Let's Cook Together

Beef Stroganoff

Denis Martel — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 17:10:14 +0000

This beef is similar to the beef bourguignon but in a cream sauce.

Ingredients:

50 ml oil
2 kg beef either in cubes or cut in stripes
50 ml oil
2 onions, sliced
5 chopped garlic cloves
1 kg of small button mushrooms (cut them if they are too big)
100 ml brandy
Salt and pepper
2 cans of beef consommé
1000 ml sour cream
Corn starch diluted in a bit of water if required

Method:

In a large pot (cast iron is better if you have one), heat the oil and sauté the beef in small quantity so your pot stays hot. Reserve the cooked beef.
Add the rest of the oil and sauté the onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes
Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes
Deglaze with the brandy
Add the beef back to the pot with salt and pepper to taste
Add the beef consommé and sour cream
Bring to a boil and cook on low heat for one hour
Thicken the sauce with the corn starch if required
Verify seasonning

Smoked Chicken Breast

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 20:07:10 +0000

I love to smoke a bunch of chicken breasts just before Winter. Once cool, I wrap them individually before freezing so I can use them later in salads, pasta, sandwiches or even home made pizzas.

Ingredients:

12 chicken breasts

Brime:

2 litres water
125 ml sugar
125 ml salt

Dry rub:

100 ml brown sugar
50 ml dried parsley
50 ml chili powder
50 ml paprika
25 ml cayenne
25 ml garlic powder
25 ml onion flakes
25 ml grounded coriander
15 ml onion salt
15 ml dried thyme
10 ml cinnamon
10 ml nutmeg

Method:

Mix the brime ingredients together and add the chicken breasts
Place overnight in the refrigerator
The next day, remove the chicken breasts from the refrigerator and pat dry with paper towel
Place the chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag
Mix the ingredients for the dry rub and add to the the chicken breasts
Mix well to cover all the chicken breasts evenly
Place in the refrigerator while you start your smoker
When the smoker is ready, place the chicken breast on the grill, cover and smoke for about 2 hours at about 250 degrees (smoking is not an exact science…). Verify if the chicken breasts are cook and enjoy!

The Famous Marshmallow Cake

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 19:58:26 +0000

This is Grandma Adele’s speciality and every grand-children favorite in my family.

Ingredients:

Cake:

75 ml soft butter
250 ml sugar
1 egg
75 ml milk
250 ml flour
a pinch of salt
5 ml baking powder
125 ml walnut, chopped
Marshmallows cut horizontally in two

Icing:

125 ml butter
250 ml brown sugar
75 ml milk
375 ml icing sugar

Method:

Mix all cake ingredients, except the marshmallows, and pour in a 8 X 8 inch pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the icing by melting the butter and adding the brown sugar in a small pan.
Boil for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
Add the milk and remove from stove.
Let cool to about room temperature.
Add sifted icing sugar to the caramel and mix well.
Cover the baked cake by placing in rows the half marshmallows.
Cover the marshmallows with the caramel mixture and then cover and refridgerate for at least three hours.

Fruit Crumble

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 19:42:52 +0000

Why should you limit yourself only to Apple Crumble in October. You can enjoy crumbles all Summer long, being creative with different kind of fruits.

Ingredients:

200 ml sugar
100 ml flour
50 ml cornstarch
3 ml cinnamon
500 ml raspberries
500 ml blueberries
500 ml peaches, sliced

Dough

500 ml flour
500 ml large oat
425 ml brown sugar
15 ml baking powder
250 ml melted butter

Method:

In a bowl, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and cinnamon.
Add the fruits and mix, then spread evenly in the dish
In another bowl, mix all the dough ingredients
Spread half of the dough in a 9 x 13 pyrex dish and flattened down.
Cover with the fruit mixture
Sprinkle the rest of the dough over the fruits and bake for about one hour at 375 degrees.

Tomato Pie

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 18:03:16 +0000

This pie tastes so much like Summer. It’s easy to do and makes either a great Saturday lunch or part of a brunch. I like to use all different variety and colour of tomatoes for this recipe.

Ingredients:

One pie crust
25 ml Dijon mustard
175 ml of cheese like Emmental or Gruyère, grated
Fresh basil or oregano leaves
Sliced tomatoes, seeds removed
Olive oil

Method:

On the lowest grill in the oven, pre-cook the pie crust for about 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees
Baste the bottom of the crust with the mustard
Spread evenly the grated cheese on the crust
Place the fresh herbs over the cheese
Place sliced tomatoes on top of the fresh herbs
Baste with olive oil
Bake for one hour at 350 degrees

Cooked Smoked Salmon

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 17:40:10 +0000

This salmon is sooooo good, you need to try it if you have a smoker. You may try it on a regular BBQ, if you can place the salmon on the opposite side of the heating source and control your heat.

