A Burger by Any Other Name...

The newspaper alerted me to an series of cookbooks that I recently got from the Library. The series is Whitewater Cooks, and is from the owner of a ski resort in B.C. The books have a good mix of burgers, soups, and sandwiches as well as some other delicious looking recipes. The recipes are all accompanied by nice photo's and very simple directions to follow. Flipping through the book I was caught by the picture of a delicious looking hamburger, but upon further inspection it turns out that the picture was actually for a veggie burger! Further adding to the intrigue was the caption at the top of the page proclaiming that upon eating that you will need to have some stored in the freezer for future cravings. Needless to say I was intrigued and went about procuring some of the ingredients we didn't have readily available. Overall I would say I enjoyed the burgers, but they will not be replacing ground beef. However, due to the fact that I was able to make 16 (!!!) burgers from this recipe we will be eating them as a go to meal for at least 8 more meals. Good for the freezer indeed. Katie found the texture to be a bit crunchy for her tastes, I blame this on the sunflower seeds and almonds. The food processor was a must for making this recipe and really made mincing all the various ingredients a breeze.

 

Whitewater Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp. cumin

1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder

1-19 oz can black beans, rinsed, drained and roughly pureed

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1/2 cup almonds, roasted and chopped

1 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and chopped

3 cups fine bread crumbs

1/2 cup soy sauce

5 eggs

2 cups carrots, grated

2 cups oats

flour for dredging

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method

In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in oil. Place in a large mixing bowl and let it cool a little. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and shape into patties. Dredge lightly in flour. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan to brown the burgers on both sides, you may need to do this in batches with more oil.

Serve on your favourite buns with your favourite toppings!

The Pizza is a Little Greece-y

Now where is that pizza cutter?

Saturday is fast becoming pizza day around here, as we look to break free of the weekday doldrum of cold cut sandwiches. Still utilizing the Jim Lahey pizza crust, we concocted this Greek inspired pizza using leftover ingredients from dinner the week before. The subtle addition of feta cheese with the mozzarella was quite tasty and the further addition of olives and tomatoes made this fresh, if salty, creation a delight.

Greek Pizza

Pizza Dough
150g pizza pepperoni
Green Pizza Olives
1 Plum Tomato, sliced
100g feta cheese
100g mozzarella cheese, or as much as you see fit
Pizza Sauce

Method:
Prepare dough as per instructions.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over the prepared dough. Add pepperoni, olives and tomatoe slices. Top with feta cheese and then layer over mozzarella. Place pizza in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Drunken Irish Chili

I didn't remember to take any pictures of the cooking process while making this chili, so my words will have to paint a vivid picture. Come March Chili is in the air, the subtle hint of slow cook beef, beans and spicy chili flows in as the snow recedes. Therefore it is this time every year that our group of friends throws the annual chili cookoff. For the past 4 years I have put my sweat and tears into making unique chili's that I hoped would capture the crowds votes and provide me with that ever elusive first place prize. Sadly, year, after year, after year, after year, I am left hoping for redemption next year. This year I managed my best performance yet, but still came up second. Chili is a cruel dish indeed!

Since the chili cook-off was on St. Patricks Day I used this as inspiration to make a alcohol infused chili, incorporating whiskey, beer and wine. This is a fairly sweet chili, that starts off with a traditional beef stew base, but then throws in chili powder and cumin to bring that traditional chili flavour.

3 Swig Chili

1 kg Beef Brisket

BBQ Sauce:
1/2 Cup Whiskey
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Ketchup
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Garlic Powder

Chili Base:
2 Tbsp Oil
2 Red Peppers, roasted and chopped*
2 medium onions, finely chopped**
1 Carrot, diced
1 2 stalks Celery, diced
1/2 head garlic, roasted
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
1 Cup Red Wine
1 Cup Guiness Stout
1 Can mixed beans
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1 Chili in Adobo Sauce, plus 1 Tbsp sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
Combine all ingredients for bbq sauce in medium sauce pan and heat on medium for 10 minutes. Place brisket in casserole dish and pour bbq sauce over top. Refrigerate overnight.
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Take meat out of fridge 1/2 hr before cooking, cover with tin foil. Place brisket in oven and cook for 3 hrs, flipping meat over once every hour.

In a large stockpot cook onions, carrots and celery in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add red peppers, cook for 1 minute. Add spices and cook for 1 minute. Add red wine and allow to reduce by half. Add tomatoes, guiness, chili, adobo sauce, beans and garlic. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 1 hr uncovered. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove brisket from oven, drain and discard bbq sauce. Shred brisket with forks and add to chili base. Let sit overnight. Reheat and serve!

*To roast peppers, cut in half, deseed and lay cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and remove skin.
**To roast garlic, cut top off head of garlic, place on a tin foil sheet add a drizzle of oil, wrap up foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and squeeze out garlic.

Time to Irish up the Ice Cream

A tiny bottle just right for the job!

