Prairie Feast on the Radio

My book and I are going on the radio. Tune in on:

Fri., May 7, between 12:30 and 1 pm
CBC Radio's Blue Sky (540 am)
Mon., May 10, between 11 and 11:30 am
News Talk Radio's John Gormley Show (650 am Saskatoon/980 am Regina)

For more book news and events, please read here.

Eggs on CBC Radio

Obviously I've been an egg lover from a very early age! Here I am gathering eggs on the farm where I grew up at Craik.

Check out more chicken images on the Facebook page for The Canadian Table, a radio program that I'm producing for Good Friday, between noon and 1 pm, on CBC Radio One. You can even post your own chicken photos and egg recipes. Check it out!

Food on Good Friday

Tune into CBC Radio 1, between noon and 1 pm on Good Friday for a holiday food special called The Canadian Table.

I am producing the show with my colleague Don Genova in Vancouver. Keeping with the theme of Easter, the show is all about eggs! From Humpty-Dumpty to Canadian caviar, we cross the country through the airwaves to delve into egg-citing facts and lore of a food that's been around since the chicken came first...or was it the egg?

CBC Radio calling - Pumpkins

As discussed on the radio today, here are the links to the winning pie recipes at the Pilger Pumpkin Festival. Take note, however, the winning pie makers added their own special "tweeks" to these recipes:

Winning pumpkin pie
Second place pumpkin pie

Here are links to my favourite pumpkin recipes on this blog:

Pumpkin Gnocci
Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Ravioli
My husband and I ordered pumpkin-filled pasta in a rustic restaurant in Italy. It was quite heavy on the cinnamon, which I have toned down for this version.

Cut the flesh off a pumpkin, wrap in tinfoil and bake until soft. Mash the soft pumpkin and measure 2 cups. Place in a sieve to drain excess liquid. Mix the pumpkin with 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, a few grinds of pepper and salt to taste. Whip an egg with a fork and blend into the pumpkin mixture. Use this mixture in ravioli or other stuffed pasta.

To serve, I made a sauce of melted butter sautéed with plenty of fresh chopped sage, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. I recently had pumpkin tortellini with mushroom cream sauce in a restaurant which was also a very good flavour combination.

CBC Radio Calling

Beets have an affinty for goat's cheese. Perhaps feta cheese would taste great, too.

Beet and Walnut Salad
2 beets, cooked
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp fruit syrup (chokecerry, raspberry, etc.)

3 tbsp olive oil
salad greens for two (may include beet greens)
2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
salt

Cut the beets into a bite-sized dice. Heat 1 tbsp of water in a non-stick skillet. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the walnuts, cooking and stirring until the water has evaporated and the sugar has caramelized on the nuts. Make the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, fruit syrup, oil and salt to taste. Toss half the dressing with the salad greens and the other half with the beets. To serve, divide the salad greens onto two plates. Scoop the beets into the middle of the greens, scatter each with half the walnuts and sprinkle on the cheese.

Tonight, I'm going to try this recipe: beet leaf holopchi

CBC Radio calling - SCALLOPED CORN

Food is a wonderful part of the holidays, such as this cherished tree ornament, hand-made in the shape of a slice of olive loaf. (Okay, there's a long story behind it...)

As for special dinners, here are a few recipes I seem to serve over and over:

Scalloped Corn
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups creamed corn
1/4 cup onion, grated
1/4 cup red pepper, finely diced
1 cup fine bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter, melted

Heat oven to 350F. Mix everything in a bowl with 2/3rds of the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a casserole dish. Toss remaining bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle evenly over top. Bake 1 hour. To brown and crisp the top, turn on broiler for a few minutes.

Wild Rice and Dried Cherry Salad
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 cups small broccoli florets
2 cups small cauliflower florets
3 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup dried berries (such as cherry, blueberry or cranberry)
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup thinly sliced almonds (opt.)

Mix everything together in a serving bowl. Dress with a homemade fruity vinaigrette or use a purchased raspberry vinaigrette.