Ingredients:

Good quality fresh salmon (about 1.5 kg)

Dry rub:

250 ml brown sugar, packed
250 ml coarse salt
50 ml granulated onion
50 ml granulated garlic
15 ml dill weed
15 ml savory
10 ml tarragon

Finishing rub:

75 ml light brown sugar
15 ml granulated onion
15 ml granulated garlic
5 ml dried savory
5 ml dried tarragon

Method:

Place the salmon in a platter or glass dish.
Combine the ingredients of the dry rub and spread evenly over the surface of the salmon.
Refrigerate the salmon for 2-3 hours.
Take the salmon out of the refrigerator and rinse the filet under cold water to remove all the rub.
Pat dry with a paper towel.
Place flesh side up on a clean platter for about 30 minutes. A pellicle will develop.
Heat the smoker and when ready, place the salmon flesh side up on the grill. I usually use maple wood chips to smoke this salmon.
Sprinkle on the finishing rub and smoke/cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour at 250 degrees.

Braised Lamb

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 17:03:02 +0000

We usually buy at least a half Ontario lamb around Christmas. You can use the less tender parts, sometime with little meat around the bones but so delicious when braised.

Ingredients:

1.5 to 2 kg of lamb shoulder or parts (ribs, neck, shanks)
olive oil
3 yellow onions, chopped
7 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 hot pepper (scotch bonnet or ghost pepper)
15 ml paprika
10 ml ground cumin
500 ml white wine
pinch cardamon
1 can diced tomatoes
10 sprigs of fresh parsley
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 spins of fresh rosemary
200 ml raisin (optional)
Salt and pepper

Method:

Pat dry the lamb with a paper towel.
Heat 30 ml of olive oil in a large cast iron pot over medium heat.
Add the pieces of lamb in batches and brown them, turning them as needed for about 6 to 8 minutes. You may need to add oil again.
Remove the meat and keep it warm.
Add some oil and heat up
Add the peppers and onions and stir to coat with the oil. Cook for about 5 minutes then add garlic and cook another minute.
Stir in the paprika, cumin and cardamom and cook for one minute.
Add the tomatoes, lamb, wine, salt and pepper to taste, raisin (if you choose to) and fresh herbs. Mix well and bring to a boil.
Cook in the oven at 300 degrees for 2.5 hours, or until the lamb is tender.

Chili

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:48:09 +0000

Ingredients:

50 ml olive oil
1lb ground beef
1 smoked chicken breast, chopped in small cubes
2 sausages chopped in small cubes
500 ml chopped red onion
16 chopped garlic cloves
500 ml chopped green peppers
500 ml chopped celery
5 seeded and chopped habanero peppers or another kind of hot peppers
50 ml chili powder
50 ml cumin powder
25 ml coriander powder
50 ml dried oregano
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 liter of tomato sauce
500 ml beef stock
4 cans of drained red beans
Juice a lime
100 ml chopped cilantro

Method:

In a large pot, heat the oil and add the meat, onion and garlic and cook until the meat is not pink anymore
Add hot and mild peppers and celery and cook for about 3-4 minutes
Add spices, tomatoes, tomato sauce and beef stock.
Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes
Add beans and cook for another 10 minutes
Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and cook for one more minute.

Pasta Arabiata

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:46:36 +0000

I make my tomato sauce every September with my friends, that are Italian of course. We have a lot of fun doing this. For dinner, we usually eat pasta with plain tomato sauce serve with bread and wine. Simple but so good.

Ingredients:

One bottle of tomato sauce
One small can of tomato paste
3 chopped garlic cloves
50 ml fresh chopped basil
10 ml cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Penne
Optional: 300 gr. deveined shrimps and washed in cold water several times

Method:

Mix all the ingredients but the pasta together
Let simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes
Cook pasta in salted boiling water
Drain pasta, pour the sauce and serve
Optional: If you want, you may add the shrimps in the last 5 minutes of the sauce simmering

Mixed vegetables on the BBQ

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:43:56 +0000

Cheryl has a bad habit of going to the market in August and filling up the trunk of the car with as much veggies as she can fit! The list of vegetables above is not a strict list. It depends on what you have in your fridge (or in your car truck on Saturday morning). Basically, cut your vegetables in large chunk, add seasoning, garlic and olive oil, wrap in foil and cook it on the BBQ!

Ingredients:

1 green pepper, 1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper cut in large squares
3 celery branches, cut 2 cm diagonally
2 carrots, cut 0.5 cm diagonally
1 zucchini, sliced 0.5 cm diagonally
1 onion, cut in 1.5 cm pieces
1 leek chopped
3 chopped garlic cloves
A handful of yellow beans
A handful of sweet beans
Whatever else you like, such as broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, etc
Olive oil
Mix of fresh herbs or Italian seasoning or Mrs. Dash seasoning.
Salt and pepper

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl
Place in an aluminum container or in a large aluminum foil sheet
Make sue you wrap the vegetables with a couple of layers of foil so it does not burn on the BBQ
Cook about 20 minutes on the BBQ, at low heat, turning once.