Red Quinoa and two Bean Salad



Red Quinoa and  two Bean Salad

It started off as a plan to use up some Baby Arugula and White Kidney Beans I had in the fridge.  I do so hate to waste food.  It eats at me to know something in the fridge may go off.  It's a simple dish so to entertain meself, I shall write this post in the voice of one of my favourite old cooking show from the UK called the Two Fat Ladies.  That is not at all a euphamism.  It was hosted by two quite posh, older English ladies who were inarguably obese.   One was from quite an affluent background, Clarissa, a former barister come etiquette expert and TV chef.  She foresook of the drink on the show whist her mate on the show, Jennifer, who also spake with a poshness, rode a motorbike and drank on the show's wind-down showing off her garrishly manicured fingernails.  Simply delightful.  They cooked some of the most ghastly English fare like a Pork Pie topped with a Pork aspic, Rabbit Tureen, Tomato and Bread Pudding, Whole Flank Steak stuffed into a hollowed Loaf, Chicken Livers wrapped in Bacon.... Lard, Bacon, Offal and Cream to make the French seem as if they are fasting.  I loved it, mostly to watch them.  Splendid good fun.  No fuss about chopping or quantities.

This is a frightfully simple dish to have on a warm day.  When one can't bear the idea sitting before a large hot dish, salads essential.  Admittedly, darlings, you do need to light the stove to cook the Quinoa but thankfully you needn't stand guarding the pot.  You place it on the heat and leave it be for 20 minute or until you need it, with the heat off.  I used Red Quinoa because I had it to hand it is ravishing in the bowl against the brilliant colours of the other Veg but you could easily substitute regular.  I would normally have used some Garbanzo Beans but I had these dear little White Kidney beans left over so I used them.  You can really use whatever favourite Legume you prefer.  They add a devine meatiness and creaminess to any salad.

Cook the Quinoa as you would.  I cook it with double the quantity of Water to Quinoa on High Heat for 15-20 minutes with a pinch of Salt.  Set it aside with a cover until cool.  Wonderful.  When the pot is empty fill and boil with Salted Water.  Boil gorgeous French Green Beans aka Haricots Verts  Yes, they are different.  They're far more slender than the 'regular' as you'd expect.  Boil for 2 -3 minutes and drain and rinse with Cold Water and Ice Cubes.  Drain thoroughly.   You want them cooked but not a murky and mushy Green.  You still want a bit of snap. Frightfully summery.  Chop.

In a large bowl, place the Quinoa.  Mix in half a finely chopped Red Onion, Jalapeno Pepper, zest and juice of a Lime.  Add a quantity of Fresh Herbs.  I harvested some Basil, Chives, Tarragon, Oregano, Mint and Thyme.  You can use whichever herbs you have but do use fresh dear.  Add a teaspoon of Ground Cumin and Ground Coriander and a measure of Black Pepper.  Toss with 2-3 T of Olive Oil and if you have it, add a small measure of White Balsamic.  Add the Beans and Haricots and toss gently.  You wouldnt want to smash the beans, would you?  I decided to add a nice plump Roma Tomato for a bit of natural acidity and balance.  I could eat a surfeit of Quinoa.  It feels splendidly healthly.  Frightlfully so.  It's a curious thing to think of a Grain that is considered a Protein.  A wonderous thing.    Let it stand at room temperature covered for at least half an hour for all the luciousness to meld together.

I ate it atop a mound of Arugula and Cooked Shrimp I had in the refridgerator.  Toss before eating because I find Arugula a tad too bitter unless dressed.  You could equally eat just as it is. 

Enjoy and tata!

Sunday, Sep 26th - Memories of Brick Lane - Cous Cous

Memories of Brick Lane Cous Cous

When most people of think Brick Lane memories, 99.99% will think of Curry.  I have indeed had the best curry of my life on or around Brick Lane...probably closer to White Chapel, but you know.  But when I nostalgically think of my time in London, I think of Market Days on the weekends on Brick Lane or late nights out which ended on Brick Lane for a nosh.  My sister O was living in England at the same time, doing a Master's up at Cambridge and she used to come down on the weekends.  She loved the markets of London.  There is nothing like a vintage market anywhere in North America like those around Brick Lane and Portobello.  On those days or nights, I would most often find myself at Cafe 1001.  Well, that's what it's called now anyway.

It's about mid-way along Brick Lane just south of the overhead crossover.  You'll see.  Heading south, to your right you'll see what looks like a dodgy alley.  It's called, wait for it.... Rough Trade.  Don't be scared, if you are there on the weekends, the line up for the grill is around the corner.  O liked to wait in line while I went inside and grabbed a table with a couple of the mis-matched chairs.  Inside, there are heaps of lovely salads which you can get on a mixed plate or pre-packed in 1l containers.  Probably the best deal in town.  They are super fresh and healthy.  So light years of where the rest of England was at the time before Jamie's crusade.  I gravitated to the Cous Cous.  It was the simplest of Cous Cous but something about it had depth and 'meatiness' though it was entirely vegetarian.  I make cous cous all the time but I always go a bit overboard if let loose on it.  I also tend to try to make them super healthy with lots of vegetables and light on the dressing.  The one on Brick Lane probably had virtually no dressing but it a even yet controlled amount of feta throughout so you had some in every single bite.

Even this tribute to my nostalgia has 1 too many vegetables in it but I tried to keep it simple otherwise.  Aahh

Memories of Brick Lane Market Days Cous Cous

(Serves 2 as big side/main or 4 sides)

2/3 c Cous Cous
1 c Cold Water
1/4 c Red Onion, finely diced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper (Capsicum), diced small ~1/2 cm
9 Kalamata Olives, pitted and minced
2-3 T (40 g) Hard Goat Feta, finely crumbled
1/2 c Chick Peas
2 Scallions, chopped
1 Lime Juiced
2-3 T Olive Oil
1 T fresh Basil and Parsley, chopped fine
Salt and Pepper (about 1/2 t Salt)

In a large bowl, place the Cous Cous with the cold water and let stand for half an hour.  This keeps it light and fluffy.  It might seem dry but do not be tempted to add more water.  There are more liquids coming from the vegetables and Lime Juice.

I used brine cured Olives but you could probably use Dry cured but you'll want to watch your salt level in addition after.  To pit them, you can either use a cherry pitter or much easier, place it on a cutting board lying down and gently lean on it with the flat of a knife like you would crush a garlic clove.  Then remove the pit.  Mince the Olives and the Feta quite fine.  Really.

Add the all the Vegetables and toss well.  I like to add the Salt to the Lime Juice so I know it get's spread out.  Up to you if you want to wait and taste.  Or you could add half the salt to the Juice and then season to taste.  Sprinkle the juice evenly over and toss well.  Drizzle the Olive Oil and toss as you go.  I like to add the Herbs and Scallions last for no particular reason. 

Let stand for at least 10-15 minutes in the fridge just to meld together.  The longer the better.  If you want it to taste more like the cafe I remember, you could leave the lime out.

