Fried Polenta...for Breakfast or Dinner!

I admit I have been a little busy lately, and by "a little busy" I mean I have been spinning as fast as a whirling dervish; travelling throughout Western Canada (as my new job takes me from Manitoba to Vancouver Island). I have eaten 90 of my last 100 meals on the road.  So, that said, cooking complex, elaborate meals, or even any meals at all has not been made easy over the last month.  Also, with much travelling comes a fridge that is unstocked or chock full of half expired dairy products.  However, what usually awaits me upon my return are a carton of eggs and a full pantry.  This recipe allows me to skillfully use these items to my advantage to make a relatively balanced, home cooked meal, which is just what I am craving after all that restaurant food.  The great thing is that whether I take the early AM flight or the last 727 home, this is something that can be enjoyed for breakfast or dinner!

3 cups stock, chicken or vegetable

1 cup water

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup Boursin cheese, cream cheese or light cream (whichever option is furthest from expiry!)

salt and pepper

Grease a 8"x8" baking pan and set aside.

In a medium pot heat broth, water and garlic until boiling.  Turn heat to medium and slowly whisk in cornmeal, ensuring there are no lumps.  Once cornmeal has been whisked in, turn heat to low and, with a wooden spoon, stir constantly for about 10 minutes until thick and creamy.  Remove from heat and stir in the Boursin, salt and pepper. 

Pour the soft polenta into the baking pan and spread to form an even layer.  Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Remove the pan from the fridge and cut out slices of polenta.  Cover and return any unused polenta to the fridge, this will keep for 3-4 days and can be fried up as required.

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and coat with a drizzle of olive oil.  Place polenta slices into pan and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with a sunny side up egg ... yum!

Leftover Chicken Wontons

According to science, eight substances (O, Mg, Si, Fe, Al, Ca, Ni, H) account for approximately 99% of the material on earth.  The remaining 1% is composed mostly of leftover chicken and a grab basket of trace elements like Cobalt and Scandium.  While the big eight substances all have obvious uses (O = scuba diving, Mg = old timey camera flashes, H = lighter than air transport disasters), leftover chicken has long perplexed science and industry alike in their inability to put this abundant substance to adequate use in service of mankind.  It was to this ambitious end that we set out last night in our latest creation: Chicken and bok choy wontons.

Makes ~ 30 wontons
1 package wonton wrappers
2 cups leftover chicken shredded
2 cups baby bok choy, diced
1/2 onion, diced
4 scalions, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tsp 5 spice blend
1 cap full of Miren
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup sunflower or canola oil if pan frying, 2 cups if deep frying


Saute the onions and bok choy in a bit of sesame oil until wilted.  transfer to a mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Portion out ~1/2 a tablespoon of filling onto the middle of a wrapper, wet the edges and pinch together to seal.  If you make too many to eat at once, refrigerate or freeze the extras.

Heat the oil over medium high heat and drop in the wantons a few at a time.  Flip them with a fork and remove to dry on paper towels when golden and crispy on all sides. 

KITCHEN TIP: If you have an induction cook top, you can lay out paper towels between the element and the pan to avoid cleaning up the inevitable oil splatter.  WARNING: If you have a gas or regular electric cook top, this is a great way to meet the folks at your local fire department.

You can serve them with dipping sauce as appetizers or an excellent side dish for a stir fry.

Brussels Sprouts Salad in Prosciutto Cups

I have a dear friend, who shall remain nameless but who no doubt knows who he is, who despises most vegetables including brussels sprouts. This isn't surprising, given their status as one of the world's most hated foods, and yet I find it mildly appalling. As his friend I am of course concerned about his health and would hate for him to suffer the consequences of some kind of vitamin or nutritional deficiency (scurvy? night blindness!?). Worse yet, I'd hate for him to meet the woman of his dreams, fall in love, and then discover that "eats vegetables" is one of her relationship deal breakers. My concern for my friend (and not my maniacal need to prove that kale is delicious...) has prompted me to launch a campaign whereby I encourage him to try new recipes and ways of preparing the vegetables he swears he despises. For every new recipe he tries, I will treat him to a delicious bag of buttery popcorn (because let's face it, bribery works). Photographic evidence of vegetable consumption is required. Also, for every vegetable I convince him to love, I will reward myself with a scoop of impossibly creamy gelato from G is for Gelato (because let's face it, self congratulation works?). I know, I know, the vegetables are delicious and should be reward enough. You obviously haven't tried this gelato.

