Grilled Pork Chops With Mustard, Honey & Sage

Anyone living in Canada or anyone who's visited here or knows a Canadian, will understand why we're sometimes called "crazy canucks".

From a cooking perspective, throw any bad weather at us and if we want to eat something grilled, we'll grill it in the worst of weather conditions.

I'll grilled outdoors when it's pouring rain, extreme cold and yes, even when it snows. I think the only time I haven't grilled is when it's hailing (hail hurts my head).

The weather around here is definitely closer to winter than it is to summer. It was just a week ago that I had the A/C on. The switch on the thermostat has been flicked towards the furnace...exit...stage winter!

I love me a good pork chop but I do get bored with the same ole' slab of pig on the grill. This quick and easy marinade did the trick, however.

I have autumn flavours working here...sage, mustard, honey, oregano and bay...sound good so far?

I also wanted to test out my new coffee grinder which will never be used to grind coffee.

I've seen many food personalities use this contraption to grind spice mixtures into a fine powder.

I want that too!

Let's grill!

Grilled Pork Chops With Mustard, Honey & Sage
(for 4)

2 Tbsp. of fresh sage
2 tsp. of dry oregano
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. of whole, mixed peppercorns
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
4 tsp. of Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. honey
4 tsp. of canola/sunflower oil
zest of 1/2 lemon
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1. Using a mortar & pestle or dedicated coffee grinder for spices, add your sage. oregano, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns and grind into powder.
2. Now empty the spice mixture into a large Zip-lock bag, along with the honey, mustard, oil, zest and lemon juice. Mix to incorporate the marinade and taste-test and adjust accordingly.
3. Add your pork chops into the bag and squish the contents so that the marinade has coated all the chops. Throw in the fridge for at least at at least and hour (ideally three hours) and return to room temperature before grilling.
4. Pre-heat your grill to a medium high heat (should be able to count to five when placing your hand over the heat). Brush your grill well to remove any residue and treat it by wiping some canola oil.
5. Season your pork chops with some salt and a little more black pepper and place on your grill.
6. Your pork chops should take 4-5 minutes per side. When the chops are done, allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
   

Back in Black

Today, I'm cooking with a black ingredient, a new ingredient. I'm talking about black trumpet mushrooms.

The black trumpet is a Chanterelle mushroom and although you may not find them fresh at your market, one can easily find the dried variety (which I bought at my local Asian store).

I don't think I've ever cooked with a black ingredient before...I've burned things to a charred crisp but never have started out with something black.

Speaking of black, who likes AC/DC? After a long hiatus, they are on tour again and my friends and myself will be going to see these rock legends when they come to Toronto in October. Check your local listings to see when they'll be hitting your town.

In the meantime, here's some AC/DC to get you warmed up for their concert and for my "cooking in black" session...


Are you done head bangin'? Are you hungry? Are you ready to Eat to the Beat?

My friend Elly at Elly Says Opa holds a quarterly blogging event where you can write about a dish tied to or inspired by music. If you have a dish and tune in mind, you have until the end of the month to squeeze in an entry.

My entry is a Charred and Roasted Pork Tenderloin with a Black Trumpet Emulsion. In plain English you might be thinking?

I blitzed a mixture in my mini-food processor with dried Black Trumpets along with some herbs and even a touch of sugar (helped with the charring processs). The pork tenderloin then got seared in a skillet and finished off in the oven to a juicy finish.

Not satisfied with the use of Black Trumpets? They get simmered down and whizzed into a emulsion or sauce that's poured over the moist pork tenderloin.

This dish was not too difficult, the result surprised both myself and my brother and it was great to enjoy a recipe from a local, well-known Canadian chef, Michael Bonacini.

To accompany Bonacini's pork tenderloin, I made a Potato & Fennel Gratin and I pan-seared some boy choy.

The final meal was outstanding...fall ingredients, seasonal and a delicious foray into the beginning of autumn. I learned about a new ingredient (Black Trumpets), found out that I liked fennel alot and discovered bok choy is a quick, easy and health vegetable to serve up at the table.

