A Year of Food for Thought

Since two years ago, I resolved to abandon pre-packaged foods and take-aways and I've never been healthier.

As a result I lost 34 pounds and spend far less on food. Eating real foods, buying from local producers, and preparing your own food are not elitist or luxuries. I'm living proof that investment pays off. And the adage that eating healthy is expensive - false. As I said, my grocery bill went down about 20% once I abandoned the grocery store ails. That it's too time-consuming - false. Most weeknights I've prepared a dinner, eaten, and cleaned up all before 6pm, leaving a full evening at my leisure.

I'll continue to blog throughout 2010. I hope these recipes and my tips if nothing else, have at least inspired my readers.

Of course I do have my inspirations, so I'll raise my glass to Ricardo Larrivée, Jaime Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, and Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann for enlightening my culinary visions and providing so much inspiration over the past year for this amateur.

My new mission for the new year - more local, more seasonal - keep checking back to see how my new challenge is going.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Indeed!

A summary of all that's great about family, friends, home cooking... that's one of my favourite parts of Christmas.

So I'll share my take on Christmas dinner (or Thanksgiving or New Years, why not.)

BRAD'S CHRISTMAS TURKEY DINNER

Whole turkey; large container or picnic cooler; 2 cups dark brown sugar; 2 cups salt; ice packs

Stuffing: 1/3 loaf whole grain bread at least a few days old; two grated carrots; two large palmfuls savoury; palmful of kosher salt; generous amount of black pepper

Peas Pudding: 1 1/2 cups yellow split peas; cheese cloth; 2 tbsp salt or salt pork or beef riblet; 4 tbsp unsalted butter

Fried Potatoes: Large white local potatoes cut in half length-wise; 2 tbsp butter per 4 halves; olive oil; kosher salt; fresh black pepper

Fixin's: Sliced carrots and green peas; cranberry sauce; gravy (see below)

Like chicken, turkey all too often suffers the abuse of over-cooking. A meat thermometer is a very wise investment, as turkey doneness is difficult to gage without cutting it open. Also, as much as possible, buy a fresh local turkey - order in advance. Free range is clearly the best choice - a happy turkey is a tasty turkey.

The key to a super-moist meat and crispy skin is brining. So the night before, take a huge container like a picnic cooler and fill with about 5-6 litres of cold water (depending on the size of your turkey and the size of your container - you want it to cover the turkey completely). Whisk in brown sugar and salt and place the turkey in with about 3-4 ice packs over night.

Combine all stuffing ingredients in a food processor. TIP: Don't over-stuff your turkey - the heat won't reach the underlay of the breast meat and it will be undercooked. Leave at least an inch of room between the top of the stuffing and the bottom of the breast.

Rinse of the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Lay it on the cooking rack and stuff it. (You can also cook your stuffing separately in a pot with a bit of chicken or turkey stock.) Season the turkey generously. Cook at 350 for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on the size - the butcher will tell you; if you bought it at a store it will be written on the package. After about an hour, start basting it every 30 minutes or so.

About 60 minutes before you plan to take out the turkey, prepare potatoes. Boil them in water until quite tender, then set them aside until the turkey is out of the oven.

About 45 minutes before you plan to take out the turkey, prepare peas pudding. Cut a large square of cheese cloth and lay in the peas and tie it into a sac. Place in boiling generously salted water for about 45 minutes (you'll want to reduce the heat to a high simmer so it doesn't boil over - make sure the sac is completely covered). Once done, turn out of the sac into a bowl, add butter, stir and season to taste.

Boil or steam side veggies as you like. Keep the water for gravy.

Once the turkey is done, take it out and cover it in foil. You'll want it to sit for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, extract your pan drippings and pour into a large clear cup or mason jar. Give it a minute for the fat to float to the top then skim off and discard. Pour it into a sauce pan, add a big splash of veggie water. Season well and add chicken bouillon (optional). Mix two tbsp corn starch with equal amount of cold water and then stir that into the gravy. Bring to a boil and let simmer until ready to serve.

About 5 minutes before plating, preheat a pan with butter and a splash of olive oil and once smoking lightly lay in the potatoes flesh-side down (no more than 4 halves at a time) and fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and season generously, remove from heat.

Plate up, and enjoy! Seasons greetings!

Different Take on a Comfort Food Classic

Corned beef hash was a main staple growing up. A favourite that prepared the old way I probably couldn't stomach today. But I'm all about turning those old comfort foods into something great, but still quick, cheap and non-pretentious.

BRAD'S CORNED BEEF HASH

2 diced potatoes; pound of corned beef; 2 tbsp butter; olive oil; 1 red onion; 1 red bell pepper; pinch fresh grated nutmeg; pinch paprika (preferably Hungarian); 4 eggs; kosher salt; fresh black pepper; fresh parsley

Steam or boil the potatoes until soft.

In a large frying pan or skillet, melt butter with a splash of olive oil and sauté onion for about 3 minutes and then add peppers and sauté another 2 or three minutes. Mix in the cooked potatoes, corned beef (cubed or flaked, your choice), nutmeg and paprika. Season with Kosher salt and fresh pepper and toss around. Press the mix down a bit, reduce the heat to medium-low. Once it starts to crust a bit on the bottom, stir it, and then do this again after a few minutes.

Make four holes and crack the eggs into each. Cover the pan and cook until the whites are firm but the yolk is still soft and creamy. Garnish with parsley.

Top O' The Morning Part III

Waffles are one of the most fun things to make and are a definite crowd-pleaser. A small waffle iron is definitely a wise investment; especially if you like waffles and you take a moment to read the ingredients list on a box of Eggos.

BRAD'S CINNAMON WAFFLES

2 cups all-purpose non-bleached flour; 2 tsp baking powder; tsp baking soda; pinch salt; 2 tsp cinnamon; 2 cups buttermilk; 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted; 2 eggs separated; vegetable oil

Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg yolks together. With an electric mixer, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Whisk until combined, then gently fold in the egg whites. Let sit.

Preheat the waffle iron. Brush with vegetable oil. Ladle the waffle mix onto the iron (about 1/3 cup per waffle) and gently close the cover. Let cook for about 3-4 minutes or until there's very little steam. Gently remove and keep warm while you make the batch.

Best served with maple syrup, and if you really want to jazz it up add some banana or apple slices, slivered almonds, or even some whipped cream.

These can be made ahead and refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months - just toast them like you would toast.

Yes, You Can Make Homefries without a Deep Fryer

Don't have a deep fryer? Don't want to eat deep fried food? No problem.

Okay. So I won't claim that these taste the same as chip-wagon or fish n' chips - style home fries, but I'd dare to say they're just as good and some might say better.

BRAD'S HERBED HOMEFRIES

(For 4)

Two thin-skinned local new potatoes; 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (not chopped); 6-8 thyme sprigs; extra virgin olive oil; kosher salt; black pepper

Two keys to great home fries are the right potato, and par-boiling or steaming. Get Canadian-grown and preferably as local as possible fresh potatoes - you will notice a difference from the genetic mutant American potatoes.

Wash potatoes and chop into fries about a square centimetre thick. Boil a large pot of water and either steam the potatoes in a steamer or par-boil them until fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes. Let them sit for a moment to dry. Preheat oven to 425. Drizzel a thin layer of olive oil on a baking sheet and spread out the fries. Drizzle more olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter the garlic and thyme about. Roast until golden and crispy, about 15-18 minutes.