Christmas Dinner '14 : On the Side

Roasted Honey Walnut Beet

When I chose the sides for this meal, I wanted a hint of a traditional flavour - sweetness that is usually presented in the form of sweet potatoes or honey glazed carrots. Since beet, which I love, is rarely shown in cookbooks or on the cooking shows as part of these meals, I went with them. I made them for last years Christmas dinner in a root vegetable medley. This year the beets are a star all their own.

Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition that more people need to embrace. They are easy and fast to prepare and cook and impart a sweet flavour without overpowering the taste buds. The addition of walnuts and a faint drizzle of honey just pushes it up to the stratosphere of yumminess.

3-4 lbs of beets, washed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
olive oil
salt & pepper
about 1 1/2 tbsp honey
3/4 cup or so of crushed walnuts

Toss cut beets in olive oil and spread onto a baking tray. Cover with foil, shiny side down, and roast in oven for about 15 minutes. Remove foil cover and drizzle honey and walnuts over beets. Return, uncovered, to oven and continue cooking until beets are soft, about another 5-8 minutes.
Put beets into a covered serving dish and keep warm.

Roasted Potatoes with Bacon and Scallions

This dish can be roasted at the same time as the beets and the rabbit but will take a little longer due to the bacon. By parboiling the potatoes until a knife just pierces about a 1/4 inch into the skin of the potato, you will keep the potatoes from overcooking as the bacon becomes crisp. This dish is truly so simple it doesn't require a recipe but here it is below.

I bag of mini yellow potatoes, about 15-20 of them
1/3 of a pound of bacon rashers, cut into lardons
4 scallions, chopped with greens reserved for garnish

After potatoes are parboiled, cut into bite size pieces (which will mean in halves for most of them). 
Lay bacon in the bottom of a baking dish (I used a 9" glass one) and top with scallions and potatoes. Cover with foil and roast, stirring occasionally until bacon is crisp. 
If the potatoes look to be overcooking remove potatoes into a serving dish and return the bacon to the oven until it becomes crisp. 
If you prefer soggy bacon (shudder) then by all means eat it that way and either skip the parboiling part or remove the dish when the potatoes are done but before the bacon crisps.
Serve with a garnish of the scallion greens.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Christmas Dinner '14 : Quick and Easy: Green Pea Soup

Off to a Great Start

I've been wanting to make this delicious soup for a while now. The idea popped in my head after watching yet another documentary from the BBC in which was mentioned 'mushy peas', a British staple in a lot of houses. I know that a green pea soup exists but I've never come across a recipe for it, so I made my own. 

One thing that I am trying to stress with this blog, aside from my governing statement, is to show/educate people on how easy it actually is to cook. Once you begin to make soups from scratch, you can make any soup from scratch. 

All it takes to make a healthy and great tasting soup is to master three basic steps. The first and most important step is the stock. It is always, always preferable to use homemade stock and I don't believe that is an exaggeration. A hearty and flavourful stock is like the foundation of a building - very necessary to have a strong start to your construction in order to build beautiful things from it. Without it you have a shoddy construction that inevitably ends in disappointment, flames, bloodcurdling screams, explosions, ruin…okay, maybe I go too far but you get my point. Make a good stock. 

If needs must, a good quality, unsalted boxed broth will suffice. Please avoid using powdered or cubed bouillon as they are too high in salt and chemicals. Just keep in mind that boxed stocks/broths do not have much flavour so adding more in the way of herbs or spices may be in order, so taste often as cooking progresses.

The second step is the flavour base. In most cases this will be onion, garlic and carrots or onion, celery and carrots as in this recipe. This step is crucial so the freshest and healthiest specimens are best. Large carrots tend to taste woody but once done up in a soup they impart flavour subtly but add a strong body to the soup. Ideally you want to use small carrots but really, if you're buying them at the supermarket, they're probably all going to taste the same.

The third step isn't really a step but more a moment of balance. Once you begin cooking often, you begin 'thinking' cooking often as well. Ideas are always churning away whether you're at the grocery store or staring blankly into your fridge 1/2 hour before supper. You begin to develop an almost instinct on food combinations, seasoning complements, and how to balance flavours as well as nutritional benefits. Each soup you make should contain a complete balance of nutrients even if one ingredient stands out above the others, as in this soup. Vegetarians and vegans of course have a more difficult time maintaining this balance so requires a bit more thinking and planning.

