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Ferris Burger’s Day Off

Posted on December 21, 2016 by tripleheartbeat

Since its release in 1986, I probably have watched the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off over a thousand times. At least I lost count after a thousand and that was some time in the ’90s. I pretty much watch it alone because I’m *that* guy who talks word-for-word through the entire movie, quoting every line, adding every sound effect, pantomiming every action.
Upon a recent viewing, I was thinking that there’s a lot of food and drink references either directly or indirectly throughout the film. I decided that they would incorporate nicely into a tasty burger!
Firstly, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was one of the first movies to have pervasive product placement throughout. The predominant brand was Pepsi. One of the more prominent scenes was where a deluded, but well-meaning teen was collecting money for an ill Ferris to fund a kidney transplant.
It was nice of the teen to think of Ferris, even though the illness became massively exaggerated. It got me thinking, Pepsi and kidney…Since most people’s appetite for kidneys are rather low on a burger, I decided on a refried kidney bean spread flavoured with elements that make up the popular cola.
Instead of using the cola itself, I looked around for a recipe for the cola. Finding that the natural flavours in the cola are a collection of spices and citrus, I thought that these would be a great flavour base.
Next, Ferris’s sidekick, Cameron Frye, says a food name right in his surname! And during the baseball game they attended, Frye was heckling the batter and I thought “Batter, batter, batter.” Make a fry out of a batter.

Ben Stein’s monotonous teacher character gave further credence to the name of the fry treat “Frye, Frye, Frye”….so the Hey Batter Batter Frye Frye Fries were born

To drizzle over the fries, a sauce was needed. The movie was based in Chicago, but Cameron wore a Detroit Red Wings jersey throughout much of the film. A spicy, yet underlying sweet sauce with roasted red chillis and honey caramelized onions became the base for Red Wing Sauce.

Finally the burger itself needs to be made from sausage meat to match Abe Froman, The Sausage King of Chicago! The poor gentleman whose lunch reservation was absconded by the truant teens out for a day of adventure and “eating pancreas.”
Enjoy this silly little culinary sojourn! Be sure to pair this burger with a big glass of ice water, happily crunching the ice with delight! And finish with a….

Ferris Burger’s Day Off:

For the Hey Batter Batter Frye…Fry…Fries:

1 cup einkorn flour (or whole wheat all purpose flour)
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk

For the Red Wing Sauce:

4-6 red finger chillis
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp cold pressed camelina oil
3/4 cup onions, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup vinegar
1 Tbsp cold pressed canola oil

For the Cola-Spiced Kidney Bean Refritos:

2 tsp cold pressed camelina oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 tsp, each, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander seeds and dried mint.
Lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
1 cup cooked kidney beans
Lime juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 cup maple syrup

Abe Froman Sausage King of Chicago Patty:

4 tsp cold pressed camelina oil
600g/21 oz Italian sausage meat

To serve:
1 whole wheat baguette, cut into 15cm/6″ lengths

To prepare the fries, whisk together the flour and egg with a fork in a medium bowl until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Gradually whisk in the milk until a smooth batter is formed. Allow the batter to rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to thicken slightly.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Ladle 1/4 cup of batter on a small cutting board. Using a knife, cut strips of the batter and push it into the gently boiling water. Once the “batter fries” float, remove them with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet to dry. Repeat with all of the batter.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot and smouldering but not smoking, add the batter fries in a single layer. Allow them to toast in the pan for 1-2 minutes per side or until deeply golden. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels, seasoning with celery seeds (a common topping for the famous Chicago Dog 😉 ). Set aside and keep warm.
For the Red Wing Sauce, place the red finger chillis in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in the oven while it is set to Broil. Broil for 3-4 minutes per side until the skin is charred and bubbled from the flesh. Transfer the broiled chillis to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
In a small pot over medium high heat, add 1 tsp oil, the onions and salt. Stir and sauté for 7-10 minutes until it’s starting to go darker in colour. Add a tablespoon or two of water to scrape the bottom of the pot of any onions that stick. After another 7-10 minutes add the honey and sauté for a few minutes more to full cover the onions and make them a softened, deep caramel colour. Transfer these honey caramelized onions to a blender with the ginger, vinegar and 1 Tbsp oil.
Peel the cooled chillis and remove the stem and most of the seeds. Transfer the roasted flesh with the other ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
For the Cola-Spiced Kidney Bean Refritos, add the oil and onions to a medium pot over medium high heat. Stir and sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes to soften them. Add the spices and lemon zest, stirring to coat the onions and make the spices more fragrant with a brief toasting. Add half of the kidney beans and maple syrup. Simmer the mixture for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to harmonize the flavours. Transfer this mixture to a blender and purée until almost smooth. Return to the pot with the remaining beans and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer, stirring constantly for a further 3-4 minutes. Take off the heat, add the lime juice, stir to bring the mixture together and set aside, keeping it warm.
For the burger, divide the sausage meat into four equal portions. Form each portion into an oblong patty to fit your baguette portions. Preheat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add a couple of teaspoons of oil and griddle the sausage patties for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden on each side and cooked through.
To serve, spread 1/3 cup of Cola-Spiced Kidney Bean Refritos on the bottom of each split baguette portion. Top the refritos with a griddled sausage burger. Scatter a few batter fries on the burger and drizzle with Red Wing Sauce, spreading more of the sauce on the cut side of the top of the baguette portions. Serves 4 burgers befitting the Sausage King of Chicago himself!!

Super Summery Green Falafel Wrap

Posted on June 24, 2015 by tripleheartbeat

Today is St Jean-Baptiste Day in Québec. Québec feels like a second home to me since my mum moved there in the mid-90s.

The first time I went to Montreal, I was aimlessly taking in the scenery along Rue Ste-Catherine and happened upon a tiny shop selling falafel. I entered and found a small counter service area and a few tables to enjoy your food. The matriarch running the restaurant was the most passionate woman. She was eager to tell me about all of the toppings within the falafel wrap. The glowing, brightly coloured, beet-hued marinated turnips. The slightly exotic nature to their pickles and the variety of sides she offered with it.

Taboulleh with hints of mint and sumac. Hummus with drizzles of Lebanese olive oil and hints of paprika and more sumac. It was such an overwhelming culinary experience that its flavours will linger with me for the rest of my life.

To honour St Jean-Baptiste Day in Québec (ou Fête Nationale du Québec en français), I wanted to recreate that experience with the flavours of my home now. And think of that wonderful woman, thankful of the moments we shared and smile as I eat this falafel all these years later.

Super Summery Green Falafel Wrap

200g/7 oz dry chickpeas

4-6 green onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped

2 Tbsp fresh summer savoury leaves or fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp salt

Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl covered with plenty of water. Or for a quicker soak method, cover the chickpeas with plenty of water in a large pot, bring to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes. Take off the heat, keeping the lid on the pot and allow to soak for one hour. Drain, reserving 1-1/4 cups of the soaking water.

In a blender, add the soaked chickpeas, chickpea water, green onions, chives, summer savoury and salt. Pulse and purée until nearly smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.

Scoop out one tablespoon of the mixture and form into a small ball. Press into a patty and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture. You can freeze these at this point and when they are frozen solid, you can transfer them to a freezer bag. Makes 24 bite-sized falafels.

To serve:

100 mL/4 oz asparagus pickles (or any of your favourite pickle)

50 mL/2 oz Quick Chilli Pickle (recipe below) (you could just use pickled banana peppers in a pinch, if you like)

100 mL/4 oz Garlic-Yogurt Sauce (recipe below)

8 Prepared Super Summer Green Falafels

4 cups loosely packed fresh arugula

8 radishes, thinly sliced

4 Red Fife Flour Flatbreads, or your favourite wrap or pita

For the Quick Chilli Pickle:

2 long red finger chillis, thinly sliced

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, honey and salt until smooth. Add the slices of chilli and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

For the Garlic-Yogurt Sauce:

1/4 cup plain yogurt

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and garlic. Set aside for at least 15 minutes for the flavours to blend.

