Seared my Dear

My friend Joanne said she would not eat raw lamb, and that was fine with me. So while everyone else at the table made adventurous forays to try the lamb, she watched bemused. When they liked it, she looked puzzled. And when the bowl was almost empty, she finally picked up a piece of pita bread, spread it with lamb, topped it with mint and

Prairie Kitchesn - Roast Beef and Gravy

In traditional English kitchens, while the roast was cooking, the Yorkshire pudding dish was placed underneath to catch the dripping fat. When the roast was done, the Yorkshire pudding batter was poured into the hot pan and popped back into the oven. While that cooked, the roast "rested" and the gravy was made. As the Yorkies came out of the oven, the roast and gravy were ready for serving. Sunday dinner was on! Recipe for Yorkshire pudding.

Roast Beef and Gravy

2 1/2 pound beef roast
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp bacon fat or vegetable oil
1/2 cup hot water
6-8 small potatoes
2 onions, peeled and quartered
8 carrots, peeled
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 300F. On the stove, heat bacon fat or vegetable oil in roasting pan until hot. Pat roast dry with paper towel and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Brown roast in hot oil, turning to brown all sides. Pour in hot water. Cover and roast in oven 1 1/2 hours.

Add vegetables to the roaster and return to oven. If needed, add more water. (Not necessary if the lid fits tightly.) Roast another 1/2 hour, until potatoes are cooked.

Remove roast to a plate and cover with foil to "rest." Scoop vegetables into a bowl and keep warm. Place roasting pan on stove and heat on medium. Mix flour and water until there are no lumps. Pour into bubbling liquid and stir vigorously. Season with salt and pepper. Bubble lightly to a desired gravy consistency. If the gravy gets too thick, add a bit of water, stirring well, until you're happy with the consistency. Slice the roast beef and serve with Yorkshire puddings smothered in gravy.

Prairie Kitchens - Swedish Meatballs

In 1905, Olaf and Anna Nilson left Sweden for a new life in western Canada. From Montreal, they rode the train across the country to Melfort, Sask. Don't imagine an upholstered sleeping car – they travelled in a cattle car with no seats!

They took a homestead near Kinistino. At first, they lived in an abandoned sod house. The roof leaked and the floor was bare earth. Their first cow died. The nearest store was more than five miles' walk, where they exchanged their extra butter and eggs for groceries.

Other than a few staples such as flour and baking soda, they produced all their own food. They stored vegetables in a root cellar (so they wouldn't freeze in winter) and canned meat in sealer jars (so it would keep in summer). Meat consisted of their own chickens, pigs and cattle. The Nilson family history notes, "Mother stated many times that, if money had been available, they would have returned to Sweden." Well, they stayed.

Many of their favourite Swedish foods, such as shrimp and herring, were rare on the Canadians plains, but one dish that did travel well was Swedish meatballs. This recipe was given to me by Olaf and Anna's granddaughter, Joan Thompson of Saskatoon, who got the recipe from her mother, Myrtle. In the 2006 Canadian census, 33,000 people in Saskatchewan claimed Swedish ancestry. No doubt, many of them are still fond of Swedish meatballs.

Swedish Meatballs
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 small potato, peeled and grated
1 small onion, grated
1/2 tst salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp cream
1 egg
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp butter or oil

Mix everything but the last ingredient. Stir vigorously until the meat is smooth and fluffy (I used an electric mixer). With damp hands, form into small balls. Heat butter or oil in a skillet. Fry the meatballs, turning to brown all sides. Shaking the skillet helps to keep the meatballs round.

Depending on the size of the skillet, it may be cooked in two batches. Add additional butter/oil if needed. Serve with lingonberry sauce (aka low bush cranberry jelly), boiled potatoes and cooked vegetables.

Lingonberry Sauce
In Saskatchewan, lingonberries are known as low bush cranberries. They grow wild in the parkland and north of the province.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen low-bush cranberries
1 tbsp fresh-squeezed orange juice

Heat sugar and water in a saucepan to a bubbling simmer, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is dissolved, add the berries and orange juice. Simmer. As the berries heat, they will pop and release their juices. You can help by pressing them with a fork. Boil lightly until it is jammy, but not too jammy, as it will thicken further as it cools.

Do you have a prairie recipe with a story? Send me a comment. Follow at twitter.com/prairiefeast.

This column first appeared in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.

Prairie Kitchens - Hakkebof

In 1910, Ditlev Feilberg took a homestead near Nokomis and, the following year, was joined by his wife Julie and five of their children. That year, they didn't have a crop of their own so they worked for neighbouring farmers. Their meagre earnings were spent on basic foodstuffs and on coal to cook and heat their little prairie shack.

Julie wrote charming letters to her family back in Denmark describing the hardships of pioneer life. She detailed their basic diet: flour, sugar, oatmeal, eggs, milk, butter, lard, potatoes and dried fruit. She kept a large vegetable garden and made bread with potato-based sourdough. They had chickens and cattle but, depending on the time of year, they went for weeks and even months without meat or milk.

