January, 2010

Anna Olsen — View Comments
28
Jan 10

YouCook Interviews Anna Olson – Part II

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After enjoying Part I of our interview with Anna, you will love reading through Part II. Here, Anna reveals more of her personal likes and dislikes; and even commentary on the recent movie, Julie and Julia!

YouCook: In your new cookbook, you mention how our “culinary identities are ever evolving”. At this moment, how would you describe your culinary identity? And what sort of influences helped you to shape it?

Anna: I am at a very fun place in my culinary identity. Kind of like your life experiences, I don’t know how strictly you can plot where it’s going to go, but what you can do is look back on who you are in the culinary world & take lessons from that. What a lot of people don’t realize that I became a chef first before I became a pastry chef.

In terms of the “ever evolving”, just this week, I am about to register for a nutrition class through Niagara college. Because as I started the show “Fresh” and the cookbook, it has opened up a lot of conversation with my viewers and readers as to nutritional considerations and food allergies and sensitivities; and feeding a family when you have a variety of tastes. And I realized that, as a chef, I know how to put the food together, but I worked recently on a project with a dietician and I learned SO much! …about how our bodies absorb vitamins & minerals through food. And I realized I need to do some learning. And that’s what’s great about our industry: you can never learn everything. So I’m looking forward to learning how to not just create dishes that taste good and make us feel good, but physically will actually make us feel good. Just learning and educating myself will help me do my job better.

The other thing is that I just love finding new treasures. Yesterday, I was in Toronto, and we went to Miga in Mississauga for Korean food, which is a fantastic barbecue place. Just after the dinner hour, we were driving along Dundas West and we see Starsky. Friends of ours with European backgrounds always go to this European deli before Christmas time to load up on their holiday staples. We had never been before, and we walked through this super-deli with all these beautiful meats. I didn’t know there were so many ways you can cure and smoke pork. We were completely blown away, and we bought so much stuff just to taste and try!

So there’s always something new to learn. I always want to follow the philosophy that Opportunity Does Not Wait For Convenience. You have to have your eyes open because something may come along… And if you’re so focused on Task X, you’ll turn down an opportunity that could lead to something exciting. I’d rather try and fail than not have tried at all.

YouCook: What is your favourite dish to make?

Anna: I can’t say that I can pick one thing because I am so craving motivated! You ask me that question now, I’ll tell you one thing; ask me next week, it’s another; you ask me in July, it’ll be completely different.

I’m going to make a spicy seafood gumbo for dinner tonight, I’ve decided. The other night, we were craving Swedish meatballs in that mushroom-y sauce that we built from scratch. It’s having the time to make the dishes that I like.

I actually crave, in the wintertime, a lot of Asian flavours. Quite often, my husband and I make things like Vietnamese pho at home; we’ll make Japanese soup, sushi; miso soup for lunch for the protein, but the comfort at the same time.

YouCook: Do you think that Canadian chefs are recognized outside of Canada? What do you think we can do to promote Canada as a nation of great food and chefs?

Anna: I think media is definitely one means to do so, and with the support of people like yourself and the blogs.

There’s been this sense of a quest for a national dish, and what is our culinary identity… I think what we have to do is step back and relax, because you can’t force something like that. Let it evolve and we’ll find our way. I think if we try to force our way into the international market with something that’s not naturally authentic, no one will believe it.

Though I have heard, there were news segments right after New Year’s, how poutine has become a hot thing in New York. There are a few Quebecois who have opened poutine shops down there and they’re really doing very well.

Anna: How did you respond to the movie Julie and Julia?

YouCook: I loved it! I love Julia Child… She has such a flair for things. And, like what you just said in your interview about how you should forgive yourself for mistakes… I saw that throughout the entire movie. Something wrong happens, but you try to get past it and you save your dish as best as you can. Just watching [the movie] made you want to be in the kitchen and made you want to cook. It actually made me want to go to France!

Anna: I find that everyone who liked the movie connects with a certain moment – a food moment, and it’s different for everyone. I can tell you MY moment was when, on Julia Child’s side of the story, finally after years and years of trying to get her book published, she has that New York City editor making her Beef Bourguignon in her own apartment… She’s looking at the paper and she’s got her pot on the stove, and she pours in the wine from the bottle… There’s just a close-up shot of the page of the recipe and the wine splatters just splashing across it. I went to go see the movie with my recipe tester, and at the same time, we both yelped, and that was our moment… Because I have boxes (I keep all my testing notes) of stained, wrinkled, scratched-on notes of the recipes. And we both related to that because that’s what we do. I have these pages all over the kitchen and they’re just everywhere.

