SCRUMPTIONS MORISH Jamaican Pumpkin and Lentil Curry Stew Vegan INSTANT POT

I'm starting to love the Instant Pot for a couple of reasons, quite possibly unique to me.  I love my slow cooker but I don't like the idea of the amount of time and electricity it takes.  Also I'm not super super nuts about leaving it unattended either.  BUT i love the idea of flavours blending and amalgamating over time in a stew.   Then there's the smell.  Koreans and Indians have aversions to smells in their house.  Hence alot of houses designed specifically for Koreans or Indians often have what's called a "spice kitchen".  That's a small kitchen next to the real kitchen, about the size of an old fashioned butler's station.  The difference being there is a full oven in there and ventilation and it's fully enclosed.  That's because not only do Koreans cook smelly foods, we all do, hello? garlic! but Koreans like to use spices and oils that are very penetrating and clingy, particularly sesame oil.  It latches on to all synthetics.  So back to my Instant Pot.  I get the long stew effect without the long cooking time, which not only uses alot of electricity but alot of cooking smells in the house.  Not only does the Instant Pot do it quickly but once the pressure seal is up, the smells aren't coming out.  Like what I call the curry Lamp Berger into the house.  Also, I'm a bit of a germaphobe and the idea of food left freaks me out, like when you delay cook a slow cooker.  With the Instant Pot, I prep the night before or the same day and it's ready fast enough for that night's meal. 

This is a bit of a take on a stew I've done before in a slow cooker but I wanted to document for the Instant Pot. 

Jamaican Pumpkin and Lentil Curry Stew


2 lbs or 3-4 cups Jamaican Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash), 1 inch cubes (Sweet Potatoes will disintegrate)
3 medium-small Onions Diced

2 c Red Lentils washed and soaked overnight (you can do less but then don't exceed the 50% mark)
4 cloves Garlic minced
1 inch Ginger, brunois (means julienned then diced)
1 large can diced Tomatoes
3 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (maybe 1 cup extra water after cooking IF there's room)

1 t Black Mustard Seeds
2 t ground Coriander
1 t ground Cumin
2 t ground Turmeric
3 Kaffir Lime Leaves (optional but gives awesome curry flavour)
2-3 Jamaican Curry Powder
1 t Salt
Black Pepper
2-3 T ground Mushroom Powder (a necessity for Vegan/Vegetarian cooking to add depth)

1 can Coconut Milk (if you like it extra, add 2 cans, I wish I had but actually it was still DELICIOUS!)

Directions:

Don't exceed the 2/3 mark.... the annoying thing I've discovered is the less the 'air space' in the pot, if the contents are largely solid, the longer the pot takes to get to pressure.  Lentils will take like 10 minutes or less in the Instant Pot but I was worried about the Pumpkin, so I set it for 20 minutes and it took more than 20 minutes for the little pressure sealing thing to pop up.  BUT in the process I discovered you can add a minute here and there.  My Cuisinart Slow Cooker and doesn't do that.  You have to shut and restart on mine anyway.  So I kept adding 3 minutes until it sealed and then added 5 minutes so it would be cooking at least 5 minutes under pressure. In total, I added 9 minutes. Probably didn't have to but I'm learning with this thing.  All the veg were well done and probably a little too done so maybe don't add the time.  I let it Natural Release.... again because of the lack of air space, meant that the Natural Release happened in like 5 minutes instead of the 20 it takes when I make a small portion of congee.

I was originally worried I didn't have enough Pumpkin so I added half a Sweet Potato.  In the end I had too much.  Anyhoo, when I added the Veg to the Pot, I had already mixed up the Sweet Potato and the Pumpkin so some Sweet Potato got in.  Under pressure for the amount of time I put on, it basically dissolved.  Which might be okay for you because some Squash soup recipes used canned puree.  The contrast of the smooth thickened broth and Squash pieces was nice.  I put the extra in a Ziplock and put it in the Freezer for a green curry another day.


This was SOOOOO good.  I mean sometimes when I make a big AND THIS IS A BIG pot like this, I'm sick of it by the end of the week, to be honest.  Not this time.  This makes like 10-12 servings.

Tuesday, September 27th - Jamaican Salt Cod Soufflé

Jamaican Salt Cod Soufflé

I found a piece of Salt Cod in my cheese drawer on Sunday and fancied using it but did not have any Ackee stashed away in the house and did not feel like deep frying any fritters or the sort.  It wasn't big enough to make a main out of, on its own.  D suggested I do my Carribean Souffle that I make with Crab and other Seafood. I thought, well, if I'm going to use Salt Cod I should put more of a Jamaican flare on the flavours and spices. It was fabulous.  I only used 1/4 a Habanero but I think I could have used a 1/2.  D thought it was enough because Souffles shouldn't be spicy but I countered that it was more Jamaican than Souffle :^P

You may be tempted to disregard my warnings about not adding any additional Salt but please heed.  Salt Cod is Salty even after thorough desalination.  Leave the salt on the table if you must.  Souffles can be daunting and not because of the cartoon deflating images of our youth but because of all the steps.  Silly me, I added a few more by choosing to do Salt Cod.  But if you stay organised, you can come out of it with a great Souffle and just a few bowls in the sink.

Jamaican Salt Cod Souffle 

200-250 g Salt Cod
1/4 t Allspice
1/4 t Dry Thyme
1/4 t dry Tarragon
1/4 t ground Ginger
1/2 t Curry Powder
1/4 t dry Parsley
1/8 t freshly grated Nutmeg
1/8 or less freshly grated Mace (a few passes only)
Black Pepper
2-3 T freshParsley, chopped
1 T fresh Thyme, leaves (if you do make anything Jamaican, and you don't want to buy a bunch of different fresh herbs, PLEASE, make the one you buy, Thyme. Ex Jamaican roomie always insisted on fresh Thyme)
2 T fresh Chives, chopped
1 rib Celery, finely diced
1 Serrano, seeded and minced (optional, these were quite mild)
1/4 - 1/2 Habanero aka Scotch Bonnet Pepper, seeded and minced
2-3 Spring Onions
4 large Egg Yolks
6 large Egg Whites
1 t Lemon Juice, or Cream of Tartar
4 T Unsalted Butter
1/4 c Flour
1 c Milk
1/2 c Toasted Coconut Flakes
Black Pepper
NO added Salt!

24 Hours ahead: soak your Salt Cod in a large bowl of cool Water.  Change every few hours and leave in refridgerator over night.  Change again the next day a few times.

1 Hour or more ahead: butter a large souffle dish.  Use either the wrapper from the butter or parchment paper. If you don't want to muss with that.  Melt 2 T of Butter in the microwave and use a silicon brush.  Get in all the corners and on the sides, brush upwards to the rim from the bottom. Refridgerate until you start to cook. Then let it sit on the counter. 

In a shallow sauce pan, place the drained piece of Salt Cod and cover with water.  Bring to an active simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Drain and cool.  When cool to the touch, flake into pieces and set aside.

In a dry non stick pan, toast your unsweetened Coconut flakes until lightly toasted.  Remove from heat and set aside. In a pinch, you don't have to toast the Coconut but it does add a nice nuttiness if you do.

Hour to half hour ahead: take your eggs out of the fridge and let sit on the counter.  My experience has been that cooking with cold Eggs, even simple poaching, interferes with the desired result as you try to bring the Eggs to temp. If you don't have the extra time, let them sit in a bowl of warm (not hot) water until needed.  As well, measure out your Milk and let stand at room temperature too.