Mmmmm

Saturday, Aug 21st - BBQ Spicy Black Bean Ling Cod and wedding crafts

Boiled fresh Sweet Corn and Salad

Friends are having a BBQ / wedding decoration gathering at their new house.  I brought some Cod for the grill but P & E probably could have fed us three times over.  They recently bought a house with a yard which is a hard won victory in Vancouver.  I came away sated and full of yard-envy :^D
 
BBQ Spicy Black Bean Ling Cod

2 200 g Ling Cod Steaks, cleaned
1 T Black Bean Sauce
1 T Spicy Soy Chili Sauce (not like Soy Sauce but Soy paste)
1/2 T Oyster Sauce
1-2 cloves Garlic
1/2 T fresh Ginger, minced
1 T Sesame Oil

Mix all the sauce ingredients together.

I am all about the tray for grilling now.  I know it might be my grill or temperature but my fish has been sticking so after my friend's BBQ a couple of weeks ago where he had the Salmon-a-thon, I have starting using foil trays in the grill for more delicate fish, particularly with a marinade.

I am taking this to a BBQ so I formed the tray that would fit neatly into a plastic container with a lid.  Lightly oil the foil.  Place the fish inside.  Spoon on the sauce and let sit until you're ready to grill.  Simply lift the foil tray out of the container and place on the grill.

Place on the hot grill for 10 minutes with lid down.  Sooooo good. It was on the spicy side so you could cut the Soy Chili in half if you want.

Our friends were having a craft making session for their wedding. It was fun!  I used to love watching Martha Stewart years and years ago so it was like a real life session with that squeaky voiced girl who does all the wedding crafts.  She's slightly annoying but a wedding craft genious. I think she's still with the show.

Anyhoo, P did all the grilling and prep work.  To nosh on while we rested post, crafting, he made us some nibbles of Heirloom Tomatoes, Blue Cheese and Basil.  I have never tried that before.  You normally think of using fresh Mozzarella or so I was more pleasantly surprised.  I am definitely trying this again at home!

Heirloom Tomatoes and Blue Cheese and Basil

He made some wonderful Salads from garden Veg from the neighbour.  I don't have such generous neighbours.... but we don't have back yards either :^P. We roasted some AMAZING potatoes they bought at the Trout Lake Farmer's market that advertised that they tasted like they were already buttered.  No lie.  They were YUMMO!  and of course, 'tis that time of year that the corn from the 'Wack' starts coming in.  My Asian themed fish I brought did not go as well as the burgers but I don't care.  Everything was delicious!

Monday, August 16th - Uber-Herb Quinoa and Avocado-Cuke Salad with Smoked Salmon

Uber Herbed Green Quinoa and Avocado-Cuke Salad with Smoked Salmon

 We had a hot weekend and while we were away, our balcony herb garden had a growth spurt.  As well, unseaonally hot weather continued to today so the idea of turning on the stove for very long was unbearable.  I opted for a Salad Main but a hearty one and not one that could be accused of being bird food.  I was going to buy some fish on the way home to quickly sear to place on top but the idea of the heat just turned me off.  So instead we used a Smoked Salmon that we had bought some time ago at TnT.  It is not the raw lox form of Smoked Salmon.  It is a cooked Smoke varity and they come in foil pouches for better preservation and flavour.  You could used tinned Salmon. I would not use Tuna because I do not like the metallic taste that happens when tinned Tuna and Cucumber come together.

Oh and what is that random Cherry Tomato on the plate?  We're growing an Heirloom Cherry Tomato plant on our balcony.  Unfortunately, we started it before our 3 week holiday so after budding three Tomatoes, it went dormant during the hot spell during our vacation.  So at least it did not die.  But now it is growing out of control.  It is bigger than a regular Tomato plant which we had not anticipated.  It is starting to bud new Tomatoes so we're pretty excited.  It never get's hot enough in town to be as fruitful as say Toronto where mom stopped growing Cherry Tomatoes because she could not keep up with production, giving pints away weekly.  We may get a pint by summer's end.

Uber-Herb Quinoa and Cuke-Avo Salad
(Serves 3 as a Main)

3/4 c Quinoa
1 1/2 c Vegetable Broth or Water
1/8 t Salt (pinch)
1/2 T Olive Oil
1 1/2 Limes, juiced
1/4 c fresh Parsley Chopped
1/2 c fresh Chives Chopped
1/2 c fresh Arugula
1/4 c fresh Basil (Purple, chopped and Green)
1/2 English Cucumber, peeled and diced (1cm)
1 Avocado, diced (1cm-1/2inch)
Pepper to taste
Two Cherry tomatoes (optional - first from our plant! :^D)
1/2 c Green Beans, blanched (optional, I forgot to buy them but I meant to add some more green!)

In a small sauce pan, bring the Quinoa and the Water to a boil then reduce to a bare simmer covered for 15-20 minutes.  Turn the heat off and leave covered and let sit there for another 10-15.  Take off the element and fluff with a fork.  Let cool with the cover off. 

In a large mixing bowl or serving bowl, add the 1-2 T Olive Oil.  Add the Quinoa and mix thoroughly.  Add the Lime Juice and Salt and toss.

Chop all the herbs but the Green Basil and Arugula.  Set aside 1T of the Chives and a few sprigs of Parsley for the top.

Add all the herbs but the Green Basil and Arugula.  Toss.  Add the Cucumber.  Toss.  Add the Avocado cubes (see below).  Toss gently so you do not mush your Avocado.  For this purpose, the Avocado should be ripe but not mushy.  If you hold it whole in your palm and flex your grip you will feel a bit of a give and no sinking of fingers.

Season to taste.  Top with a piece of smoked Salmon or leave it out for a veggie option and garnish.  THIS WAS SOOOO GOOD and perfect for the heat.

We drank a Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2008 with it.  One of my favourite White Wines right now. 

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It is super easy to slice an avocado and I have covered it in previous posts and this video is a good demonstration as well..

.

Aug 8th - 100 Mile Birthday BBQ - Super Slaw

Super Fennel Slaw with BBQ Spring Salmon with Sundried Tomato Relish

Our friend DL is celebrating a milestone though he played it in key that was super low.  He originally planned a big BBQ down by the Spanish Banks beach on this Sunday but it rained all weekend and did not let up until an hour before the fete.  Even then, it was still sprinkling.  DL decided to call a mid afternoon audible and moved the Q to his loft.  The building has a common events room with a deck.  So D and I donned our Beachware anyway and brought our Super Slaw.

DL was providing the main, which was an endless supply of freshly caught Spring Salmon from Granville Island's Fisherman's Wharf.  He topped them with two relishes: Sundried Tomatoes, Garlic and Herbs and the other was a Blueberry Relish.  They were wonderful!  He grilled the filets on little foil trays and the skin crisped up nicely.  We normally place the fish right on the grill but I might do it differently the next time.  Our skin often sticks to the grill.  The Salmon was so delicate and beautifully cooked.  He also had a whole Wild Sockeye Salmon, 'tis the season. 

DL requested that his guests bring the sides and desserts with the request that we follow (or try to follow) the 100 Mile Rule.  That means we were to attempt to keep ALL our ingredients sourced from within 100 Miles of home.  Normally, when you go to the customary and very frequent Vancouver Potlucks, you see alot of Salads, Fruit Trays, Chips (Boo! I even saw a guy take his cheesies home with him because they weren't opened.  Nice!)  The thing you'll rarely see is desserts.  They a lot more effort and therefore get the biggest kudos.  This time however, with the 100 Mile Limitation, people found desserts easier to do.  There were Cakes, Pies, Pavlovas and Berry Bowls.  Amazing. 