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Beet and Walnut Salad
2 beets, cooked
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp fruit syrup
3 tbsp olive oil (or canola)
salt

salad greens for four
2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese

(or more if you like!)

Cut cooked beets into a bite-sized dice. Heat 1 tbsp of water in a non-stick skillet. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the walnuts, cooking and stirring until the water has evaporated and the sugar has caramelized on the nuts. Remove from heat.

Make the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, fruit syrup, oil and salt to taste. Toss half the dressing with the salad greens and the other half with the beets. To serve, divide the salad greens onto four plates. Scoop the beets into the middle of the greens, scatter each with walnuts and cheese

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Mushroom Orzotto

1 cup sliced mushrooms, sautéed in butter

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive or canola oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 sprig each rosemary, sage and parsley, chopped

4-5 tomatoes, choppedsalt and pepper

6-7 cups water or vegetable stock, boiling

2 cups pearl barley

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup Parmesan cheese

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Melt the butter and oil in a stockpot. Sauté the garlic, onion and herbs until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the barley, stirring until the grains are shiny and little liquid remains in the pan. Add the wine and cook until evaporated.

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Add a cup of boiling water (or stock), stirring until it is absorbed. Continue to add water, one cup at a time, stirring until each one is absorbed before adding the next. As you get closer to done, the barley will need more stirring to ensure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

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When the barley is almost done (that is, when you can bite into it), add the mushrooms. The orzotto is ready when the barley is just tender to the bite. Stir in the parmesan cheese. To serve, sprinkle with a little chopped parsley and perhaps a bit more parmesan cheese.

CBC Radio Calling - PUMPKIN GNOCCHI

I confess, I didn't carve pumpkins for Halloween -- I drew faces on them with a black marker. Partly because I'm lazy, but mostly because I wanted to save them for eating. My husband isn't a great fan of pumpkin pie so I've had to find a few other good uses for used pumpkin.

First, I quarted the pumpkins, scraped out the seeds and roasted them in the oven at 350F for about one hour and 15 minutes.

I tried a few recipes, such as a Pumpkin Chocolate Cake (recipe) and Maple Pumpkin Mousse (recipe). But my favourite isn't dessert at all - it's Pumpkin Gnocchi.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce
3 cups puréed pumpkin
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
pepper
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
Several fresh sage leaves (about 10)
Parmesan cheese for serving

In a bowl, mix the pumpkin and egg. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Knead briefly on the counter to incorporate all the flour. Wrap in plastic and place in the freezer for 30 min. (If you want to rest the dough longer than 30 min, place it in the refrigerator.)

Bring a pot of water to boil.

Using a teaspoon, scoop up a ball of dough, roll it off the teaspoon with your fingers and drop it into the boiling water. You must dip the teaspoon in a glass of cold water between each scoop to prevent sticking. When the gnocchi float to the surface, scoop them out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Reserve in a serving bowl. Working in batches, cook the gnocchi until the dough is used up.

Meanwhile, melt the butter, oil, garlic and sage. Before serving, remove the garlic. Pour the butter mixture over the gnocchi and toss lightly to coat. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Cooking on TV

Earlier this week I was in Regina to create a series of cooking segments for "Living Saskatchewan" on CBC TV. We shot the segments in the kitchen of Nancy McEwen (pictured here with me - that's her on the left and me on the right). The theme was international dishes cooked with Saskatchewan ingredients. A couple of the recipes are already on this blog -- the others will be posted soon.

- blue potato pakoras
- chicken cacciatore
- prairie berry clafoutis
- fattoosh
- asian coleslaw

Stay tuned -- I'll let you know when it airs.

CBC Radio calling - A harvest dinner

During harvest, my dad's supper was packed into a lunchbox and included nothing that couldn't be eaten with one hand (because he wanted to eat while he drove the combine). Other farmers go to the other extreme, stopping to eat a hot picnic supper delivered to the field with the whole family. My ideal harvest supper would be somewhere in between -- a cold meal that I would stop to eat in the shade of the grain truck or a grove of trees. Of course, it would be a Saskatchewan meal...