Spices: I like to assemble the dry spices in a dish like this first.  I like to clean as I go and the clutter of all the bottles drives me bonkers and you're less likely to forget 1.  So in a small bowl, measure out all the dry  Spices and set aside. Mace is the alien like hand that is wrapped around a piece of fresh Nutmeg.  If you don't have it, leave it out.

Aromatics: I like to places the aromatics that will cook the longest together to the ones that will cook the least in that order on the cutting board, chopped.  Celery, picked Thyme (discard stems) and Chilis will go first and leafies like, Parsley will go in last. 

Eggs:  Have your stand mixer at the ready with a VERY clean bowl.  Have two bowls handy.  A larger one, that you might have had them sitting in and a small clean bowl.   Crack each egg and separate out the White into the small bowl.  Make sure no Yolk is in it and then add to your Mixer bowl. If a Yolk breaks in to the White, do not put it in the mixing bowl.  You can cook something else with it.  As well, replace the sequestering (small) bowl with a clean one.  Do this with each Egg.  Placing the Yolk into the larger or other bowl.  You will need two less Yolks so I plop two into the smaller bowl at the end and cover with plastic and place in the fridge.  Add a few drops of Lemon Juice to the whites and leave there.   The Lemon Juice's acidity is meant to help them keep their lift.  You can use Cream of Tartar powder (not the pickle sauce!) as a substitute if you don't want to waste a whole Lemon.

Preheat the oven to 410 with the rack on the lowest level.

In a large sauce pan, melt the Butter on Medium heat.  Add the Celery, Spring Onion Whites, Thyme, Serrano and Habanero.  Sautee for 5-10 minutes until softened and the Butter looks clear.  Add the Spices and sautee for a few more minutes.  I stir this whole time with a small whisk.  Everything is chopped small enough that nothing gets caught.
 
Add the flour.  Whisk to combine.  You want to cook but not burn the Flour so watch your heat.  Cook, whisking regularly for 10 minutes.  Add the leafier stuff: Chives, Spring Onion Greens and Parsley.  Keep moving for a few more minutes.  Add some Black Pepper to your taste.

Add the Milk slowly.  Whisk constantly.  It will gloop up at the beginning but just keep it moving.  At the end it will seem to runny but turn the heat up.   It needs to come to a boil.  When it does, turn down immediately to the lowest heat... or turn off if your burner keeps hot a long time.  Whisk and whisk until you have the consistency of pancake batter.

Turn off the heat but keep on the burner.  Add the Yolks 1 at a time until completely incorporated.  Then add the Coconut Flakes, whisk thoroughly.  Remove from heat.  Then gently fold in the Salt Cod.  Don't use the whisk or you may disintegrate the Fish into catfood.  Set aside to cool.  If you want, you can set aside in a very large mixing bowl.  I just place the pot in a rack/trivet to cool down the mixture and pot. 

Whisk your Egg Whites on high until you get stiff peaks.  That means you could turn the bowl over and it will keep together or you turn the head of your mixer back and the little fluff on the beater will stand up well.  Do not over beat or they get 'dry'.  That means they start to look like and actly styrofoam.

Take a large rubber Spatula.  Take a big scoop, about 1/4 of the foam and mix vigorously into the Yolk mixture.  Don't be gentle here.  You're just lightning the custard.  Then add the rest in batches but gently folding.  Meaning, place the Foam in then cut down the middle, scoop down the bottom and up the side and turn over, turn 90 degrees (1/4 turn) and cut, scoop and turn again until the Whites are 'mostly incorporated'.  Don't worry about white patches.  Repeat until all the Whites are in.

Pour into your buttered Souffle dish.  Clean the rim with your thumb.

Place the filled dish into the oven at the back as fast as you can. The oven can lose 20-40 degrees while you fuss about with the door open.  Now turn down the oven to 400.

30 Minutes is all it will take for it to puff up and brown.  It may jiggle a bit but that's okay.  If it is very wobbly when you cut into it, bake another 10 but for the Cheese free souffles, I normally don't have this issue.  Very YUMMO!

Jamaican Salt Cod Soufflé sliced

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Sunday, Jan 16th - Leftover Ackee and Saltfish with Bagel or Eggs

Leftover Ackee and Saltfish on Toasted Bagel

 It's a good deal that though D likes Ackee and Saltfish, he prefers to Saltcod to the Ackee and I love the Ackee.  How to describe Ackee?  Hmmm, someone on the DDD show on Food the other night described it as tasting like Artichokes.  I can't entirely agree or disagree.  I would maybe put it somewhere as a combination of steamed Articoke, Asparagus and mild Squash.  The texture is quite often described as being similar to Scrambled Egg.  I would agree that it looks like Scrambled Egg but I would say that though it's quite delicate, the lobes have more 'structure' than Scrambled Egg, like the white of a Soft Boiled Egg.  YUMMMMMMO!

So we had about a dinner portion to a portion and a half left over.  I heated some up and served it on a toasted Bagel.  It was delicious!  I picked out as much Ackee as I could in D's half and left him slightly more Saltcod.  He had Fried Eggs, Sunny-Side Up and Saltcod on a Bagel.  It is quite versatile and the basic Vegetables are similar to a Western Omelette.

When I was living in Kingston, Jamaica as an Engineering Student Intern, our cleaning lady used to make us Ackee for Breakfast.  Though, I think she did it because I seemed so genuinely facinated by Ackee.  She actually only made us breakfast as part of her routine and promised to make it if I bought it for her.  So I would buy it from a sidewalk vendor on the way home from work.  I used my Taxi allowance (for safety) bought Ackee and took the bus home.  Our local supermarket never stocked it. 


One time I had bought so much that she steamed the whole lot in case I wanted to cook a second batch on my own.  When it is picked, it looks like the picture on the tin; like a tri-lobal Peach that has split open.  Each piece or lobe of flesh has a large black pit, about the shape of a chestnut.  The flesh is quite firm, like plastic.  You need to boil or steam it too cook with it.  Outside Jamaica and out of season, in Jamaica, use the tinned variety that just need draining.

Saturday, Jan 15th - Ackee and Saltfish with Fried Plantains

Ackee and Saltfish and Fried Plantains

Alas my stash of Ackee is running low.  I'm down to my last two cans.  I've told Dad not to send me anymore from Toronto.  I usd the carbon load on the delivery since the expense argument falls on deaf ears with Dad's when it comes to birthday care packages. That's okay since I have located two sources in Vancouver: a grocer on Commercial, if I get there early since they are snapped up and the Great Canadian Superstore on the way to Deep Cove.

I was watching Diners Drive-ins and Dives and Guy visited a Jamaican restaurant in Nashville.  I was facinated by how the owner did her Saltfish.  She does not soak for 24 hours and nor did she change the water.  All she did was pour boiling water over the Saltcod and let it sit for 2 hours until it flaked and she cooked with it directly.  I on the other hand will change the water every 4 hours or even more frequently and store it in the fridge.  D thinks I change it too much.  So I tried to change it less this time (3-4 times in 24 hours) and did not rinse it off after the poaching to preserve some of the flavour specific to Saltcod rather than just Cod.  It was too Salty for my taste but the Rice and other Vegetables helped.  I would go back frequent rinsing, particularly if you are watching your salt.

Ackee and Salt fish (RECIPE)

I used 3 Birdseye Chilies since I could not find a Scotch Bonnet Pepper (Habenero).  I left them whole so I wouldn't combust D.

