Chinese Potsticker soup
The secret to this soup is pork stock. I will usually save any trim from pork, extra fat, pork skin, and bones and either make a stock right away, or freeze it for later. If you are making your stock, I will either roast it …
Month: April 2021
Lobster and Chicken in Cream Sauce
This a way to stretch your lobster a bit farther. It makes a nice pasta sauce or serve it with mashed potatoes. Lobster and Chicken in Cream Sauce 1 pound Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips 200g lobster meat (2 lobster shelled) 3 oz …
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More on Books
Back to my obsession.
Cookbooks are not as quick for finding a specific recipe, but overall they will impart more general knowledge. You will find things you did not know you wanted to know
I don’t use books so much to find recipes, I use them more to impart a general feel of how a particular culture will flavor their foods. It is easier to flip through 10 or 15 recipes that are grouped together in a book, than it is to follow a thread on a website. Clicking from site to site usually leads me away from the group of recipes I am trying to focus on.
If I am trying to do an ethnic theme meal, I usually have a central recipe that is my initial focus, then I starting looking for side dishes, then appetizers, then desserts. If I have a good book, there will be ideas for me to follow up on. I probably won’t use the recipes I find there, but I will have an idea of what to look for. Then I can focus on specific recipes in other books or online.
If you are collecting cookbooks, new books are expensive. Unless you are buying a specific book, look for used. Yard sales, flea markets, second hand book stores are all good options. Marshals, and Winner usually have cookbooks. Where you get them does not matter. The knowledge that is in them may help you at some time.
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Lobster Mac and Cheese
I posted this last month, but seeing how this has turned into Lobster week, I have decided to give it another spin. The secret to this recipe is warming the lobster in butter. This will allow the flavor of the lobster to transfer to the …
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Dulce de Leche Pecan Cheesecake
3 x250ml blocks cream cheese 6 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 1 vanilla bean 8 oz pecans 10 oz dulce de leche 6 oz chopped chocolate 1 Baked Graham crumb crust Whip the cream cheese. Start with one block, when smooth add the sugar and …
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Lobster Cheesecake
I have been doing savory cheesecakes for quite a while. They are to be used as a molded spread for crackers or toast points. I have used molds, springform pan, or just chilled directly in the serving bowls. If you use the springform pan, sprinkle a bit of breadcrumb on the bottom of the pan. This will make it much easier to remove from the pan.
Lobster Cheesecake/Spread
100 g Lobster (approximately the meat from 1 lobster)
30 g Butter
50 g Roasted Red Pepper diced
125 g Cream Cheese
100 g Sour Cream
1/4 tsp smoked Paprika
3 ½ g gelatin powder softened in ¼ cup warm water
Salt to taste
At a low heat, warm the Lobster, and Smoked Paprika in butter. Reserve 40 grams for garnish
Place 60 g Lobster in a food processor with the Roasted Pepper, pulse briefly. Just until it is broken evenly, remove and set aside.
In the food processor soften the Cream Cheese, add the sour cream and mix until smooth. Remove and place in a bowl
Mix the Lobster and cream cheese mixture until the lobster is evenly distributed
Salt to Taste
Mix in the softened gelatin
Place in mold or bowl. Arrange the reserved Smoked Lobster on top
Chill
Serve with crackers
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Lobster Bisque
A bisque is a cream seafood soup. Many years ago I worked for a brief time at a restaurant called the Lobster Treat. The boss wanted to put a bisque on the menu, but he had no recipe. He asked me if I could come …
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Lobster Risotto
This looks like it is going to be lobster week. This similar to the plain risotto that I posted earlier, except for the addition of the lobster. I find warming the lobster in butter for a few minutes will spread the flavor of the lobster throughout the dish. I will do this with almost every lobster dish I do.
