Humble Chef's On The Lamb

Yikes. Has it been a week since my last recipe? I'll keep them coming as much as I can. I realize some of these recipes are not for everyone so I'll keep the volume up to expand the variety. Most of what I've given have been fairly simple one-pot syle meals. Here's one that involves a little preperation but great pay off. It is one I'm planning for an upcoming dinner party so this is a good way to refresh myself. Also, if the guests enjoy the dinner, there is access to the recipe for them to make and enjoy.

Braising is simple yet time consuming technique. Braising refers to "cooking in liquid" for an extended amount of time. The idea behind braising is to take a tough, usually inexpensive cut of beef or poultry and slowly cook it to make the meat tender. Cooking is often a trade off; you can purchase expensive cuts of meat(steaks, chicken breasts, rack of lamb, salmon) that cook quickly, easily and make them taste pretty good. On the flip side, braising requires patience and planning but are usually pretty easy on the wallet.

This is not a new recipe. This is a classic, home style french cuisine. Yet can be flipped to something unique to you by adding little things you have at home. You can buy frozen lamb shanks at most major grocers, but fresh can be purchased at local butchers.

Braised Lamb Shanks

6 Lamb Shanks, dredge in flour
1 Carrot, roughly cut in cubes
1 Large White Onion, large dice
4 Stalk of Celery, large dice
2 Bay leaves
2 l stock (beef, chicken, veg, lamb, whatever)
500 ml Red Wine
10 g Seasoned Flour for Dredging
2 Sprigs of Rosemary, Thyme
50 ml maple syrup
15 ml vegetable oil
Salt and Peppet to Taste

Preheat oven at 375 Celsius.

In a large soup pot, on medium-high heat, preheat vegetable oil. Sear all sides of lamb and remove from pot. Reduce heat and throw in mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves) and cook until bottom of pan is golden brown. Add a little oil if needed. Deglaze the pan with red wine. Reduce by half. Add stock and lamb shanks. Stir pot until it comes to boil. Remove from heat. Add fresh herbs. Cover with a lid and place in the oven.

Cook for approximately 2 hours occasionally removing from oven and stirring.

To check for doneness, half the lamb should be a clean bone. Tear a piece of the lamb and it should tender and juicy. When braised through remove shanks and cover to keep hot. Strain the stock and discard leftover vegetables and herb sprigs. On the stove top, bring to a boil. The stock should coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt, pepper and maple syrup.

Serve shanks with jus, mashed potatoes and freshly steamed green vegetables.

Serves 5.

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A Personal Favourite

Soup is easy. For a restaurant, it's usually leftovers thrown together with a few added ingredients or can be a puree and nobody will know the difference. I take pride in some of my soups because I once had a job where that is what I did for close to a year. This is a specialty of mine that is always a hit and is extremely easy to make.

I like to make a vegetable stock and use that as a base. If you've never made a vegetable stock, you are in luck. I have provided a base for which you can use for anything and have in stock (no pun intended).

Tequila-Lime Broth

1 Red Onion, finely diced (brunoise)
Pinch of Paprika
Juice of 4 Limes
250 ml Tequila (any kind)
1.5 l Vegetable Stock
15 ml Honey
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Red and Green Pepper, jullienne for garnish

In a soup pot, drizzle olive oil under medium high heat. Saute onion until slightly brown. Add paprika until fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze with tequila and let reduce by half. Add stock, lime juice and honey. Bring to a boil then turn off heat. Strain soup. Season with salt and pepper. While serving place jullienne peppers in the bottom of the bowls.

Serves 8.

Variation: You can omit lime juice and use lemongrass stalks.

Vegetable Stock

1 large Onion, roughly cut
1 large Carrot, roughly cut
3 stalks of Celery,, roughly cut
3 Bay Leaves
Any leftover vegetable trimmimgs
10 g whole peppercorns
3 l water

In a large, tall pot throw all veg, bay leaves, peppercorns and water in a pot and bring to a boil. As soon as water boils, remove from heat and let cool slightly for approximately 10 minutes. Strain. Cool rapidly in ice bath.

Vegetable stock is a cheap and easy alternative to chicken stock. Though it lacks as much flavour, it still be used in a pinch for things like rice, risotto, chilis, stews etc. Vegetable stock will go sour in about 5-6 days. It can be frozen but since it requires little effort and cost, it is equally convenient to simply make a new one.