Fried Plantains (METHOD)

I served with warm Basmati Rice.  MMMMMMM

July 24th - Jerk Jumbo Prawn Skewers and Red Beans and Rice

Jerk Jumbo Prawn with Grilled Zucchini and Rice and Beans

We were all set to go out tonight but the patio we wanted to eat at was fully booked. We suspected because of the fireworks tonight.  No matter.  We had a friend visit with his 3, THREE, very energetic kids.  Suffice it to say that, we needed the rest.

It is summer after all and what is more glorious and easier than the BBQ.  We try, whenever we can, to avoid turning on the stove all together.  Though, as we were doing Jerk, we did need rice so it was one for a bit.

Jerk Jumbo Prawn Skewers

16 Jumbo Prawns, in shell, deveined
1.5 T Jerk Seasoning, you can use 1 T if you want less spicy
3 sprigs or 1 t fresh Thyme leaves
3 T Olive Oil or Canola Oil (it's not about flavour just marinading but we use EVO for most things)
1 t Curry powder
1/2 T fresh cracked Black Pepper
1 t Sea Salt, AT THE VERY END

Jerk Seasoning is easily bought in most specialty food shops.  Try not to buy too mainstream a brand i.e. mass market that sell parsley and thyme.  They will often be heavier on the the wrong spices and quite laden with Salt.  Try to find a blend that has NO salt.  Who needs to pay Jerk prices for Salt.  That goes for all those blends.  I like Walker's.  Actually, Loblaws have a wet blend that is pretty good. I'm not sure if they make it anymore but it was mouth searingly authentic :^)

It is preferable that the Prawn are still in shell but if you do not want to fuss whilst eating, do not worry.  Try to devein though.  Split with a shallow cut down the back and scrap out the black string.  It will just reduce the grittiness. You can often buy them already ready for the BBQ this way.

In a large mixing bowl, place the Prawn.  Drizzle the oil over and toss by flipping the bowl or if you cannot manage this without decorating your floor, then use tongs.  Sprink over the Spices and Herbs and toss thoroughly.  Do not add the Salt.

Leave the Prawn in the fridge and stir every 15 minutes for at least an hour.  10 minutes before BBQ, add the Salt and toss. 

Skewer 4 Prawn per skewer.  Use any remaining marinade to brush on the skewers as they BBQ.  Do not use this as garnish after cooking.   I needs to be cooked.

If you are using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak in water in a pan for at least an hour.  It will help reduce the burn.

We served the skewers with some BBQ Yellow Zucchini Slices and Jasmine Rice which I cooked with a mind African Pilau Spice blend and Red Kidney beans.  YUMMO!

We had one of my favourite Delta Pinot Noir.  Full summer and Raspberries.  Gorgeous.

June 4th - the Reef - Disappointing re-Visit - No Plantain Blues :'^(

Cold Johnny Cake

The Reef is normally one of my favourite restaurants for casual dining here in Vancouver.  The food is normally high quality ingredients, authentic Jamaican and very tasty.  That was not my experience this Friday.  I have not been back for a while because recently Dad found a supermarket in Toronto that sells Ackee in tins and sent me a care package.  I scolded him of course because as thoughtful as it was to think of me and my ackee addiction, mailing heavy tins of food is not the best way for him to spend his money.  Anyhoo.  I have been making Ackee and Saltfish at home lately and have had the joy of controlling the amount of Ackee.  As I have said before, the great thing on other nights with the Reef is that they are not stingy about the amount of Ackee which is why I go.  I have written before that you do get more ackee on a middle of the week night because they are less busy with fewer people ordering the delicacy.

Seemed like a fair statement at the time but looking back it is a bit of a cop out.  A restaurant of any decent rating should be able to hold its own on any night and the busy weekend nights more than others!  I had been looking forward to the Reef for a couple of days.  D had been out of town for work and when he called ahead to see what I wanted to do for dinner, he already knew the answer.  There were two things on my mind for dinner, a nice helping of Ackee and fried Plantain.  On the drive up Main Street, we past the Ukranian Orthodox Church on 11th.  It dawned on us both simultaneously that it was the first Friday of the month and that mean Peroghy night!  We were a hair away from deciding to turn around for homemade Peroghy served in a Church Hall.  I wish we had. 

When we sat down, I noticed a sign over the till saying '3 Plantains left'.  I quickly waved to our waitress and tried to order Plantains (recall, it was one of the reasons for my wanting to go).  She said that note when up ages ago and they were already out.  She walked over to the mini-whiteboard and sadly, wiped of the note and replaced it with '86 the Plantains'.   EXCUSE ME?  Is this not a Jamaican restaurant?  It was Friday evening, still quite early and the sun was still out and they were out of Plantains! WTF? I was on the edge of my seat.  D, bless him, would have supported my wanted to change venues but I knew he was tired and hungry.

Weak Rum Punch

We started with a Pitcher of Rum Punch.  It was just the two of us and we did not so much as get a buzz on, though that was not the aim.  The Pitcher was a better offer than single drinks.  But the jug was nearly 2/3 full of ice as were the glasses they came with.  It was tasty but there was very little rum and way to much water by the end.  The ice in the photo is not floating.  That was the level of the ice as it came to the table.

 

We got their adored little Johnny cakes which they provide instead of bread.  It is a sort of sweet, doughy fried bread.  I remember it being called Festival bread when I was living there. Normally they are piping hot and you have to bounce them around as you try to spread the Coconut butter on.  Not tonight.  They were stone cold and rather small. 

We ordered Yardie Yam fries to start but really the mains are large enough to forego a starter and as there were no Plantains, I could have skipped it.  I wish we had.  I think there must be a new chef or something because there were a number of these disappointing changes.  The Yam Fries used to be lightly crispy and piping hot. These were skin-on, which on its own is not a bad thing, oily, too salty and SOGGY.  They were over cooked and so it was basically chewy Yamskins.  Terrible. 

I ordered the Ackee of course.  The slaw was different too and gross.  It was either the bottom of the batch or unable to decide if it wanted to be sauerkraut.  I left it.  The Ackee was lean and had been over worked.  The flesh of the Ackee is very delicate.  When you get it out of the tin or after steam fresh Ackee, it has the appearance of say, curled thumbs and the texture is like Fois Gras.  If you move or stir it too much it breaks down like when you use Egg Beaters and they start off looking like real scrambled eggs and end up looking like yellow baby food after it's been spit up.  There was a decent amount of Saltfish at least!

D ordered the Lime Coconut Chicken.  It was too sweet and D did not touch the stodgy mash.

All in all, a very very regrettable night at the Reef.  If this had been my first night there, I would never go back.  It's a shame.  It has been a while since I have been there for Brunch and they have a great Jamaican inspired Brunch menu and I was tempted to suggest going the next day but after that showing, I do not know when I'll go back.  If I do, I'll go on a Wednesday where the food might be better.

Soggy Oily Yardie Yam Fries

Mushy Ackee and Saltfish

(Photos were taken by iPhone. I was so hungry I forgot my Camera!)

The Reef
4172 Main St
Vancouver, BC V5V
www.thereefrestaurant.com
(604) 874-5375







(For the Mushy Ackee, Soggy Yam Fries and Plantain absentia :^( )

Mar 7 - Ackee and Saltfish with Gogoma

Gogoma are Korean Sweet Potatoes. You can buy them as street food during the winter in Korea and at Korean markets. Funny, enough, I used to buy them from vendors in Barcelona too. As well, Koreans buy them by the truck load and roast them in batches at home. They have them ready to reheat as a snack all winter. Korean sweet potatoes are long and narrow like say a tapered zucchini. The skin is purpley-red and the flesh is a eggshell white. Their texture is not firm and does NOT hold up well if you try to use them in cubes as an ingredient. They are best roasted whole with their skin on. When you let them cool off, the flesh pulls away from the crisped skin and it is as easy to peel as a banana.

