Sunday Dinner Series Part V: You'll Roux the Day...

I might be French, but I'm nowhere near Creole or Cajun.  Regardless, when I saw the recipe for gumbo in my new favourite cookbook, I knew I had to give it a try.  Sausage?  Shrimp?  Those are two food things that Hubs loves!  Done!

I knew we were in for a long day of cooking with this one, so I used a lazy Sunday as an excuse to make it.  I was VERY SCARED of the whole dark roux situation, but I managed to make it happen without burning the apartment down.  Pictures for proof!

Gettin' ready.  Is it sad that I didn't know you could buy plain ol' clam juice?

The roux.  I've never made one with oil and flour in the Cajun style... I was kind of surprised at how dark it got!  In retrospect, I think I could've let it go a bit longer for a darker colour, but I was getting nervous.  They don't call it Cajun Napalm for nothing!!

Finished product, with some basmati rice.  Again, I was trying to emulate the picture seen here; I think I succeeded for the most part, but you can see how the roux COULD have been darker.

So, normally I'd post the recipe for my delicious creation... but in all honesty, I followed the book's instructions exactly.  To a T.  And with all the nonsense about SOPA and the Canadian bill C-11 going around these days, I'm feeling a little gun-shy.  Not that I'm expecting the RCMP to come knocking on my door and demand that I shut my blog down... but still, I don't want anyone to think that I'm claiming ownership of someone else's copyrighted intellectual property!!  Instead, I'll direct you to this website, where two of the chefs from America's Test Kitchen demonstrate their version of gumbo via a free video.  It's a bit different from the recipe I followed, but from the same great team.  Worth trying!!

Wondering if she'll ever get to see N'awlins (maybe during Mardi Gras??),
-Honeybee

Sunday Dinner Series Part III: Where's the Beef?

Blah blah work married life busy blah.  Back to the food in general, and the Sunday Dinner Series in particular!

Unseasonably warm weather aside, it's still winter here in Manitoba.  For me, that means finding the heartiest food possible and tucking in.  Warming from the inside out, if you will.  I can only fathom how the voyageurs survived the cold season all those years ago... though I'm pretty sure pot roast (or something like it) would've come into play.

He Ho!

"Roast beef dinner" is definitely a Honeybee family tradition.  In recent years, however, I've come to realize that while it does involve roasted beef, it doesn't necessarily fit most people's idea of "roast beef".  This is really more a pot roast, with lots and lots of veggies.

I had been perusing my new favourite cooking tome, and found not one, but TWO recipes for "perfect pot roast" (don't ask me how that works... how can they BOTH be perfect?  Meh).  At first, I thought I would follow the recipe exactly, especially since there was never really a recipe for Mom's roast.  But about halfway through, her voice started creeping into my head.  "What, no onion soup mix?  Are you really only going to use a half cup of wine?  What do you mean, no roasted carrots on the side?!"  Telepathic-mom was absolutely right.  What was I doing??  Why mess with what I know I like??  So, I started ignoring the book (Hubs would be proud) and started doing my own thing.  I've done it again since the first "hybrid recipe" attempt, with good results.  If you want to try it out for yourself, have a look here:

Lil's Sunday Pot Roast

Sort of adapted from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV
Show Cookbook... for the first bit, at least.

Serves four, with leftovers

• 1 boneless beef roast (like a chuck-eye roast), about 3-5 lb*
• ~2 Tbsp canola oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1 small white onion, chopped medium
• 2 ribs celery, chopped medium
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 bottle of red wine (some for cooking, some for drinking... so pick a decent one!)
• 1/2 package onion soup mix
• 1 large red onion, peeled, trimmed and cut into large chunks
• 4-6 red potatoes (depending on size), scrubbed and cut into large chunks
• 1 head of garlic, peeled
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
• Cornstarch (for gravy thickening)

*I didn't realize that I bought a bone-in roast.  So, at about 8 am on a Sunday, I gave myself a crash-course in deboning.  It was messy.  Hence the butcher twine... better now!  My apologies to any vegetarian readers... but in all honesty, having to deal with that aspect of food prep made me consider a plant-based diet myself!

