WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY.....

we definitely played.  My dad whisked away my eldest son for a few days, and so my husband and I have been leisurely accomplishing things we never seem to manage to with two kids around.  I harvested some nettle from the garden and made homemade pasta. Seriously good served with a filet of salmon in a balsamic mustard glaze.  I said, "Honey, you know what they say....the way to man's heart is through his stomach....".  A great way to say I love you. 

FRESH NETTLE PASTA with Fresh Tomatoes and Blue Cheese

The idea for using fresh tomatoes and blue cheese came from Hugh Fearnsley-Whittingstall's cookbook Three Good Things.  

1 1/2 cups unbleached organic white flour 

2 cups organic light spelt flour

3 organic eggs, beat lightly

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 cups fresh nettle 

Method: Wash the nettle to remove grit.  Remove leaves from woody stems and place in a pot with 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce, steaming until tender - about 4-5 mins.  Drain well and allow to cool.  Be sure to squeeze out excess moisture.  Chop finely.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, salt, eggs and nettle.  With the paddle, stir for 1 minute on #2.  Switch to hook and mix for a couple of minutes.  Add more flour if necessary.  Then knead by hand for a couple of minutes.  Allow to rest in a covered bowl for 30 mins.  

     Use a pasta machine to make pasta.

SAUCE:  2 tubs of cherry tomatoes, quartered

1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced

sea salt and pepper

good olive oil

nice wedge of European blue cheese

Method:  Combine all ingredients and allow to macerate for at least 30 mins.  When pasta is cooked, toss with the tomatoes and then crumble on the blue cheese.  Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.  Stir lightly and serve.

SALMON with Balsamic Mustard Glaze

1 nice wild salmon fillet

4 cloves organic garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp organic white wine

1 Tbsp local honey or maple syrup

1/3 cup organic balsamic vinegar

4 tsp organic Dijon mustard

sea salt and pepper to taste

fresh organic oregano, chopped

Method: Preheat oven to 400*.  In a small saucepan combine the garlic, wine, honey, vinegar, and mustard.  Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.  Allow to cool and then brush the salmon with half the glaze and sprinkle with chopped oregano.  Bake in oven for 10-15 mins.  Reglaze halfway through cooking time.

ON VACATION

It is so nice to eat food that someone else has prepared.  Especially when that someone else is your mother who is a really, really talented cook.  The kids and I have abandoned our homestead down east and we've landed in Toronto to hang with my parents while my husband does some serious renovating on our home.  The beautifully warm and sunny warm weather has set the scene for lots of kiddie pool and sprinkler time, not to mention some great outdoor dining.  My mother wowed me last night with a really yummy fish dish.  The best description I can come up with is Broiled Haddock with Sauteed Onion and Fennel.  Simple, delicious, and a really nice change from the way food tastes when I prepare it.  

                            

BROILED HADDOCK with Sauteed Onion and Fennel

2 pounds hook and line haddock fillets (about 4 pieces)

2 large organic onions

1 medium organic fennel bulb, fronds reserved

2 Tbsp organic butter, one of them melted

1/2 cup dry organic white wine

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Preheat the oven to 375*.  Place onion, 1 Tbsp of butter, fennel, wine, sea salt and pepper in a large cast iron skillet.  Stir to combine and place in the oven.  Roast, stirring occasionally until the mixture is lightly caramelized, about 45 minutes.  Remove from oven, keep warm.  Increase the temperature to 400*.  Place the fish in another cast iron skillet, drizzle with the other dab of butter which you have melted, and then season with sea salt and pepper.  Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until opaque.  Place the fish on a nice bed of the onions and fennel and serve.

FABULOUS FISH SAUCE

I am not sure why, but this year I am really impatient for the fresh vegetables to be available locally.  So much so that I've been cheating and buying stuff like asparagus, cilatnro, and dandelion greens from faraway places. I've also been buying pineapple and oranges!  I think it has something to do with the fact that we are eating way more vegetables and fruit now that we've reduced the amount of grains, pastas and breads we are eating with every meal, and I am getting tired of eating coleslaw and carrots.  And you know how good a bunch of asparagus tastes with a piece of fish, or how your body craves the bitterness of dandelion at this time of year.  The only sad part is that now when the local stuff comes out, it won't be as special or exciting.  Oh, who am I kidding, it will be very special still.  

