September 29th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

As an event planner who loves to cook I’m always torn during the harvest months which coincide with conference season, my busiest time work-wise. It’s the last bounty of the summer and the most I can do is smell the ripe vegetables from afar like a child with her nose pressed to the window of a candy store. I feel chained to my desk and sick of the take-out boxes piling up in the recycling bin. And I feel guilty, a curse from my Catholic youth combined with SWM (Single Working Mom) syndrome.

Event work is like being on a rollercoaster that eventually hits a wall. You can’t change the deadline. Once an event is set, you ride the rollercoaster up slowly, hit the peak and when you go over you can’t stop until, well, you do. Slammed last week and now I’m moving up the track again without missing a beat.

But braising season is upon us and it’s time for redemption good eats style.

If you’ve got a few minutes to spare to prep, braising is a great method of cooking when you’re busy. Basically it comes down to chop, brown, and simmer.

I picked up a beautiful cut of pork belly and decided to braise using a Chinese red-cooked method, a comforting memory from my childhood. My mom being supremely health conscious hasn’t cooked this since my dad was around more than 25 years ago, so this really is a dish with him in mind.

I decided to braise the pork belly whole to give me more serving options later. One can’t eat a whole slab of pork belly in a single sitting and even if you could, you shouldn’t. If you braise the pork belly whole you can slice or rough chop it, wrap it in a soft corn tortilla with other suitable fixings like cilantro, red onion and salsa and make yourself an Asian-fusion taco. Or you could cube it and reheat it with some braising sauce that you saved and serve it over steamed rice, in a more traditional serving. 

One of my favourite recipes for Red-Cooked Pork (hong shao rou) comes from Saveur. This version is simple and I really like that it takes the scare factor out of what I always thought was a complicated dish because it uses few and easy-to-find ingredients. As I wasn’t raised in a typical Chinese kitchen*, sometimes the old school home-style dishes are intimidating. Below is my adapted recipe keeping the pork belly whole and the rind on, which I prefer.

Braised Red-Cooked Pork Belly

2 lbs boneless pork belly with rind (whole)

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1 2” piece ginger, sliced into 1/8” coins

10 scallions (green onions), cut into 3” pieces

1/4 cup Shaoxing jiu (Chinese rice wine)

5 Tbsp mushroom soy sauce

2 cups water

2 oz rock sugar (a chunk about the size of an apricot)

Put the whole pork belly into a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook for 2 minutes; drain and rinse.

Heat peanut oil in a dutch oven or a large pot with a well-fitting lid. Add ginger and scallions and stir-fry quickly, about 10 seconds. Add the pork belly bottom-side down and cook a few minutes till browned. Then turn to cook both of the meaty sides a few minutes till browned. Do not brown the rind side as the rind will stick to the bottom of your pot. Pour in the Shaoxing jiu or Chinese rice wine and allow that to cook down 2 minutes – it will turn brown and thicken slightly. Then add the soy sauce over the pork belly coating the rind and the sides. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Once it boils, add the rock sugar. (There’s no need to make a mess trying to crush the rock sugar. It will take a few minutes to melt down but proceed to the simmering stage as it can’t resist melting in the heat.)

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally. Simmer 2 to 3 hours depending on the thickness, until the pork is tender.

–

*My strongest food memories involving my mother are probably her all-corn-all-the-time diet (which made her ill because “surprisingly” your body can develop a kind of allergy or rejection when it has too much of a good thing). Then there were the macrobiotic-ish meals that were equivalent to eating stir-fried shredded newspaper. And my all-time favourite… the juicer phase. Just because a juicer can pulpify any type of fruit or vegetable, doesn’t mean it should. I could go on but I need to save some stories for my hilarious best-selling yet-to-be-written novel.

August 29th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

When you hear someone say menudo do you think of hot, young Latin men in a famous singing group that launched Ricky Martin’s career? Or are you like me, and immediately start drooling, not because of Ricky Martin but instead, envisioning a large steaming bowl of a traditional Mexican soup made with tripe, laced with chile peppers, hominy (a large dried corn kernel but not as sweet as the peaches and cream corn we’re used to) and topped with cilantro and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.   Above a closer look at a piece of soft tripe after it’s been simmered till tender on the stove top. Not at all as frightening as one would suspect when thinking about having a piece of stewed beef stomach. Sometimes the broth is clear and other times it’s red from the type of chile used in the soup, making a version known as menudo rojo.