Lobster Risotto
75g Butter
1/2 Onion finely diced
100g Lobster
3 cups Chicken Stock, warm
1 cup Arborio Rice
2 oz White Wine
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (parmigiana reggiano if available)
Salt and pepper to Taste
Warm the Butter in a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir in the Lobster and Onions, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove lobster, and set aside. Leave the butter in the pan it will have the flavor of the lobster and help it spread through the dish
Over a medium to high heat add rice, stirring to coat with the butter, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine and lemon juice, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1cup warm stock to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding stock 1cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, and stir in Lobster and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Lobster and Spinach Dip
Since it is Lobster season, (although there is always a season open in Nova Scotia somewhere) it seems appropriate to drop a lobster recipe here. For reference sake, 2oz lobster meat is about half the shelled meat of a 1 pound lobster. Lobster and Spinach …
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DUCHESSE POTATOES
These are just fancy mashed potatoes. They can be piped into shape ahead of time and finished in the oven as you are serving. DUCHESSE POTATOES 2 1/2 lbs peeled potatoes 3 whole eggs 3 egg yolks 2 oz butter 2 oz heavy cream 1/2 …
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Roesti Potatoes
Potato Pancakes. I was taught that this was a Swiss recipe, but I once worked in a kitchen where I listened to people from 4 different countries (none them from Switzerland) argue that that this had originated in their country, and others had stolen the idea. So I have came to the conclusion that this in pretty much a European/Russian recipe.
I use mash potatoes and egg as a binder, if it is still a little wet I would use a bit of instant potato to dry the excess moisture. Some recipes call for for a bit of flour, and others recommend squeezing the excess water out into a bowl, let settle then pour off the water and return the settled starch to the grated potatoes.
Just a side note, I always try to have instant potatoes in my pantry to use as a drying agent. Anything that you might not want to add flour or breadcrumb to, but needs something to dry up the extra moisture, like potato pancakes, fishcakes or soggy mashed potatoes
Roesti Potatoes
3 or 4 peeled potatoes
1 onion
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 egg
salt
pepper
Directions
Grate the potatoes into a bowl.
Then grate the onion into the bowl. Discard the larger bits
Mix in the mashed potatoes and the egg.
Season with salt and pepper
Fry in an oiled pan, when browned turn and cook the other side. When crispy remove and serve.you can serve individual sized or if you wish fill the entire pan. Although the pan sized patties are much harder to flip.
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Char Siu Pork
Also known as Chinese BBQ it has nothing to do with BBQ. I read somewhere that it was named that way because when it is marinated properly the color ring in the meat resembles the smoke ring of deeply smoked American BBQ meats. This has …
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Mary’s BBQ Sauce
This recipe has been in my family as long as I can remember. It was the only BBQ sauce we used (and we used it on everything) Looking back, I find it very strange for the time and place. The eastern shore of Nova Scotia in the late 60’s and early 70’s and my mother was using crushed chilies? If I was making it now there is a good possibility I would use Cock brand chili garlic sauce instead of the crushed chili.
1 tbsp Oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1 tsp prepared mustard
2 shakes Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp crushed chillies
Sweat the onion in the oil. Do not brown. Add the remaining ingredients.
Simmer until well combined.
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Simple Tomato Sauce
This is a simple marinara sauce. The star of a marinara sauce is the tomatoes. I do other tomato sauces that have more vegetables and have more body. Please note the recipe says 1 clove of garlic, I have never used only 1 clove of …
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Chicken Kiev
Another old school hit. Everything is better with butter. In this case it keep the chicken moist and carries the flavor of the garlic. Make sure the center of the chicken is cooked to at least 165 F . Don’t overcook or the chicken will …
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CREPES SUZETTE
This the classic crepe recipe, the final step with the cognac is flashy if you are having a dinner party and want to show off, but I usually just skip that step and drink the cognac
CREPES SUZETTE
1/2 Basic Crepes Mixture
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
grated rind of 2 lemons
grated rind and juice of 1 orange
6 tbsp Grand Marnier
sugar
1/4 cup cognac, warmed (optional)
Directions
- Cream butter and confectioners sugar together; add grated lemon and orange rind, orange juice and 4 tbsp liqueur.
- Make 12 crepes, stacking them on a warm plate as they are ready. Keep warm, covered with waxed paper or foil to prevent drying.
- When ready to serve: heat orange-flavored butter in a thick-bottomed frying pan, for a few minutes until butter bubbles. Dip each cooked crepe into this hot mixture; then fold in quarters, using a fork and spoon, and push to one side of dish or pan.
- When all crepes are folded, sprinkle with a little sugar and add remaining liqueur to the pan together with warmed cognac. Stand well away from the pan and light the liquid with a match. Spoon flaming liquid over crepes and serve when flames die down.