     To make our two to three times weekly fish eating experience more exciting, I tried out a new sauce the other night, which I adapted slightly from a cookbook that has been sitting on my shelf for some time.  It's called Grilling Genius, and the two recipes I've tried out so far have been great, so I'm thinking, hey, maybe he is a genius.  Both Scott and I were blown away by the awesomeness of this sauce, and I think it would taste great on shrimp, scallops, and even chicken.  Our son Faegan wasn't so keen on it though, he kept scraping off the "green stuff".  Sigh.

HALIBUT WITH INTENSE CILANTRO GLAZE

(adapted form Grilling Genius by Scott Givot)

3 sustainably harvested Halibut steaks

1/2 Tbsp organic sesame oil (raw)

1/2 Tbsp organic toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp organic brown rice vinegar

1 Tbsp wheat free organic tamari

1 tsp organic coconut sugar

1/2 cup organic cilantro leaves

3 cloves organic garlic

1 organic red chili pepper, seeded (optional)

1 tsp sea salt

Method:  Rinse the fish and dry with a paper towel.  Blend the oils, fish sauce, vinegar, and tamari.  Add the sugar, cilantro, garlic, chili, and salt and blend again.  Pour the paste over the halibut and make sure the fish is completely coated.  Cover the dish and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.  Turn the fish halfway through.

     Remove the fish from fridge 15 minutes before cooking.  Lift the fish from the glaze and cook on a well oiled ot grill for 6 mintues on each side, or broil in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Brush the remaining glaze over the cooked tops when turning fish.  

FISH CHOWDER with Asparagus and Sweet Potato

It was a beautifully rainy day today, so rainy and damp I even had to light the fireplace.  It was the kind of day that chowders were made for.  A morning trip to the library, a good book read during nap time and a big, steamy bowl of chowder and biscuits made this day even cozier.

FISH CHOWDER with Asparagus and Sweet Potato

1 pound hook and line haddock

1 pound organic salmon

1 cup fresh clams and their juice

3 Tbsp organic butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 organic carrots, chopped

3 organic celery, chopped

3 cloves organic garlic, minced

2 organic bay leaves

3 tsp fresh organic thyme

4 organic potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 organic sweet potato, peeled and diced

4-5 organic asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

3-4 cups water

3 cups organic whole milk

1/2 cup organic cream

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup organic butter kneaded with 1/4 cup flour

sea salt and pepper

chopped organic parsley

Method:  In a large soup pot melt the butter and cook the onions, garlic, celery and carrot until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the potatoes and enough water to just cover the vegetables.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-15 or until potatoes are tender.  Add the fish and clams, asparagus, the white wine, milk and cream.  Cook on low heat until the fish is opaque.  While the fish cooks, stir in bits of the butter/flour clumps, stirring until it reaches the thickness you desire.  Season with sea salt and pepper.  Serve sprinkled with parsley.

FIRE GRILLED MACKEREL with a Tamari Ginger Dipping Sauce

After a beautiful morning spent at the South Shore Waldorf School's May Fair, we took the long way home on the old highway.  If Faegan hadn't been taking a nap in the car, we would have stopped at all the antique stores and yard sales along the way.  The one stop we did make though was for some fresh caught mackerel.  I was hoping we would run into a truck on the side of the road selling wild mackerel so that I could avoid buying fish from the store wrapped in plastic.  I was so excited to find some today that I bought 10 so I could freeze some for another day.  The only time I ever usually eat mackerel is when it's smoked.  I had visions of outdoor grilling over the fire again, so did a quick internet recipe search and found one for Salt Grilled Mackerel on Cook it Simply's site.  What a delicious way to serve mackerel!  I am going to use that sauce for all kinds of fish and seafood dishes again.  This was delicious served with a fresh garden salad made with an asian style vinaigrette.

FIRE GRILLED MACKEREL with a Tamari Ginger Dipping Sauce

adapted from Cook it Simply

4 local wild mackerel, gutted and cleaned with head on

2 Tbsp fine sea salt

8 Tbsp organic tamari sauce

4 Tbsp local honey

2 inch piece organic ginger, grated finely

Method:  To make the sauce combine the tamari, honey and ginger in a small saucepan.  Bring to a light boil and then simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat, strain and let cool.

