Christmas Dinner At Our House

This year we hosted En's family for their Christmas Dinner which is held annually on Boxing Day. The time was drawing close and no one had offered to host, so in the spirit of the holidays to ensure tradition continued, we opened up our home to everyone.

Their family does Christmas in a potluck style which suited me just fine, because I was all cooked out. I tried to take pictures of everything, but as the arrival time of the food was staggered I missed the last few dishes, but they are listed below. This menu is typically representative of their Christmas meal, with the exception of the bird. There was no way in hell I was going to attempt a turkey for the first time completely solo the day after a full week of Christmas visiting and exhaustion.

What you are contributing:appetizers, snacks, desserts, vegetable entrée, meat entrée, carbs (rice/pasta/noodles/potatoes), alcohol*
Tio Rudy/ Tita Encar	Richard/ Sharon	Butch/ Thet	Valerie/ Justin/ Paola	Tito Dodong
Fried Calamari Fried Pork Chop	Portuguese Chicken Portuguese Rice Portuguese Potatoes	Popeye's Chicken	Filipino Spaghetti	Biko (dessert)

 

What you are contributing:appetizers, snacks, desserts, vegetable entrée, meat entrée, carbs (rice/pasta/noodles/potatoes), alcohol*
Caesar/Grace	Ash/Justin	Uncle Boy/ Ante Digna	En/ Mish	Den/ Jev
Korean vegetarian sweet potato noodles Green Beans Dessert Sqares	Rotinni Alfredo with Chicken and Spinach	White Rice Lumpia Filipino Dessert Tray Fruit salad Fried Plantain	Beef Curry Mash Potatoes Dressed Salad H'ors Douvres: Olives, Cheese Salmon Cream Cheese, Sausage, Crackers Pop & Bottled Water MOM: CheeseSandwiches Baked Pasta White Cake	Coffee Almond Ice Cream Torte

 

UNTENSILS	PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING
Dinner plates	En/ Mish
Dessert plates	En/ Mish
Napkins	En/ Mish
Utensils	En/ Mish
Drinks (non-alcoholic)	En/ Mish
Cups	En/ Mish

Portuguese Chicken - courtesy of Sharon & Richard / Popeye's Chicken - courtesy of Butch & Theresa

Rice - courtesy of Ma / Lettuce and Carrot 'Roasted Red Pepper' Dressed Salad - courtesy of me

Pork & Ricotta Conchiglioni - courtesy of Mom / Steamed Garlic Green Beans - courtesy of Grace

Rotini Chicken Alfredo with Spinach - Justin B & Ashley

Vegetarian Glass Noodles - courtesy of Grace

Mash Potatoes - courtesy of me

Beef Curry - courtesy of me

Crab Curry

My favourite curry ever. Hands down.

If I have one pet peeve, it's when a dish is referred to as '...in a curry sauce.' Maybe in asian cuisines this is acceptable, but to me, an authentic curry of any cuisine (and this is an absolute for Caribbean curries) a curry is defined by the meat or vegetable cooked in it. The sauce of a curry is flavoured by that ingredient. You do not make the curry and then add the meat to it; you create the base for the sauce and add the meat, which helps to develop the flavour of the sauce. You cannot slap the sauce from a chicken curry on fish and call it fish curry. If a West Indian tastes the sauce and cannot tell you what kind of curry it comes from, they are not worth their weight.

My rant over, I will say that crab has a flavour that clings well to curry (probably oil soluble?) and is all around hearty while sweet at the same time. My husband doesn't prefer it for all the work required to get at the flesh, but to me, the best tasting foods need some effort put in to reap the delicious rewards.

