Popotte-Santé : Legumes and a Surprise Roast

Popotte-Santé Club members from left to right : Jean-Pierre, Magnolia, Linda, Quynh, Fabio and Farah behind the camera.

Our monthly Popotte-Santé get-togethers are getting more and more interesting as we're moving along with the concept. On a beautiful and warm day, the lunch was held outside this week, at the picnic tables on the terrasse of our building. Once again, everyone brought something, but this time we had a spectacular cuban-style roast. It was juicy and so tender. Although everyone did a magnificent job in preparing delicious foods, I think that most of us would agree that the pork roast was the highlight of our picnic. The idea of having a Popotte-Santé (Healthy Cooking club) is to share healthy recipes but it doen't mean that meat is not welcome. On the contrary, a healthy meal can consist of meats and seafood as long as they're prepared in a healthy way : baked, steamed, boiled, or broiled.

Also, I meant to emphasize that cub members or even guests are not always expected to bring or to prepare anything, but we do want to encourage members to share ideas, recipes and even tips on how to prepare healthy foods, tell us about foods that are not familiar to some of us, or to simply join us to taste and listen to food anecdotes that the group can bring to the table. I must admit though that the pot-luck idea is not one that I'll object to. When we feast together, there's a positive family atmosphere. Sharing and eating great food is a great part of good living.

To complete our meals, Jean-Pierre, Linda and Farah had brought great tasting tea, a yogurt dip and fresh summer fruits.

Here are some of the recipes of the luscious dishes we savoured, which are simple and easy to make.

*****
White Bean Dip from Magnolia Recipe "au pif":1 can Cannellini (white kidney beans) beans
1/4 cup Flat-leaf parsley
Lemon juice of ½ lemon or to taste
1/3 cup olive oil,or to taste
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until pureed.

This dip has a similar texture as Hummus but is lighter. It also goes amazingly well with toasted mini pitas lightly brushed with a little bit of olive oil and herbs of your choice.

Share and enjoy

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Lentils and tomato Gratin from Quynh

Recipe "au pif":2 cups dry green lentils, rinsed
4 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stalk
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes (from can)
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp butter or margarine
about 1/4 cup of heavy cream or plain unsweetened soya milk (optional)
Grated cheese to garnish
Spices:1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp ground cardamom
3 cloves, crushed in mortar and pestle
a pinch of whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp ground chili powder (to taste)

Preheat oven at 350F

Boil the lentils in the chicken stock in a large sauce pan on medium high heat for about 30-45 minutes, or until the lentils have softened. Lentils are tender when you can easily poke through with a small knife. Set aside.
Melt butter or margarine in a separate large sauce pan on medium heat. Add in the (spices and) garlic and stir for about 2 minutes.

Add in the lentils and chicken stock mix. Give it a good stir, then add the crush tomatoes.

You can add some cream to balance the acidity and give the lentil stew a velvety texture.

Garnish cheese of your choice.

Bake for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese.

Serves 4 people.

To give this lentil dish a richer taste the cream is a perfect little addition. Otherwise, a dash of plain unsweetened soya milk will give this dish a velvety texture.

Share and enjoy.

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At last, the pièce de résistance, a Cuban-style roasted pork from Fabio.

Recipe "au pif":
4-8 lbs of pork leg or shoulder (preferably leg - has very little but enough fat to obtain a moist roast)
Marinade:3-4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely mincd
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp dry oregano
2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
juice of a sour orange (sour orange can be substitued by the juice of 1/2 orange and 1 whole lime if you can't find sour/bitter orange).

Preheat oven at 350F

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Marinade at least 2-4 hours or overnight,. The longer the meat is marinated, the tastier and juicier the roast). Reserve some of the marinade (about 1/4 of the quantity to drizzle over the final roast).

Place the marinated pork in a large baking pan.

Cover the roast with aluminium paper and roast between 1h 45 min to 2 hours if using a regular oven. If using a convectional oven, roast for at least 1/2 the time, or until the roast
*It is important not to overcook pork because it will become tough and dry, but if under cooked it will not have the proper flavor or texture. It also needs to be cooked to the proper doneness to make it safe to eat. Shown below are signs to look for to determine doneness:- When pricked, the juices should run clear, with no pinkish coloring.
Cut into the meat and check to see that it is white in color. When cooked to medium doneness there may be slight traces of pink in the middle.
- To ensure doneness, check with a meat thermometer. A thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the cut should produce a temperature of 160°F for medium doneness (165°F to 170°F for well done).