     Prepare the fish by slashing the fish down one side, and then sprinkle the salt in the cavity, on the skin and in the gashes.  Let sit for 40 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.  Heat your grill or prepare the fire pit so that there are just hot coals and place the fish on, cook for about 5 minutes each side, being sure to only turn once.  You can baste each side midway through cooking with some of the sauce.  Serve the fish with tiny dishes of the extra sauce for dipping.

BROILED SHRIMP AND HADDOCK with Spring Vegetable Noodles

Tomorrow is market day so tonight I tried to clear out as many of the fresh greens from the refrigerator as possible.  (Why have I bought so many bags of kale?)  Braised kale, spinach and fiddleheads in pureed tomatoes, a little garlic, lots of romano cheese and you have yourself a mighty fine pasta dish.  Pair that with some broiled shrimp and fish and you have one happy husband too!

SPRING VEGETABLE NOODLES

1 bunch organic kale, chopped

1/4 pound organic spinach

4 large handfuls wild fiddleheads

5 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

3 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 can organic tomatoes, pureed

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add the garlic, greens, some sea salt and pepper and saute for one minute, then stir in the tomatoes.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes.  Serve on your favorite noodles with lots of cheese.

BROILED SHRIMP AND HADDOCK

1 bag PC organic shrimp, raw 

1 filet hook and line haddock

tom's spice (on my etsy shop)

organic lemon

2-3 Tbsp e.v olive oil

Method:  Toss the shrimp in some olive oil along with a sprinkle of Tom's Spice.  Drizzle some olive oil on the filet and sprinkle with some Tom's Spice.  Lay in the middle of a large cast iron skillet and spread the shrimp alongside.  Squeeze a little lemon on it.  Broil in your oven for 5-10 minutes or until fish is flaky and opaque and the shrimp start to brown slightly.  Stir shrimp as needed.

STEAMED QUINOA, DANDELION AND HALIBUT with Lemon Tahini Sauce

So I am on a Spring Cleanse that requires I forego most carbs, sugars, fruits, fermented foods, vinegars, yeasts and dairy.  Which led me to the idea for this meal tonight.  You can't really see it because it is hiding underneath this AMAZING tahini sauce.  I used to make this sauce all the time using tamari, but now I have to use Bragg's Liquid Aminos instead, and boy am I glad.  The stuff is amazing.  I love it!  Hope you do too!

LEMON TAHINI SAUCE

1/4 cup freshly squeezed organic lemon juice

1/4 cup e.v olive oil

1/4 cup organic flax seed oil

1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1/3 cup organic tahini

3 cloves organic garlic

1 Tbsp maple syrup (or for this cleanse I used one pouch of stevia powder)

1/8 cup water

Method:  Blend all ingredients together and serve over broiled fish, boiled dandelion and steamed quinoa.

BIRTHDAY DINNER

My son is two years old today.  I didn't know I was making a special meal until we sat down and realized just how lovely it was.   It is such a joy preparing food for my family.  Happy Birthday Faegan, here's to many, many more delicious meals together!

BROILED HADDOCK with Mushrooms and Thyme

1 pound hook and line haddock fillets

1 pound organic mushrooms

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 Tbsp Tom's Spice (available from my Etsy Shop)

Method:  Preheat oven to 450*.  In a cast iron skillet, toss the mushrooms with half the olive oil, thyme, and 2 tsp of Tom's Spice.  Roast for about 10 minutes.

     Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the fish, season with the rest of Tom's Spice.  Pile the fish onto the mushrooms and roast for 10 minutes. 

 

HORSERADISH MASHED POTATOES

5 organic potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 pieces

sea salt and pepper

1/2 cup organic whole milk

3 Tbsp organic salted butter

1 heaping Tbsp natural horseradish (I like Bubbies)

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:  Bring potatoes to a boil.  Cook until very tender, drain and then add the remaining ingredients.  Mash until creamy.