Some soups do just fine as a starter or an appetizer even though they have a slight imbalance of nutrients but if you are preparing one to be a meal, then make a greater effort to include all the food groups. This Green Pea soup is high in fibre and has both beta carotene and vitamin C. Using evaporated milk instead of cream is a lower fat and less expensive option. In 1 tbsp of evaporated milk there are 20 calories while cream has 30; 1 gram of fat while cream has 2.5; 1 gram of protein while cream has 0.3 and vitamin C and calcium are higher by 2% in both.

Here in London a carton of 18% cream, which is the only cream I use, is about $5 while a can of evaporated milk is $1.89. I always have a carton on hand for my coffee but for cooking I use the canned milk most often.

What you need to know

If you don't have a mortar & pestle I recommend you get one. I have a small marble set that has seen great use but is still going strong. A lot of people have been talked into purchasing or even using their existing coffee grinder for their spices but I don't think it's a good way of spending your money or treating your food. In order to justify the expense and the cupboard space of purchasing one (as a uni-tasker), you'd have to grind up large quantities of spice. Many large quantities of spice. Unless you're cooking for 100 people or more, quite often, you couldn't use that much ground spice before the flavourful granules degrade into a tasteless powder. If you plan to use your grinder for coffee and spices, then either clean, clean, clean or get used to the taste of spiced coffee. That may be okay if you ground up cardamon or cinnamon but cumin or fenugreek? Umm, pass. 

A small mortar and pestle set is more than sufficient for the little amount of spices used in most recipes.

Green Pea Soup

1 leek, cut into rings and washed
or 1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 large carrot, diced
6 allspice berries, crushed
salt
12 peppercorns, cracked
5 cups chicken stock
1 can evaporated milk
approx 1.5 kg or 3 lbs frozen green peas
mint and two thin slices of red pepper for garnish

In a medium sized soup pot sauté leeks, celery, peppers, onions and carrots in a splash of olive oil until softened. Add spices, chicken stock, milk and peas. Bring to boil; reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. Whiz up using hand blender.

Serve with mint and red pepper garnish.



Now what could be simpler?

Try it out and let me know what you think !



all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Christmas Dinner '14 : Hoppy Holidays !

Watch Me Pull a Rabbit Out of My Hat

The Set up

As I mentioned in my previous post, Baubles and Wobbles, my meat of choice for this years Christmas Day dinner was rabbit. I realize this was probably a weird choice for most people's comfort level - the look my son gave me was worth the $23.95 I paid - but I enjoy trying new things, some would say almost obsessively. Special occasions are just opportunities for my culinary imagination to get a workout. One Easter while many were cooking a ham, as tradition dictates in this country, or a turkey which seems to be de rigeur for all three major eating holidays, I made an attempt at an authentic-ish Middle Eastern dinner. I had never done anything like that before but there were no leftovers so I'll mark that as a success!

This year, with the rabbit and the sides I chose, I seem to have blended a few European countries together for an interesting menu. I think it's cool how it ended up mainly British and French both of which are part of my heritage, as well as two countries where rabbit was once a main staple in most diets. The popularity of rabbit and its cousin the hare has waxed and waned over the years but has since returned to garden 'farmyards' of many, many people. They are relatively easy to raise, reproduce prodigiously so just about anyone can breed their own, in the right conditions. I find it encouraging that people are embracing the notion of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater while adapting to the technologies and knowledge of today. More and more people are looking to the past to help navigate their futures and their children's futures and so on. These are the people who understand the role of consumption in the preservation of animal diversity and existence.

Since this was a trial run on cooking and eating rabbit, I didn't bother to find a local source. Instead I picked this up at my local Sobies Supermarket in the frozen meat section. This particular package was imported from France, which seems appropriate given that most of the recipes I have come across ( and that would be four) have a French influence if not a direct example of a preparation by French cooks. Rabbit is a meat that roasts beautifully, apparently but I chose to keep things simple for myself and make a casserole style dish.

What you need to know

There isn't a 'new' technique or food stuff, I don't think as long as you are somewhat experienced with cooking meats in liquids or 'braising'. A casserole with whole pieces of meat can be considered braising (pot-roasting) if the amounts of the liquid are adequate to partially submerge the meat portions in the liquid even though vegetables are added in a casserole. In this recipe there are two purposes and ways to add vegetables.

As noted below the cooking liquid is usually used as a sauce or gravy so one purpose of the vegetables is to make a flavourful sauce as well as to season the meat. Cutting the vegetables in large chunks is fine in this case as the sauce/gravy will either be blended or sieved before using. 

If you want to serve it like a casserole like Chicken Caccitore, then the vegetables are cut finer and of a variety that is visually appealing as well as imparting a nice flavour to the meat.

