Roast Beef Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I felt like eating a grilled cheese. We had a nice piece of moose and some home-cured, home- smoked bacon. Why not make a roast, slice it, put it in a grilled cheese and top it with barbecue sauce? For the roast I used moose, but grass-fed beef will work just as well. For the cheese, I went with Monterey Jack.

Barbecue Sauce

• 1 cup tomato ketchup • 1/3 cup brown sugar • 1/4 cup water • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • pinch hot smoked paprika

In a small saucepan mix all the ingredients together and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Set aside. Your sauce will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Yields about 2 cups.

Beef Roast with Thyme and Paprika Rub

• 1.5 kg - 2kg beef roast • 8 slices bacon • 1 tablespoon paprika • 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves only • 1 teaspoon black pepper • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix together the paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Put the roast in a pan and lay the bacon slices on top so they cover the roast and add a small glass of water in the pan. Brush the mustard on top of the bacon and then sprinkle on that the paprika/thym/salt/pepper. Rub the spices into the bacon gently with your hands.

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes then bring down the heat to 350°F cook until the center of the roast reaches 125°F (~52°C). For my 1.5 kg roast it took 25 minutes at 350°F.

Remove from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting it. Set the bacon aside.

Putting it all together

Take two slices of bread and butter them. Thinly slice some of the roast beef. Heat up a pan on medium heat. Add one or two slices of bacon from the roast to the pan and one slice of bread. Put the beef and a couple spoonfuls of barbecue sauce on the toasting bread. Once the bacon is crispy, put it on top, add your favorite cheese, and top with the other slice of bread. Flip the sandwich over and let is crisp up on that side for about 3-4 minutes.

Part 4 - Dinner: Lobster Stuffed Shells

This is one cheesy recipe, so try to use quality stuff; aged cheddar and a block of parmesan, not the pre-grated kinds. We usually make stuffed shells with spinach instead of lobster. It's one of those versatile dishes; you can always use the same recipe and just swap the lobster for something else: crab meat, beef, mushrooms, you name it. Serve the shells with a simple tomato sauce. Part 1 - Cooking the Lobster Part 2 - Breakfast: Lobster Eggs Benedict Part 3 - Lunch: Lobster Roll Part 5 - Lobster Bisque

Serves 4

Simple White Wine Tomato Sauce

• 500 ml canned crushed tomatoes • 1/2 cup white wine • 2 cloves garlic • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 tablespoon cream

On medium heat, sweat the garlic in olive oil. Add the white wine and let reduce for 1 minute. Add all the rest of the ingredients, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Lobster Stuffed Shells

• 24 giant pasta shells • 2 cups lobster meat (4 tails), finely chopped • 1 cup cottage cheese • 1 cup cheddar • 1/2 cup white wine • 1/2 cup cream • 1/2 cup parmesan • salt+ black pepper • chives (optional)

Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 15 minutes, or what the package indicates. They must still be al dente. Set aside.

In a pan reheat the lobster with a dash of olive oil. Add the wine and let it bubble away. Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl mix the cottage cheese, cheddar and parmesan. Add the lobster mixture.

In a large deep oven pan pour half of the tomato sauce in the bottom. Stuff each shell with about a tablespoon of the filling and put them in the pan. Pour the rest of the sauce over the shells and top with a bit of parmesan and/or cheddar.

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes at 375F and finish with broil for a couple of minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and eat. Garnish with chopped chives.

Part 3 - Lunch: Flatbread Lobster Roll

I wanted to make a lobster roll that you could actually roll. I have nothing against the classic hot-dog bread buns, but I figured flatbreads are so easy to make, why not give those a whirl? My preferred way to eat lobster is straight up with a squeeze of lemon and soaked in garlic butter. Simple but effective. It's the same here, but rolled in a flatbread. Also check out: Part 1 - Cooking the Lobster Part 2 - Lobster Eggs Benedict Part 4 - Lobster Stuffed Shells Part 5 - Lobster Bisque

The flatbreads need a couple of hours to rise, so plan in advance. Don't worry about making too much, the dough keeps well in the fridge for up to a week and it's a triple purpose recipe; flatbreads, pizza dough, and small buns.