My little dig about the over done Vancouver Potluck is about the fact that you see more Potlucks where the host is just the 'venue'. Not everyone but very often. Maybe it's because of where D and I are from or he time we spent in other places... but we are just used to having people over or going over to a friends for a meal or a hosted party. We like to host quite a lot. It took some getting used to, being invited to a Christmas party with instructions to make the dessert.  That order came from the guy who took his Cheese Puffs home from our fully equipped party, bar and all.  We don't have that guy, G, over anymore.  No tears here.  ;^P DL is a great host and his lovely Salmon was neverending.  A friend of his even brought live Spot Prawns which reluctantly went on the Grill too.  MMMMM

Anyhoo, we made Super Slaw for the BBQ. We were pretty good but we did not strictly fit the 100 Mile guidlines so please do not use this as an example of the 100 Mile meal and just a delicious Slaw.  We made it for Super Bowl and the photo is here but I made the full recipe, accidentally, and made some adjustments. The proportions are below...... it is A LOT.  Easily serves 15-20 people.

Super Cabbage and Fennel Slaw
1 head Savoy Cabbage (9-10" in diameter)
1 head Red/purple Cabbage
4 Green Onions
4-5 Carrots (1 c Grated Carrots)
1 Fennel, large bulb, sliced
2 T fresh Parsley chopped
2 T fresh Basil, chopped
2 T whole Dijon Mustard
1/2 c Sour Cream (use low fat if you want)
1 Lemon, juiced
4 T Malt Vinegar
1 1/2 - 2 c Mayonnaise, low fat!!!
1 T Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Shred the Cabbage, Carrots and Fennel with a Mandolin Slicer, it will save you so much time; or you can shred the Cabbage with a chef's knife cross the grain with a large knife after halving and decoring it. Finely slice everything.  I did the Fennel as thin as I could and the Cabbage about 1/4 inch. I don't like large chunks in Slaw of anything. You can use a Box Grater for the Carrots if you are afraid for your fingers. If you don't like anise flavour, simply leave the Fennel out but try it first.  It is not a bullying flavour in this slaw in this proportion. Slice slice the Green Onions and Chiffonade the Herbs. Toss together.

Whisk the Mustard, Sourcream, Sugar, Lemon juice, Mayonnaise, Vinegar together.Season to taste with Salt and Pepper.   NOW this is a DEVIATION from my last instruction and I lived and learned this lesson because of doing a full recipe as well as having slightly smaller Cabbage, I think.  BRING the DRESSING TO the VEG. For Superbowl, I brought the Vegetables to the Dressing but this time, I had to adjust because the proportions looked wet. This way you can be sure you get the Creaminess you prefer.   You can do this just before serving as a fresh salad or overnight for more of a pickled and mingled flavour. You may use all the dressing, you may not but this is safer to avoid gloopiness. 

Let sit for a good hour or more for a nice mingling of flavours or serve right away.  It will keep in the fridge for a week.  (Goes great on Pulled Pork Sandwiches)

Aug 3rd - Watermelon Feta and Mint Salad

Watermelon Feta and Mint Salad

We are so lucky in Vancouver to have such an abundance of local fruit.  If you are from here or from near here and have always  been, you may not fully appreciate how lucky here is.  I spent several years living somewhere that almost all the fruit was brought in from far away countries... apples from Africa, bananas from Spain, strawberries from across oceans.  The thing about that travel is that they taste alot like the packaging they were shipped in.

We try to take full advantage of the local fruit when they come around.  Berries in particular are amazing at the right times of year.  The local strawberries and blueberries are unbelievable.  No tricks, tips or enhancements.  Watermelon isn't a gamble.  You don't have to worry that you just hauled this 10 pound medicine ball home only to be disappointed by lack of flavour or sweetness.  MMMM sweet seedless watermelon is pure summer.  The sweet and salty combination of flavours in this salad is remarkably not strange or something you have to get used to.  It is delicious and easy to eat by the serving spoonful directly from the salad bowl.  I did.

Watermelon Feta and Mint Salad

4 c Watermelon, 1 inch cubes (about the size of a bowling ball before you cut up)
150 g Feta (this is alot but I love Feta!), crumbled
5 sprigs or 30 leaves of Fresh Mint, chiffonade
1/2  Red Onion, sliced
1/4 c Red Wine Vinegar or Lemon Juice
1/4 c Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk the Vinegar/Juice and Olive Oil.  Season to taste.

Cut the Watermelon up and cut away from the rind.  Remove any seeds agricultural engineering could not fend off.  Cut into cubes and place into a LARGE bowl.

Take the block of Feta and crumble.  If it is firm, like this block was, cut with the back of a knife to break up rather than slice.  If it is soft, just break up with forks or your fingers.  You do not have to cut into very fine crumble.  Toss with the Watermelon.  Add the Onion rings and Mint and toss gently.  You do not want to mash the melon.

Drizzle the dressing over. Turn over from the bottom up without breaking up the melon or cheese up too much.  Season to taste.

Amazing.  You can use Goat or Cow Feta.  Both work well.

Jun 23rd - Catch up - June 19th Part Deux Breakfast - Poached Eggs on Bed of Greens

 Having accepted that my bread will not be ready for breakfast, D went ahead on making the Eggs to be served on some of the Baby Greens in the fridge.  It's funny.  Normally, D big on not needing carbs on every plate except for breakfast.  Though he suffered for lack of bread, I think he came to realise the versatility of a poached egg.  It is clean and light and if you cook it right, the yolk provides a lovely silky sauce of the yolk.

Poached Eggs on Bed of Baby Greens 2-Ways

3-4 c fresh, washed Baby Greens
4 Eggs
Salt and Pepper

the Veggie Way
1/2 c Broccoli Florets
1 Tomato, sliced
2 t Balsamic Vinagre
2 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil

the Bacony Way

4-6 strips Bacon
1-2 T Malt Vinagre

V = In the pot you plan to poach the eggs, blanche the Broccoli. Meaning, Place in actively simmering water just until it turns bright green.  You'll know what I mean.  It will not take more than a couple minutes.  After that point, it goes army green in appearance and flavour.  Drain and set aside to cool slightly.  If you want to stop the cooking you can shock with cold water.

Place the florets on the greens and spread out the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with the Balsamic and Olive Oil.  Season to taste. 

B = Chop the bacon into 1 inch pieces.  Sautee the Bacon until it is crispy but not burned.  So do not have the heat too too high.  You want to keep the fat for the dressing.  Let it cool slightly so you can add the Malt Vinagre without splattering the fat all over your stove top.  Whisk.  Season to taste.

Lastly and to order, 2 J's Perfect Poached Eggs per person and keep warm in a shallow pan of water.

Serve atop your salads, season the eggs lightly and let the Yolk run over your greens.

Jun 22nd - Garden Fresh Cous Cous with Lemon Pepper Sole

This blog has taken a really weird twist.  I first started to write because I noticed and my family noticed how well D and I ate.  We really enjoy the process and creativity.  Now, it's come around the other way.  Because I share with all of you, on nights where I could eat a boiled potatoe with some salt and pepper, I make this Cous Cous to save face.  How funny is that?  I will do that at one point you know.  I will have a boiled potato for dinner.  Please do not think less of me. 