And I love to see cookbooks that are used and battered, and well-loved. I have people that come to me at book signings and they’ll bring me, almost ashamedly, their copies of “Sugar” and they’ve got post-it notes in them and they’re sloppy. They think it’s shameful… Meanwhile, that’s the best compliment you could pay me! It means you’re using it and you’re loving it – you’re connected to it.

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Anna Olsen / Chef — View Comments
27
Jan 10

YouCook Interviews Anna Olson – Part I

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Recently, YouCook had the extreme pleasure of chatting with Anna Olson, host of “Fresh” on the Food Network and the author of her new cookbook of the same name. Having been inspired by Anna since my University days, it was definitely a special treat for me to get to interview her. Since I discovered baking, my dream was to open my own pastry shop… I guess my own wedding cake business counts! :) Thanks Anna for showing me the basics!

After reading this post, I think that you will have a better sense of who you are in your own kitchen… Anna is truly inspirational in that she encourages everyone to discover themselves and to enjoy every moment of that journey.

YouCook: I really like how you categorized your new cookbook, “Fresh”, according to the seasons. Other than the season, where do you get inspiration for your recipes?

Anna: Outside of the common sense approach of using what’s available and at its best at that moment, it is more craving based than anything else. I find that that still ties in closely with the seasons. Because this is the time of year, when we’re looking at winter, that we’re craving the comfort foods.

The common sense approach of shopping with the season also extends to the common sense approach in recipe choices. In this time of year, you’ve got the oven on more & you’ve got the stoves on. You tend to be inside a little more, and the style of recipes you choose to make is based on what our mood tells us. I find also that the sort of tools & techniques you use suit the season too. So the oven’s on, and you’re doing some slow braising…

YouCook: I really like what you said in Fresh: “What grows together, goes together”. Do you have any other tips for our readers who are trying to cook at home?

Anna: I would say the simplest tip is forgive yourself any mistakes, because mistakes happen no matter who you are at what level. You can be a professional chef; you can be doing a recipe that you’ve been doing your whole life – and mistakes happen. I always like to remind people that you’re cooking because you love cooking; and you’re cooking for that love and for sharing. And remind yourself that you’re cooking for friends and family… And if a mistake happens, your friends are your friends; they’ll forgive you. And your family is your family, so they have to.

YouCook: You mention in your book that your shopping trips to St. Lawrence Market in Toronto was an inspiration for you to cook professionally. Were there other inspiring moments? And what was the final defining moment that motivated you to take the leap to become a chef?

Anna: I did really have an epiphany. There were a lot of building blocks along the way… Part of it was not being content in my position in banking in downtown Toronto and escaping to the St. Lawrence Market.

Growing up, like many young women, I had mentors in my mother and grandmother to share with me tricks and secrets. Sometimes you’re interested, sometimes you’re not. But I very much used cooking as a hobby. It was one of those things, baking particularly, that I would do after school and on weekends. I was sort of the house cook when I was in University.

Then there was a moment when I was working in banking when I was up in the middle of the night, stressed and I couldn’t sleep. And I found myself making banana muffins; not because I wanted to eat them but it was that act of making them that relaxed me. That was the moment when I said “What am I doing??”. Three months later, I had quit my job and was on my way to cooking school.

YouCook: How did you get selected to be on the Food Network show, Sugar?

Anna: It was in the early years of the network & the network knew they wanted to create a dessert show. So it was a product of a casting call, an open audition, and I was fortunate enough to have been short-listed and then selected. So it goes to show you that anyone has an opportunity.

Again, when I was in cooking school, I certainly had no sights on food television. There was no food network. Even at that point, it was post Julia child, but it was before Martha Stewart had any of her specials or TV programs.

STAY TUNED FOR PART II OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH ANNA OLSON!

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Cookbook / Michael Smith — View Comments
27
Jan 10

Michael Smith: Prosciutto Wrapped Salmon

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I’ve only recently discovered what prosciutto is in the past year, by making a meat sauce for lasagna. It’s delicious!! I also love salmon – BC is lucky to have so many kinds of fresh salmon. So when I saw this recipe in Michael Smith’s Chef At Home book I jumped at it. It’s very simple and quick.

Summary

Preparation Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Servings: 4
Meal type: Main
Cost: $16.00 ($4 per person)

Recipe Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Ingredients

  • 4 salmon fillets (6oz, 175g) ~ $12.00
  • 1/4 cup (60mL) of grainy mustard ~ $0.50
  • 4 (thin) slices of prosciutto $3.57
  • Sea salt, ground pepper

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 375°F (190°F).
2. Season the salmon filets with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
3. Evenly spread the mustard on the top surface of each filet.