This is my go-to conversion recipe for brussels sprouts haters.  Here's what will happen: first, you'll be drawn in by the promise of a crispy, salty, prosciutto cup. Then you'll taste the dressing and your mind will be tricked into thinking you're enjoying a caesar salad. Finally, you'll enjoy the crunch of the salad and complete lack of the brussels sprouts bitterness you've expected. And then I will have won...

It's best if you let it sit for a little while before serving to let the flavours combine and it's even better the next day. Feel free to omit the prosciutto if you're a vegetarian or you could try serving it in baked parmesan cheese cups instead.

Makes 4-6 servings

2 lbs brussels sprouts

12 slices Prosciutto

1 small garlic clove, finely minced

1 ounce blue cheese (about the size of your thumb)

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

small pinch of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400F.  I use a mini muffin tin to make prosciutto cups but you could also make regular size versions. Slice each piece of prosciutto in half and arrange in each cup, making sure to cover the bottom. Bake for about 5-7 minutes until crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a the bottom of a shallow bowl, combine the garlic, blue cheese, mustard and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Using a fork, mash the ingredients together until they make a paste. Add the lemon juice and vinegar and whisk together. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking until the dressing is combined and emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasonings as required (I like it quite tart with lots of bite).

Wash the brussels sprouts and remove any leaves that are damaged. Using a knife, trim the stem ends off of each sprout. You want to remove all of the stem because this portion is very tough and doesn't make for a delicious salad. Thinly slice the sprouts using a food processor with a slicing blade. If you don't have you one you could also try a mandoline or finely slicing the sprouts with a sharp knife (just watch your fingers!). The result should look sort of like coleslaw.

Combine the dressing and sprouts in a bowl and let sit for a few minutes. When you're ready to serve, spoon a little of the salad mixture into each of the prosciutto cups and arrange 2 or 3 together on a plate.

Wild Rice Salad

According to Hollywood, grocery stores are among the most popular locations for attractive strangers to strike up random conversations and comedic romances to begin.  I'm not sure where the writers get this idea as, in my experience, it's exceedingly rare to see anyone engage in a polysyllabic conversation while wheeling their frozen peas and screaming 3 year olds through the isles.  In fact, the aforementioned children are often the only audible sound aside from the easy listening muzak pumped over the PA system in what I always assumed was an effort to subliminally condition us to associate Kenny G with concentrated orange juice and baby carrots.

Farmers' markets, on the other hand, are a completely different story.  Perhaps it's the patron's shared interests, that the vendors all have skin in the game or the prevalence of over-caffeinated yuppie scum but most farmers markets are chattier than a nail salon in a Queen Latifah movie.  Just this weekend while shopping in the St. Lawrence Market, I got to talking about wild rice with the guy manning Rube's Rice stand and he recommended this truly AWESOME recipe for wild rice salad.  He didn't remember where it originally came from so I'm going to give the credit entirely to him; Rube's friendly employee with the vaguely American accent.

Corporate grocers take note:  I went in to get a staple grain and left with an awesome recipe, at least twice the ingredients I originally intended and am now telling perhaps as many as nine people (two or three of which might actually live in Toronto) about his store by writing this post.  Repeat this scene at most big grocery stores and the best advice I'd likely get is that the Wild Rice is in aisle 4 next to the Extreme Fajita shells.

1 cup wild rice

5-6 cups light stock (veggie, chicken, duck or veal)

1 cup pecans, shelled and halved

1 cup cranberries

1 orange, juiced and zested

1/4 cup mint leaves, minced

3 small shallots, finely minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

Rinse the rice and bring to a boil in the stock.  Simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes until done (it should still have some bite to it), drain and let cool.  Mix remaining ingredients with the rice in a large bowl and set aside for at least a couple of hours to let the flavours meld.

Quick Broccoli Rabe

For those "broccoli' haters out there (and I mean you Jess) I challenge you to try this recipe and not like it.  Although broccoli rabe may contain the name 'broccoli' I assure you it tastes nothing like the version you are thinking you hate right now - the kind that is steamed to a soft mush with little chewing required.  Broccoli rabe is also known as rapini and is much more bitter and peppery than traditional broccoli, think bok choy meets arugula, tipped with tiny broccoli heads.  Just another way to Eat Yer Greens!

