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Friends Food Fun

FFF_Ep4 – Sweet & Sour Ribs!

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httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onLuUSaLffw
This blog was meant to be a weekly one so, in addition to that, I’ve added my twitter account for micro blogging outside the regular schedule (@TheRealBrianU) plus I’ll add some video specials along the way.
Editing video: One of the issues I came up against recently is that these things take up a tremendous amount of hard disk space, especially seeing as iMovie converts the high definition files into the mov format (geek speak!). My poor lil Macbook pro was getting all stogged up (Newfie slang)… so a la Frankenstein I created something….
Being extremely fussy (like that’s new), I wanted an external hard drive that was very robust, but it had to have the following:
1/ Firewire 800 (my macbook pro did not have eSata which is faster – more geek speak!)
2/ Very fast and robust (so no backup drive would do unless you wanted to spend gobs of money)
3/ Minimum 2 terabytes (otherwise why bother)
Using parts I found at my favorite computer store (hence the Frankenstein reference) here in Toronto (Canada Computers – love them), I now present to you TeraZilla (Helenka helped confirm the name I had chosen was the best one of the bunch)!
It’s a NexStar MX shell with two 1-terabyte Western Digital Caviar Black hard drives (yay me!).
I do proclaim that I’m a GEEK and I love FOOD (really … hmm, that’s interesting; one would never know those two go together).
So now off to one of my favorite subjects, RIBS! I have traveled far and wide, ok just far — I became wide just from eating the things, but I’m working on that, down more than 21 pounds (updated) since January (another yay me!) — looking for the best bbq ribs I could find. I’ve been to parts of the bbq belt, and have sampled some great ribs. I also discovered locally that we Canucks can cook ribs (and make sauces too). Plus celebrate them with our very own ribfests (plural, as a lot of towns and cities have their own) during the summer.
Now I know Helenka shares my love of ribs (though I think sometimes I’m more likely to take it to extremes – noooo boiling) so I thought, as I’m cleaning out my cupboards, I would serve ribs my way in a sweet & sour sauce.
Enjoy B&H!

Recipe: Sweet & Sour Ribs

Ingredients

  • Ribs

    1 rack of Ribs (baby back are best) Salt and Pepper to taste Ribs in Sauce 1 bottle Sweet & Sour Sauce

Instructions

  1. Ribs

    Using a sharp knife remove the membrane on the back of the ribs (I cut just under the membrane then pull it off – takes practice but worth it). Place the ribs on a baking sheet (a rack on the sheet works well). Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours (low and slow is best – lower the heat and add more time if you wish). Ribs in Sauce Cut your rib rack into pieces of two ribs each (helps to keep them together) In a large pot, heat your sauce; then add in your rib pieces. Boil for a few minutes (keeping a careful watch as you can scorch the sauce).
    Once the sauce has reduced, remove from heat and serve with your favorite salad (we used baby spinach with yellow pepper dressed with dijon mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar).

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Dinner was pre-dawn roasted ribs, simmered in a jar of VH Sweet & Sour Sauce, accompanied by an organic baby spinach salad with strips of yellow pepper and dressed with dijon mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar (with ratios acquired through experimentation because that’s also a part of the fun of cooking). Once again, the ultimate taste sensation of the dish transcended its humble beginnings (aka from a jar). What made the taste of the ribs splendid was that they’d been sprinkled with the Salish smoked alder salt (which I’d given him two years ago, so it’s time it got used up) and grindings of mixed peppercorns (not even a fancy brand) before roasting. With the addition of the fruitiness of the simmered sauce (think along the lines of honey paired with jam), the ribs blossomed and burst on the palate, leaving behind multiple notes (think of a wine tasting where you have the initial aroma and flavours but, after you swallow, you’re left with subtle lingering nuances that are a welcome reminder). In this case, it was the meat falling off the bone (and ravished … er … ravaged by my fingers), the glistening, fruity sauce clinging to every morsel, with the base note of the taste of pepper after I’d swallowed.