4. Tightly roll each fillet in a slice of prosciutto so that the end is weighed down beneath the salmon.

5. The filet should be sitting on the seam and the ends of the salmon will protrude beyond the prosciutto.
6. Place wrapped fillets on a baking pan, seam side down.
7. Bake until done – about 15 min.

Quick Notes

I didn’t specify the thickness of the prosciutto when ordering it at the grocery store so it was way too thick. I’d recommend getting the thinnest slices possible and get more than just 1 slice per salmon. Since my prosciutto wasn’t wrapping the salmon nicely, putting the whole thing in parchment paper really helped preserve the juices in the salmon and prevent drying out.

Variations

Michael Smith’s cookbook has a “Freestyle Variation” with every recipe. For this recipe, he suggests: “This dish is also very good with pesto, tapenade or hummous spread on the fish instead of the mustard. This technique also works very well with chicken breasts.”

Results


I like quick and simple and this definitely is quick and simple! Within 30 min we were done! There’s minimal ingredients (3 + salt/pepper) and is delicious.

I really enjoy cooking from Michael Smiths Chef at Home book. The recipes are simple, the ingredients are simple and easy to find as well. I really would recommend this book to anybody starting to cook at home.

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Uncategorized — View Comments
26
Jan 10

Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup with Tamarind, Pineapple and Okra

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Grandma’s Holiday Apple Pie



By Carol Smith
Published: November 5, 2009
This is my grandmother’s apple pie recipe. I like to add a dash of nutmeg.


4.0 stars based on
35 reviews


Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 30 min
Yield: 1 9″ pie (8 servings)

Serving size: 1 medium slice
Calories per serving: 250
Fat per serving: 12g

Ingredients:

Thinly-sliced apples:
6 cups


White sugar:
3/4 cup

Directions:

1. Cut and peel apples
2. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Use additional sugar for tart apples.
…

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Cookbook / Michael Smith / Recipe / Side Dish / Special Event — View Comments
25
Jan 10

Chef at Home with Michael Smith::Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart

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At one of our recent YouCook meetings, we were talking about giving back to the community. Thu had volunteered at a food bank in Vancouver and was inspired by the people there. Elaine told us about Cook for the Cure, where if you host a dinner through their site, KitchenAid will donate $50 in addition to any funds you raise for breast cancer research. Hosting a party through Cook for the Cure gives you some nifty tools, such as online donation and automatic generation of tax receipts. So I decided to host my very own Cook for the Cure party! It was a great opportunity for me to try some of the recipes from Michael Smith’s “Chef at Home” cookbook.

Upon flipping through the Chef at Home cookbook, I came across the recipe for Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart. It was essentially layers of potatoes, cheese, onions and garlic, all wrapped up in bacon. With ingredients like that, how could this taste anything but delicious? It sounded like a perfect side dish to go along with my Apple Roast Chicken and looked impressive too.

Summary

Preparation Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8
Meal type: Side Dish
Cost: $8.02 ($1.00 per person)

Recipe Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Ingredients

  • 2 lb (1 kg) of bacon, at room-temperature ~ $5.99
  • lots of freshly ground pepper
  • 4 cups (1 L) of shredded aged cheddar ~ $1.11
  • 5 large baking potatoes (unpeeled) ~ $0.62
  • sea salt
  • 1 onion, minced ~ 0.25
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced ~ $0.05

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 350°F (180°F).
2. Carefully arrange the bacon in a radial pattern from the centre of the bottom of a 10- or 12-inch (25 or 30cm) round non-stick baking pan, continuing up and over the sides. Let the ends hang over. The slices should overlap slightly around the sides of the pan. To reduce the thickness of the bacon in the centre, stagger every other piece, starting it 2 inches (5 cm) from the centre and extending it further than the adjacent slices.

3. With the palm of your hand, flatten the centre area, leaving no gaps in the bacon. Season the bacon with lots of pepper and then sprinkle on several spoonfuls of the shredded cheddar.

4. Slice the potatoes as thinly and uniformly as you can, about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. I used a mandoline to help me do this quickly and uniformly.


5. Arrange a circular pattern of overlapping slices around the inside bottom edge of the pan. Continue arranging overlapping layers of the potatoes until the bottom is evenly covered. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.