Here is Wikipedia's definition of braising that I think sums it up perfectly :

Most braises follow the same basic steps. The food to be braised (meats, vegetables, mushrooms, etc.) is first pan-seared to brown its surface and enhance its flavor (through the Maillard reaction).

If the food will not produce enough liquid of its own, a small amount of cooking liquid that often includes an acidic element (e.g.,tomatoes, beer, balsamic vinegar, wine), is added to the pot, often with stock. A classic braise is done with a relatively whole cut of meat, and the braising liquid will cover 2/3 of the product while in the pan. Then, the dish is covered and cooked at a very low simmer, until the meat becomes so tender that it can be 'cut' with just the gentlest of pressure from a fork (vs., a knife). Often the cooking liquid is finished to create a sauce or gravy, as well.^[3][4]

Sometimes, foods with high water content (particularly vegetables) can be cooked in their own juices, making the addition of liquid unnecessary.^[5]A successful braise intermingles the flavors of the foods being cooked, with those of the cooking liquid. This cooking method dissolves the meat's collagen into gelatin, which can greatly enrich and thicken the liquid.

Braising is economical (as it allows the use of tough and inexpensive cuts), and efficient (as it often enables an entire meal to be prepared in just a single dish -- the pot/pan).

The Performance

Whole rabbit, cut up
2 tbsp or so Dijon mustard
1/2 bunch of celery diced or chunked if making sauce
1 large sweet onion, chopped or 
  1 bag pearl onions, peeled if making casserole
2 carrots, cut on the diagonal
2 cups white grapes
1 1/4 cup hard apple cider
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp flour
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
butter/oil for frying


Rub Dijon mustard over the washed and dried portions of rabbit. Let sit while chopping the vegetables. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sear meat in a butter/oil mixture or as I did, lard/oil mix in a large pan until golden brown in colour. Remove meat. Saute the onions, carrots and celery until softened. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes to remove flour taste. Deglaze with the hard cider, scraping up the stuck bits. Put chicken stock, rabbit, bay leaves, salt and pepper in a casserole dish or dutch oven. Add the vegetable/cider mixture.

Cover and cook for 35 minutes. Add grapes and cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.

Serve on a bed of braised fennel with a grilled portabello mushroom just under the rabbit. 

If making a sauce, remove a spoonful of grapes and some of the carrots. Using a hand blender, whiz up the remaining liquid and solids until smooth. Add grapes and carrots back in and serve.
If leaving as a casserole, arrange the vegetables in a pleasing way around the rabbit and on the fennel, adding a bit of the juice over top.

Braised Fennel

I bulb of fennel, fronds removed, thinly sliced into spears
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp celery seed
olive oil
good 7 or 8 dashes of white wine vinegar
Chicken stock/white wine to cover the fennel, about two cups of each
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

Place all ingredients in baking dish. Braise for approx 30 minutes. Leave in liquid and use a slotted spoon to remove fennel to serve.

Behind the scenes

So, what did I think of rabbit? Dare I say it? It tastes like chicken. Okay, so I do so dare. It really does. Just a very moist and tender chicken. Hares are larger animals so I would assume more meat which I think would make this a more economical meal - at least until I could find a cheaper, local source. One rib and leg portion had almost no meat on it at all. The breast/flank portion was fairly substantial and very juicy. I'm not sure how roasting would affect the moistness of the meat but I can say that the rabbit was juicier than chicken that I have prepared in a similar manner, even though they were pretty moist themselves.

I don't think that rabbit is going to replace chicken as our meat of choice but I can see it being an alternative a few times a year. I hope you give it a go too !


Starter: Green Pea Soup with Mint
Sides: Roasted Honey Walnut Beets 
            Roasted Yellow Potatoes with Bacon and Scallions 




all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Baubles and Wobbles

Christmas Greetings 2014

Here we are once again at another Christmas season and once again I'm totally overwhelmed but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love this time of year from the houses all decked out in their illuminated finery, to the muzak playing in the malls, to the food, food, food that you're allowed to indulge in to your hearts content. After all, worrying about your diet is what New Years is for, right?

I don't know about you but I've spent enough time this past year worrying about things and I  am taking a break from all of that.  One thing I love to do to de-stress over the holidays is to 'light-spot' christmas lighting displays by hitting suburbia to see the creative results by those who love this time of year as much as I do. There is a sense of community to be found along with a healthy dollop of christmas spirit. You don't have to have any religious sensibilities to appreciate this time of year either - simple appreciation for friends, family and the child-like joy that wells up in your soul at this time is all that's needed.

