Roast Chicken

During my maternity leave, mom would often visit (or Alexis and I would visit them) and invariably she'd prepare a dinner for En and me, most times it would be a halved chicken, rubbed with spices, ready for me to stick into the oven and let cook while I tend to Alexis. It was one of the most wonderful thing anyone could do for a new mother.

Roasting a chicken can seem intimidating, but honestly, it's a little easier than cleaning chicken breast or cutting up chicken quarters. As a general rule, whole beast is tastier and juicier than when broken down into parts, and if I can get my hands on a whole chicken, then I'm roasting it. This recipe is as simple as they come. The coating can be prepared in advanced and stored, but the closer to the grinding of the spice, the better the flavour will be, though the diminished freshness is negligible. Time does the real work, freeing you up to do whatever you need for an hour and a half.


There is one other preparation of whole chicken I would like to someday try, but it would require  experimentation and tending to, both things I cannot afford with Alexis as young as she is. It is Chicken In Milk, an Italian dish which I've seen Jamie Oliver recreate, and it seems delicious. But that is for another time.

Jev, you asked about the chicken, so this post is for you.

Ready for carving

Coating (1 3/4 cup)

Cornmeal (fine)		1/2 cup
Whole Wheat Flour		1/4 cup
Unbleached Flour		2 tbsp
Barley Flour		2 tbsp
Cornstarch		2 tbsp
Oregano (dried)		2 tbsp (ground)
Thyme (dried)		2 tbsp (ground)
Garlic Powder		3 tbsp (ground)
Chili Powder		2 tbsp (ground)
Onion Powder		1 tbsp (ground)
Black Pepper		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tbsp (ground)

Chicken

Whole Grain-fed Chicken		1
Dry Coating		1 cup

Preparation:

1. Gut and trim any visible fat from chicken without removing skin
2. loosen skin from breast, again removing fat, and be careful not to tear skin
3. Wash chicken in vinegar and salt solution and rinse well
4. Allow chicken to dry
5. Truss chicken
1. cut a good length chicken twine
2. tuck wings to back and hook twine inside crook of wings
3. cross twine over spine so they form an 'X'
4. wind twine around  opposite drumstick bone
5. draw ends together under and tie off
6. I keep the wingtips untucked but close to the side of the bird. This way, the tips get crispy, but will not burn.
7. In the same spirit, I don't torture the drumsticks into position under the bird. The twine will hold them together and close to the body, that's all they need to keep from burning. If you fix them beneath the bird, the coating will bake soggy rather than crisp.
6. When bird is dry, place on roasting rack on the side and take a handful of coating, pressing it into the skin. Get into the creases of the wing and where the leg joins the body. Use your bare hands; there is no other way to get the coating into every crevice. Once they are coated, they will not absorb a great deal more coating. Just don't wash your hands until you've finished coating the chicken.
7. Repeat on the other side
8. Repeat on the top of bird, but first, push some of the coating under the skin on the actual breast meat
9. Press coating on the top (neck area) and the bottom of the bird
10. With half a handful of the coating, rub it around inside the cavity. This is more for flavour than for texture, but for it will absorb the cooking juices and fall onto the spine, which you will cut away when carving. This step is crucial for infusing the best possible flavour into the meat.
11. Some of the mixture may have fallen, so press any of the remaining mixture over top of the bird
12. Place bird uncovered into a 350C oven for (approximately) 1 hour and 30 minutes (for a medium sized bird)
13. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR. Just look at it through the glass. If the coating isn't black, what are you worrying about?
14. Depending on the weight and size of the bird you may need to give or take 10 minutes of cooking time. I judge by colouring, but if you are really unsure, use a meat thermometer. I've used one before, but I hate poking holes into the meat. If your bird seems unusually big, give it a little more time.
15. Let rest for at least 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.

Kale Chips

A friend at work told me about these and I had to try them.
Funny enough, the day after I made them, mom came to visit and told me she had just made a batch last night. Coincidence? Yes, but a very odd one to make. These are by no means a popular or trendy snack. Healthy and tasty, but still on the fringes of 'fad food'.

