We all have childhood memories; smells, tastes, textures. One particular food memory for me was when my maman would boil a ham. It sounds pretty simple, and it was, but what came out of this ham was pretty darn good. The boiling liquid would get saved for ham and pea soup, and after a few days of ham with beans or potato salad, we would take all the little bits and pieces leftover and make “jambon dans le petit moulin” which is basically ham passed through the grinder.

I still remember the first time my husband came to visit me at my parents’ place and the look of wonder on his face when I pulled out an old school, hand cranked meat grinder and set it up at the end of the kitchen table. With ham scraps in hand, some celery, onion, mayo, relish and mustard, the magic began. The meat, onions and celery go through the meat grinder (followed by a wee bit of bread to clean it all out), mix with the other ingredients and savour the flavour of this yummy ham mix. To this day, it is a special treat to make and eat.

Making minced ham at my parent's old kitchen table.

Creamy maplely goodness.

By now, most people are aware that I do a monthly dinner with the Two If By Sea crew and we call them “TIBS Family Dinners“. Our last dinner, on March 30th, I decided to go hog wild on the maple syrup, and devote a dinner to the syrupy stuff. Well, the first course (after my amuse of home-made pork rinds!) was a rich and tasty soup of wild rice, mushrooms and maple. Many of those who attended, have asked me for the recipe, so here it is folks! Whip up a batch, close your eyes, and imagine that you are at the TIBS Dinner.

Maple, Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup

• 1 lbs mushrooms (you can use white or cremini); sliced
• 1 onion; roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic; minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 C wild rice
• 4 C stock (chicken or vegetable)
• salt & pepper
• 4 bay leaves
• 1/4 C dark maple syrup
• 1 C 35% cream

In a heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter. Add the onions and garlic and sautee until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the rice, stock, bay leaves, ample syrup and salt and pepper. Cook for about an hour; until the rice is very cooked. Puree half of the soup, and add back to the pot. Add the cream and more seasoning if needed. Also, thin out with more stock if the soup is too thick for you. This soup is better the next day, and for many days after that too.

If you’re interested in attending a TIBS Family Dinner, visit the TIBS Family DInner Facebook Page and/or send us an email to tibsfamilydinner@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list.

Join me for another series of “Feisty Chef Cooking Classes”, taking place every Tuesday evening in May (starting on the 1st) at 7pm at Two If By Sea Cafe in Dartmouth. Classes are $50 each or sign up for all 5 for $225. Classes are minimum 4 people and maximum of 15. Each class will last  between 1-1/2 hours-2 hours.

Come and sign up by emailing me at Renee@feistychef.ca and spend a fun filled evening of food, wine and new friends.

Class #1: Spice Is Ever So Nice!   SOLD OUT

MAY 1 – This class is entirely devoted to spices! How to store them, cook with them and eat them. Everything from a spicy curry to a mild yoghurt marinade and a salad.

Class #2: Cheese!

MAY 8 – Back by popular demand, an evening of cheeses! From soft to hard, blue to mild, a variety of local, Canadian and international cheeses will be showcased as well as making a batch of crackers to eat with them AND making fresh mozzarella!

Class #3: Spring Sensations SOLD OUT

MAY 15 – Fiddleheads, rhubarb, peas and lamb. Cook up some of the seasons’ finest and bring out the best in each.

Class #4: Get Your Udon On SOLD OUT

MAY 22 – I am by no means Japanese, but I love the food! Udon soup, soba noodle salad and a few surprises on this night. It’s not all about sushi.

Class #5: Sunday Night Dinner SOLD OUT

MAY 29 – What do you have for Sunday night dinner? Roast chicken? Spaghetti and meatballs? We’ll create a few spectacular dinners for that special Sunday night.

This spaghetti sauce was a favourite of mine growing up  and now it has become a favourite my own family. This is the first time that I’m sharing this recipe with the masses! Make a batch and invite your friends and family over for a feast.

Here’s a quick recipe for some awesome spiced mixed nuts. This is an awesome Superbowl snack and beer is definitely the ideal pairing. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

WARNING: These nuts are addictive. Seriously.

One of my favourite creatures.

It is almost here! That one night out of the year where lovemaking is all around us, and what do we need to eat to make it happen? One might call it an “aphrodisiac”, some might call it revolting, but I like to order these by the dozen and slurp them down with reckless abandon. I am of course talking about the ever lovable and super sexy, oyster.

What can I say about these bivalve molluscs? They are quite certainly Mother Nature’s most perfect food; salty, chewy and slippery on the tongue. These slippery little suckers also pack a vitamin rich punch! High in zinc, calcium, Iron and vitamin A and B12. A dozen of these eaten raw, is also the supreme diet food; adding a mere 110 calories to your body.

All healthiness aside, there are a few things you should know about the beloved oyster. Did you know it takes between five and seven years to grow an oyster from spat? (Spat; a baby oyster). Oysters thrive in in plankton rich, well oxygenated salty water, that is why the Maritimes is the perfect place to cultivate them.

