Hug a Farmer

When I first read about this assignment I knew right away what farm I was going to visit. For a few years now, my parents have taken part in a CSA (community supported agriculture) program at Willowtree Farms located just west of Port Perry.

Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, pears, acorn and butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and garlic from the farm share (Oct.2014)

 Willowtree is a family run farm that was established in 1969 as a dairy farm by the McKay family. By 1980, they were growing strawberries and selling them at farmer's markets and by 1993 they had sold their dairy cows to focus on beef cattle, fruits and veggies.

Willowtree's roadside sign

Unfortunately for me, the farm closes down for the winter season and I was unable to meet in person with anyone from the McKay family since they were in Honduras. However, I was able to correspond through email with Kelty, the daughter-in-law of Rod and Marlene McKay. I learned that their main stance toward farming is land stewardship, protecting the environment to ensure future generations can also farm it sustainably.

The market at Willowtree - buried under snow

Although they do not practice organic farming, they practice sustainable farming with a focus on soil conservation (crop rotation, using manure instead of synthetic fertilizers), waste management and alternative energy projects such as solar arrays on the roof of the barn and the use of waste corn or barley in an outdoor furnace to provide heat. They do not use GMO's and their livestock are raised grazing on grass, hay and grain which is grown on site.

Romanesco cauliflower - I had never seen one of these until it showed up in the farm share back in October

What I have learned from this is that it is a great feeling to know exactly where your food is coming from and how it is being grown.

Cooking Meat and Game - Short Ribs

The butcher shop I chose to visit was Bruno's Signature in Pickering. This is where I go for most of my meat and poultry needs because they have excellent quality and service standards.


Racing against time to get there before they closed, I forgot my key

While browsing, I didn't see anything that was completely unfamiliar to me, although there were plenty of cuts that I don't cook very often. I'm sure some of the stranger cuts like pig tails may be available as well but its understandable that they wouldn't be on display. I chose between two items I rarely cook, beef shanks (which I didn't feel too inspired about) and beef short ribs (I usually go for pork back ribs). I cooked short ribs for the first time in class a few weeks ago and really enjoyed them, and with my fathers birthday approaching I figured I'd make them for his birthday dinner. Another time I would really like to experiment with making my own bacon with pork belly.


AAA short ribs

Short ribs are found mainly on the rib and plate primal cuts, but the square-cut chuck also has short ribs. I decided to buy them and find a nice braised short rib recipe, since they benefit from a long cooking time at lower temperatures. When I asked the butcher about how he would cook them he responded that he would probably cook them on a grill or barbecue. That's how I normally cook pork ribs when I have them, but with the temperature outside at -10 Celsius, that was definitely not happening. As I finished paying I made a mental note to find a really great recipe, because at $12.99/pound it would be a shame to mess them up. Given the price, I would probably sell an 8 ounce portion for $22-25 assuming a food cost of around 30 percent (It would come with side dishes as well allowing you to jack up the price a few bucks). Of course it could be more economical if you did your own butchery or had a butcher friend hook you up with a deal.


Well worth the price

When searching for my recipe I went to a book that my mother has had since before I was born. Inside Nellie Lyle Pattinson's "Canadian Cook Book" I found a recipe for Braised Short Ribs Chinois and decided to go with it.

Me with my recipe

The recipe involves marinating the ribs for 5-6 hours in a mixture of dry red wine, olive oil and lemon juice. After marinating, the ribs are to be browned in a small amount of fat in a pan and placed in an oven proof pan or dish. The pan can then be deglazed and the liquid added to the ribs along with the marinade, browned mirepoix, herbs and seasonings. It then goes into the oven at moderate heat for several hours. Once tender, the ribs can be wrapped and placed aside while adjusting the consistency and seasoning of the sauce. I also plan to make saffron pilaf, cooked green beans and carrots as a side. Any leftovers I will thinly slice, reheat in barbecue sauce and eat on a homemade bun for a nice quick snack. I expect it to take 8-10 hours from the time I begin marinating until the time I take my first bite, so a dish like this may be tricky to make in a fast paced restaurant environment. It could be done, no doubt, but it would require a lot of preparation as well as a good knowledge of your predicted number of covers and the expected sales mix.