SPINACH SALAD with Leftover Easter Eggs, Spring Sprouts and Walnuts

3/4 pound organic spinach

1/2 cup organic sprouts

1/2 cup organic raw walnuts

3 organic boiled eggs

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp organic Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

2 tsp local honey

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:  Whisk the vinegar, mustard, olive oil and honey together in a bowl.  Drizzle over the salad.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BROILED HALIBUT in a Lemon Caper Sauce over a bed of Angel Hair Pasta

We don't often eat my absolute favorite lily white angel hair pasta anymore.  But every now and then I figure a little bit won't hurt.  Pete's Frootique sells an organic cappellini, so now that I've used up my last pack of it I will be sure to stock up again.  

     This recipe is so simple but so delicious you'll want to eat the whole pot.  This has been a favorite pasta of mine forever.  Be sure to keep the hunk of romano cheese close by because if you're like me, you'll be grating some more every few bites.  

     The lemony sauce from the fish kind of drips down over the pasta which was really nice.

CAPPELINI with Olive Oil, Garlic and Chilis

1 pound organic angel hair pasta

5 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

1/2 cup e.v olive oil

2 tsp organic chili flakes

sea salt and pepper

fresh romano cheese

Method:  Bring a huge pot of water to boil, add some salt and boil pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, heat half of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and chillis.  When garlic starts to sizzle, remove from heat and toss onto the cooked pasta.  Add the rest of the olive oil and serve with lots of freshly grated romano.

BROILED HALIBUT in a Lemon Caper Sauce

1 package PC Wild Halibut

1 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

1/2 tsp Tom's Spice (available from my shop Earth's Oven)

1 tsp organic lemon zest

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 Tbsp e.v olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh basil or 2 tsp dried

1 Tbsp capers, drained

Method:  Heat the oven to 375*.  Season the halibut with Tom's Spice and place in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet.  Broil for about 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.

     While the fish is cooking, combine the lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and zest in a small bowl.  Beat in the olive oil, basil and capers.  Spoon the vinaigrette over the cooked fish.

The salad we ate with the pasta and fish: Mache with Shaved Carrots and Beets

RICE PUDDING

I like to make rice pudding when I have milk in the fridge that needs to be used up.  Every time I eat this I am transported back to my childhood where sometimes I would eat two bowls in a row.

1 cup organic white or brown rice

1 quart organic whole milk

2 cups water

1/2 cup local honey or maple syrup

2 handfuls organic raisins

pinch of sea salt

organic cinnamon for top

Method:  Give rice a rinse and then combine it in a saucepan with the milk, water, honey, rice and salt.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes or until the rice has cooked and the mixture has thickened.  Stir in raisins and cook a few minutes. Remove from heat and pour into pudding bowls.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, cover and refrigerate.

THAI FISH CHOWDER

My son and I fell in love all over again over this soup.  Scott is working a bit late tonight, so Faegan and I ate dinner early.  Things can get kinda frazzled and tensions can run high with a little two year old getting into EVERYTHING, but dinner saved us.  That is, once it was done being prepared and the two of us sat down together, with nothing else on our minds but pure sensual enjoyment.  We giggled and slurped and ate more, more, more of this soup as time slowed down and the setting sun's light shone through the window.

     You may have noticed I've been using Coconut Sugar quite a bit these days.  It is a sweetener made from the sap or nectar from the coconut palm tree flower.  It has a caramel sweetness that I like, and the best part is it has a glycemic index of 35 which is kind of low considering honey is a 55.  It will never, ever take the place of maple syrup, honey or brown rice syrup in my heart, but I like having options.  I especially like to use it in recipes that are tropical and use ingredients like coconut or mango. 

     This Thai soup was very simple and fairly quick to make thanks in part to the Green Curry Paste I had leftover and frozen from the other day.  I am pretty sure I could keep it in the fridge for quite a while, but freezing it ensures that it stays super fresh for a very long time.  Which is a good thing because how many Thai curries can I make before I get really sick of it? 

     Oh, and I bought a very swanky camera and lens today, the picture of this soup was taken with it, but I still haven't had a chance to practice, but soon, the tripod and fancy flash will be set up, and watch out!