I went to the H-Mart on Robson today to buy some tomatoes, Dhuck (Rice cake) and regular orange sweet potatoes for dinner. Well, the Dhuck was as a walking snack. I saw that the Korean sweet potatoes were on sale so I went for it. Actually, I do not normally buy these because the best way to cook them is roasting and who bakes potatoes anymore? Or rather who has the time? When they are done, the flesh turns the colour and appearance of an over ripe banana. That is the sugar. They are very sweet. Yummo!

I was not sure if I wanted to have rice with the ackee and I wanted a side. In the end, I made brown rice anyway because I had leftover. I wrap the Gogoma in foil but mom and halmonyee normally just put them batch right on the oven rack. Wash them well! Bake them in the oven at 425 for 40-45 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave them in there as the oven cools.

Ackee and Saltfish with Zucchini and Ginger

250 g saltfish (weight before desalination, I used a lb last time but I weighed it after unsalting)
1 bell pepper
1 small roma tomato, chopped (small because I had zucc's too)
1/4 onion
3 scallions aka 'skellions'
few sprigs fresh thyme
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 tin Ackee drained
1/4 t all spice

Today's twist because of what is in the fridge:
1/2 zucchini (Because I have it, totally optional!)
1/2 inch fresh ginger chopped into matchsticks

In a small pan, simmer the saltfish in enough water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside to cool. Flake when cool.

In a pan, heat some vegetable oil. Fry the onions, scallions and vegetables for a few minutes until soft. Add another 1-2T or so of oil. Add the ackee, ginger, spice and herbs. Move gently with a wooden spoon. Ackee has the appearance of scrambled eggs and is a bit delicate. I like the chunks and try to avoid breaking it down too much.

This might seem a tad contrary to low-fat instincts but there are certain things I do not fiddle with. This is the way Stephen, my flatmate in Grad School from Kingston, Jamaica did it. It was his nan's way and he was making it at home one night whisper to me that his secret to let the ackee fry in oil for a few minutes. It takes away the briney preserved taste.

Simmer for a few minutes. Add the salt cod and simmer for a few minutes more. Add some water if it seems to be too dry. Partially cover.

You may want to add some pepper not salt. The salt cod should still have enough salt left in it.

Serve on rice. Rice and beans is the traditional. You only see half a Gogoma but do not fret. I had the other half with my seconds. :-)

Here is the 'Classic Version' with more Tomato. Actually I used a Red Bell Pepper that time too so it was much more colourful. Actually, I really like the zucchini. It added a good texture. Though with the richness of the fish and ackee, I do not think I'll cut back on the tomato next time. If anything, if I use zucchini again, I will cut back on the bell pepper instead. It was YUMMO!

Washed back the spicy goodness with a Cava on day two.

Jan 22nd - Ackee and Salt Fish with Sweet Potato Fries

Raw Ackee

Tin of Ackee

I love love love Ackee. I first had it while living in Kingston, Jamaica when I was an intern with the Canadian International Development Agency. I used to buy it fresh at the market. The houselady would steam it for me to cook. Out of season and outside of Jamaica, you can only buy Ackee in tins. I used to try to buy it at Jamaican restaurants in Toronto and it was horrible. 2% ackee with 1% salt cod hidden in veg. My flat-mate in Barcelona used to bring tins back with him from home. He would always share. It was adorable. He always did the dishes like dumplings, rundown or ackee, exactly as his nan did. That would invariably include a half a tomato to garnish the plate which he never ate. He bought, washed and sliced the tomato and placed it on the plate because that's what you do, but he never ate it. How cute is that!?

I watched him cook all the time. His tips for ackee have stuck with me. Alas access to ackee in tins did not. I did finally find some in London when I was there but saltcod was not easy to find. I would substitute with smoked kippers. It worked out okay. When I came to Vancouver, I could only find it for 4 times the price I was used to. I did discover my favourite Jamaican restaurant here, the Reef, which is nice and generous with Ackee and the fish, particularly on midweek days when it's less busy.
I finally found a source on Commercial but it is also well known to the locals so it sells out as soon as it comes it. Then I found it at the Real Canadian Superstore in North Van. I normally avoid that shop because it's massive and head spinning. We were in there on a different mission and I found ackee and caught a cold. Nice. But right now, I've got a stock. My dad sent me a care package for my birthday with a few tins of ackee and then he bought me some more when I was home for Christmas. I could now open a shop :-)

Ackee and Salt fish is the national dish of Jamaica. Funny that, Saltcod is sourced largely to Jamaica from Canada. S and I used to chuckle about that. Ackee is a fruit that looks like a tri-lobal apricot while it is growing but then it changes when it's ripe. You cannot CANNOT eat it until it is ripe. It is poisonous until it is. Fortunately, you will know when it's ripe. It opens up like a flower. See the photo on the tin above. You can then see the inside. The shell is not edible. Inside is the 'meat' that looks like cooked eggs with a black pit. You can only eat the little yellow bit. Oddly, it also grows in Barbados and no one there eats it. I think it has a different name there too.

S Nan's Ackee and Saltfish

1 tin of Ackee drained
1 tomato chopped, I like romas because they're meatier.
1 bell pepper chopped (normally green but the green ones looked dodgy so I bought orange)
2-3 green onions
1-2 clove garlic
few sprigs, fresh thyme
1/4 t allspice
1 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and deveined
1 lb salt cod

I got home today and my tomatoes had fallen out of my bag through a hole. Kin's Market owes me tomatoes!

Soak your salt cod for at least 12 hours, ideally 24 hours in advance. Place it in a bowl or dish covered in water and drain and change the water every 4 hours. Keep in fridge.

In a small pan, simmer, the drained fish in water, covered for 15 minutes. Drain and flake. Set aside.

Sautee with a bit of oil, all the veg for a few minutes. You can use a small onion instead of the green onions but my previous Jamaican flatmate who follows the recipes as his nan made it, insists on green onions or 'skellions' as he puts it.

Add a couple of T of oil, neutral oil, and add the ackee. This is a trick I learned from S, my ex-flatmate. Let it simmer in oil and it takes that tinned edge off. Season with pepper but don't over salt since you have salt cod. Carefully turn but don't break up the lobes of ackee too much. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add a few T of water if it seems too dry. Add the herbs and spices.

Add the salt cod and simmer for a couple of minutes more.

Traditionally, you would eat this with blackbeans and rice. I've had it with plain rice. Tonight we're making Sweet Potato fries. Click below for the original post with the recipe.

Sweet Potato Fries

Tried and true oven baked sweet potato fries. Tonight I used one quite large orange sweet potato and one regular russet. Why? because I had them in the frigo, of course. YUMMO!

Monday, June 1st - Rundown and REAL tuna loin wraps

Lunch was soooo good today. We had the left over Wasabi Tuna Loin from the weekend http://365vancouvereats.blogspot.com/2009/05/saturday-may-30-babaganoush-and-wasabi.html in a wrap.

Tuna and Slaw Wrap ('kay so pay attention, this is very complicated. :-P)

Take a whole wheat wrap.
There are two portions of tuna left for a decent meal.
Slice into 8 slices.
Pile about 1/4 c of coleslaw (recipe on the same day above) along the centre like a hotdog, leaving 2 inches on each end.
Place two slices on top.
Fold in the top and bottom and then roll, like a burrito.
You should have 4 wraps.