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Potato Leek Soup with Smoked Salmon
This is a non-traditional version of potato leek soup. The smoked salmon can be either hot smoked or traditional cold smoked. Potato and Leek Soup with Smoked Salmon 2 oz butter 2 cups sliced leek 1 clove garlic 4 cups diced potatoes smoked salmon 5 …
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Chicken and Leek Soup
Cock-a-leekie soup is the proper name of this soup, it has very few ingredients, but is warm and satisfying. It is known as the Scottish National Soup. The recipe has been in existence for hundreds of years. This version is much lighter than was traditional. …
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Honey Apple Cider Dressing
I ran across this recipe while at a restaurant in Antigonish. This was maybe 25 years ago. A cook named Craig? brought it in. I quite liked it and have been using it since. This is very good for Spinach salads and bitter greens.
Honey Apple Cider Dressing
3 yolks
125 ml honey
2 tsp crushed garlic
1tsp cracked black pepper
125 ml cider vinegar
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
300 ml oil
In a bowl mix egg yolk and honey, slowly whisk in oil until thick stir in cider vinegar, parsley and cracked pepper.
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Honey Mustard Dressing
This dressing is good on spinach or any bitter green 1 clove crushed garlic 2 oz Honey 1 tbsp Dry mustard 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 Egg yolks 1 tbsp White wine 1 oz vinegar Directions Place honey, both mustards, garlic, and egg yolks in …
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LEMON RICE PILAF
This is an easy way of doing rice so you don’t have to worry about it.
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cup long-grain rice
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/4 cup finely diced celery
4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest, grated
Directions
- In a baking dish, sauté onion in butter until soft.
- Stir in rice and cook for two minutes, stirring to coat rice with butter.
- Add chicken stock and lemon juice.
- Bring to a boil, place in the oven at 375. for 30 minutes
- Fluff up rice with a fork, turn into a heated serving bowl, and garnish with grated lemon zest.
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Pasta Carbonara
To oversimplify it, this is bacon and egg pasta. It is rich and creamy, thickened with the parmigiana reggiano. It is another one of my favorites (the more of these that I write, I find I have many dishes that I have great affection for) …
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BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
A fancy way way of saying beef stew with red wine. This is another of the old standards. It is a lovely dark fragrant dish that is wonderful on a dark dreary winters evening. If you would like to try a variation of this substitute …
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Books
Books
This is not a recipe post. This is a post about one of my (minor) obsession’s. I am a firm believer in cook books. I just counted the books on my shelves, there are 150 hard and soft cover books and 150+ magazine type cookbooks. I can find a book for just about any type of food I am looking for references on. An old Chef once told me “no matter how much you know, you cannot know every nuance of every type of cooking”. Reference books are good to have so you can check to see if you are on the right track. I have a few that I go to for old school classic stuff.
Looking up recipes on the web is a great resource, but you need to know what you are looking. The internet packs lighter the books and will have a greater variety of information than you can carry. There is also the danger of falling down the rabbit hole. You start out looking how to blanch green beans and an hour later you are reading an article on how rabbits love lettuce, but cabbage is not good for them.
With books you stay on subject, you may stray from page to page, but you may also learn a bit more about the subject you are researching. Most recipe sites do not give you any of that extra information. Everybody that has ever asked me a cooking question knows that there is not a short answer forthcoming. Once the hamster starts turning the wheel, the brain starts spewing out more information than is necessary. My eyes glaze over and words come out like an oracle doing a soothsaying. I am a sponge of useless and unconnected facts. But, sometimes when triggered the facts, experience and conversations roll out in an impromptu lecture.
If you are collecting cookbooks try to find good books with the basic techniques. If you know the proper method of doing something, it is much easier to figure out where you went wrong. And things will go wrong. There are 2 types of cooks those that make mistakes and liars.
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Stewed Squash with coconut milk
I started making this while working with some Filipino cooks. When I asked them what it was called they they would just shrug and say “kalabasa”. I had to go online to find a proper name for it ,Ginataang Kalabasa . They would cook this …
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Ginger Snap Cookies
Ginger snaps are not called snaps because of the way they break, but because of the snap of the ginger. A ginger snap without enough ginger is just a molasses cookie. This recipe has a lot of ginger. You will feel the bite of the …
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Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is made with a tomato cream sauce. It is mild and usually lightly spiced. I use Butter Chicken as a gateway dish for those who are afraid of Indian food or hot spices in general. My research tells me it was developed in the 1940’s and is similar to Chicken Tikka. Most recipes will tell you to marinate your chicken, I do not see the point. The chicken is usually boneless and stewed covered in sauce. But, to each their own, I just feel the incremental gain is not worth it in this case. On the other hand I put vegetables in with my chicken, so I am not an absolute purist in all cases. If you add the curry powder and garum masala to the oil at the start, the oil will spread the flavors evenly and you will need less spice.