I made this Cous Cous as a Side/Main to go with a simple Sole Filet with some Pepper and Lemon Zest in the oven. 

Garden Fresh Cous Cous

1/2 c Cous Cous
1 c Veggie Broth
3 medium farm fresh Carrots, tops and tails off
1/2 c Peas, fresh or frozen
1-2 T Pine Nuts (optional)
2 Radishes, julienned
1/4 c Red Onion, finely diced
2 Chilis minced
1 Lemon, juiced
1T Olive Oil
1/2 c Fresh Coriander, chopped (or Parsley)
1 t fresh Thyme
Salt and Pepper

Boil the broth and pour over the Cous Cous in a large mixing bowl.  Cover and set aside.  If you have lots of time, I would not even say, for a salad, you need to boil the water.  It's a trick I learned from Jamie O to keep Cous Cous fluffy in salad use.

Add the chopped fresh herbs, Chilies and Onion.  I add ingredients as I go, toss and cover to keep the flavours mixing.  Add the Peas and julienned Radishes.  Mix.  As for the carrots, instead of using a grater where you may over juice and 'cream' your carrots, I used a zester to get really fine spaghetti sized strands. 

Add the Lemon and Olive Oil.  Top with Pine Nuts (optional) Toss, taste then season.  Let stand until you are ready to eat.  Yummo.  Light fresh. 

With all the Peas and Carrots it was really garden fresh.  Other Cous Cous salads may balance more on the Cous Cous side and that's fine. 

Serve along side some nice clean Fish or Lamb.

Jun 20th - BBQ Corn Salsa and Quinoa Salad on Baby Greens

We BBQ'd the corn yesterday.  I do not know why we thought we could eat 2 ears of corn a piece on top of our Burgers.  I am pretty sure, we have done this a couple of times before.  That's totally cool because, the leftover Corn works really well in salad!  You do not need any fancy tools or donut shaped knives to get the Corn off the Cob.  It could not be easier.  Simply hold the corn by the stem end while it stands in a shallow bowl or on a cutting board.  Use a chef knife and run down the Cob as close to the Cob as possible. Turn the cob and continue until all the kernels are gone.  If you're worried about cutting yourself then don't be as concerned to with cutting too too close to the Cob.  With the Corn already cooked, it will come off like butter.

BBQ Corn Salsa and Quinoa Salad

2 ears BBQ roasted Corn, cut from the Cob
200 g Extra Firm Tofu, cubed, briefly fried in a pan to crisp or Raw.
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c Red Onion, diced
2 Limes, juiced
1/2 c fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 T fresh Dill chopped
4 leaves fresh Purple Basil, chiffonade
1 t Cumin
2 Serrano Chilies, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 c + 1 T Extra Virgin Oil
1 t Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 c Cooked Salad Quinoa

As stated, you can choose to fry the Tofu for a few minutes on both sides in some Olive Oil to crisp on all sides.  If you do not wish to bother and like plain unfried Tofu then no worries.  It is cooked after all.

Toss all the ingredients together before the Quinoa cooks to let them souse together so all the flavours marry. Season to taste.  Mix all the ingredients before you Salt and Pepper.  Let stand for half an hour if you can or eat straight away. 
Serve over 1 handful Baby Greens, totally optional.

Salad Quinoa

How is this different from regular Quinoa or Cous Cous?  Well, I like to make it drier since it will absorb some dressing and moister from the vegetables.  As well, I like to cool it completely before eating.

1/2 c Quinoa
1/4 t Sea Salt
1 c Vegetable Broth

Bring to a boil covered then immediately turn down to your lowest setting.  After 10 minutes, turn off the heat entirely but leave the pot covered on the burner untill you need it.  Do this at least 1 hour before your're going to eat or several hours or the day before.

June 13th - William's Landing, Gibsons - Wedding Brunch

Who's wedding?  Ours of course.  Well, actually, we were married a couple of months ago in Porto Morelos with our Family and Friends.  As far as we are concerned and our rings as well, that was the day.  That said, the government of Canada would not recognise that so we had to trot down to London Drugs pharmacy's insurance department and buy a license and call up a celebrant from the registry.  Seriously, you can buy a marriage license from the pharmacy.  They have an expiry date as well.  So they are much a kin to milk which you can also by at a pharmacy.  Anyhoo, D is all Quebec liberalism and could do with or without this pomp and circumstance.  I certainly did not need the pomp but I wanted it legit.

To be clear, I am not entirely sure which came first... the Bowen Island sail race or idea of a beach wedding.  Let's not speculate.  It'll just end in frustration and eating an entire tube of pickle chips.  :^0

Luckily, there were two celebrants registered in the area.  I called the one with the more authoritative sounding name. I could not really envision being married by anyone with the name of a family member or say, Lulu or Joey or Benny.  'Who married you? Oh, Toby Smith.' Nope. Can't do it.  No offense.  GS could not have been more BC that he had to hike from the road to the cottage and came in dress shoes with no socks.  Our friends B and H agreed to be our witnesses and have the ceremony on the beach in front of their cottage.  We brought bubbly and a check and there it was.  Our friends, the glory of the surroundings, sounds of B and H's kids playing and us.

What I had not anticipated for our low key day was that lovely H had planned such a lovely brunch.  Originally we had thought... or rather I thought, we departing immediately on the 1pm ferry.  H suggested that perhaps in future we should not let the sailors do all the communication for weekends like this.

I have to say, for a 4 and 6 year olds, little J and K have quite sophisticated tastes.  I do not think I would have liked Caprese Salad at their age.  Well, lil K loves it anyway.  J admits on his own that he is not ready for salads.  He will try to eat his vegetables but something lettuce really turns him off.  Not me!  The big leaves of fresh Basil and Ripe local Cherry Tomatoes were bite sized and kid friendly (no knives) but no break of flavour.  I could eat Caprese any day of the week. 

That was only one piece of the grand spread she put out.  We took the kids out on the canoe and came back to more food than I thought we'd be capable of eating so soon after our Croissants and endless pile of pancakes.  There were Bagels, Whipped Cream Cheese, Capers, Smoked Salmon, Tomato and Avocado slices, Fruit, and Yogurt... oh the Yogurt.  Liberte Citrus Yogurt.  It was like a Creamsicle but healthier.  I am buying that again!

What a day! They are off to a grand sebbatical in France for nearly a year next week but I cannot wait to make it up to them.

Jun 2nd - Warm Quinoa, Roasted Tofu and Vegetable Salad with Arugula

One day I will get better at naming my dishes.  I just hate to leave out a key ingredient.  I have often wondered how chef's, real ones, decide which ingredient will get top billing.  My naming techinique is far more socialist I guess.  Everyone gets named.

Warm Quinoa, Roasted Tofu and Vegetable Salad with Arugula
(for 2 starters or 1 main)

1/2 medium Eggplant, cubed
150 g Extra Firm Tofu, cubed
6-8 spears Asparagus, trimmed and chopped in 2 inch pieces
1/2 Red Onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves Garlic, peeled and quartered
1/4 c Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Ground Pepper

Preheat the oven to 450F

Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (not wax paper).