I was so stuffed after the two but they were so good. One and half would have been perfect for lunch with nothing else for me but who leaves half a wrap.

Dinner was the Rundown which I made yesterday because I knew I had to work late. I was on a conference call until 8pm and then had to walk home. All I could think was, at least dinner is done and will not be pizza.

Make 1/4 - 1/3 (uncooked) jasmine rice per person.

Salt Cod Run Down is here. Reheat in the microwave for 90 s or in a small sauce pan on med heat. If you're eating on new rice, the rice will be quite hot too so you don't need it super heated.

Tomato Salsa

2 c diced tomatoes
2 chilis
1/4 c minced red onion
1/2 c fresh cilantro
1 1/2 limes juiced
1/2 t ground cumin
salt and pepper

Toss and let sit.

I served it along side the rundown with one of the leftover artichokes. MMMMM. I couldn't, for the life of me remember what vegetable side S, my old roommate use to serve. I thought about sauteed spinach to simulate Calaloo but we used it all yesterday in the pasta. The acidity and spice went well. D thought I added too much chili though but didn't render it inedible for him. That's the right amount for Jamaican night :-)

Sunday, May 31st - Lemon Braised Artichokes on Linguini w Cucumber Mint Salad

Breakfast was eggs over easy on market loaf with roasted peppers and a capuccino. I roasted a handful of banana peppers (slightly spicy) on the BBQ yesterday when we were making the tuna. I charred them, peeled them and drizzled some olive oil and set them aside. D went sailing because I had work to do. D was so cute, he left me a note in the egg carton. But it was a piece of note paper with a chicken on it so at first I thought it was him then I thought it was the lady who sold us the Organic Eggs at the market the other day. I sliced the market loaf thin and gently placed the eggs on. I was very surprised that the yolks were so delicate. I broke both but rescued one. (Darn it. I could have sworn I took a photo of the eggs.)

Lunch for me was a couple of slices of fresh bread and the Baba Ganoush we made yesterday before running out the door to get some sun after working all morning on a flipping Sunday!

Salt Cod Rundown (for Monday)

1.5 lbs salt cod

You need to start this the day before. Place the piece of saltcod in a non reactive dish, glass or otherwise, submerged in cold water. Change the water three times right at the beginning. Run the water gently so as not to disturb the fish. Cover the dish and place in refridgerator. Change the water, every four hours or so. I changed the water 5 times in total over a day. If you don't have that kind of time, I'm told you can boil it in water or milk for 20 minutes before using the rest of the recipe. I wouldn't recommend this because it will still be too salty. Drain the cod and cut into small pieces.

1 Can Coconut milk
1 Can water
3 stalks escallion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic (optional, cuz I forgot it)
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper (use a very spicy habanero if you don't have a scotch bonnet)
3 sprigs thyme

Boil the coconut milk and water in a heavy saucepan uncovered until it looks like curdled custard and oil. It will take a while. It will separate. If you run out of patience, as I did, boil for like 15 minutes at least. Place in the cod and the thyme cover and simmer for 15 min on medium heat. Stir in the escallion, tomatoes, pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes.

My old flatmate would make boiled dumplings to go with this. We'll have this tomorrow night with our leftover artichokes and some crusty bread. I made it tonight because I knew I'd have to work late on Monday.... I had a bite though. It is sooooo goood. I didn't have the full amount of cod so it wasn't as thick and fishy as I remember or like. But it was still lovely.

Cucumber and Mint Salad

Perfect for the summer. Light or as rich as you like to make it depending on what you use in the dressing.

1 english cucumber seeded

1 minced shallot

1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt

3 springs fresh mint chopped

Day before, cut the the cucumber down the middle. With a spoon scrape out the seeds. Slice about 1/2 cm place in a colander and and salt liberally. Place over a dish in the fridge over night or several hours ahead.

When preparing, rinse the cucumber slices of the salt and pat dry with paper towel.

Whisk the rest of the ingredients together and toss with the cucumber. Serve very cold.

Lemon Braised Artichokes
(based on a recipe from Michael Chiarello)

6 artichokes, trimmed to the heart, thistle removed and halved
3 lemons
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c broth (chicken or veggie)
3 sprigs fresh oregano and thyme
4 cloves garlic sliced (the original puts this in the pasta dish later with more oil but since we're making it all together, we've simplified)
salt and fresh pepper

Preheat the oven to 375F. In an oven proof large pan, whisk the marinated. As you trim each artichoke, place each heart the pan and cover with the marinade. When they're ready bring to a boil. Place in the oven covered for 45 min until fork tender.

Spinach Fettucine with Lemon Braised Artichokes

Lemon Braised Articokes as above
2 portions of fettucine (1/2 lb for 2 people)
2-4 c washed fresh spinach (how you like it)
parmesan
fresh parsley

If you're doing this right after making the dish this is how you do it. It is different if you've made the artichokes well ahead. You'd have to fry extra garlic and wilt the spinach.

Boil the fettucini as per instructions. Lift out of the water into a big bowl with a pasta fork. Toss hot with the spinach to wilt. Add a 1/2 c of the braising liquid and toss. Spoon on 3 hearts a piece on top and fold in gently. Top with a healthy amount of cracked black pepper and grated parmesan.

Seriously, if you can get artichokes, you need to try this. It is sooooo gooood. The lemon add a nice tartness that cuts the olive oil. And the artichokes still stand out.

Serve with a buttery, honey velvety chardonnay. Since you already have lemons, you don't want anything to acidic. I'd recommend the Poplar Grove or Meyers.

Sunday, May 17th - Tuna Sandwich and the REEF

Breakfast was banana bread and oatmeal. MMMMMM I really like camping breakfasts because I think deep down I really like oatmeal but for some reason, I don't eat it enough during my normal life. Weird.

Lunch was on the hike from Heck up Bear Mountain. I put some Sirah in my sealable travel mug and had tuna sandwich with the second foil pack of tuna loin we packed. No more blue cheese though. We used aged cheddar. MMMM it was so nice with the sirah and especially from the climb that would never end. You can see the tuna loin we used. It was lovely and we got it on sale at TNT. It's normally quite expensive so we'll keep our eyes peeled. It so much nicer than canned.

Dinner was at one of my favorite restaurants. We really struggled with what to do with the Monday of the long weekend. We were going to stay in Harrison for dinner and then drive back after but I really had a craving for Ackee after seeing someone's twit about their Ackee recipe. I couldn't shake it. I was pretty sure I wanted to be back in town for Monday. It was meant to rain and it did. So it was a matter of pack in the rain first thing or sleep at home. So we took off around 7. Got in town for about nine, missed end of the long weekend traffic and hit the REEF....WOOOO Reef. It happened to be their ten year anniversary so draft beer was on sale and so were their jerk wings. Well, we didn't have their jerk wings but D did have some beer.

We got their ever popular plaintain chip starter. I was facing the kitchen so I saw them keep coming. I forgot to take a photo because service was slow and so I dove in. Of course, (eventually) we had their YUMMERIFFIC, johnny cakes that now come with coconut butter. They serve them instead of bread. They've grown. How often does that happen nowadays.... it is 30 percent biggery AYAYAYYYAYA. They're fried, cornmeal like bread. SOOOOOO good.