Yields 12 flatbreads

Flatbreads

• 3 cups white flour • 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water • 2 teaspoons yeast • 2 teaspoons salt

In a large bowl, mix the yeast and the water. Then, add the salt and flour and work with your hands until smooth. Add a bit of water if needed. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in volume. If time is on your side, you can even let it rise overnight. At this point you can store it, covered, in the fridge.

Take a chunk of dough just a bit bigger than a golf ball, roll it on a floured surface to about 1/8". Roll as much as you need. Flour in between the rolled flatbreads to make sure they don't stick to each other. Heat up a pan. Drizzle a bit of oil and put the flatbread on. It should cook less than a minute on each side. Set it aside on a plate covered with tin foil so it stays hot. Repeat.

Garlic Butter

• 1/4 cup butter • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

In a small saucepan, on low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic, simmer for a minute, and remove from heat. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.

Roll it up

Put lobster meat on a flatbread (I used claws), drizzle with garlic butter, squeeze a lemon wedge, roll up and enjoy!

Part 2 - Breakfast: Lobster Eggs Benedict

You've probably had eggs benedict with ham, smoked salmon, or spinach. Now try it with lobster. Let's add a side of asparagus, which also goes well with hollandaise sauce.Breakfast time! For your lobster cooking need go to: Part 1 - Cooking the Lobster Part 3 - Flatbread Lobster Roll Part 4 - Lobster Stuffed Shells Part 5 - Lobster Bisque

Hollandaise Sauce

• 4 egg yolks • 1 cup unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 tablespoon white wine • pinch of salt • pinch of cayenne

Melt the butter in a small pan and spoon off the white froth that appears on top.

In a medium saucepan, put the egg yolks, lemon juice, white wine, and salt. On very low heat, whisk until the yolks are creamy, for about two minutes, removing the pan from the heat if it gets too hot. You must be careful not to overcook because you'll wind up with scramble eggs. Remove from heat and add the butter in drizzles. Never stop whisking. It's like making a mayonnaise. Alternatively, you can put the yolk mixture in a blender and pour in some of the butter, then blend, pour a little more, blend again - you get it. Keep a little glass of very cold water, and add a teaspoon or so if you see that the mixture is breaking. Once it's thick and all the butter has been absorbed, taste and season to your liking with more lemon juice, cayenne, and/or salt.

Keep in a warm place near the stove.

Poached Eggs

Bring a pot of water with 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar to a boil. Break each egg into a small bowl or cup. Before poaching the eggs, bring down the water to a simmer Carefully drop in the water no more than four eggs at a time. Cook 3 minutes and take the eggs out with a slotted spoon. Put them on a plate and dry them with paper towel. Repeat if you need more than four eggs.

Lobster

In a medium pan, warm up some olive oil with chopped, cooked lobster meat. I used a mix of claw and tail meat.

Assembly

Toast english muffins. On each slice, put some lobster then one poached egg and pour hollandaise sauce over it.

Asparagus

Bring a pot of water to boil. Throw in a good pinch of salt. Blanch the asparagus for two minutes. Put them directly into very cold water. Heat them a little in the oven or in a pan.

Serve and eat.

Part 1 - Cooking the Lobster

I'm making a five-part miniseries for HBO on lobsters - okay, not really, but that would be fun. We came up to New Brunswick for the week, and I've been spending quality cooking time with my dad. Outside on the deck, fixing up lobsters in the almost-spring sunshine. Making a small piece of the mountain smell like a summer bay and drinking beer. This kind of living is hard to beat. The first part of this mini-series (bear with me) is about how to cook your lobsters. It's quite simple; all you need is salty water and lobsters. But to make them even more flavorful you can use a court-bouillon (water with aromatics and spices). A court-bouillon is like a stock but quicker to make. In mine I used onions, celery, carrots, lemon, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. But if all you've got on hand are onions and bay leaves, it's all good. We want only to boost the lobster's natural flavor a bit.

Use your judgement here about how much you'll really need. Don't go making 20 gallons of court-bouillon if you only need to cook one lobster. You need enough liquid to cover the lobsters.

Court-Bouillon

  • 1-2 onions
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorn
  • a couple tablespoons salt (must taste like sea water)

Put everything in a pot and fill it with water. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Cooking the Lobster

Get your court-bouillon boiling and drop the lobsters in, headfirst. Let the water boil again and then bring it down to medium heat. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes per pound the lobster weight. Our lobsters were 2 1/2 pounds, so we cooked them 12 1/2 minutes.