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
2. In a Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot, heat the oil over high heat until shimmering.
3. Prep your roast.  If it's a sort of large ungainly piece of meat, use butcher's twine to tie it up into a nice uniform loaf shape.  Using paper towels, pat it dry.  Season liberally with salt and pepper.
4. Sear the roast on all sides in the hot pot (I like using my Le Creuset for this, since it can also go in the oven.  Less dishes, yay!)  Once well browned on all sides, remove the roast to a plate.  Turn the heat down to medium.
5. Toss the white onion, celery, and medium-chopped carrot into the roast pot.  Cook until the veggies soften and start to brown.  Add the garlic and sugar; cook and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add the thyme.
6. Pour in a generous amount of red wine to deglaze; be sure to scrape up all the delicious brown bits on the bottom of the pot (I honestly just free-pour.  It's probably about a cup to a cup and a half of wine that I use.  FLAVOUR.)
7. Add the roast (and any juices it's leaked) back to the pot.  Sprinkle the 1/2 package of onion soup mix over it.  Add enough water to the pot to bring the liquid halfway up the roast.
8. Bring the roast + liquid up to a simmer.  Fit the lid tightly over the roast (I usually put a sheet of foil in there for a good seal).  Put in the oven.
9. Bake for 2-2 1/2 hours, turning the roast over every 1/2 hour.
10. At the 2-2 1/2 hour mark, add the veggies (potato, sweet potato, whole garlic cloves, red onion).  If things look a bit dry, add more wine.
11. Bake for another hour or so, until the veggies and meat are fully tender (poke them with a fork- if the fork slides in and out easily, you're golden).
12. Take the roast out and let it sit on a carving board, tented under the foil you used earlier, until you're done the gravy.
13. With a slotted spoon, remove all the veggies from the pot to a serving bowl.  Try to leave behind as much juice as possible.
14. If there are still a lot of "chunks" in the gravy, take an immersion blender and whiz it up a bit.  On the stovetop, put the pot on medium heat and simmer the gravy down until it thickens and reduces somewhat.  Scoop out some of the hot proto-gravy with a ladle into a mug.  Add a tablespoon or so of cornstarch and whisk well.  Add back to the whole pot of gravy (this is how you can avoid getting lumps).  Repeat until desired consistency of gravy is reached!
15. Carve your roast.  I'm not going to lie, I can never get nice "slices" like my Dad does.  So we just sort of end up with large tender meat chunks.  Nobody complains.
16. Serve the roasted veg and beef with the gravy.  A loaf of fresh bread is especially nice here, to spread the roasted whole garlic cloves on like butter.  BUTTER, I tell you.

Starting the sear.

Almost done searing... look at all that brown-bit flavour on the bottom!

The bowl of delicious vegetables, pre-cooking.  Looks so pretty with all those vibrant colours...

Meat chunks!

Roast veg.  Not the prettiest bowl, but oh man, the flavours in here are not to be believed.

Dinner with Hubs (he's wearing his 'Polar bear in a snowstorm' Winnipeg shirt!).  Observe the fresh-baked bread, with roasted garlic clove spread.  It's a whole delicious meal, in one pot!  Make sure you get that red wine on the table, too.

So overall, the pot roast doesn't look like anything special.  It's certainly not haute cuisine.  Presentation's not great.  But let me tell you, this was the ONLY way to finish off a day of skating on the trails at The Forks.  It was also a great dinner to share with Deb, which gave me an excuse to attempt challah for the first time (more on that another day!)

Digging through the archives and continuing to cook (and photograph) up a storm,
-Honeybee

French Onion Soup

In the theme of hearty, winterizing meals, I made some absolutely delicious French onion soup for myself and my coworker Jess before the holidays.  It was nice to have some guests over on a Thursday night to watch Big Bang Theory... why not dinner and a show?  It's nice to have Snickers around, too, to put my cat Chief in her place.

Ready for company... Soup, crudités, and sundried tomato and herb bean dip.  Don't forget the vino!

