Turkish Baharat Lamb

Hey everyone, I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything in the past three weeks, it’s been a busy month, and then last week my internet said “today I will not work” and went on strike for three days.

Today I want to talk about those cheap cuts you don’t want to buy. Give me one good reason you don’t want to use them? There is so much hidden gold in “rib” cuts and “stew” cuts. Generally, the cheap cuts are the ones that need braising for three or four hours. Time + Love + Cheap cut = Tender yumminess in your mouth. Don’t forget that!

Braising meat can take time and I understand that. I was always told that as simple as something like a braise is, it’s easy to mess up. I honestly feel it’s the truth, I’ve tasted a few braises that were just bland and didn’t have flavor. So pay attention to how you are braising your meat - you have to check on it, make sure it hasn’t overcooked, have patience, know when it’s perfect. All of these are things you have to repeat in your head when you’re doing a braise.

2-3 lbs. Lamb for Stew

Salt

2 Sprigs Rosemary

5 Cloves Roasted Garlic

Fresh Coriander

Fresh Oregano

Salt

Turkish Baharat Spice Mix

1 tbsp. Ground Black Pepper      

1 tbsp. Ground Cumin

½ tbsp. Ground Coriander

½ tbsp. Mint Leaves

½ tbsp. Ground Clove

½ tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/8 tsp. Ground Cardamom

1/8 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp. Ground Bay leaf

1/8 tsp. Ground All spice

I had two pounds of lamb that were cut into small pieces. I didn’t want to put them in the oven, they weren’t big enough nor did I have enough meat to do a proper braise. So I cheated and pressure cooked my meat instead. I marinated the meat a day before with the Baharat Spice mix. After marinating for 24 hours I put my pressure cooker on a high heat, poured some oil inside, so I could get a good sear on the lamb.

Once It was finished searing I added some salt, Rosemary, Roasted Garlic then just enough water to cover the meat. Then I put the lid on so it could start to pressure cook. Do not remove the lid or release the pressure. You want it to cook for 30 minutes.

Now, when thirty minutes is up, make sure your sink is clear. You are going to put the pot in the sink (with the lid still on) under your pipe and turn the cold water on to let it run over the pot. This cools the pot and helps to equalize the pressure on the inside with that of the outside. Usually there Is a knob or button that indicates when there is pressure. Once it falls and shows there is not more pressure, just wait another minute. It’s better to be safe than sorry as pressure cookers can be very dangerous.

Now you’ve got really tender lamb without having it in the oven for four hours. Separate the liquid from the lamb into a pot and leave to reduce on a medium heat. Reserve the lamb and keep warm, maybe at a very low temperature in the oven (150°F).

Once your sauce is reduced, taste it, season it. You don’t need to strain your sauce. I strained mine so it could look perfect for the pictures (unless you’re running a restaurant or doing a blog post, I wouldn’t get too worried). Keep the sauce warm on the stove.

If you love Couscous and Mediterranean grains, then cook up your favorite and serve it with this lovely spiced Lamb dish.

I thinly sliced some radishes and kumquats. Pick some coriander leaves and oregano leaves for plating garnish. There were some baby carrots that I sliced and gave a quick saute. In the end, what I plated was for pictures and a bit more of plating practice.

Try this for fun, taking special care when plating is visually appealing to whomever will be eating your dish.

Have a great week everyone, keep cooking. Food is life!


 

Braised Beef fun

What’s up everyone? It’s supposed to be spring but due to Mother Nature not complying with that notice, it still feels and looks like winter. So until those spring days’ start rolling in, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a few last minute winter dishes.

The Result - Braised beef with a Bean medley. Earlier this week I got me some big beef ribs in the supermarket. You know those days when you want a nice, warm yummy soft beef rib? No? Yes? Maybe? Okay, well today was definitely one of those days. Please soak your beans the night before so they don’t take too long on the stove.



2 lbs Beef Ribs

½ lb Onions
½ lb carrots
¼ lb celery
2 Tomato’s
1 Head of garlic(peeled)
1 ½ tbsp Smoked Paprika (toasted)
½ tbsp. Cayenne pepper (toasted)
½ tbsp. Cumin (toasted)
½ cup Brandy/ Port
4 Bay Leaves
Water
1 Cup Beans Medley
½ Cup Apple Cider

First thing I did when I woke up was get my ribs defrosting because I wanted to start everything by 2 in the afternoon for dinner. When I had seared the beef and took a picture (for the blog of course) I decided to show it off to my family and friends so I could have their mouths watering. Mission was definitely accomplished. My little sister couldn’t figure out why I was cooking ribs for so long. I had to give a quick explanation to her then she finally understood. She’s a real foodie and grieves over all the pictures I send her.