*Another trick used by many caribbeans to clean a good piece of meat is to soak the piece of meat in warm water and rub it with sour orange and lemon. Then boil the piece of meat for a good 15 minutes. The Roast time will be less than 2 hours. *
Remove the aluminum foil and raise the temperature to 400F to brown the outside of the roast, until the roast has reached a nice golden brown colour.

For best results, the meat should be allowed to rest (a waiting period before carving) for 10 to 15 minutes. During this time the meat will continue to cook and will increase in temperature 5 to 10 degrees. Resting also allows the juices to be redistributed through the meat before it is carved. Remove strings if tied, and slice or carve to the desired thickness.

Serves 6-8 people

Share and enjoy.

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Tarte aux prunes Liégeoise from QuynhTeaser recipe "au pif" in my next post! Promise!

* updated June 9th - recipe of plum tart is now available here!*

Spicy and Creamy Chicken and Peanut Butter African Stew

My blog has been on hiatus for a little while due to other projects I've been working on, to help out the victims of the recent earthquake in Haïti. I've also been exploring new quick and easy recipes from a book called Glorious One-Pot Meals by Elizabeth Yarnell. It's a great book in which I found this really tasty and exotic African recipe using peanut butter as the main base for the sauce of the stew and coconut milk for the sweet heavenly fragrance.

The first time I tried it out, I had put in too much water or liquid, so I cut down on the liquids so that the rice cooked al dente. You can play around with the amounts, as long as you stick with the main ingredients.

I'm really not happy with the way this picture turned out (just can't wait til the days are longer to have more natural lighting, as we're approaching Spring, since I seem to find time to cook mostly late afternoons), but believe me, this dish is incredibly savoury.

Preparation: 20 minutes, Baking time: 40-45 minutes

Recipe "au pif":

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp butter-flavored margarine or butter

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 cup white rice (long grained or even fast-cooking brown rice will do)

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 lb chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs, cut in about 3 inch chunks

1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced

1/2 cup coconut milk

4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely sliced

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, to taste

3 tbsp creamy peanut buter of your choice

3 tomatoes, diced

1/2 sweet potato, cut into small cubes (russett potatoes will also do)

2 cups fresh baby spinach, rinsed

Preheat oven 450F

Grease Dutch-oven with canola oil or butter-flavored margarine.

Scatter the onion in the pot.

Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold water until the water runs clear. Tipe the rice into the pot, add the liquid, and stir to make an even layer.

Place the chicken on the rice. Sprinkle a pinch of coarse sea salt. Add the bell pepper.

In a measuring cup, whisk the coconut milk, garlic, sliced jalapeno peppers, sea salt and peanut butter until the peanut butter dissolves. Pour over the chicken.

Layer in the tomatoes, potatoes and spinach.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven.

Serve immediately.

Share and enjoy!

Spicy Almond Lamb Pot

I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed cooking today. Perhaps I was inspired by the movie "Julie & Julia" which I had just viewed last weekend, or perhaps I miss cooking hearty and meaty stews. Today, I prepared a lamb stew which retains all the taste of the veggies and spices without using heavy cream or butter, which the orignal recipe calls for. Don't get me wrong, I just luuuuve the taste and fragrance of butter, but to make this dish incredibly aromatic, I used a butter-flavoured margarine. My friend Maggie must be laughing right now, as she is reading this because she knows which margarine I'm referring to....

If you can't find any butter-flavoured margarine, you can always use a shred of the real thing and some olive oil.

What's the best thing about preparing this dish? There are only two steps and all ingredients are combined in one large Dutch-oven pot to simmer in less than an hour until it's ready to be served piping hot. You know the dish is ready when a heavenly aroma of this lamb pot dish escapes the oven. I discovered this recipe as I was scanning through my cousin's stack of photocopied recipes. I wish she would remember the name of the book because I really savoured this dish and was hoping that I could find stew recipes like this one.

As meat alternatives, beef or turkey tenderloins can be used.