THAI FISH CHOWDER

(adapted from REbar)

4 cups organic fish, vegetable or chicken stock

4 cups filtered water

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and chopped

1/4 cup fresh organic ginger, grated

4 cloves organic garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh green curry paste (http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2010/03/thai-temptations.html) 

3 Tbsp coconut sugar (or honey)

3 Tbsp organic tamari

juice of 1 juicy lime

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 can organic coconut milk

1/4 pack brown rice noodles (I used vermicelli)

1/2 pack PC organic raw unpeeled shrimp

1 fillet hook and line haddock

4 dried kaffir lime leaves

1 carrot, sliced

1 bunch organic green onion

1/2 cup organic cilantro chopped

1/4 cup fresh organic mint leaves, minced

Method:  In a large soup pot, heat the stock and water and add the lemongrass, ginger, garlic.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes then strain the stock and stir in the curry paste, sugar, tamari, fish sauce, lime juice and coconut milk into the broth.  Allow the broth to simmer and then add the noodles, fish, carrots and lime leaves and cook until the noodles are tender.  Remove from heat, stir in the greens and serve!

Fried Smelts and Chard

MY MOM'S KITCHEN - Post #1

Having just arrived back from spending a week in Halifax my refrigerator was devoid of fresh vegetables. I stopped at the vegetable market and found some great looking organic swiss chard and decided to prepare that for our dinner. My intention was to saute it with garlic and serve it with spelt pasta. 

     When I arrived home I found a huge bowl of sea smelts on the counter, my husband had been to the fish market and they called out to him. He wanted to prepare them the way the do in his village in Greece, lightly floured, pan fried in olive oil, then served with a rosemary red wine vinegar reduction, they always eat this with a

raw red onion as an accompaniment.

FRIED SEA SMELTS

2 lbs of sea smelts dredged in flour

1 cup olive oil or oil of your choice for frying

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

fresh rosemary

salt & pepper to taste

 Heat the oil in a cast iron frying pan, when hot add the dredged smelts in a single layer until golden. Discard all but about 2 tbsp of the oil, add the fresh rosemary until fragrant, pour in the vinegar and reduce for a few minutes until it slightly thickens. At this point you can pour the reduction over the fish, but I like to have it on the side and dip the fish in so that they stay crispy.

 SAUTEED SWISS CHARD WITH GARLIC

 2 bunches of organic red swiss chard cut into 1" pieces

1 head of organic garlic

2 tbsp of e.v olive oil

sea salt & pepper to taste

 Heat the oil in a cast iron frying pan, when heated add the cloves of garlic and lightly brown, shaking the pan so as not to burn them. Add the swiss chard and toss until wilted. Cover and lower the heat, cook a few minutes more until tender.

Spiced Haddock

What a gorgeous sunny and warm day it was today.  So much so that I didn't get around tocoming insided to prepare supper until 4:30, so a quick fish dish was the perfect thing.  The whole thing kind of morphed into an Indian meal with a vegetable biryani from a foil packet spice mix and a lovely carrot cilantro slaw.  The whole thing turned out a little to spicy so I am making the necessary adjustments so you don't suffer too.

SMOKY SPICED HADDOCK 

1 lb hook and line haddock fillets

1 clove organic garlic, chopped finely

1/2 tbsp cumin powder

1/2 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp olive oil

Method:  In a small bowl combine garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, chipotle, oregano, thyme, cilantro and oil.  Pat dry the fish and smear with the spice mixture.  Let it sit for 15 minutes.  Place the fish in a cast iron skillet and roast in a preheated 425* oven for about 20 minutes.

CARROT CILANTRO SLAW

5 organic carrots, peeled and grated

1 cup organic cilantro, roughly chopped

1/4 of an organic red onion, chopped

1/2 cup organic cashews

2 Tbsp organic sesame oil

1/4 of an organic lemon, squeezed

pinch of sea salt

fresh black pepper

1 Tbsp mango chutney

Method:  Combine all ingredients and toss.

Broiled Spiced Haddock with Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

This meal was so good I was glad Faegan barely touched his so I could eat his share

BROILED SPICED HADDOCK

1 lb local hook and line haddock

1 Tbsp e.v olive oil or butter

2 Tbsp organic tamari

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp organic paprika

1 clove organic garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp organic chili powder

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (tabasco)

Method:  Preheat oven to broil.  Whisk all the ingredients except the fish in  a bowl.  Coat the fish in the sauce and place in a cast iron skillet.  Pour the sauce over the fish and broil in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until fish starts to flake and browns on the edges.