By two in the afternoon it was time to prep, season, and braise. I got the ribs and cut them into pieces. They came in two slabs, I had a total of eight ribs. I seasoned these bad boys heavily with salt and pepper, got a big pot and poured some oil at the bottom so I could start searing the ribs. Don’t use a high fire please, you will smoke out your kitchen, set off the fire alarm and if you don’t turn it off, the fire department will probably pass by your house. A medium heat is good and put two maybe three ribs in the pot and leave them to get brown. We want an even coat of caramelization on the meat. Once they are all done, put them in your roasting pan. Drain off your oil and give your pot a quick clean if you think it’s too burnt on the bottom.

If the bottom is brown, then that’s fine. That will contribute to flavor, but be very careful. If it’s got a lot of black bits and a blackish bottom, don’t use it. Just clean it, and get some new oil in there. Never compromise!

Before you go putting your pot on the fire, cut your veggies up, your carrots, onions and celery. Once they are ready, get your pot on a medium flame again, add oil then your carrots. Carrots have a higher sugar level than onions, and take longer to cook. That’s why we add them first. Once they are caramelized, add your onions. Once they have gotten nice and brown add your celery & tomato. They have the highest water content of the three so they go in last. Add a bit of salt & pepper then your spices. We are mixing all those flavors together for 5 minutes. When they are done, pour it in your roasting pan with the meat. Grab your brandy and pour it straight in to deglaze the pot, scrape the bottom. We want all that goodness at the bottom. After three to five minutes, you shouldn’t get any harsh alcoholic fumes. That’s when you pour it in the roasting pan. Then fill your roasting pan with water an inch higher than your ingredients. Put it in your oven for three hours and 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Drain your beans, put them in a pot with new water, add some bay leaf, and a little salt and pepper. Leave them to simmer on a medium heat for 1 hour. Check your beans, they shouldn’t be too soft. They need to have a little bite to them.

Once they were done I strained them and finished mine with a little dried citrus, apple cider vinegar, a little oil, salt and pepper.

Three hours are done, your house smells like awesomeness and your life is about to be a lot happier. Now, when you check your ribs they need to be soft and almost falling off the bone. That’s a good braise, when it’s almost falling off the bone. We are going to take the ribs out and store them in a container with some of the braising liquid. This is to keep the meat moist. We will separate the remaining liquid from the veggies so we can make the sauce. In a blender, add the veggies then fill it halfway with the liquid. Puree until smooth and season if necessary. There you have it, simple, good hearty food. A thick flavorful sauce, beans that have a nice sharpness to it, and a very tender beef rib.

Plating alternative: Olive Tapenade, Spiced egg, Braised beef, Burnt Onion Dust

Mediterranean Monday: Muhammara

           

Hey everyone! Another day another recipe. Two years ago I came to Toronto and ate in a well known branch of restaurants called O&B. It was there I was introduced to Muhammara. I had it with a chicken dish. Muhammara is a spicy pepper sauce. Classically it has Aleppo pepper. As I didn't have access to Aleppo, I used Red bell pepper, Cayenne & chili pepper mix, and Smoked Paprika. It's my.first time making this Mediterranean sauce, I liked the way it turned out and can't wait to use it this weekend.

Let's get to cooking!

1 Roasted Redbell pepper
1 Head Roasted Garlic
1 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1/2 Lemon juice
1tbsp. Toasted Ground cumin
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Slices of a multigrain bread*

Okay so first thing is to cut the head off the garlic and drizzle with oil, wrap it in foil & roast it @ 200°F for two hours. Once that is done get your pepper, drizzle with oil and roast in a pan @ 400°F for one hour twenty minutes ( be sure to turn it every thirty minutes for an even roasting). I have a small toaster oven so I did them both separately. If you can't do that then this may take a while. I did it as soon as I woke up.

It's one of those things that you can just do, set a timer, sip your coffee and not think about it until your house starts to smell like yumminess.

Once everything is done, you can put your peppers in a bowl, wrap in cling film & steam them for five to ten minutes. In the mean time you can peel the roasted garlic. It took me a little longer than usual to peel them because I wanted minimum wastage. Measure your ingredients out and keep them in little containers. (I find measuring ahead of time is better than measuring as you follow the recipe).