6. Mix together the onion and garlic and sprinkle some of the mixture onto the potatoes. Continue with a layer of shredded cheese.
7. Continue with a layer of the shredded cheese. Cover with another layer of the potatoes, pressing it down firmly before continuing with alternate layers of the potatoes, onion mixture and cheese, insetting each a bit from the edge of the pan until the top is 1 inch (2.5 cm) or so higher than the pan’s rim.
8. Fold the overhanging bacon neatly up and over the top of the potatoes.

9. Trim a small piece of parchment paper and place it in between an oven-proof lid and the bacon. This will prevent the bacon ends from pulling back and shrinking during cooking.
I didn’t have a lid, so i used tin foil to fold tightly over the pan instead.
10. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for at least 2½ to 3 hours. You’ll know when it’s done when a small, thin bladed knife inserts easily.
The baking sheet is key – I didn’t do it and a lot of oil dripped to the bottom of the oven. I spent a lot of time cleaning it the next day!
11. Pour off as much of the fat as possible. Let the tart stand for 15 minutes and then invert it onto a cutting surface.
12. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.

Quick Notes

Take note of the baking time – it’s long (3 hours)! The first time I made it I didn’t realize and only got to it an hour before I wanted dinner ready. I did a short cut by boiling the slices of potatoes first, which I think worked out alright, but the bacon was a bit under cooked. Definitely make sure to bake it for the full 2½ hours.

Variations

Michael Smith’s cookbook has a “Freestyle Variation” with every recipe. For this recipe, he suggests: “Try mixing a few spoonfuls of your favourite fresh herb into the onion mixture. Thyme, rosemary and tarragon all work well”. I didn’t really try any variations since I didn’t have any fresh herbs, but I can see it working well with what he suggests.

Results


This required a lot of work in terms of prepping the ingredients and arranging the bacon, but the results were impressive. Everyone liked it at the dinner party. I found the bottom of the tart a bit crispy and tough – not sure if it’s supposed to be like that. Other than that, the bacon, potatoes, cheddar cheese and onions go really well together and is a great side dish. With the amount of work involved, I don’t think this will become part of my everyday repertoire, but definitely a great side to pull out for a fancier party that’s sure to impress!

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Easton Hamilton / Seafood / Winterlicious — View Comments
22
Jan 10

YouCook makes Cajun Paella

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Alright, I was eager to try La Maquette’s recipe for Cajun Paella Risotto after the Toronto team visited Chef Easton Hamilton! I have always loved Paella in Barcelona and order it any chance I get at Spanish restaurants but have never made it at home. I wanted to see how the risotto goes with the Paella. Of course I’ll describe to you the pitfalls and learnings of a home chef :)

Vegetable Stock

I really hate forking out more than $1 to buy vegetable broth from a can or box. It doesn’t even take much time to make so I always try to make it myself.

All you need is 2 stalks of celery, 1 onion and 1 or 2 carrots (yup that’s less than $1!). Heat up a large pot of water – I put 2L of water in. Add in a bit of olive oil, chop up the vegetables into thick slices. Bring it to a boil, add salt and pepper and put in all the vegetables.

I also added parsley to this stock because I had some on hand and a bay leaf. That’s about it, leave the heat on low and let it brew for about an hour. I didn’t use much of it because I didn’t end up making risotto but you can easily freeze it to use at a later time. We came up with the idea of putting them in ice cube trays, so you’d have individual portions of veggie broth when you need it. Another way is to fill up Glad sandwich bags since you can stack them and they don’t take up much space in the fridge.

Arborio Rice

To my disappointment – I went on an Arborio rice search across downtown Vancouver today with no luck! 2 Safeways, an IGA and Save-on-Foods. They had every kind of pasta and rice except for Arborio rice! What gives? Has there been a sudden increase of interest in making risotto?? Does anybody know why?!?! Tell us!

Well as a backup I got Uncle Ben’s long grain wild rice so I didn’t make risotto. However in the rice cooker, I did add the celery and onions I was going to put in the risotto – the rice turned out delicious!

Spanish rice is supposed to be medium grain rice thats browned with onion and garlic first. I shall try that next time if I can’t hunt down my risotto rice.

Good old Uncle Ben’s to the rescue :)

Proportions

Since I was cooking for 3, I doubled Chef Easton’s recipes to make enough for 4 (left overs are awesome). I find cooking for 4 a little easier because doubling his recipe means using a whole onion and all the peppers which is convenient. I also put in way more mussels and 3 Italian sausages and shrimp. I compensated by using only 1 small chicken breast.