Anecdotally thought to be a hangover cure, menudo is delicious anytime, even for breakfast. It can be served with warmed tortillas used to scoop the tender tripe and then topped with pico de gallo made of chopped fresh tomato, onion and jalapeno (or whatever chile is preferred) marinated in salt and lime juice. While it’s hard to find menudo on restaurant menus in Toronto – it’s a home-style dish more commonly reserved for family meals – you can find the Salvadoran version of menudo, called pancita, regularly at Tacos El Asador.

But why not make it at home, the way millions of Mexican families do, simmering a pot of menudo slowly on the stove. It is surprisingly simple to make. I would start with a trip to T&T Supermarket where they have a fairly large selection of offal including tripe. Just look for “Assorted Guts”. Only in a Chinese market can you see signage for assorted guts posted indiscriminately and without the slightest bit of humour intended. Tripe can also be found in many other Asian grocery stores and sometimes in European (read Italian or Portuguese) butcher shops.

I’ve made menudo using whatever tripe is on hand whether it’s rumen (pictured below), reticulum (which has the larger honeycomb shape), or omasum which is often seen in dim sum dishes or Vietnamese pho. Rumen has the best texture for menudo but as long as you simmer the version of tripe you have long enough so that it is meltingly tender then it’s really no matter in the end.  The most important part of making menudo is ensuring the tripe is clean. Tripe is typically sold in packages pre-cleaned where it will appear imcomprehensibly white. The problem with this is that it’s been cleaned with a portion of bleach that will leave an odour in your soup if you don’t get rid of it by first boiling it in a pot of water with a tablespoon of Kosher salt for 5 or 10 minutes.

Alternatively you can soak it in clean water for an hour. Discard any water used in the bleach removal process. The best test to ensure that you’ve soaked or boiled your tripe long enough so the ungainly chlorine scent won’t taint your final product is simple: Smell it. If there’s even a lingering hint of a swimming pool you need to boil it longer or if soaking, drain the water and re-soak in clean water.

You will also need a calf’s foot which you should also be able to get from the same Asian market. Ask the butcher at the counter to cut the calf’s foot in half for you. And finally, the last major ingredient is a can of hominy which you can get where they sell Latin American products.

If you’re in Kensington Market, stop by Perola Supermarket or Emporium Latino to choose from a variety of canned hominy. You can pick up your chile peppers, cilantro and limes near by too.

Mexican Menudo (Tripe Soup)

1 package of tripe (about 1 1/2 lb) preferably rumen (honeycomb tripe is also fine)

6 cups of water (more, if bleach removal process is required)

1 Tbsp canola oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. Kosher salt (plus 1 Tbsp, if bleach removal process is required)

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1 calf’s foot, cut in half

1 15 oz (425 g) can of hominy

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 limes, cut into wedges

1 jalapeno, sliced thin (or your choice of hot chile pepper)

6 soft tortilla shells

Wash tripe. If there is a strong bleach odour, boil in water with 1 Tbsp of salt until no odour remains about 5 or 10 minutes. Remove tripe, cut into 1” x 2” pieces and set aside. Discard boiled water.

In a clean pot, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onions and sautee until nearly translucent about 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt and oregano. Return the tripe pieces to the pot. Add the calf’s foot and cover with water. Simmer, covered for about 3 hours or until the tripe and calf’s foot is very tender. Add the undrained can of hominy. Cover and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, jalapeno slices and warmed tortilla shells. Serves 6.

Options: If you prefer to have your menudo spicy right out of the pot, you can add the jalapeno slices when you add the hominy. You can also squeeze the juice of half a lime directly into the pot at the end and serve with extra lime wedges as a garnish, if you prefer to cut the tripe soup with more acidity. I also enjoy stirring in 1/2 of the chopped cilantro leaves into the pot at the end when you take the soup off the heat. Doing this creates a beautifully fresh burst of green cilantro aroma in the air. Be sure to serve extra cilantro on the side.

