Three courses in honour of my brother Rod and my sister in-law’s sister Nancy. A salad of shredded lettuce, and carrot with tomatoes and miso vinaigrettes, haven’t quite mastered this one yet, I think I might need a little mirin in the dressing. Then wild mushroom tarte tatin, which is from Food TV’s “Cook Like A Chef”, the mushrooms used were chanterelle and shiitake, the dish is served in a puff pastry shell. This dish far exceeded my expectations; as well it can be prepared far in advance and served when needed (after 20 minutes in the oven.) Finally that tarte is topped with crème fraiche. The main course braised oxtail Fusilli Col Buco, again another FoodTV recipe this time courtesy of Rob Feenie, very tasty and lots of depth. The Fusilli Col Buco is rather unusual pasta that looks like the telephone cord for a handset, but marries well with the long strands of oxtail.
The Joy of Leftovers
Two dishes composed mostly with leftovers: A soup made with the jus from the Moroccan Lamb Shanks with brunoised carrots, julienned red bell pepper, diced green onion and Cremini mushrooms. The soup also includes some roasted chicken and finished with a bit of sour cream. I would have used roasted lamb but it’s in short supply on short notice. The great thing about this dinner, the whole meal only dirtied one pot and one frying pan. Fettuccelle with roasted chicken, leeks, red bell pepper, hot red peppers, Cremini mushrooms, topped with a little extra virgin olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Bay Scallops with Fettuccelle
Bay scallops, leeks and smoky bacon with Fettuccelle. Fettuccelle is a noodle like fettuccini but a little broader and thinner and seems to be a little stickier.
Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus
Always a favourite, filet mignon with a red wine, veal stock and shallot sauce, simple mashed potatoes with the skins included and sautéed asparagus with shallots and finished with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Beef Stroganoff with Egg Noodles
Beef Stroganoff with Egg Noodles, this one doesn’t get much simpler, although it’s hard to find good egg noodles, Loblaws has some traditional German Egg noodles that realy make this dish rock.
Roasted Chicken Breast with left overs
Roasted with Olive Oil, salt, pepper and oregano, with left over Potatoes a la Boulangere and the root vegetables. Simple but the potatoes are even better re-heated.
Wild Venison Chops with Potatoes a la Boulangere
Venison chops from a friend of my father in-law, pan fried with a marinade of olive oil, onions and port0. I saw the Potatoes a la Boulangere on Christine Cushing Live, “Chef’s Secrets” they turned out very tasty, the dinner also includes boiled carrots, parsnips and green beans.
Penne Arrabiata
Penne Arrabiata with hot Italian sausage and left over red bell pepper and zucchini. Finished with a little extra virgin olive oil, parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The tomato sauce is homemade.
Inez’s BBQ pork ribs
This is my mother’s recipe, very simple to prepare but the results are very tasty, I’ve added my own flourishes over the years. The left over sauce is great for basting chicken or other BBQ dishes. Served on a bed of Basmati rice.