Cold chicken

Asian coleslaw

Homemade canned pears

Zucchini cookies (below)

ZUCCHINI COOKIE

(from the cookbook Zucchini: You Can Never Have Enough by John Butler)
1/2 cup soft butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
pinch baking soda
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup raisins
1 cup rolled oats

Note: If the zucchini is young and fresh, I leave the skin on for a nice green fleck in the cookies. However, if the skin is thick I would peel the zucchini first.

Cream together the butter, egg and vanilla. Mix the baking soda into the honey, and stir into the creamed butter. Sift the flours, baking powder and salt over the creamed mixture and blend well. Add the zucchini, raisins and oats and blend until mixed. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. (I prefer to use a silicon mat rather than grease the pan.) Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

CBC Radio - Tomatoes

I had a great time chatting about tomatoes with Garth Materie on CBC radio today. Here are some of my favourite things to do with fresh ripe tomatoes. (And a picture of my tomato seedlings.)

Jumping Mustard Tomato Chutney

BLT in a Bowl

Nice Salad

Ratatouille

Tabouleh Salad

Saskatchewan is full of beans

A CBC listener called in to tell us about a great source of Saskatchewan grown beans: Northern Quinoa Corporation, of Kamsack. Its primary product, quinoa, is an edible grass seed native to the Andes in South American. According to the company website, quinoa is high in protein and other essential nutrients. The on-line store also sells lentils, chickpeas, barley, spelt, flax, spices and a whole lot of beans. Check it out.

CBC Radio Calling - BAKED BEANS

Soak 2 cups of beans and 2 tbsp plain yogurt in water overnight.

Drain the water. Put the beans in a stock pot, add 2 ham hocks (or a meaty ham bone), 2 bay leaves, salt and a few peppercorns. Cover with fresh water and simmer until the beans are soft.

Divide the beans and their liquid between two oven-proof pots with lids. Remove the meat from the ham hocks and divide evenly between the two pots. Into each, stir in a few chopped tomatoes (fresh, canned or frozen), a couple spoonfuls of tomato paste, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup of molasses.

Cover and bake for two hours or more at 300F. Add water if the beans soak up the liquid. Remove the lids and broil until the top of the beans is nice and brown.

CBC Radio Calling

It was terrific fun to take part in the CBC Christmas Open House on Dec. 7 in Regina. We talked about many wonderful holiday foods, and here are two of the recipes we mentioned.

Snow Drift
3/4 cups soft butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp grated lemon rind
Homemade jam or jelly
3 eggs whites
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Cream the butter and 1/2 cup icing sugar until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour and cornstarch. Blend into the butter mixture with the vanilla. Form the dough into a circle on a piece of wax paper, wrap tightly and refrigerate for one hour or more.

Flour the work surface. Place the dough on the flour, cover with the wax paper and roll with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch (about 1/2 cm). Cut the dough with a 3-inch round cookie cutter (about 8 cm) and place each cookie on a baking sheet. Bake at 300F for 15-20 min., until the dough is cooked but not browned. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cover each cookie with a layer of homemade jam or jelly.

Whip the egg whites until frothy. And the vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form. Scoop some meringue onto each cookie, swirling with a spoon to make peaks. Bake at 300F for about 10-15 minutes, until meringue starts to brown.

Muesli
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup flax seeds
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp canola oil

Mix together the oats and seeds. Stir together the honey and oil. If they are too stiff to stir, heat them in the microwave. Pour the honey/oil into the oats and mix thoroughly with your hands. Spread the mixture onto a big cookie sheet and bake at 200F for about two hours, stirring now and then to prevent burning at the edges. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet. Add dried fruit of your choice. Store in an airtight container.