Don't forget your peppers! Give them a peel, take out the seeds and just put it straight in the food processor with the garlic and oil. It will be a little thick so add a tablespoon of water. You just need this to get it going. Once it's a puree, add the other ingredients into the processor, the lemon, the peppers, salt, cumin. Taste it, check the seasoning. Always remember to put less if your not sure and check it, then add more.

Like the tapenade it's not a super smooth puree. This sauce is a bit more diverse when it comes to complimenting meat or fish, try it with a lamb, or a pulpo(octopus). Muhammara is best when served warm as a sauce. It can also be used as a spread for a sandwich. So get to cooking and make this yummy Mediterranean sauce.

*The Muhammara usually has breadcrumbs in it, but I don't want to eat too much bread so I left it out.

Roasted Garlic & Olive Tapenade

Sunday Funday! I’m sorry I have been so quiet in the past two weeks everyone. I’ve been busy. I did however get to spend a weekend in Elora, Ontario. A very quiet little town with a very unique touch to it. They had this really small bakery with some amazing bread. You know it must have been good, because when we got there, it was just after twelve and all of the bread was pretty much gone. Come to think of it, that bread would have been perfect for this tapenade.

So this tapenade reminded me of being back at Sheer Rocks in Antigua. Mine is a little different from theirs but arguably just as good. Olive tapenade is an olive spread from the Mediterranean. It can be salty, but that can easily be controlled. I didn’t add any salt to mine. A few other things to remember is that adding an acid, like lemon, will intensify the salt in anything.

1 Cup Olives, pitted

1 Head Roasted Garlic

1 Tbsp.  Toasted Walnuts

¼ tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 Lemon Segment

4 Sprigs Chopped Parsley

Black Pepper

You’re going to roast your garlic head. You can either wrap it in foil and bake it at 200°F for 2 hours or slowly confit* them in a pot of oil for 1 hour on a really low heat.

Taste your olives before you start, if they are too salty give them a quick boil to help extract some of that salt. Next we will toast the Walnuts in a pan for 5 minutes, constantly moving them around so they will toast evenly. When they are done, put them in a container to cool down.

Now, your roasted garlic, olives and walnuts are ready for the next step. Add them in a food processor with a little bit of oil (use can use the oil from the garlic) and just give it a quick blitz. The mix will never be smooth, which isn’t a problem. Once it’s done pour the mixture into a bowl. We are going to add our paprika, black pepper & chopped Parsley into the mix, stir it all in. Add the lemon juice last and add it little by little, If you put too much you can't take it out. Taste it and adjust your seasoning.

There you have it, you’re one step closer to gaining more knowledge about Mediterranean Cuisine. This spread is awesome with some croutons, or a fish. Experiment, read and learn as much as you can! Food is life! Keep cooking! Until next time everyone, have a great day. 

*To confit means to cook something in its own fat. The term is loosely used now for anything being cooked in a fat.

Goat Cheese Balls: Not your regular Cheese Ball

Good evening everyone! Tonight I have a nice little treat for those goat cheese lovers. Earlier this week I posted about a Burnt Onion Dust and honestly I loved it. We are going to use that and the Beetroot powder from last week’s post, along with the blood orange Relish for our goat cheese balls. I’ve seen post’s where people call them goat cheese truffles, unless it’s a real truffle or truffle chocolate, I won’t call them that. These make a great snack and like all of my recipes or discussions so far, a great dish for a first impression. It doesn’t take a lot of time. Once you already have these powders, dusts, and relish made then it shouldn’t take more than 10 or 15 minutes to put together. I guess if you have a lot of people over or doing a large quantity it will take more time. Anyways! Let’s jump to it. 

You’re going to need the following: -

1 Log goat cheese

1/3 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/3 Cup Cashews (get extra for you to snack on)

Burnt Onion Dust

Beet powder

Dukkha*

1 bunch Oregano

Blood Orange & Papaya Relish

Black pepper

These are all things that I had already made in the kitchen and thought they would all be really good with the cheese. Besides the Dukkha, I have a recipe for all of those powders.

First thing is we are going to take the relish out of the fridge so that its room temperature. Take your cashews & give them a rough chop and put them in a pan on a medium heat. We are going to give them a toast on the stove. We just want to get the nuts a little brown, do not burn them, and constantly move them around. Once they are finished you can take them out and put them in something to cool down. Now we will give the Cranberries a rough chop also. We have our nuts and cranberries all done and in containers. Take the goat cheese and put it in a mixing bowl.