Charred & Roasted Pork Tenderloin With a Black Trumpet Emulsion
(from Michael Bonacini)
serves 4

The Rub
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
3/4 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp dried black trumpet mushrooms
2 pork tenderloins

Black Trumpet Emulsion
2 shallots, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. of butter
3/4 cup of black trumpet mushrooms
(1/3 cup if dried, rehydrate in boiling hot water for 10 minutes)
3/4 cup of chicken stock
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. heavy cream

1. Add black peppercorns, coriander seeds, salt, granulated sugar and trumpet mushrooms to a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Grind spice mixture to a fine sandy texture. Alternatively, grind the spices using a mortar and pestle, but the final texture of the rub will be coarse. This seasoning rub can be kept in an airtight container for up to three months.
2. Thoroughly rub the pork tenderloin with generous amounts of the seasoning rub. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes so the flavours penetrate the pork.
3. Preheat oven to 400 to 425 degrees F.
4. Heat a large heavy-bottomed frying pan (with oven proof handles) over medium high heat. Add a splash of canola oil and a good knob of butter. Sear the pork tenderloins in the pan, turning from time to time so pork browns evenly on all sides. Transfer to oven cook pork until just cooked to a pink and tender stage, about 6 to 8 minutes. Let rest 8 to 10 minutes, keeping warm.
5. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter, shallots and garlic. Gently cook until the shallots are soft. Add the black trumpets, cook lightly for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Reduce mixture by about 1/3.
6. Transfer to a food blender and puree until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer back to the saucepan and bring back to a simmer. Add the cream and the last of the butter. Then using a small hand blender, aerate the sauce to create a light, foamy, very creamy and velvety emulsion. Adjust the seasoning if needed and serve.

No Fear Blogging

One of the bonuses of food blogging is you sometimes get to meet your fellow bloggers. An even rarer occurance is when you meet one from your same town/city and you greet each other as though we were old friends getting together to play "catch up" and spend the day together.

Such was the case this past Thursday when Judy of No Fear Entertaining and family (posse) came to downtown Toronto to meet me for drinks, lunch and some shopping.

We had lunch in one of the city's dining jewels, located in Cabbagetown and then we headed over to Kensington Market to do some grocery shopping from street-side food stands and some fish from the Greek fellows I know.

As someone who love's food, there can be nothing better than being in the company of others like you who recognize and enjoy good food, never tire of talking about good food or seek out good food. That's how our day went and I wouldn't change a thing about it!

My advice as a blogger is get to know the people who frequent and comment on your blog, use some common sense with who to approach and seek others who share similar life paths. Judy and I grew up in the same era and our jokes, life experiences and Toronto upbringing brought us together (along with the attraction to each other's food).

Without throwing caution to the wind, try and organize a gathering, seek out bloggers where you might go to vacation or extend an invite to anyone who might be visiting your town. In my instance, I got lucky by meeting new friends...thanks Judy and Mr. T!

On to some food, as it's as much about sharing as it is about taste, flavour and aroma. I'll be having some friends over at my place for a BBQ and in the ensuing days, I'll share with you some of my favourite dishes (that Souvlaki recipe is coming) and some new ones and even a "Kalofagas Mama" recipe for a Strawberry Shortcake!

Not being the type to blog without offering up a dish, I leave you with a surprisingly delicious pork chop recipe that's easy to prep, gives neutral pork a punch and it's easy enough to whip for the family for a weeknight barbecue.

What we have here is a Cumin-Crusted Pork Chop with a zesty peach salsa. It's latin inspired with the use of crushed cumin seeds and cilantro perfuming the salsa. I added my own stamp on the dish with some oregano to complement the cumin.

This dish is obviously for those who enjoy the aroma and flavour of cumin. This dish works best if you pound or crush cumin seeds...the ground up crap doesn't cut here and the final result is a mellow, flavourful recipe that puts some new life in the staid grilled pork chop.

Happy Birthday Canada

July 1st is Canada Day or our nation's birthday. Tomorrow this young country will turn 141 and I'm every bit a proud Canadian as I am Greek.

Canada is a nation of the Native peoples, the French and English majority and the multicultural mosaic that's made up of all the other ethnicities.

I'm grateful for the opportunity Canada gave to my parents and my family to begin a new life where hard work was rewarded, that one could achieve any goal if they set their mind to it, a country full of tolerance, peaceful and safe.

Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict emailed me to see if I was interested in participating in a food event that captured the essence of Canadian flavours and foods.

Canada has some of the best that International cuisine has to offer and this is large part due to the rich tapestry of ethnicities within our borders.

After asking my parents and brother what food(s) captured the essence of Canada's food...a unanimous reply was French Fries and Gravy.

What's unique about Canada's fries & gravy is the Montreal specialty of Poutines. Poutines are basically a dish of french fries, cheese curds and gravy.

This dish will NOT appear on the menu of any diets currently being exercised but you only live once, life's not a dress rehearsal and Poutines are too damn delicious to not indulge in every now & then.

Cheese curds have the combined texture of Mozzarella and Halloumi and although widely available in Canada, some difficulty will be had in finding them elsewhere.

What you need here are french fries, cheese curds (Mozzarella is the closest alternative) and a deep brown gravy made from a rich beef stock.

