Peas'n Prosciutto

Ok, so maybe I now have a lot of left over bacon. And pancetta. And prosciutto. Whatever. There have to be some consequences (besides poundage) for hosting Iron Chef. Hence, I tweaked a recipe that I saw Christine Cushing do that includes peas and prosciutto. A nice way to dress up peas - an even nicer way to rid yourself of extra pork.

prosciutto - a couple of slices cut into smallish pieces
a teaspoon or so of butter
1/4 onion or shallot chopped
about 2-3 cups of frozen peas, thawed.

Saute onion and prosciutto in butter until onion is softened and prosciutto a bit translucent and cooked looking. Toss in peas and stir gently until peas are cooked through. season with salt and pepper to taste. I am sure you could substitute pancetta or just old fashioned bacon- even diced ham - too.

Bow down to Raichlen

The dish that made him famous - beer can chicken - may be the reason that some of you have not discovered him yet. But Steven Raichlen might be my favorite cookbook author on the planet (he certainly is Jason's). Alright, I will admit there is some barbecuing involved, but it is not all smoked meat, charcoal and streaky sirloin steaks. He is truly an aficionado of all that is outdoor cooking - be it vegetarian or otherwise.

This past weekend we tried an amazing Morroccan salad out of his new book, Planet Barbecue that was truly like nothing you have ever tried before and out of this world. I needed to share so here it is.

3 anaheim or cubanelle peppers
4 bell peppers (assorted colors)
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and 1/4 inch dice
1/2 of a SWEET onion, chopped
3 tablespoons mint, chopped but not too fine.
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice or more to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or more lemon juice
kosher or sea salt
fresh ground pepper

place whole peppers (all of them) on the grill and grill them until blackened. Take them off the grill and let cool. Then peel off as much as the blackened skin as you can, and chop into a 1/4 inch dice. Place in a non-reactive bowl and dump the rest of the ingredents on top and mix. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Lordy. So good - even a bit out of our usual food fare, but worth the attempt for your next summer meal.

Battle Bacon

Iron chef time again and this time it was a head to head battle between the Smiths and the Haneys! The ingredient was BACON. Have I had bacon since that day? Well, actually no, come to think of it, I have not. But nonetheless we did cook some very delectable bacon dishes.

The ingredient was picked by my coworkers so no one had any advance knowledge of the challenge at hand. However, we might have taken some license as we allowed any sort of bacon to be used - back bacon, pancetta, proscuitto or the old fashioned strips.

What was the outcome?
A delicious range of dishes.
Jason - bacon havarti "melts" on garlic bread, caramel bacon fritters
Sandy - bacon chowder and a decontructed caesar salad
Pat - brie proscuitto roll, melon and bacon, bacon in a "blanket" with duo of dipping sauces
Carlyn - bacon popped popcorn with pancetta croutons and parmesan cheese, deconstructed bacon avocado and tomato sandwich, potato skins and bacon wrapped stuffing.

Needless to say, I continue to kick ass and take names.

Traditions....

I have been giving some thought to traditions recently. Traditions in terms of food anyway. This all started when I was watching a biography on a famous Canadian chef and he was reflecting on his mother's Sunday roasts. I was roasting a chicken myself this past Sunday night and Nathan was so excited about having mashed potatoes and gravy that I make (which by the way, is nowhere near as good as my mom's and mother-in-law's) Got me to thinking of all of the great meals that Sandy and I had as a child growing up.

1) Roast Chicken- I am not sure if we had roast chicken every weekend - in fact, I guess we likely did not. But a roast chicken was pretty commonplace. It always smelled so amazing in the oven and you could hear the rotisserie in the oven squeaking a bit as it turned. While it was cooking mom would fry up the gizzards in some butter and it would be a pre-dinner snack. Not sure that I knew exactly what a gizzard was but it certainly tasted good as a child. Dad would carve the bird and save the skin for the kids - or maybe just me as I am not sure if Sandy ate such things - and would put the little pieces around the rim of the plate for us to eat. I don't remember loving the stuffing the same way that I do now, but we always had it available with mom's homemade gravy. hmm - my mouth is watering

2) Bacon, Tomatoes and Cheese - Now don't get excited thinking this is some sort of fancy sandwich. This is an oddly good, but strange looking concoction that my dad made on a lazy day when we were having a low key dinner (and had a lot of fresh tomatoes to get rid of). Basically, you saute some bacon strips cut into 1-inch pieces for a couple of minutes. Not until crisp, but about half cooked. Then you cut slices of tomato over top. Like about 5-6 big tomatoes and cover and simmer until the tomatoes have become saucy. Then, nearing the end you add processed cheese slices to the top of the mixture. Wait until they melt and then stir to mix. Adjust flavoring with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a plate with plasticky white sandwich bread and margarine (ha ha, oh, the 70's and 80s) on the side. It is saucy, so dip the bread into the juices. If you dare to try this recipe (and it is good), you will find the skin of the tomatoes in the mix as they come off when you cook them. That just adds character to the dish, but I supposed if you weremotivated you could skinm the tomatoes prior to cooking.

