I Rest My Quesadillas

So, I recently went to the Real Canadian Superstore in Wasaga Beach and gave my first cooking class. It's what they call a What's For Dinner class where people can walk in watch me give a demonstration for an hour and try whatever it is I make. It is free and open to anyone interested in ideas for dinner. It was fun once I got past my nervousness. I will be giving more all summer both in Wasaga as well as Midland.

I decided on a fairly easy menu since it was my first time and something I felt that anybody can do in the same amount of time. It is an easy recipe and hopefully a little different than what people make themselves on a Friday night in August.

I've noticed in the past that a good portion of people dislike cilantro. Fair enough. If you want something different in your salsa, use fresh oregano or savory.

Quick Quesadillas

1red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 medium tortillas
500 g Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Drizzle olive oil
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of Cajun spice
Salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 325°F

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a hot frying pan sear seasoned chicken, 2 minutes on each side. Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool. Once cooled, cut into medium-sized cubes.

In a hot frying, drizzle olive oil. Add cumin and Cajun spice. After 15 seconds, add onions, peppers and chicken. Sauté for 2 minutes.

In a cast iron frying pan on medium-low heat, lay tortilla flat. On one half, sprinkle small handful of Monterey Jack. Spoon chicken-vegetable mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle same amount of cheese on top. Fold other half over. Toast each side for approximately 1 minute, or until tortilla is crispy. Cut into three triangles. Serve with sour cream and salsa. Repeat.

Serves 3.

Homemade Salsa

3 mid-sized tomatoes, chunked
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 small jalapeno pepper (seeds removed), finely diced
1 small bunch cilantro (coriander), roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
Splash red wine vinegar
Drizzle olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Tabasco sauce, to taste

In a large bowl, combine ingredients.

Serves 4.

A Humble Chef's tip: try this with the Cilantro Lemonade and Vodka. Party time.

Variation: use some chopped shrimp or maybe if you have some leftover lobster or king crab, throw them in with a splash of lime juice. Mmm.

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You See What I`m Reduced To

Now that my website is up and running I am forced to update my blog as frequently as possible. Some posts may be very simple just so I can amass a good amount of them. Nonetheless, each of my recipes are still worth making (with the possible exception of the fresh pasta) and have my wife`s seal of approval. I hope the new website will increase my readership and I hope there will more comments in the comment box.

So, without further ado, here we go with our next little dish. This is one is really, really easy. It's a simple classic. It's fool proof. It's alive, afraid, a lie, a sin. It's magic, it's tragic, it`s a loss, it's a win.

Balsamic reduction is a great back-up garnish in a professional kitchen. It's cheap to make. Keeps forever. Great contrast on your plate. And it's pretty darn tasty. If it's available to you, try purchasing Vin Cotto at your fine grocer. For your reduction, just buy the cheapest balsamic vinegar you can get. Do not be fooled by fancy packaging that says it`s from Modena or something. You are about to change the taste of the vinegar so don`t bother spending your money. It`s like using expensive wine for your Red Wine Jus on your Prime Rib.

I may have explained this before but I am going to repeat: a chiffonade is a technique of cutting a large flat herb. Take several leaves of the herb (basil in this case) and layer them. Then roll it up and slice thinly. Basil can bruise easily and if chopped up, they go brown and lose their appeal.

When cutting your tomatoes, keep them evenly sliced, and not too thick and not too thin. Seems like common sense, but I`ve learned to take very little for granted when giving out recipes. Besides, in a salad, presentation is even more important because, in a restaurant, many patrons ask themselves, "Why would I order this when I can make it at home?" There is truth to that question, so, I take a little extra care in making my salads look great.

Tomato Salad with Bocconcini Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

4 Ripe Tomatoes, sliced as in photo
4 Balls of Bocconcini Cheese, cut in slices
1 Red Onion, sliced thinly
1 Bunch of Basil, chiffonade
Drizzle of Balsamic Reduction (see below for recipe)
Sea Salt to taste

On one large plate or evenly distributed over six, arrange tomatoes attractively. In other words, make nice. In between each tomato, place a slice of cheese for contrast. Randomly sprinkle onion. Randomly sprinkle the basil. Randomly drizzle the reduction. Randomly sprinkle some sea salt. Randomly give to your guests.

Serves 6.

Balsamic Reduction

500 ml of Balsamic Vinegar
Small Handful of Brown Sugar

Put in pot and reduce on low heat to one fifth its original volume. Let cool at room temp, store in an airtight container and serve whenever needed.

A Humble Chef`s Tip: the reduction will bleed quickly after you drizzle it. Do this at the last minute so the salad doesn`t become a pool of balsamic and tomato water.

Variation: Go fusion with this and add a drop of soy sauce to your reduction. Trust me, it`s not bad.

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The Prancing Pony's Soup of the Day

My goodness. I was on a roll there for a while. But, as summer came, writing was the last thing I wanted to do. Besides, my hard drive failed and I am currently sans laptop. Nevertheless, I am still cooking (unfortunately at times) and still experimenting.

I am making soups for a local business in the small town I call home and today I made something different. In this part of the world, some people like to cook to season. Sometimes I do. In this case, asparagus has come to town from local farmers and so I am obliged to help out the local economy and use what they grow.

Asparagus is my favourite vegetable. It has a nice natural tang, it goes well with everything, it looks great on a plate (height, contrast, appearance) and it's really easy to cook. On top of that, you can eat raw, steamed, blanched, sautéed or cooked and served cold. Brilliant.

This soup (another soup I know) is essentially a variation on the standard theme. I imagine you may start seeing a reoccurring theme.

With the asparagus, trim only bit of the woody part. After liquefying the soup, it adds to the flavour and helps thicken the soup.

Asparagus Purée with the Village of Brie

2 Shallots, roughly cut
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
2 Bunches of Asparagus, roughly cut (save one spear for garnish)
1 Sprig of Basil
3l Vegetable Stock
20g Brie (basically two slivers; one for thickening, one for garnish)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a soup pot, sauté the garlic and the shallots until golden. Add chopped asparagus and cook for one minute. Add stock and basil. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for ten minutes.

Add half of the brie and stir. With a hand blender, liquefy the soup until desired texture. Season to taste.

In a separate pan, sauté the remainder of the asparagus and add so the soup. Chop up remainder and add to the soup.

Serves 6.

A Humble Chef's tip: Don't forget to not cover the vegetables when they're cooking through.

Variation: If brie is unattainable, go ahead and use camembert (everybody has camembert in their fridge for back-up).

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