To assemble:

Preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp oil and when the oil smoulders but not smokes, add the falafel and fry on each side for 4-5 minutes or until deeply golden. If you try to flip them too soon, the mixture is too soft and will mash against itself. With patience, the falafel will form a natural crust, holding it together. Fry on the other side for a further 4-5 minutes. Set aside on paper towels to drain.

Add a handful of arugula to the bottom of each flatbread. Lay out the radish slices, Garlic-Yogurt Sauce, asparagus pickles and Quick Chilli Pickle over the arugula. Top with fried falafels. Serves 2-3.

Maple Ginger Beef and Vegetable Stirfry with Sambal

Posted on April 1, 2015 by tripleheartbeat

I seem to get these creative waves in the kitchen lately and just want to cook, cook, cook and before I know it, I have three or four recipes that I didn’t blog. Do I blog everything I do in the kitchen? Not necessarily. I’ll work some aspect of what I’m doing into a sandwich or something and think it’s a pretty easy concept to understand so I may add that to the bottom of an existing blog. If it’s something I should do as a separate post, feel free to smack me around and tell me to blog more. Or you know, look here for various permutations of things I’m doing oftentimes before I blog it (Insert shameless Instagram plug here).

The most recent thing I did last night was a good old beef and veggie stirfry. Since it’s maple syrup season in many parts of Canada, it’s customary to pour the stuff everywhere!! (not really, it’s just an awesome Canadian stereotype, but parts of Canada go maple crazy about now). So I wanted to incorporate that complex sweetness to a beef marinade for a stirfry. I tend to go with the Grade B or Amber maple syrup most times because it’s bold in flavour and its sweetness has just the right level of background bitterness to compliment it.

The traditional thickener in any good stirfry sauce is corn starch. The best way to know that your corn starch isn’t GMO (if that’s important to you. I tend to try to avoid it when I can), is to buy organic. Yeah, it costs more, but I’m not paying a delivery driver a tip when I make this, so it pays for my fancy corn starch 😉

Maple Ginger Beef and Vegetable Stirfry with Sambal

For the Maple Ginger Marinated Beef:

1/4 cup dark soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Celery leaves from the interior of a head of celery (about 1/4 cup)

300g/12 oz beef ribeye steak, cut into 1 cm (1/2″) strips across the grain (discard any larger bits of fat if it’s a concern)

In a medium, wide bottomed bowl (or I used a glass lasagna pan), combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, maple syrup, ginger, garlic and celery leaves. Lay the strips of beef in the marinade and allow to sit for 20-30 minutes. The salty soy and acidic vinegar will penetrate the thin strips of beef with flavour quite quickly.

To prepare the beef:

Preheat a wok over high heat. Add 1 tsp oil and pull the strips out of the marinade with tongs, allowing the excess to drip off as much as possible. Sear the beef on both sides for 45-60 seconds per side. Transfer to a bowl and set aside while you prepare the veggies. Strain the marinade, discard the solid components and reserve the liquid component for the sauce. Don’t worry about having raw meat in it. You’ll be cooking the liquid over very high heat and any risk of pathogens will be killed. Plus, don’t waste flavour!!! 😉

For the Maple Ginger Beef and Vegetable Stirfry with Sambal:

2 tsp oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

100g/4 oz green beans, tips trimmed then halved

2 medium sweet bell peppers, seeds, stem and core removed, sliced

1 cup cauliflower, cut into 3 cm (1-1/4″) florets and stems thinly sliced (don’t waste the stems, they’re delicious!!!)

