Variety of squash

It turns out that these designations are not related to seasonal availability at all. Summer squash is harvested before the rind hardens, while winter squash is left to mature before harvesting. Either way, I love their varieties of flavour, texture and colour. Here’s a collection of commonly found winter and summer squash for Squash Feast (back to front): spaghetti, buttercup, acorn, butternut, green zucchini, yellow zucchini and vegetable marrow.

Chicken Spaghetti Sandwich (serves 4)

1 spaghetti squash
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons EVOO

Marinate the chicken breasts in the EVOO, garlic, thyme, white wine, salt and black pepper for about two hours.

Roasted spaghetti squash

Cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise, brush with EVOO and season with salt and black pepper. Roast at 375˚F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool. Using a fork, gently pull apart the “noodles”.

Spaghetti on chicken

Lay down one of the chicken breasts on a baking sheet, and cover with the spaghetti squash.

Assembling the sandwich

Cover with the second chicken breast and a few sprigs of thyme. Bake in a 375˚F oven for 30 minutes. All the flavours from the chicken will bake into the squash, making for one kickass sandwich.

Roasting zucchinis

Zucchini & Prosciutto (serves 4)

2 green zucchinis, quartered lengthwise
2 yellow zucchinis, quartered lengthwise
2 vegetable marrows, quartered lengthwise
4 slices prosciutto
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons EVOO

Season the zucchini and vegetable marrow with black pepper and drizzle with EVOO. Roast at 375˚F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, wrap a slice of prosciutto around 3-4 pieces of zucchini/marrow, and put back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

Making butternut squash cups

Now onto the risotto:

Butternut Cup of Risotto (serves 4)

1 butternut squash
1 acorn squash
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 cups Arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup white wine
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 chorizo sausages, sliced into 1″ pieces
1 stalk celery, chopped
2-3 slices pancetta, sliced into 1″ strips
salt and black pepper to taste
chiffonade of basil for garnish

First, create the cups. Cut the butternut squash at the point where the neck meets the bulb. Cut the bulb in half, remove the seeds, and then carefully slice off the round portion of the bulb, parallel to the cut you just made. Not too much, just enough to create a flat edge for the cup to sit on. Repeat for the acorn squash – you should have two butternut and two acorn cups. Cut half of the remaining butternut neck into 1″ slices, reserve the other half for butternut chips.

Roasting squash

Season all the squash with salt and pepper and drizzle with EVOO. Roast for 30 minutes.

Stir, add stock, stir, add stock...

Heat the EVOO in a large shallow pan and add the chorizo. Cook under medium heat for 15 minutes or until golden brown, then remove and set aside. In the same pan, add the onions, garlic, pancetta and celery. Cook until the onions are caramelized. Add the Arborio rice and stir well until every grain is coated with the fat from the pan. Let the rice toast for a few minutes, then add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Continue stirring until the wine has evaporated, then add a ladle of chicken stock. Stir until evaporated and add more stock. Repeat for 10 minutes. Cut the 1″ slices of roasted butternut squash into cubes and add to the risotto, along with the chorizo. Continue stirring and adding stock as needed, until the rice is al denté (about another 10-15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill the four squash cups with risotto and garnish with basil.

Cutting up the sandwich

Once the spaghetti squash sandwich has finished cooking, discard the thyme and carefully cut the sandwich into four pieces.

Frying butternut chips

Slice the last remaining butternut neck into thin slices. Heat your frying oil of choice (I used canola) and fry the chips until golden brown. Garnish the Chicken Spaghetti Sandwich with the finished chip.

Squash Feast

Squash Feast, featuring a Chicken Spaghetti Sandwich, Butternut Cup of Risotto and Zucchini & Prosciutto.

Our friendly, neighbourhood butcher.

They provide us with top quality chicken, bacon, ground meat, chorizo, smoked ham hocks and pork chops.

Although P&F supplies meat to many restaurants in the area, they’re open to the public six days a week, and their pricing is better than what you would expect from a gourmet butcher.