3) Roast leg of lamb- Always a favorite in the Volume house that was served on holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Never appreciated it like I do now. It seemed like I wanted to have turkey like the rest of the kids did at school - how crazy was that when one could have an amazingly roasted lamb?

I am sure we can all look back on the traditions of cooking that we experiences as a child and whether fancy or otherwise, will always reminisce with fondness. In an effort to ensure that my kids have some traditions that they too can look back on, I am going to strive to make sure that I can offer them some consistently good foundational foods that I remember as a child...maybe even the bacon, tomatoe and cheese too!

oh my god, so good

Tonight I was invigorated from my first ever cooking class. I think this will help with the dry spell I have had in the last month or so....well, not for cooking, but for passing perogies and posting things on here at least.

I was at a Cookworks Vancouver class where I learned how to make:

Grilled Asparagus with Okanagan Goats Cheese Shaved Prosciutto, and BC Belgian Endive

Classic Carnaroli Risotto "Waldorf Slaw" with toasted hazelnuts, radicchio, Okanagan Fuji apples, and shave Jersey Farms organic parmesan

The piece de resistance: Whole Roasted Wine Fed Beef Tenderloin from Sezmu Farms served with Sweet Potato/Yam Press and roasted garlic cream.

Finally, for dessert: Chocolate Bread Pudding with with pears, raisins, caramel sauce and almond praline

Ned Bell from Cabana Grill in Kelowna was the chef du jour.

The meals were served with a variety of wines from Road 13 winery, notably their: Honest John's White (super amazing), Riesling (amazing); and their Fifth Element red (zing!!!).

Sweet jesus it was good. I wish I had pictures.

Forget the diet.....sausage and pepper sandwiches.

I must let you in on a secret sandwich recipe that my hubby discovered, we tried, and I have since modified. Both the original and the pared down version are awesome...
What you'll need:
one coil of garlic sausage, sliced on the bias into thin rounds
one red and green pepper sliced into strips
one medium onion, sliced into half round shapes
mayo (not miracle whip)
marinara sauce (a jar of storebought is fine)
garlic 2 cloves minced
some olive oil
one large loaf of french bread
grated kraft italiano cheese or a mix of mozza and emmanthal/swiss or parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Throw in peppers and onions and saute in the oil until softened 3 - 5 minutes. Toss in the sausage rounds and garlic and saute until the sausage is cooked through and even a bit brown on some edges. Meanwhile place your french bread on an oven proof tray like a cookie sheet. Cut a triangle lengthwise along the top of the bread so that you have a "trough", yes trough, for the sausage mixture. You might find that you even need to use your fingers and carefully take out some more of the bread so that you have room for the sausage. Slather - and by slather, I mean don't be shy with it - some mayo into the nest you have created for the sausage. Now do the exact same with the marinara sauce. Place the sausage mixture into the french bread - you might not use all of it, but put enough in so it is level with the original top of the bread loaf. Liberally place the shredded cheese on top and put in the oven under the broiler until the cheeese is bubbly and the edges of the bread start to crisp up. You will need to be paying attention at this point. Once done, let it sit for a minute or two then you can cut into serving pieces - not more than four or you will really find it falls apart. You will likely just end up eating this with a knife and fork - but it is to die for.

The attached picture shows a modification where I used some left over roast beef instead of the sausage and individual buns instead of the french bread. Either is a great supper or snack that impresses despite the low key ingredients.

Corn Chowder

I meant to post this recipe sooner as I made this chowder using the leftover scalloped potatoes, which is the best way. My mum always made this with left over scalloped potatoes, except when I tried the recipe, I added bacon (why? Everything is always better with bacon).

If you don’t have any leftover scalloped potatoes, you can just cook up some onions with the bacon before you making the roux and cube up some potato to add-in.

Makes about 4 servings

3-4 slices bacon, chopped up

2 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. butter

2-3 cups skim milk (or more if you want thinner)

½ cup half and half

1 small can peaches n’ cream corn (or use about 1 cup frozen)

In a large pot, cook-up chopped bacon until lightly browned. Drain off bacon fat (if you want). Add butter until it melts, add in flour and make a roux. Slowly whisk in milk and cream and bring to a simmer until chowder thickens. Add leftover scalloped potatoes. Add half and half and more milk (if needed). Turn down heat and simmer until heated through. Add corn at end.

I add fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste. Fresh dill is sometimes good to add, too! This chowder makes a filling lunch or dinner served with salad and crusty loaf.

Kickin’ it old school

No better way to bring in 2010 then to feast on post-holiday leftovers. My favorite!

One thing we had quite a bit growing up was an open faced turkey or chicken sandwich served with gravy and fries. This is because almost every other weekend we had rotisserie chicken – old school style – I remember the noise of the rotisserie in the oven going round and round few a few hours many a Sunday night.

After Christmas holidays, I found myself with leftover turkey, gravy and dressing. I told husband I was going to make him and old school Volume family recipe “Open Faced Turkey Sandwich” and proceeded to describe the dish:

“Leftover turkey served cold on top of white bread with gravy. Usually we had French fries on the side, but I think I will do something different.”

“Is the bread toasted?”