Eggs & I

Me with an egg and my "key." Go Leafs!

The first time I made soft boiled eggs I decided to wing it. I mean they're just soft boiled eggs right? I should have checked the Gisslen. One egg cracked immediately when I placed it in the water, two of the three were undercooked, and the one that seemed promising was destroyed as I tried to peel the shell. So I broke out Professional Cooking for Canadian Chefs by Wayne Gisslen to see what I did wrong. The method I chose involved bringing a pot of water to a boil, then reducing the heat to a simmer and placing room temperature eggs carefully in. Having the eggs at room temperature makes them less likely to crack when placed in the the boiling water. Cold eggs were my first mistake. A cooking time of 3-4 minutes is also recommended for soft boiled eggs, however I suspect the water temperature dropped when I put the cold eggs into the small pot I was using. Water temperature was my second mistake. I think it was the frustration of the first two mistakes that led me to destroy the final egg because I used the method described in the book for peeling it, under running water while it was still warm. In the end I cooked two more eggs the next day. One for five minutes, the other for six. They turned out great although the six-minute egg may have been closer to the medium-cooked stage.

The five-minute egg

The six-minute egg

I think the method I used would work for large quantities too, as long as you had a large enough pot and a way of getting a lot of eggs in and out at the same time.

I didn't know of any dishes that specifically required soft boiled eggs, so I just put salt and pepper on them and ate them for breakfast with pancakes and sausage. Below is a video of my meal coming together in 40 seconds, and a picture of my final plate (minus half the sausage that I already ate).

I know what you're thinking..I put the maple syrup on after I took the picture

The Holidays

I love the holidays. Friends, family and food. That's what it is all about.

Homemade mozzarella sticks

Brioche rolls..lacking a bit of colour but still delicious! 

Gingerbread - before it was topped with custard
 

Shortbread just like Grandma used to make

One of the easiest desserts to make ever

Midnight snack..homemade frozen pizzas

Pound cake..gotta have dessert after a midnight  snack!

Bacon, Beer and Cheese Soup with Chicken

That's right. Bacon. Beer. Cheese. Chicken. What more do you want? I found this recipe on a website called slowroasteditalian and it sounded so good I had to try it. I have to say that I was not disappointed, although I did make some changes to the original recipe.

Ingredients: Bacon, onion, chicken, butter, flour, worcestershire sauce, beer, chicken broth, half & half cream, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper. I also made a last minute addition of cream cheese

Rendering the bacon

Cooking the chicken

Making the roux

Bringing beer, stock and half & half to a simmer

Adding the cheese

Finished soup

I really enjoyed this soup, as did my brother who also tried some. It was extremely rich and creamy and although I thought the flavour of the beer I used was a bit too strong, it added a nice yeasty flavour that complimented the cheese. Definitely needed some home made pretzel bread sticks or something but I was short on time. Next time I would probably use a milder tasting beer as well. It was an extremely simple recipe with only a few ingredients, but I can't seem to resist when I hear beer, bacon and chicken in the same sentence. The recipe is as follows:

6 slices bacon (I used about 10 because I kept eating it)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup flour

1/4 butter

2 teaspoons garlic powder (I replaced this with fresh garlic)

2 teaspoons cayenne (I reduced to 1/4 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 cup beer

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups half & half

1 teaspoon worcestershire

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese

(I added about 1/4 cream cheese at the end)

Chives (I used green onion)

Directions: 

Render bacon in a pot, drain and reserve. Cook chicken, onions and garlic in bacon grease,  drain and reserve. Make roux in same pot, and add beer slowly while mixing well. Add stock while mixing and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer for a few minutes and add half & half. Bring back up to a simmer and add cheese and seasoning. Simmer until ready to serve and garnish with chives/green onions. 

Random Pics

Random pictures of food I've made or eaten over the past few months.