I got their famous ackee and saltfish.. Now let me explain where my opinion comes from. I lived in Kingston Jamaica for five months. I ate it in restaurants, had a friend make it, made it myself there. I had a jamaican flatemate in gradschool, S, who made it and swore by his nan's recipe, had other jamaican friends in grad school make it. Bought it in tins to make it myself S's way while living in London. Bought in old skul places in Brixton in London. I know good ackee... except for the small amount of ackee in it. It is the Shizza. They do put a decent amount of ackee. I know this place on Yonge near Wellesley in Toronto. You'd be hard pressed to find any ackee in their ackee and saltfish. Oh and the REEF, puts a lovely amount of saltfish too. YUMMMMMMMM

Oh important food-footnote, I am a suck for heat. I love the hot sauce at the reef. It is old skul scotch bonette pepper. They also have their own sauce which is cool with some pineapple. But the Matouk's is the best. But I've been known to over do it. I'm in a good place now:-D. I temper my temptation:-D

D got goat curry. He thought it had more potatoes than curry but still quite nice. That's why I stick with the signature. I've fallen for their Mahi mahi and their specials in the past but I have learned... ackee, that's the way, ackee. I did not care for their rumpunch and their wine list is horrible.

 

I may winge about the winelist and the slow service but their Plaintain Chips, Johnny Cakes and Ackee keep me coming back every few months.

 

Cost: $-$$

Ambiance: Dark and slightly, collegial

Staff: Friendly but slow

Winelist:  not worth a mention but it is Jamaican-mon

 

the Reef

4172 Main St
Vancouver, BC
604-874-5375
 

Sunday, May 3rd - Carribean Salt Cod Fritters and Okonomiyaki

Brunch was: (I started soaking the fish yesterday in a glass lasagna pan and changed the water every few hours. Must do this. D didn't the last time we made brandade and even though you soak it long enough, the salt will just sit around the fish unless you wash it away.)

Carribean Salt Cod Fritters
(Based on RecipeZaar - LadyPalm)
8 ounces (1lb) salt cod
1/2 c flour, half whole wheat half unbleached regular
1 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1T fresh orego-thyme leaves destemmed and washed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg lightly beaten
1/2 c milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 medium onion, finely grated or really finely chopped, I used the fine tooth comb on my madolin
1 hot pepper. I used a mexican chili. To be authentic, SCOTCH BONNET. Becareful and do not touch your eyes after or use gloves or hold the pepper with a piece of plastic film. Remember that episode of the Simpsons where Homer when crazy from eating a crazy pepper? It was probably a scotch bonnet.
oil about 1/2 inch up the side of a teflon pan or any. I just suck at not burning or sticking.

1 Soak the salt cod in water overnight. Drain, rinse well, place in saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and, when cool enough to handle, flake fish and set aside.

2 Mix flour, baking powder, spices and salt together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in egg, milk and melted butter. Mix together to make a smooth batter. Stir in onion, chilli and flaked fish and mix well. Add more or less flour/milk as needed to make a typical fritter batter --flours vary due to changes in humidity.

3 Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in large deep fryingpan until hot but not smoking. Drop tablespoons of the mixture into the oil, a few at a time, spaced well apart. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning once or twice until golden brown. Put heat on medium high. When I had it on high, they browned way too quickly. When I turned it down they took too long

4 Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper. I put a few paper bags from groceries underneath as well. I'm going to work on a non deep frying version now that I've tried this once through.

5. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven while frying the remaining fritters. Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauce (I like seafood cocktail sauce). Number of servings really depends on how big you make the fritters.

THEY WERE AWESOME. Tasted of Jamaica and the fresh thyme and bay seasoning are essential. The original recipe says all the herbs are optional. They are not.

We had them with a Arugula salad with Tomato and Avocado. Also as condiments we had hot sauce and watermelon chutney MMMMMMMMM

D also had a spontaneous desire for lemon aioli so as he dug in he hopped up and made some.

Easy Lemon Aioli

2T mayonnaise (real, preferable olive oil based)

1 T fresh thyme

1 T fresh squeezed lemon

1/2 clove garlic (optional)

Dinner is at a friends.... I'll work on the Saturday posting of curry later. Photos to come.

S is a lover is a conniseur of Japanese cuisine. He feels that as he is not Japanese, that to do it justice and pay proper homage, he does it exactly as it should traditionally done. Yay for us! He made us half a dozen Okonomiyaki, Miso soup, and spinach salad. The Okonomiyaki came with the traditional core ingredients of a light batter binding cabbage and ginger with: Pork, Shrimp, Mochi (rice cake), other veg or Noodle. He said that the Mochi and Noodle topped one is a ladies' favourite and HE IS RIGHT. It was soooo good. You dress the completed 'pancake' with Nori flakes, Bonita (dried tuna) flakes and deep hoisin like sauce. Mayo is on the table and eaters' choice.

SOOOOO goood! He is a master of japanese cuisine, seriously. I'm told his sabu sabu is to die for. Alas, I don't eat pork broth.

We had two bottle so of Sake. One we brought from Tokyo, Dai Gingo IWAI http://tiny.cc/IWAY and one that S's friend 'Coco' brought from Japan as well, Goching Gam-Bye http://tiny.cc/sake. Both were subtle, mellow and complex. Not what we're used to in random sushi joints that taste of harsh methyl alcohol. The latter was lighter and more lively than the one we brough which was more 'serious' in attitude... (not in quality)... as a drink I mean. It was stern but round and yummy.

We finished the evening with a choice of fudgicle..mmmmmm or vanilla ice cream with green tea Matcha powder.

Thursday, February 19th - Basa and Bap

Breakfast was a bowl of Optimum Power cereal and D had organic yogurt with a kiwi and Smart Bran.

Lunch, I had some Mandu from mom. I just sauteed them in a tiny bit of oil and water. I made a dipping sauce of soy, rice wine vinegar and chilis.

Dinner, I bought some Basa fillets and I'm going to serve it with Jerk spice, asparagus and 'Bap'. It's an african dish of white cornmeal simply boiled in salted water.

Jerk Basa

I took a 1.5 lb filet of basa frozen. I sprinkled some of my favorite Walker's spice all over it and on the back and left it out to thaw on a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil on a broiling pan. It was frozen solid so I knew it was safe to do so since I'd be cooking it off right away after a few hours. I would not recommend you leave fish or chicken out at room temperature over night or all day (by the by, my place is slightly chilly as well, so that helped me not worry. I hate the idea of germs, bacteria or rotting). I thaw on metal. The conduction of the metal speeds thawing. Glass will not do the same.

As it thawed, I drained the water off into a small skillet I had the pan sitting on top of. I simply tipped in whatever liquid I had collecting, spices and all. When I thought most of the liquid was gone and the fish was mostly thawed after 2-3 hours, I took my Jerk Rub that I used a couple of weeks ago, see the photo of the label (Metropolitan Chef spice Rubs). I wouldn't recommend it. It was more allspice than thyme or heat. That distinctive hit you get when you open a Walkers is not there at all. Actually, you know which is not bad at all, the PC brand sauce in a bottle. Spicy and proper aroma. I used 1T of the Jerk Rub augmented by more of my Walkers, 1t and 1T of soy, 1t of white wine vinegar (you can use plain) and 1.5T of vegetable oil. Mix well. I chopped 2cloves of garlic and minced 2 birdseye red thai chilis (you know those tiny dangerous looking ones) and added them to the rub. I poured it all over the top of the fillet. And if any spilled over the side, I pushed it under the fish.

Chop 1/2 medium white onion. Sprinkle all over the fish and shove some under as well. Let it sit for another hour or two (at least half an hour if you're running late)

As a side, I took one bunch of fresh asparagus. I was lazy so I chopped one inch off the ends instead of doing the snapping thing to get the woody bit off the end. I tossed them in olive oil and salt and pepper.