Be mindful; the difference of seconds in the oven can take tasty to bitter, so be mindful of time and colour. If you look at the picture, the leaves should turn no darker than the brownish bit jutting up (front-center, and top). I still need to perfect the recipe.

Chips: They look like raw kale, but they are damn crispy.

Seasoning

Black Pepper		1 tbsp
Granulated Garlic		2 tbsp
Chilli Powder		1 tbsp
Sea Salt		1 tbsp
Olive Oil		4 tbsp

Chips

Kale

1 bunch

Preparation:

1. Wash kale leaves thoroughly and set aside on kitchen towel to dry.
2. When completely dry, remove tough rib and rip leaves into two inch pieces (each piece should have a ruffled section.
3. Coat with olive oil. Use your hands to mix and to get all through the ruffles.
4. Add spice blend and mix well (with hands).
5. Lay leaves out on two baking sheets so they do not overlap.
6. Set oven to 350 and bake the two trays for 15-20 minutes, turning once in between.
7. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before sealing in a container. If not, you will steam any crispiness out of the chips.

Late Summer Sunday Lunch - Crab Cakes

To Chill or not to Chill:
There is a lot of preparation for this dish but not a lot of cooking, so this is best if you can prep the day before and cook them off the next day. I thought I could do it all quickly in one day, but surprisingly, Alexis decided to sleep in, which is beyond rare. I was not getting up just to prep crab cakes when I could take advantage of relaxing in bed, so it did take me longer than expected to get lunch ready, but En didn't seem to mind; he got to cuddle with Alexis.

Everyone says chilling crab cakes are crucial to their maintaining form. Because I had to get lunch on the table, I thought to experiment. I made fourteen crab cakes, nine were put in the refrigerator and the last five were formed and went straight in the pan. It was true; the cakes were so delicate and I had to constantly repair the shape lightly with fork tines and the spatula especially when I turned them, but by the time they had finished cooking, they held enough form that I could slide them onto the plate without the cakes breaking. The chilled cakes held up to the spatula work without falling apart. This seems to make a better case for preparing it a day ahead.

Real Crab? Imitation?
I'm not a millionaire and cannot use real crab every week. Nor is any shellfish that healthy for us with high cholesterol, but of all the shellfish, crab is the one to use. This recipe works well with real, imitation, or a combination of the two. I admit, when I use imitation, I have to add the amount of crab paste stated in the recipe below. This provides the oils and essence of the crab. The important thing is that my family absolutely loves this recipe.

Crab cakes in the pan: Note the crust and the space in the pan.

Served with the spiced mayonnaise

Crab Cake

Lump Crabmeat		1 lb, drained
Corn Kernels		1/2 cup
Carrot		1
Celery		2 stalks
Onion		1 large
Garlic		1 head, minced
Whole Wheat Bread		4 slices
Barley Flour		2 tbsp
Light Mayonnaise		1 cup
Crab Paste		4 tbsp
Thyme		4 tbsp
Paprika		2 tbsp
Bay Leaf		2 leaves
Clove		3 cloves
Coriander		1 tbsp, whole seeds
Cardamom		5 pods
Ancho Chilli		1 dried chilli
Chilli de Arbol		1 dried chilli
Black Pepper		1 tbsp, whole seeds
Sea Salt		1 tbsp
Cornmeal		1/3 cup
Canola Oil		4 tbsp

Spiced Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise		1 cup, no fat
Ancho Chili		1 tbsp, freshly ground
Chili		1 tbsp, freshly ground

Preparation:

1. Drain the crab meat until most of the water has been drawn out (I weight it down with a plate and a weight on top of the plate).
2. Toast the bread until it is too dark and dry and let it sit.
3. In a spice grinder, pulverize the black pepper, cardamom, clove, bay leaves, coriander and salt and set aside.
4. In the same spice grinder, pulverize the ancho and de arbos chillis, add half to the previous spice mixture and set the other half aside.
5. In a food processor, add chopped carrot, celery, garlic and onion and work mixture until minced very fine.
6. In a mixing bowl, add vegetable mixture, corn kernels, crab meat, spice mixture and crab paste and work until combined.
7. Add 1 cup of the mayonnaise and stir to combined.
8. In the food processor, add the barley flour and break the toasted bread into manageable pieces and blitz until you are left with very fine, sand like breadcrumbs. Add this to the mixing bowl and stir until combined.
9. Shape the crab cakes as you please. I use a hamburger press and then push the sides in and press the top down for the perfectly formed crab cake.
10. Layer over plastic wrap and set in the fridge to firm up, anywhere from one hour to overnight.
11. Heat canola oil in the pan at medium high.
12. Dust each crab cake with a sprinkle of cornmeal on both sides and gently place each in the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan, else the cakes will not develop the proper crust.
13. Reduce heat to medium and cook for ten minutes on each side.
14. In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining mayonnaise and remaining chilli powder.
15. Serve crab cakes with the spiced mayonnaise.
16. Makes approximately 14 cakes.

The Gabardine

I sometime have work lunches to attend. Being in the downtown core, there are some great choices, but how do you choose good food and an acceptable environment without the astronomical cost? Each factor will be weighed by those you lunch with, so if you are the one choosing, you had better have a few go-to choices in your back pocket.

I was debating my selections when I had less than a day to book reservations when I spoke to a colleague whom I'd recently dined with and clearly has a good handle on the food scene here in the city. When I told her my dilemma she made three suggestions, one of which I had already been to with my lunch companion, and one I would use as a backup. The third, Gabardine is on Bay Street immediately south of Richmond.

I had walked by many times but never opened the door. I’m not the only one who has walked past on several occasions, so had my colleague. It is one of those places which has the pleasant store front of a warm and friendly bistro, yet you pass it when you’re on your way to some other place. People who are looking for a place to eat are generally not going to be the ones walking by. That being said, they do not take reservations. This makes it tricky for a work lunch, which is probably what they want to avoid. My solution? Get there hella early and snag a table before my companion arrives. I got there at 11.40am and believe it or not I got the second last table there. It was packed. It was noisy. It was more noisy than most other restaurants, and being seated close together in such a small space, it intensified the bustle so typical of Toronto. It was in direct contrast to the implied calm laid back feel of the décor. But was it worth it?

My companion arrived and we ordered. We were offered a pretentious carafe of sparkling water, though I can’t pin the word the waiter used when he asked if we would like any. Neither of us knew what he was saying, and instead of coming off as worldly, he really came off as douchy, but we let it slide with a chuckle, racking it up to us just not hearing what he really said.

Rabbit Rillettes

We shared the Rabbit Rillettes to start since my companion had never eaten rabbit before. It was good, but it was so processed he couldn’t really get the distinct flavor, which is a shame, because for a first taste you really want it to be memorable. It was served with toasted baguette rounds, apple butter and sour cherry. All in all, good, but not unique. As my friend said, “you could have substituted any other meat in there and it would have been the same dish,” and unfortunately, I had to agree.

Seafood Chowder

Shrimp Po Boy

I ordered the Chowder and after seeing our nieghbour-table receive their dishes (and us openly gawking along with them), he ordered the Shrimp Po Boy. My only complaint about my Chowder were the saltines it was garnished with. If I wanted saltines I’d go to the grocery store. If you’re going to serve with a crunchy carb, give me some of that baguette you toasted up for the rillettes, at least that requires more finesse than opening a box. My colleague’s po boy, on the other hand, was outstanding. Shrimp piled up to your eyeballs. And he said the shrimp was perfectly cooked. They used some of the apple butter in the sandwich, so it wasn’t overly heavy on the savory side, it was nicely balanced in flavour. As loud as it was, we were still able to carry on an enjoyable and productive conversation while we enjoyed our meals. The staff was attentive to our needs and never rushed us though they had customers waiting for a table.