Big Pot of Crab Curry for Easter Lunch

Crab Curry

Sri Lankan Sea Crab, or King Crab		2 lbs, on knuckle
Potato		5 large, peeled and cubed (1.5")
Onion		2 med onions, chopped
Garlic		6 cloves, minced
Tomato Paste		2 tbsp (heaped)
Coconut Milk		3/4 cup
Maririri Pepper		4 (depending on your heat preference)
Curry Powder (Sri Lankan)		6 tbsp
Cumin (parched)		3 tbsp (ground)
Turmeric		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp
Canola Oil		2 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Wash and clean crab legs in lemon water
2. Pour canola oil into pot on med-high heat
3. Saute onions and garlic until translucent
4. Add tomato paste and stir until mixture is coated and paste begins to sizzle
5. Add curry powder, cumin and turmeric
6. Cook out all moisture until the paste begins to fry
7. Add potatoes and stir to coat
8. Cover and let cook on medium heat until partially cooked
9. Add crab, increase heat to medium high and stir to coat
10. When mixture barely begins to sizzle, add coconut milk
11. Add enough just-boiled water to cover and stir briefly
12. Add whole maririri peppers
13. Partially cover and bring to a boil
14. Reduce heat to medium, stir once, and let cook uncovered for approximately 20-30 minutes.
15. Skim the fat continuously. I've said before: most people don't do this, but in our family we cook flavourful food as healthy as possible.
16. Reduce heat to low for fifteen minutes and continue skimming fat
17. Stir. The liquid will have turned to a thickened sauce. Turn off heat and remain covered until ready to serve. Traditionally, seafood and fish curries are served over rice, not roti.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Button Mushrooms

Tenderloin is one of the healthiest cuts of meat you can eat. There are many ways to season the tenderloin for a variety of side pairings. I have four seasoning methods which can slightly vary but each are great bases from which to jump off into whatever creation you desire. With all seasonings, the longer it sits in the marinade, the better. This meal below paired well with mushrooms, which is a bonus for time saving, because you can toss it in the oven with the tenderloin and let the oven do the cooking. I'm sure time saving is the priority of every parent who is also responsible for providing a healthy dinner.

Rosemary Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Roasted Button Mushrooms

Provincial Seasoning

Garlic		4 cloves, minced
Rosemary		1 1/2 tbsp
Bay Leaf		1, ground
Sage		1 tsp, rubbed
White Wine Vinegar		2 tbsp
Black Pepper		1 tsp, ground
Sea Salt		1/2 tsp
Canola Oil		1 tbsp

Morrocan Seasoning
(I am aware of the irony in using an Arabic palate on swine)

Garlic		4 cloves, minced
Pomegranate Molasses		1 1/2 tbsp
Lemon Juice		1 lemon
Coriander		1 tbsp
Cloves		1 cloves ground
Cumin		1/2 tsp
Black Pepper		1 tsp, ground
Sea Salt		1/2 tsp
Olive Oil		1 btsp

Cantonese Seasoning

Garlic		4 cloves, minced
Sweet Red Wine Vinegar		2 tbsp
Shallot		2, minced
Star Anise		1, ground
Black Pepper		1 tsp, ground
Soy Sauce		1/2 tsp
Sesame Oil		1 tsp

Greek Seasoning

Garlic		4 cloves, minced
Lemon Juice		1 lemon
Lemon Zest		1 lemon
Plain Yogurt		1/4 cup
Bay Leaf		1, ground
Thyme		2 tbsp
Black Pepper		1 tsp, ground
Sea Salt		1/2 tsp
Olive Oil		1 tbsp

Roasted Button Mushrooms

Mushrooms		4 cups
Garlic		1 clove, minced
Thyme		1tbsp
Black Pepper		1 tsp, ground
Sea Salt		1/4 tsp
Olive Oil		1 tbsp

Tenderloin Preparation:

1. Wash and trim tenderloin of silverskin
2. Stab tenderloin repeatedly on all sides. Great stress reliever. Just don't catch your fingers in your enthusiasm. This step seems counter intuitive, but once the meat is cooked you will not notice the incisions, and making these slits will allow maximum flavour penetration, necessary for such a lean cut of meat.
3. Rub tenderloin with seasoning, massaging in to all the slits
4. Allow to sit in marinade for at least 1 hr (overnight in plastic bag with air removed is best)
5. Allow tenderloin to come to room temperature
6. Place on roasting rack and pour (or pat) remaining marinade on top of the tenderloin
7. Set oven to 330F and roast uncovered for 20-25 minutes
8. Remove from oven and tent for 10 minutes
9. Carve into medallions when ready to serve