2 Tbsp sambal oelek (or your favourite chilli sauce. Yes, you can use Sriracha if you want 😉 )

Reserved seared beef

Reserved marinade

2 Tbsp corn starch + 1/4 cup water

Water, to ease things along the way

The key to any stirfry is to have all of the veggies ready to go before you even turn on the wok, so have it all sliced and ready so it’s easy to “dump and toss” so to speak.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and as it smoulders and just about to smoke, add the garlic and ginger. Stirfry with a quick tossing and shaking motion for no more than 15 seconds. You’ll see the edges start to brown. Add the onions, celery, carrot and cauliflower. Toss quickly, stirring with a large slotted spoon. Add a bit of water if the heat starts to scorch too much. Add half of the sambal and toss to coat the veggies. Add the green beans, sweet peppers, the reserved marinade and another 1/3 cup water. Stir and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes to just cook the veggies enough to take the raw crunch out of them but leave a pleasant crispness.

Add the reserved beef, the remaining sambal and stirfry quickly to combine. Pull the beef and veggies to one side of the wok. Add the corn starch/water mixture and stir to combine it into the sauce. As it comes to a boil (very quickly at this heat), the sauce thickens. Stir to coat all of the beef and veggies. Serve over rice. Serves 2-3.

If you’re serving people that aren’t into chilli heat, it’s easy to omit the sambal. The sauce will still be tasty without it, but I love the heat, so it’s there 😉

Corn and Bean Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

Posted on August 15, 2014 by tripleheartbeat

As I was formulating tonight’s salad in my head, I wanted to use some beautiful, fresh corn (both regular and baby corn) and a variety of fresh beans. I also had some fresh lentil sprouts that I had sprouted the other day and starting to think with the sprouts and baby corn it was starting to take an Asian turn. My mind then went to a memory in University where an old fencing coach told me about a super simple snack. Corn kernels, unsalted peanuts and a pinch of salt. This would be a simple salad in itself, but I thought I’d take that peanut/corn combination and extend it to a Southeast Asian-style dressing. Sometimes my mind moves like a winding road…but gets there eventually! 😉

Corn and Bean Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

For the Ginger Peanut Dressing:

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 tsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp peanut butter

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp cold pressed flax oil

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, whisking thoroughly to ensure the peanut butter is smoothly incorporated. Set aside.

For the salad:

1 cup fresh corn kernels, blanched and cooled (or use defrosted frozen corn kernels)

1/4 cup baby corn, blanched and cooled

1/2 cup fresh peas, blanched and cooled (or use defrosted frozen peas)

1/2 cup yellow beans, tips trimmed, cut in half, blanched and cooled

1/2 cup lentil sprouts (or other bean sprouts, blanched and cooled

2 green onions, finely chopped

Reserved Ginger Peanut Dressing

In a medium bowl, combine the corn, baby corn, peas, yellow beans, lentil sprouts and most of the green onions (leave 2 tsp aside for garnish). Add the dressing and toss gently with your fingers to combine. Garnish with the reserved green onions. Serves 2.

Pasta e Fagioli Salad with Raspberry Black Pepper Mint Pesto

Posted on August 12, 2014 by tripleheartbeat

Pasta e fagioli. A tasty melange of pasta and beans. Oftentimes, it’s done with borlotti beans, but depending on the individual or village in Italy, the beans can vary. This dish can be a soup, or a pasta dish, but today, I wanted to take all the flavours of the traditional dish and make it into a pasta salad.
Firstly, I started with the cooked flavour of onion and tomato. Tomato changes with cooking, not only is the lycopene more readily absorbed by the body, so it’s more nutritious, the flavour magnifies. Since tossing a tomato sauce in a pasta salad would just taste like cold pasta and sauce, I decided on simply grilling the tomato and onion components (along with leeks, but it’s in the onion family, so I lumped that idea together).
Secondly, I wanted a variety of beans. At this time of year, all kinds of fresh beans are available, as well as peas. I thought I’d have a mix of flat beans, yellow beans and peas. All bring a unique flavour and texture to the dish. I did a simple blanching of the legumes and chilled them in ice water to lock in its texture, colour and flavour.
Thirdly, a beautifully cooked Italian sauce or broth always includes carrot and pancetta or lardo. The carrots I left fresh and simply grated them for the salad and instead of pancetta (the butcher shop I like to get my pancetta from only has it for a week or two every few months), I went with a wonderful crispy bacon from a nearby farm.
Finally, to dress the pasta salad, I wanted something bold in flavour. I had a lot of fresh mint and just made a quick raspberry jam yesterday so I wanted to combine these flavours in a pesto. Since raspberry and mint on their own would veer quickly into a dessert-like sauce, I added toasted flax and black pepper to reinforce its savouriness.
The blend of all the flavours, although complex, harmonize beautifully into a summery fresh version of the Italian classic. I’m a Canadian guy with a penchant for diversity, so this isn’t in any way authentic. It’s just a fun way to play with a dish because having fun is the most important thing. Capturing that child-like innocence and playfulness always enriches your life. So have fun! 🙂