In a large bowl, toss with Olive Oil and season lightly.  I would do this in batches and spread out on to the pan.  The only reason I suggest this is because the Eggplant can be like a sponge and you want to ensure the other Veg get coated.

Try to ensure that the Veg and Tofu is evenly distributed and spread out in a single layer.

Place in the Oven in the bottom third level.  After 10 minutes turn the pan 180 degrees.  Toss a bit if you want.  Roast 10 more minutes. 

Quinoa

1/4 c Quinoa (uncooked)
1/2 c Water or Veg Broth
1/4 t Salt
Start the cooking just as the Vegetables and Tofu go into the oven.  Since this is a very small amount of Quinoa, you should use your smallest saucepan or even a small nonstick frypan with a lid.

Bring all the ingredients to a boil briefly then reduce to a low simmer covered for 15-20 minutes.  When all the moisture is absorbed turn off heat and let stand.  Fluff with fork. I started the Quinoa when I started the oven on Preheat.

Assembled Salad

4 leaves fresh Basil
4 leaves fresh Mint
1/4 c chopped Fresh Parsley
2 c Baby Arugula
1 Lemon, juiced and zested
1 t Dijon Mustard
1 t Horseradish (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, juice the lemon.  Whisk in the Mustard and Horseradish.  If you want you can balance with oil as you might a proper vinagrette but I thought that since there was already a lot of Olive Oil in the roasting of the Vegetables, I would not bother and it worked out fine.

Chiffonade the leaf herbs.  Stack like cards then roll like a cigar and slice thinly.

Add the warm Quinoa and mix thoroughly.  Add the Herbs and toss fluffing as you go.  You don't want the Quinoa to get gloopy. Add the Roasted Veg and Tofu directly from the Oven.  Mix a few times and then add the Arugula in small handfuls to wilt slightly as you go.

YUMMO, veggie comfort.

May 27th - Spot Prawn Feast at S and G's - First of the Season, Yay!

RAW BC Spot Prawn

I cannot believe we missed the kick off of the Spot Prawn season.  It is quite a thing here.  The local Spot Prawns are amazing, sweet and huge.  You can buy them directly from the Prawn Boats that come in daily.  They announce their arrival with a toot and people, like me are usually waiting. You can also by them in the Granville Market and we realised last year that they are about the same price for the Live Prawns.

S and G our friends from Montreal, invited us for a post vacation catch up.  S bought a heap of Spot Prawns at the Market that day. What a treat!  After S let us into the underground parking and we got upstairs, we found jittery G nervous about the still moving prawn.  A few particularly feisty ones were determined to pull a 'finding Nemo'. G and I jumped everytime they did. They cooked our dinner a la minute per course and it could not have been fresher.

We started with a nice fresh salad of Poached Spot Prawns on a bed of finely sliced Fennel, Basil, Greens and Grapfruit.  They dunked the live Prawn into the boiling water for all of 3-5 minutes.  I am not sure if they used a broth.  Knowing S, I can only assume it was and it was homemade.  We debated for a minute while they cooled as to whether or not we should serve the salads with or without the heads.  Normally, there is alot of goodness in the head similar to Crawfish.  S and G decided it would be neater for at least the salad course to remove the heads but not the shells.  The freshly cooked Prawns in shell lent a nice seafood broth as a sort of dressing. As well the heat of the Prawn slightly wilted the Fennel.  It was wonderful I really liked the thinly sliced Fennel so thin you can read a letter through it.  D won't like this but he likes to cook his Fennel thicker but I'm not sure if its because he likes the Fennel thicker or because he hates my Mandolin (Slicer). There's an edge you eliminate when you slice it that thin. MMMM

They paired their started and catching up with an Oyster Bay Chardonnay 2008.  Nice light, not too much 'wood' :^P

The main was more Fresh Live Spot Prawn lightly stir fried in some Butter and Garlic with a Steamed Coconut Dipping Sauce.  They were served with some lightly steamed Broccolini, Shredded Carrot and Rice perfumed with Kaffir Lime Leaves.  I am going to buy Kaffir Lime Leaves at my earliest opportunity.  I could smell that subtle sumthin sumthing when we walked in but I could not put my finger on it.  I have always thought there was something nutty and complimentary about Limes in Thai cooking but have never used Kaffir Lime leaves at home.  It gave the rice that wonderfully aromatic quality you smell and taste in restaurants. Yummo!  S heated his Coconut Milk dipping sauce with his Cappucino steamer. How clever!  It gave it a nice little froth.    A wonderful meal which they paired with a Chablis Dampt et Fils. It had a light, quirky personality, slight minerality.  Nice.

Just when we thought it could not get better for a 'school' night dinner party, there was dessert! G made a toasty, crunch fresh Apricot Crumble.  The tang of the fresh Apricot with the sweet crumble topping was great.  They treated us to a drop of S's Poire William. The famous Pear liquor is world renown for it's captive whole Pear in the bottle.  The bottles are placed around the buds on the trees.  I only found out last year from S that you can buy 'refill' liquor to continue to 'juice' the Pear.  Wonderful.

What was the best was that S and G know about my blog.  That meant that not only did they not mind that I was going to document our dinner and take photos but that S even let me use his top shelf macro lens to take a shot of the Spot Prawn. :^D

Cheers!

May 16th - Caprese Salad and Braised Artichoke and Arugula Fettucini, Sauteed Morel Mushrooms

We bought some organic Morels at the Troutlake Farmer's market on Saturday.  I thought they were quite price for the volume we got.  It cost $10 for 1 c or approximately 50-100g.  I was not keen on them, not at that price but when D gets something like that in his head there's no fighting it.  Morels are interesting for their texture. They have a spongy and 'bubbly', as in Aero chocolate bar 'bubbly', quality.  They do not have a very pungent flavour like Shitake or Chanterelles.  They do very well, sauteed on their own in a some butter and wine so that is how we did them to fully appreciate BC grown Morels.  We were underwhelmed so I think D has got it out of his system.  They were nice but a bit too much of an extravagance for everyday and certainly when we do not have a plan for them.  That said, we do buy Chanterelles by the bag full when they drop to <10-15$ / lb as they do in the summer. 

Sauteed Morels in Wine

1-2 c Morel Mushrooms, cleaned
1/2 c dry white wine
2 T butter
1/2 Shallot, minced or 1 clove Garlic, minced
In a sautee pan, on medium heat, melt the butter.  Sautee the Shallot until softened, 1-2 minutes.  Add the Morels.  Sautee until you can smell them, 2 minutes.  Add the wine.  Season to taste with Salt and Pepper. 

Serve hot on a pasta.  We had as a side just to taste the mushrooms.

The Articoke main we had is an abbreviated one from a Lemon Braised Articoke recipe we do during the start of summer when the Articokes are everwhere for 1$ a bulb. We did not see many last year.  Oddly enough, D enjoys cleaning fresh Articokes.  I would just as soon buy fresh marinated or grilled ones from a good deli to do this but he prefers the whole process.  However, it is not Articoke season now and we had these fresh Garlic Marinated Articoke Hearts from Urban Fare.  As well, the original dish calls for wilted Baby Spinach but we are using Baby Arugula this time.  With the use of the Whole Wheat Fettucini, the nutiness and sharpness of the Argula was great!