Turn the broiler on high. Put the rack in at second from the top. Drain any last minute liquid off the fish into the skillet. Add the asparagus all along the sides. Place under the broiler. After 5-10 minutes turn the pan around 180 degrees so that the asparagus gets' evenly cooked. Toss the aspargus a bit with thongs. Broil for another 10-15. Crack it open to check it but the broiler works best for the veg if you leave the door closed like a BBQ. D was running late so I turned the oven off and left the door closed for like 10-15 and it was still piping hot when he got over.

BAP - white cornmeal

While the broiler is going, or even before, I did it before, boil hard the drain off water and add more water until you have at least 2 c. skim off any milky fat that comes the surface. Turn down the heat to a simmer. Add salt and pepper (taste it though. Jerk rub has salt) Add more water whenever necessary. Measure out 3/4 c (two people healthy portion no leftover) of white cornmeal, medium coursness. Rain it over the water, and whisk with a fork or whisk. Try and get it smooth but you're gonna have lumps. I had to add quite a bit more water as it cooked through and just as it was done and I turned off the heat, I poured on 1/4c water and mixed it in. It seemed a bit watery but that's okay, I put the lid on and let it sit until I needed it. The african version I had in South Africa was quite dense and clumpy and no spices and it was yum. I did a texture somewhere between that and grits.

Serve out the BAP on your plates. Top with a piece of fish and veg on the side. Actually, I just served out the BAP and then brought the whole fish and asparagus drill set up on a tray for self serve.

I had a Smirnoff Cosmo.

Tuesday, February 17th - Fried Plantains

Breakfast was organic yogurt with cereal.

Lunch, I took a small leftover portion of the barley. I also indulged in a long-standing craving of a Big Turk chocolate bar. It was not at all the way I remember it from childhood and it was better. I've had real turkish delight since childhood. One of the key ingredients in Turkish sweets is Rose Water. No that isn't the water you put your fresh roses in. It is a distillation of rose petals in water. It is very potent and you only need a few drops in any recipe. Turkish Delight is like a jelly and the Big Turk is the jelly dipped in chocolate. mmmmm

Dinner we had the Gumbo from Sunday and I fried a big ass Plaintain. A plantain is of the banana family but much much larger. The one we had was easily a foot in length and a man's grip around. Often in shops, they'll look black and perhaps, unappetising. Don't worry, they go black but it doesn't mean that they're rotten or over ripe. The only way to verify that is by squeezing gently. But generally, by the time they get there, they are no longer on the shelves. They will never ripen like a banana. You need to cook them to eat them. It is a common side in Jamaican cuisine. The classic of Fried Sliced Plantains is often eaten at breakfast. When I was living in Kingston, our cleaning lady used to make them in the morning with our eggs.

Fried Sliced Plantain

Chop off the top and tail.
Gently run a knife down the length of the peel, piercing the skin but not the flesh.
Open it up and remove the peel.
Slice the plantain 1/2 cm to 3/4 cm. Either directly across in circles or on the bias so you have ovals.
Heat a skillet or non-stick fry pan with a decent amount of vegetable oil on medium high.
Have the fan on high.
Have a plate with paper towels ready.
Have salt and pepper and spice of your choice. Recommended is nutmeg, I had allspice. D wanted me to add his all purpose Dean and deLuca Chipotle rub.
Spread out the slices and have a splatter guard at the ready.
Turn when they go a caramel colour. Only a few seconds too long and they will go BLACK. No worries, they still taste fine. But the high starch content will cause the blackening really suddenly.
Turn and cook until caramel in colour. Remove to paper towel. Add more slices until they're all done.

If you like them chippier, then use a mandolin. But you'll want to probably only do that if you have a young plantain with an almost potato texture.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spice. Eat while hot.

Thursday, February 5th - Rainy BBQ Salmon

I am seriously considering leaving out mid-week breakfasts in the blog. They're fairly repetitive. Though, I am a big cereal connoisseur and I like to make recommendations about them. I had Lactose free milk, which I really do prefer over soy milk when served cold, with Nature's Path Slim with a handful of Smart Bran. It was really good. Not sweet but not bland. It has pieces that look like: rice puffs, chex, all bran rods and flakes.

For Lunch, I took the left over curry portion. D made wraps. When he first started his new job last fall, he was eating out alot. I mean all of a sudden you're in the thick of Yaletown restaurants after being in exile in Burnaby. But it added up. So every once in a while, he'll remember that, particularly after booking a really expensive holiday and winning some bids on eBay. His wraps used some of our Superbowl leftovers.

Whole Wheat flat tortilla wraps:

In one:

1. Generous dollop of hummous

2. Marinated Italian Eggplant

3. Baby spinach

In the other:

1. Kalamata tapenade

2. Irish Organic cheddar

3. Baby Spinach

For Dinner, I bought some fresh wild Sockeye Salmon steaks from TNT. It's a chain of chinese supermarkets throughout Vancouver. There are some in Toronto as well, I think. http://www.tntsupermarket.com/ It's the best place in town for fresh seafood for prices. We took a cooking course once with the chef from the Gastown restaurant le Magasin who used to own a seafood restaurant on Robson. Funny, now he runs a charcuterie which is basically meat meat meat. Well, anyhoo, he says he buys all this seafood at TNT. It was he that told me that they'll chop up your dungeness for you for free if you buy te live stuff there. What a boon that discovery was. The salmon was on sale for $3.99 a pound.

I picked a medium to smallish looking steak and was poking my head around looking for another one of similar size. The fish monger was helping me but they were all really big. I pointed at one and she told me, in true sharp chinese marketer tones, "that's too big for you". She's selling me fish and she's trying to sell me less. I love it. Well, it was about 1.75 lbs or nearly 1kg. Still, I thought it was just reasonable.

I had a small girl fist sized sweet potato in my fridge from like a month ago. I had bought it as a snack and never ate it. Since it was still in the carrier bag, I sorta forgot it was there. I brought that to D's too. I had bought Asparagus last Saturday on Commercial at the market near Charles street. It's the best place for overall veg prices but if you watch as you walk down, some are better elsewhere. 2.99/lb and it was 4.99 everywhere else. We had 2 large Kale leaves left too.

It started to rain around 6pm and so when we got home, he was like, 'So we're broiling right?' But he was all big on BBQ yesterday so I had it stuck in my head so I insisted, and offered to hold the umbrella. His deck on the side with the BBQ isn't covered at all. He conceded.

I used my Jerk Rub that I bought at the One of a Kind craft fair last fall. It smelled the goods but it wasn't potent enough according to the directions which said you only needed to put it on right before cooking. It needs to sit longer. I augmented with my real Walker jerk spice too. It worked really well on the veg. So you take 1T of rub with 2T of oil. I used 1T olive oil and 1T canola. I washed and patted the salmon steakes. I poured about half a T on each side and rubbed it in. I sprinked some more Walkers on top and then washed a few sprigs of thyme and spread some across too. I used the 1 T or so of leftover rub and added some more oil and rubbed it all over the prepped asparagus and washed kale. I nuked the sweet potato for 3 minutes which was slightly too long for the size of it.

The steaks were over an inch thick so they took quite a while to cook through. Nearly 5-10 minutes a side. The kale cooked too quickly and charred a bit. It tasted super nutty and yummy and we couldn't place taste. I figured it out. It tasted a bit like roasted brussel sprouts. mmmmm.

Well, in the end, D and the fish monger were right. D only finished 2/3rds of this steak, which was bigger (easily 25% bigger but he didn't see it and AND he didn't seem to think that it was different from the pizza dough inequality accusation :0D). I finished 3/4 of mine. There was easily a whole 200-300 g left or a portion. He offered to make me a wrap for lunch but in the end we saved it for a pasta for another day.