Thanksgiving stuff

Pastrami, corned beef, cheese and mustard on an Italian roll
No pesky vegetables getting in the way

Apple turnovers made from leftover puff pastry from baking class

Raspberry sauce - combined with chocolate sauce as
 filling for the rugelach pastries pictured below 

Rugelach I made for my multicultural nutrition assignment
Unfortunately I got caught up watching the Raptors game
and the majority of them got burnt to crisps

Pickling and Fermentation

ICICLE PICKLES!!!

As I mentioned in the video, I had these pickles when I was younger, and so they were perfect to make for this assignment. These first few pictures show the ingredients and equipment I used for this project. I used a big ceramic pickle crock that my parents got 20+ years ago...and it still has the original lid and everything. Icicle pickles are somewhat similar to bread and butter pickles, but they also contain cassia buds, which give them their own distinct taste.

These were the ingredients I used to make my own pickling spice.
I may have bought a bit more than I needed..but oh well. Pickles for days!!

This is the pickling crock. The first thing I was told when I got it
from my dad was "DO NOT DROP IT."  What else is new...

Cucumbers. Before I ruined their day.

Completed pickling spice.

Cucumbers. Before the addition of water and pickling salt.

Overall, the process took 11 days to complete. Day one I cut the cucumbers and poured in enough water (with pickling salt dissolved in it) to cover the cucumbers. Next I placed a plate and a pot on top to keep them submerged. Day two, three and four all I had to do was stir them around then place the plate and pot back on top. On day five, I drained the water/pickling salt solution, and covered the cucumbers with clear boiling water, then re-covered them. Day six was an important step. I had to drain them once again, and dissolve alum powder in boiling water, then pour over the cucumbers and cover. I believe the alum helps to make the pickles crunchy. Day seven was the day I started the syrup. I drained the crock, and dissolved sugar in vinegar. This is also where I added the pickling spice, allspice, celery seeds, and cassia buds. The syrup was heated to the boiling point and poured over the cucumbers. For the eighth, ninth and tenth days, I had to do the same thing. Drain the syrup into a pot and bring it to a boil, add additional sugar, then pour it back over the cucumbers--pickles I should say, since they were now infused with the flavour of the sugar, vinegar and spices.

The three most important ingredients for icicle pickles.
(Besides cucumbers of course)

Alum powder being added to water.

Pickling salt-water solution

Pickling syrup. Sugar, vinegar, spices.

Day eleven was the moment of truth. I put the pickles in jars, took some pictures and had my first taste. Then I had my second, third and fourth tastes and each one was as crunchy and delicious as the last. I was extremely happy with how they turned out, and it was easy enough to spend 10 minutes each day making them. Below I have provided the recipe I used (although I used half of everything since it makes a LOT of pickles).

6 quarts of cucumbers (I measured them out in a 3 quart box as shown in the picture above).

2 cups pickling salt

1 tablespoon alum powder

2.5 quarts (about 1150 mL) white vinegar

14 cups of sugar

1 tablespoon whole allspice

1 tablespoon whole cassia buds

1 tablespoon celery seeds

(Recipe didn't call for it but I added 1/2 tablespoon of pickling spice).

ICICLE PICKLES:

Cut cucumbers, cover with brine made of about 4.5 L of boiling water and 2 cups pickling salt. Let stand 4 days, stirring every day.

5th day: Drain and cover with boiling water.

6th day: Drain and dissolve 1 tbsp alum into water, pour over and let stand.

7th day: Drain and make syrup of 1150 mL vinegar, 8 cups sugar, 1 tbsp allspice, 1 tbsp cassia buds and 1 tbsp celery seeds. Heat to boiling and pour over.

8th day: Drain syrup into pot, heat to boiling and add 2 additional cups of sugar. Add to cucumbers.

9th day: Same as day 8. Drain, boil, add 2 cups sugar. Pour over cucumbers.

10th day: Same as day 9.

11th day: Heat syrup, pour over cucumbers. Seal in jars. ENJOY!!