Here’s everything prepped in my kitchen:

Chicken:

Shrimps:

Sausages:

Mussels:

Instructions

I definitely enjoyed following this simple recipe after getting everything chopped up and prepared. I found that instead of waiting 2 min in between adding the different meats, I’d wait 4-5min instead – just in case. The steps are really easy to follow – I doubled the spices, vegetable stock called for as well.

Adding chicken:

Adding sausages:

Results

I really love the colour and texture that the dish turned out to be. My pan was so overloaded with stuff that I opted out of adding rice to it. I didn’t end up using any salt or pepper as seasoning because I think the sausage was salty and the cajun spice gave the dish a great flavour.

I also added chopped parsley into the dish which turned out really good. The chef recommended trying different meats and experimenting with different spices however I stuck to the instructions and really like this combination!!!! I was so happy when my friends opted to go for seconds :) I think the verdict is….MAKE THIS DISH! I really recommend it. It’s not hard and so delicious. The hardest/time consuming part is going grocery shopping.

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Easton Hamilton / Winterlicious — View Comments
21
Jan 10

YouCook talks with Chef Easton Hamilton

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Before learning how to make Cajun Risotto Paella with La Maquette’s Chef Easton Hamilton, we were lucky enough to sit down and chat with him about the restaurant, his inspirations for dishes, and his likes and dislikes. Chef Hamilton grew up in St Thomas, Jamaica and immigrated to Canada in 1980. He was intrigued by his auntie’s cooking at 6 years old and has ever since taught himself with inspiration from skilled chefs. It shows in his passion for food and the creativity that he brings to his dishes.

Grabbing a seat in the first floor dining room, we could see why La Maquette was voted Most Romantic Restaurant in Toronto as well as Most Memorable Meal. Add to that the fact that even for large private events the meals are all cooked to order with no pre-set orders necessary, no wonder this place is popular for weddings and events! In the soft cozy glow of the restaurant (photos do not do this place justice) we could have talked for a lot longer but the paella was calling.

YouCook: I noticed that you have a “Maquettelicious” option on your “A la Carte”, which includes your daily three-course creation. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? How do you become inspired to create a 3-course lunch or dinner for your guests?

Easton: It’s a challenge. We’ll run it for a week and change it up. It depends on what we can source at the time. There’s always something going on in my head. It’s trial and error. We ask guests how they like it and make modifications based on feedback.

YouCook: What sort of dishes or flavours do you remember enjoying the most as a child?

Easton: I’d have to say my national dish.

YouCook: Which is?

Easton: Ackee. It’s a fruit like a pear, starts off yellow and then turns red. It will open up on its own and once it’s open, you can eat it. If you force it to open, you’ll be poisoned. The best way to describe the taste and texture is like scrambled eggs. The way we cook it is with salt fish. To make it you boil it for 20 minutes and then toss it with cod fish. You cook it up with that and with onions and pepper. For canned ackee [note: you can only only get ackee in a can in Toronto!], you prep it different. You first boil the water, then put the ackee in and turn off the heat. That’s just to finish it off, if you leave canned ackee in boiling water it will fall apart.

YouCook: And what sort of dishes or flavours do you enjoy the most now? Do you have a favourite?

Easton: I don’t really have a favourite, there’s too many. I like seafood with my own sauce. Like salmon with Cajun flavour, or herbs like oregano, marjoram, tarragon or Filet of fish with julienned peppers.

YouCook: Do you like spicy food?

Easton: I like flavour first then spice. Spice must hit you at the back of your throat, not burn. I don’t like food that is so spicy you can’t taste the flavour of the food.

YouCook: What is your style of cooking when you are at home?

Easton: I don’t cook at home much. I’ll mostly cook family style dinners, West Indian style. Like oxtail and jerk chicken.

YouCook: How have you evolved in your cooking?

Easton: When I first got here, I would NOT eat anything not Jamaican. Now, I try everything at least once. You have to try food to know how to cook it. The only thing I don’t eat is pork.
I think my next step is Asian food or something. Something different. I’m always trying new things because that’s how you learn.
I learn by doing. I taught myself. If you tell me something can’t be done, I will go all out to prove otherwise. I pick things up from everyone I work with and take it with me…it’s the little things.

YouCook: So if someone wanted you to do a cooking show for TV, would you do it?

Easton: No. I’d rather cook. And I hate being filmed!


Chef Easton hates being filmed but doesn’t mind photographs. Here he kindly obliges to pose with part of our YouCook team.

Use our What.2.Eat application to see what else La Maquette has on their Winterlicious menus and vote on your favourite dish during Winterlicious!