Take advantage of lower gas prices and do a tour of where you live - I'm sure you'll be surprised at how an undemanding task like sitting in a car can reap some sparkling rewards :)

Lights ! Lights ! Found in suburbia in Woodstock, Ontario

This year, at the new house, I decided to do a bit of outside decorating. I have never been able to accomplish this before so the potential to go all out was there, lurking below the surface of practicality but I did manage to restrain myself. Nothing like an implacable budget to keep the christmas faeries in line ! So while I wanted to go "Griswold" on the tree and house, I ended up going "Charlie Brown" instead. My Magnolia  at the front looks very scraggly without the leaves so I picked up a wagon load of oversized ornaments and hung them from the tree after wrapping the base with white lights. It really does look like a Charlie Brown tree, which is just fine by me. I'm just happy I got to join in the fun this year. Gotta love that dollar store !

Simple materials from the dollar store

My Christmas craft project this year was something simple and inexpensive but oh so pretty when you're done. What started me thinking of doing this wreath is that I have an assortment of handed down ornaments from my mother that I don't usually put on the tree. I don't decorate with a gold scheme but I still want to utilize the ones my mother gave to me. So to practice and to see the effect, I decided to use balls I already had along with some balls and a wreath purchased from the dollar store. It was an easier project than I thought, or I should say it wasn't as messy as I thought it would be. Me and a glue gun usually means burns and taking a chisel to the glue that ended up everywhere but where I needed it. 

Directions are pretty straightforward. Start with the inner and outer edges then fill in the centre with assorted sized. Fill in any holes with some mini ornaments. If you have some special ones you'd like to showcase, then add those at the end in strategic places.

Now that I've made this one, I'll be making either a wreath or a garland with my mothers glass ornaments for next Christmas.

Handmade joy !

For Christmas dinner this year I am not doing a fowl as I usually make, but am going down a food alley I've never gone before. Rabbit. That's right, I'm cooking rabbit. Now before I get people with their "up with bunnies" T-shirts all riled up, I should point out that rabbit has been eaten the world over for centuries upon centuries. It's a good lean protein that is easy and cheap to raise. 

I will be posting the recipe I've come up with along with the sides I'll be serving. Check back over the next week to see those posts :)

Christmas Menu

Green Pea Soup with Mint

Goat cheese, Pepper and Artichoke bundles

Rabbit in White wine with Pearl Onions, Carrots, Celery and Grapes

                   served on a grilled Portabello Mushroom

Sauteed Potatoes with Bacon and Chives

Roasted Honey Walnut Beets

I hope each and everyone of you have a fabulous and safe Christmas holiday!

Edit Dec 29 2014: I decided to make the goat cheese bundles for New Years instead and I went with my recipe of Rabbit in Cider instead of wine. The pearl onions were changed to chopped sweet onion.

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board

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Meyer Lemon and Ginger Chicken

Lemon Ginger Chicken with Moroccan-spiced Fruity Rice


I normally steer clear of boneless, skinless chicken packages at the supermarket as I don't see the point paying for someone to remove skin and bones for me - and I don't get to keep the skin and bones for soup and fat rendering purposes! To me, buying and cooking whole birds is much more economical than doing it any other way as I use chicken for the dog's meals as well as our own - we go through at least 6 birds per week. Sometimes though the sale price is just too good to pass up and I'll buy enough for a meal or two.

This idea came to me as I watched four Meyer lemons growing older by the minute on my island countertop and desperately wanted to make good use of something I only buy once a year. This is an old fashioned, simple pairing of chicken and lemon that is going to please most people at your dinner table. My son is not a fan of fruit and meat or sweet and savoury pairings but one he will run to the table for is anything made with lemon. He enjoys eating them like they were sweet juicy oranges. Shudder. This bizarre predilection of his makes keeping lemons on hand for spur of the moment recipe ideas difficult but I had snuck these puppies into the house without his knowledge. Other than a last minute purchase of some fresh ginger, everything else in this recipe I had on hand in fridge and pantry.

Lemon Ginger Chicken

4 good sized chicken breasts, bone and skin removed
grated peel from 4 lemons, divided in half (one half for the rice)
450ml chicken stock
1/2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
fresh ground pepper
sea salt

Add all ingredients to baking pan, cover with foil and braise at 300 degrees until cooked through, about 30 minutes; turn over to keep moist. For the last ten minutes, remove foil to brown the meat.

Lemon Sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice   
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

When chicken is almost done, add all the sauce ingredients to a saucepan, stir well and heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally until thickened and bubbling. Keep warm. Serve over chicken and sprinkle fresh parsley over all.