August 10th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

When I went to Tokyo I became addicted to onigiri the very first time I tried it. Onigiri is a ball or triangle-shape of Japanese rice wrapped in nori (roasted seaweed sheets) stuffed with fillings like spicy tuna, umeboshi (pickled plum), and other savouries. You could find these tasty gems almost anywhere including convenience stores like 7-Eleven. It was at Ueno Station that I had my first onigiri and it was filled with fresh ikura or salmon roe. Biting through the crunchy seaweed and discovering that the divinely tender rice housed a healthy spoonful of salty bulging salmon eggs was sheer delight and my first delicious food memory of Japan.

In Toronto, we are fortunate to be able to get our hands on onigiri at a few places. My favourite by far are the ones you can find at Sanko, the Japanese food and gift shop located at Claremont and Queen Street West. Pictured above is a small sample of the variety that are available. My favourite isn’t shown – the organic eggplant – because that version never makes it all the way home. More than likely I’ll be trying to drive and shift gears while I undo the cello wrapper with my teeth all without breaking the nori sheet. As soon as the cello is off, I have to eat the onigiri right away while the seaweed is still crunchy.

Here is a close up view of the instructions for removing the cello. Done this way, the nori sheet stays intact, folding around the rice so your hands don’t get messy. Essentially, Step 1 is to peel back the tab at the top and pull it completely around the onigiri and off. Step 2, while holding the onigiri with your left hand pull the right side of the cello off. And finally, Step 3, remove the remaining cello wrapper completely and then take a bite. Think about doing that while driving with one hand and using your teeth. It’s doable.

You can also find the Korean version of onigiri, called gimbap or kimbap, at P.A.T. Central in the Bloor Street Koreatown. Next to Sanko, these onigiri are a pretty good runner up. Julian is fond of the kimchi beef and Cole likes the spicy chicken. Korean gimbap is usually made with laver which are roasted seaweed sheets that have been seasoned.

If you’re at P.A.T. Central and they’re sold out of gimbap, you might want to pick up what you need to make your own at home. All you need is some short grain Japanese rice (or even easier, buy some pre-cooked takeaway rice from a nearby restaurant), a plastic holder that you can use to pat the rice into a triangle shape available in the kitchen utensils aisle, pre-packaged seaweed in cello sheets, shown below, and whatever filling you like. I would then probably make a second stop at the St. Lawrence Market to pick up a jar of salmon roe or sushi-grade fish for the filling.

Manpuku and their new restaurant, Harapeko, located at 160 Baldwin Street, both have onigiri on the menu. The version at Manpuku is usually served while the rice is still warm and they only seem to offer what tastes like a mild tuna salad. Still it hits the spot and the rice is always perfectly tender. There were a couple more choices at Harapeko, such as mentaiko or salted cod roe shown below, but primarily Harapeko is all about the Japanese sandwich pocket so their onigiri suffers a little in quality.

Tokyo Kitchen also has onigiri on it’s menu but they make a version that only uses a thin strip of nori wrapped around the rice as an accent. To me, I need the crunch of the full sheet of fresh nori so I’d skip that and choose one of the other mouth-watering choices on the menu if I was there.

At T&T Supermarket, they offer a two-pack of onigiri for a steal at $2.99 per pack pictured above. I am usually a big fan of T&T but here you really get what you pay for. The T&T onigiri is one item YOU CAN AND SHOULD SKIP. I took one bite of the spicy salmon onigiri and immediately spit it out. The spicy salmon mixture was sour but worst of all the rice was hard. It definitely seems to be an attempt to use up old salmon and stale rice and it doesn’t work.

If you’ve had the misfortune of trying onigiri at T&T Supermarket I hope you will give onigiri another try at a different place. They can be amazing and if people start eating them regularly and asking for interesting fillings, we are sure to see more and better options offered elsewhere in Toronto.