CBC Calling - PASTA NORMA

PASTA NORMA
Rumor has it that this Sicilian dish was named for the opera Norma, first performed in 1831, which tells the story of a tragic love affair between a Roman official and a Druid high priestess.
canola or olive oil
3 small eggplants
2 cloves garlic
6-8 plum tomatoes
12 basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
salt and pepper
ricotta cheese (make your own - see the entry on 16 April 2005)
pasta (traditonally made with fettucini)

Slice the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. This removes moisture so it won't spit so much in the hot oil. Meanwhile, sauté the garlic in 1/4 cup oil. Stir in chopped tomatoes, chopped basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.
Heat oil in skillet and brown the eggplant on both sides. Drain on paper towel. (Or, brush rounds with oil and broil both sides in oven.) If large, cut eggplant into bite-sized pieces. Cook the pasta. Toss the cooked pasta with the tomato sauce. To serve, put pasta on plate, top with fried eggplant and sprinkle with ricotta cheese.

Gourmet shoots of spring - ASPARAGUS ORZOTTO

Italians make a rice dish called rizotto (riz is Italian for rice). I make the same type of dish with pearl barley so I call it orzotto (orzo is Italian for barley). This time of year, fresh young asparagus is abundant in the farmers' market, so don't be buying imported asparagus from the grocery store. This recipe serves two people as a main dish or 4-6 people as a side dish.

2 tbsp butter
2 fat green onions, sliced (about ¼ cup)
1 bunch asparagus, in 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
½ cup cooked ham, small dice
(I like to use the smoked pork from Emco Meats in Saskatoon)
1 ¼ cup pearl barley
¼ cup Madeira wine (optional - see note below)
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
5 cups hot chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
¼ cup parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Sauté the onions and asparagus until softened. Remove the vegetables with a spoon, leaving the remaining butter in the pot.

Turn up the heat to medium. Add the ham and pearl barley. Stir to coat with the butter. Add the Madeira wine. Cook until all the moisture is gone, stirring frequently to prevent sticking or burning. While doing this, stir in the salt and pepper.

When the barley is good and dry, add one cup of hot stock. Cook, bubbling and stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue in this manner, adding one cup of stock and stirring until absorbed. With the last cup of stock, return the asparagus and onions to the pot. Bubble the mixture, stirring frequently, until the liquid has formed a creamy sauce. Take off the heat and stir in the cheese. Serve hot.

Note: Madeira is a sweet dessert wine. It’s very good served over an ice cube with a slice of lemon.

Leftover Easter dinner - SHEPHERD'S PIE

Last week, I was on CBC radio talking about lamb. I promised to post any new lamb recipe that I tried over the Easter holiday, so here it is below.

But first, a few good things to know about Saskatchewan lamb: There are about 1000 farmers raising lamb in Saskatchewan. Most of it is sold as Canadian lamb. (About 12% of Canadian lamb is from Saskatchewan.) If you want to be sure of getting Saskatchewan lamb, you should shop at a local butcher who buys direct from a farmer, or buy from the farmer yourself. For names of farmers who sell directly to customers, contact the Sheep Development Board at 306-933-5200.

For Easter dinner, we invited our friends Ramesh and Karen for roast lamb. You’ll find that recipe posted on 15 Feb. 2007. (The lamb came from the organic Lily and Rose farm at Lemberg, thanks to my buddie Annette Stebner, the farmer’s sister.) The roast was delicious however, the Shepherd’s Pie I made the next day with the leftovers was even better.

SHEPHERD'S PIE
Drippings from the roast
1 small onion, chopped
4-5 small carrots, chopped
2 tbsp flour
2 cups of cooked meat, cut in small pieces
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1½ cups beef or chicken stock
1 ½ cups frozen peas
2 lbs. cooked potatoes
½ cup half-and-half cream
A few dabs of butter

Heat the drippings from the roast, adding one cup of water. Cook the onions and carrots in the liquid until soft and the liquid is reduced by half. Add the flour, stirring it in well. Add the meat, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir well. Turn up the heat and add the stock. Bring to a boil then turn down and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the frozen peas. Cook for another 15 minutes, until the sauce is dark and thick. Meanwhile, mash the cooked potatoes with the half-and-half and a bit of butter. Pour the lamb mixture into a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes and dot with butter. Bake 375F for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling.