Pasta e Fagioli Salad with Raspberry Black Pepper Mint Pesto

For the Raspberry Black Pepper Mint Pesto:

1/2 tsp toasted flax seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 Tbsp fresh raspberry jam (mine was homemade, left quite tart with only a minimal amount of maple syrup for sweetening. 1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries with 2 Tbsp maple syrup cooked down on the stove over medium heat until a thick jam consistency is achieved)
3 Tbsp cold pressed flax oil
1/2 tsp salt

In a blender, add the flax seeds and peppercorns. Grind until a fine powder is achieved. Add the fresh mint, raspberry jam, flax oil and salt. Purée until nearly smooth with a few chunks remaining. Set aside.

For the salad:

2 summer onions, halved
2 leeks, halved lengthwise
1 tsp cold pressed canola oil
10-12 cherry tomatoes, left whole
3/4 cup shelled peas
3/4 cup flat beans, ends trimmed and cut into 5cm/2″ pieces
1/4 cup yellow beans, ends trimmed and cut into 5cm/2″ pieces
1/4 cup coarsely grated fresh carrot
4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy, crumbled
2 cups cooked pasta (I used shells, but any short pasta would do)
Reserved Raspberry Black Pepper Mint Pesto

On a grill over medium high heat, grill the onions and leeks that have been brushed lightly with oil. After about 5-7 minutes, add the tomatoes brushed with oil to the grill with the onions/leeks and grill for a further 5-7 minutes until golden on all sides. Remove from the grill and set aside.
In a small pot over medium high heat, bring 3-4 cups of water to a boil. Add the peas, flat beans and yellow beans. Blanch for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Chop the cooled, grilled onion and leek, discarding any tough green parts. Add them to a large bowl with the blanched and cooled beans along with the carrot, and cooked pasta. Toss gently to combine. Add the grilled tomatoes and toss gently again. Add the pesto and work it into the salad until uniformly combined. Divide over two plates and garnish each with the crispy bacon. Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a side.

Gado Gado Salad with Rhubarb Toasted Flax Sambal

Posted on August 8, 2014 by tripleheartbeat

My sister-in-law is from a small village in Indonesia. One of her first gifts to me, because she knew my love of cooking, was a cookbook that was 100% Indonesian recipes. It was amazing to pour over because it wasn’t quite Vietnamese, wasn’t quite Thai, wasn’t quite Chinese, but a unique cuisine characteristic of its island isolation. Yes, there are their version of curries that have elements of Thai cuisine, but that’s more a result of common ingredients shared, used in a way complimentary to a shared tropical environment.
Even before meeting my sister-in-law, there was a restaurant in my hometown of Regina that served a vegan version of the famous Indonesian salad, gado gado. I loved how there could be a savoury peanut sauce on what was essentially a plate of steamed or blanched vegetables and bean sprouts.
Within Indonesian cuisine, the idea of a salad has common traits: mostly a peanut-based sauce that can be either sweet or sour, usually spicy with chillis and sometimes includes dried shrimp for a varied savoury flavour.
Since peanuts don’t grow nearby (I could grow them myself but I don’t have available land living in an apartment), I decided to used a toasted flax base. I wanted a tart flavour to go with it so I went with a rhubarb compote.
The vegetables involved can be anything, but generally are firmer vegetables that are steamed or blanched: green beans, potatoes, carrots, among others. It can also have wilted greens like spinach or chard. Then there’s the bean curd component in many Indonesian dishes. They can have fried tofu strips, fermented bean curd, or tempeh. It doesn’t try to be vegan or vegetarian, the cuisine just happens to work out that way. A lot of it has to do with using what is available, mainly due to a combination of poverty and an abundance of certain natural resources.
Here’s my variation on Indonesian Gado Gado. Feel free to use whatever veggies you like in whatever combination you like.