Remove from water with tongs. Crack open. Dip in butter. Pow.

Haddock Amandine

Sole Amandine is a very old French classic, but, as we can all appreciate, the recipe is a simple one. Essentially, the dish is pan-seared filet of fish with a sauce of browned butter, almonds, and lemon. What I love about the recipe is that it works amazingly well with any type of fish; trout, haddock, tilapia - you name it. I had haddock in the fridge, so I went with that. But, you can also get creative - give your next batch of asparagus an amandine kick. The earthy sweetness of browned butter, the crunch of almonds, and the crisp, zesty taste of lemon go so well together, but the effect is still gentle enough to compliment a variety of core flavors. Try it out and enjoy!

This was originally a guest post for 2 Peas & A Pot. Serves 2 One filet is usually enough for two people. Adjust depending on the size of your fish.

Ingredients

• 1 haddock filet, cut in half • 1/4 cup white flour • 1/4 cup sliced almonds • 4 tablespoons butter • juice of 1/2 lemon • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped • salt + black pepper

First off, season the fish with salt and pepper. Put the flour on a plate and gently flour the filet.

In a sauté pan, on medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once it's bubbling, add the fish to the pan. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer in another pan or on a plate.

In the same pan you've seared the fish, add the remaining butter and cook it until it browns. This does not take long; so be careful not to burn the butter. Add the almonds, remove from heat and squeeze in the lemon to stop the butter from cooking. If you used unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.

Serve the haddock with the amandine sauce and garnish with parsley.

Quinoa with Roasted Peppers and Sunflower Seeds

Most of the snow is gone so I decided to cook up something that would make a great summer dish - just to herald in some even warmer weather. By now everybody knows quinoa is very healthy. It's not the cheapest grain, but it's worth eating not only for it's nutritional value, but also for it's taste. You can easily add anything to it; vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits or even poultry to make it a main dish. It's usually served cold as a salad, but you can heat it up to replace rice or any other grain. Eat it hot or cold, up to you. Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 cups quinoa • 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock • 2 bell peppers • 1 medium red onion, chopped • 1 medium zucchini, cut in 1/2" cubes • 1 cup sunflower seeds • juice of 1/2 lemon • salt + black pepper • olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the peppers in half, lengthwise. Put them on a pan, drizzle some oil and roast in the oven for around 30 minutes.

In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil and add the quinoa. Cook for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Set aside.

In a pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from heat.

By now your peppers are probably roasted. Cut them roughly in 1/2" cubes and add them to the pan with the onions and zucchini. In the same pan, add the cooked quinoa, sunflower seeds, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix everything.

Serve straight away or leave to cool an hour or so. Top with sunflower seeds.

Cilantro and Goat Cheese Sweet Potato Mash

Another recipe with goat cheese. It's goat cheese week! I love side dishes that are packed with flavor and dead easy to make. For this side, you don't even have to peel the potatoes, as the skins are full of vitamins and fiber and have an earthy taste you wouldn't want to miss. We had this for lunch with a creamy leek toast. (For that, cook some leeks in butter; once soft, add a bit of cream; bubble away, then pop it on toasted bread; top with cheese and broil in the oven.) Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato • 1 medium potato • 100g goat cheese • 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped • 1 tablespoon butter • salt + black pepper

Rinse your potatoes under water, then cut them into 1" cubes, without peeling. Put them in a medium pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain them, put back in the pot, and mash. Add the goat cheese, cilantro, and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Rosemary Popovers

I got a recipe for popovers from my girlfriend's family cookbook, but I had to tweak it five times before the things came out right. They just wouldn't pop! So now we have over thirty popovers, most of them flat and living in the freezer. Don't worry, they'll get eaten. The important thing is that I now have a functioning recipe and that every future popover will rise to the occasion and do justice to its name. A popover is an eggy bread made of four ingredients; eggs, milk, flour and salt. Quite simple, eh? It is definitely simple and easy once you have a good recipe to work with. For plain popovers, which are great with jam, just discard the rosemary. For cheesy ones add grated cheddar. For smaller ones use a smaller muffin pan. If you have a popover pan it's even better.