Moroccan-spiced Fruity Rice

2 cups long grain rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup cream or milk
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 granny smith apple, diced
1 tbsp diced green onion or scallion
divided lemon peel
1/2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
Moroccan blend of spices, your favourite
   cinnamon, cumin, pepper, curry paste

Heat all ingredients except the rice until steaming, to infuse the flavours. Add rice, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 25 - 30 minutes until rice is tender. Fluff and top with fresh parsley.

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The Hen Party

On the last day of Christmas…

Normally for the big dinner on Christmas day we enjoy a juicy, delicious bird and this year was no different but I went even smaller than the usual pheasants. My son is not a turkey lover and quite frankly I could do without it so pheasants have been an equally expensive but much more flavourful substitute for the traditional turkey. This year I chose to do things a bit differently and more cost effectively so I picked up some Cornish hens from Quebec. I knew they were easy to cook and wouldn't require my usual brine for bigger birds.  As per norm I was winging the rest of the recipe, right there on the spot. As I wandered the aisles of the store I came up with the stuffing recipe and I think it sells it. It is a bit of an unconventional stuffing but it is made from easily accessible ingredients that can be locally sourced and balances nicely with the more traditional side dishes that I served with the little birds.

This is not an overly expensive meal but it is enough of a price hike for most families to ensure that this is a special occasion menu for holidays and the impress-the-future-mother-in-law evenings. 

The choice of mushroom and breadcrumbs is yours and is easily interchangeable according to your tastes but I do recommend the use of dried mushrooms and the liquid to add a wonderful depth of flavour. Porcini is my favourite go-to dried fungus but were not available. I used Morels instead, adding a whole new texture to file away in my brain …  shudder… but the flavour more than makes up for its tripe-like feel.

What you need to know

This is a menu with recipes that require some general skill in the kitchen but no more than that. A knowledge of the ingredients used is assumed and I present the recipe with the added assumption that the cook has access to a mid-sized city market. 

Caramelizing Onions:

Caramelizing onions is one of those things that can only be done one way - slowly and with love. Choose sweet onions that are uniform in size, as much as it is possible. This recipe calls for only one onion but some recipes will call for more and it is best to cook in batches, which of course takes some time to do. Ideally, take an afternoon and cook up onions all day, seal them in an airtight container, in portion sizes and freeze.

Thinly slice or chop small as many sweet onions as the recipe calls for and add them to a pan that has had a butter/oil mixture warming up to bubbling. Add some brown sugar, just enough to encourage the onions natural sugars to come out and say hello, about 1 tsp per cup of chopped onion. Lower the heat to medium-low, put a lid on loosely to vent steam and just let it be. This will take anywhere from 25 to 35 minutes, with occasional stirring. When done the onions should be a lovely golden brown, translucent and very soft. 

To store in the fridge or freezer, add a dollop of olive oil to container holding the onions and mix gently.

Stuffed Cornish Hens

Ingredients

3 plump Cornish hens, rinsed and patted dry
herb blend - mine was Herbes de Provence, salt, pepper and thyme
Olive for rubbing the hens

Stuffing
1 pkg Ardennes style paté
1/2 of a small round of camembert cheese
1 sweet onion, chopped small and caramelized
8oz cremini mushrooms, sliced and sautéed with the onions
1 pkg reconstituted Morel mushrooms, chopped + soaking liquid
3/4 c breadcrumbs (One croissant + Panko crumbs)
1 honey crisp apple, cored and chopped
thyme

Place paté, cheese and apple in food processor and mix until well blended and creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. This will be a soft mixture. Fill cavity of hens. Put leftover mixture into a baking pan, smoothed flat, and cook for approx 25-30 minutes on the top rack, just until there is a crust on the bottom but the top is not dried out.

Tie up the legs with butcher string. Rub oil over the skin of the bird and sprinkle herb blend generously. Place in pan, breast side up, cover loosely with foil and roast at 375 degrees F for about 1 1/2 hours or until juices run clear. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes of roasting to brown the skin, basting occasionally.  Let the birds rest for 10 minutes before plating and serving.

Ruby Roasted Root Vegetables
Ingredients

4 parsnips, washed and cut into manageable chunks
1 rutabaga, pared and cut into chunks
4 beets, washed and cut into chunks
Olive oil
Herb blend of thyme, oregano, salt and pepper
brown sugar

Place vegetables in a roasting pan large enough to hold one layer of vegetables. Drizzle with oil, herb blend and brown sugar. Toss to mix well. Roast on the top rack for approx 1/2 hour or until cooked through and browned. Move to a serving dish and keep warm.