I really enjoy French onion soup.  It's so simple (and cheap!!) to make, but it has such a depth of flavour from the soft, caramelized onions.  Plus, it presents a PERFECT excuse to use my mandolin!  No way in heck I'd want to slice all those onions so thinly by hand... this just speeds up the process (and reduces the time I spend "crying" over the pot).  If you don't have a mandolin, the recipe would still work with manual knife-slicing... I'd just recommend unearthing some goggles from your old swimming lesson days prior to!!  I think Chef Michael Smith once hinted on his show that contact lenses decrease the teariness... I have yet to test this theory.  I'll let you know.

Mmm... Cheesy... Bread-y... Delicious...

French Onion Soup

Adapted from "Living the G.I. Diet" by Emily Richards and Rick Gallop

Makes 4 servings

• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 6 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 6 cups beef stock (low fat, low sodium)
• 1/2 cup red wine (sometimes I use white... whatever you have on hand)
• 2 Tbsp dry sherry or cognac (in a pinch, I've even used rum...)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 slices crusty French bread or baguette
• 1 cup shredded light-style Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese (for this batch, all I had was cheddar and mozzarella, so I used a blend)

1. In soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Cook onions, garlic, and salt, stirring ften, for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown.  Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until onions are very golden, caramelized, and very soft.  Add flour and stir to coat onions for 1 minute.
2. Add beef stock, wine, sherry, bay leaf and pepper; bring to boil (make sure you scrape up all the lovely bits on the bottom of the pan).  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.
3. Pour soup into desired bowls.  Place bread on top to fit bowls and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake in 400ºF oven for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.  Broil for 30 seconds to brown top.

Looking back, I find it hard to believe that I used to hate onions.  As a kid, I can actually remember claiming that I was allergic to mushrooms and onions so I could avoid eating them (my cousins saw right through my claims... but I thought with all the hoopla surrounding Ni's food allergies, I could squeak by).  I'm not sure when I started to actually like onions, which is why I'll occasionally re-try things I dislike (read: olives, mushrooms, peppers) to see if my tastes have broadened.  I'm just glad they did in this case... I'd hate to miss out on this onion-y goodness.  Though, to be fair, there are still some onion applications I don't like... I can't see myself ever partaking in one of Hubs' cooking-onion-and-yellow-mustard-on-Wonderbread sandwiches.  *Shudders*

Hoping she'll be able to convince Hubs to save the onions for soup instead,
 -Honeybee

What do aunts and cows have in common?

Whatever terrible, offensive thing you're thinking, you've got it all wrong!  In my experience, aunts and cows both have the makings for delicious chip dips.  In the case of my relatives, though, it's more culinary knowledge than raw ingredients that they bring to the table...  I feel as though I might be digging myself into a hole here.  Maybe I should just get to the stories and recipes.

For Halloween a few weeks ago, I was asked to bring a suitably-themed appetizer to my coworker/friend's party.  So, I whipped out my dear Aunt Lois' recipe for tortilla dip.  It's a lovely orange colour, and I thought it would be appropriately festive with blue-black corn chips.  Mmm. 

I first tasted this over a decade ago.  Aunt Lois would always have the most wonderful parties at her beachfront house, with some very tasty treats-- this was one of them.  Being the ever-gracious hostess, she shared the recipe with me and my sisters, and I still have it to this day.  It's a great one to throw together for a game night, potluck, etc.  I love to put it in my fondue pot and keep it warm with the little candle flame... the temperature makes all the difference!

Didn't have time to present this nicely... just whipped it out of the microwave and snapped a few shots.  Forgive me!

Aunt Lois' Tortilla Dip

No clue what her original source was... and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing!

Makes enough to accompany a large bag of tortilla chips

• 1/2 package cream cheese
• 1/2 regular-sized jar of Cheez Whiz
• 1/2 regular-sized jar of salsa (you can shake things up here and use spicy if you like; I kept it medium since I was making this for a large crowd)
• 1/2 regular-sized jar of queso cheese dip (for example, Tostitos brand)

1. Cut up cream cheese into cubes.
2. Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl
3. Microwave on high for about ten minutes, stopping to stir every 2 1/2 minutes or so, until all the ingredients have melted together are smoothly and fully incorporated.
4. Serve with tortilla chips; keep warm in a fondue pot if you desire (it really is best warm!)