Gado Gado Salad with Rhubarb Toasted Flax Sauce

For the Rhubarb Toasted Flax Sambal:

1/4 cup toasted flax seeds (toast in a dry pan over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring and shaking the pan constantly until deeply golden brown)
2 Tbsp chopped red finger chilli
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup rhubarb compote (2 cups fresh rhubarb + 1/2 cup honey cooked down over medium heat until broken down and thickened, about 20-25 minutes)
1-2 Tbsp water

Place all the ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. If it’s too thick add another tablespoon or two of water to thin out to a nice dip-like texture. Set aside.

For the salad:

4-6 medium carrots, if they’re fresh leave them unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise, blanched for 5-7 minutes and chilled in ice water
10-12 flat beans, blanched for 5-7 minutes and chilled in ice water
10-12 yellow or green beans, blanched for 5-7 minutes and chilled in ice water
1 cup lentil sprouts (to sprout your own see here), or other bean sprouts
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
3 or 4 baby zucchini, quartered lengthwise, pan roasted in a bit of oil for 3-4 minutes until golden on all sides.

On two plates, lay out the carrots, flat beans, yellow beans, hard boiled eggs and baby zucchini around the plate in a decorative fanning pattern. Add a mound of lentil sprouts to the centre of each plate. Serve with the Rhubarb Toasted Flax Sambal in side dishes. The sambal can be either spooned over the top of the salad like a dressing or used as a dip not unlike fondue. Serves 2.

Sunflower Flat Bean Salad with Sweet Beet Sour Cream Dressing

Posted on August 7, 2014 by tripleheartbeat

As summer winds along, plants grow taller, flowers burst forth. The smaller flowers become fruiting bodies, but the larger flowers grow larger. The sunflower soars to heights beyond us. We reach like children at their massive flowering head, hoping to pluck a petal or, when the time is right, grab a handful of savoury seeds.

The sunflower plant is largely grown for its tasty seeds, but pretty much every part of the plant can be eaten. The tips of sepals being somewhat inedible. Its points, much like its artichoke cousin, grow sharp. The stems, on the other hand, have an asparagus-like sweetness when cooked, but with an extra savoury element reminiscent of its seeds.

I saw a bunch of sunflowers at the market this evening and wanted to bring some home. My lady thought it was for romantic purposes and, yes, it’s always nice to bring home flowers for someone special, but I qualified the purchase with saying, “These flowers are pretty, but they’re also edible, so don’t be mad if I eat them too.” Knowing that I’m a food dork, she smiled and said, “It’s the gesture of kindness more than the flower itself. At least they won’t just rot and go in the garbage.”
So while trying components of the sunflower, I decided that the sepals and the stem needed to be cooked and the mild, delicate petals were to be left raw.
I also found some beautiful flat beans and beets from the market and decided to incorporate them into a salad today.

Sunflower and Flat Bean Salad with Sweet Beet Sour Cream Dressing

For the Sweet Beet Sour Cream Dressing:

1/4 cup beets, peeled and finely cubed into 1cm(1/2″) pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp fresh dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a small pan, add the beets and enough water to cover by 1cm (1/2″). Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes, depending on how soft of a texture is desired. By this point, most of the liquid will have absorbed and evaporated, so transfer the beets and whatever little liquid remains to a bowl and cool completely. Add the sour cream, maple syrup, dill, salt and pepper and stir to combine completely. Set aside.