It’s nice to have a place like this around. Some reviews call it ‘gastro-pub’, and the term really doesn’t seem to apply. This isn’t a pub that serves higher end food, it is firstly a restaurant that has designed its menu with some dressed-up pub offerings in mind, yet also offering other more bistro style dishes. Beer is secondary in its focus, offering few artisanal beers and a modest wine selection. When I was there I didn’t see one person with an alcoholic drink, but then again, I wasn’t there for dinner service. There were no beers on the menu that I would have wanted to drink even if I was off the clock. However, upon leaving, I noted the bottle of Hendricks on the top shelf, so that in the least earns them some redeeming alcohol points. After pointing out the difference between gin classes to my colleague he must think I’m a lush, but in my opinion, if you drink rarely, you better make those drinks count.

If I had to put my finger on what Gabardine is, I would say it carryies the right amount of attitude to draw the higher end working lunch crowd by playing themselves down with ‘everyday’ appeal, but executing on the more exacting standards of their dining expectations and offering standards they know the crowd will like. That is, it’s like giving a chicken the duck makeover and offering it up as an everyday lunch at weekend lunch prices. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. That seems to be the standard in this great city. What’s important is whether or not I would return. For work? Definitely. I want to try that po boy sometime.

The Gabardine

372 Bay Street

Toronto, ON M5H 2W9

(647) 352-3211

Ma Po Tofu

Today was a snow day. Well not exactly; I worked from home, En took the day off to watch Alexis, and Alexis ran around the house. The storm dropped at least a foot of slush on the city which is worse than either rain or snow because slush is like liquid ice; it causes flooding, it is dense and backbreaking to shovel or walk through, and it is the perfect medium for hydroplaning. Our street was a river. The highways were flooded out. If it was En and I alone we would have battled our way in, but we couldn't bare to think of what could happen as we tried to get Alexis to and from my mother in law's.

So I had the ingredients in the fridge and figured this was the perfect day of the week to try this recipe. Believe it or not, I made it over my lunch (hour). Mind you, I prepped all the ingredients early in the morning, so by noon I was ready to go.

Ma Po Tofu is an iconic Szechuan dish which translates loosely to 'pockmarked face of grandmother' which is not a name fitting to its taste. It has become a favourite of ours after I got En to try some from a take out restaurant his family frequents. After that he was hooked! This is a much healthier version, of course, but what I did here was use actual black beans instead of the prepared black been sauce. Trust me, there is a difference in texture, and I'm writing the recipe below using the sauce, though the picture contains the actual black beans. Don't get me wrong - using actual black beans still made a very tasty dish, but it is not the same flavour or texture as the original dish, and to me transforms the dish too much from what it is intended to be.

Thinking ahead to prepare everything to make a bowl of comfort on a snowed-in-yet-working day is a wonderful mini escape that affords you that time of eating like it's the weekend. I prepped ingredients before the sun came up with a toddler running around my kitchen. I'm not saying to do this every day, but once in a while, it really is worth the effort. At least, that's what En and I thought as we relaxed on the couch with a bowl of Ma Po Tofu over Steamed Rice as we watched Alexis play on the living room floor.

Ma Po Tofu

Medium Tofu		1 pkg, drained, cubed 1/2"
Oyster Mushrooms		4 cups, sliced
Lean Ground Pork		2 lbs
Baby Bok Choi		6, shredded or minced
Green Onion		3 stalks, chopped
Onion		1 medium, minced
Garlic		5 cloves,  minced
Corn Starch		2 tbsp
Black Bean Sauce		4 tbsp
Hoisen Sauce		2 tbsp
Hot Bean Paste		2 tbsp
Crab Paste		1 tbsp
Soy Sauce		1 tbsp
Chilli Peppers		4 whole
Black Pepper		1 tsp, freshly cracked
Water		2 cups / 4 tbsp
Canola Oil		4 tbsp

