sliced
1/2 Apple, sliced thinly (I used an Empire apple)
Handful of Arugula
2 Tbs. Peach Preserve
2 Dabs of Butter

Make sandwich.

Serves 2.























Just kidding (but not really, it's just a sandwich people!).

Preheat skillet on medium heat. Melt half of butter and cook apple slices in butter for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Warm chicken breasts in butter. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Lightly butter the outside (top and bottom) of pretzel bun and lay buttered side down on skillet. Spread peach preserve on the inside of each bottom half (facing up in skillet). Lay down chicken on top of peach preserve. Top with prosciutto and apples. Add cheese (I like placing cheese on skillet briefly first, to cut the coolness of the cheese) and arugula.

Close sandwich until desired crispiness of the bun (I'd say 3 minutes really).

Serve with soup or salad or some nice chips.

Serves 2.

A Humble Chef's tip: since this essentially a fancy grilled cheese sandwich, use the same level of heat on your stove that you would for a grilled cheese sandwich.

A Turkey Stew? Ewww, Grouse!

Well hello again. It has been several years since I lasted posted a recipe on this blog. I apologize to all who have waited for me to post something new and I look forward to catching up with some of my recipes. Rest assured, I am still a Chef and I am still at a golf course doing what I do and I still get to experiment on new recipes and new flavour combinations.

Thanksgiving has passed and maybe you have leftovers in your freezer. Even if you do not, here is a lovely stew recipe that is very appropriate for a lovely Sunday afternoon that will fill your lovely home with a lovely aroma that will warm the heart of even the most un-loveliest of people. And then will certainly put you to sleep after a hefty portion.

For this recipe, I recommend a blend of root vegetables of your preference, the freshest stock you can get your hands on and light coloured beans. The idea is to keep the stew a blonde stew so you may want to use your black turtle beans for a different recipe. I like to add chick peas (if you want to cook em yourself and have the time to do so, be my guest) and white navy beans but it is your recipe and I insist that you work within your beans.

Following the Turkey Stew is a basic Corn Bread recipe that I took from an old George Brown Textbook. Works well and easy to change. Since it has been 2 years since my last post, I may repeat some techniques from old posts. But I can't imagine anyone going over old posts of mine so I may be worrying over nothing. It's great to be back and I look forward to writing more posts and I anxiously await any feedback that any of you have to offer.

A Fair Coloured Turkey Stew

1 Large Vidalia Onion, diced
1 Stalk of Celery, diced
1 Stalk of Leek, white only diced
1 Parsnip, diced
1 Carrot, peeled and diced
1 Turnip, diced
3 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
Pinch of Cumin and Chili Powder
2 Cans of White Beans, (i.e. Navy), drained and washed
1 Can of Chick Peas
1.5 l (12 Cups) Chicken or Turkey Stock Approx.
750 g (about 3 cups) Cooked Turkey, or whatever you have leftover from Thanksgiving
Small bunch of Basil, chiffonade
2 Baking Potatoes, cut into small cubes
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Dab or Two of Butter

In a large pot, heat butter until frothy. Cook onion, carrot, celery and leek for five minutes. Add garlic and spices. Sweat for another few minutes.

Add turkey, beans and stock. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and basil. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes at minimum, an hour would be better.

Serve with sour cream and corn bread. Serves 6 – 8.

Basic Corn Bread

350 g A.P. Flour, (1 ½ cups flour)
350 g Cornmeal, (1 ½ cups cornmeal)
2 Tbs. Sugar
1 Tbs. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
250 ml Milk
250 ml Sour Cream
125 ml Corn Oil
1 Egg

Preheat oven 375. Grease 9 inch pan. Whisk dry ingredients together. In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Fold wet into dry. Pour into 9 inch pan.

Bake for 35 minutes and let rest for 10. Cut into desired squares.

Serves 6 – 8.

 A Humble Chef's Tip: everything in the stew is cooked except the potatoes. Don't dice them to small or they'll disintegrate. Just big enough to fit on a spoon.

A Recipe That Is Quince and Easy

Some recipes really come out by accident, don't they?

I was recently asked by a cooking school coordinator to think of a recipe with quince paste because they have so much of it in stock. Quince paste. Before I go on, I will admit that I was not entirely familiar with this fruit but I have tried it as a kid. But certainly during my time at George Brown it was never brought up. Suffice to say, it is a rare fruit with a distinct flavour.

Without getting really boring, quince is a yellow shaped, pear looking fruit that can be eaten raw, but not entirely recommended unless very ripe. It is extremely sour and very hard to even bite into, so it is best if it is cooked. Once cooked, it takes on an orange hue. You can try buying the fruit but it is rare and it can be difficult to find. However, you can buy it often in a paste form. Or even sometimes in jams. If you can't find quince paste or jam, you can use marmalade as a substitute for this recipe.

In fact, I learned that the origin of marmalade comes from quince jam (the Portuguese word for quince is marmelo, leading to the now famous preserve) that was made in Portugal and sent to England. I imagine there has been changes to the classic jam but whatever. You get the idea.

Here is a simple recipe that I found several years ago but altered over time. I have never served this at the golf course I work at, but at home I do.

Quince Glazed Pork Chops

Handful of mustard seeds
Juice of 2 Lemons
200 ml or about 2/3 of a cup quince paste
100 ml Dijon mustard
100 ml White wine
1 Red Onion, diced
A Few Twigs of Rosemary or Thyme
8 Pork Chops


Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Combine the mustard seeds, quince paste and lemon juice and whisk until quince is broken up. Add mustard, white wine, onion, rosemary, salt and pepper. Pour half of the mustard concoction on the bottom of some kind of baking dish. I don't know your inventory so use whatever you got. Lay the chops in da dish and cover with remainder of the glazey glaze.