I wouldn't recommend the Rub. If you do, I'd might leave it on longer. Or the other way, baste it whilst cooking. It was great on the veg.

Thursday, January 22nd - Ackee and Saltfish

We have an out of town guest coming in tonight. I was still feeling sort of full this morning so I skipped breakfast. Of course by, lunch I was starving. I had a spicy Korea Ramen with extra bean thread noodles added with some dehydrated vegetable protein. It is not as bad as it sounds but it's going to get worse before it gets better. While it in its dried form, it is not too disimilar from gravel or dried pet food. But you have to soak it or cook it in about equal parts of water volume-wise. Specifically, it is 7/8ths wet to dry. It bloats up and looks like chicken nuggets. If you have a non-flavoured one, it will have a tofu'ish flavour and have the chewy texture of say, octopus or squid. It's meant to approximate chicken I think, sort of like Quorn in the UK. High in protein, easy to store and 'beefs' up a quick meal.

The extra noodles were a mistake. They always are. I don't know why I do it. EVERY time I think I should add extra noodles cuz one measely packet of ramen can't possible sate me, I AM WRONGO. I couldn't finish it and I realised it about 1/3rd way in so I started to target the protein chunks only.

For dinner Vaughn, D's friend from Paris who lives in Shanghai was in so was took him to the Reef. A great great Jamaican restaurant on Main and 25th. It's fantastic. I wish I took photos cuz Vaughn's dessert, which was yummy looked like a turd.

I had a Banna smoothie, Rum, Malibu, Pineapple and Banana (double). D and Vaughn had some pale ale. Originally, Vaughn orderd a 'Scrumpy' Cider but as D very accurately put it, it smelled like ass. I hated to do it but I asked the waitress if it's meant to smell like that. The replaced it but all the staff tried it to check, of course. They all agreed.

We had their yummy Johnny cakes which is their table bread. It comes with coconut butter (that was new). In jamaica I remember them being called Festival bread. It's slightly sweet and have fine cornmeal. They're deep friend an addictive. We had Fried Plaintain for a starter. They deep fry them cut thin lengthwise so not the soft pucks I used to have for breakfast in Kingston. Soooo goood. It comes with some sort of mayo which I forgot to take note of. I always use (too much) of the scotch bonnet pepper sauce.

For main, I had my favorite, Ackee and Saltfish... (details to come)
D had the Reef's version of Rundown with Shrimp and Snapper (details to come)
Vaughn had some curry/jerk pork.

For dessert we had fried bananas with Chocolate sauce and icecream. So good..... (details to come, must work)

The Reef
http://www.thereefrestaurant.com/
4172 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
V5V 3P7
(604) 874-7684

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 - Hummous and Soufflee

It snowed a storm today. It IS still coming down in flakes the size of golfballs. D is now in full cold mode so he refused to go out. We had planned on going to Commercial to stock up on our favourite veg and pasta goodness but he insisted nothing would be shovelled. It was true.

For breakfast, I had a pot of the cuban coffee and D had more of the Ritual Life Saver Cap. The shop is on Valencia near 24th in the Mission in San Francisco. The beans are roasted on site. The baked goods are amazing too and they have free wifi.

We heated up the leftover scones in the oven rather than the micro...mmmm sorry no photos but they were picture perfect even the next day.

After a couple of hours of watching the snow fall, I had to head out. I walked down to Granville island for stuff to make our Seafood Carribean Soufflee and Spanakopita. While down at the public market, D rings me because he is restless and decided to make hummous. It is yummo, easy as running a blender and adjusted a bit to make it easier for you.

Original recipie included having to boil your own chickpeas from dry. Yeah right.

HUMMMMMOUS..

1 14 oz can of chick peas
3 large garlic cloves or more if you fancy that sort of thing. Raw garlic is said to have rejuvenating powers.
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil plus some for drizzling. if you don't have oil that is tasty enough to use in a dressing then don't sub in cooking oil.
pinch of ground cumin (1/8t)
1/4 C tahini. like I said Apple Hill on 6th has at least 4-5 types including organic.
1/8 C lemon juice

Blend in a food processor until the consistency of lumpy pancake batter, .... do not over process.

Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika and parsley or dill... drizzle with olive oil. Serve with bread or chips..mmm










the Ikea bread from yesterday is depicted behind the hummous






D forgot to defrost the Phyllo, so I'll have to wait a few hours to make

Spanakopita

SERVES 15 , 15 spanakopitas
Ingredients

1 cup cooked fresh spinach (leaves only and well packed)
(this will be like 1-2 big bunches. It cooks down tremendously)
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 green onions or shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (I love dill, also like it on top. I am copying that from a place on Commercial)
4 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
salt, to taste
black pepper
1/4 cup butter (melted)
6 sheets phyllo pastry sheets
1 pinch grated nutmeg. (really adds a kick!)

1. You can either blanch the spinach or chiffonade it and cook it in the saute pan with the onions.
2. I used one enormous shallot. I don't know where TNT buys their Shallots but they're massive and you have buy them by the dozen. So I used one the size of a plum. Fry in a non stick on medium. Add the drained spinach or chiffonade and dill. Turn the heat up now and make sure the pan is dry. Set aside to cool.
3. Add the nutmeg and eggs. I had extra yolks from the macaroons from yesterday so I used one whole egg and two yolks.
4. Crumble the feta and stir in.

Defrost Phyllo and cover with a damp cloth. Work the rest quickly.

5. Take a sheet of fillo and cut in four strips. Butter with brush like you're painting the whole piece and layer two ontop of each other. Put a table spoon of filling at one end. Fold in a triangle to one corner of the strip like (I hate to use this analogy but like folding a flag). Keep folding all the way up the strip. Place on baking sheet and butter a little and then sprinkle paprika and some dill. Continue until all the filling is gone.
6. You can apparently refreeze the phyllo. I doubt this to be true but that's what the package says.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. It took us 18 minutes.

They turned out amazing.... now onto dinner. Souffleee....

Carribean Seafood Soufflee for Dinner

Ingredients
1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup celery tops
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (I grabbed the wrong ziplock and used Zanzibar pilau mix which had cardommon and pepper, i'll have to let you know later how it turns out)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 pound crabmeat (I used a 230 ml can of salmon because crab is currently $40/kg which is obscene)
6 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

D is a bit worried about the lack of guyere cheese. But that's the recipie.

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 8 cup souffle dish.
Toast coconut in a non-stick skillet over low heat. You can use a regular but make sure you don't burn the sugar in the coconut.
In a medium skillet, melt butter over low heat and add the celery, garlic, curry powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper - cook for 3 minutes. Stir in flour until smooth for about 1 minute.
Pour in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Set aside and cool slightly.
Whisk the egg yolks one at a time into the sauce. Stir in coconut and crab meat.
In medium bowl, beat egg whites and lemon juice with a mixer until stiff, but not dry.
Stir 1/4 of the whites into crab mixture. Quickly and gently fold in the remaining whites. Do not deflate the volume.
Transfer mixture to the souffle dish and place it on a rack at the bottom of the oven.
Bake for 35 minutes or until golden, puffed and still moist inside. I did it until 30 as instructed. The dead centre was the texture of pudding but cooked. The out edge was perfection. So I'd have left it in for a few more minutes. This was SOOOOO good.

We had it with a simple green salad tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Ymmmm

It won't rise up as crazy as a typical soufflee but it puffed up.