GARLIC MASHED SWEET AND WHITE POTATOES

1 1/2 pounds mixed organic sweet and yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

2 Tbsp organic butter

1 clove organic garlic, minced

1/3 cup organic whole milk

sea salt

Method:  Boil potatoes until fork tender.  Drain thoroughly and return to pot.  Melt butter in a small skillet over low heat and add garlic to cook the flavour into the butter.  Add milk just to warm.  Mash the potatoes while adding the butter and milk.  Season to taste with sea salt.

TAMARI BRUSSEL SPROUTS

12 Brussel sprouts, end trimmed

1/2 Tbsp organic tamari

1 tsp organic sesame oil

fresh organic black pepper

Method:  Place sprouts in a pot, fill halfway with water.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until they become tender.  Drain the water and toss with the tamari and oil.  Sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Crunchy Fish Sticks

There never seems to be enough fried fish to go around so you might want to double up on this recipe!

CRUNCHY FISH STICKS

1 pound local hook and line haddock, cut into strips

3 organic egg whites

1 cup organic yellow cornmeal (if using Speerville, grind it a bit in a coffee grinder first)

1/2 cup organic unbleached white flour

3/4-1 cup organic vegetable oil for frying

tartar sauce and lemon for serving

2 tsp sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Method: Whisk together the egg whites and 1 tsp of the sea salt and some pepper.  In another bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour and the rest of the sea salt and pepper.  

     Coat the fish in the egg whites and then transfer to the flour mix, dredging it and patting it.  Work in two batches - fry the first batch in a skillet warmed over medium high heat.  Cook fish until golden brown (about 5 minutes), turning it once.  Transfer to a warm oven while you cook the rest of the fish.  Serve with a squeeze of lemon and tartar sauce.

SALAD

That lovely little salad contains fresh sprouts that I've been growing the last couple of days.  A perfect accompaniment to winter salads!  Try it out!

Fish and Gratin

Our menus around here are dependent upon many factors - what is seasonally available, what the weather is like, what needs to be used up in the fridge and on and on and on.  This weekend I forgot to bring my cooler and ice when I went urban foraging, so the frozen hook and line haddock I bought defrosted by the time I got home.  Sooo, we had fish for supper tonight.

P.S- both dishes in this post are very yummy but I highly recommend making them separately as they didn't really go well togethere.  I would have liked to eat a nice raw coleslaw with the fish and maybe baked fish with the gratin or something light like a tofu dish.

CORNMEAL CRUSTED HADDOCK with Cucumber Pickle Tartar Sauce

Every summer I pickle and can produce for the winter.  One of my favorite recipes is for a Cucumber Relish.  I love to make a quick and yummy tartar sauce with it when we eat fried fish.

1 pound hook and line haddock, cut into 4 pieces

1/4 cup organic cornmeal

1/4 cup organic unbleached white flour

sea salt and pepper

organic butter

Method:  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Combine the cornmeal, flour, sea salt and pepper in a bowl and toss the fish pieces in the mix.  Melt some butter in the pan and cook each side of the fish until golden brown.  Serve with tartar sauce and a squeeze of lemon.

CUCUMBER RELISH

7 cups organic cucumbers, washed, and chopped in small dice

4 cups organic green peppers, washed, seeded and chopped in small dice

4 cups organic red peppers, washed, seeded and chopped in small dice

2 cups organic celery, chopped

1 cup organic onion, chopped

1/2 cup coarse sea salt

2 cups local honey

3 cups organic apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp organic celery seed

3 Tbsp organic white mustard seed

Method:  Combine cucumbers, peppers, celery, onions and salt in a large stainless steel bowl. Cover and let stand 4 hours.

     Fill boiling water canner with water.  Place 7 500 ml canning jars in canner over high heat.

     Rinse vegetables well in a colander and press out excess moisture.

     Combine honey, vinegar, celery seed, mustard seed in a large stainless steel saucepan.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Add vegetables, return to a boil and boil gently for 10 minutes.  

