Slow cooking cider braised pork

CIDER - BRAISED PORK


The slow cooker is my saviour on days when I am busy or feeling lazy.  Every one should own one.  It was time to dust mine off and get it ready for trouble free cooking over the long winter months. I use it for curries, chilies, stews and pot roasts.  The flavours always astound me and I nearly always make twice as much as I need.  Even though I love to cook it's nice to have a day off once in a while.


I was excited that the pork chops were on sale so I got twice as many as I needed and so I decided to make a double batch of this dish.  I cooked it for about 6 hours in the slow cooker.  The aromas were making me salivate well before dinner time.  And if you can hold off till the following day it will taste even better.


So here we go!  Open up your bottle of wine, pour yourself a generous glassful, turn on the radio and get into the zen of cooking.  And if you have any Halloween candy left send it this way.


Cider - braised pork


8 medium pork chops,
2 tbsp vegetable oil,
2 large carrots peeled and sliced thinly,
2 cups of diced butternut squash,
2 onions, peeled and sliced,
15 whole black peppercorns,
5 whole cloves,
1 cinnamon stick,
3 cups of fresh apple cider,
1 cup of water,
2 knorr ham stock cubes (use chicken if you can't find ham cubes)
5 large bay leaves
6 Sage leaves,
1 head of garlic split in half horizontally,
1/4 cup cornflour,
Salt and pepper to taste.


Heat the oil in a heavy pan ( I used my cast iron fry pan).
Season the pork with salt and pepper.
Seal the meat in the oil on both sides till it has just turned brown.
Place all the vegetables, garlic, herbs and spices in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Place the browned meat on top of the vegetables.
Now add the cider to the still hot frying pan and bring it to the boil.  This picks up all the flavour left in the pan.  
Now add it to the crock pot with the water and stock cubes.
Simmer for 6 - 8 hours on high.  
Thicken the braised pork dish with cornflour.


This dish is Oh My God WOW!  I kid you not my friends.  
Bon appetite!

Baked salmon

BAKED SALMON WITH SMOKED MAPLE BUTTER GLAZE.

Making this is a lot easier than it sounds.  Really it is!  Lots of people go to fancy restaurants and get all excited about the food they are ordering (and so they should because us chefs are highly skilled people who are paid to think this stuff up.) You might think that making decadent food is not within  your capabilities, and a lot of the time it couldn't be further from the truth.  I believe in simple foods being put together to make an outstanding dish. If you can use local foods so much the better and give yourself a pat on the back.

I simply baked the salmon pieces in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes after I had sprinkled the fillets with a little salt, freshly ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. (Are you digging the simplicity of this yet?)  Then I melted about half a cup of butter and stirred in a table spoon of real maple syrup, a couple of drops of hickory liquid smoke and another squeeze of lemon juice.  Just let that bubble in the skillet for a couple of minutes and it's done.  

When you get the fish out of the oven just brush them with the maple glaze and viola!  That's it! You're done.  Didn't I tell you it was easy?  I served it with pureed cauliflower seasoned with nutmeg, salt and pepper. The fresh green beans balanced the colours up nicely.  Add a side salad and you have yourself a light nutritious lunch.  Of course you could add potato or rice with this if you just can't face a meal without a carbohydrate.  Today I went really decadent and added lobster tails with garlic butter to the meal.  I couldn't help it, it just had to be done.

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SMOKED RED TOMATO CHUTNEY

I made this gem up a few weeks ago.  I had an abundance of tomatoes in the garden and they needed to be used in a creative and yummy fashion.  As you would rightly suspect.  We tried something similar on our travels to England in a wonderful old pub where we stopped for lunch.   I have been puzzling for quite sometime as to how I was going to get the smoke flavour in the chutney with very little effort.  It took me 3 months of research to settle on a method that I thought would be cool.  The secret is liquid hickory smoke.  Who'd have thought it?

This chutney is absolutely amazing with a strong Cheddar and of course a pint of ale.  My mouth is actually watering at the thought of it right now.  Funny thing is 'I don't even like tomatoes'.

OK my lovelies brace yourselves and gird your loins, here comes the recipe.

SMOKED RED TOMATO CHUTNEY

6lb ripe peeled tomatoes  (if you need to know how to do this please ask, I have all the answers)
1lb sliced onions
12 oz white sugar
300ml or 1/2 pint cider vinegar
1 oz salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
@ 15 drops liquid smoke

. Peel and chop the tomatoes and peel then slice the onions.
. Place in a large pan and cook very gently until the tomatoes and onions release their juices.
. Simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes.
. Add the salt, paprika and cayenne along with the tomato paste and half of the vinegar.
. Cook gently for another 45 minutes or until it begins to thicken.  (The trick is not to get impatient with this
  step.
. If you turn up the heat too high your chutney will burn and if you don't simmer it long enough you will get
  runny chutney.)
. Add the sugar and remaining vinegar, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.
. Continue simmering until the chutney becomes good and thick, don't forget to stir it occasionally.
. Then add about 15 drops of hickory liquid smoke.  Add more or less depending on your taste preferences.
. Then put the completed chutney into sterile canning jars.
. Let it sit for a couple of weeks, the flavour will really improve.