July 15th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

Is it July? Yep. And I’m eating oysters. My dinner plans changed tonight so I decided to pick up a few oysters, among other things, at St. Jamestown Steak & Chops located on Parliament. I posted about St. Jamestown earlier this year, one of my favourite local butcher shops, that also sells fresh seafood, vegetables, dairy and deli items. I love this place because their products are fresh, reliable and delicious and the staff are also very helpful.

As an aside, I live very close to another butcher shop that gives me the mental equivalent of hives every time I walk in. There’s a strange vibe at Rowe Farms on Queen Street East and the staff always make me feel like it’s my privilege that they are serving me.

St. Jamestown doesn’t come with attitude so I will drive to the next neighbourhood a couple times a week instead of walking a block away because I don’t like to spend money in a place that gives me attitude. And every time I have to breakdown and buy something last minute at Rowe Farms that I’d forgotten on my grocery list I try to get the hell out of Dodge as fast as I can. I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman in the shopping scene every time I walk out of St. Jamestown with my bags and bags of fresh produce and slabs of meat and wonder if this is the day I will walk into Rowe Farms and say “See!!”. Oh but I digress.

It’s July and I’m eating oysters in a month spelled without an “R”. The idea behind this is that oysters spawn in warmer months and they aren’t as palatable. Pashaw I say. Oyster producers have developed oysters that are still worthy of sucking back in months spelled without an “R”. However oysters in colder months are definitely more plump and do have a somewhat cleaner taste. But I’m not one to deny myself of anything tasty even if it is July. When I’ve got a craving, a deep-seated hankering for something yummy, say if my eye is caught by the gleam of a fresh oyster in the shell, then I must not be denied. Denial makes for an unhappy me and why shouldn’t I be happy, happy, happy all the time.

By the way, these Malpeques from St. Jamestown were $1.50 each or $14 for a dozen. Really a steal for these briny bivalves that I shucked myself easily popping them open. I find Malpeques are one of the easiest oysters to open yourself at home as the hinge is easy to identify so inserting your oyster knife is fairly smooth and with a quick twist the shell muscles detach. St. Jamestown will also special order oysters if there’s a specific type you want, like my favourite Kumamotos. Ask away. I’m sure they would be happy to help you.

July 8th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

Every summer I look forward to seeing the little old Chinese ladies sitting along Gerrard Street in the east end Chinatown on my side of town with their spread of golden wealth. What I’m talking about are zucchini flowers. And when you see them, grab them. They are definitely the upside of a heat wave. Today I did a 180 degree turn in my car when I spotted them on the other side of the street, screeching to a halt right in front of the sellers, with change dancing right out of my hand. Zucchini flower season does not last long so you have to get them while the gettin’s good. I got these three gorgeous bundles of zucchini flowers, fragrant basil and the freshest looking cilantro I’ve seen in a while, all for only $5. My very good friend, Jennifer, is coming into town tonight from Kitchener for an overdue gab fest. Tomorrow, I see zucchini flower quesadilla’s in our future, maybe for breakfast. Tonight, we’re doing our version of a pub crawl except in exchange for too much booziness, we’ll be eating too many snacks at multiple venues in this smouldering city.

And while we’re out and about, we will talk about what to do with these beautiful flowers. Should we stuff them with fresh ricotta or mascarpone, sautee them, coat them in tempura batter and fry them. The possibilities are endless. So the next time you spot this golden bounty, make sure you let me know and I’ll race over and pick up a bunch or two or three.

May 11th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

I can’t say it enough. I love spaghetti squash. Lucky for me, it’s one of those vegetables that we get here year round, though it’s peak season is in the fall and winter. Spaghetti squash has a cylindrical shape and runs from yellow in colour all the way to a deep orange. It has a mild flavour, is low in calories, and acts as a fantastic foil for any delicious home-made sauce. I always like to have one on hand in the house. When I’m stumped for dinner I use spaghetti squash to make a satisfying, healthy meal in 30+ minutes. The average spaghetti squash can serve 4 to 5 people as a side dish and 2 to 3 people as an entree.