Butter Chicken
2 oz (50ml) oil,
I lb. (500g) Boneless chicken cut in 1 in dice
1 small onion, diced medium (1/2 to 3/4 in dice) about 1 cup
1 cup diced bell peppers
1 carrot split and bias sliced
1 tbsp ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp garum masala
1 tsp curry powder
28 oz (796 ml) can Crushed tomatoes
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups (375ml) plain yogurt (whipping cream can be used instead, it will be milder and slightly sweeter.)
Place the oil in a pan heated to medium heat
Add the ginger, garlic, garum masala and curry powder, sweat lightly then add the onion, peppers and carrot to the pan, again sweat lightly, do not brown.
Then place the chicken in the pan and cook until the chicken looks cooked on all sides.
Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature and stir in the yogurt. let the flavors combine for a few minutes. Check for salt.
Serve with Rice
Nan Bread for dipping in the sauce is always nice
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Chicken Shawarma
The chicken should be seared at a high heat to give a slightly charred flavor. Cooking on the BBQ works well once the chicken has blackened slightly remove to lower heat to finish cooking more slowly. Slower cooking will give a moister product. Chicken Shawarma …
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Shawarma Spice
This is a spice blend that is very enticing, it combines warm spices (in North America thought of as baking spice) with savory spices to make a very interesting aroma. The use of warm spices in cooking is common in many cultures. The blend is …
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
With most recipes our product is only as good as the recipe. If we find a good recipe and it works, it becomes ours. I found this in a magazine (Taste of Home) many years ago. It works for me, it is now mine. A couple of years ago (after using this recipe for many years, I went to work and forgot my recipes. Not fully trusting my memory, I read the recipe on the back of the Bakers Chocolate Chip bag, it seemed very familiar. Once I got a chance, I compared the 2 recipes. They were the same. I had thought I was using a home bakers recipe, when in fact I was using a Bakers Chocolate recipe, which it turns out was a slight variation of Nestles’ Tollhouse cookie recipe that they had purchased in 1939
I have only made one small tweak to the recipe as I found it. I use baking powder instead of soda. The reason for the change is that I will frequently make extra cookies and freeze them raw. I form them to shape (slightly flatter than if going straight to the oven) and freeze them on a baking sheet. When they are frozen, I bag them and return to the freezer. They bake the same as raw cookie dough.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 CUP BUTTER
½ CUP SUGAR
1 CUP PACKED BROWN SUGAR
2 EGGS
1 TSP VANILLA
2 ½ CUPS FLOUR
1 TSP BAKING POWDER
½ TSP SALT
1 CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS
Cream butter and sugars
Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla
Combine flour, salt and soda., add gradually to batter along with the chips
Form into 1 inch balls
Flatten with a fork
Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes
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Italian Rice Croquettes/Arancini
Properly known as Arancini di Riso. This is cooked with slightly less liquid than risotto. If you are familiar with risotto the rice will be much dryer when finished cooking, if it is too creamy and loose it will not stick together to form your …
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Cajun Spice
In most cooking your main flavors will come from seasonings, rubs, sauces, and marinades. To be honest, for most of us, it is easier to find a good product and buy it. We don’t need to know how much allspice goes in a Jamaican jerk …
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DAILY MENU APRIL 7
The South crew will be signing off at noon today. We will be back in 28 days. 1 last meal to prepare then it’s time to hit the road.