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Main / Seafood / Winterlicious — View Comments
21
Jan 10

Winterlicious Recipe Feature: La Maquette Cajun Risotto Paella

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Last week YouCook visited La Maquette, voted one of the most romantic restaurants in Toronto, to make their featured Cajun Risotto Paella on the Winterlicious menu. “Risotto Paella?!” you ask? Yep that’s right and the Arborio rice adds just enough twist to the classic paella to make it special while fully satisfying your craving for seafood and rice. Chef Easton Hamilton took the time to show us how to make this dish …and we even got to eat it !!!

Use our What.2.Eat application to see what else La Maquette has on their Winterlicious menus and vote on your favourite dish during Winterlicious!

Summary

Preparation Time: 20 mins.
Cook Time: 15 mins.
Servings: 2 large portions.
Meal type: Main
Grocery Cost: $23.63 (good enough to feed 4)

Recipe Rating: ★★★★☆ 


Ingredients for Risotto

  • 1 cup of Arborio rice ($2.00)
  • 1/2 medium white onion, diced ($0.20)
  • 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock (1 onion + 2 celery stalks + 2 carrots = $1.00)
  • 2 oz. white wine ($2.00)

Ingredients for Paella

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 6 large P.E.I. mussels ($5.00 for 20 mussels)
  • 4 black tiger shrimp ($4.00 for 12 shrimps)
  • 4 oz. chicken breast, diced ($3.00 for 1 chicken breast)
  • 4 oz. chorizo sausage, sliced ($4.00 for 3 sausages)
  • 2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
  • 3 oz. julienne red and yellow bell pepper (1.20)
  • 3 oz. julienne red onion ($0.50)
  • 1 Tbsp chopped shallots ($0.23)
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp marjarom
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste ($0.50)


    • Sausages, mussels, and chicken breast along with the other prepped ingredients in the La Maquette kitchen.


    The cut up chorizo sausage pieces, ready to go in the pan


    Julienned peppers for colour

    Instructions for Risotto

    To prepare the risotto (can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated):
    1. Sautee white onion with oil over medium heat until translucent, about 2 mins.
    2. Add Arborio rice and sautee for another 3 mins. stirring occasionally (do not let rice go brown, cook just long enough to remove starch, should be gluey).
    See our previous Risotto post for details on how to cook risotto.
    3. Add white wine and vegetable stock and cook for about 8-10 mins until rice is half cooked.
    4. Spread risotto on a non-stick baking sheet to cool.

    Instructions for Paella

    1. Sautee red onions and shallots with butter and olive oil over medium heat, about 2 mins.

    2.Add cajun seasoning and white wine


    Chef’s tip: Make sure you follow the correct order to add in the chicken, mussels, shrimp, and sausage because shrimp can’t be overcooked and the sausage is precooked so it will fall apart if you cook it for too long.
    3. Add diced chicken and cook for another 2 mins.

    4. Add mussels and enough vegetable stock to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 2 mins.

    Chef’s tip: To add some flavour and colour, you can spoon in a scoop of tomato paste.

    5.Take mussels out and set aside

    6. Add shrimps and cook for another 2 mins.

    7.Add sausage

    8.Add marjarom, oregano, and the rest of the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Add red/yellow peppers.
    9. Add rice and simmer on medium-low heat for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    Variations

    Chef Easton suggests that you substitute different meats into the dish according to your taste. Try out different meats or seafood and see what you like!

    Results


    Add some grated beets for garnish and VOILA! A beautiful, flavourful dish that’s very quick to make.

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    Chef / Susur — View Comments
    20
    Jan 10

    YouCook sits down with Susur Lee

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    The Setting

    Date: January 8, 2010
    When & Where: 5:30 pm, just before dinner service at Madeline`s
    Atmosphere: European chic with Baroque flair

    Before we sat down at the bar at Madeline’s for an impromptu interview, we were able to witness Susur’s amazing chemistry with everyone in his kitchen as he was preparing some of his Winterlicious dishes for us. It is incredible how he can multi-task: cooking, joking around with staff, and commandeering his kitchen all at the same time! Despite the cramped quarters and so many people running around, it was incredibly organized and everyone in the kitchen had a job. Watching them in the kitchen is like watching a well-oiled machine.

    Another thing we could not help but notice was how international and diverse his staff was. The bringing together of so many races makes for some truly authentic fusion cuisine.

    As you read through our interview with Susur, you may notice some recurring themes… Susur is extremely passionate about his heritage and culture, which really shines through in all of his creations. He is also deeply inspired by his family, his travels and by those around him. But most importantly, Susur has never strayed very far from his roots and his beliefs. Having had the privilege of sitting down with him, I can really feel the genuine love he has for what he does.