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 bunch of broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" pieces
salt and pepper

pinch of chili flakes or 1 tsp chili garlic paste

In a large skillet over medium heat 2 tbsp olive oil, once oil is hot - add garlic and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Remove slices with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add broccoli rabe, chilis, salt and pepper to skillet and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, add splash of water and cook an additional 2 minutes.  Return sliced garlic to skillet and toss to incorporate.  Serve.

Soft Polenta with Rosemary

I have often seen polenta on menus, on cooking shows and have once before tried it and do remember liking it; however, I have never tried making it.  I never really knew what to serve it with, or what it would be a good accompaniment to...something that I would usually serve with potatoes maybe, or rice?  I couldn't seem to figure it out.  Also, I was under the assumption that polenta required 'babysitting', ie: you cannot take your eyes off of it for even a second, as disaster may ensue (similar to my thoughts on risotto).  Polenta is a soft, pillowy bed for just about anything served on top, especially good for braised meats with rich sauces and I have discovered that it is quite easy to make and extremely versatile.  You could experiment with almost any combination of herbs and cheeses to compliment your dish, try thyme and goat cheese with pork or rosemary and blue cheese with beef, the combinations are endless!

3 cups stock, chicken or vegetable

1 cup water

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup cream cheese
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In a medium pot heat broth, water and garlic until boiling.  Turn heat to medium and slowly whisk in cornmeal, ensuring there are no lumps.  Once Cornmeal has been whisked in, turn heat to low and with a wooden spoon, stir constantly for about 10 minutes, until thick and creamy.

Off the heat stir in cream cheese, Rosemary, salt and pepper.  Finish by stirring in Parmesan cheese. 
Serve immediately, or if prepared slightly before eating, cover with lid and return to very low heat, stir occasionally so polenta does not stick to bottom of pot.

Roast Tomatoes with Pesto

Succulent, sweet and slightly acidic all at the same time, fresh tomatoes are an amazing thing.  Unfortunately, they are available for about 45 minutes here in Canada when summer ends and fall begins.  The rest of the year our tomatoes resemble granny smith apples in colour and texture so that they may survive the trip north to our frozen land.  The result is something that looks like a tomato, bounces like a lacrosse ball, tastes like plywood and is best used as a projectile weapon to deter burglars.  If, however, you roast these woody little spheres, they come close resembling actual tomatoes and are quite delicious, giving you the illusion of it being late August instead of late January.

4 tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pesto
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, removing the woody white roots of the stem. Toss to coat in olive oil and balsamic and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven until the tomatoes start to break down and caramelize, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven, top with pesto and serve. 

Kale Panzanella

There are a lot of things you can do with a stale loaf of bread (feed pigeons, make bread crumbs, bludgeon your enemies) but this one might just be the best.  The first time I tried it was in a little Italian restaurant on the lower east side of Manhattan with our friend Veronica.  I had just discovered the wonder that is Kale and reflexively ordered it when I saw it on the menu.  I actually had no idea what the dish was when I ordered but to this day I am exceedingly glad that I did.  It's hearty, healthy (mostly), extremely delicious and best of all it's frugal since it uses bread that you might otherwise have thrown out.

2 pints cherry tomatoes
Splash of gape seed oil
1 large bunch of kale (about 6-8 cups)
1/2 loaf crusty bread (ideally stale, leftover bread)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar or juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.
Arrange the cherry tomatoes in a baking dish and toss with a drizzle of grape seed oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until they turn soft and start to shrink, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Dice the bread into 1" cubes. In total, you'll need about 3 cups of bread. Arrange the cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven til golden, about 5-10 minutes, turning part way through. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Remove the tough ribs and ends from the kale and discard. Tear the kale leaves into pieces and rinse in a colander under cold water. In a large pot, heat a drizzle of oil on medium-high heat. Add 2/3rds of the garlic and saute for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the kale and 1/3 cup of water (a splash of white wine also works well). Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute with the lid on for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until tender but still al dente. Drain any remaining water from the pot.