There's no real recipe here other than to do your French Fries properly, seek out cheese curds and make a kick-ass, deeply flavourful and thick beef gravy.

Happy Canada Day!

Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads belong to the fern family of plants and from my knowledge, they only grow in the northeast of Canada and the United States.

Their growing season is relatively small and yesterday I bought them for $3.99/lb. - not exactly cheap.

From what I've read, they are best picked when they just emerge from the damp soil, four or five inches in height, tightly coiled to resemble the tuning head of a violin.

I like eating these with a simple preparation: Salt, pepper, minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

Fiddleheads

1 lb. of fresh fiddleheads
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

1. Rinse them several times(usually 3-4 times works), to clean off the remaining brown scales.
   
2. Chop off the yellowish or brownish ends of the stems. Bring a pot of water to boil and add some salt.
   
3. Add the fiddleheads to the boiling water. Cook until they are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Dress with minced garlic, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve hot.
   

Tangy Maple Mustard Rack of Lamb

This recipe is about ten years old. My ex and I would have these wonderful days of shopping, cooking, eating with each other. When picking up wine, we'd often also collect recipe cards that were produced by local Ontario wineries.

To this date, I cannot find the recipe card but I've made this dish enough times to remember the ingredients and with some playing around with the measurements, I've got it down.

Before anyone excuses me of snapping up a recipe as my own...let it be said that I only recall that this recipe was in a booklet of dishes presented by the winery Jackson-Triggs. If anyone recognizes the recipe and remembers the chef who created this dish, please let me know so that I can give due credit.

There are many who are "iffy" on lamb. This is the dish that will convert the lamb-hater. Worried about lamb's gamey flavour? Not here.

Looking for a lamb recipe that's moist and succulent? This is the one.

Want to impress someone on a date or dinner guests with minimal effort? Try this recipe.

Preparation need only be done one hour ahead of time. I like to serve couscous and some type of seasonal green with the lamb. As you can see in the photo, fiddleheads were the chosen green.

Without further adieu, here's the marinade for these succulent lamb chops...guaranteed to be fingah-lickin' good!

Tangy Maple Mustard Rack of Lamb
(for 4)

2 racks of lamb loin
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of Maple syrup
1 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. sea salt

Pre-heated oven, set to broil

1. Rinse and pat-dry your racks of lamb. Turn the racks to their underside and using a knife, scrape some of the silver skin to loosen enough of it to be held by your fingers. Tear if off the racks and discard it.
2. In a bowl, add all the ingredients together, mix with a spoon and spread the marinade all over your racks of lamb. Marinate at room temperature for an hour.
3. Pre-heat your broiler and place your oven rack to the position closest to the broiler. Reserve any excess marinade and place in a small sauce pan and gently heat up and reserve. Season your lamb racks with some coarse salt and fresh ground pepper.
   
4. Set your racks of lamb face up (bone side down) on the tray and place under the broiler for 5 minutes a side for medium-rare. Brush reserved warm marinade over the top of the racks of lamb.
   
5. Allow your racks of lamb to rest for 5 minutes before carving.
6. Serve with fluffed couscous and some seasonal vegetables.
   

Baklava For Breakfast?

Well, almost. Baklava is a rich dessert of nuts and spices, sandwiched by thin sheets of phyllo and finished off with a lemony syrup.

Who would imagine having such a decadent dessert for breakfast? Why, it would be Elly of Elly Says OPA!

Elly is much like myself, a first-generation Greek who grew up outside of Greece but held onto her culture, religion and cuisine.

It was only yesterday that Elly posted her take on a breakfast baklava. She incorporated the fundamental flavours of baklava into a French Toast.

Here in Canada, it's a long weekend and we're celebrating Victoria Day, a testament to this country's Anglo beginnings. What does one do when you have an extra day off?

Make a decadent breakfast!

Breakfast Baklava French Toast
(for 2)

4 slices of bread, crusts trimmed off
3 large eggs
splash of orange juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
splash of vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. of honey
splash of milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
butter
Maple Syrup

Baklava filling
1 handful of nuts (I used walnuts)
1 tsp. of ground clove
1 tsp. of honey

1. Using your food processor, add the nuts and ground cloves and pulse until you get a granular consistency (like that of coarse salt. Remove contents and add to a bowl and and mix in the honey with a spoon and reserve.
2. In a bowl large enough to hold your slices of bread, add the eggs, orange juice, honey, milk, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk until incorporated.
3. Pre-heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Place some baklava filling in between two slices of bread to form a sandwich (reserve some filling for garnish).
5. Carefully dunk the both sides of your "sandwich" into the egg mixture and make sure enough liquid has penetrated the bread (this makes for a moister French toast).
6. Add some butter to your skillet and when it starts to sizzle, place your French toast in the skillet and fry each side for a couple of minutes or until golden-brown. Keep warm and fry off your remaining French toasts in batches.
7. Carefully cut your French toast diagonally in half (this emulates the usual diamond shape of a piece of baklava). Plate your French toast, finish with some reserved baklava filling, good Maple Syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon and icing sugar and some lemon peel for garnish.
   