I’m quite fond of their whole chickens, and usually buy one every week. The birds are quite meaty and delicious, unlike some of the scrawny, tasteless crap that’s peddled in supermarkets.  I’m kinda funny that way – I actually like my chicken to taste…well, like chicken.  Buying birds whole – at about $12-$15 each – is the best bang for my buck. Once it’s been properly deboned, I usually have enough meat for three good-sized meals, plus plenty of bones for stock, demi-glace or soup.

Crushing spices

Pozole is a traditional Mexican stew made with pork and hominy (soaked whole corn kernels).  I’ll be making the rojo or red version of this, but if I want to convince my kid to try it, I’ll need to pass on the spicy red chili peppers.

Pozole Rojo (serves 4)

1 smoked ham hock
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 can Italian tomatoes
2 sprigs tarragon
2 cups hominy
3 chorizo sausages

To begin, crush the cumin seeds, sea salt and black pepper in a mortar and pestle.

Starting the broth

Add the spices into a pot of boiling water, along with the smoked ham hock, onions, garlic, oregano and bay leaves. Now would be a good time to add red chili peppers if you want some heat.

Adding tomatoes

Add the tomatoes and tarragon to the broth, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours.

Rinsing hominy

Give the hominy a good rinse and drain. I could only find the canned stuff, which came brined.  Add to the pozole, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Shredding the pork

After a couple of hours, the meat on the smoked ham hock should have fallen off the bone. Shred the meat and throw it back into the pot. Discard the bone and skin.

Frying chorizo

Slice the chorizo and fry until golden brown.

Simmering pozole

Throw the chorizo into the pozole and simmer for another 30 minutes.  It should be thickening by now.

Pozole topping

Now for a little pozole topping:

Avocado Salsa (serves 4)

1 avocado
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 English cucumber
flat leaf parsley
1/2 lime
4 corn tostados or chips
Salt and pepper to taste 

Slice the avocado into cubes and roughly chop the cucumber. Add the EVOO, parsley and squeeze the juice from the lime. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tostados

I found these amazing corn tostados at my local supermarket, but you could substitute tortillas, chips or whatever dippable, scoopable munchies you can find.

Pozole Rojo

Pozole Rojo, with avocado salsa and corn tostados.

Mike's Farmhouse Garden

Situated on the bottom floor of the Toronto Waldorf School in Thornhill, the Village Market is only open Saturdays from 8:30am to 1:30pm. It pays to come early and check with Mike to see what’s fresh. It’s also inspiring to see local chefs rummage through the produce, pestering him with questions: 

“Hey Mike! What the hell is this? How can I cook with it?”

The farmer, offering advice to the chef – now that’s a conversation worth participating in. What a great way to pick up ideas and recipes! 

Saturday morning ritual

Although I’ve been here many times, I’m a relative newbie compared to some of the regulars I keep seeing every week. It’s a Saturday morning ritual for many, I’m sure. Again, it’s all about connecting with the growers, asking questions, sharing recipes, and building a community. You just don’t get that warm and fuzzy feeling in a mega-corporate-supermarket, do you?

Seasonal eating

As the seasons change, I sense the regulars know what produce to expect from Mike’s farm. They’re in tune with seasonal eating, something I think many of us have lost touch with. Thanks to globalization, food may be readily available year-round, but good food – that is, top quality food that’s grown naturally by people you actually know – that’s precious. I appreciate local strawberries and tomatoes even more than I did before, now that I know they’ve got a short window of availability.

Purple haze carrots

I discovered Mike’s purple haze carrots one week, and mistakenly bought only enough for one meal. They were delicious and beautiful, and I started planning dishes around them. Upon my next visit, they were gone. Done for the season. I’ll know better next year.

Fresh picked spinach

As for freshness, well you just can’t beat vegetables that were picked the day before you arrived. They’ll have the most taste, nutrients and colour. It’s harder to fuck up a recipe when you have fresh ingredients on hand

Visit the Village Market website for more information and a listing of growers and vendors. To find a local farmer’s market near you, visit Eat Local.

Cutting the tops off the puffs

Thanks to my stepdad for the inspiration:

Stuffed Tofu Puffs (serves 4)

1 package tofu puffs (about a dozen)
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. whole shrimp, heads removed and reserved, tails peeled & deveined
1/2 cup Shiitake mushrooms (soaked for a couple of hours if dried) 
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup sweet chili sauce
6 cups canola oil for frying

Cut the tops off a dozen fried tofu puffs and hollow them out. The tofu inside is spongy like white bread, and will be perfect for the stuffing.