     Place snap lids in boiling water, boil 5 minutes.

     Ladle relish into a hot jar to within 1 cm of top rim.  Remove air bubbles and wipe rim.  Place lid and screw cap.  Place in canner and repeat.  Process all the jars in a boiling canner for 10 minutes.  Cool.

TARTAR SAUCE

3 Tbsp organic mayonaise

3 Tbsp cucumber relish

Method:  Combine the two ingredients and serve.

SWISS CHARD AND SWEET POTATO GRATIN

Ever since I started a food blog, I've been interested in other food blogs.  One I really like is Smitten Kitchen, who inspired this adaptation of a yummy gratin.

1 organic onion, chopped

2 Tbsp organic butter

1 bunch of organic swiss chard, chopped into 2 cm pieces

pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

2 cups organic whole milk

2 cloves organic garlic, minced

2 Tbsp organic flour

3 medium organic sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices

some fresh or dried organic thyme and parsley

sea salt

pepper

1 1/4 cups organic swiss cheese

Method:  In a large pot, pour in enough water to cover bottom of pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat, add chard, cover and cook until chard wilts.  Drain in a colander over the sink, pressing out excess water.  Set aside.

     Saute the onion in some butter until soft.  Set aside.

     Melt two tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over moderate heat and stir in flour.  Cook, whisking, and then add the milk and garlic, whisking over heat for one minute.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

     Preheat oven to 400*.  Butter a large cast iron skillet or baking dish.  Spread half of the potatoes, sprinkle with the onion and some salt and pepper, thyme and parsley, and 1/2 of the cheese.  Distribute all of the chard, then sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, some more herbs and half of the sauce.  Layer the rest of the sweet potato, followed with some salt and pepper, the rest of the sauce and end with the rest of the cheese.  Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Lunch for Me

The other day I was browsing around Sobey's.  I love grocery shopping and just checking out what is available.  This is especially fun at Sobey's because I don't normally shop there and so I never know what to expect to find.  To my great surprise I came across some organic Atlantic salmon from Ireland.  This was very exciting, especially since I started to crave salmon as I was walking past the fish department.  You see, ever since I found out about the sad state of salmon farming I have opted to not eat farmed salmon.  Which is really sad for me because I love Atlantic salmon.  It is very easy to find Pacific wild salmon in the stores, but I prefer Atlantic salmon which apparently is illegal to catch these days.  So I scooped up a pack and brought it home to cook for supper.  I was disappointed in the flavour and texture of this organic salmon and all my hopes for a new life of salmon eating disappeared forever.  I am hoping it was just in the Sobey's freezer for too long, so I will try another batch from a city Sobey's to see if there is a difference.  Anyway, so I had one more fillet left and decided it would taste ok in something like a fish cake.  I had some leftover mashed potatoes from supper the other night which made lovely fishcakes for lunch.

SALMON FISHCAKES with Sweet Potatoes and Capers

1 organic salmon fillet, cooked and flaked (about 4.5 oz)

1 cup organic mashed sweet and white potatoes

1 organic egg, beaten

1 very small onion, minced

1-2 handfuls of organic breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp organic parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp capers

sea salt and pepper

Method: Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix together and then shape into patties.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium low heat.  Melt some butter and fry the patties about 5 minutes on each side.  Serve over spinach salad

FALL SPINACH SALAD with Feta and Carrot in a Lemon Dressing

Organic baby spinach

Feta cheese, crumbled

Organic carrot, grated

Organic sunflower seeds

Organic lemon

Olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

Method:  Layer the vegetables, cheese and seeds in a bowl.  Squirt with some lemon, drizzle with some oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss and then add 2 warm fishcakes on top.

Rainy Day Supper

I was going to make pizza for supper tonight but then I remembered that I had some hook and line haddock in the freezer, so I took it out to thaw and then phoned my mother to chat.  My family has this habit of always asking each other what we are having for dinner.  So of course, I asked her what they would be eating and she told me. Then inevitably she asked me what I was going to make and I told her about the fish.  She then when on to tell me about this great recipe she saw in a magazine, (Chatelaine or Canadian Living I can't remember which) called Feta Crusted Fish.  So here is my take on this recipe.