Ta Da........... There that was easy wasn't it.  And if you don't want to make it you can invite yourself over to my place and try mine as long as you bring the ale.

Learn how to cook

TEACHING YOU WHAT I KNOW

Some of you have seen my Facebook page with the whats on my mind status as being " Who's interested in cooking lessons." Well here is whats on offer. I come to your house and teach you how to cook something either of your choice or something we have both agreed on. It can be fancy, it can be healthy, it can be simple, it's always going to be fresh and tasty. You can also make a little party out of it and invite a couple of friends over to join you.

Nearly every day I get asked how to make this or how to make that. Nothing is really that difficult, you just need a point in the right direction. I have had 30 years experience cooking professionally in many different venues. I graduated college with City and Guilds qualifications along with my red seal and a license to cook. I've been doing this for a longgggggggggg time and I never tire of cooking, researching and creating new and funky things.

So if you would like some help in this area I can

teach you what you need to know and also offer you consultations on how to revamp your already existing repertoire. Why not take the mystery out of making a hollandaise sauce or how to make your own beef wellington, you'll impress the heck out of your dinner guests next time you entertain. Maybe you would like to expand your knowledge and learn how to make a couple of vegetarian dishes. Perhaps you went to the Dr's and he told you to change your eating habits then you went to the dietitian and you are still stumped as to what to do with all these suggestions and healthy new foods.

Please feel free to email me with any thoughts, comments and questions. sallyw64@gmail.com

TODAYS OFFERING

Today I get to talk about my favorite thing. Food! The very thing that nourishes my soul in more ways than one. It en-passions me, excites me and inspires me to taste, experience and experiment with new things. Especially this time of year when every thing is in abundance. I was a little concerned when I first discovered that I was gluten intolerant but then I had a change of attitude and turned it in to a mission to seek out new ways and new products that would nourish me instead of making me sick. Yeah I know! I am promoting good health in a shameless way but really there is no excuse to feel sorry for yourself. These are the cards that I have been dealt and so I have to play my best hand.

So back to Prince Edward County we go to the restaurants, bistros, bakeries and cafes. Imagine my excitement after riding 60 k that day to stop at a little cafe called 'The Club Cafe' in Bloomfield to see that she had gluten free sandwiches on the menu. I could hardly contain myself. We started with cream of leek and potato soup. I then had my sandwich with freshly roasted beef, avocado, tomato, lettuce and mayo. It was a huge portion of food when it came. I thought I had died and gone to heaven it had been 3 months since my last sandwich. I think I heard my saddle groan when I got back on it.

*Gluten free will be now written at GF.

My next huge excitement was on our way to the Huff wineries where we came across Schroedters bakery who sell a wide range of gluten free products. As we arrived the smell of freshly baked GF sourdough bread was wafting across the parking lot. Needless to say we had to sample them with a local cheese and lashings of chutney. The lady who runs the bakery is a Celiac herself and has been baking and supplying local restaurants with her GF products for some time and is doing very well at it I might add. She also told me if I go back that way at some point that she would gladly make me as many GF buns as I would like if I give her a little notice that we wouldl be coming.

I think I am becoming obsessed!

We had heard very good reviews about a bistro in Milford which is called 'Milford Bistro'.... fancy that! So on our ride through this tiny little town we decided to give it a whirl. We were not disappointed. After ordering our pints of Waupoos cider we got ready to tackle the Chicken Ceaser salad. It was not just any old Ceaser salad. Oh no sir, it was the cream of the crop of Ceasers made with the very best romaine lettuce and prosciutto instead of bacon bits and croutons that where filled with goats cheese and gently fried to golden, crisp perfection. The melt in your mouth variety, and the chicken oh yes let's not forget the maple glazed chicken. It was all bought together with a wonderfully light homemade dressing that really did it justice. Then.............. if that was not enough we choose the creme brulee that used the Waupoos cider as it's base. OH MY GOD!!!!!! It was the best darn brulee I had ever tasted and believe me I have eaten a lot of brulee. None ever compared to this. The flavours were subtle and striking at the same time, it was the perfect consistency with no egg taste that you get with some substandard brulees. The burnt sugar crust was like darkened thin ice as my spoon dipped down into the depths of the bowl for the first taste............... ah yes! Almost better than sex. Now you know I am defiantly obsessed. You know what else? The Spanish coffee we had afterwards wasn't bad either.

This isn't the Spanish coffee from Milford it's a fine latte from Lily's cafe in Picton. Before we lunched at the Funky Carp. There is something grand about sitting on the patio in the summer time sipping an ice cold beverage and anticipating your lunch. Which that day was Roasted Ontario red peppers blended into a frenzy of a cream soup and freshly broiled pickerel, Ontario corn and new potatoes. Lunch was good and so is life. I won't carry on like I did in the last paragraph because I need to calm down a little. But take my word for it I really enjoyed it.

And like our holiday all good things must come to an end. The Club Cafe closed it's doors this weekend and The Funky Carp is relocating to a destination in Picton that hasn't been revealed yet.