For the Garlic Beans and Sunflower Greens

2 cups flat beans, cut into 5 cm/2″ pieces
1/4 cup young sunflower stem, chopped into 1cm (1/2″) pieces
1/4 cup sunflower sepals, pointy tips trimmed
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium pan, add the flat beans, sunflower stem pieces and enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the beans and stems are cooked through. Strain and chill the beans and stems in ice water.
Strain the cooled beans and stems and add them to a bowl. Add the garlic, vinegar and salt. Toss lightly to combine.

For the salad:

Prepared Sweet Beet Sour Cream Dressing
Prepared Garlic Flat Beans and Sunflower Greens
Sunflower Petals from a small sunflower (about 1/4 cup in volume)

Mound half of the Garlic Flat Beans and Sunflower Greens over two plates. Top each with a dollop or two of Sweet Beet Sour Cream Dressing and scatter sunflower petals around each salad, either with design or more erratically. Serves 2.

Ale Braised Broad Bean Salad with Peaches & Blackberries

Posted on August 2, 2014 by tripleheartbeat

Today is Food Day Canada. A day where everyone across Canada is encouraged to cook with food as close to home as possible.
In other countries this seems like an odd idea, but in Canada our multiculturalism creates an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, it adds richness to our cultural fabric as a nation, but on the other hand it creates an environment of people looking outward for inspiration.
For example, I’ve written about Moroccan and Indian influences in the last week and my father’s background was Hungarian. It’s become a balance that Canada has had to try to achieve in its young history. This permits access to ingredients like North African harissa on one grocery store shelf and soy sauce or garam masala on another.
The spirit of Food Day Canada is to look closer for wonderful ingredients and find balance with that multicultural influence. I tend to take this approach in my everyday cooking so it was a fun way to incorporate the latest beautiful ingredients in another salad in my #summerofsalads series.

Ale-Braised Broad Bean Salad with Peaches & Blackberries

For the Ale-Braised Broad Beans:

1 cup shelled and peeled fresh broad beans
2-341mL bottles amber ale (or other deep flavoured beer, ale or stout)

In a medium pot, heat one bottle of ale over medium heat until it gently simmers. Add the broad beans, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place the other bottle of ale in a medium bowl with a few ice cubes (I know, no one adds ice to beer, but it’s to shock the cooking process so the beans don’t overcook. Plus it fixes the green colour and maintains the ale flavour you just braised into it). Add the braised broad beans to the iced-ale bath. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes.

Strain the beer away and reserve the beans. (Ok, drink the beer even if there was ice in it. Waste not want not!)

For the salad:

2 peaches, pitted and chopped into 2cm/1″ chunks
14-16 blackberries
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp cold pressed flax oil
Reserved Ale-Braised Broad Beans

In a large bowl, gently combine the peaches, blackberries, broad beans and fresh thyme. Divide over two plates and lightly drizzle with flax oil. Serves 2.

For today, I used wonderful product from the following farmers and small producers in and around Edmonton, Canada:

Alley Kat Amber Brown Ale
August Organics broad beans and fresh thyme
Mighty Trio Organics cold pressed flax oil
Sunbest Fruit peaches and blackberries

Daal’d Up Comfort

Posted on December 17, 2013 by tripleheartbeat

   Comfort. The idea where you are at complete ease. A situation. An event. A meal. The expression “comfort food” is used a lot. Heck, I use it amongst my tags in my blog a lot, but does a meal elicit a sense of ease simply by entitling it such? What can bring comfort? The environment, the company you share the meal with. It can be something new. A sense of wonder. It can be something familiar. A sense of nostalgia. Or it can be something physical within the flavours that force you into a sense of calm.

   The bold variety of the flavours in Indian cuisine and the myriad of spices used grab your attention fully so whatever else is around you dissolves. It brings you to the moment, cradles your consciousness into the very definition of comfort. Tonight I brought those comforting spices of abroad into the local lentils of Gold Forest Grains and made a Spicy Daal.