To make the salad dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar or lemon juice and pinch of salt and pepper and about half a teaspoon of very finely diced garlic. In a large salad bowl, combine the tomatoes (along with any juices), bread, and kale. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Aunt Catherine's Stuffing

This is the quintessential holiday dish that my family most looks forward to eating - it is simply the best stuffing ever.  The following recipe will make one batch of stuffing but if you are feeding a large crowd or one that likes stuffing to begin with, you may need to double or triple the 'batch'.  It is scary to admit, but the last time I made this stuffing with my mom for Thanksgiving, a quadruple batch was needed.  Our kitchen looked like some sort of stuffing crazy place with a mountain of chopped onions (not a pair of onion goggles in sight), trays of bread and more pounds of sausage than I lift in a typical workout!  It is safe to say that this recipe will always be on our holiday table and this season if it is not on yours, I guess I will consider you lucky because you don't yet know what you are missing.

1 lb. bulk sausage (Maple Leaf in freezer section) or 1 lb. of  mild italian sausages, casings removed
1/4 cup butter
2 onions chopped
1 1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 large apple, peeled and diced
3/4 cup cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
5-6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
7 or 8 slices bread
poultry seasonings
salt & pepper to taste
1 medium potato cooked & mashed

Brown sausage meat in pan with 1/4 cup butter. In stages, add onion, celery, apple & mushrooms & cook on medium heat, about 15-20 minutes. Spinkle bread slices with poultry seasoning and toast under broiler until golden. Turn over bread slices and repeat.  Cut toasted bread into 1" cubes.

When sausage mixture is well cooked, remove to bowl and add toasted bread. Toss mixture well (your hands will work best for this, also feel free to really squish the mixture together to combine the flavours).  Next add the mashed potato, this will help the stuffing to stick together. 

Stuff turkey or place in an oven proof dish and warm just before serving.

Vegetarian sushi rolls

Of all my personal shortcomings (and there are many), the one I'd change first is my fish allergy.  You might be wondering why a guy who can't eat fish is writing a post about sushi and your concerns are indeed valid.  After all, what can a guy who can't so much as look at a fish stick tell you about making sushi?

Well as it happens, quite a bit.  Because of my allergy, I can't really eat sushi in a restaurant as even the vegetarian rolls inevitably get contaminated.  So if I want to eat sushi I have to make it myself, which I do quite frequently.  It's easy, delicious and makes one of the best appetizers ever.

Because the fish is generally uncooked, making sushi is really about rice and rolling.  That and buying really good fish but you're on your own on that front.

Rolls:
1 cup sushi rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 package noori (seaweed paper)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

Vegi-filling (all items julienned):
1 avocado
1/2 red pepper
1/2 mango
1/2 cucumber

Wash the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear.  This is key as if you don't do it the rice won't become properly sticky and you'll end up with something more akin to rice pudding.

Put rice in a pot and add water until rice is just covered.  Add sugar and heat on medium high.  When water boils, stir rice, turn heat to low and cover with a tight lid.  Simmer until water has cooked off (~10-15 minutes) and remove rice to a large bowl to cool.  As rice cools start cutting and folding it with a wooden spoon while gradually adding in the vinegar.  As it cools, the rice will start to take on the sticky texture that holds the rolls together.

Place noori on a sushi mat and use two spoons to spread rice on top in a thin layer, leaving 1" or so of free space at the top of the noori sheet.

Arrange filling in a thin line starting 1" above the bottom of the noori. Use the mat to roll the noori up and over the filling, contunuing until the noori is rolled into a tight cylinder. Repeat until filling and rice are all used up or until you run out of places to store the vast quantities of sushi you have made.

Let rolls rest for ~2 minutes so that noori has a chance to seal before cutting.  When cutting the rolls, wipe some sesame oil across the knife to prevent it from sticking to the rolls.

Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

Roasted Romanesco cauliflower

If you've never roasted broccoli or cauliflower, I strongly urge you to try it. Roasting caramelizes the sugars in the vegetables (yes, vegetables contain sugar) and results in a sweet, nutty flavour with none of the usual bitterness. Unlike steamed or boiled versions, which tend to be a little on the mushy side, roasting preserves some of the vegetable's texture. When Adam spotted this gorgeous Romanesco cauliflower at the market we knew we had to try it this way.