Makes 6-8 popovers

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup of white flour • 1 1/2 cup of milk • 3 eggs • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour a muffin pan. In a bowl whisk the eggs and milk together. Add the flour, salt, and rosemary. Whisk everything gently until smooth. Pour in the molds to about 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350°F and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Leek Quiche

I promised Eggton a recipe with bacon. What I came up with is a really tasty quiche that's packed with flavor. It can be enjoyed hot or cold as a perfect breakfast, or you can serve it up for lunch with a bit of salad. Make it a day or two in advance if you're going to be pressed for time - it keeps well. If you can't stand blue cheese, use any kind that you prefer.

Dough

• 1 cup white flour • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter • 2-3 tablespoons milk • a pinch of salt

Mix together the flour and salt. Rub the flour with the butter until you get a sandy texture. Then add just enough milk to make a smooth dough. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Pre-Baking

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll your pastry and line a 8" or 9", greased and floured pie pan. Put some tin foil or parchment paper on the pastry and then a baking weight. I used dried chickpeas. Blind bake (meaning pre-bake) in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the weight and foil. Make some little holes on the bottom with a fork. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Quiche

• 2 leeks, whites only, finely chopped • 8 slices bacon, sliced • 1/2 cup (about 100g) blue cheese • 3/4 cup milk • 3/4 cup cream • 3 eggs • 1 egg yolk

Fry your bacon in a pan on medium-high heat until crispy. Turn the heat to medium and add the leeks. Stir for about 10 minutes, until the leeks are soft. Remove from heat. In a bowl whisk the milk, cream and eggs together. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread the bacon/leek mixture in the pre-cooked dough. Top with chunks of blue cheese and then pour the eggs/milk mixture over.

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350°F.

Cheddar Perogies with Sage Butter Sauce

You can serve perogies with any kind of sauce or none at all, they're amazing on their own. For this recipe, I went with a sage butter sauce because, well, it's just ridiculously good. Making your own perogies from scratch is quite a process, but you can always make double the recipe and freeze the surplus. Either way, the time you spend making perogies is definitely time well spent. Flour-wise, I go with Speerville Flours. Their whole white unbleached flour has a depth of flavor commercial flours just don't have. Unbleached flower is less processed and contains more of the original wheat kernel, making it healthier and darker in color. I just love the stuff!

Yields about 24 perogies Serves 4

Filling

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped • 1 1/2 cup grated aged cheddar • chives and/or parlsey, finely chopped • pinch of salt

Boil the potatoes until thoroughly cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Strain them and let stand for 5 minutes to let the extra moisture out. Mash and add the cheddar, butter, herbs and salt. Your filling is done.

ps: Don't throw out your potato skins; put them in a pan with oil + salt and in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes. You'll have nice, crispy potato chips to munch on.

Dough

• 2 cups white flour • 1/2 cup sour cream • 3 tablespoons butter, melted • 1 large egg • pinch salt

Mix all the ingredients together with your hands or a mixer until you have a smooth dough. If needed, you can loosen it up with a couple drops of cold water. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Assembly

Roll out half of the dough to about 1/8" thick. With a glass or dough cutter, cut out 3" circles, saving the trims. Put about 1/2 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each. Dip your finger in water and pass it around the edges so the dough will stick together nicely. Close the perogies making sure they are completely sealed. Set them aside on a pan. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough. Form a ball with the trimmings, roll and make some more.

At this point you can put them in a bag with a dash of flour and freeze them.

Cooking

Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding a teaspoon of salt. Drop about half of the perogies in and cook for 5-6 minutes or until they float on the surface. Remove from water and put on a plate with a paper towel to dry them. Cook the rest of the perogies the same way.

Frying

In a saute pan heat up 2 tablespoons of oil. Once it's sizzling, fry some perogies for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Serve hot.

Sage Butter Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter • 8-10 sage leaves, chopped • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a small sauce pan melt the butter on medium heat. Let it bubble until it browns just a bit. Add the sage, remove from heat and add the lemon juice. If you used unsalted butter, season with salt.

