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.

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Good Bye, Rueben Tuesday

Long before I decided to study Culinary arts, I attended the Ontario College of Art and Design. At the time, I had a mild interest in cooking but certainly had no designs on becoming a chef.

In the Grange food court across the street on McCaul, there is a little sandwich shop. The name escapes me (I want to say Gypsy Eatery, but that doesn't seem right) at the moment but no matter. It was there that my film partner and I had Rueben Sandwiches with roasted potatoes. I had never had one before and I loved it. I remember asking where the sandwich comes from and he said it was eastern European. Well, he was wrong but it still tasted great. So simple and yet so flavourful.

There is some debate to the origins of the sandwich. The only definitive fact of origin is somewhere in the USA. It was probably New York. It seems like a New York kind of thing, doesn't it? Others argue Nebraska but for some reason, that doesn't add any appeal to me. As a special on a board, Nebraska-style Rueben Sandwiches simply does not have the same flair as New York-style. But, that's just me.

The sandwich uses corned beef which is usually a brisket cured in a brine. It is usually fairly inexpensive and it keeps for a little longer in your fridge than other meats. However, I must warn anybody about using Spam. Not my personal favourite. Spam is ground beef with gelatin in a can. Mmmm. More information on spam here. And it would certainly add a new, how should I put it, dimension to the sandwich.

Classic Rueben Sandwich

1 Loaf of Rye, sliced (dark or light)
100 ml Thousand Island Dressing
12 Slices of Emmenthal
1 kg Corned Beef, sliced
150 ml Sauerkraut
Half Stick of Butter, room temperateure

On a large griddle, heat beef and sauerkraut.

Butter rye bread and place bread on griddle butter side down. Spread desired amount of dressing on one side of sandwich and top with hot beef and sauerkraut. Top with cheese and remove from heat.

Makes approximately 7 or 8 sandwiches.

A Humble Chef's tip: melt the cheese on the griddle then place on sandwich for faster melting times.

Variation: try the Rachel Sandwich by using Pastrami instead of corned beef. The Rachel also uses Coleslaw instead of Sauerkraut. But, I'm not a fan of it.

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A Post Title That Is A Little Thin on Humour

A few years ago, we had a teenage girl from Belgium live with us who watched our kids over two summers. Two things she insisted in taking back to Belgium was licorice and pancake mix. Apparently, neither was available back home. Strange really. Since the crepe is such a staple in France and Belgium. All you need to add is a leavening agent coupled with a nice package with a fictional character.

Strangely, crepes seems to be considered somewhat exotic. Truth is, it is very easy and very fast to make crepes. Eggs, milk, flour. What can be simpler? Since it is so simple and inexpensive, no wonder that every other European (and Latin American, for that matter) have their own name and style of this paper cake. Most famous is the Russian Blini which slightly different because it often has yeast added. My favourite is Pankakka (I think the spelling is correct) from Sweden. Only because it makes me chuckle and was always tempted to purchase these kakkas from the store in IKEA.

Crepes are very adaptable. They can sweet or savoury. Large or small. Hot or cold. Soft or crispy. Yummy or yucky. I personally prefer yummy but to each their own. Truth is, I like all types of food except one; yucky food. I'm typically picky with yucky.You will need a non-stick pan for this. You can purchase specific pans (blue steel) for crepes, but I usually use an 8 inch omelet pan and that usually does the trick.

Savoury Crepes with Bruschetta and Feta Cheese

250 ml Milk
1 Egg, beaten
200 g A.P. Flour
1 Garlic Clove, crushed
1 Small Red Onion, finely diced
Drizzle of Clarified Butter
4 Plum Tomatoes, innards removed, diced
3 Large Basil Leaves, chiffonade
200 g Feta Cheese, grated or crumbled
Splash of Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Whisk together flour, salt, pepper and half of basil. Create a crevice in flour and add milk, eggs and butter. Slowly whisk in until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, vinegar, basil and feta.

In a medium non-stick pan, melt small amount of butter. Using a ladle, pour desired amount of batter and move pan around to make the crepe flat. Cook for about 1 minute and flip. Continue cooking for about another 30 seconds. Flip pan over table and lay out crepe.

Lay out about a tablespoon worth of bruschetta mix and roll.

Makes about 6 - 8 crepes.

A Humble Chef's tip: have an omelet pan that you use only for crepes and omelets. Be careful not to scratch your pan by using metal utensils. Use either wood or heat -resistant silicone.

Variation: not a fan of feta, try some decadent Gorgonzola. Also, try serving this with a nice Arugula Salad. Nice combination.

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I Never Quiche And Tell

I apologize about the converter . . . working on it.

I did a class today and I told the class that I would post the recipe and so here it is. Apparently, I do quiche and tell, but only this once!

I was amazed by how many people why don't know how to make quiche. Well, actually, many simply haven't tried. It is a type of meal that we forget about. I'm not entirely sure who but I have some theories: fear of making the pastry (although, most cooks don't bother making the crust anymore, they purchase them), it takes a little bit of time to cook for breakfast, it's just as easy to make an omelette. However, as I talked about it to the class, it clicked in that quiche has all your basic food groups: protein in the eggs (or meat if ant), dairy in the milk (and cheese if any) and grain in the flour of the crust. It's very well rounded!

I think it's a perfect Sunday brunch item myself. It takes a little more time to cook than scrambled or over-easy eggs, but if you're not in a rush, then there's no problem.

Quiche is also great because it is so adaptable. You have leftover spinach? Heat it with some garlic and clove and poof! Quiche Florentine. Or, leftover roast beef? No problem: heat some chopped onions, mushrooms and a few drops of horseradish and . . . oh. My. God. Prime Rib Dinner Quiche complete with built-in Yorkshire Pudding.

Point is, it's great. You eat it.

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

2 Broccoli Crowns, washed and cut into florets
200 g Cheddar Cheese, grated
6 Eggs
250 ml 2% Milk
1 Large Pie Crust
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Ice for Ice Bath

Preheat oven to 328 exactly.

Just kidding. It's actually 329 exactly.

In a bowl, whip eggs with milk and seasonings and place into a picture. Well, that might be messy. Maybe try a pitcher. Let come to room temperature.

In a pot of salted water, cook broc in water for 1 minute and shock in ice bath.

Place the broc in the crust, cover with egg wash and top with cheese.

Cook in oven for 30 - 35 minutes.

Let rest for 5-6 minutes.

Serves 6ish.

Leek and Peameal Bacon Quiche

1 Leek, rinsed well and julienne
2 Pieces of Bacon, cut into squares
1 Garlic Clove, crushed
1 Small Red Onion, finely diced
150 g Oka, grated
6 Eggs
250 ml 2% Milk
Pinch of Dried Sage and Thyme
1 Large Pie Crust
Drizzle of Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to hot.

In a bowl, whip eggs, milk and seasoning. Place in a jug and let come to room temperature.

In a saute pan, heat oil on high heat. Sweat leeks and onion for 1 minute. Add garlic and herbs. Add bacon until opaque.

Place filling in crust, top with egg wash and top with Oka. OK?

Cook in hot oven, preset at 325 for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Let rest for 5-6 minutes.

Serves around 6 Grandmothers.

A Humble Chef's Tip: make sure you dehydrate the filling as much as you can on the bacon recipe. Let it evaporate for a minute or two to dry out. It can get soggy if it's too wet.

Variation: are you kidding me? There are so many that there are some restaurants that have quiche of the day! Go nuts!

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