Step Aside Coconut Shrimp

There's a new kid in town, he's Almond-Crusted Shrimp.

I'll still adore and eat coconut shrimp but this appetizer is closer to home. The crust is of almonds. There are lots of almonds in Greece.

I'm Greek-Canadian, the dish screams Greek, the recipe source is from Canada, I'm born in Canada and... my blog is about sharing food with you.

I've written before that here in Ontario we must buy our liquor from a government operated monopoly of distributors called the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).

The LCBO publishes Food & Drink to commence each new season with food and drink ideas. I never miss a copy.

This appetizer is courtesy of Marilyn Bentz-Crowley and I must wholeheartedly thank her for this wonderful creation.

Most of the work in making this dish is in the prep work but to save time I bought de-veined shrimp and then I set up my assembly line for dressing the shrimp with the coating.

Got a hot date? Wanna WOW guests? Love shrimp? Try this appetizer out. If your love coconut shrimp, you'll adore Almond-Crusted Shrimp...maybe even more so!

Follow the directions as I've laid out. The size 21-25 shrimp count are ideal, each one is 3 bites, you need about one package of sliced almonds and the combo of flour, corn starch and milk made for a good, sticky batter for the almond slices to stick to.

As a dipping sauce, I offered a red pepper jelly. It's sweet with a spicy bite at the end, perfect!

Coconut shrimp...sorry...you're so April 2nd...Almond-Crusted Shrimp is the appetizer of tomorrow.

Almond-Crusted Shrimp
(appetizer for 4)

1lb. large tail-on shrimp (21-25 size)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup corn starch (divided in half)
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
splash of Amaretto liqueur
100 gr. blanched sliced almonds
approx. 2 cups of sunflower oil

1. Peel shrimp if needed, leaving tails attached. Pat-dry and reserve.
2. To make the batter, stir flour with 1/3 cup of corn starch and the salt. Stir in the Amaretto and milk until smooth. Add a little more if needed to have a thick but pourable batter.
3. Pre-heat your oven to 175F to keep shrimp warm until serving (if making a large batch).
4. Set up your dipping stations of your shrimp, then a bowl with your remaining 1/3 cup of corn starch, the bowl with the batter, a plate with the blanched almonds and finally a large plate lined with wax paper (so the shrimp do not stick).
5. Heat your oil in a fryer or deep frying pan and heat the oil to a temp. of 350F.
6. Fry your shrimp in batches for about 2-3 minutes (flip halfway) and reserve in your pre-heated oven until they are all done and you're ready to serve.
7. Serve with a bowl of red pepper jelly and lime wedges.
   

Shrimp, Cocktail Sauce and the Akward Title

Is it really possible to include shrimp and cocktail in the same sentence? I couldn't resist! LOL

As I've said in my last blog entry, I'll be fasting until tomorrow, then eating modestly up to Holy Week and then fasting up to Greek Easter.

Shellfish are perfectly fine for my fasting tastes. Who doesn't like to hang out near the shrimp ring at a cocktail party or a reception?

I could eat half of the platter you see in the photograph but one thing that does bother my stomach is overly acidic prepared seafood cocktail sauce. The stuff simply gives me heartburn.

I think the main cause of my problem with cocktail sauce is that it contains prepared horseradish in it. I do not like prepared, jarred horseradish.

What I do love is fresh grated horseradish, which is simply divine when it's freshly grated on a bed of raw oysters.

Here, I have the all too familiar shrimp platter that we've all seen but why not make it refreshing and new for your guests? Try making your seafood sauce.

This recipe is courtesy of Patrick McMurray, owner of the Starfish Oyster Bar & Grill here in Toronto. Patrick used to shuck oysters at Toronto's famous Rodney's Oyster Bar and he's won numerous oyster-shucking competitions around the world.

Patrick comes from New Brunswick, which guarantees he knows a thing or two about seafood and in my opinion, seafood sauce.

Have a look around for real horseradish root. He heat is much mellower that the jarred variety and you don't get that nasal burn like when you eat Wasabi.

I now have a whole new appreciation of Seafood Cocktail Sauce. After clicking on Patrick's recipe, take note that he uses green olives.