LUNCH
CHUNKY TOMATO FLORENTINE SOUP
A VARIETY OF SALADS
ROAST PORK LOIN
TORTIERRE
3 BEAN BEEF CHILI
RICE
CORN
FRIES
GRAVY
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DAILY MENU APRIL 6
Last full day for our crew on the CCGS Jean Goodwill. It has been a good hitch, but it is time to go home. LUNCH Vegetable Soup A variety of Salads Cheese Tortellini with Chicken Beans and Wieners Pan Fried Codfish Jacket Boiled Potatoes Mixed …
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Garlic Ribs
This recipe for garlic ribs goes against everything I believe in. You wash the ribs to soak all the surface fat and blood and juices that contain the flavor of the ribs. You boil the ribs, which is so wrong that it makes me shudder! …
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DAILY MENU APRIL 5
Lunch.
Chicken Noodle Soup.
A variety of salads
Seafood casserole.
Honey Garlic Ribs
Fried Rice
Egg Rolls
Smashed Potatoes
Green Pea
DINNER
Soup/ Salad
Pork Chops
Chicken Pot Pie
Mashed Potatoes
Quinoa
Roasted Cauliflower
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DAILY MENU APRIL 4
It is Easter Sunday, Here is hoping that all are staying safe. Crew change day is drawing closer and it is time to be home . LUNCH. Curry Squash Soup Roast Chicken with Dressing, gravy, and cranberry sauce Coconut Shrimp Mashed Potatoes. Roasted Root Vegetables …
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Risotto
Risotto is a creamy satisfying dish. It is Italian in origin and can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. This is another on of my favorites. It can be eaten as an appetizer or a main course depending on portion size. This is a basic recipe for risotto. You can add many different items to the dish, such as mushrooms, shrimp, scallops lobster, bacon, asparagus and various other things. Most things should be sautéed in the butter and removed before adding the other ingredients. Add them back to the risotto with the final bit of stock. This prevents overcooking.
RISOTTO
2 oz. butter
1/2 finely diced onion
1/4 diced celery
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
juice of 1 lemon
lemon zest
4 1/2 cups stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
parsley
salt to taste
Directions
- Heat butter, sweat the onions, celery, garlic, and lemon zest. Add the rice to coat with butter.
- Pour in the wine and lemon juice.
- Add 1/3 of the stock to the rice; simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Gradually continue adding liquid until all is absorbed. Stir gently to prevent sticking to the bottom
- Stir in diced tomatoes.
- Finish with parmesan cheese and parsley.
- The risotto should be slightly runny
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White Chocolate Cheesecake
My base cheesecake recipe is very simple. Cream cheese, egg yolks and sugar. Everything additional is there for flavor. The secret is to beat the cream cheese until it is very smooth and and very well combined. A low heat will set the cake almost …
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DAILY MENU APRIL 3
It is our last weekend of this rotation. Almost time to clean up, pack our bags and head home. But, there are still a days to go before that happens. For lunch we have a leg of lamb marinated with garlic, lemon and rosemary. I …
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DAILY MENU APRIL 2
It is Friday once again. That means Fish and Chips for lunch. Dinner is chicken wings and beef rendang, a fragrant flavorful dish that is classed as a type of curry, but it isn’t. I posted the recipe for this a few days ago.
LUNCH.
Ham and pea soup
Salads
Battered Cod
Chicken breasts baked with salsa and cheddar.
French Fries.
Brown Rice.
Corn
DINNER
Soup/ Salads
Chicken Wings with a variety of sauces
Beef Rendang
Rice
Potato Wedges
Stir Fried Veg
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Spider Cookies
Macaroon cookies, no-bake chocolate cookies, haystack cookies, chocolate drop cookies, mud pie cookies and a few more. This recipe has more names than any recipe that I know. It was a recipe that everybody’s mother made and everybody’s mother called it something else. Most of …
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Beef Satay
this is one version of a satay. My marinades for this will depend on what I have on hand. Soya, Ginger based mixture work just as well. When cooking just cook though, overcooking will dry out the meat BEEF SATAY 1 lb lean beef 1 …
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DAILY MENU April 1
It looks like a rainy day, but it is steak on the BBQ, regardless of weather. Our second lunch choice is Paella, this is a Spanish seafood rice dish. For me the dinner highlight is the pork belly marinated for 5 days.
LUNCH.
Potato Leek Soup.
A variety of Salads
BBQ Beef Striploin.
Paella (Spanish Seafood Rice)
Mushrooms
Carrots pan fried and glazed
Baked Potatoes
DINNER
Soup/ Salads
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Honey and Black Bean Roasted Pork belly
Mashed Potatoes
Lightly Steamed Asparagus