Variations

That last note took me by surprise. And it brought back some really old memories of Graham Kerr’s show, The Galloping Gourmet, produced in – at the time – gastronomically sleepy English Canada in the 1960s. [Not only the country, but also television, as it was considered shocking that he not only cooked with wine but drank it on screen! Plus the outrageous double entendres!] I’d embraced his tip of grinding black pepper onto fresh strawberries, because the pepper enhanced the sweetness of the fruit. So the fact that these ribs could evoke such a strong reaction from me – even after I’d swallowed – took me by surprise. It’s not the first time Brian has made excellent ribs but, thruthfully, these were exceptional (seriously, they’re “will you marry me” ribs!). The cooling sauce (which I did lick off my fingers) even complemented the mustardy dressing on the spinach (and that is another thing to consider when cooking, that the side dishes shouldn’t be warring with the main on the plate or in the mouth). My only regret: there was no doggy bag. I know: greedy much?

Cooking time (duration): 150
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: dinner
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
Friends Food Fun

FFF_Ep3 – Chicken Korma in HD!

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI25zSLjr2A

Silly me, I must have forgotten to turn the video on 😉 – ok, let’s see – flip switch… there now, it’s on — so back to our regularly scheduled program!

Ok I’ve started this new blog and I’m learning how to edit video using iMovie (I bought Adobe Premiere Elements but cannot seem to make it work the way I want it to on my PC, so with iMovie I stay — for now).

When I originally did the concept for the videos, it was kinda kitschy, and my debut was at my milestone Birthday party back in February (so I turned 40 and made a big deal out of it — more on that to come). Whoa, the original video was about 30 minutes (because Helenka and I got carried away, lol); the final 10 minute version is Ep 1.

Now that I’ve had a chance to review my work and learned a bit more about using the tools I have, I was able to create something a bit more to my liking (which you see here), and in HD no less, while keeping within the 10 minute limit set by youtube. By the way, all my videos are filmed in 1080p; I’m only now just figuring out how to post them in 720p on youtube.

In this episode, Helenka and I try an Indian Korma sauce I just happened to have in my cupboard (hmm, I sense a trend here which you will see in upcoming shows). I use chicken as my protein source, and we add a whole bunch of veggies along with the Korma sauce plus Naan which we both love.

Enjoy!
B&H =:)

Recipe: Chicken Korma and Naan

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle of Pataks Indian Korma Sauce (or your own favorite)
    2 tbsp Vegetable Oil (I like olive oil best)
    4 Chicken Breasts (cut into small pieces)
    1 medium Onion, chopped
    2 cloves Garlic chopped
    2 medium Carrots cut into bite sized pieces
    8 Yukon Gold Potatoes (the baby ones) cut in half or 2 medium cut into bite sized pieces
    1 Cauliflower (a medium head cut into floret pieces)

    Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic (careful not to burn the garlic). Stir in the chicken and sauté for another 3 minutes until the meat is sealed. Add in the remainder of your vegetables (potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower). Stir in a jar of your favorite Cooking Sauce, bring to a boil then simmer for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and your veggies are tender.

    Naan
    On a cookie sheet covered in foil, place your naan over which you’ve dribbled a few drops of cold water before heating in a 400 degree oven for about 2-3 minutes.

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Using a jar of Patak’s Korma cooking sauce (a classic north Indian sauce that has a rich yet delicate coconut flavour with hints of garlic, ginger and coriander) as the starting point for a chicken dish, Brian added the sauce to sauteed chicken breast chunks, onions, garlic, carrots, Yukon gold potatoes and an unexpected but extremely yummy ingredient – cauliflower. This dish took longer to cook than was shown on the jar because of the inclusion of the potatoes. However, cooking the dish longer meant that the flavours were able to develop to their fullest potential. A possible vegetarian alternative for using this sauce would be to prepare a mixed vegetable dish without the chicken, coating cauliflower and the other vegetables before baking in a 400 F oven. The dish was garnished with a bush of parsley (none of this “sprig” nonsense) and served with wedges of plain and garlic naan (flatbread) heated in the oven. The garlic naan was especially well paired with this dish.

Variations

Onion kulcha (similar to naan, but stuffed with minced onion) would be a wonderful substitute for naan.

Cooking time (duration): 40

Number of servings (yield): 4

Meal type: dinner

Culinary tradition: Indian (Northern)

Friends Food Fun

Friends Food Fun Ep 2!

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYQTB_5OL_Y

My New Year’s resolution this year was to lose as much weight as I possibly can with a particular goal to be reached by June 2010 (only my Wii Fit Plus knows this goal and it’s sworn to secrecy, but let’s just say it’s aggressive 😉 ).