Here’s how easy it is to cook a spaghetti squash. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place face down in an oven-proof pan. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Place the pan in the oven and set your timer to 30 minutes after which you can test for doneness by inserting a sharp knife into the squash. It’s ready if you can insert the knife and remove easily. If not, put it back in for 5 minutes at a time until ready. It shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes or so max time. Remove from the oven and shred the squash with a fork. You may wish to wait a few minutes before shredding as the squash will be hot but I can’t resist and usually dig in with oven mitt-covered hands. While the squash is cooking, I make a sauce or thaw some leftover sauce I probably have in the freezer. This is when you’ll be glad you froze those odd cups of leftover tomato sauce. I freeze mine in plastic zipper bags to save space.

You can make a ragout sauce from scratch if you have time to let it simmer on the stove but my stand by for days when my brain feels squishy from too much computer work (hmm? like right now) is a ridiculously simple bacon and onion tomato sauce. And yes, I know that fatty bacon pretty much counters the low cal benefits of the spaghetti squash but who cares. It tastes great and so does spaghetti squash which I’m eating because I enjoy it and not for some crazy diet. On that note, there are a number of contestants on The Biggest Loser who swear by spaghetti squash dinners to help keep the pounds off.

Anyways, we are a pork family in a big way and there’s no changing that. So I always have bacon around. When I open a package, I usually split the remaining slices, wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a zipper bag and freeze. If you hunt through my freezer you’ll easily find these little bundles of bacon, containing about 6 to 8 slices in each packet, for these just in case moments. They thaw in the fridge well overnight or gently defrost on that setting in your microwave. Bacon can save you when you’re stuck for ideas at any meal. And you can even candy them with brown sugar and maple syrup for a sweet treat. Ah, but that’s another post.

Shown here is a serving of spaghetti squash with bacon and onion tomato sauce topped with a generous portion of grated fresh parmesan (yet another staple in this house). Here’s the sauce recipe:

Bacon and Onion Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

6 slices of streaky bacon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped to a large dice

1 clove garlic, grated or minced finely

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 398 mL can of diced tomato (San Marzano preferred)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat a frying pan on medium high and add the olive oil to coat the pan. Add the bacon pieces and sautee for about 4 to 5 minutes until just cooked through. Don’t overcook as you’re looking for soft, fatty pieces of bacon meat with the fat rendered, NOT crispy bacon bits. Add the diced onions and sautee until translucent. Add garlic and oregano and cook for another minute. Add canned tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. You may not need much salt as bacon usually has a lot in it. Lower the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes so the flavours can combine. Serve over a bowl of baked spaghetti squash as noted above. Top with grated parmesan and more freshly ground pepper, if desired. And dig in.

April 30th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

It wouldn’t surprise me if some were wondering when I will cook again since all my posts this month have been about events and dining out. Actually I do cook all the time and try to record much of what I cook. There’s so much fun food stuff that happens here in the kitchen and beyond that I wonder when I’ll get time to write about all of it. And therein lies the rub. Who stole my time?

When you add up what it takes to run your own business with five conferences left to be produced this year, raising two awesome kind souls, writing weekly restaurant reviews for another site, and keeping up socially with friends, lest I become a spinster any time soon (HA! let’s hope not) I often wonder how I keep up with myself. Time management is the curse of the modern woman and a skill to be mastered for a successful life.

Truth be known, it’s cooking that helps me maintain my sanity. And there’s not much I love more than to cook using seasonal ingredients and methods. I’m also fortunate that our building offers a gas line to the balcony so we can legally and safely have gas-powered barbecue meals from our suite. No trucking stuff up to a rooftop barbecue station or begging your friends to heat up the coals in their backyard, we’ve got it all in hand right here.This spring, I happened upon garlicky ramps at the St. Lawrence Market. Ramps are wild leeks and have a flavour that’s a cross between mild garlic and Chinese green onion. These beauties were sitting in a bucket of water in one of the lower level vegetable shops, begging me to take them home. I happily obliged.

Ramps are delicious drizzled with olive oil, a sprinkling of salt and grilled directly on a medium-low barbecue. If you’ve got an overly hot grill, you can also wrap them in foil and then barbecue them so they don’t char to a crisp. You can eat them just like that or dipped in aioli or some sort of hot sauce mixture, whatever your preference. You can also pan fry them and serve as a side dish, stuffed in a sandwich, quiche or anything else where you might enjoy sauteed greens or green onion. Ramps are hard to come by in Toronto so when you see them, grab them, or email me and I’ll get them!!