Preparation time : 20 minutes, Baking time: 45-50 minutes

Recipe "au pif":

2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cardomom

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup green lentils, rinsed in strainer

1 1/4 cup hot water

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/4 tsb cumin seeds

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 tbsp fresh garlic, finely minced

1 bell pepper (red or green), cored, seeded, thinly sliced

2 large tomatoes, puréed in food processor

2 tbsps tomato paste

1 handful fresh coriander, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp butter-flavoured margarine (butter or ghee butter can also be used)

coarse sea-salt, or to taste

black ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven at 450F

In a large bowl, mix the ground coriander, cloves, chili, cardamom and slivered almonds. Mix in the lamb cubes into the spice mixture and make sure to coat each cube with the spices and almonds. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Grease one large Dutch-oven pot with the margarine or butter.

Throw in the lentils and the hot water.

Add in the slices of onions, the cumin seeds, garlic and ginger. Stir.

Now add in the spiced lamb.

Then lay the slices of bell peppers over the lamb. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of coarse sea salt and pepper, to taste

Pour in the puréed tomatoes and stir in the tomatoe paste.

Sprinkle the fresh coriander.

Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Serves 4 people.

Serve hot with basmati rice.

Share and enjoy!

Hearty Bean and Seafood Stew

If you remember just last October I had posted a luscious and hearty recipe that can be eaten as a main meal or a side dish : a great white bean with leek stew.

I love this recipe because it doesn't take much time to make and doesn't require complicated ingredients. After you've reached desired texture - which is thick and velvety - you can throw in just about anything you want. This time around, I decided to add in a good handful of seared scallops and a mild herb such as tarragon. Chopped tarragon and mint to garnish the stew gives it a light liquorice and fresh fragrance which goes very well with seafood.

I also like to eat this stew with a nice toasted bread. It hits the spot.

You can find the recipe here. As for the scallops, I like to buy small frozen ones - as much as you like (I used about 1/2 lb). I let them thaw, wrapped in a sealed plastic bag, in a large bowl of warm water. You pat them dry with paper towel and sear them in a hot pan with olive oil and minced garlic. Of course, fresh scallops are highly recommended, but at this time of year in Montreal, it's a little more difficult to find fresh seafood. Frozen ones are still great substitutes. Shrimps are also great in this stew.

Share and enjoy.

Hearty White Beans and Leek Stew

I took a few days off from work since last Friday and took advantage to go to Ottawa's Farmer's market. We wanted to get away from the hustling and bustling of Montreal's cosmopolitan atmosphere and decided to get up really early, 6am (real early for a day off and for a non-morning person at all) to make sure to get the best of the goodies from Ottawa's local farmers. It was a little bit cold, but we pretty much got what we needed. Our main purchase was at least 4 kilos of leeks.

Leek is one of my favourite types of "onion" at this time of year, when it's cold and nippy. They're the perfect ingredient to add to soups, stews, popular dishes like lasagnas or even quiches.

This weekend, I made a dish that is a favourite in Haitian families, a well seasoned stew made of white beans and leek. It's creamy, tasty and so satisfying to the palate. In Quebec, we have the yearly Cabane à Sucre that usually starts at the peek of Spring. Although I've grown less fond of eating at the Cabane à Sucre (sugar shack), only because I had gone so many times when I was younger, my favourite part of the meal was the traditional cooked beans in maple syrup. It's just so tasty and delicious. Now, I like cooking my own beans because I'm more conscious of my health and know that beans are an excellent source of iron, potassium, selenium, molybdenum, thiamine, vitamin B6, and folic acid.

The last 5-7 years, I have met many different interesting people who have different eating habits, as a result of health issues or purely personal preferences. It seemed to me that over the years, many of my friends or even new acquaintances have developped intolerances to different types of foods or have made personal choices to not eat certain foods. Some have become vegetarian, or more seriously vegans, and some have developped an intolerance to gluten, dairy products, nuts, or seafood. Even though I love receiving and cooking for friends and family, I find it's become somewhat challenging to cook for guests. My solution to have a stress-free dinner reception is to simply suggests my guests, in advance, what I plan to offer them for dinner and ask them to let me know which foods or ingredients I should avoid adding on the menu. This is when the real test kicks in to become more creative when cooking delicious meals without taking away the enjoyment of eating a good meal. But of course, I also know many people, including my direct family, who will eat just about anything. They're not picky eaters and are ready to try just about everything. Although I don't like to categorize, but I do have to say this to Lisa, Daph, Stefan, Lorraine, Louis, Marsela and Artan...I think you know where you fit in.....Thank goodness you guys are around...