Beans Almondine
Ingredients

Three large handfuls of whole green beans, topped and tailed
2 tbsps butter
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
squirt of lemon juice

Roast, steam or microwave the green beans until done. Brown your butter over low heat until a nice golden colour and add the almonds. Pour over the green beans and keep warm.





all photographs and text ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Quick and Easy: Cider, Onion and Parsnip Soup

Ahem… well now. It's Valentine's Day and I, as a blogger and a female, am supposed to be swamped with romantic notions and the mad desire to blog about chocolate, strawberries and more chocolate. I did give it some thought actually but as I am a 44 year old woman who is daily tallying the marks of time on her skin and is trying to teach others how to eat healthy on the cheap, Valentine's indulgences should be avoided. As well, I just don't do Valentine's Day. Never have and more than likely never will. I look around at all the oozing romantic cuteness spreading like a bad rumour and wonder why we do this? I can understand wanting to recognize the importance of a romantic side to our lives, really I can. But I would much rather have a mad, grand passion and be made to feel sexy and interesting 365 days a year than be told rather clumsily that golly, gosh and gee what a swell gal I am, once a year. I'm just sayin'.

I know both genders are conditioned to believe that all women are standing there with their hands out for some goodie today but you would be surprised how many don't actually care about this day at all. The giggling young ones and the unsatisfied middle aged married ones may be the easiest to convince that a gift on a day in February guarantees true love and appreciation, forever. The rest of us however, realize that it is a commercial day designed solely to play on the ever-present feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty we all feel at some point in our relationships and on the guilt we feel that we may have spent the previous year taking our partner for granted or worse, on the premise that you are buying the continued love and support for another year with a trinket. Since these feelings are part of the human condition, we are all going to fall victim to purchasing proof of our feelings, or fall victim to expecting to be gifted as proof of others feelings towards ourselves. There is nothing wrong with being extravagant on Valentine's Day, if you can afford it figuratively and literally, just look to your motivations for giving or receiving. If what you are considering buying/doing or what you are about to get has a price tag that makes your heart skip a beat, maybe reconsidering the relationship you are in is in order. Again, I'm just sayin'.

Now that I have said it, I will offer up a few tips for this day. I do believe that a simple demonstration of appreciation is all that is required, if you wish to be a part of this day. A simple meal, a single flower, a REAL connecting gaze that shows that you are really seeing your partner in all their facets and you love what you see, time spent doing what they like to do, or if what they would really love and cherish from you on this day is your absence, well, then, bugger off for a while. 

It's a little late for breakfast in bed - and a healthy, non-indulgent one is the way to go - but if you are the type to leave mid-week celebrations for the weekend, keep it in mind. One important detail to remember when gifting your loved one with a meal, whether cooked by you or catered in some way, is to try to avoid foods that are strong smelling like garlic and onions or heaven forbid, are gas producing! That is hardly the atmosphere you wish to create. The cliché is candles and roses, not candles and explosions…

Another important point about cooking for someone on this day, is to have everything prepared ahead of time. Choose a meal that is quick, easy, non-messy and able to sit without spoiling in case plans get derailed for a bit (wink wink, nudge nudge).

If you are going out, choose an activity you both will enjoy that is relaxed and stress-free. Surprising her with a night out is a lovely idea but to be practical, a woman has to know how to dress for the evening. It is very stressful to get ready for an evening out without knowing the destination. A few hints about formality or the meal being served can help her decide without giving it all away. I was once surprised with a charity dinner with Chef Michael Smith and knowing it was semi-formal with a sit-down meal was very helpful.

However you choose to celebrate this day, if you do at all, remember the principle of KISS… Keep It Simple Sunshine…

Well, for those of us not into this day, we still have to eat. The soup I have for you today is light-tasting, filling and definitely has a flavour not discovered everyday. The onion flavour is a wee bit strong so I wouldn't recommend serving it on Valentine's Day unless you've been together for a while. Certain smells seem to dissipate and not have the same impact after a few years together.

The soup is meat-free, gluten-free, and vegan so it is a soup to pull out on those occasions that you have a number of guests who dispositions you are unfamiliar with.