Mushroom Preparation:

1. Wash and cut mushrooms into quarters or sixths
2. Toss in remaining ingredients
3. Empty into roasting tray
4. Roast in oven on 330F for 20-25 minutes or until Mushrooms and juices sizzle

Hummus in a Hurry

I was hosting an event for En's birthday and had as much on my plate as I could handle, but when looking at the table, it needed something else. And what is both hearty and easy to make in a flash? Hummus.

I've done I've done the traditional  hummus before, but for some reason it takes me a long time and the consistancy is spotty until you add heaps of oil, and I just can't justify ingesting that much oil in one mouthful. To do the traditional hummus properly, you need to soak the chick peas from dry overnight with a touch of baking soda. This is the only way to produce the right consistency and great flavour. Using canned chick peas can still be done well, and after much tweaking, this version below insures each bite is yummy and smooth while still healthy if you choose to eat the whole tub.

Served with regular Breton crackers. It disappeared after two refills.

Hummus

Chick Peas		750 ml can
Onion		1, medium
Garlic		5 cloves
Olive Oil		1/2 cup
Lemon Zest		1 Lemon
Lemon Juice		1 Lemon
Tahini		4 tbs
Black Pepper		3 tsp (ground)
Smoked Paprika		2 tsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp (ground)
Water		1/4 cup
Canola Oil		2 tbsp

Garnish

Flat Leaf Parsley		Leaves, chopped

Preparation:

1. Chop onion and mince garlic
2. Heat a pot on medium with canola oil
3. Add onion and stir
4. After a few minutes, add garlic
5. Saute until translucent
6. Move mixture to sides of the pot and in the cleared middle, toast paprika and ground black pepper. Be very careful not to burn them! Pay attention to scent and colour.
7. When toasted, stir mixture together
8. Add chick peas and stir to coat
9. Zest lemon directly into the pot
10. Add Tahini
11. Stir and allow to cook until mixture has softened
12. When mositure has evaporated, add the water to loosen all the flavour on the bottom of the pan and also helps the mixture to soften further. This will give a creamy texture with flavour without watering it down
13. When mixture has heated through and starts to thicken, add olive oil and lemon juice
14. Remove pot from heat
15. Add salt
16. With a stick blender, blitz entire pot until creamy smooth. Add more olive oil (after blitzing) to loosen if necessary. Keep in mind - beating oil emulsifies, so always do this at the end.
17. Refrigerates well for a few days, so good to make in advance if you're pressed for time

Pork Curry

It was a funny thing I realized while speaking to my dear friend Genevieve on the phone. She called and I told her I was cooking. When she asked what I was making, I told her, and I could almost see her cringing up her nose. I realized then that pork curry is not something most Guyanese (or Trini's, for that matter) would ever cook, as most of them stay away from not only beef, but also pork. She said they just cook 'the usual' curries, which were chicken, goat, fish. The usual? By who's standards? And it hit me. These were things my father never had until he married my mother. My mother's family was from 'town' - the city, where there was a congregation of race, religion, and altogether more culturally 'melted' than the rural areas where most others lived. To live in the city was to be more open to what your neighbours were doing and eating. And hence, we eat pork curry. When I told Genny 'come on, you know you can curry anything', she replied 'yes, but not everything curried tastes good!' She's right, but pork is definitely not one of those things. It is so delicious. Here is how to make it.

Image 1: The meat itself gives off much liquid.
This must all cook off before additional ingredients are added.

Image 2: A Maririri pepper - I'm unsure of the proper, English name,
but this is the typical Guyanese pepper used in cooking and pepper sauces.
I added four to this pot.

Image 3: After adding the potato and water - it should just cover the contents.
This shot captures the curry at a rolling boil.