Braised Artichoke Heart and Arugula Fettucini

6 - 8 fresh (not jarred) Marinated or Grilled Artichoke Hearts (available at most delis or gourmet markets)
3 - 4 c washed Baby Arugula leaves
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 T fresh Thyme leaves, 3 fat sprigs (1/2 t dry)
1/2 c Veggie Broth
1/4 c Olive Oil
1 small Lemon Zested and Juiced (need only if you are NOT using Lemon Braised Artichokes)
2 cloves Garlic
2 T unsalted Butter
Salt and Pepper

Start the water boiling for 2 portions of Fettucini.  And add the pasta as soon as the water is ready.

Cut the Artichoke Hearts in half. In a large skillet, heat the Olive Oil on medium heat.  Add the Garlic and Thyme for 1 minute.  Add the broth and the Artichoke Hearts.  Sautee for 5 minutes partially covered.

Reduce heat to low.  Add the Lemon Juice and Zest.  Cover and simmer until the pasta is ready.  When the pasta is ready.  Drain in a colander.  Add the pasta to the Artichokes and toss.  Season to taste with Salt and Pepper.

Place the whole dish in to a VERY large Pasta Bowl.  Add the Butter, cut into pea sized pieces, to the top of the pasta.  Cover with the Arugula, gently press down.  The leaves will gently wilt with the heat of the pasta.  Add the Parmesan Cheese.  If you are worried about making a mess while tossing, add the Parmesan after the Butter and before the Arugula. :^D

Bring to the table and toss when you are ready to serve.  We had our salads first so it sat 'finishing' for 10 minutes.  Add more Parmesan and Pepper to taste after serving.

Classic Caprese Salad

2 large Organic Tomatoes, ripe, never  refrigerated
2 tennis ball sized Buffalo/Fresh Mozzarella balls
1 bunch fresh Basil
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T Lemon Juice / Wine Vinegar
1/4 t Coarse Sea Salt and Pepper (I won't always say it but I always mean Coarse Sea Salt unless I say Table Salt or Pickling Salt or Fleur de Sel.  And I always mean Fresh Cracked Black Pepper when I say Pepper to taste)

Slice the Mozzarella Balls into 3/4 cm thick slices.  You should get 5-6 slices per ball.  (Just double checking but I do mean the white white fresh mozza and not the pizza topping type even if it's soft)

Slice the Tomatoes the same thickness.  Get as many slices of the Tomato as of the Cheese. 

Wash the Basil leaves and pick 10 of the nicest, biggest ones.  Have more for garnish if you wish.

Please 1 slice of Cheese on top of  each slice of Tomato and top each with a leaf of Basil.  Spread out nicely in a fan or whichever pattern you like.

Vigorously whisk or shake the Lemon Juice, Oil and Salt and Pepper.  Drizzle over the Salad.

So simple and so flavourful.  YUMMO!

May 5th - the Market by Jean Georges - Elegant but downgraded for Dineout

D discovered last minute that Dineout was still on.  We had thought we missed all of it whilst we were on vacation.  For the most part, we have not been thrilled by Dineout because alot of restaurants take a skewed approach to it.  The fit themselves into the Prix Fixe menus but then adjust their normal fare to that cost which I would opine is the wrong way round it.  Dineout can be a great marketing opportunity for exposure in an already saturated restaurant field here in Vancouver.  There have been a few we have been to in the past like Coast where the portions are smaller or not at the normal scale of the restaurant.  Hence, I have not been back to Coast in two years.  Bluewater on the other hand did not scale back last year and we have been back a couple of times since. 

We enjoyed our meal at the acclaimed Market by Jean Georges but I would submit that Hanger steak, which is often used in dishes like fajitas and my Snapper would not normally be on offer.  The sauces on everything were wonderful and at a that JG expectation.  The Warm Chocolate cake was nice but rather well done and not as gooey and there was residual flour on the top of mine from the baking dish.

D and I both had the same starter of the Steamed Shrimp Salad with Tender Greens, Avocado and Champagne Dressing.  It was paired with a local Brut and the pairing flight was on offer as well, but we opted to select our own wines.  We paired this with a Cordoniu Brut Rose Cava.  This was a wonderful dish and I will try to replicate this as soon as possible.  I really wish I could pindown what was in that dressing but it was velvety and bisque like. The Shrimp were cooked to perfection, I mean perfection.  MMMM

We then parted ways on the main.  D had the Seared British Columbia Hanger Steak with Gingered Mushrooms and Asparagus with a Soy - Caramel Sauce. The steak was cooked to his liking and the sauce was nice but a tad over seasoned.  My main was the Red Snapper Nut and Seed Crust in a Sweet and Sour Broth.  It was a generous sized portion for this venue but Snapper is an affordable fish.  The fish on its own was a tad over salted but within the broth it was fine.  The broth was rich and I did not finish it off.  The dish eaten whole and combined was very nice and the Snapper was well cooked.  I had a nice French Chabis which I selected over the recommended Pinot Gris to avoid interfering with the dish.

The Warm Chocolate cakes were cooked to order and I appreciated that we were not rushed.  The rush is something else that is endemic to Dineout, turnover!  There was none of that.  The experience was lovely.  The cake was a bit too cooked through and the gooeiness was only in the very centre.  As well, the Warm Chocolate cake is a fairly generic offer and we did not have a selection of two as other dineouts did.  There was a bit of flour on the outside of my cake from the baking dish which can be avoided by 'flouring' the dish with cocoa powder rather than flour. 

I would return for the regular menu which looked lovely.  The thing about the Dineout menu is that it appears to offer the dessert 'for free' compared to regular pricing (assuming the restaurant does not skimp on the meal).  We rarely order dessert so it would not make a difference.  The setting was sleek and very cosmopolitan which was refreshing.

Cost: $$$-$$$$
Staff: Professional, efficient, friendly
Location: Coal Harbour/Downtown
Wine list: Extensive and decent by the glass selection

the Market by Jean Georges
1128 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC V6E
(604) 695-1115

Mar 19th - Porcini Ravioli in Brandy Cream Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes

We bought the pasta at the Bosa Italian supermarket out by Rupert. I think the same supplier sources most of the Italian markets and Whole Foods but I'm not sure. But they all look similar and have similar varieties. Though a couple of the shops do have 1 or 2 the others do not. I was tempted to go for the Yam and Chestnut triangle stuffed pasta at Bosa but D was tired of the desserty type stuffed pastas that have fillings that are pretty close to pie. When I spotted the large square Porcini ravioli with dark brown stripes, I was quite pleased. Our regular First Ravioli shop on Commercial does not carry that variety. They do have a Wild Mushroom which is good. This was much better. The filling was ample, the stuffing was delicate and very fresh. The Wild Mushroom one which I have seen at just about all the fresh pasta places we hit, are very mushroomy but can have a slightly stale, solid texture to the filling. Not this one. The Porcini Ravioli tasted freshly made.

