Roasted Purple Potatoes

Yum...roasted potatoes! The closest thing to fries that I can justify eating more often than not! And when you can get your hands on beautiful purple potatoes such as these you really need no excuse, it would be sacrilege not to enjoy them. I got these guys from spud.ca, the organic produce delivery service I use. They also carry many more grocery, diary, and meat items, but I just use the service for produce. By using a delivery service you also help reduce fuel emissions by not having to drive yourself to the market every week. Every Thursday I look forward to my delivery. Check them out at spud.ca.

Anyways, on to the recipe...

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
What better to go with potatoes then rosemary?

• ~2 lb potatoes (can be any kind)
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
• sea salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Scrub (I rarely peel my potatoes - I just scrub them and cut out any green parts or eyes) and cut potaotes into evenly sized pieces - much like shown in picture above. Put in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, turn off and remove from heat.

Pour in olive oil, replace lid and shake to coat. Pour potatoes into a rimmed baking pan. Add rosemary and salt and pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes, flip and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!

Easter Menu

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Enjoy!

Wild Rice Risotto

A couple weeks ago we had some friends over for dinner who are from Bulgaria. When they invited us to their house for dinner Slavy made a very delicious and excitingly ethnic array of Bulgarian food for us to sample. When it was their turn to come over for dinner we really wanted to offer some dishes that had a Canadian twist and hopefully something they hadn't had the chance to try before.

I come from a lake town in Northwestern Ontario. There, along the shoreline in certain places, grows wild rice. Given this, I generally have a small store of it in my cupboard. Besides maple syrup, wild rice is very Canadian - and better yet it symbolizes "home" for me - so it was something special and personal I wanted to share with our new friends as they had been so generous when they invited us to their home. Wild rice has a great nutty flavour, is great with poultry and game, and luckily for us, I have the tastier "wild" version (rather than cultivated).

I served the wild rice risotto with a herbed roasted chicken and roasted vegetables - just the thing for a cold Canadian winter dinner! That oven always warms up the kitchen so nicely - as well as warming up my appetite!

So, here is my recipe, it's pretty simple to whip up and I can guarantee that you'll like it. I used a variety of mushrooms that I found at the supermarket - but if you have access to wild mushrooms, I think that would make this dish very special.

Wild Rice Risotto
Serves 6-8 as a side dish

• 900 ml chicken or vegetable broth (always opt for the low-sodium if you don't have homemade)
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1 cup Arborio rice (you may use a short or medium-grained white rice if you can't find this)
• 3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small to medium sized onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms (I used brown button, portobello and cremini)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup freshly grated Asiago (you can use more or less depending on your preferences. Parmigiano-Reggiano would also be nice, but I adore Asiago and it's cheaper than fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano)
• 2 Tbsp fresh, chopped parsley
• salt and pepper

In a medium-sized saucepan cover the wild rice with water by a good inch. You may use broth instead, just remember to buy extra, beyond the 900 ml called for in this recipe. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer over low heat for 45-50 minutes, or until some of the rice has "popped" and is slightly soft. It will still be slightly chewy - you do not want to cook it until it is all popped or else it will be watery and mushy. Drain.

Heat stock in a saucepan and keep it at a low simmer on the side - you will need the stock to be hot when you add it to the Arborio rice.

In a large heavy-bottomed skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions and mushrooms for a few minutes, or until the onions are soft, then add the garlic. Add the Arborio rice, stirring to coat with oil. Stirring often, let it cook for about 2 minutes or until you see a white spot in the middle of the grains of rice. Pour in the wine, letting it bubble away until the wine is absorbed.

Add a ladle full of broth with some of the wild rice and let it cook until it is absorbed, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick. Add another ladle full of broth with some wild rice and again let it absorb, again stirring to ensure it doesn’t stick. Repeat.

After about 20 minutes of cooking time taste the Arborio rice to see if it is al dente (tender, but still slightly firm to the bite). Add some salt and pepper. If it not yet al dente, continue cooking, stirring and adding broth until it is. General cooking time is between 25-35 minutes. If you run out of broth you may use hot water, but you need not use up all the hot broth if the rice is done. Just make sure you get all the wild rice in there!

Remove from heat and stir in the butter, cheese and parsely. Serve immediately and Enjoy!

Eggs, Hashbrowns and Chard - A Weekend Breakfast

What defines a relaxing weekend for you? Some like to get up early and go for a walk, others like to sleep in. While I enjoy a full complement of weekend activities, making a nice breakfast and a good cup of coffee is up there.


I pretty much cook my eggs the same every time, in the same way my mom always cooks eggs when we are at our family cabin: basting. Until recently I had no idea that what she was doing was "basting", I just knew that it was a great method to use when there are many mouths to feed. Plus, you more often than not end up with perfect eggs.

I so often find that breakfasts involve no veggies, unless you are of course having an omelet with veggies. Sometimes we go English and have fried tomatoes, but other than that it is all proteins, grains and fruit (and of course fats, but whatever). Considering Percy doesn't eat enough veggies I have to get them in whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. Of course, making sure your veggies are super tasty helps in getting them down. If not, I'd have to resort to the airplane method: "Vvvrrr......open the hatch, it's coming in!" Now, what 35 year old doesn't like that?! (LOL).


So, without further ado, here's how it's done.....


Basted Eggs

This method is slightly different from my mother's and also from some other recipes I've come across. But, I can promise you that this method works very well.


Based on 4 eggs.

In a medium to large sized lidded skillet heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.

Once oil is hot carefully crack in the eggs. Salt and pepper the eggs.

Once the eggs turn white, pour in a little water, paying special attention to the space between the eggs. Cover. At this point you want to cook the eggs until they are to your liking. Right before they are done I always loosen them up with a spatula - the water helps loosen them too.

Once done, remove from heat and serve immediately.






Sautéed Swiss Chard

And here's where the greens come in. If you have everything chopped up and set aside you can cook this up while the eggs are cooking.

• Swiss chard, about 4 stalks, chopped
• 2-3 shallots, diced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (approx. juice of 1 lemon)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  

Heat olive oil in a medium to large sized skillet over medium heat.

Once oil is hot add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes, or until translucent.

Add the chard and reduce the heat to medium-low or slightly higher. Stir frequently for 1 minute then add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Let it all bubble, stirring frequently, for another minute or 2. You do NOT want the chard to be too soft, it should retain a little crunch. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Homemade Hashbrowns

Now this is my favourite part. I love a good potato, in any form. The more the merrier.

• 2-4 potatoes, depending on size and appetite, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a medium sized saucepan cover cut potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Drain water and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Replace lid and shake to coat potatoes.

Pour out into a rimmed baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, flip potatoes, and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Bake until desired doneness/crispiness.

Other than that, I just heated up some baked beans, just because I love baked beans at breakfast. Serve with juice, freshly brewed coffee, and a smile....enjoy!