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Disco Stew Doesn't Advertise

I get asked often how to cook shellfish. There is a certain amount of trepidation that swims around the cooking of shellfish. Truth is, it could be easier to cook shellfish than some other meats you may cook frequently.

Take mussels for example. It takes minutes to cook mussels and it is as easy as it gets. Heat up some wine, add garlic and tomatoes. Add mussels and cover for five minutes. And for less than five bucks, you got mussels for two. What can be simpler than that?

Fish stew comes in many varieties: Cioppino from California, Acqua Pazza from Italy, Caldeirada from Portugal, Bouillabaisse from France to name a few. You have fishermen (sorry, fishers) who have some leftovers from today's catch, put it in a pot with some veg and you have cheap meal. Peasant food for lack of a better word. Thing is, these stews are now considered to be high end where for the longest time some seafood was never touched by the bourgeois. Lobster for example, was considered so plentiful and common that only peasants would eat it. Ironic. Anybody who buys lobster knows that it is a rare treat since it usually costs ten to fifteen bucks a pound these days.

So fish stews have a great amount of respect now. Bouillabaisse is now a classic because it offers great taste when made properly and with fresh ingredients, high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids and it usually takes little time to prepare.

This isn't new stuff. There are references of the soup that date back to the Ancient Greeks and is even referenced in Roman Mythology! Apparently, Vulcan was making a candlelit dinner for Venus with fish stew long before any mortal got their greedy hands on it.

What must be stressed is that you can do what you want with fish stews. Add what you got, stir it up and have fun with it.

A Humble Chef's Stew with the Fishes

1 lb. Bag of Mussels
1 lb. 16-20 Shrimp (P & V'd [peeled and deviened])
1 lb Baby Scallops
1 Filet of Tilapia or Catfish, cut into 3 oz. portions
4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Green Pepper, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
250 ml white wine
12 - 15 Capers
500 ml Fish or Vegetable Stock
8 or so Sundried Tomatoes (SDTs), julienne
15 - 20 (about a pint) Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
10 Kalamata Olives, halved
Small Bunches of Parsley, Basil and Tarragon, chiffonade or chopped
Juice of a Lemon
Drizzles of Oil of Choice
100 g A.P. Flour
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large saute pan, heat drizzle of oil on medium-high heat. Sweat onions and peppers until soft. Add garlic and continue to cook for two minutes. Add capers and wine and reduce by half. Add olives, SDTs and tomatoes and stock. Bring to a slight boil then simmer. Add tarragon and basil.

Meanwhile, dredge fish and sear in hot frying pan with drizzle of oil. Add a ladle fish stew broth to fish and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes.

Bring stew to a boil and add shrimp, scallops and mussels. Cover with a lid and cook for 4 or 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

In a large bowl, scoop stew first then top with cooked fish. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.

Serves 8ish.

A Humble Chef's tip: more of a necessity than a tip; remove any unopened mussels and discard. Do not eat any mussels that you have to open up ever.

Variation: turn this right up Decadence Alley by adding some crab, lobster and maybe even some oysters. Then take a left to Carbohydrate Lane with some Orzo pasta. Just don't get lost getting there!

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Where The Wild Rice Are

I do enjoy dinner parties. Even though they can be expensive, stressful and physically taxing, the pay-off is very rewarding. As humble as I am, I do enjoy the attention from hosting dinner parties and the boost to my fragile ego.

Last night I cooked (with the help of friends and family) for seven adults a modest meal and so I was slightly pushed to include some of the recipes from last night. The salad was a last minute thought but the dressing turned out really well. The soup however was a hit and so I think I will include here even though I have so many soup recipes on the blog as it is.