Her letters were published in Denmark in 1912 and 1917 by Ditlev's father and later translated into English by her son Nikolai as Letters from Nokomis: Life on a Homestead in Saskatchewan, available at the Saskatoon public library.

In October, Julie cooked for a neighbour's harvest crew of 16 or 17 men who expected three solid meals a day. She might serve a hearty stew or roast chickens (killing and plucking them first) with potatoes, garden vegetables, bread, biscuits, butter, raisin pudding or cake. One day she made a recipe from home, Danish hamburger steak with onion gravy (called hakkebof) which she says "went over very well."

Hakkebof - Danish Hamburger Steak

2 large onions
2 tbsp butter

Sprinkle of sugar

2 tbsp flour

1 cup beef stock

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp butter or lard

Peel onions and cut into fat slices. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a wide frying pan on medium low. Separate the onion rings. Toss in the pan with the melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Cook slowly, covered, stirring now and then, until the onions are soft and turning brown, about 45 min. Lift the onions out of the pan and keep warm.

Sprinkle flour into the butter remaining in the pan, stirring well. The flour will soak up the butter and begin to brown. Pour in beef stock and whisk vigorously to prevent lumps. Bring to a light bubble, stirring, until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm on low heat.

Form the ground beef into four patties. Season with salt and pepper. Using the dull side of a knife, crosshatch the patties on both sides. In another pan, melt 1 tbsp butter or lard on medium high heat. Cook the patties, turning once, until both sides are browned and the meat is cooked through.

To serve, stack onions on each steak. Pour on gravy. Serve with boiled new potatoes sprinkled with chopped parsley and pickled beets.

Do you have a prairie recipe with a story? Send me a comment. Follow at twitter.com/prairiefeast.

This column first appeared in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.

What does your beef eat?

Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam ... and the sheep, cattle and chickens.

Across the country, there is a growing consumer preference for meat from free-roaming animals that, like the buffalo, live on green pastures and a diet of grass. Read more about local grass-fed meat in my newspaper column..

 

Steak Carpaccio

1 big handful of fresh mixed herbs such as oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary

1 clove garlic

½ tsp rock salt

8 peppercorns

1-2 tbsp olive oil (approx.)

2 beef steaks, no bone

1 cup torn arugula leaves

¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Sliced bread such as baguette

In mortar and pestle, smash together the garlic, rock salt and peppercorns. With a knife, chop the herbs very finely and add to the garlic mixture. Drizzle in just enough olive oil to make a paste. Rub the mixture onto both sides of the steak. Wrap in plastic and freeze for one hour.

Coat a cast iron pan thinly with oil. Heat it on high. Add the meat and sear until each side is well done, about 5-7 min. per side. The steak will still feel quite soft when pressed with a finger. Cool the meat, then wrap and refrigerate until serving time.

With a sharp knife, shave the beef across the grain in very thin slices. Arrange on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter on arugula leaves and shaved Parmesan cheese. Serve with sliced baguette.

I like to serve this with spicy chickpea and fruit salad.

 

Flat Iron Carpaccio

Carpaccio requires a tender, tasty steak. Many recipes call for fillet of beef (the tenderloin) but I've discovered the pleasure of a flat iron steak from Benlock Farms, available at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market.

 

Pictured: Beef Carpaccio with Chickpea Fruit Salad

The beef is served close to raw, so you want to buy from a trusted source where the meat is guaranteed to be clean and fresh. And in my kitchen, I prefer it to be raised in Saskatchewan.

Seared Angus Flat Iron Carpaccio

Collect a handful of fresh herbs - oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary and a small bit of parsley. Chop very finely.

In a mortar and pestle, smash together one clove of garlic, two big pinches of rock salt and eight peppercorns. Add the chopped herbs. Drizzle in just enough olive oil to make a paste that will cling to the meat. Rub the mixture onto both sides of a semi-thawed flat iron steak. Wrap in plastic wrap. Before cooking, freeze the meat for two hours.

Heat a cast iron pan on high. Add the steak and cook until each side is well done, 5-7 min. per side. The steak should still feel quite raw inside when pressed with a finger. Cool, wrap and refrigerate until serving time.

With a sharp knife, shave the beef across the grain in very thin slices. Arrange on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with tender arugula leaves and shaved Parmesan cheese. Serve with sliced baguette.

Texas Longhorn on your plate

This handsome fella is grass fed, drug-free and looking for a good home. He comes as a whole or half, cut and wrapped, just in time for the spring barbeque season.

Consumer warning: grass-fed beef is very lean, not the marbled beef of the grocery store. It requires a special touch in the kitchen, as outlined on the American Grass Fed Beef website.

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If you've got a good home (ie: freezer space) in the Saskatoon area, give Ruth a call at 374-2416.

Where's the beef? Not Europe

I buy beef from two local sources: from Al Bennett at Meacham and Benlock Farms (which has a booth at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market). I like their meat because it's raised with organic principles and tastes great.