To give you an idea of scale... this is my second-largest mixing bowl.  It barely fits in my microwave.  I made a double-batch of this dip, not wanting its constituents (*coughcheezwhizcough*) to be lurking in my apartment, waiting for me to do all sorts of terrible fattening things with them (like pouring melted cheese-like edible oil product over cooked pasta... mmm...) Ahem.  Sorry.  As it turned out, much of the leftovers went to Sherri, who doled out containers to those who enjoyed it.

On to aunt #2, my fantastic Aunt Lisa.  Being only about 15 years older than me, I've always thought of Lisa as more of a big sister than an aunt.  She would do my nails, let me put on her lipstick, let me watch as she and my Uncle Peter played Nintendo games (now I'm really dating myself here...).  She was (and continues to be) a fabulous baker, cook, and hostess.  Even now, she still makes me a special birthday cake every year to help distinguish my special day from Christmas.  It's so incredibly sweet of her.

Among her many amazing dinner party exploits, every year Lisa and her husband Dave host a Boxing Day feast at their home.  It's characterized by great wine, family, good conversation, fabulous appetizers, tempting holiday pastries for dessert, and... wait for it... some of the best Windsor-style pizza for an entree.  After all the work of the holidays, it's nice to kick back and not have to cook the main dish!  I look forward to this day every year, for all the reasons above... and also for Lisa's dill and green onion chip dip.  I could eat this, and only this, the entire day if I were allowed to (somehow I think my mother would frown upon this).  I wanted to make some for a welcome party I hosted for Hubs when he came to visit in July, so I called up Lisa via Skype and she kindly gave me the recipe.  Hubs absolutely loves it.  I made it again recently for my American Sign Language 101 class this past weekend, since I was hosting a study group.  It was (unsurprisingly) well received... Hubs even requested that I email some to him!  If only technology had come so far...

Aunt Lisa's Chip Dip

Again, original source unknown

Makes enough for a jumbo bag of Ruffles plain ridged chips, which I recommend as a vehicle for this dairy-based deliciousness.

• 1 package cream cheese, at room temperature (I use light, it works just fine too)
• 1 small tub of sour cream (again, light is okay here)
• About 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill (don't ignore me and use dried, you'll regret it!)
• Three green onions, chopped
• About 1/2 tsp of salt, to taste

1. Using a mixer with beater attachments, blend together the salt, cream cheese, and sour cream until fully incorporated and smooth.
2. Stir in the dill and onion.  Check for seasoning; add more salt/dill/onion, as you like.
3. For best flavour, chill and let the flavours meld for at least a couple of hours (I chilled mine overnight).  Serve with plain ruffle chips.

Suggested serving!!

It's entries like this that make me miss my family.  I know I'll be seeing Lisa at Christmas, but since moving to Ottawa, I haven't seen Aunt Lois in some time (except for when I Skyped into my family reunion!)  I'm just looking forward to the impending nuptials (the planning for which has been keeping me quite busy) to bring everyone together.

Using my current illness as an excuse to eat chips and dip (it's comfort food!!),
-Honeybee

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig...

Right off the bat, no.  I did not purchase any pork products, fat or otherwise, during my trip on Saturday to the St. Norbert farmer's market.  The title's from a little nursery rhyme that springs to mind, always sung in my mother's enthusiastic and emphatic alto, anytime I think of going to a market.  Ah, sweet childhood memories...

Let's get to what I DID buy at the market.  This was only my second time going; I went with Snickers and her owners two weeks prior.  I fell in love immediately.  It's not the biggest outdoor market I've seen, but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality.  It's all here: raw veggies, meats and fish, prepared snacks and baked goods, freshly-squeezed lemonade, fresh-cut and potted flowers, and arts and crafts: all local, and all tried, tested and true.

It may not look like much (blame the weather), but from what I've learned this market is serious business.  New vendors have to successfully debut at the Wednesday market to be considered for a coveted Saturday booth.  Nice to know that you're getting the best of the best when you go!