We then want to add our cranberries and cashews. I used half of what I had then checked to see if I wanted more. At the end of the day, if you want more just add it. Crack a small amount of Black pepper into the mix. Now with your spatula or wooden spoon, just work the mix for a bit. Get everything into the goat cheese. Put the mix in the fridge for the time being.

Pick your oregano leaves. Only use the small green leaves. We want everything to be elegant. There’s nothing worse than serving a nice snack with an ugly big green leaf that will be over powering in flavor. You want just a hint of the oregano when you bite into the balls.

Once we have everything together, take out the goat cheese and scoop a little over a tablespoon and roll it into a ball using your hands. Now just add your relish on your plate or board. Then place your goat cheese on top, we are then going to add a "dust" of your choice on top. Finish with your oregano and serve.

A nice elegant snack that you can use to impress loved ones, your partner or friends. At the end of the day you have changed your game by serving typical goat cheese in a different form and with different accompaniments.

*Dukkha is a Mediterranean spice & nut rub that has sesame seeds, coriander, cumin, dried mint leaves, Pistachio, Hazelnuts, cashews. There are many recipes online, and you don’t have to follow any single one to be exact. Don’t buy it in a supermarket. Try and make your own mix.

Please ask any questions or leave comments. Keep wanting to learn and try new things, don’t forget. Food is life!

Burnt Onion Dust

Hey everyone. Tonight I have a Burnt Onion Dust recipe for you. Like last weeks beets, this is just as simple. This recipe though is only an introduction to a few other things coming this week. So if you want to be a part of this culinary journey with me, then lets go.

The Burnt Onion Dust was very fun. Despite being burnt to a crisp, it still has the taste if onions. But the bitterness doesn't overcome the flavor .

You're going to need a broiler, so turn it on first.

Peel your onions and cut them into rings as thin as you can. The thinner they are the faster the process of burning them will be. Once you've sliced them, place in the pan then in your broiler.

My onions took 45 minutes. Yours should take the same or less. Check them every fifteen minutes, carefully take out the ones that are already burnt.

Once everything is burnt to a crisp, allow them to cool down before you blend them. Put in blender and let it go until everything is a powder like consistency*.

Make sure you keep them in a dry air tight container.

This will be all for today, Later on this week I'll show you what we can do with our new little condiment

*If they aren’t totally dry it will cause lumping and moisture to the powder when blending

Last minute meals: Spiced Potato Crema & Chicken

Do you ever just sit down and brainstorm about what you're going to make for lunch and eventually you come up with something that is simple and yummy. Then all of a sudden a light bulb blinks above your head and there you have it, a new post for your blog or Instagram?  I’m almost pretty sure everyone has, and honestly those are the times the dish comes out superbly. I’ve seen brainstorming result in amazing dishes being created, it has happened so many times in the restaurants I've worked in. 

I figured out what to do. I seasoned my chicken thighs & diced potato with salt & pepper and put them in a pan with some spicy mango salsa along with some bay leaves, dropped in nob of butter, poured some water then just left them there to cook.

As I leaned against the kitchen counter top, typing this story, the sun was setting and I was still brainstorming. Green! that was it. I dashed into the fridge and pulled out the most Spanish ingredient I had. The Jalapeno! But with what? I thought. I found some Italian parsley and said "yup, this will do". I got a pot of water going so I could blanch the parsley. Gave the jalapeno's a rough chop and waited. Standing up watching water come to a boil, definitely doesn't make it go any faster. 

I pureed the jalapeno with some oil until it was smooth then I boiled the parsley for 10 seconds and blanched them in an ice bath. Once it was cold I added it to the jalapeno and let it go in the blender for a bit. I didn't need it to be a perfect puree; Added salt and saved it in a container.

I didn't forget the chicken and potatoes, don't worry, they were already done by the time i checked on them, I separated starch from protein in two different containers. The potatoes then went into the blender( don't worry I have a magic bullet so I used a new top) added some water, a little touch of oil and let it go for 10 seconds, if that long. If you make it blend too long the puree would have a sticky, glue like texture.

In the end I plated my last minute dish idea, which turned out to be quite divine.   

Whether you are cooking at home or work, it's supposed to be fun, even if it’s a dish you’ve already made or something you want to do for an experiment. Keep cooking and remember - Food is life.