Making the stuffing

Combine the tofu stuffing with ground pork, Chinese mushrooms, shrimp, green onions, sesame oil, corn starch, fish sauce and white pepper.

Stuffing the puffs

Put the stuffing back into the tofu puffs. Try to place a shrimp or mushroom at the top for presentation.

Into the steamer

Arrange the puffs into a steamer and lightly coat with corn starch.  Steam for 30 minutes.

Set aside to cool

After steaming, set aside to cool. These would be good enough for a dim sum dish, but I’ve got more cooking planned for them.

Frying shrimp heads

Now onto the stirfry:

Satay Mango Stirfry (serves 4)

Reserved shrimp heads
2 cups fresh mango, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 knob ginger, smashed
1 tablespoon Malaysian satay paste
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 head broccoli, divided into small florets
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped into 1″ pieces
6 leaves Thai basil, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Fry the shrimp heads in oil with your favourite satay paste. I prefer the Malaysian stuff. The shrimp heads add flavour to the oil – once they’re done, discard or enjoy as a chef’s snack.

Frying garlic and ginger

Add the garlic and ginger to the fragrant oil and fry for a couple of minutes.

Adding the veggies

Add the celery, red pepper, broccoli, and cook for about 6 minutes.

Adding mango

Add the mango, green onions and sesame oil and cook for another minute.

Coating the puffs

Coat the tofu puffs with corn starch, salt and white pepper.

Frying the puffs

Fry for 10 minutes until they’re golden brown. Try not to crowd the fryer with too many puffs as it cools down the oil – make two batches if necessary.

Puff Daddy

Puff Daddy: Stuffed tofu puffs with sweet chili sauce and satay mango stirfry, served with rice.

Marinating chicken

When buying pancetta, I opt for Italian origin, and I look for lots of fat in the roll.  As far as I’m concerned, more fat equals more flavour. I’m using pancetta in three dishes here: baked with chicken and thyme, in a risotto with field mushrooms, and as fat for sautéed asparagus. Many thanks to Jamie Oliver for this initial inspiration:

Chicken and Pancetta (serves 4)
4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 sprigs thyme
12 slices pancetta
1 whole fennel bulb

Marinate the chicken breasts for a couple of hours in EVOO, garlic, black pepper and thyme.

Slicing fennel bulb

Slice a fennel bulb into thin sections for roasting. I love fennel – it has a wonderful liquorice taste that’s just delicious, and is perfect with pancetta.

Roasting fennel

Coat the fennel slices with EVOO, salt, and black pepper, and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes at 375˚F.

Soaking porcini mushrooms

Soak a few dried porcini and chanterelle mushrooms in water, which will be used later in a Pancetta & Mushroom Risotto. If you’ve got fresh field mushrooms, even better. Thanks to my very thoughtful sister-in-law, I now have amazing porcinis from Italy

Roasting portabello caps

Season four portobello mushroom caps with salt, pepper and EVOO, and set aside.

Boiling risotto broth

Don’t waste the portabello stems – throw them into a pot of boiling chicken stock for the risotto.

Chicken first

Place the chicken breasts down first on a baking sheet.

Then pancetta and thyme

Then add three slices of pancetta and a sprig of thyme to each chicken breast. Into a 375˚F oven for 35 minutes. Now, on to the risotto.

Frying pancetta

Pancetta and Mushroom Risotto (serves 4)
2 cups Arborio rice
4 slices pancetta, sliced into 1/2″ strips
1 cup soaked porcini and chanterelle mushrooms
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 cup white wine
1 cup liquid from soaked mushrooms
4 cups chicken stock
black pepper to taste

Fry the pancetta in 1 tablespoon butter and EVOO until crispy. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the oil and set aside. Add the garlic and onions and cook until the onions become translucent.