“Nope.”
“Oh. Would it be better toasted?”
“Nope.”
“And I would serve it with dressing on the side, but I ate it already.” (yes, I especially love leftover stuffing! Ever had a stuffing sandwich?!?)

We only had a bit of gravy, so I made a roux and used some broth to make some more. It is best to serve this with white, texas-style (thick-sliced) bread.

Needless to say, I got a lot of Mmmm and Yummy from the husband, so he was pleasantly suprised! I did serve it with some vegetables and a side salad to help off-set the dressing starter I wolfed down.

A call for the re-privatization of the liquor stores

Do you ever wonder if we got ahead when the government decided to privatize the liquor stories in Alberta? Is liquor more accessible at all hours of the day night? (yes) Did the prices go lower? (Maybe) Did we lose the chance to get a government subsidized cookbook issued quarterly that rocks? (definitely). Enter the LCBO "Food and Drink" cookbook that can arguably be deemed one of the most interesting cooking rags Canada has to offer. Ontario's liquor control board has worked hard to create this little treasure and it is a shame that one can't subscribe. So if you have a friend who happens to live in the centre of the universe (i.e., Toronto) or anywhere in the Ontario area, get them to pick one of these up for you 4 times a year. It might be worth your first born.

Chicken Pot Pie

I don't recall having chicken pot pie very often at mom and dad's house but we often had Fricaseed Chicken on Toast (i.e., creamed chicken on toast). So my recipe for Chicken Pot Pie essentially builds on that but just adds some pastry to the top of it.

Cook approximately 3 cups cubed chicken (or used leftovers from roast chicken) in a deep frying pan. Add one cup chopped onions and one cup sliced mushrooms. Saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms are reduced in size. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoonfuls of flour and continue to saute for a minute. Sprinkle with half a teaspoon of dried thyme. Add one can of cream of mushroom soup. Stir then add some chicken broth until a thick gravy-like consistency (about half a cup or so). stir in 3/4 of a cup of cooked green peas, and one cup cooked sliced carrots. Let simmer on low for a minute or so, while you are rolling out half a package of tenderflake puffed pastry to fit a 9x9 pan or nice oval casserole dish. Fill casserole with chicken mixture then place pastry on top sealing to the sides of the pan. With a sharp knife make some slits on top of the pastry to let the steam escape. as a final touch to make the pastry shiny beautiful, brush with some beaten egg. Place in a 375degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffy.

Interestingly, every time I serve this to Nathan, he exclaims that he does not like it, then he realizes it is chicken pot pie and dives in saying, "it is his favorite!"

Power to the Potato

After I left home I didn't eat potatoes for about 2 or 3 years.

Why, you ask?

We had potatoes almost every night (okay, maybe every OTHER night) for dinners. Home made French fries, silver dollars, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato cakes, shredded potatoes, taters, scalloped potatoes...you name it. I still have to think about working potatoes into my current menus because I have somehow banished them from my mind. They turned into one of those food items that just made me sigh.

This week I found myself tackling one of the staples from our home dinners: Scalloped Potatoes. Mum always did them pretty plain old jane style, because "your father likes them that way". I couldn't resist adding a twist to the dish with capers and hard white cheddar to infuse at least a bit flavour into it.

4 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, sliced and then quartered
2 heaping tbsp flour with S&P for seasoning
2 tbsp butter or margarine
milk (skim OK and then finish off with cream!)

Butter casserole dish with 1 tbsp butter. Put a layer of potatoes, then layer of onions, sprinkle with 1 tbsp of flour mixture. Do another layer of potatoes, then layer of onions, and sprinkle with remaining flour mixture. Top off with one thin layers of potatoes. Dot with butter. Add milk almost to top level, but not quite.

Cover and microwave on high for 15-20 mins. You could also bake at 375 for 45-60 mins. Watch out for bubbling over. It makes a generous amount (serves about 6).


For a twist, I added a wee bit of dried thyme flakes to the flour mixture, a few capers and about ½ a cup of sharp white cheddar cheese in the onion layers. It was fabulous. Great texture, flavourful, and quite easy to make. It probably helped that I had my Rotato Express :-)

It's definitely nice to get to know this dish the second time around. Power to the potato.

Frisper by Oliso, keeping things fresh and crispy

Meet my Frisper:

(image courtesy of www.oliso.com)

He is new to my kitchen implements and is keeping things fresh and crispy by vacuum sealing various food items at Chez Haney. I bought it this summer at the market at Vancouver’s exhibition. It was an impromptu purchase because we saw it, liked it, and then because it was the end of the night, haggled the guy to see what else he could do to “incentivize” the purchase (we got an extra set of bags).

The great thing about the frisper is that it packs a lot of punch in terms of power, it’s super easy to use, and it’s small, about the size of my outstretched hand. The bags that come with it are easy to clean (dishwasher safe) and reusable up to about 20 times or more each.

I have frispered (yes, it has been verbed) a lot of things like coffee, nuts, and shrimp – the latter which seem to get freezer burned quite easily when they are left loose in the bag.

It’s a good Christmas 2009 gift for the foodies out there!