Another favourite of mine when grilling season begins are Korean-style beef short ribs marinated in a galbi sauce. Many Korean families seem to own an electric grill. As handy as they are, it’s not advisable to grill anything indoors that has sugar in the marinade because it’s going to smoke badly. Unless you own an industrial strength exhaust fan, it’s best to keep the grilling outside if you can.

You can buy these short ribs, pre-cut, sliced across the bone, at an Asian grocery store, though most likely in a market that sells Korean goods (not one that carries only Chinese products). P.A.T. Central located at 675 Bloor Street West in downtown Korea Town sells Korean-style beef short ribs, also known as L.A. cut, in both a bone-in and boneless variety. Your local butcher might cut the short rib meat off the bones for you too.Normally, I would consider myself in the bone-sucker camp but I love these short ribs boneless as there’s often a piece of gristle around the rib bone that can be annoying. It looks like you should be able to eat it but you can’t possibly chew through it. That’s foodie frustration at it’s best. As these short ribs are marinated and then flash grilled, there’s no time for the gristle to become tender unlike if you were braising or slow cooking short ribs. Usually you just eat around the gristle. With the boneless version, there are no chewy leftover bits to taunt you with.

You can make your own galbi marinade which is a blend of soy, garlic, sugar, mirin (sweetened Japanese rice wine) and sesame oil. Here’s a recipe you can try and an even a simpler version. I have also seen recipes that include a mashed kiwi (no skin) into the mix and one with pineapple juice. The acidity might be a factor in tenderizing the meat. But today I choose to go the easy route and buy a bottle of Korean barbecue sauce when I buy the short ribs at the store. You can marinate the short ribs in the sauce from an hour to overnight, as desired.I pick up a package of perilla leaves, also found at P.A.T. Central and other Asian grocery stores. Perilla leaves come from the mint family and smaller ones can often be found in Japanese restaurants in Toronto often as a garnish. I plan to use these as a wrap for the boneless short ribs. If perilla leaves aren’t available, iceberg lettuce or large spinach leaves would be a fine alternative. I also sautee some bean sprouts with sliced garlic to add to my wrap. You may want to have carrot matchsticks, sliced Asian pears, green onion strips, cilantro, and steamed rice on hand.

Once your fillings are ready, heat your grill to medium high and remove the short ribs from the marinade. Grill the short ribs till just browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Serve with gochujang, a spread of Korean hot pepper paste that you spread on the perilla leaf, then add a piece of the boneless short rib and your choice of fillings. Adding rice to the wrap makes them heftier but you can live without it. Wrap one and consume immediately, changing the filling each time to suit your taste. Yum!

I can eat several (hundred) of these at one sitting, so keep your hands out of my way.

March 1st, 2010 by Dawn Becker

After a long winter of indulgence, starting back in October with Thanksgiving right up to Chinese New Year in mid-February, my body is craving something healthy and more simple. If you’re in tune with your body it usually tells you what you need to make healthier choices. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from having selective hearing but if you’re listening, white bean and kale soup is a nourishing choice.I’m a huge fan of the way soup simmering on the stove can fill the whole house with a delicious smell that instantly creates a homey, comforting feeling. It’s like sipping a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning or getting a big hug from a loved one. Accompanied by slices of a crusty baguette spread with country-style churned butter or our choice of toasted caraway rye (it’s what we had on hand), on the side for dipping, this soup makes a satisfying light supper. Making soup can be surprisingly easy as long as you have the right ingredients at hand like good homemade vegetable or chicken stock for the base. Of course, if you’re in a rush just pick up your favourite organic vegetable stock at your nearest grocer. The recipe below shows the single-mom weeknight-time-on-a-budget method using one can of white kidney beans (cannellini). You can also soak two cups of dried white beans overnight to reconstitute if you have time (and remember) to prepare them.