Deglazing the pan

Add the rice and let it soak up all the good fat for a couple of minutes before deglazing the pan with the white wine. Allowing the rice to just slightly toast helps bring out the starches from inside, but be careful not to let the risotto get too dry during the rest of the cooking process. Unfortunately, risotto is one of those dishes that requires constant supervision, but usually a glass or two of wine helps make the 25 minute babysit go by pretty fast! Now would be a good time to put the portobello caps into the oven to roast for about 20 minutes.

Working the risotto

Once the risotto has absorbed all the white wine, add the mushrooms and the reserve liquid they’ve been soaking in. Stir gently, but constantly. When that liquid’s been absorbed, start adding the chicken stock, a little at a time. The trick is not to flood the risotto, but to just barely cover the rice with stock. Stir, add broth, repeat. After 20-25 minutes, the risotto should be al dente.

With about 5 minutes to go, sautée some asparagus or zucchini in garlic and the reserve oil. Finish the risotto with the remaining butter and black pepper to taste.

Roasted fennel

The roasted fennel is crispy and ready to plate.

Passion for Pancetta

Passion for Pancetta: Chicken and pancetta on roasted fennel, with pancetta and mushroom risotto, and sautéed asparagus.

Got crabs?

B.C. Dungeness crabs are readily available in the Toronto area, and are on the Best Choice list over at Seachoice.org. These bad boys will be my feature ingredient for Poo Jah, or Thai stuffed crab (the name “Poo Jah” already sounds romantic, doesn’t it?). I took the essence of this original recipe and modified it:

Poo Jah (serves 2)
2 medium sized Dungeness crabs
1 lb. ground pork
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 small red chili pepper, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon corn starch, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 leaves Thai basil or cilantro, finely chopped

Extracting the crab meat

First, the crabs get a 10 minute bath in a pot of boiling water. Once cooled, it’s time to remove all the crab meat and guts – that means cracking open every appendage and searching every nook and cranny for precious crab meat.  This took me about 45 minutes but damn, it was worth it.  What better way to score brownie points with your significant other?

“Honey, I completely eviscerated this once living organism as a token of my love and affection for you.”

While you’re extracting the meat, be careful not to pick up any shell or cartilage fragments. Separate all the meat into one bowl and all the really yummy, cholesterol-laden roe in another (to be cooked later with rice). Clean the two shells and set aside.

Crab stuffing

Take about 2/3 of the crab meat and combine it with the ground pork, green onions, red chili pepper, corn starch, white pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. Normally the recipe calls for finely chopped cilantro but it makes my wife puke, so I substituted Thai basil instead.

Stuffing back into the shells

Stuff this mixture back into the shells and add a light dusting of corn starch, which helps form a thin skin on the crab stuffing during steaming and keeps everything moist.  The crab shells are then steamed for 30 minutes, and allowed to cool.

Mango salad

Now it’s time to prepare a fresh mango salad:

Mango Salad (serves 4)
2 mangos, seeded and julienned
1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
4 leaves Thai basil, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

Mix all the ingredients and leave it in the fridge to chill.

Shrimp roll contents

This next dish is more Vietnamese than Thai:

Shrimp Roll
1 lb. shrimp, cooked
remaining 1/3 crab meat
1 package vermicelli
green leaf lettuce
Thai basil
Rice paper

Soak the rice paper in warm water for one minute then pat dry with a paper towel. Lay down the lettuce, vermecilli, crab meat, shrimp and Thai basil.

Finished rolls

Fold up the bottom end of the rice paper, and complete the roll.  Chop off the ends (chef’s snack) and make a diagonal cut across the middle.

Breading the shells

Once the crab shells are cooled, brush them with egg and coat them with the breading (corn starch, salt, white pepper and panko flakes).

Frying the crabs

Gently place the crabs into the wok, meat side down, for a 10 minute fry. Everything inside the crab shells is already cooked – this is just for texture and presentation.

Flipping the crabs over

After a few minutes, flip them over, and then back again. Once they’re golden brown, drain them and set aside.

Crab roe rice

To cook the rice, use all the crab and shrimp guts instead of water. It adds great flavour and colour, and if you’re lucky your rice will toast in the rice cooker.

Be My ValenThai

Be My ValenThai: Poo Jah on crab roe rice, with fresh crab rolls and mango salad.