Putting it all together

butter

olive oil

4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced or chopped small

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium parsnips, washed, peeled and chopped

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cups chicken broth or flavourful vegetable broth

2 1/4 cups apple cider - not mulled!

salt and pepper

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2 rounded tsp curry powder

Sauté the onions in the butter and oil until browned and aromatic. You are not caramelizing but frying the onions for this recipe so a higher heat and no sugar is used. When they are almost done, add the parsnips, garlic and celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the apple and seasoning and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the broth and cider. Cook for fifteen minutes at simmer until parsnips are soft. Process with an immersion blender. Adjust seasonings. Serve with pumpernickel bread.

To fancy this up to serve for a special occasion, make croutons out of the pumpernickel and very finely slice some apple and finely chop some more fresh thyme for garnish. Choose a white dish to serve in as the colour of the soup can look garish and unappetizing if you choose the wrong coloured dish. A simple arugula salad tossed in some balsamic vinegar is all that is necessary to accompany this soup.

all text and photos ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Quick and Easy: Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Soup

Soup. You may well wonder, as you look through my recipes, why I focus so much on soups and stews. It's really rather simple. It is inexpensive, easy, can be made to feed many people and next to pizza, is the perfect meal. Pizza? you ask. Yes, but let's be clear here. I am talking about pizza done right; in perfect balance. Where we go wrong is in our choice of pizza, how much of it we eat and how often. Otherwise, pizza in and of itself is a balanced meal choice.

When we indulge in pizza we tend to go for items such as pepperoni, bacon, sausage and extra cheese which translates into nitrates, nitrates, nitrites and fat, not to mention all the extra fillers found in dry sausage-style cold cuts and in sausages themselves. We also seem to drop the word 'vegetable' from our vocabulary when ordering our pizzas. If we choose vegetables that are as fresh as possible, meats such as chicken and ground beef and lighten up on the cheese, we can have a slice or two and greatly diminish the possibilities of another lecture on how bad pizza is for us. 

This soup packs all the flavour of a great pizza, costs less to make than it does to order a pizza and is so very good for you and not to mention but I'm gonna anyway, it is incredibly easy to make. Consider whipping up this smooth, velvety, flavour seduction for your lovely one after a romantic day of ice skating this Valentine's Day - it's one way to warm up.

If you read my previous article with the Red Pepper Chipotle Soup, you'll know a bit about lycopene in red vegetables. Sweet potatoes also have some lycopene as well as beta-carotene which is found in orange coloured vegetables. It is extremely high in vitamin C making this soup a powerhouse for boosting your immune system and the overall health of your skin and body. I attribute only suffering from a bad cold for three days to the week I've spent developing and making these soups. Not a testimonial, more of an opinion :)

What you need to know

This easy-to-make soup requires no special know-how at all especially if you've followed along so far and are clear on caramelized onions. I encourage the non-cooks who want to make something special to give this a try. Not only will you impress people with an elegant presentation of this golden yumminess, you will be able to add to your repertoire of go-to dishes and put this in a place of honour right beside PB&J's and Kraft Dinner. Of course, if making toast makes you sweat, you may want to consider going out to eat.

Putting it all together

Caramelized Onions

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp olive oil

4 large sweet onions, chopped or sliced

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp allspice about 3 berries if using whole, crushed in mortar and pestle

pinch salt

This will have to been done in batches so make sure to divide the sugar and spices between the batches. Increase your butter/oil as needed. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until golden brown and soft.

Soup

While your onions are caramelizing, prepare the soup pot with the following:

5 medium sweet potatoes, chopped

2 boxes of beef broth 900mL each (approx 4 cups each)

1 tsp dried thyme

3/4 tsp allspice about 5 or 6 berries, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

scallions or green onions for garnish, greens only

As the onions are cooked, add to pot. When the last batch goes in, bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Process with immersion blender. It is not necessary to add cream to this very thick soup. If you find the consistency is too thick (?!) add some hot beef broth until you're happy.

This will make enough soup for a large family to be full and satisfied so there will be leftovers if you're a couple or a single. The soup freezes, thaws and reheats well so I suggest making the recipe as is and freezing the rest but you can divide the recipe evenly in half for a smaller meal.

Coming up next is, yes, another soup that will not only tempt your tasty buds but make them want to sin again and again (naughty tasty buds), but then we step it up a bit in time for Valentine's Day with a meal that is nicely presented and manly enough to please everyone. I don't post 'gourmet' recipes often as my goal is to provide meal ideas for the everyday, but I do love to experiment on special occasions. The recipe in question was the result of a need to challenge myself to present an elegant dish with seasonal and local ingredients only. As I've only made it once before, I will be retesting this dish this weekend to ensure my memory is as good as I believe it is :)

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Hot Mama Burger

Holé Molé

I know. I need to get to know the fonts in Photoshop Elements… I did see the error before I posted but my evil twin forced me to keep it as it is… so ladies and  gentlemen, whet your appetites for… Mole burgers! I caught them and skinned them myself! Squirmy little buggers…

What is Molé anyway and why do you want me to eat it?