In fact, knowing people with different taste palates or with certain preferences, has allowed me to learn more about food that I never knew existed or to know more about their flaws and qualities. This bean recipe can be eaten as a main course or a side dish to a meat or fish dish. Either way, I'm sure you'll find it gratifying. It even tastes better after a couple of days when the seasonings have had the time to soak well into the sauce.

Preparation time : 20 minutes, Cooking time : 1 hour with pressure cooker, or 2 hours in large sauce pan (after beans soaked overnight)

Recipe "au pif" :1 1/2 cup uncooked white beans
7 cups hot water
3 cups leeks (roots and green leaves removed), chopped in cubes
1 large yellow onion, chopped in cubes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (optional) - ends snipped off twigs, or fresh tarragon finely chopped.
1 tsp fresh ground paprika
1 tsp chili flakes
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable or chicken stock concentrate - or 1 cube vegetable or chicken broth.
1 tbsp olive oil


In a pressure-cooker, add in the hot water and the uncooked beans. Close and pressure-cook on medium heat for about 1 hour.

* if using a regular large sauce pan, beans must be soaked in warm water overnight to soften. Use 3 cups of hot water to cook them for about 2 hours. *

Beans are cooked when they've reached an off-white colour, have softened and water has thickened Add in the chicken stock. Turn off heat but put lid back on.

In the meantime, toast the mustard seeds in a large frying pan on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Then add in the oil and heat for another minute.

Stir in the onions, let them brown for about 1 minute. Then stir in the garlic and mix. Finally add in the chopped leeks and stir until almost golden brown on the edges.

Stir in the leek/onion/garlic mixture in the pressure cooker with the cooked beans. Add in the chili flakes and the fresh thyme (optional), or preferrably fresh tarragon. Give it a good stir and cover to slow cook for about 10 minutes.

Serve as a healthy side dish to roasted eggplants or roasted poultry.
Serves 4-6 people

Share and enjoy!

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato in Coconut Milk

I can feel the energy. Everyone at work is excited about the Halloween festivities this year and preparing for the big day this Friday to dress up and bring his/her own special dish to share with the troop. I’m usually not one to celebrate Halloween, but this year there’s going to be a huge pot-luck and I am definitely psyched up to eat and share food with everyone, and in a costume, of course. I have a few ideas in mind of what to make and bring. Just stay tuned…

For now, keeping the Halloween theme, I’d like to share with you a wonderful recipe of a velvety stew that is somewhat different and exotic. It’s made of pumpkin, sweet potato and coconut milk. The sweet potato and pumpkin bring a pleasant sweetness to this traditional vietnamese Buddhist vegetarian meal, called Canh Bi Ro Ham Dua. The coconut milk gives it a creamy taste that certainly sets this dish apart from western stews that we’re more familiar with here in North America.

It’s hearty and savory. The hardest part is to cut through that d-mn pumpkin! Other than that, it’s quite easy and quick to make.

Clockwise from top left:

Small squash or pumpkin

Sweet potato and zucchini

Dried Chinese mushrooms

Good quality coconut milk

Preparation: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 15 minutes

Recipe “au pif”:
2 cups squash or pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cubed
½ cup dried Chinese mushrooms thinly sliced, soaked in water until soft (regular mushrooms can also be used)
½ cup unsalted peanuts
2 cups good quality coconut milk
1 green zucchini, thinly sliced
1 good pinch coarse sea salt
½ cup fresh chopped coriander, to garnish

In large saucepan, stir in squash/pumpkin, sweet potato, mushrooms and peanuts in ½ the amount of the coconut milk. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are just getting tender. Try not to overcook them or they'll be too mushy.

Stir in 1/2 of the remaining coconut milk and stir in the zucchini slices. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the salt and stir for about 30 seconds.

Turn off heat.

Serve hot with fresh coriander, pour in the remaining amount of the coconut milk as a last touch, and savour. Can also be served with steamed jasmine or basmati rice.

Serves 6 people.

Oh – and what would Halloween be without a black cat?

Negrita, our beloved cat who just passed away two days ago.