As for wild rice, if you've never cooked it or used it before, rest assured it is very simple. I have only used Canadian Wild Rice (in fact, I didn't even know a Texan Wild Rice existed until I read the Wikipedia page on wild rice a few weeks ago, which I hear is in danger of becoming extinct) which is very straightforward. The trick is to soak the rice overnight is slightly salted water and this will not only reduce the cooking time, but it also helps in even cooking.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

1 Portobello Mushroom, stem removed, top thinly jullienne
12 Small Cremini or Button Mushrooms, sliced
5 Shitake Mushrooms, stems removed, top thinly sliced
1 Spanish Onion, half finely diced and other half roughly cut
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Bay Leaf
1 Sprig Fresh Thyme, leaves and stem separated
1 Sprig of Rosemary, leaves and stem separated, leaves chopped
250 g Wild Rice, soaked overnight
1 Green Onion, sliced
10 ml Almond Butter or Chestnut Paste (optional)
Dab of Butter
Drizzle of Hazelnut Oil (optional)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a stock pot, bring 4L of water to boil with mushroom stems, herb stems, bay leaf and roughly cut onion. Let boil for 8 - 10 minutes and set aside to cool slightly. Strain and reserve mushroom stock.

In a soup pot, heat a dab of butter and hazelnut oil until frothy. Sauté onion until slightly brown. Add garlic. After 1 minute, add medley of mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. If your pan is too dry from the mushrooms soaking up the fat, compensate by adding more olive oil. Add reserved stock and wild rice. Bring to a slight boil and reduce heat. Add herbs, almond butter and seasonings.

Serves 8 - 10

A Humble Chef`s tip: don`t make this soup too far ahead of serving or eating. The wild rice can become too mushy if you try to keep it for too long.

Variation: if you are the type of person who likes to add pasta to soups, orzo pasta is a good choice for this. Just be sure to cook the pasta separately, discard the cooking water and to add last minute.

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What Are Ya? Chicken?

Here we go again. Another soup. Well, my restaurant partner (known as my wife) and I really enjoy this thai inspired recipe that we used to get at a local place by our old home. I have taken it and pretty much adapted the flavours to a method that I find to be very easy.

I was at my cousin's apartment making some of this soup and he and his fiancé loved the stuff. It's so easy that I figured that I'll give my take on this basic of basic of soups.

One last note: Please try this recipe. It is so easy it should be illegal.

Did I mention it was easy?

Easy Mushroom and Chicken in a Coconut Broth

Dab of Butter
1 Medium White Onion, finely diced
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
200 g Mixed Mushrooms (Shitake, Button, Oyster, Cremini), sliced
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced
1 Can of Coconut Milk
600 ml Chicken Stock (or veg)
5ml Honey
1 Small Bunch of Cilantro, roughly chopped
A Few Leaves of Basil, chiffonade (chopped)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a mid sized soup pot on medium heat, melt up some butter until frothy. Add onion and garlic. Cook but not browning. Add mushrooms. Cook for one minute. Add chicken and lightly brown.

Add coconut milk. Add stock. Add honey. Add something else . . . . you got it! The cilantro and basil. Bring to a boil. Simmer and season to taste. That's it. No really! Walk away from the soup and let it sink in how simple that was.

Serves 4. Not including my cousin. For him, it serves 2.

A Humble Chef's tip: Use a whisk if the coconut milk is still a little lumpy. The greater amount of surface area of the coconut milk, the faster it dissolves into the soup.

Variation: I almost made this with mussels. Take out the 600ml of chicken stock and add half wine, half fish stock and you've got a real winner.

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Why Did The Chicken Cross the Road? To Catch A Tory

By popular demand, I have been asked to post a recipe that requires little time to prep and can be cooked in a slow cooker (or crock pot or whatever you call it). When I say "popular demand", I mean my sister-in-law who is a mother and likes to cook simple meals that has no dairy and can be enjoyed by her kids.

This is a "Hunter Style" recipe for the people who love their hearty comfort food. There are numerous ways to cook Chicken Chasseur (or Cacciatore) and it frequently involves what's left in the fridge or whatever herbs are grown in the backyard.

There are a few things that are required of course, and the technique is usually the same, but if you prefer shallots over red onion, yellow peppers over red, or cremini mushrooms over button, go ahead and use up whatever you have in the fridge.

You can use chicken legs or breasts, whatever you prefer. Personally, I prefer both so I typically purchase whole chickens and portion it myself and make a stock with the carcass and the trimmings from the vegetables. If you are like my wife and abhor the idea of touching dead, lifeless poultry, purchase just breasts and legs and you will ready to go.