    The Origin of Inspiration

    YouCook: Where do you get your inspiration?

    Susur: I’ve been cooking for so many years… It’s not the fear… It’s that feeling when you wake up every morning and you go to work; that feeling like you’re unmotivated or uninspired because you do this every day. The creative process is always there: places you travel to, people you meet, things you see or taste (especially for me). So I always have to get inspired by doing these things. Sometimes I have to go back to my old notes – because some things are so old they become new again.

    YouCook: You have so many restaurants now… How do you build your menus? Are they theme-based?

    Susur: Both Shang and Zentan are very Chinese-based because I am Chinese, and I love Asian food. There are so many ingredients that we have not yet been exposed to as Westerners. Sometimes you have your own ideas, but you must be able to share them in order to produce it, especially in a kitchen. It is very inspirational when the dish comes out and I say: “Yes! That’s my idea!” And then the staff, in turn, gets inspired. That’s why I always ask my staff “What do you think?”, “Think about this…”. You have to inspire them and share that passion. Because if you love the same thing, it’s easy to learn. If they’re not interested, no matter how much you teach them, it’s just structure. So I always say loving something always makes it very easy to teach.

    For me, to get inspired about dishes, I always think about culture. Every part of the world has some very amazing dishes, techniques, and beliefs. Food related to family; food related to the individual; food related to modernization… So, in order to get inspired for new dishes, you need to be open-minded to all of these things. A lot of dishes can be very new, very cool, and kind of weird – but still tastes good. Those are the things I always get very excited about.

    The strength that I have in fusion food is because I’ve been trained so many years in Asia. I was working in a Chinese restaurant, 北京樓 (Peking Restaurant) in Tsim Sha Tsui (Hong Kong). So I’m always inspired by those things. Especially because I didn’t get the chance to learn about Chinese culture or history since Hong Kong was a British colony and they were very against China. So we didn’t know anything about China. So now, if you look at Imperial cuisine: cuisine from the country, cuisine from the city, cuisine from different regions of China. It’s just amazing.
    And then you start learning about how the emperor used to eat. The world has so much for us to learn, and we know so little.

    The Evolution of Food

    YouCook: As a leading chef in Toronto, do you see a trend for restaurants?

    Susur: Trends have to come from within; it does not mean following what others do. Trends have to be inspired by something – by how you feel. People ask “how do you come up with these dishes” – It just comes naturally.

    YouCook: Do you feel that Canadian chefs have a presence in the world of International Cuisine?

    Susur: I think what it is is that Canadians have always been very reserved about our identity and what our comfort zone is. We live very comfortably, and we have health care. So a lot of chefs can enjoy having farms, growing their own produce, and it’s very much a way of living. If you look at the bigger cities in the United States, you still have chefs who do that, but Canada is way more understated. That’s one of those treasures of Canadian chefs because we do know a lot about what good quality is. If you look at the East Coast and West Coast, we have seafood and all kinds of produce. Just amazing.

    Have you ever been to this place called “Canadian Herbs” on Ossington? This place has everything you’d see in Asia: Vietnam, Thailand… All the freshest herbs. You can’t even get it in the States – not even New York City. We have better Pho than in Vietnam because we have better beef, which makes a better stock. And we have all the herbs.

    So, if you look at all those kinds of flavours, Canadians are way more exposed to them. People even grow them in their gardens. Whereas in the States, you’ll have a hard time finding fresh kaffir lime or fresh curry leaf. Those are the treasures of our culinary scene.

    YouCook: Can you tell us a little more about your new restaurant in Singapore, Chinois by Susur Lee?

    Susur: It is in an IR, an Integrated Resort. [It is located in Hotel Michael in Resort World Sentosa.] They have quite a few restaurants: Robuchon, Scott Webster from Australia, a Japanese chef… It’s Chinese cuisine, but the room is very Japanese zen, but Euro… You know, the latino red, the black, the stone, the wood…

    And finally…
    YouCook: Can we grab a photo with you?

    Susur: Sure!!

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    Cookbook / Michael Smith / Vegetarian — View Comments
    19
    Jan 10

    Chef at Home with Michael Smith: Ratatouille

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    Before the movie Ratatouille came out, I had no idea what the dish was. After the movie, the name stuck with me but I never did look up how to make it or what the story behind it was. During my 6 month Vegetarian cooking adventures, a number of people told me to make Ratatouille but again I never did! Well finally, I was sent the book, Chef at Home with Michael Smith and the page appeared before me – I absolutely need to get to the bottom of this Ratatouille curiosity.