Su’s Curry Ginger Lentils – Sensuality

I made this dish the first time two weeks ago and fell in love with it; its aroma, its fragrance, its velvety texture and most importantly the wonderful burst of flavours that accompany the rest. It’s one of those sensual dishes where you just let yourself go and let every morsel melt in your mouth and end the dish by licking your spoon ‘til the last drop is consumed.

This AMAZING lentil recipe was sent to me by my dear friend Su from Vancouver as she heard my calling for more Asian vegetarian recipes. She knows how much I love cooking especially when the recipes are easy.

A great dish to prepare for a busy week coming ahead.

Preparation: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Recipe “au pif”:
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic - Minced
1 Onion - Minced
3 tbsp Good Quality Curry Powder (I like using Thai or Malaysian curry, if using paste use 1 tbsp only)
1 tsp Fresh Ginger - Grated
1 Fresh Jalopeno Pepper - Seeded & Minced (I like leaving the seeds in for more heat)
1 Cup Dried Lentils**
2 Sweet potatoes - Peeled & Cubed
2 Tomatoes - Chopped including juice
4 Cups Vegetable stock
Pinch Sea Salt
1 Cup Nonfat Plain Yogourt (optional)
¼ Cup Minced Cilantro, or Parsley
** If using canned lentils only use 1 cup of stock

Heat Large Pot on Med>High
Add Oil
Saute Garlic,onions, curry powder,ginger,& Jalopeno for 4 minutes
Add Lentils, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, stock & salt
Bring to a boil
Reduce heat to medium
Cover loosely and simmer until lentils are tender…about 30 minutes
Just before serving stir in yogourt & sprinkle with minced cilantro

Serves 6-8 people.
Serve with steamed white rice, or serve alone with a poached egg.
Enjoy.

Original Pasta alla Genovese

Summer is coming to a close. Temperatures are already cooler and days are shorter. Ragweed season is already taking a toll on me with a very itchy nose and watery eyes. I'm definitely not a big fan of fall season with its cold, humid and damp weather, especially here on the east coast of Canada. I am, on the other hand, looking forward to cooking lots of hearty meals and soups. Fall and winter are the seasons I can cook up a storm, just like today. I managed to post 4 recipes in one day! I wouldn't call it obsession, but prefer calling it a passion.

Today was a perfect day to try out an Italian-style stew that caught my attention last week, while I was watching my favorite cooking show A la di Stasio. The nice thing about cooking shows is that you see how a dish is actually prepared, making it easier for the viewer to follow a recipe successfully. And I was right, the stew turned out fantastic! It's a stew that consists of 20 minutes of preparation and 6-8 hours of braising! Sounds exhaustive. It's actually a meal that you fix in minutes and just forget about it for the rest of your day. 6-8 hours is plenty of time to catch up with my sleep, reading or updating my blog...even better, cook another meal!

Unfortunately, a good friend of mine who now resides in France, will probably turn green when she sees the ingredients of this recipe. As much as she loves eating good food, she can't stand onions! With all due respect, onions is used in almost every recipe around the world. But that's ok...I know people who will appreciate it for it's simplicity and for it's italian flavours.

Recipe "au pif":

4 1/2 lb regular yellow onions, peeled (12 medium sized onions)

olive oil

butter

2 lb (about 1 kilo) beef chuck shoulder (beef side)

1 cup diced prosciutto

1lb ziti or penne pasta (or macaroni, rigatoni...any pasta!)

grated Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

salt and pepper

**

Blanch the onions by putting them first in a large pan filled with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Discard water and soak onions in cold water. Blanching the onions will release some of the acidic bitter taste and enhance the colour of the onions.

Cut the onions in halves and then in thin slices with a very sharp knife (blanched onions have slippery layers of skin, and you won't stop cursing if you don't use a sharp knife).

In a large pan, heat olive oil and a bit of butter and brown all sides of the beef shoulder. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the onions, a bit of salt and stir.

Add in the prosciutto, stir and cover.

Allow to braise on very low heat (the minimum) for 6-8 hours.

This stew can also be cooked in the oven at 250F for the same amount of time, 6-8 hours.

After 6-8 hours, remove braised beef, put aside in large dish and keep warm.
Cook pasta in boiling water in a large pan, until "al dente".

Drain pasta.

Add sauce and meat to pasta, wait 1 minute for flavours to blend, add grated cheese if desired, and enjoy...

Assolutamente delicioso!