Goat Cheese, Walnut and Apple Salad

Here's a quick and healthy salad fix. The goat cheese and walnuts are really the major flavors here - that's why the vinaigrette is so simple. This takes about 5 minutes to put together. Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 handfuls (about 150g total) mixed lettuces • 1 cup walnuts • 150g goat cheese, crumbled • 2 red apples, chopped • 1/4 cup oil (olive, sunflower or grapeseed) • 3 tablespoons lemon juice • chopped cilantro (optional)

Mix the chopped apples with the lemon juice. It'll keep them from browning. Put all the ingredients (including the apples and the lemon juice) in a large bowl and gently stir together. Serve and top with cilantro.

Portobello Burger, Pickled Veggies, and Honey Dijonnaise

Who are you fooling with a mushroom burger, right? Maybe you've ordered something similar in a restaurant only to regret it upon taking a bite. (That's definitely happened to me a couple of times.) The problem with most mushroom burgers is a lack of flavor and juiciness. This may sound difficult to remedy, but it's not. I've found that simply marinating mushrooms with herbs, garlic and balsamic gives them that much desired kick. Keeping the portobellos whole also helps them to become extra juicy. They`ll absorb a lot of that marinade and cooking oil, and the more absorbed, the better. You'll get all those juices and flavors back when you take a bite. You'll almost think it's meat. Portobellos are usually the size of a patty, so no fussing around; marinate, sauté in a pan, eat. The quick-pickled vegetables adds extra crisp and sharpness, the honey dijonnaise sweetens the deal. Enjoy!

Marinade

This marinade is enough for 4 portobellos.

• 6 tablespoons olive oil • 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar • 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only • a small handful of parsley, chopped

If the stems of the mushrooms are too long, cut them off. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, add the portobellos and marinate for at least an hour. Turn them over a couple of times.

Pickled Veggies

You can really improvise here, if you don't like fennel, don't put any. If you think celery is great, put some. As long as you have the same amount of each vegetable. This works well on any kind of burger/sandwich.

• 1 medium carrot • 1 small raddichio • 1/2 fennel bulb • 1/4 celeriac • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar • 2 tablespoon sugar • 1 tablespoon oil • a pinch of salt

Cut all the vegetables in julienne (mandolin or with your knife skills). Mix in a bowl with the vinegar, sugar, oil and salt. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Cooking

Heat up some oil in a frying pan. Cook your mushrooms on medium heat, for 3-4 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and deglaze with some of the marinating juice (or balsamic), shaking your pan. Leave to cool a couple of minutes before serving.

Serve on a toasted bun or roll, with pickled veggies, honey dijonnaise and your favorite cheese.

The Basics - Stock, Mayo, and Spices

Here are a few recipes that will set your cooking apart: homemade stock; mayonnaise or, as my fiance's family calls it, "Food of the Gods"; and a Cajun spice mix, which makes flavoring a snap.

Yields 5-6 cups Will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it.

Vegetable Stock

• 2 medium onions, chopped • 2 medium carrots, chopped • 1-2 stalks celery, chopped • 2 garlic cloves • 2 bay leaves • 1-2 sprigs thyme • 2 branches parsley • 1 teaspoon black peppercorn, crushed

Put all ingredients in a pot and cover with water. (about 8 cups) Simmer on very low heat for 1 to 2 hours. Strain, removing the veg from the broth. Allow the broth to cool and refrigerate.

Chicken Stock

Use the same ingredients as above but add 1-2 lb of chicken bones/ carcass (meaty parts and skin on) and an extra 4 cups of water. Simmer on very low heat for at least 2 hours (more is better), skimming the foam that forms on the surface. Strain, allow to cool and refrigerate.

Mayonnaise

Use neutral oils like sunflower, canola or grapeseed. You can mix one of these with half olive oil if you like it.

Yields about 2 cups

• 2 egg yolks • 1 1/2 cup of oil • 2 tablespoons lemon juice • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk or blend with a hand mixer/blender the yolks, mustard, half of the lemon juice and the salt. Then add the oil in drizzles, little by little and never stop mixing. Once all of the oil has been incorporated you’ll have a nice, thick mayo. Add the rest of the lemon juice. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

Aioli

Once your mayo is done add • 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Honey Dijonnaise

Once your mayo is done add • 2 tablespoons dijon mustard • 1 tablespoon of honey

Cajun Mayonnaise

Once your mayo is done add • 2 teaspoons cajun spice mix

Cajun Spices

You can rub this Cajun spice mix on meat or fish, or put it in a marinade, batter, or sauce.

