Harvest Nachos With Squash, Brussels Sprouts And Cheddar

Harvest Nachos With Squash, 

Brussels Sprouts & Smoked Cheddar

Breaking out of its Tex-Mex shackles, Harvest Nachos finds crunchy tortilla chips baked under a bed of two cheeses, roasted fall veggies, dried cranberries and fresh thyme. If you cut the vegetables and grate the cheeses ahead of time, the whole dish comes together in under an hour. It is important to layer nachos so the last bite is as good as the first.

Ingredients:

3 cups (750 mL) diced butternut squash, cut into ¾-inch (2-cm) cubes
1 lb (455 g) Brussels sprouts, trimmed, quartered through core
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mL) water
2 tsp (10 mL) sugar
1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings
1 lb (455 g) sturdy tortilla chips
½ lb (225 g) smoked cheddar, grated
½ lb (225 g) Swiss melting cheese (Emmenthal, Appenzeller, Gruyère), grated
½ cup (125 mL) dried cranberries
3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh thyme leaves
Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 450°F (230°F).

2 In a large mixing bowl, combine squash, Brussels sprouts, oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and transfer to a heavy-duty baking
sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake on lower rack, stirring twice, until browned and soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven.

3 Lower temperature to 350°F (180°F).

4 While the vegetables are roasting, whisk vinegar, water, sugar and a pinch of salt in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in shallot. Set aside, stirring occasionally.

5 Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spread out half the chips and sprinkle with half the cheese, half of the roasted vegetables, cranberries and thyme. Repeat with a second layer using up remaining half of chips, cheese and toppings. Bake until cheeses are melted and nachos are hot, 15 to 20 minutes.

6 Remove from oven. Drain shallots and sprinkle over nachos. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Serves 8

Pork Tenderloin With Passion-Fruit Glaze

Passion Fruit Glaze

Pork Tenderloin

A perfect sauce to bring out the sweetness of the pork. It is also good with veal chops and chicken. Fresh passion-fruit is available at many grocery stores.

Ingredients:

1 tsp ground fennel

1 tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb pork tenderloin

2 tbsp olive oil

Pulp of 1 passion-fruit

⅓ cup late harvest Vidal (Sweet white wine)

1 cup chicken stock

Pinch red pepper flakes

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar

Garnish:

2 tsp (10 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1 Combine fennel, coriander and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle spice mixture over pork.

2 Heat oil over medium-high heat in a skillet large enough to hold pork, or cut the meat into large sections to fit into the pan. Sear pork on all sides until browned, about 2 minutes a side. Remove pork to a plate.

3 Add passion-fruit pulp, late harvest Vidal, stock, pepper flakes, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil and return pork to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover skillet and cook tenderloin for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a touch of pink is left in the centre.

4 Remove pork and let rest 5 minutes.

5 Bring liquid in pan to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until thickened.

6 Slice pork and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with rice and beans or wild rice.

Serves 4

Shrimp And Mango Shrimp Rolls

Shrimp & Mango Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
¼ tsp red chili flakes
8 oz frozen, cooked shelled shrimp, thawed
1 large mango, peeled, pitted and diced
3 radishes, cut into matchsticks
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp shredded fresh basil
1 tsp Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
6-inch rice paper wrappers, about 12

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and red chili flakes until sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Pat shrimp dry, then chop. In a bowl, toss together shrimp, mango, radishes, green onions, cilantro, basil, chili-garlic sauce and sesame oil.

Working with 2 wrappers at a time, dip them in a bowl of warm water and lay out in a single layer on a clean tea towel.

Spoon about 2 heaping tbsp shrimp mixture in a strip just below centre of each wrapper, leaving a 1-inch border on either side. Fold in sides of each wrapper, then roll up wrappers to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Serve spring rolls with dipping sauce.

Makes about 12 spring rolls

Smoked Pork Ribs

Smoked Pork Ribs

Recipe adapted from Tom Davis’s resto-sized version for The Stockyards Smokehouse and Larder, Toronto

DRY RUB
1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar
1 cup (250 mL) chilli powder
1 ½ tbsp (22 mL) sea salt
1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp (7 mL) sweet paprika
1 ½ tsp (7 mL) garlic powder
1 tsp (5 mL) cayenne pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) hot pepper flakes
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano
½ tsp (2 mL) onion powder
½ tsp (2 mL) ground coriander
½ tsp (2 mL) ground cumin

MOPPING SAUCE
2/3 cup (160 mL) apple juice
1/3 cup (80 mL) cider vinegar
2 tsp (10 mL) hot pepper sauce
¼ tsp (1 mL) sea salt

RIBS
4 lb (2 kg) pork back ribs
4 cups (1 L) smoking chips, soaked in apple juice or water for at least 1 hour

BARBECUE SAUCE
3 cups (750 mL) ketchup
1/3 cup (80 mL) cider vinegar
3 tbsp (45 mL) Dry Rub (recipe above)
3 tbsp (45 mL) yellow mustard
2 tbsp (30 mL) molasses
2 tbsp (30 mL) honey
1 tbsp (15 mL) hot pepper sauce, or more to taste

Directions:
For dry rub, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Spoon into an airtight container.

For mopping sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Pour into a spray bottle.

For ribs, remove membrane from underside of ribs by loosening a corner with a sharp paring knife. Grasp the membrane with paper towels and pull gently but firmly to peel it off.