FETA CRUSTED HADDOCK

1 pound hook and line haddock (2 fillets)

1/2 cup organic whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/4 cup organic local feta cheese, finely crumbled

1 tsp dry organic oregano

1/2 tsp dry organic thyme

zest of one organic lemon

sea salt and pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

Method:  Preheat oven to 450*.  Combine everything but the fish in a bowl.  Place haddock in a pan (I like to use my cast iron skillet) and pat dry.  Coat the top of the fish with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing down so it sticks to the fish.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

ROASTED VEGETABLES

I met a lovely woman named Alice the other day who lives on a hill by the sea.  As we spoke she offered me some vegetables from her garden, and then proceeded to pick some huge carrots, parsnips and cucumber from the soil.  We fed the carrot tops to her neighbour's cows through the fence.

1 organic carrot

1 organic potato

1 organic sweet potato

1 organic celery root, peeled

1 organic onion

4 cloves organic garlic

1 organic tomato

1 organic parsnip

1/3 organic butternut squash, peeled

1/4 cup olive oil

sea salt and pepper

2 tsp organic dry or fresh oregano

Method: Preheat oven to 400*.  Cut all the vegetables into approximately the same size.  Toss all vegetables into a pan and drizzle with the oil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Roast for about an hour or until vegetables are cooked and starting to get golden on the edges.

THE SALAD WE ATE WITH THIS SUPPER

The garden is just about ready to be prepared for winter.  Today I harvested the last of the salad greens which consisted of two varieties of bitter endive.  To make this a little more palatable I used some local apple cider balsamic vinegar and maple syryup to sweeten the deal.

bunch of endive

1 carrot shredded

handful of organic sunflower seeds

a bit of local feta, crumbled

sea salt and pepper

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1-2 Tbsp apple cider balsmaic vinaigrette

1 Tbsp olive oil

Real Canadian Supper

It was a rainy, cool, blustery day here on the Eastern Shore.  What better meal to make than a true Canadian classic?
I never made fishcakes until I moved to the East Coast.  When I married Scott I discovered you always eat fishcakes with beans, baked beans that is.  Apparently mustard pickles are the preferred condiment of choice for this too......

FISH CAKES

1 pound hook and line haddock or pollock

2 cups cooked mashed organic potatoes, refrigerate until cool

1 small organic onion, minced

1 organic egg, beaten

3-4 Tbsp organic parsley, chopped

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Cover fish with fresh cold water and bring to a boil, simmer and cook until fish is cooked through.  Flake in a bowl and refrigerate until cold.  Mix all ingredients together and shape into patties.  If possible let the patties sit in fridge to hold together better, but not necessary.

     Melt some butter in a non stick pan over a low medium heat.  Fry each side of the patty until they are golden.  I like to heat the cakes in the oven for a bit to make sure the insides are nicely cooked and warm.

BAKED BEANS

2 cups dry organic navy beans, soaked overnight or for 6 hours

1 organic onion, chopped

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 Tbsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup molasses

Method: Pressure cook or boil the beans until they are soft.  Be sure they are as soft as you are going to want them when they are eaten because they will not cook anymore once they are in the oven.  When they are cooked, drain them and combine all the ingredients in a cast iron pot ((or any lidded pot) with lid.  Cover the beans with water.  Bake in a 300* oven for 4-6 hours.  Check and stir the beans every now and then, adding more water as necessary.

Faegan loves this meal.  So does his dad.  So do I really.

The dinner I missed

Last night I was not at home.  I teach yoga every Thursday evening in Seaforth and so last night Scott was on his own for deciding what he wanted to eat.  I arrived home to the most amazing smelling concoction, and luckily some leftovers.  Left to his own devices Scott decided to make salmon melts.  It is like a tuna melt, only he used canned salmon. We were out of mayonaise so he decided to use some hummus.  I had also left some foccacia on the counter which I had picked up from Dobbit Bakehouse in Musquodoboit Harbour.  I think he mixed in some cherry tomatoes from the garden, sprinkled some dried oregano and cheddar cheese on it and baked it in the oven.  Magnificent!  I should let him cook more often!  No pictures though, I ate it before I had a chance...