"Hunter-Style" Braised Chicken

1 Whole Chicken, 1 kg, portioned into 8 or 2 Chicken Breats and 2 Chicken Thighs and 2 Drumsticks
1 Large Red Onion, finely diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
100 g Mushrooms, thinly sliced
150 ml Wine, red or white
125 g tomatoes, canned and crushed
200 ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 Red Pepper, medium diced
1 Green Zucchini, medium diced
2 Sprigs of Fresh Basil, thinly chiffonade
1 Sprig of Oregano, finely chopped
1 Sprig of Parsley, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Season chickens with salt and pepper.

On medium high heat, brown all sides of the chicken portions. Remove from heat. Add a little oil and saute onion, pepper, mushroom for 1 minute. Add zucchini and garlic and cook for one minute. Deglaze with wine and reduce by half. Add crushed tomatoes and stock. Add salt and pepper.

Add chickens to pot and cover. If you are using a crock pot, use same method and cook for 45 minutes on low heat. If you are cooking in a stock pot, place into a preheated oven at 300 degrees and cook for half an hour.

Add fresh herbs and stir well. Adjust to seasonings. If the sauce is too thin, remove chicken and keep hot. Reduce the sauce on high heat until desired thickness.

Serves 4.

Variation: You can go nuts on this one. Serve this with pasta and it Chicken Cacciatore, serve it with rice, add some cream and it's Chicken Hongroise, omit the herbs and use paprika and sour cream and you have Chicken Paprika. Or go nuts and add some bacon, use red wine only and use up the pearl onions you've in your cupboard for the past year and wow your friends and family with Coq au Vin. Pretty easy and impressive stuff.

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"It Tastes Like Mushy Rice!"

Going with the theme of building flavours and recipes, the next stage is exploring different types of food to expirement with. For chefs, most (not all) dishes consists of a starch, veg, protein and sauce. Of course there are many exceptions but generally speaking this is usually the case. While proteins and veg are nearly limitless in possibilities starch often poses a problem: it can get very repetitive. Rice, potatoes, pasta. That's often it. Of course there are many alternatives like cous cous, quinoa, wild rice (which has no starch), yams (in the same family as potatoes) or whatever obsure shit you can find. Nevertheless, potatoes, pasta and rice are usualy the popular picks for chefs to have on their menu. It's being creative with those starches that can be challenging.

Risotto is a good alternative. This italian rice is relatively easy, cheap and most people like it - except my brother who always tells me "It tastes like mushy rice." There are different types of rice but arborio is usually the most common. There are some standards to making risotto and then after that, well there are whole cookbooks dedicated to risotto.

The three things critical to risotto are: the rice must be sauted, cooked slowly with a hot liquid, cheese must be added near the end to thicken the sauce and butter to taste for the glaze. The cooking liquid is often chicken broth but can be anything from veg. stock, cucumber juice, beet juice, duck stock, tomato broth, whatever. Parmaggiano cheese the preferred choice but not the required one: asaigo, grano padano, queso manchego to name a few alternatives.

My recipe spawned by accident (many of them do). I had leftover sage in my garden, leftover pears in my fridge, leftover turkey stock in my freezer. I can spend all day talking about risotto but that's enough chit chat. Here's my recipe.

Risotto with Rum Poached Pears and Prosciutto

150 g Arborio Rice
1 l Turkey or Chicken Stock, hot
1 Small Red Onion, fine brunoise
2 Ripe Pears, cut into 6 segments
6 Slices Prosciutto, jullienne
250 ml Rum
150 g Parmaggiano-Reggianno Cheese, grated
80 ml Butter, melted
5 Sprigs of Sage, chiffonade (save some for garnish)

In a small sauce pan, bring rum to a slight boil. Poach pears until cooked through, about three - four minutes. Remove pears from rum and keep warm.

In a large saute pan, melt 20 ml butter until frothy. Sweat onion until translucent. Add rice and stir constantly. Cook for about two minutes until rice becomes translucent. Deglaze with rum and stir until reduced by half. Add ladle of stock and stir until reduced by half. Repeat until stock has run out (approx. 20 minutes). If risotto is still hard, add boiling water and stir to cook through.

Add prosciutto and heat through. Add sage, cheese and 50ml butter and stir. The rice should be firm and sticky.

In a frying pan, use leftover butter to caramelize the pears and heat through. When serving, place pears on top for garnish with sprig of sage.

Serves 6.

Risotto itself can be simply a base that you can add anything to in the last minute to make your dish unique. Try mine as a variation with your turkey dinner.

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