Rub ribs all over with enough of the dry rub to coat them. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Just before grilling, drain half of wood chips, leaving remaining chips in liquid. Wrap drained chips in a double layer of foil, making a flat package and sealing edges well. Poke holes in top of package with a skewer. Put package under cooking grate directly over one burner of barbecue. Put a foil pan of water directly over other burner. (Alternatively, follow barbecue manual’s instructions for using wood chips.)

Use foil to seal any openings in your grill to help keep the smoke inside, but leave a small opening, if possible, near where you’ll put the ribs.

Preheat barbecue to high. After about 20 minutes, when chips are smoking, leave burner under chips on high and turn off remaining burner(s). Arrange ribs on unlit part of grill over pan of water. Close lid and adjust temperature of lit burner to maintain a temperature of about 225º to 250ºF (110º to 120ºC). Close lid and grill, without lifting lid, for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, drain remaining wood chips, wrap as before and place alongside first package directly over lit burner. Spray ribs with mopping sauce.

Repeat spraying process every hour, turning and rearranging ribs each time, until meat is very tender and starts to shrink from ends of bones, 4 to 4 ½ hours.

For barbecue sauce, combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for flavours to blend, about 30 minutes. (Sauce will be runny.)

Serve ribs with barbecue sauce.
Serves 4 to 6

Seared Scallop Salad With Orange and Bacon

Seared Scallop Salad with Orange and Bacon

Ingredients:

3 oranges
¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) white wine vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) maple syrup
½ tsp (2 mL) minced garlic
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, finely chopped
12 large dry-packed scallops, patted dry
8 cups (2 L) washed and dried salad greens

Directions:

Grate 1 tsp (5 mL) zest and squeeze 2 tbsp (30 mL) juice from 1 orange. Cut peel and white pith from remaining oranges and separate into segments.

In a small bowl, whisk together orange zest and juice, oil, vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Add scallops to skillet. Cook, without moving them, until seared, about 2 minutes. Turn scallops and cook until seared, 1 to 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss salad greens and orange segments with just enough dressing to coat them. Divide salad among 4 plates. Top each salad with scallops. Drizzle scallops with any remaining dressing. Sprinkle salads with bacon.

Serves 4

Apple Cranberry Teacake

Apple Cranberry Teacake

By: Marilyn Bentz-Crowley Serve this European-style cake reminiscent of pound cake for tea, brunch or dessert after a meal. The fruit provides the liquid to bake the cake, adding immeasurably to the flavor. Ingredients: 2 medium apples 3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 2 eggs 1/4 tsp almond extract or 1 tsp vanilla ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted ⅓ cup sliced almonds Directions: Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter an 8 inch springform pan or line an 8 inch layer cake pan with foil and coat with nonstick spray. Peel and core apples; dice 11/2 cups. Gather a dozen of smallest cranberries; set aside for garnish. Cut remaining cranberries in half. Stir apples with cranberry halves. Stir flour with sugar, baking powder and salt until well mixed. Lightly beat eggs with extract. Stir egg mixture and melted butter into flour mixture until well-mixed. Dough is somewhat stiff. Evenly spread two-thirds in bottom of prepared pan. Top with an even layer of fruit mixture, scattering right to pan edge. Using your fingers, pull off small pieces of remaining dough, flatten slightly and lay on top of fruit. Some fruit peeks through. Dot reserved cranberries here and there; scatter almonds over top. Bake in centre of oven for 75 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes; then remove from pan and finish cooling on the rack. Cut into small wedges using a serrated knife. Cake keeps well at room temperature for a day; or wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Makes 8 to 10 servings

Artichole And Pea Baby Shells With Orange Ricotta

ARTICHOKEs, PEAs, BABY SHELLS,  WITH ORANGE RICOTTA By: Victoria Walsh

Just five simple no-prep ingredients plus flavoring ingredients and spices are all it takes to cook up this delicious vegetarian meal. Ingredients: 1 orange 1 cup ricotta, about ½ a 500-g tub ¼ tsp salt and freshly ground pepper 1 lb. baby shells pasta 1½ cups fresh or frozen peas, thawed 2 tbsp good-quality olive oil, plus more for garnishing 1½ cups jar marinated quartered artichokes, drained and patted dry. Generous pinches of chili flakes (optional)2 tbsp  fresh snipped chives or shredded basil (optional). Directions: Fill a large pot with salted water. Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, zest orange. Stir ½ tsp zest into ricotta along with ¼ tsp salt and generous pinches of pepper. When water is boiling, stir in shells. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until al dente. When pasta is almost done, add peas for last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain well. Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle with oil. When hot, add pasta and peas. Stir to coat. Add artichokes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 4 minutes until artichokes are warm. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with generous dollops of orange-ricotta. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with a little more zest and chili flakes, if desired. Scatter chives overtop. Serves 4

Celery Chicken Chive And Bean Salad

Celery Chicken Chive And Bean Salad

Ingredients:

Brine:

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 white onion, sliced thin

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 stalk celery, cut into half and thinly sliced

2 boneless chicken breasts, (1 lb.)

Dressing:

Whisk together in a large bowl:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt

Salad:

1 13oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups shelled edaname beans

1/2 cup finely chopped chives

3 stalks celery cut into halves and sliced thin

Chicken Breasts, sliced into thin strips

chive flowers for garnish

Directions:  

In a resealable bag mix brine ingredients together and add chicken breasts.  Place in refrigerator overnight.

The next day, remove chicken from brine and pat dry.  Cook 6 to 7 minutes per side until juices run clear.  Remove to board to cool, slice into thin strips.

In a large bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Add salad ingredients and sliced chicken.

Sprinkle on chive flowers that have been separated for garnish.