I am not a TV chef

To be or not to be a chef? My TV cooking debut was today on CBC TV. The host referred to me as a chef. This is quite embarassing. I have never trained as a chef or worked as a chef, and the only kitchen I manage (and badly at that) is my own. However, I am passionate about Saskatchewan food and if I can make great homecooked meals with local foods, then anyone can. The producer of the show says, in her books, that makes me a chef. But I know too many wonderful chefs to put such a respected label on myself. I'm not even a wanna-be chef. It's too much work!

You can view it at the following link (episodes 11-15): http://www.cbc.ca/livingsaskatchewan/index.php?page=archive

The program ran for five days and each day we cook a different course of an all-Saskatchewan meal. I was asked to give the recipes silly Saskatchewan names, but you'll find them under their original names at the following posts on this blog:

Monday - Jumping Mustard Chutney - 23 Sept 2005
Tuesday - Temperance Street Pear Soup - 21 October 2005
Wednesday - Wild West Salad - 20 November 2006
Thursday - Salt of the Earth Trout - 1 October 2006
Friday - Prairie Berry Pie - 9 August 2006

TV Cooking Show

I have watched plenty of TV cooking shows, but I had never been in one until now. And you know what -- it's not easy! Everything has to be preplanned and precut and even premade -- and then you have to cook in full makeup and nice clothes with a buddy and make it look easy.

Here's the scoop: CBC TV is starting a new afternoon talk show called Living Saskatchewan and, as a pilot project, they are having a weeklong cooking class, each day preparing a different course in an all-Saskatchewan meal. I was asked to give the recipes fun Saskatchewan names. So, here's the menu: Monday - Jumping Mustard Chutney; Tuesday - Temperance Street Pear Soup; Wednesday - Wild West Salad; Thursday - Salt of the Earth Trout; Friday - Prairie Berry Pie. (I'll post the recipes that week.)

The show runs weekdays from 1-2 (starting next week). The cooking segment will run the week of Jan. 29. If you have a chance to see any of it, let me know what you think. At this point, the CBC isn't planning any more cooking shows, but you never know...

On the Air Waves - MOOSE SOUP

This afternoon I was on CBC Radio for my food column Home on the Range. We talking about one of my favourite Saskatchewan foods - wild game. We had a good discussion and the phone lines were buzzing. I mentioned that I had a favourite way of preparing moose. So, here it is...

MOOSE SOPAS
Sopas is Portuguese for soup. I adapted it from Saveur magazine. Originally, this recipe was made with beef in large quantities for a church dinner. However, it is terrific with moose. You’ll need a piece of muslin 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 the heat to low and simmer for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender.

Lift out the meat to a large plate and shred it with two forks. Discard the spice bag. To serve, place a piece of bread in the centre of a bowl. Scatter on a handful of shredded meat. Pour on a ladle or two of broth. Sprinkle with mint and serve.

On the Airwaves - TROUT BAKED IN SALT

If you listen to CBC radio during the day (in Saskatchewan) you can catch my new food column Home on the Range on the program "Blue Sky" with Jen Gibson. I'll be on the show monthly to talk about my adventures in Saskatchewan foodland. My first show is today between 1:30 and 2:00 pm. We're going to talk (among other things) about my visit to Canada's largest fresh water fish farm - Wild West Steelhead on Lake Diefenbaker. It should be fun!

Update: The first program was marvellous. Robin called in from Regina to rave about Saskatchewan wild rice. He has a ten-year tradition of buying a big bag of rice and sharing it with his coworkers, so they get a chance to sample a product that is not readily available in their city. Isn't that sweet?! Lois called from Moose Jaw with her favourite recipe for Saskatchewan's fall bounty - beet borscht. Jen tried to twist Lois's arm to send us her secret family recipe. I'm crossing my fingers for that!

WILD WEST STEELHEAD TROUT BAKED IN SALT
Stuff the cavity of a whole 5-lb fish with lemon slices and fresh thyme. Place it in a long baking dish and cover with course salt. Use a 2 kg. box of Sifto salt (mined in Saskatchewan). The fish should be completely covered. Bake for 1.5 hours at 325 C. When it comes out of the oven the salt will be rock hard. Crack it open with a knife, peel off the skin of the fish and lift out the flesh.