Image 4: The completed curry ready to serve.

Pork Curry

Pork Loins		2, 1" cubes
Potato		Peeled & 1.5" cubes
Onion		2 med onions, chopped
Garlic		6 cloves, minced
Tomato Paste		2 tbsp (heaped)
Maririri Pepper		0-4 (depending on your heat preference)
Curry Powder		6 tbsp
Cumin (parched)		3 tbsp (ground)
Turmeric		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp
Canola Oil		2 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Wash and trim pork and cut into 1" cubes
2. Pour canola oil into pot on med-high heat
3. Saute onions and garlic until translucent
4. Add tomato paste and stir until mixture is coated and paste begins to sizzle
5. Add curry powder, cumin and turmeric
6. Cook out all moisture until the paste begins to fry
7. Add pork and stir to coat and then leave to brown
8. Juices will release. It will seem like a lot of liquid (see image 1), but rest assured, it will all evaporate. It will take a long time and require occasional stirring, but do not skip this step and do not continue before the meat itself begins to fry after all the liquid has disappeared. Doing so will result in a bland, one note dish. I say this for all curries. Do not skip this step.
9. When the meat has caramelized, add potato and enough just-boiled water to cover and stir (see image 2).
10. When finished stirring, add your whole maririri peppers (see image 3). Partially cover and bring to a boil.
11. Reduce heat to medium, stir, and let cook uncovered for approximately 20-30 minutes.
12. Skim the fat continuously. Most people don't do this, but in our family we cook as healthy as possible and with the constant skimming, up to half a cup of fat can be removed.
13. Reduce heat to low for fifteen minutes and continue skimming fat.
14. Stir. The liquid will have turned to a thickened sauce (see image 4). To thicken sauce further, my mother taught me a trick - smash a few of the potatoes in the pot against the side and stir into the curry. Turn off heat and remain covered until ready to serve over steamed rice.

Magic Wok

Image Courtesy of Google Maps

I know it sounds like a generic chain, but hear me out. This restaurant is my family's go to restaurant for birthday celebrations for years. It is NOT the toned down, fried, made for the meat-and-potatoes-palate kind of food. It's at the other end of the spectrum. There are meats and fungi on the menu that most Canadians wouldn't dream of touching, but they are delicious if you know how to prepare it right. And boy, can they prepare it right here.

That being said, we've never tended to stray from our usual order. We may try a new dish here or there, but the reason we choose the same things is because they are so good, we all have our favourites, and nobody want's to give up what they like. Except for dad and mom. Which means it really is just the three of us who will never compromise. On top of our orders, we all (except for dad) order a dish of steamed rice to go with our food.

And now we have Mark, so I'm sure soon we will have an additional dish added to our repertoire. Maybe our desire to insist it is closer to 'authentic' than 'Americanized' is the reason we refer to the place as '14th line; the location rather than the name.

Magic Wok is located on 14th Ave west of Kennedy in Markham, right beside the Mandir En and I got married in. I'm not sure about lunch, but they open for dinner service at 5.00pm.

Steamed Pickerel with Ginger and Green Onion

From Bottom Clockwise: Chicken Hot Pot, Cantonese Chow Mien,
Black Bean Lobster, Chicken Fried Rice, Baby Bok Choi

Dad's Selection: 
Baby Bok Choi in Garlic. This is a great and healthy side for all the rich meat dishes. Crisp yet delicious, we always finish the entire platter.

Mom's Selection: 
Beef Brisket Hot Plate in Sauce. It spits sauce everywhere from the sizzling hot iron platter and leaves a red ring on the tablecloth around the dish once you lift it. We didn't order it this time because of the XM processing plant bacteria scare, but it suits me fine as Diwali is coming up and I've chosen to fast off of beef for the proceeding month. But it is yummy! I need to remember what sauce we order, but it is covered in a red, almost barbeque consistency, but with far more tang. The meat is so tender and is loaded with onions - wonderful with the steamed rice.

