From the love of cooking to cooking with love

Early this morning we received a phone call from Julius's sister Christina.  After a long battle with cancer, her husband Denis has passed away at the age of 34, survived by two beautiful twin three-year-old girls and his young wife.

For the rest of the day I wanted to do something for them, even though there is really not much I can do with such tragic circumstances.  Then it came to me I should make them soup, chicken soup.

I finally understand why people bring food to the family of the deceased.  As I was shredding the hot pieces of chicken meat, all I could think of was how much harder Denis had fought for his life than my fingers feeling a little burned.

I am not sure how the soup could make things better for anyone, but I did make sure each carrot, leek, onion was cut nicely and the fusilli was cooked through.  I was cooking with love.  And tears.

Go tell someone you love him/her very very much, it is never too much.

Cooking with Janet

Our friend Janet was visiting for the weekend and we decided to put together a Saturday night dinner with friends.  She is an experienced cook and is more into, should I say, freestyle cooking.  Not following a recipe of course make this novice nervous but it definitely was an enjoyable night in the kitchen.

We spent some time going through cookbooks and I found a soup and a side dish from  Lidia's Italy  and she located her favourite guinea fowl recipe from the internet.  It was changed to Cornish hen after our shopping and also by the time we were cooking, it became Janet's recipe.

Roman Egg Drop Soup


Now that I have become such a pro in making chicken stock, there has to be a soup of course.

The recipe was simple except for one ingredient, the spinach.  I had to wash, stem and cut the spinach into small strips.  Janet's explanation was that the ladies can then enjoy the soup gracefully.  I did not know we were expecting any ladies...haha.

It was a perfect starter for dinner: light but heartwarming.

 http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/772

Janet's Roasted Cornish Hen with Mushroon Sauce


I would share her recipe but all I remember was her busy stuffing lemon wedges inside the Cornish hen and lots of spices  It was cooked perfectly: moist and juicy.  And for that I will dedicate this blog to Janet. There is nothing I hate more than dry chicken. The mushroom sauce would have been better if I did not try to imitate Julia Child by pouring too much port in it.  Oops.

Green Beans with Almonds


Another simple idea by Janet that is simple yet delicious.  She blanched the almonds and skinned them before adding to the green beans, the mixing of the two textures was brilliant!  I had the leftovers a few days later and still yummy!

Stuffed Artichokes


This was my idea.  And it was a lot of work.  Hollowing 6 artichokes took me over 30 min and I ended up with very very dirty fingernails and sore fingers.  Thankfully Janet was preparing the stuffing at the same time.

For the amount of work we put in, I had to say the outcome was only mediocre.  I am not sure if I will be serving that again soon.  Not to mention artichokes are expensive!

http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/817


We did end up with an amazing dinner and served on time. Who says too many cooks will spoil the broth - just look at this:

Soup 8/10

Cornish Hen 8.5/10

Artichokes 7.5/10

Green Beans 9/10

Maybe it is time for you to cook a Saturday night dinner with a friend?

Fantastisk måltid! (That's "Fantastic meal" in Swedish)

Gravlax


I have never been a huge fan of cooked salmon but I certainly love it raw, cured or smoked.  So why not cure one myself? Do it like the swedes!  


I finally understand the curing process: the salt draws out the moisture of the fish to increase its viability and the herbs and spices give it the amazing flavour.  The preparation was so simple, it took less than 30 minutes.  Rick Stein rocks!

It started out with almost 3 lbs of beautiful fresh salmon and lots of dill from Whole Foods.  It was an unusually hot March afternoon when I walked home with the fish.  With an ice pack in the shopping bag, I walked real fast, uphill, for 20 minutes because I did not want to spoil it!

After turning the tightly packed and seasoned salmon every 12 hours in the fridge for 2 days, it is like watching my baby grow!  Although in reality, it was more like watching my baby shrink. Nevertheless, A beautiful brunch was what we got.

The horseradish mustard cream sauce was rich and tasty, it was simply divine!

http://www.mykitchentable.co.uk/index.php/2010/12/rick-stein-gravlax-dill-cured-salmon/

Thai Cucumber Salad

The idea of serving a cucumber salad seemed appropriate but unfortunately the recipe I followed was not exactly a success.  It was a little too bitter but it looked good until we tasted it.  No need to share this recipe.