What about choosing the perfect oyster? I prefer larger, more meaty oysters, while my husband likes the smaller more delicate ones. Always make sure to buy oysters that are tightly shut. If it is open, it should close when touched and if it doesn’t, then don’t buy or eat it! An old rule about the oyster was that is was best to consume during the months that contained an “R” in their name. Not sure about that shucked oyster that was just brought to your table? If in doubt, don’t eat it, but let me just say that a “bad oyster” can be a extremely foul smell that you could sniff from a mile away. I was known, back in the day, the be the bad girl who would drop the rotten oysters in the compost bin beside the head chefs work station. Needless to say, he put a quick end to that!

How do you store an oyster? Simple rule; do not store them in water! Keep them in the fridge, and store cup-side down, with a damp newspaper over them. Some people say to eat immediately, some say two weeks, and I have even heard of a few months. The longer they sit in your fridge, the drier they will become as they will lose all that precious salty liquor that keeps them juicy and moist.

How to eat them? I am a purist; raw with no adornments. My husband, on the other hand, prefers the Tabasco, lemon and horseradish combination. I always tell people to try one naked before deciding on a topping. A classic French way to eat them is with “mignonette”; it is a red wine vinegar, shallot and black pepper mix. Sharp, pungent and tangy.

Can’t bear the thought of slurping them down? Try to bake them on the half shell. Cooked spinach, bechamel sauce and a little grated Gruyere cheese is a nice combination. As is bacon, apple and heavy cream. Why not throw then in a seafood chowder? How about the classic “Po Boy Sandwich”? It could also be a simple as dipping them in a tempura batter and giving them a quick fry to serve with lemon wedges.

‘Tis the season to celebrate love, so go crazy and get your hands on a few dozen oysters and throw yourself a party! Bottle of bubbly, platter of oysters and your best friend by your side. Can’t go wrong with that combination. Perhaps you aren’t in the mood to shuck? Head out to many of the great restaurants in the city that will do that for you. Press Gang, Five Fishermen Grill and Bistro Le Coq all have amazing oysters on their menus, and some even offer amazing deals during “happy hour”. Go on, get your oysters on this Valentine’s Day.

Vegetarian Lasagna

I love lasagna. The cheesy, gooey lasagna. But, since being in my meatless faze, I decided to forgo my usual meat version  and try a roasted vegetable one.

This was easy enough; fresh pasta sheets, bechamel sauce, roasted vegetables and cheese (lots and lots of cheese!). The mix of vegetables; sweet potato, peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower, were simply done in the oven with olive oil and seasoning. The bechamel, a simple white sauce enhanced with bay leaves. Some frozen chopped spinach and a good mound of mozzarella cheese finished the job.

Layer upon layer of sauce, veg, spinach and cheese. Into a 375 oven for 45 minutes and what came out was a heavenly, light lasagna. Try this vegetarian version next time you have a hankering for a cheesy delight.

Bechamel Sauce

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 Bay leaves

Simple, quick and always enjoyable.

This isn’t the first time I have written about Udon noodles, and it won’t be the last! My love for these thick, chewy noodles began a long time ago. Udon soup is my go to; my feel good. Now that the New Year is in full swing, and I, like many others, have decided to go meatless for awhile. I have begun to count on such old favorites as this quick and easy soup.

A good broth is needed; whether you make your own dashi broth using Kombu and bonito, or use store bought that you can enrich with some mushroom stock. I do a bit of both. With broth simmering away, noodles should be cooked and placed off to the side, then the secondary players in the soup get into the action. I like to add a handful of dried wakame, some shelled edamame, medium firm tofu and sweetened fried tofu too. Sliced shitake mushrooms, and handful of the cutesy enoki mushrooms and some seafood such as shrimp or scallops. All this goes into the stock, then the noodles go in to just heat through and you have what I like to call the perfect food.

This soup is great the next day too. Heated up, with the addition of a handful of fresh spinach, it makes a great breakfast or lunch. When in doubt, I like to get the noodles out and make a batch of my favorite rescue food.

This meat pie isn't only for the holidays.

Due to popular demand, I am posting this recent column that I wrote for The Chronicle Herald.

What is tourtière? That is a question that was asked to me before the holidays by a group of lovely ladies at “Our Thyme Cafe” in Dartmouth. I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with these ladies, cooking and talking and showing them how to make my “famous” tourtière. Many of the women had never heard of such a thing. A pie made of meat? With spices? One woman in particular almost fell over in shock when she saw me add my mix of ultra-secret spices. Her disdain was quite apparent, and she kept repeating over and over again how crazy my recipe sounded. Guess what? In the end, she was the first to try it, and the one who took most of the tourtière home.

But is tourtière all about the meat mix and spices? Hardly. Those are but two components that make up such a perfect pie. To me, the most important part, is that of the crust. Yes, good ‘ol crust. Flaky and light. What makes the perfect pastry? Nimble little hands and love.

Some people use butter, which I think is great, but for my flaky pastry I like to use lard. What is lard you might ask? Well, it’s the fat from my favorite animal, the pig. Not only do I use lard in my pastry, but the fatty goodness also makes my baked beans with salt pork outta this world. Not feeling the love for the lard? Shortening would probably work almost as well.