White Bean & Kale Soup

1 Tbsp duck fat (I had some around and it adds flavour but you can use grapeseed or canola oil, for a healthier choice)

1 large Vidalia or sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

4 carrots, cut into 1/2” pieces (if the carrots are large, slice in quarters and cut in 1/2” pieces)

2 celery ribs, sliced into 1/2” pieces

1 bunch green kale, leaves removed (discarb ribs and stems) and roughly chopped

1 540 mL can white kidney beans, rinsed

1 bay leaf

1 sprig rosemary, chopped finely

6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

3 cups water

1 Tbsp kosher salt (omit the salt if your broth is already salted)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 mild Italian sausage, optional

Melt the duck fat on high heat in a large soup pot. Add the diced onions and sautee for about 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir in garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Add chopped carrots and celery and cook till just tender about 4 minutes. Add kale and sautee, stirring for 2 minutes until the leaves are completely collapsed. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook kale for a few more minutes until tender. Then add the can of white kidney beans, bay leaf, chopped rosemary, stock, and water and stir to combine. Add salt, as needed and freshly ground pepper. Simmer uncovered until the soup has heated through. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Meat Option: Remove casing from one mild Italian sausage and roll the ground meat mixture into small 1/2” mini meat balls. Heat a skillet on medium heat and cook stirring the mini meat balls until just browned all over. Be sure to stir them often so they don’t burn on one side. Add the cooked meatballs to the soup pot when you add the beans.

February 20th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

A staple of my university days, instant noodles were a financial necessity and convenient when hours of studying were wearing me down. Scarcity and student living went hand in hand along with years of student loan repayments. Oh the good ol’ days.

Chinese families often refer to instant noodles as dolly noodles or gung zai min in Cantonese, as there is often a doll-like icon on the packaging. I’m not sure what the doll is supposed to represent. I suppose it’s demonstrating how happy you’ll be when you eat instant noodles.

Instant noodles are akin to the boxed version of macaroni and cheese for Canadians. Nutritionally they’re incomplete and high in sodium but when you’ve grown up eating them, it’s hard not to fulfill a craving now and again. When cooking instant noodles, I always follow the package directions minus 1 minute on the cooking time as I find the noodles get too soggy for my liking if cooked to the exact timing on the package, as the noodles continue to cook in the bowl with the hot soup.

Instant noodles can be even tastier when you tart them up with your choice of sliced mushrooms, chopped green onions, a drop of sesame oil, and anything else you have on hand. I enjoy adding a Chinese preserved mustard green called ja choi in Cantonese. These add a bit of crunch and spice to the noodles. There are many varieties of ja choi available in Asian supermarkets like TNT, including a pretty hot version shown in the jar above. Ja choi is also sold in foil packaged single serving portions found in the refrigerator section.Kimchi and egg are one of my favourite instant noodle supplements. It’s important to remove the noodles from the boiling soup before you add the egg otherwise you end up with a gloppy mess of egg-coated noodles instead of an egg drop style soup. I crack the egg directly into the pot of boiling soup, swirl the whites around in the water without breaking the yolk, allowing to cook for just a minute. Then pour the pot contents into the bowl with noodles and add a bit of kimchi. The yolk will be mostly runny and delicious. Another day, I’ll post a comparison of the kimchi-flavoured instant noodles on the market.

Nowadays with more healthful eating in mind, there are many versions of instant noodles on the market without MSG or added preservatives or artificial colour. The Koka brand chicken original flavour above has a solid basic taste. With less salt and considering no MSG, it’s a great standard to have in the cupboard. This makes a great foil for adding your favourite condiments.

Samyang Foods has a beef flavour noodle above with no MSG. This version is spicy. When purchasing instant noodle products, the photo on the package often gives you a big tip as to what the flavour is supposed to be. Handy when you can’t read the wording and the term beef flavour noodle is so vague it could mean anything. You can see from the packaging photo, this version above has hot peppers in the bowl so you know it’s going to have some heat to it.

Samyang Foods U-Dong flavour instant noodles also has no MSG. As this represents an udon noodle the noodles are thicker than the standard ones which are usually fashioned after ramen noodles. This U-Dong flavour has a bonito base which results in a strong fishy taste. You can see the fish cakes in the packaging photo as a flavour hint.