• 2 tablespoons paprika • 2 teaspoons onion powder • 2 teaspoons garlic powder • 2 teaspoons salt • 1 teaspoon black pepper • 1 teaspoon dried thyme • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all the ingredients. Keep in a sealed container.

Pan-Fried North River Smelts

I was lucky at the market today. I got my hands on some fresh, ice-fished smelts. The best way to enjoy them is simple; floured, pan-fried, salted and then dipped into a sauce. For the dip, you can pretty much use anything but I went with horseradish, because the zest of it works amazingly well with the fish. If horseradish isn't your thing, try it anyway - it's an acquired taste!

These make for a great appetizer but also a great lunch. Eat the small ones whole. For the larger ones, once they're cooked, you can easily peel away the spine, leaving you with only the filets.

Pan-Fried Smelts

• 12 smelts • 1/2 cup white flour • 1/2 teaspoon salt • a pinch of cayenne pepper • oil for frying

If the smelts are whole, cut off the heads, gut them, and clean them under cold water.

Mix the flour with the salt and cayenne. Heat about 1/4 cup of sunflower, canola or grapeseed oil in a saucepan or chef's pan.

Flour the fish and put them in the pan, about six at a time. Once they're brown and crispy on one side, flip them. It takes about 2 minutes on each side. Proceed for as many fish as you have. Add a pinch of salt and serve right away, hot!

Horseradish Dip

• 1/2 cup sour cream • 1 tablespoon horseradish • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Mix, done!

Brown Rice Risotto with Roasted Tomato Sauce

In cooking school, we were shown how to make risotto the "right way". The Italian cuisine teacher came to our class and explained exactly how it was done. Oh man, the guy was so passionate about it. If for one second you stopped stirring the rice, the next second he was right up in your face, yelling. I think at one point, he even shed a tear. Italians take their risotto very seriously, like an art form. But don't worry, it's actually quite simple to make.

A traditional risotto is made with arborio rice. It's cooked by adding stock little by little and stiring constantly. Finally, butter and parmesan are added. They give it that amazing creamy texture. Risotto is usually served as a starter, but it can easily replace normal rice as a side dish. In this recipe I used brown rice instead of arborio. Why? Because it's healthier. The brown rice will need to be pre-cooked. This can be done a day in advance along with the tomato sauce. The longer you cook tomato sauce the better it is.

Serves 4

Roasted Tomato Sauce

• 3 tomatoes • 2 chopped garlic cloves • 3 sprigs thyme • 2 tablespoons olive oil • salt + black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the tomatoes in quarters and lay them on a pan. Throw on the garlic, thyme, olive oil, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Once done, put the tomatoes in a deep bowl, discarding the thyme, and blend with a hand mixer.

Brown Rice Risotto

• 1 1/2 cup brown rice • 3 cups water • 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock • 1/2 cup white wine (optional) • 1 onion, finely chopped • 1 cup packed grated quality parmesan • 1/2 cup roasted tomato sauce • 1 tablespoon butter • juice of 1/2 a lemon • salt + black pepper • chopped walnuts (also optional - but good!)

First off, pre-cook your brown rice in 3 cups of water with a pinch of salt until all the water is absorbed, it'll take about 30 minutes. Set aside.

Heat up your stock in a saucepan. In a sauteing pan, on medium heat, cook the onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 10 minutes, until tender. Then add the pre-cooked rice and stir. If using the white wine pour it in and let it bubble away.

Now you want to add stock a laddle at a time. Once what you put in has been absorbed, add some more, stirring constantly. It should take about 20 minutes to have all the liquid in. If you see that your rice doesn't take any more liquid, don't put more. It'll take between two and three cups of stock. You still want the rice to have a little crunch.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, the butter, lemon juice and parmesan. Season with salt and black pepper.

Top with chopped walnuts.