The Brandy Cream sauce was meant to have a Shallot but I used it the other night with my Asparagus and Cannellini bean dish. D was thrown off his game. He was very close to using a red sauce instead. I suggested he roll with it and use garlic instead. I am glad he did. I get easily bored by red sauce, even a Puttanesca.

Brandy Cream Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes on Porcini Ravioli

400 g Porcini Ravioli from Bosa
12 Cherry Tomotoes
2 cloves Garlic (or 1 shallot)
1.5 t dried Basi
1/4 c Brandy
1/2 c Cream
1/4 c pasta cooking Water
Salt and Pepper
1 t Truffle Oil (optional)

In a large pot, boil water for the pasta with a good half handful of salt. Add the pasta when the water boils. The pasta should take 10-12 minutes and the sauce about the same.

In a large sautee pan, heat some olive oil in medium. Sautee the garlic for 1 minute. Add the Cherry Tomatoes cut in half and the basil. Sautee for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften.

Add the brandy by circling the pan. Simmer for a few minutes. Most of the alcohol will evaporate but contrary to popular belief and food shows, it will never fully cook off, even if you flame it. The only way to do that is to cook it for a long long time, longer than is tasty for such dishes. Add a few tablespoons of the pasta boiling water if it gets too thick or dry.

If the sauce is ahead of the pasta, turn down the heat and set the tomatoes aside for a few minutes.

Okay back on track, pasta is a few minutes away. Add the cream and simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more pasta water if too thick but not too much because some water will be clinging to the pasta.

Turn the heat off the pasta when done. Spoon the ravioli with a slotted spoon into the pan with the sauce. Toss gently and serve.

Top with some freshy grated parmesan and a dribble of truffle oil to bring out the mushroomy goodness. MMMMM!!!! We are getting the Porcini one again to be sure and the cream sauce was perfect with it. Did not drown out the flavour.

Baby Greens with Tarragon Mustard Vinagrette

3 - 4 c washed Gaby Greens mix
1/4 c chopped fresh Cilantro
1 T Tarragon Mustard
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

In a large salad bowl, whisk the Mustard and Vinegar until smooth. Drizzle the oil in, in a thin stream while whisking continuously. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

Toss the greens right in the dressing in the bowl.

Yum!

Jan 24th - Sunny Side with Stilton on Pumpernickel / Croquetas with Greenbean Cous Cous

D made breakfast today. Sunny side up eggs on pumpernickle toast with Stilton blue cheese. I call it pumpernickel because that is what the tag says and it is dark brown. However, I have not found very aromatic rye or pumpernickel bread in Vancouver. The best approximation are the pumpernickel bagels at Siegel's bagels on Granville Island. None of that tangy or mouth filling flavours of the fluffy, chocolate coloured wannabees available at most supermarkets. Oh well. The Stiltong (English blue cheese) definitely enhanced the bread. MMMM

D had a side of sauteed mushrooms and I had sauteed brussel sprouts. D hates brussel sprouts. I mean, he will eat them out of consideration to me or mom but of his own volition, you will never seen trimming and cooking them. I luvs them. They are one of my favourite vegetables.
Dinner is Croquetas from last week. I froze half the batch and am defrosting them on the counter. I will pan fry them as before but I may also keep them in the oven just after to make sure they are piping hot in the middle.
Greenbean Cous Cous

1 c cous cous
2 c water
1 t instant all natural veg stock
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 inch fresh ginger minced
1 med hot chili minced
1/2 t herbes de provence
1 t kosher salt
zest 1 lemon
juice 1/2 lemon
Ground pepper to taste
2 T pine nuts, browned in a dry pan, briefly
1/2 lb green beans, steamed 5 min, rinsed in cold water, chopped

In a large mixing bowl, pour in the cous cous, instant stock, salt, herbes de provence.

Boil the water. Pour over the cous cous, cover with a pot lid and set aside for at least 1/2 hour.

Add the lemon, garlic, ginger, chili, toss and set aside. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

In a pan, toss the pine nuts until the oils start shine, and they brown slightly. This will go fast from brown to burnt because of the high protein levels so don't go anywhere. 1 min max. Add to cous.

In a pot, place a steamer or not. Add half a finger tip of water. Bring to boil. Add greenbeans and cover. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with very cold water to stop over cooking that turns them that well known swampy green colour. If you do this fast, they will be cooked and a brilliant green. Chop into 1 inch pieces and toss into cous cous.

YUMMO!

Jan 20th - Seafood Mandu and Mixed Green Salad with Kochujang dressing

Mom always sends me home with some frozen goodies. My sisters get Kalbi and now so does D. I get Mandu and home made Kochujang, amongs other things. Kochujang is Korean chili paste. You can easily buy kochujang. It certainly won't taste the same and some are down right bad. There is one that looks slightly like a dressing, looser. It comes in a green plastic container. Don't buy it! The after taste is brutal. I'll take a photo this week. There are others that try to get the Kochudengjang where it is a mix between young rough grain miso and Kochujang. These are often not done very well either. If you're going to buy Kochujang, 1st make sure it has Korean writing on it, 2nd make sure it's made in Korea or japan if you have to, to avoid odd tasting fillers. 3rd. Get plain red kochujang.

The Kochudengjang is often on the table for dipping of veg like mild green banana chilis or garlic cloves or in lettuce leaves with Bulgogi. The Kochjang it self is very versatile and can form the base of soups, stirfrys (like Dukbohki) or eaten straight.

If you make it from scratch, like mom does, it takes days and days. It involves large pots that children could use as backyard splash pools and mixing tubs that I'm pretty sure do double as pools. I've bought my mom a couple of these implements for her birthdays and such. They're pretty costly. The look on her face was like a child's with a new puppy. There is stewing of Kochukadru (korean ground chilis) with malt flour. I've known family friends who stir it with a baseball bat. Often I've heard my mom complain that dad doesn't help like Mr. S who stirs it daily after work with his bat. Really you don't have to make it. And if you choose to venture that way, then don't feel you need to store up for a family of 10 for a year. I think it's just a mentality mom can't shake from her upbringing. I hope to learn.

Kochjang Salad Dressing

2 T kochujang
3 T rice wine vinegar
2 T sesame oil
1-2 black and white sesame seeds

Whisk. Toss on leaves or cucumbers. I topped with roasted chopped chestnuts we had made earlier for a risotto and then forgot to use. :-)

As well mom, makes her own Mandu or Korean dumplings. These are often filled with beef or chicken. Mom has made many culinary adjustments over the years since me and one of my sisters gave up meat. Meat is huge for Koreans so this was super trying for mom. I never gave the deserved credit for it when I was a surly teenager upset to find sausages in my salad and mom claiming ignorance. How'd that get there?

Mom's Seafood Mandu

She's perfected her seafood mandu over the years from little bits of feedback. One of the great things about making your own is of course control on filling and amount of filling.

Start with an enormous bowl. O, right, well I only really know how mom makes this. So I'll try to adjust. Start with a big bowl. You'll often see chopped bean thread noodle as a filler, a good one. Mom used to use more. There is very little now. Blanch a handfull of beanthread vermicelli and chop fine.