In honour of Katie's Dads retirement we had him over for dinner this weekend and I racked my brain trying to think of  a good meal to serve him that incorporated some of his favourite things. I remembered back to the first Christmas I spent with Katie's family, and how to ingratiate myself to Katie's Dad I brought him a big bottle of Bailey's. No need to say the gift went over well and I enjoyed a glass of Bailey's on Ice with him that evening. With this memory as inspiration I searched the internet for a Bailey's themed dessert and came across this Nigella Lawson recipe for Baileys Ice Cream. This recipe takes a basic vanilla ice cream as a base and right at the end throws in the Baileys to tranform it into something unique and delicious.



The cream, milk and vanilla bean inparting their flavours.

Mixing the eggs and sugar until it resembles mayonaise in colour. Luckily the mixer did all the hard work.

Broke out the ice cream maker for the second time, and it worked wonders again.

No need to notice the tiny corner missing. We had to test it out to make sure it was good!

Recipe: Bailey's Ice Cream

A taste of the south for warmer weather

Watching shows like Man vs. Food, and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, you see all sorts of delicious barbequed food. Having acquired some pork back ribs the other week I decided to make Cajun Spiced Ribs for dinner the other night. I have tried using a few cajun spice recipes before but always found the herb mix had fennel which imparted a licorice flavor that I did not care for that is why I gave this Cajun Spice Rub that was specifically lacking in fennel. I also took out most of the heat by omitting the cayenne pepper. The flavor is reminiscent of bbq flavoured potato chips and paired nicely with a store bought bbq sauce.

Cajun Spice Rub:
1/3 cup Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp dried Oregano
2 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper

When making a spice rub, bulk barn is your friend

I utilized a recipe for the ribs that called to bake them in the oven for 1 hr at 350 degrees wrapped in tin foil and then baste in bbq sauce and bake for another 30 minutes. I found that this amount of time wasn't long enough to get that fall off the bone texture. I would recommend cooking for 2 1/2 hrs at 325 for the initial cooking.

Cajun Spiced Ribs

3 Tbsp Cajun Spice Rub
1 rack of Pork Back Ribs
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce to baste

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover ribs in spice rub, ensuring to cover both sides. Cover ribs and let absorb flavour for 1 hr or overnight. Wrap in tin foil and bake in oven for 2 1/2 hrs. Remove from oven cover in bbq sauce and let marinate for 1 hr in fridge. Remove from fridge and bake on a foil lined baking sheet for 1/2 hr, brushing with bbq sauce half way through cooking time. Remove from oven, and serve.

Layered in cajun goodness!

All wrapped up and ready to slowly tenderize in the oven.

Lathered in BBQ Sauce, transforming the sauce into a glaze.

Ready to dig in! I hope you brought napkins.

The Sandwich: The Saga Continues

I must admit I have been slightly obsessed with a new restaurant that has opened up on the first floor of the building I work in. This establishment goes by the name "Green Rebel." Week in and week out for the past month my co-workers come traipsing into the lunch room with neatly packed sandwich's of such epic magnitude that I am left envious with only my cold cut sandwich or soup before me. The sandwiches are crafted from ciabatta type bread with a thick crust and airy center and the choice grilled meats are flavored with chutneys and aioli. Thinking I could best this establishment of fine dining I crafted a Chicken BLT for dinner the other night. I think the sandwich stood up to the challenge, and could only be built upon with a roast garlic aioli or other flavoured sauce.

A good sandwich must always start with bacon, right?

The ciabatta loaf and sliced tomato

Gratuitous shot of bacon cooking

Melty mozzarella cheese smothering the flattened chicken breasts.

The beast finally assembled.

Recipe: Chicken BLT

3 Slices of Bacon, cooked
Sliced Tomato
Lettuce, torn
Mozzarella
Chicken breast, flattened with frying pan
Ciabatta loaf
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Mustard & May, to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil over top. Place chicken in casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes. Take chicken out of the oven with 5 minutes to spare, put mozzarella over each piece and finish baking.
Take sliced ciabatta loaf and spread mustard and mayo. Lay chicken breast as base and pile on bacon, tomato and lettuce. Squish top of bread down on sandwich to squeeze out some tomato juice and combine all the flavours. Enjoy!

Sandwich on the Mind

I have been scouring the internet lately trying to come up with ideas for interesting sandwiches. I often am drawn to the delicious looking pulled pork or slow cooked bbq meats sandwiches but am off put by the 12+ hour cooking process to get there. However, I think the start of my quest for a great sandwich is to find the perfect bread. This week I came across a recipe for Ciabatta bread from Anna Olsen on the food network. I haven't previously watched her shows on the Food Network or read up on any of her recipes, but I must say I was impressed with this recipe. The dough did not need to be adjusted with more water or flour and the video on the site was clear and concise. The resulting bread had a crisp thin crust and a light airy inside and would be a great with any sandwich!

Hidden under the towel for their final rising.

Let's take a peek to see how their doing!

Straight from the oven overlooking the cutting board, all those fruits and vegetables in the background making us look healthy!

Not quite the perfect rectangle but not bad for a first try.

This loaf had quite the air bubble in it.

I will now wax poetic and leave you with this sandwich haiku hinting at a recipe to follow later this week:
Warm soft crusty bread,
Chicken, bacon, lettuce, cheese,
Delectable treat.


Recipe: Ciabatta Bread