Now, speaking of Wii Fit Plus, I’m using it more as a score keeper than actual exercise routine since I’m exercising in my condo’s gym but, on the weekends, I have been known to use it for the exercises it does offer, and I have to say they are fun!

On the food side, eating better was another one of my goals and, seeing as this is not the first time I’ve been down that particular path (sigh), I felt that I have to take it one step further (make that 3 steps further):
1/ Eat smaller, better meals during the day and actually cook something for dinner!
2/ Throw out all my bigger clothes once my goals have been met (this I have never done in the past).
3/ Continue to use the Wii Fit Plus as a score keeper even when I meet my goal.

So without further ado, this episode Helenka and I put together features a recipe I found off the pack of Uncle Ben’s Natural Select Spanish Style rice called Quick and Easy Paella, though we did add a few things like Turkish saffron (safflower) and Habanero pepper for a kick.

Helenka said it was quick and easy and see: only 4 lines.
Enjoy!
B&H

Recipe: Quick & Easy Paella

Ingredients

  • 125 ml Spanish Onion
    125 ml Red Bell Peppers
    250 ml Uncle Ben’s Natural Select Spanish Style Rice
    200 ml Water
    796 ml can of diced Tomatoes
    225 gm raw Shrimp
    (For people who use the old system of measurement, 125 ml = 1/2 cup; 250 ml = 1 cup; 200 ml = 4/5 cup; 225 gm = 1/2 lb; 796 ml = 32 oz)

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, saute Spanish onion and red bell peppers.
    Add Uncle Ben’s rice, water and the can of tomatoes.
    Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes.
    Add the raw shrimp to the rice, re-cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until shrimp is pink.

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Dinner was quick and easy paella (with the recipe off the package of Uncle Ben’s Spanish rice). Beside the ingredients listed on the package, Brian added Habanero powder (after having gauged my interest) which gave it heat but not bite, as well as garlic (which was my suggestion). Verdict: yes, people, I did moan on camera! The heat was just right though it took my breath away momentarily. And then I quickly took a second bite! I also liked the fact that both the red pepper and the Spanish onion had been roughly cut. It made the dish seem more authentic (and the jagged edges were imbued with the intense flavours).

Variations

During the taping we had a discussion on paella containing other ingredients. I talked about a mixed paella that usually contains chicken and mussels as well as the shrimp. I also thought it contained octopus. Don’t look at me that way. I happen to love octopus and could easily imagine it in a Spanish dish. However, when I did look up recipes for mixed paella, I came across the expected chicken breasts and mussels, but the other shellfish were CLAMS and a luxury item, LOBSTER CLAWS. It also contained chorizo sausage and peas and was garnished with capers and lemon wedges. So, a very hearty and colourful meal. Suggestions for garnishes: as this particular recipe did not call for mussels whose dark shells would have popped out against the surface of the rice, perhaps a fan of interleaved raddichio and endive in one corner or serving the rice on a large green leaf (banana?) would have produced a wider colour contrast (despite the fact that the dish’s origins are Spanish, changing the presentation is something than can definitely make your cooking unique).
Yes, I know, I know, I’m overly complicating the presentation. This was supposed to be quick and easy and it was.

Cooking time (duration): 30

Number of servings (yield): 2

Meal type: dinner

Special Videos

A Gift of Salt!

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-MBjsUnFf4

So for my Christmas present Helenka surprised me in this video with a wonderful gift of salt which we now call the “Salt Chest” (you will see it in most of our episodes).
In future “Friends Food Fun!” episodes Helenka chooses the best salt to accompany the recipe we are working on (kinda like wine pairing but using salt instead 😛 ).

Enjoy the video!
B =:)

Here are the list of salts and descriptions that were included within (starting with the most expensive).

“A culinary adventure from the priceless and precious to the prosaic and practical”

# 1 Fumée de Sel Gourmet Sea Salt
Cold smoked in oak wine barrels used to age fine Chardonnay wine.

# 2 (tie) Cyprus Flake Gourmet Sea Salt
Cyprus Flake is a favourite among professional chefs. The unique pyramid shaped crystals have a fresh ocean flavour and a satisfying crunch.

# 3 (tie) Murray River Flaked Gourmet Sea Salt
A mild apricot coloured crystal from Australia.

# 4 Fleur de Sel Gourmet Sea Salt
Known as the “caviar of salts”, the delicate flavour and moist texture makes for an ideal finishing salt.