Spicy Haddock Fish Cakes with Aioli

Fish cakes, crab cakes, both remind me of beach vacations. Seashore restaurants, seafood take-outs, cold beer, tartar sauce, sun. It's not summer yet, and I know that back-painfully well; after shoveling the snow from our driveway yesterday, the car still got stuck, and later on we stacked a cord of firewood. But guess what I felt like eating in spite of all the ice and snow? Hint: check the title of this post. I wanted summery fish cakes; classic ones made with mashed potatoes. Crab cakes tend to be more popular in general, but fish cakes, when done correctly, are just as tasty and rewarding. They're also cheaper to make! Now I've got everyone's attention. Serve these with with a squeeze of lemon and a cold beer. As a side, we ate them with a Spinach Salad. Also, if you've never made mayonnaise, now's your chance. ps: You'll probably be left with some mashed potatoes, keep them for next day's lunch.

 

Spicy Haddock Fish Cakes

• 500 g of haddock (3-4 fillets) • 4 medium potatoes • 1/4 cup white wine • 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped • 1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped • juice of 1/2 lemon • a dash of hot sauce or sambal • salt + black pepper

Preheat oven at 350°F. First off, you need to do some mashed potatoes and cook your fish. In an oven pan put your fish with the wine, a dash of oil and salt. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, cut and boil the potatoes until tender. Drain, mash and salt. Let the fish and mash potatoes cool down for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the fish with about 2 cups of the mashed potatoes, the green onions, parlsey, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. If the mixture seems to loose, add a bit of flour. Form 16 little patties of about 2" in diameter.

Heat some oil in a large pan. Non-stick does the job best for these but you can use a traditional pan and put more oil. Cook the cakes a couple at a time. Don't overcrowd your pan. After 2-3 minutes flip them gently, they are delicate. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat the process for all the fish cakes.

Yields 16 fish cakes.

Aioli

You could use olive oil only for this, but I think the flavor is too strong. What I do is half olive half sunflower.

• 2 egg yolk • 1 cup olive/sunflower oil • 3 tablespoons lemon juice • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped • pinch of salt

I like to use a measuring cup to make mayo, it's deep and doesn't splash everywhere.

With a hand mixer, blend the yolks, mustard, half of the lemon juice and the salt. Then add the oil in drizzles, little by little and never stop mixing. Once all of the oil has been incorporated you'll have a nice, thick mayo. Add the rest of the lemon juice and the garlic. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

Open-Faced Egg and Cheese with Maple Mustard

This is the perfect combination; you have sharp cheddar, salty eggs, sweet maple syrup, spicy mustard and crispy toast. You'll wish you could have this for breakfast every morning for the rest of your life. Well maybe not, but I do. I almost ate two of them this morning but was reminded that four eggs a day might be too much. I guess you could add slices of bacon if you're a fan, but my advice is to save your bucks because it's already damn good as it is.

For each serving, you'll need:

• 2 eggs • 1 slice of bread • slices of old cheddar • salt+ black pepper

Toast your bread. In a pan, cook your eggs over easy. Add salt and pepper. When you flip them, add the cheese on top so it melts. Put enough of it so the eggs are covered. Don't overcook, the yolks must be runny. Put the eggs on top of the toast and pour the maple mustard on it and around.

 

Maple Mustard

This is enough for two open-faced "egg n' cheese". If serving four, double the recipe.

• 1/2 cup maple syrup • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

In a small saucepan heat the maple syrup until it bubbles. Remove from heat and whisk in the mustards.

Curried Spinach and Potato Soup

"A big man can carry a heavy load; a good soup can carry a dinner." - Country Proverb

I make a soup almost every other day. It's healthy, economical, and fills my house with flavor. Walk in the front door of a home where soup is simmering, and you'll know what I mean. To fill your own place with soothing aromas and reap the major health benefits of a wholesome, homemade soup, first take a peek in your fridge. You'll need only three or four veggies and a few spices or herbs. If you eat meat, use what you have. Take your ingredients, put them in a pot with stock and simmer. It's the best way to use the leftovers. For more specific directions, try the soup below. It's so simple. You might also serve it up with some Brown Soda Bread.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, chopped • 2 medium carrots, chopped • 2 medium potatoes, diced • 2 handfuls spinach • 2 garlic cloves, chopped • 1 tablespoon curry powder • 5-6 cups vegetable stock • 2 tablespoons cream • salt + black pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pot. Add the onions and carrots and cook until soft. Add the potatoes, spinach, garlic, curry and stock. Simmer for about an hour. Blend with a hand mixer until smooth. If it`s too thick, add more stock. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.