So here's the issue: The European Union has banned beef from Canada and the U.S. because most of the cattle are fed growth hormones (i.e. steroids). The ban is based on fears the hormones are bad for our health. More specifically, that the hormones can affect the male reproductive system and contribute to the rates of colon, prostate and breast cancer.

The World Trade Organization ruled the ban is illegal because there is insufficient scientific evidence to back up the claim that growth hormones in cattle are harmful to people who eat the meat. The WTO ruled that Canada and the U.S. can retaliate against the E.U. by slapping tarrifs on imported foods such as Dijon mustard and Roquefort cheese. (Read more about it here.)

This ban affects Saskatchewan farmers, who produce about 30% of Canada's beef cattle. The U.S. and Canada argue the ban is not really about health, but about protecting the European cattle industry from competition. The Food and Drug Administration has set "accpetable daily intakes" for these hormones at which level it considers them safe for human consumption.

In a newspaper column, Kevin Hursh, a farmer who writes about agricultural issues, sides with Canadian farmers in this dispute but asks: "why can't we produce beef without hormones specifically for the European market?"

Personally, I'd rather not eat meat treated with growth hormones, even at "acceptable" levels. What about you?

Saskatchewan InDemand

I can't resist an event featuring Saskatchewan food (especially when they invite me to give a talk). Here are some of the local food products featured at the show Nov 15 & 16 in Saskatoon:

Prairie Sun Orchard - Homemade ice cream from Saskatchewan berries. I can highly recommend their chocolate-cherry-almond bark. No website; call 306-242-7573. You'll also find them at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market.

Petrofka Bridge Orchard - I tried their apple cidre and bought a bag of apples, which were fabulous. So, I asked the owner why we can't buy Saskatchewan apples in the grocery store -- the answer had to do with lacking a storage facility to keep apples fresh in large quantities. So let's get on that...

Bluestone Homegrown Beef - Owner Karla Hicks was giving out samples of her delicious homemade beef jerky. Their Angus cattle are raised on grass, drug free and aged 21 days.

Cedar Creek Organics - Also raised on green pastures and certified organic. Ground, steaks, franks, smokies, roasts and jerky. They have an informative and professional presentation, for which they deserve kudos. I'm told their beef is available at Dad's Nurition Centre in Saskatoon.

Bedard Creek Acres - A unique family business that captures the flavours of wild flowers and herbs in products such as such as Black Pansy Syrup and Creamy Chickweed Salad Dressing. Yummm.

Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission - They were giving away little bags of mustard seeds - yellow, brown and Oriental - and offering food samples like this Freezer Cabbage Relish. I didn't know you could freeze cabbage!

Week 29 - MOOSE (OR BEEF) SOPAS

Saskatchewan Menu of the Week -- 29 October 2005

Breakfast – Pancakes.
Lunch – Chocolate bowtie croissant (from Christie's Bakery)
Dinner – Raw carrots. Yellow pea 'fava' on bread. Moose Sopas. Ice cream with cherry sauce.

MOOSE (OR BEEF) SOPAS
Sopas is a Portuguese beef stew. I found the original recipe in Saveur magazine. I tried it with beef and moose. I actually prefer the moose, but the beef is good, too. The coriander, tomatoes and mint were from my garden. The moose was a gift from our friend, Jeff, an avid hunter.

You’ll need a piece of cheesecloth or a tea ball.

1/2 tsp whole allspice berries
1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
1/2 tsp whole cloves
3-4 pound moose roast
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup tomato sauce (I used 1/2 cup sauce and 1 cup tomatoes)
1 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp cinnamon
Salt to taste
3 cups water
Day-old French or Italian bread, sliced
Chopped mint for garnish

Secure the allspice, coriander and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth or tea ball.

Put this bag of spices in a large pot with the meat and everything else (but the bread and mint). Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender.

Scoop out the meat to a large bowl and shred it with two forks. Discard the spice bag.

To serve, place a piece of bread in the centre of a plate or bowl. Scatter on a handful of shredded meat. Pour on a ladle of broth. Sprinkle with mint and serve.

The Bennett farm

Eggs come in many sizes and shades – and I prefer them all. Especially when they’re all mixed together in one carton. Big, small, white, brown. When a carton of eggs looks like that, you know it’s straight from the farm. Just washed and boxed.

I get my eggs from the farm of Al Bennett of Meacham. His chickens are free-range, which means they’re running around eating bugs and weeds (at least in the warmer months). That makes the egg yolks a rich golden-yellow. Every three weeks or so, he shows up at my door with 20 dozen eggs. I use what I need and resell the rest to my friends.

I also buy beef from Al. He raises his cattle on grassy pastures, moving them daily so they are always eating fresh greens. He says, "That's the way the buffalo roamed. You didn't see the Indians carrying a slop pail out to the buffalo!" Indeed.

Because this beef is not fed grain, the meat is very lean. When a recipe says "brown the meat and pour off the fat" I find myself adding oil to keep it moist. Al sells his beef by the whole or half animal, or you can buy it by the piece (ground meat, roasts and t-bone steaks). His phone number of 306-944-4340.