    So the first impression was hey, this is a fancy french name for a veggie stir fry dish. I’ve absolutely made this before! :) Although I don’t think I ever used the exact combination of vegetables, peppers and herbs as called for in the recipe. So I learned that there’s different schools of thought about how traditional Ratatouille is supposed to be made. One way is to saute all the vegetables together. However Julia Child and of course Michael Smith in the recipe I followed is to saute groups of vegetables separately and layer it. Also, Michel Guerard came up with a variation called Confit Byaldi which replaced the peppers with mushrooms. The major advancement was instead of using rough cut cubes of vegetables, Guerard used thin slices. Then last but not least, Thomas Keller modified this Confit Byaldi to demonstrate to the producer of Pixar’s Ratatouille how to make this dish! The recipe for the version in the movie can be found here with pictures or from the NY Times. I will have to make this dish again following that recipe!!

    But I digress. Back to Michael Smith’s Ratatouille. The vegetables are cut into 1 inch thick chunks. And there is no baking involved in his recipe – unlike the ones I had found online! Perfect.

    Summary

    Preparation Time: 30 min
    Cook Time: 30 min
    Servings: 4-6
    Meal type: Main
    Cost: $9.37 (It fed 2 people + 4 or 5 meals in the next few days)

    Recipe Rating: ★★★★☆ 

    Ingredients

    • 1 eggplant – cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) chunks – $2.07
    • 1 zucchini – cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) chunks – $0.43
    • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks – $1.14
    • 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks – $0.81
    • 1 onion, sliced – $0.64
    • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped – $0.50
    • 3 garden ripe tomatoes – cut into 1-inch chunks. – $1.78
      Alternatively he suggests using 1 can of whole tomatoes.
    • 1 bay leaf
    • A few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
    • 1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped – $2.00
    • 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
    • Olive oil
    • Sea salt and pepper

    Instructions

    1. Chop all the vegetables up separately.

    2. Heat a skillet with olive oil on high heat.
    3. Saute the eggplant and zucchini stiring and tossing until they are golden brown and tender. About 10 minutes.
    4. Set the eggplant and zucchini into a large bowl.

    5. Turn down the heat a little and add more olive oil.
    6. Add the bell peppers and cook until they are tender. About 5 min.

    7. Add the peppers to the large bowl of vegetables.
    8. Add more olive oil and sautee the onions until they are soft. About 5 min.
    9. Add garlic and continue for a few more minutes.
    10. Lower the heat (to low) and add tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and simmer until the mixture thickens. About 10 min.
    11. Add all the other vegetables back in. And simmer until everything is heated through. Add salt and pepper.
    12. In the end, stir in fresh chopped basil and balsamic vinegar.

    Quick Notes

    I have never made a stir fry this way, where I separate the vegetables! What a great idea. I find that anything cooked with tomatoes will turn out soggy. This way all the vegetables get their chance at cooking at their own pace and not cross contiminated with the other juices until the end. I will start to use this technique in my cooking when there are many vegetables all with different cooking times.

    I didn’t have a bay leaf and thyme but I can say it was still delicious without. I can bet that there’ll be more flavours if I had added it.

    Variations

    Michael Smith’s book even mentions that “There are as many ways to make ratatouille as there are cooks, all with the same basic group of ingredients. The easiest method is to simply pile everything into a stockpot and simmer until tender. While this is a perfectly appropriate way to make a vegetable stew, it’s not the tastiest way. For maximum flavour try it this way”. I completely agree!

    He also suggests you can make ratatouille with freshly made basil pesto, fresh oregano, sliced green onions or parsley. For a more Mediterranean flavour, try adding lots of kalamata-style black olives or artichoke hearts. You can also grill the eggplant, zucchini and peppers. This is definitely a good base recipe to start experimenting from.

    Results


    Wow, this simple easy to follow recipe really excites me because there’s so many possibilities with this base of ingredients. I’m going to definitely experiment with this recipe for the years to come. Next time I’m going to try Thomas Keller’s version with the thin cut vegetables instead so I can say I cooked the same dish as the movie :)

    Remix

    I’m not sure if anybody else thought of this – it probably has been done before. But I made Ratatouille and Bo Luc Lac as described in a previous blog post. What a GREAT combination of vegetables and meat. I mean the flavours of the vegetables really balanced out the meaty beef. If you’re looking for a truly fusion meal, try this out! I ate this for a few days and each time, I couldn’t believe how well it went together.

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