Oh well, more gravlax saved the day.

Gravlax 9.5/10

Salad 5/10

P.S. I was given a bottle of Drappier a while ago and what better occasion to have it at brunch.  It was probably the best Champagne I have ever had.  Then I realized how much it costs: almost $90.  Sometimes you really have to pay for what you get.

http://www.champagne-drappier.com/

A weekend of pigging out

I was never very sure about pork, do I like it or do I not? I will never forget one summer before camp I had pork for lunch and then I was throwing up shortly after my parents dropped me off.  Or was it just stress from being away from home for a week?

I am definitely changing my mind after tonight.  But the weekend of cooking actually started on Friday.

I made chicken stock.  I have been told a few times about a butcher in Oshawa and it turned out to be 5 minutes away from my office.  My lovely assistant heard that I was thinking of making chicken stock and needed some bones and carcass and called this butcher.  The nice man told her it will be free.  Wow!
I bought 2 pieces of striploin with my freebie and made chicken stock the next day.  So easy! Who knew?

Prima Vera Chicken Broth

I was inspired by Lucy Waverman's Minestrone Prima Vera, I came out with my carb-free version.  To the chicken stock I added leeks, green onions, shitake mushrooms, garlic, asparagus and edamame beans.  Add fresh basil and parmesan cheese just before serving and here it is:

So simple and yet so good!

Asian Brasied Pork Belly

I like bacon so I thought I will not go wrong with pork belly. And the picture in Lucy Waverman's cookbook looked amazing. One of the ingredients was star anise which I recognise from chinese food.  After 4 hours in the oven, this came out beautifully:

The final step of browning the skin really made the meal.  I did that for 15 minutes at 450 degrees but next time 20 minutes for sure because we love more crackling!  Fresh green onions with mustard or hoisin sauce were the perfect compliment.  Julius loved it in a tortilla wrap.  Like Peking Duck.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/recipes/asian-braised-pork-belly/article88275/ 

Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms


My mother has given me 2 bags of frozen shitake mushrooms and they have not seen the light of day for over three years.  This sunday they sure came out with a bang! Other than the soup, I decided to add to the bok choy, ginger and garlic and it was a great choice.

We all enjoyed the meal so much and I cannot believe that I have made all of this!

Anna Marie's Pulled Pork


So simple and delicious, it takes 6 hours but no need to watch it at all. Perfect by itself or in a sandwich.  Great lunch!

Fry up 1 or 2 sliced Vidalia Onions, just until they soften, 10 minutes medium heat

pour on 1 bottle BBQ sauce, put in the oven for 6 hours at 225 degrees.

Soup 8/10

Pork Belly 9.5/10

Bok choy with mushrooms 9/10

Pulled pork 8.5/10

Thank you for reading!

My Fingertips are Burning

It was a typical Monday morning at work.  Until I started working on my first patient.  I noticed my thumbs and fingertips are having a burning sensation while holding my instruments.  First thought was that I have developed a sudden neurological disorder and my neurons are firing away for no reason.

Google saved my life.  A quick search on my phone under "burning fingertips" and instantly many results linked to "from handling/cutting hot peppers" and the various remedies.  Aha! I was cutting these hot habanero peppers the day before....

Lemongrass and ginger broth with lobster and shrimp


Rick Stein's original recipe uses a whole crab for the soup, I decided I am not ready to buy a whole crab, let alone killing one.  I bought 2 frozen lobster tails and went for it.

Lemongrass, it was nice to finally get to know ya!  A short youtube video taught me how to crush it to release the flavours.  I have had similar soups in Thai restaurants but did not realize the work put into it - the straining, skimming and clarifying to get a clear broth from a milky state.  I put a little too much pepper at the beginning but was able to tone it down with more chicken broth and water. (Thanks to Julius's Mom)  Phew.

It was a bit spicy and I wish it had even stronger seafood flavours but overall very crisp and a perfect compliment for the main course.

Singapore Chile Shrimp

Shrimp is my favourite food. Period.  My last meal will definitely be steak and shrimp.