Then bakey-bake the pork for about a half an hour. If you bought the chops bone in,it takes another 5 - 10 minutes to cook them. However, I like a little pink in pork chops, but you can cook them to whatever doneness you desire.

Serve with some kind of starch. Like Herb Roasted Potatoes!

Serves 8.

Variation: use marmalade instead of quince.

A Humble Chef's tip: you can cover the pork for half the cooking time to speed it up. Then uncover to caramelize the glaze.

Green Around the Gills

Substituting the portobella mushroom for a beef patty is nothing new. And why wouldn't it be? It's easy and quick. If you feel you eat too much red meat (which I and much of North America does), portobella is an excellent alternative to a burger.

Last post, I was discussing everyone's favourite fungus, the mushroom. But there is way too much to cover and so I had to cap it off.

What many people may or may not know is that the common white mushroom, the cremini and the portobella mushroom are basically the same thing. What differs them from one another is the maturity level. I imagine many of you can figure out which mushroom has been allowed to grow the longest. That's right! You guessed it. It's the portobella. Or is it the portobello? Oh, whatever. You get what I mean. Because the portobella has been allowed to mature and grow, the gills can bleed quite extensively. Some chefs I've worked for would cut out the gills while other chefs couldn't be bothered. In my opinion, I leave them in for most recipes and will cut them out for only a few recipes. For example, Mushroom Polenta or Cornbread. The gills bleed and makes the polenta very grey looking and very unappetizing. Or maybe a chowder or a cream sauce where I want to retain the white colour. As you can see, I determine it for the sake of appearance. Not so much for texture or flavour.

Then again, many of you may not care about the appearance. But, I think, to a certain degree, everyone does. Every time we go grocery shopping, we are bombarded with magazine covers where the dishes look ridiculously delicious. Or on T.V. where these chefs seem to make these gorgeous dinners in less than half an hour. And because of this, can it not be said that we start to want our own food to look this good all the time? Appearance matters. When you buy beef, do you normally base your judgment on the redness of the beef? Even though the colour can be very deceiving. Sure, grey beef is not usually a good thing, but just because the alternative is red, doesn't mean it's fresher. With a quick flash of carbon monoxide, that meat can stay red much longer after it's gone rancid. Scary. How about produce? If you see two red peppers where one is a perfect shape and other looks curled over and slightly disfigured. Which do you buy? If you said the perfect one, why? Will it taste better?

Anyways, appearance matters whether we like it or not. So, keep the garnishes coming!

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms on a Foccaccia

6 Large Portobello Mushrooms, washed
1 Red Pepper
100 ml Balsamic Vinegar
100 ml Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
Drizzle of Honey
1 Package of Arugula
Small Package of Blue Cheese (Gorgonzola is good), crumbled
6 Foccaccias
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Score the cap of the mushroom with two cross hatches.

Marinate mushrooms in oil and balsamic vinegar and two cloves of crushed garlic.

Coat red peppers with oil and grill peppers until blackened on the outside. Place in a sealed bag and close. Steam through for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Peel skin away and discard innards. Keep flesh of peppers.

In a hot grill pan or on the BBQ, grill mushrooms for 3 minutes per side. Remove and cut in half.

On a foccaccia, rub last clove of garlic on the inside. Place arugula, peppers and mushrooms in panini. Add desired amount of cheese.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

A Humble Chef's tip: if it's winter time, cook your peppers in the oven at 400 for 30 min. Less smoke will emit if you roast them.

Variation: Goat's Cheese over the blue if you don't like blue cheese.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fungus

When you break down what a mushroom is, it seems a bit strange that we eat it. I mean, it's a spore bearing fungus. It's not a plant. It's weird, isn't it? And yet, so delicious. I suppose the same can be said about drinking the milk from a cow or a goat. It's a bit weird.

It is a goal of mine to learn how to pick mushrooms (a mycophagist they are known as) and certainly intend on going through with it. Where I live, there are pockets of morel mushrooms which I never had growing up. But, as an adult, have become quite fond of. If you've never seen a morel, they are quite different in appearance to common mushrooms you buy at the grocery store. They have a cool honey comb look to them. However, you can buy them at most major grocers dried (much like porcini) and are usually very expensive. At least for a humble chef like me.

However, there are many other types of 'shrooms that you can eat that are much more affordable. They usually have a stem, cap and gills. We all know of the white mushroom that are usually farmed and delivered across the continent. In the same family is the ever popular cremini and portobella. I am fond of shitake, enoki and somewhat indifferent to oyster. But that's just me. In all, there are supposedly 14,000 varieties. Wow.

It goes without saying, here is a vast amount information to give about the intrepid toadstool, but that would be over-bearing. So, I will break up mushrooms 101 into several posts.

Here is a super duper easy recipe that is strictly an appetizer.

Field Mushrooms on Crostini

2 Baguettes, cut in rounds
1 White Onion, medium dice
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
Juice of a Lemon
200 ml Olive Oil
25 – 30 Mushrooms, cremini, portobella and shitake
150 g Asiago Cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven on roast at 400. On a baking sheet, lay out crostinis. Drizzle some oil over top and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden crusted.

In a large frying pan, heat oil. Saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and continue to cook.

Let cool and add thyme and asiago garnish.

Season carefully to taste.

Makes about 30 crostinis.

Variation: serve the cooked mushrooms in phyllo cups as a side to a steak. Cool.

A Humble Chef's tip: be generous with the garlic. It tastes good.