Romanesco cauliflower is somewhere between broccoli and regular cauliflower in taste and texture. It's unarguably the most beautiful of the three and I find it slightly sweeter as well. Adam would be disappointed if I didn't mention it's mathematical properties; the spirals on the head of the cauliflower follow the Fibonacci sequence, which basically makes this vegetable a big deal if you're a math whiz. All I know is that it barely made it on to the plate as the three of us scarfed it down straight from the pan.


2 heads Romanesco cauliflower
drizzle of olive oil
pinch of chili flakes or chili powder
pinch of salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tablespoons freshly grated cheese (I usually use a combination of Parmesan and cheddar)

Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the thick stems and base of the cauliflower and break the head into pieces. Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper and spread out evenly on the baking sheet. Mix the bread crumbs and cheese together in a bowl and sprinkle over the cauliflower. Roast for 25-30 minutes until golden and fork tender.

The world's best roast potatoes

In this era of carbo-consciousness, there may be nothing more inappropriately delicious than a perfect roast potato.  My grandmother has always made amazing roast potatoes and for years I tried to re-create them with disastrous results until finally giving up.  These likely aren't your grandmother's roast potatoes (hell they aren't even mine) but I swear they're as close as you'll come.

The secret, as with so many things in life, is duck fat.  While you could use vegetable oil or another fat with a high smoke point, none of them add the flavour or pretension that comes with duck fat.  I make a lot of duck so I've always got mason jars and cereal bowls full of the stuff (honestly, it's kind of gross), but you can also buy it if you don't have any already saved.

The other key is to use a starchy potato, but not too starchy.  Russets, aka baking potatoes, are too starchy. Blue potatoes, aka boiling potatoes, are too waxy.  I use Yukon gold potatoes but frankly, you can just look at the label on the bag or in the store and if it says "good for roasting" or words to that effect then you should be good to go!

1 potato per person, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon duck fat per potato
1 can beef or chicken stock

Heat duck fat in the oven at ~400 in a roasting pan. While fat is heating, put the potatoes into cool water to cover, add stock and bring to a boil.  Cook until potatoes are par-boiled where the outsides start to become soft but the insides are still hard.  The stock will impart a bit more flavour if desired and can be left out if desired.

When potatoes are soft on the outside, drain the liquid, put the lid on the pot and shake it like a Polaroid picture* until the outsides of the potatoes get all roughed up. This will make them extra crispy and helps to burn off the carbs you're about to consume.

Add the potatoes to the fat, tossing to coat and put in oven for 30-40 minutes rolling around once in the middle.

Let cool for ~5 minutes and then serve.  Goes well with just about anything (I'd put them on my cereal if it were social acceptable).


* Polaroid does not endorse the shaking of their film to aid the development process.  Doing so may result in smeared or blurred pictures but is one hell of a dance move.

Maple whiskey Brussels sprouts

People generally don't like Brussels sprouts. I'm not sure if it has to do with a dislike for Belgium or if it's just that city that irks people, but for some reason this delicious vegetable is reviled. You may as well tell people you're serving sawdust and gravel. Let it be known that you're cooking them and you're likely to be met with a response like: "Oh ... Brussels sprouts ... you know, I don't think we can come after all ... yeah, we have to clean out the basement." Fortunately for Brussles sprouts, there is no reputation so tarnished that maple syrup, bacon and liberal amounts of whiskey can't cure! Mark my words, if you took George W. Bush, covered him in syrup, bacon and whiskey he would be welcomed into the streets of Portland, Oregon as though he were Mother Theresa ... try it if you don't believe me.

3 cups of Brussels sprouts, washed stalk ends trimmed, and cut in half

1/4 cup chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
5 strips of bacon cut into little pieces
1/2 cup rye whiskey
salt and white pepper to taste

Fry the bacon in a large pan until crisp (if you start it in a cold pan it will be less inclined to stick). Remove to a plate and drain off all but 1 teaspoon of the fat. Add in sprouts cut side down and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until sprouts start to carmelize.

Pour in stock and simmer until stock has cooked off, stirring to scrape up bacon bits from the bottom of the pan.Add in whiskey and syrup and cook until liquid is gone and sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife or fork.

Add in bacon, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.