After realizing how spicy the pepper was, I went a bit easy when I made this dish and it turned out PERFECT.  A picture speaks a thousand words:

I butterflied the colossal shrimps so that it can soak up the flavours.  One of the ingredients in the sauce was ketchup.  Julius had a funny look on his face when he saw me whipping it up.  In fact, grandmother Mrs. Chow used to make a classic Ketchup Shrimp that we all used to love.  Hmmm, maybe next time.

Sauteed Zucchini

A quick side dish of zucchini from Julia Child turned out real flat.  My mistake into using garlic paste from a tube instead of fresh ones.

Lessons learned: I love eating shrimp more than ever and I will wear gloves when handling hot peppers!

Soup 8/10

Shrimp 9.5/10

Zucchini 7/10

P.S.  Now you can leave me comments about the blog - love to hear from you!

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

The Sunday morning after the duck, I saw a beef stew recipe in the newspaper that I wanted to make so badly, it almost made me jump of bed.  It was David Rocco's simple beef stew.

Then I went to Julia Child's cookbook and decided I am going to make Beef Bourguignon,  fancy french beef stew.

We journeyed out to an Italian supermarket on Dufferin called Lady York.  Other than angus beef cubes, I also picked up beef soup bones and veal briskets.  LOVE briskets.

The afternoon's cooking went without a hitch.  All that red wine and meat was looking great, I left in the carrot chunks because I thought they would taste great and add some colours to the dish.  Then I put the le Creuset away in the fridge, anticipating the outcome.

Had a busy week but finally time had come to finish the meal on the following Friday night.  The pearl onions were a lot of work -  I had to peel and pierce every single one of them, but let me tell you, it was worth it!!

The final step was whipping up the 'beurre manié ', wow did that make the dish great.  It transformed the soup-like texture to like velvet!

It was the most delicious beef stew I have ever had!  I kept the meat bones with the flesh literally falling of it.  The brisket was so tender like silk....I could go on and on.

I give this dish 9/10!  Yes!  And Julius concurred.

http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/julia-childs-beef-bourguignon-recipe/1/

Duck says QUACK!

After a few sundays of cooking regular recipes ( Julius made some delicious meatballs from his grandmother's recipe that we both enjoyed greatly and a repeat of steak diane too of course), I decided to venture out to something out of my comfort zone.  

From "Cooking with Jacques and Julia at home", I saw another inspiration.  

For the first time in my life, I bought a whole, uncooked, duck- head and web feet and everything.  Where did I find that you may ask?  Chinese grocery store of course.  Where one can find any parts of any animals one can legally consume in this country.

It was quite an experience taking the duck apart, but actually it wasn't too bad once I got rid of the head that was staring at me.

The duck stock gave a wonderful aroma while it was being cooked.  Wish I could smell that from the picture:

Skillet Duck with Shallots, Onions, Carrots and Potatoes

I tried to follow the recipe by throwing all the pieces in the skillet at the same time and sadly overcooked the breasts.  Next time I think I would take out the breasts once they are cooked and just throw them back in at the very end.  The vegetables would be cooked on the side till tender then add to the main skillet towards the end.

Julia's duck sauce made from the stock was so delicious that it saved the day.  Even with the overcooked meat.  Or is it simply because I cooked it myself?!

Sauce 9/10 Duck 7/10

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Jacquess-Skillet-Duck-with-Parsnips-and-Shallots-105471 

I almost forgot another delicious course.  Julius was smart enough to remove some of the skin and made some amazingly tasty cracklings to go on a simple garden salad.  It was divine!

A New Year's Resolution

It all started with my favourite food - steak.
The photo on the Saturday National Post was literally screaming at me: COOK SOMETHING!
And so I did the Steak Diane Flambe according to Bonnie Stern.  As you can see in the video, Julius was so freaked by the flames that he almost did not film the drama of cooking!  Ok I was a little surprised too.
And did I mention the smoke alarm went off shortly after?

And it tasted as good as it looks too!  Julius's green beans were the perfect compliment.
Unfotunately I was greedy and had a large piece of rib eye that I actually overcooked - I never overcook steak!!  But I got to share the perfect medium rare of Julius's sirloin.  Thanks Cub!
Mine 7/10 Julius's 9/10!!

Here's the link to her recipe, maybe you should try it too:
 http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/02/11/bonnie-stern-set-her-heart-and-her-steak-aflame/