Cher's Selection: 
Lobster in Black Bean Sauce. If she doesn't order it, I will. It's so good. The key to it is to eat it as soon as you can, since cold lobster is gross. They serve all pieces, even if it's just shell, but I have to say, even sucking the sauce off the shell alone is tasty, and I do this, regardless of who may be watching and judging. It's good food. Deal with it. And yes, I crunch up the shells and crack them with my teeth.

My Selection: 
Steamed Pickerel with Ginger and Green Onion. If they don't have fresh pickerel, I'll settle for grouper. The entire fish is steamed and then finished off with some sizzling oil drizzled overtop. Dad has always saved the cheeks for me and Cher, but soon that tradition will change once Alexis is old enough to eat solids!

En's Selection: 
Cantonese Chow Mein. It may sound generic, and my husband prefers the mainstream dishes, but this one I must agree with him, is the best so far. The top is perfectly crispy and the bottom is incredibly saucy. It's mixed, so there is plenty of seafood, greens, water chestnuts, chicken and char siu pork. It is so good it was covered in 'Street Eats', a local show featuring the best dishes around the city.

Mark's Selection: 
TBD I guess. Cher and Mark started dating a while back, but he's only started joining us for celebratory meals in the past year. This is his first time at Magic Wok, but he's familiar with the cuisine, so it's just a matter of time.


Other dishes we've had in not-so-regular rotation are Cashew Shrimp, Phoenix's Nest, Chicken Fried Rice, Crab, Chicken Hot Pot, and Chinese Broccoli.

Restaurant Info:
Magic Wok
4331 14th Avenue, Markham Ontario, L3R 0J2
(905) 305-6088
Urban Spoon Review

Leftovers: Turkey Tetrazzini

When I was living at your grandparents, grandma would get creative with leftovers to the point that we never knew we were eating the same Thanksgiving  turkey every day. Something about this dish is so comforting. In the chill of mid-October, after a long day of school, especially if I had orchestra practice, it was one of those dinners that made you so happy to be home.

Since I've made it for both of you, this is the highlight of your Thanksgivings. You like seeing the bird, you like the Thanksgiving meal with family, but what you love eating is Turkey Tetrazzini. In fact, there was once a time when you both finished off the entire pot in two days!

As with most popular pasta dishes, Tetrazzini has an origin story. American, actually, circa 1910 from the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, where Italian opera star, Luisa Tetrazzini was 'a long-time resident' (according to Wikipedia). There are many versions of the dish, but to me, if it's not made with turkey, it's not worth making. Mom never would have made the original full fat version, so hers, while comforting, is also much healthier. 

Immediately after cooking. Also works with chicken.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Cooked Turkey		3 cups, coarsely shredded
Button Mushrooms		2 cups, quartered
Green Peas		1/3 cup
Broad Egg Noodles		1 pkg
Turkey Stock		2 cups
Water		0.5L, boiled
Sour Cream		1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour		4 tbsp
Parmesan Cheese		1/4 cup (freshly grated)
Garlic		5 cloves, minced
Black Pepper		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp
Canola Oil		2 tbsp
Parsley		for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour canola oil into pot on med-high heat
2. Sauté garlic until translucent
3. Add Button Mushrooms and saute until they brown and reduce in size
4. Add flour and stir until flour is well mixed, translucent, and has begun to barely sizzle
5. Add water slowly and whisk, adding only enough until the sauce has the consistency of thick béchamel 
6. Whisk in turkey stock and black pepper
7. Allow the sauce to comes to a boil
8. Add shredded turkey, green peas to the sauce, stir, and reduce heat to low
9. Prepare egg noodles, cook to slightly underdone, remove from heat (else they will just suck up all the sauce), and set aside until the sauce is finished
10. Here is where you can add the egg noodles directly to the pot of sauce, or, if you prefer, plate the noodles and sauce on the plate - our family prefers the one pot sauced noodles (see picture)
11. Stir in a dollop of sour cream immediately prior to serving, and garnish with parsley (or as you call it, Alistair, leaves)