Preparation:

1. If tofu is easily broken to the touch, wrap it in cheesecloth/heavy kitchen paper and press it in a sieve for an hour.
2. In a wok like pan, heat oil on medium and saute onions and garlic.
3. When translucent, add mushrooms and stir.
4. Once mushrooms have browned and reduced, add hot bean paste, black bean sauce, soy sauce, crab paste and hoisen sauce.
5. Add the ground pork and brown. Step 4 and 5 are interchangeable, but I've found browning meat with the mushrooms lends a better flavour and the nature of the dish allows for the mushroom to cook down.
6. Add the chilli peppers and cracked black pepper. Szechuan peppercorns are best and authentic, but if you don't have them on hand (and I don't), use fresh, good quality black peppercorns.
7. Once meat has browned and begins to sizzle, add two cups of water. This shouldn't cover, but come about half way up the mixture.
8. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. When it's ready the water has thickened slightly into a sauce.
9. Add the tofu and stir.
10. Add bok choi and stir. Bok choi is not authentic, but it gets some greens in to my diet, gives a nice freshness that deepens the mushroom flavour and that's just how I've done it.
11. RLet the mixture simmer for another 10 minutes.
12. Mix the cornstarch in the remaining four tbsp of cold water and stir vigorously into the pot.
13. Let the mixture come to a boil for a minute (to activate the thickening of the corn starch) and then remove from heat.
14. Stir and let rest covered for 10 minutes

Slow Cooked Ribs in a Mushroom Gravy

Step 10: Close Up

Ribs are not a staple in my home or my mothers while we were growing up. We ate them, but it wasn't something we made, so when there were back ribs on sale at the local Asian grocery store they called out to my adventurous side. Maybe it was having all the usual during our holiday feasts. Maybe it was the yearning to try something new before I returned to work. Maybe it was wanting to use the new sautee pan my mom got me for Christmas. Maybe it was the need to cook En one really nice treat before I'm too busy with my job. For whatever reason, I picked them up and needed to figure out what to do with them. My mom's Doubleday Cookbook has a basic recipe for slow cooked ribs. I took it and modified it slightly to be a little more tasty.

Step 10: Simmering Ribs with Aromatics

Step 15: Gravy Returned to Pot

Step 15: Close Up

Ribs in Mushroom Gravy on Rice

Ribs in Mushroom Gravy

Beef Back Ribs		3 lbs, cut & cleaned
Mushrooms		4 cups, sliced
Onion		2, finely sliced
Carrot		1, chopped
Celery		1 stalk, chopped
Garlic		3 cloves, minced
Barley Flour		2 tbsp
Black Pepper		1 tsp, ground
Soy Sauce		2 tbsp
Fennel Seed		1 tsp, ground
Thyme		2 tsp
Bay Leaves		1
Vinegar		1 cup
Salt		1/4 cup
Water		to twice cover ribs
Canola Oil		4 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Wash ribs
2. Brine ribs in salt and vinegar solution diluted with only enough water to cover for 1-2 hours
3. Rinse off ribs and set aside to dry
4. In large saute pan, heat canola oil and sear meat over medium high heat and remove to a dish
5. In the same pan, saute the mirpoix (onion, carrot, celery) until translucent
6. Add the garlic, thyme, black pepper, fennel and bay leaf and half the mushrooms
7. Return the ribs to the pan
8. Add the soy sauce and stir all ingredients together
9. Cook covered for 10 minutes on medium heat
10. Add water to cover and bring to a boil
11. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours
12. Remove ribs and pour all other ingredients into a food processor
13. Return ribs to pan
14. Puree mixture in food processor until liquidized
15. Return mixture to the pan and stir together with the ribs
16. Sprinkle barley flour lightly over the entire pan and stir in thoroughly to avoid clumps (if you can't do this without clumping, add to food processor in step 12)
17. Continue simmering on low for 1 hour
18. Stir and let rest covered for 10 minutes