Let's do this right and not like mom off the cuff:

1 handful beanthread vermicelli
1 lb fresh soft dubu/tofu
1 lb cooked chopped shrim and squid, total
2 scallions chopped
1 inch fresh ginger
2-3 cloves garlic
2 T hot chilis (options but preferred)
1-2 c finely chopped kimchi, depends how spicy you like it.
salt and pepper

The binder is largely fresh tofu. Her friend owns a Soon Dubu restaurant and shop where she makes fresh tofu daily. This of course means it's only good for a few days. It's super soft like a firm yogurt. Use 500 ml or family yogurt sized container.

As well, eggs are also part of the bind. This is more important if you've got dry or crumbly tofu. You can even leave out the egg if you want if you've got nice soft tofu. 1-2 eggs.

The protein or the goodies are chopped shrimp and chopped cooked squid. Your ratio of tofu to seafood is up to you. I think equal amount of all protein to tofu will work. Gently steam or blanche the seafood and mince to 1/2 cm pieces.

Then add the following aromatics: 2 scallions/green onions, chopped. 1 inch ginger minced. 2-3 cloves garlic minced. 2T fresh chopped hot chilis

Chop fresh kimchee 1-2 cups. I like alot of kimchee in this. Up to you but if you leave it out, you may as well go to TnT and buy the frozen stuff with the strange veg mince that mostly tastes like carrots. Mom, of course, makes her own kimchee. She waxes poetic how well known she is in her circle and church groups for her kimchee. Yeah it's pretty good. Well, it's better than good but really mom, you make enough to feed a village.

Kimchee is asian cabbage picked in chilis and other ingredients that store bought won't always have. The stuff in the store is good but it's not made to last. It likely hasn't used enough salt or the shrimp paste that helps it get to the lactic fermentation stage before you start eating it. It's fine and is about as close to kimchee you'll get in a shop but it will go off in less than a week and your fridge will STINK! The stuff in the plastic tub jars might last longer than in the fresh takeaway section of the korean market. I'll do a post on kimchee later. I just learned this year from dad that if not for European introduction of the chili to asia, Kimchee would have kept it's original guise of something more akin to sauerkraut. Isn't that nuts!

Combine well. Buy a big pack of wonton or dumpling wrappers. Round is best but doesn't matter. Well, not to me but mom would say it has to be round and get the nice thick ones. Beat an egg with one shell full of water. Place 1 - 2 T filling in the centre of the wrapper. Brush or use one finger, and always that finger, to rub egg along 1/2 the circumference of the wrapper. Start on one end and pinch non egg side to egg side and start to fold like you're making a paper fan. Pinch nice and tight.

lay out separated on trays or sheet pans. When your done you will need to steam if you're planning to freeze. Or steam and eat straight away. I would also recommend steaming before frying unless you have a deep fryer. Lay them separated in a steamer for 12-15 minutes. Lay out again on the trays to cool. Freeze or eat. I've kept some of these for six months to a year and they've been fine. A little freezer burn on the edges but after recooking they were fine. Defrost and pan fry or steam. Serve with soy sauce or I like peanut sauce.

Mom will do about 5 times this amount when she gets into it. We try to help for a bit but after an hour, she's still going and I'm all egged up and slightly bored. As well, she's rather unamused by the ravioli, tondi and tortellini shapes I make. I also tried a few dimsum shapes too, all of which she steams, cheerfully. And cheerfully she make sure to serve them to me and no one else. I thought they were funny. They're definitely YUMMO.

Saturday, August 22 - Brunch & Gojo's Ethiopian Cafe

Brunch was done twice over. First I made an awesome Arugula and Avocado Salad with Medium Boiled Eggs. Then I met up with friends at Bandidas on Commercial.

My salad was super easy. I made a simple vinagrette

Simple Lime Dill Vinagrette

1 Lime juiced
1 T Dill mustard
and Olive Oil to preference, I usually use less than normal. It's usually a two to one oil to acid. I find that to oily.

Whisk vigorously and toss with the arugula and a 1/4 finely sliced red onion.

Slice half an avocado, wrap the other half tightly with cling wrap to prevent browning. For the eggs, I got this method from my friend Joyce and it works like a charm. When I chicken out, I over cook them. Place your eggs in a sauce pan covered in enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat off immediately. If you have a ceramic halogen cook top, remove from the heat because it stays hot longer than your conventional. Set aside covered for 4 minutes. Douse in cold water. I slightly over cooked this time because of the halogen cook top. Oh well.

I then got a call from friends that they were going to Bandidas on Commercial. It's a Vegetarian cafe on Commercial. They have a fantastic menu and the option to veganise any dish. Since I'd eaten, I had coffee and munched on their food. They had a heaping order of vegan nachos and full 'English' breakfast vegan and ovo lacto. A full English means, beans, eggs (or tofu squash scramble), soy bacon and more. It was wonderfully hearty and fresh. I will definitely go back when I have already eaten.

Bandidas Taqueria
2781 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC V5N 4C5
(604) 568-8224

My friend B is visiting from Montreal for a couple of weeks. He was the first person to take me to Ethiopian a couple of years ago in Vancouver before he moved home. We went to the one on the Drive called Harambee. I've been a couple times since. I quite like it.

On Saturday, we went to a new one south of Broadway but still on Commercial Drive called Gojo's. C, our friend is a regular there. It's near 12th.

Since B moved back to Montreal, he's gone Vegan. He'd been vegan in the past but has decided to revert and quite permanently. When B becomes serious about something, he goes full on. He has researched and experimented with recipes. What it means to me is that I am now not the only one of this gang to want to go for a vegetarian option. So three of us got the Veggie Combo which comes with 5 various ethiopian stews on the large flat Ethiopian bread called INJERA. Injera very spongy and has the texture somewhere between a crepe and pancake. It sort of looks like a crumpet as well because of all the bubbles but can be the size of a side table. The veggie combo comes on a huge tin plate. The bread is on the bottom with small mounds of the stew neatly placed around the perimeter. Extra cut and sliced bread is served for eating. You eat with your hands by grabbing the stews with the bread.

Our combo came with (sorry, forgot to take a photo) all five of the vegetarian options: a yellow lentil stew, green bean and carrot, potato, spinach and dark lentil stew with a light green salad in the middle. Ethiopian is not highly flavourful. It's basic flavours that highlight the main ingredient. The aromatics found in other cultures are not often used but sometimes you'll find onions. The other three of us got a few meat stews. They did not have a non veg combo like Harambee where they give you a few meat and veg stews. I did not really pay attention to the meat options but one. There s a dry beef that the waitress had to stop to warn C about because if you don't know they get complaints. It's very very very dry, icecube sized chunks of beef and fat which is very very very tough. It's not poorly done. It is done the way it should be done but you need to know that's the way it's done :-D if you know what I mean. C laughed because he orders it regularly. At that point, the waitress remembered who he was.... C the white guy who'll eat the beef I guess.

Service was a bit slow and so if you're waiting on anyone like we were, go on and order. We waited for about half an hour for our food. The food and bread was fresh and tasty. If you fancy trying ethiopean, I would recommend Harambee more.

Gojo's
2838 Commercial Dr
Vancouver, BC
www.gojo.8m.com
(604) 708-5394‎
(4 Maples on 7)




Harambee Ethiopian Restaurant
2149 Commercial Drive

Vancouver, BC V5N 4B3

(604) 216-1060‎

(5.5 on 7)