Pastry aside, the meat component is pretty important too. Some people swear by just beef or pork. But I like to use a mix of pork and veal; equal parts of each. Lamb works well in the land of meat pies, and I have even seen it done with chicken. Whatever your preference may be, the most important thing is that you are actually making it from scratch.

Oh the spices; I feel like this is my biggest secret. Should I divulge? Nah. How about just using a blend that you can buy? Despite the fact that I do have my own personal blend, I picked up a small container of the “Tourtière De Charlevoix” spice mix from the ever dappper, Costas Halavrezos at the Brewery Market to use in a batch of tourtière. The mix that he sells, courtesy of Montreal based company, Epices De Cru, contains mace, cloves, sage, bay leaves and a few other gems.

If you want your house to smell extra holiday-ish this year, I suggest whipping up a batch of tourtière. Your stomach will thank you for it!

Lavallée Tourtiere

Makes enough for 2 pies

2lbs (900g) ground pork
2lbs (900g) ground veal
1 onion; small dice
2 cloves garlic; minced
Salt and pepper
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp (15ml) ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp (15ml) ground cloves
1 Tbsp (15ml) ground allspice
1 Tbsp (15ml) savory
½ Tbsp (7ml) ground mace
2 potatoes; scrubbed and grated (skin on)

In a thick bottom pot, brown the onion and garlic in a little bit of oil; cook for 2 minutes and add the meat. Brown and add the spices and salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning. You may need to add more depending on your personal preference. Cover the meat with boiling water and let simmer for 2 hours; stirring occasionally. After the 2 hours, add the grated potato and cook another 5 minutes. Cool down and skim off any excess fat before using. This mix also makes a great Sheppard’s Pie too.

Pie Crust

• 1 C lard
• 2 C AP flour
• Salt
• 1/3 C cold water

Mix the flour, lard and salt together by hand; rubbing and breaking the lard into the flour until pea size. Gradually add in the water and mix very gently until it comes together: DO NOT OVERWORK. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This makes 2 double crusts.

2012 - Here I come.

It’s the New Year. We all have lists of things we loved, things we hated, and for me, it will be what I hope to see happen in 2012. Remember folks, these are just my opinions, so don’t get angry.

Bacon

Here is a product that most of us love, but poor bacon has been turned into something other than that salty meat we eat in the  morning. This past year, and for a few years actually, it has been bacon overload! Enough I say. Let bacon be bacon and choose to be eaten plainly and simply beside some eggs, in a club sandwich or a ceasar salad. Please don’t turn him into jam, put him in a chocolate bar or hidden in a cake. Hasn’t he been ridiculed enough already?

Cauliflower

My favorite vegetable! Underused, made fun of, and left to be eaten as a pureed soup. Cauliflower is King! He is mighty and tasty and can stand up to anything. Give him a chance; he is well worth the effort. Roasted with cumin seeds and chili then doused in a tahini-lemon sauce is pretty damn good. Pureed with obscene amounts of butter and cream and he is better than any fancy puree you may find in top restaurants. He lives forever in the fridge, and is even pretty yummy late at night dipped into tzaztiki. Cauliflower, you will reign in 2012!

Millet

Little perfect grains of crunchiness. Often forgotten due to that girl named “quinoa”, but for me, there is no competition. Cooked with earthy mushrooms and served over spinach, your delicate flavor caresses me. On your own with olive oil and salt and pepper, or thrown into a soup to give it strength. You and I will have a torrid love affair in 2012 and may even invite cauliflower into our mix.

Return To The Past

Who remembers the 70′s? I do. The colorful cookbooks with elaborate spreads, crazy looking food, but tasty. Who doesn’t like Beef Wellington or Lobster Thermidor? I might stay clear of the “chaud-froid” on chicken breasts, but a honest version of Chicken Cordon Blue or Kiev is nothing to snicker at. How about a Waldorf Salad? A Ceasar salad; pure and simple with just a handful of ingredients? I don’t know about you, but a potluck that includes some kickin’ meatballs, a lasagna, and a good loaf of garlic bread sounds pretty tempting to me.

Chemistry On My Plate

If I wanted to eat out of a test tube or beaker, or have scent waft my way as I eat, I’d pop in a Glade plug-in and get out my kid’s chemistry set.

Asian Fusion

Seriously, this is 2012. Do I even need to mention this? Yes, apparently the memo never reached some people. FYI…it died along with Tex-Mex back in 1993.

Allspice

Ooh you sassy lady! Spicy, yet understated. I love adding allspice in place of pepper whenever I can. It brings brightness to my hummus and works wonders on top of rum punch, Bajan style!

Sea Urchin

I know it is in abundance in sushi places, but here in Nova Scotia we have tons of the stuff…everywhere! I love it. The smell is almost rose-water-esque, with a sweet and salty taste. People are afraid of the texture, but if you’re willing to eat brains, then….Why is it not on more menus? It doesn’t have to be a main course, but just a taste, a tease of the spiny creature. (FYI…I still have a sea urchin stinger stuck in my finger circa 2008!).

OK, so some are good, and some are bad. But after all is said and done, all that makes me happy is being able to enjoy food, any way it comes at me, in 2012. Happy New Year!