SPICY DAAL

1 Tbsp Mighty Trio Organics cold pressed canola oil

1/2 cup August Organics, onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove Peas On Earth garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/8 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp hot Hungarian paprika

1-2 tsp salt

2 cups chicken stock

2/3 cup Gold Forest Grains dried red lentils

   In a spice grinder, add the cumin, cloves, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, paprika and 1 tsp salt. Grind into a fine powder.

   In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté to soften the onions. When they start to lightly brown, add the garlic, ginger and ground spices. Sauté, vigorously stirring to toast the spices. When the mixture becomes fragrant with toasted spice and garlic, add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the dried lentils, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 50-60 minutes until the lentils are cooked and the liquid is fully absorbed. Season with more salt if necessary. Serves 2-3 as a snack or as a side to a greater Indian themed meal with rice, naan, or your favourite curry.

Maple Baked Beans With a Hungarian Twist

Posted on December 5, 2013 by tripleheartbeat

   My mum lived in Québec for nearly 15 years before she passed away. Her passion for their culture and food was infectious every time I visited. The one thing I found there that is lacking in Western Canada, is a focus on a hearty breakfast. Yes, the typical bacon/sausage and eggs are present, but it’s the extras on the side that really add to the heartiness. Namely the maple baked beans. Differing from the New England style, which focuses on molasses as the sweet component, Québec style has maple syrup. Both include a smoky pork product as part of the flavour base, whether it be fatback or bacon. I thought about my dad’s Hungarian background and decided to use csabai, a dry cured and smoked Hungarian sausage. Here’s my recipe.

Csabai Maple Baked Beans

4 cups dried white navy beans (I’ve also used pinto beans or black beans as well)

6 cups cold water plus more for soaking

1/2 cup Roasted Tomato Sauce (or any tomato sauce) **Note: If you choose a different smoked sausage that has more moisture, like a farmer’s sausage, kielbasa or garlic sausage, you may need an extra small can of tomato paste, along with the tomato sauce, but with csabai, the tomato paste won’t be necessary)

200g/8oz Budapest Deli csabai (dried smoked Hungarian sausage)

2 August Organics medium onions, peeled and chopped

1 cup amber maple syrup (also referred to as No. 2 grade)

1 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika

1 Tbsp homemade mustard (or your favourite grainy mustard)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp each black pepper and nutmeg

   To soak the beans:

    In a large pot, cover the beans with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, simmer for five minutes, cover, take off the heat and allow to soak for an hour. Drain and add the soaked beans to a slow cooker. Add the six cups of water, tomato sauce, csabai, onions, maple syrup, paprika, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set the slow cooker on low and simmer for 10 hours. Makes about 10 cups. Serve as a part of breakfast. I enjoy to have it with a nice homemade biscuit as well, like my recipe for Sausage Biscuits.

Sausage Biscuits:

2 cups Gold Forest Grains spelt flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped leftover grilled sausage (a good bratwurst, or wild boar sausage. I like to go to a variety of local sources like Sunshine Organic, Meadow Creek Farms, or a number of butchers like Acme Meat Market or Ben’s Meats), finely chopped

1/2 cup frozen butter, shredded coarsely

3/4-7/8 cup buttermilk

   Preheat oven to 200C/425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

   In a medium bowl, combine the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sausage. Grate in the frozen butter and work it in quickly with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Add 3/4 cup of buttermilk and stir together. If the mixture is still dry add a tablespoon more buttermilk and stir together. Turn the dough on to the counter and knead gently until the soft dough comes together. Press the dough with your fingers until it’s around 1 cm(1/2″) thick. Cut into 10cm/4″ x 10cm/4″ squares and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom. Serve as a part of breakfast with Csabai Maple Baked Beans and eggs. Makes 8 biscuits.

Pictured above: Csabai Maple Baked Beans, Sausage Biscuits, and scrambled eggs with cheese.

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