While I don’t suggest living on instant noodles, they have a place. It’s a rite of passage in a student’s life, learning to make the most out of very little. My nephew Sean recently got accepted to Carleton University and with a scholarship to boot. You can bet that he’s going to receive a case of instant noodles from me and maybe some ja choi if he’s lucky.

February 9th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

I really shouldn’t be writing about this meal publicly in case my mother reads this. Ever since I’ve been little my mother has been on my back about what I eat. It’s not that I’m overweight – okay, who’s kidding anyone but who doesn’t have a few pounds to lose? – it’s just that my mother eats like a bird and a Puritan bird at that. Actually, she’s more of a pecker than an eater. I on the other hand am a gobbler. Yes, I guess that makes me a turkey, in food eating terms only mind you. And that would make mom a budgie. How polite of me.

Anyways, when I find something I’m passionate about or even just something I like a lot, I can be very enthusiastic about it. When it comes to food, my mother is brilliantly reserved. Refined but not like a fine wine because she doesn’t drink. That would be counter-Puritan I suppose. And to add to her case confirming my lifestyle of overindulgence, I’ve been having some wee tummy troubles lately. Investigations are on-going as to why but how did my mother so lovingly put it? “With all that you’ve eaten you could live a few days without any meals. You’ll be fine.” This was Sunday.

Now that might sound horrible but I’ve had years of getting used to it. The thing is that she doesn’t realize that what she is saying could make a person insane. She’s a lecturer at heart and I think that’s very much a Chinese attribute. Sure everyone has a lecturer in their family but for the Chinese, it’s like a profession. I can imagine Confucious saying something like “Life is not worth living unless someone is constantly beating you over the head, reminding you of the lessons you should have learned from your failures.” Oh joy. Seriously, I know my mother has my best interest at heart. It’s just hard not to get grizzly about any “pleasantly plump” comments. You’d have issues too!

So with quite some glee at the obvious betrayal, I pulled out the last can of Carriere poutine sauce that I’ve been hiding at the back of my cupboard. I bought it a while back in Montreal at the suggestion of one of my friends who lives in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She said it authentically tastes like fast food poutine sauce. I laughed. And I had to have it. And it really does. Unfortunately you’ll have to cross the border to Quebec to get it as I haven’t seen it the stores here in Toronto or you could ask your flight attendant friend to bring some back the next time he’s doing an overnighter in Montreal. Marc!

Of course, I could easily make my own gravy but that’s not what this sort of indulgence is all about. I’m a gravy making queen, a real natural. But opening this can of overly salted contraband made me feel extremely giddy. Or maybe that was the MSG. To put my own touch on it and with a bit of a nod to the anything-goes poutine stylings of Martin Picard, Chef/Owner of Au Pied du Cochon, I created Poutine Hash. And I’m afraid I enjoyed every bite. The recipe below is enough for three or four with a much-needed salad course and artery de-clogging wine.

Poutine Hash

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large Vidalia or sweet onion, peeled and diced

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes or 3-4 medium-sized ones, peeled and diced

1 can of corned beef (I like the Hereford brand), chopped

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup cheese curds, or more, if you prefer (my absolute favourite is made by the monks at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey)

1/4 cup poutine sauce (I used a can of Carriere sauce shown above, or you can make your own gravy)

Heat oil in the large pan over medium-heat. Add diced onion and cook till mostly translucent. Add the diced potatoes, and cover, stirring occasionally so that the potatoes don’t get stuck to the pan. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. (I actually prefer my potatoes quite a bit undercooked but I know that’s not common.) Lower the heat to medium low and add the chopped corned beef, mixing gently to blend with the potato and onion mixture. The corned beef will break up as it heats. Cook until the corned beef is heated through. Crack some fresh black pepper on it to taste and then set aside. Heat the poutine sauce until very hot but not boiling. Portion out a serving of the corned beef hash and top with some cheese curds. Pour hot poutine sauce over the cheese curds. The curds will soften from the heat of the poutine sauce. Enjoy with guilty glee!

Note: You don’t need to add salt as the corned beef and poutine sauce have plenty of sodium.