Well young grasshopper…it is a vital ingredient on your pathway to peace and enlightenment. This journey to tasty bud nirvana begins with one succulent, juicy, explosive bite of the best damn burger you ever dropped  your pearlies into!

More?

All right. Molé is the name for the sauces used in Mexican cuisine, differing greatly from each other but all usually containing chillies. It is a thick sauce made up of many ingredients such as roasted chillies and can be broken down into the following factors: chili, sour, sweet, spices and thickeners. These sauces date back to pre-Hispanic Mexico but the original sauces never contained chocolate, which was only used as a beverage at that time. Recipes began to circulate after Mexico's War of Independence in 1810 but before that we can only speculate how the original recipe came about. Chili sauces have over the years been re-invented with numerous ingredients added to them including nuts, seeds and chocolate.

While I have never had the privilege to have an authentic Molé sauce tickle my tongue, I have always loved the combination of chocolate and chillies (you should taste my triple chocolate cherry chili cheesecake - just don't try saying it without paramedics standing by).

This recipe is a marriage of Molé Oaxaca and San Pedro Atocpan, which was purely accidental and wasn't discovered until the writing of this article. I haven't come across a recipe like this anywhere before in cookbooks, restaurants or cooking shows but I am sure they're out there. I was operating on instinct, developing this recipe so it is unique and not authentic at all. It will however be reminiscent of those sauces and that is good enough for me - until I get the chance to taste the real thing!

What you need to know

This burger is made like any other so there is nothing special you need to pull off for this meal to be a success. I would like to remind you of two things -

1) if it ain't dark chocolate, it  
    ain't chocolate 
2) treat your meat gently.

The first point is rather self-explanatory but the second may need further words. The little imp in my head wants to be very naughty right now but I will refrain from indulging. It is very important to handle your meat gently by squeezing it lightly between your fingers and "massage" the meat into a patty. At no time do you want to handle your meat roughly or for longer than necessary.

See how restrained I was?

Putting it all together

 A word about spice blends:
Blends are easy to personalize to your taste as long as you stay with the same flavour profile. I personally don't like either cilantro or rosemary so I substitute with similar herbs such as parsley and thyme in recipes that call for those. They won't taste identical but there are enough similarities in flavour as well as cultural use, to carry off the substitution. As I have mentioned before, I make my own spice blends rather than use store bought. Feel free to use your own favourite blend if what I use here is not to your taste. As this recipe is Mexican based, stay with that flavour profile when you make your own substitutions.
I make the two amounts of blend separately to ensure equal measures of all the flavours. The amounts used will make more than the recipe calls for but I use it in many dishes and it won't be wasted. Don't add the chocolate if you are to store the leftover blend.

Blend
Each 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
         1/2 tsp dried garlic powder
         1 tsp dried chipotle powder
         1/2 tsp salt
         1 tsp dried thyme
         1 tsp dried oregano
         1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
         3 crushed dried d'arbo chillies
1 oz dark chocolate shaved divided unevenly between the burger and the sauce, with more going into the sauce. Precise measurements aren't necessary.

Burger
2 lbs medium ground beef - don't go lean here
1 egg
2 tbsp ground almonds
2 tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup
the one half of the spice blend, with chocolate
2 medium onions, caramelized
flatbread buns or whatever buns you prefer

Mix into the meat gently and let sit covered in the fridge for one hour. Gently shape into patties, remembering the meat will shrink upon cooking when you decide upon the size of your burger. Place onto a plate or waxed paper.


BBQ sauce
While the meat is resting in the fridge for the hour, make up your BBQ sauce in a small saucepan.

the other half of the spice blend
1/4 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
rest of the chocolate

Heat gently all the ingredients except the chocolate. Add the chocolate at the end of the cooking time, as the burgers have begun cooking. Remove from heat but keep warm.

Before the hour is up, caramelize your onions, if you haven't already done so.

Grill or pan fry your burgers until done - done I say, none of this medium rare business. That's raw meat and raw eggs you're messing with. Cook it. Baste liberally with the sauce. Place cooked patty on your bun and top with onions and a bit of yellow mustard.

Take a bite and say good bye to your loved ones for a few minutes. This kind of loving is private.

Those of you who have to overload your burgers with condiments…just back away slowly… put down the burger and back away.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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