Eat, drink and be happy my friends.

Wineries and such

CYCLING TOUR OF PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

Two weeks later I am sat in the office eating my first Ontario apple of the season (A Paula Red if you are wondering) and reflecting on our cycling holiday to the County with fond memories even though I can still barely walk having cycled over 500k. I pulled a muscle in my hip which was not cycling related but it ultimately put an end to our jaunt. Nevertheless it was a great trip. We tasted many wonderful wines and some not quite so great and we of course had some amazing foods. Which I will talk about another day.

This is a great way to support Ontario wine makers, expand your knowledge and taste buds. Unfortunately the LCBO doesn't stock all of the wines we tried but maybe one of the stores would be able to get hold of a case if you ask nicely. Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr just go on a road trip and have yourself a blast like we did.

The first day of wine tasting started us off at Huff wineries where we enjoyed an excellent glass of Riesling on the patio. We tried many others but this was the favorite cold, crisp and not too fruity. Sugar bush wineries offered us a very drinkable oaked chardonnay and a pleasant ice wine. The old third winery stuck to making just one wine a 'Pinot Noir' which was almost sold out and had, had great reviews with which I defiantly agree with. Then off to Clossen Chase's awesome chardonnays which were out of our price range but we throughly enjoyed the tastings in a wonderful backyard setting. Cycling back to the campground was fun after all this wine. A little bit of weaving around in the road is not always a good thing but it's always a fun thing.

The second day we only did two wineries those being Exultet who served us one of the best ice wines I've ever had. (especially good at 11am, defiantly a breakfast wine.) The second was Long Dog wineries where we found our host very knowledgeable of the grape and the process of wine making. He told us that red wines are a little more difficult to make in the County. The reason being is that the growing season is too short so the grape doesn't get the fullest Omph! Some wineries blend their grapes with grapes from the Niagara region which creates a wonderful palatable blend and some opt to use just the grapes grown locally. Either way we certainly tasted some excellent products.

Then saving the best till last we cycled out to Waupoos on the third day where the cider is made. I think the county cider is the best tasting but Julian thinks it is the waupoos brand which excels. (pictured above.) Then if I wasn't already in heaven we tried the cider ice wine which is to die for. Sooooooooooo smooth and rich but not overpoweringly sweet. If this is the only thing you taste here it is well worth it. This is also where we tried a very good 'Cabernet Franc' under the label of Fool on the Hill, which I find appropriate to my own undertakings in life. Then last but not least we headed down the road to Waupoos Estates winery were we had the very best 'Baco Noir' which should defiantly be enjoyed with Cuban cigars and very fine chocolate.

We returned last week by truck and bought a couple of cases of our favorites to store for the winter months and next summer. Whilst revisiting Exultet again the owner told us he had just racked over a particularly good chardonnay which he invited us to taste. He was right it was rather good. Sadly it won't be ready till late October. So I guess we will be making another trip. Darn!

Meatless Monday special

MEATLESS MONDAYS

Some of you may know of the movement to turn to Meatless Mondays. It's run by the Toronto vegetarian association to bring awareness to many things. Some are political and some are just health conscious, and some cause it just tastes good once in a while. What ever your reason to give a cow the hoof on Monday is OK by me. I'm not here to preach I just like to voice options. I like it because it forces me to be creative and come up with something we will all enjoy. It also ensures that I get my 7 - 10 servings of fruit and vegetables that day.

I also committed to do this back in the Spring when I joined their website.

You can get other useful tips and recipes on the website.

http://www.meatlessmondays.ca

Today's menu was spectacular. I started the day with eggs scrambled up with green pepper's, onions, corn and tomatoes. Accompany that with a slice of toast a little fresh fruit salad and voila! you have a great breakfast that will keep you satisfied till early afternoon.

It also helps that all my fresh ingredients were Ontario grown. I can give myself a pat on the back and money in the local economy.

Lunch time was a soup I concocted with the help of my wonderful daughters culinary expertise. Broccoli and beer with cheese soup. Very rich and fartolicious. Toot toot!

Tonights star event was rice pasta cooked and then tossed with mushrooms, zucchini, green pepper, tomatoes, garlic. Finished off with a cream basil pesto.

SPAGHETTI WITH VEGETABLES AND PESTO CREAM

One package of spaghetti noodles ( I used rice spaghetti noodles)

1 tabs olive oil,

4 cloves crushed garlic,

8oz sliced button mushrooms,

1/2 diced green pepper,

1 large diced zucchini,

2 large tomatoes, deseeded and sliced into strips,

3 heaping tablespoons of basil pesto, (either homemade or store bought)

1 cup 10% cream,

cracked peppercorns to taste,

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese for the topping.

Cook the noodles according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and sauté all the vegetables and garlic. Don't over cook them, soggy veggies are not nice.

Add the pesto into the vegetable mix and stir gently.

Now add your cream and stir in. Turn off the heat now. You don't want to curdle the cream by boiling it.

Drain your noodles and mix into the vegetable mix.

Transfer into a serving bowl and top with feta cheese and cracked black pepper.

Enjoy! This will easily serve a family of 4.