# 5 Salish Smoked Gourmet Sea Salt
A pebble textured Pacific sea salt that takes up intense smoke flavours from slow smoking over red alder. It’s rich and solid enough to marry with beef, game, poultry and fish. Excellent finishing rub on roasts and salmon!

# 6 (tie) Alaea Hawaiian Gourmet Sea Salt (course)
A mild tasting salt that comtains purified Alaea clay.

# 7 (tie) Bolivian Rose Gourmet Sea Salt (coarse)
A high mineral salt harvested from the Andes Mountains.

# 8 (tie) Himalayan Pink Gourmet Sea Salt
Hand-mined within the pristine Himalayan Mountains.

# 9 Mediterranean Gourmet Sea Salt
Harvested in the South of France.

# 10 New Zealand Gourmet Sea Salt
Harvested from the deep clear waters of the South Pacific.

# 11 Pure Ocean Gourmet Sea Salts (course)
Harvested from the pristine blue waters off the coast of Brazil.

Aurora Mediterranean Sea Salt
This ancient natural food enhancer has been collected from the waters of the Mediterranean shores of Sicily. Sun and wind evaporate sea water reservoirs to white crystalline salts masses, harvested and cleared of impurities. This true product of nature, gourmet preferred, contains absolutely no additives and may cake together after long periods of time. In our opinion, a firm tap on the bottom of the box is a small price to pay for the great taste of nature.

Friends Food Fun, Recipes

Friends Food Fun Ep 1!

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S9jB8IKs-8

With the Internet fast becoming a place where any person can now create their own audio/video netcast I thought perhaps we should give it a try.
So me and my friend Helenka based here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada schemed to create our very own cooking show (faults and all) with a little editing using the magic of iMovie I’m pleased to present to you “Friends Food Fun!”.

In our first episode we created a meal consisting of marinated pork tenderloin, roasted fingerling potatoes and parmesan asparagus.

Also with the set limit of 10 minutes per YouTube video (plus we had so much fun doing this) you may notice that the video contains quite a few transitions (Im still learning how to edit properly – sigh we found one spelling mistake as well).

Well thanks for watching and enjoy!

B =:)

Recipe: Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Fingerling and Asparagus

Ingredients

  • 1 Pork Tenderloin (about 12 oz)
    12 Fingerling Potatoes
    8 Asparagus Stalks
    1/2 cup of your favourite marinade (we used a Pomegranate one)
    1/4 cup olive oil (shared between the Potatoes and Asparagus)
    1/8 cup grated Parmesan
    2 tbs Rosemary (fresh or dried though fresh is best of course)
    1 clove of Garlic, finely chopped
    Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a container of your choice, pour the marinade over the pork tenderloin; leave in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. [ Yes I called this process festering 😉 ] 

    Heat oven to 350 degrees (the temperature will remain the same for all cooking in this recipe).
    Next, in a mixing bowl, place the fingerlings, 2 tbs of the olive oil, chopped garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper and mix till the fingerlings are coated. On a cookie sheet wrapped in foil (for easy cleanup), arrange the fingerlings and put into oven for about an hour.

    At the half hour mark, put your Pork Tenderloin on the same cookie sheet as the potatoes and roast for the final 30 minutes. Once the pork and fingerlings are finished, remove from oven and cover the potatoes/pork to keep warm and to allow the pork to rest.

    Meanwhile on another cookie sheet covered with foil, place your prepped asparagus in a single layer. Drizzle the remaining 2 tbs of olive oil and season with salt and pepper before putting into oven for about 7 minutes; then remove from oven and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the asparagus before returning to the oven to roast for another 5 minutes.

    Slice the pork on the diagonal and serve with the fingerlings and asparagus – Enjoy!
    B&H

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Dinner was roasted pork (yes, I goofed and said beef on camera) tenderloin (medium rare), asparagus (with parmesan) and fingerling potatoes. Verdict: yummmmmmmmm, especially the pork slices and the slender stalks of asparagus. Also very elegant. We both enjoy our pork tenderloin less than well-done, as the cut of meat is so easy to cook thoroughly. We sprinkled the slices of roasted meat with one of the finishing salts I’d given him: it was the Salish (smoked over red alder, recommended for roasts and salmon) and it was an exquisite, delicate enhancement.

Cooking time (duration): 45

Number of servings (yield): 2

Meal type: dinner

 

Our First Dish - Pork Tenderloin, Fingerling Potatoes, Asparagus