This is Charles, owner of Scott's Hill Apiary.  We met him during our last visit, when we stopped to listen to the protein-packed benefits of adding bee pollen to yogurt or oatmeal for a boost after a long workout.  Charles is full of great info (a quick Google search tells me he's a retired teacher; makes sense!), and I love that he has a flipbook of pictures to help explain the honey- and pollen-making processes to anyone who asks.  Flipbook users unite!!  He also has this spiffy little honey tasting bar, where he'll let you sample the different honey flavours (made by bees who pollinate different flowers/plants, not by adding artificial flavours afterwards) and compare them.  I bought the nice, dark-coloured buckwheat honey last time.  It was fantastic; not too sweet, sort of a cross between honey and molasses.  I used to make peanut butter and molasses sandwiches as a kid, so this definitely appealed.  This time around, I went for the basswood... though admittedly, I have the same issues as with wine when it comes to describing the flavour of that honey.  Charles kindly suggested that the difference I might be tasting could be due to lemon-lime notes; I had to agree.  Sold!

On to meats.  I was on the hunt for bison, which, I've been told, is the proper term for buffalo.  I'm not to say buffalo.  Ever.  This is a pretty big deal in Manitoba, it would seem... heck, the provincial symbol features one of these furry ruminants.  That fact, though, makes it seem a bit weird to be eating them... I mean, I never chowed down on any trilliums while back home.  My illustrious little brother, who is off to culinary school in a couple of weeks (I'm not jealous, really...), informed me that bison has much less fat than beef, and is considered superior in several ways.  I have to admit, it's pretty darn tasty.  While I wasn't up for the prehistoric, Fred Flintstone-esque roast that the kind shopkeeper displayed, I did manage to bargain my way into buying six bison burgers.  Maybe I'll grill one up tonight... mmm.

I think the sign says it all.  Beautiful vegetables, naturally grown, local, and fresh.  Done and done.  I've never seen such gorgeous onions in all my born days.  I actually caught myself daydreaming about them after the first visit to the market... definitely a sign that I needed to invest in some.  I'm so used to those plastic mesh bags at the grocery store, holding dry, dull-looking bulbs with crackling papery skins... this is so much better.

Stand in awe.

The ladies at the Wiens Farm booth were super-nice.  They also had some fantastic-looking yellow and green zucchini; sold.  I asked their permission to take photos, and that led to a little rundown of who I was, why the heck I moved to MB, and of course the blog.  One of the gals there, Terrilynn (sorry if I butchered the spelling!), was even thoughtful enough to chase me down after I'd left the booth to let me know about a bus/bike tour of the urban gardens in the city.  Oh, and she welcomed me to Manitoba.  Everyone does that, it totally gives me warm fuzzies!

My invite, courtesy of Terrilynn, to this awesome-sounding garden community tour.  I wish I could go... a combination of packing for the weekend and lacking a bike/bus pass prevents me.  Maybe next time; I love the idea of urban gardens.

I'm getting hungry at this point in the afternoon.  Not to worry; I'll go hit up the perogie booth.  Last time, I feasted on three generous-sized perogies; two were cheddar, onion and bacon-filled, while the third was sweeter and full of Saskatoon berries (go to Wikipedia if you've never heard of 'em, they're delish.  Kind of like a blueberry). This time around, I was a little bummed to find out that the ladies were only offering cottage cheese perogies.  I only VERY recently found out that I don't completely hate cottage cheese, so I was a little apprehensive.  I needed a fix, though... they were just so fabulous last time.  Soft, pillowy, tender dough, steamed lightly, not too mushy, with flavour-packed filling and some sort of dairy-based "gravy" that I shall herein refer to as "creamy crack".  Totally addictive.

The cottage cheese perogies didn't disappoint.  And just look at how they're swimming in the "creamy crack" gravy... I'm going to have to find out what that's made of.  I've never had any sort of gravy on perogies before, but this opened my eyes.

I actually ran into Snickers and co. as I was stuffing my face with the above while sitting in my car (it had gotten cool and windy, and it's not exactly finger food).  They suggested that I continue my weekend food odyssey at the Folklorama festival Israel pavillion (more on that to come).  Fantastic idea.  I love when one meal leads seamlessly into an idea for the next!

To the victor go the spoils.  A successful day at the market!!

Those garlic bulbs are fantastic.  Look at 'em.  I used a clove the other day... I've seen smaller shallots, let me tell you.  And so fresh and fragrant... perfection.

Off to ogle my onions and research perogie gravy,
-Honeybee