Don Genova's Blog

So Much on My Plate - The Last One!

Yes, it's true, I am putting aside much of my work with the CBC to attend the University of Gastronomic Sciences near Parma, Italy, in pursuit of a Masters of Food Culture.  I'll be back in December of 2007. 

Parma is in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, home of Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, and lasagna!  Go to my wife Ramona's Lasagna Project to find the recipe that Jo-Ann enjoyed on the show today and check out the rest of the entries to read about the other lasagnas she's made so far this year.

In the meantime, this blog will hopefully be updated on a regular basis on my Italian adventures.  Arrivederci!

So Much On My Plate - Tea!

If you're looking for the Pacific Palate 'Most Memorable Meal' contest, please click here.

This week on So Much On My Plate I talked about the latest innovations in the world of tea.  One of the great new things I've tried lately is this Brewt tea and coffee infusers I found at the Coffee and Tea Expo in Vancouver.  The Cornelia Bean folks from Winnipeg are distributing this product in Canada.  What I love about it is that is makes it very easy to brew loose leaf tea.  Put a 'three-fingered pinch' of tea in the Brewt, add hot water, let steep.  Then place the Brewt on top of your teacup.  A special one-way valve opens and dispenses the tea.  The moment you lift up the Brewt, the tea stops pouring!  No muss, no fuss of teaballs or strainers, and then just rinse out the Brewt and you're ready to go again.

  You can learn much more about tea by going to the Tea Council of Canada website.  A common trend I spotted at the Coffee and Tea Expo was the appearance of the pyramid-shaped tea bag, or 'sachet' as they're known in the industry.  These bags allow for more free-flow brewing and leave room for whole-leaf tea to expand.  A company from Aspen, Colorado called Two Leaves and a Bud was promoting its single origin teas, another big trend.

The final exciting trend I spoke about today are flowering teas.  These are hand-sewn tea leaves and sometimes some real flower buds that expand when you brew them for a magnificent display.  The ones pictured here are from the Numi Organic Tea company.

Of course the key to serving these teas at home is to have a nice clear teapot to brew them in!

So Much On My Plate - Salt Spring Island

This week So Much On My Plate explored Salt Spring Island, including a delicious lunch served as part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations at Hastings House.

My guide for my explorations on Salt Spring was Wendy Hartnett of Island Gourmet Safaris.  If you want to cover a lot of ground with all hits and no misses when it comes to great food and wine, give her a shout.

Marcell Kauer is the chef behind many of the delicious creations at Hastings House, and a number of those recipes, along with a history of the property are included in the Hastings House Country Estate Cookbook.  The cookbook is available in Victoria at Houseboat, and Plenty Epicurean Pantry.  On Salt Spring it can be found at Volume Two Books, Salt Spring Books, Houseboat, Garry Oak Winery, Salt Spring Winery, The Fishery, Calvins, Moonstruck
Cheese and of course Hastings House. They are happy to ship the book as well.

Here are the recipes I made from the book for So Much On My Plate:

Oven Roasted Salt Spring Island Rack of Lamb
Blue Cheese Polenta and Grainy Mustard Sauce

When cooking a meal like this, timing can be everything. Marinate the lamb
at least 4 hours ahead.  Then we suggest you first make the grainy mustard
sauce and keep warm on the stove.  Next prepare your vegetables and set them
aside ready to cook, and gather the ingredients for the polenta.  Sear the
lamb and after placing it in the oven, begin your polenta.  When the lamb is
done and resting, cook your vegetable and finish off the polenta.
Perfection!

Roasted Lamb
2 racks of lamb, about 19.4 ounces each  (550g), frenched
¼ cup fresh, chopped thyme
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
8 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
4 fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish
¼ cup fresh, chopped rosemary

When buying your lamb, ask the butcher to "French" the racks by scraping off
any sinew and meat from the rib bones.
Mix together olive oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme in a large bowl.  Add the
lamb and coat well.  Grind some coarse black pepper and slat over all.  Wrap
well and marinate the racks in the refrigerator for at least four hours or
overnight.
Remove the lamb from the marinade and scrape off as many herbs as possible.
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Sear lamb racks on both sides, about 3 minutes each side.  Transfer to a
large baking dish and into the oven for about 10 minutes for medium rare.
Cover the rack with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Grainy Mustard Sauce
11/4 Cup reduced lamb or veal stock
½ cup red wine
4 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Salt and pepper
¼ cup fresh, chopped rosemary
¼ cup fresh, chopped thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and gently bring to the boil.
Simmer for 20 minutes until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Keep
warm until ready to serve.

Blue Cheese Polenta
1 cup polenta
1 cup whipping cream
4 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup good quality blue cheese - Moonstruck Beddis Blue Cheese,
gorgonzola or stilton

In a medium saucepan bring the chicken stock and whipping cream gently to
the boil.  Add the polenta and stir until quite thick and creamy.  Stir in
blue cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve Cut each lamb rack into individual servings, one bone per chop.
Arrange a layer of blue cheese polenta on each plate, top with roasted lamb
and drizzle with grainy mustard sauce.  Garnish with fresh rosemary.  Serve
with seasonal vegetables such as wilted kale.

Serves 4

Savoy Cabbage
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/8 inch pieces
2 shallots, finely diced
2 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 cups Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
¼ cup white wine
½ cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper

In a large pan or wok, sauté bacon shallots and garlic for 2 minutes.  Add
the cabbage and sauté for a further 3 minutes.  Add the white wine and
chicken stock and cook until cabbage is tender.  Season with salt and pepper
to taste.

The other chef I spoke with at Salt Spring was Alan Miceli.  I'll have much more about Alan in another program, but for now you can learn more about him, his food and his music by going to his website.

But I do have his recipe for his Chocolate Espresso Tart:

ALAN MICELI'S CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO TART

Ingredients:

CRUST

5 ounces finely chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts)

1 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp. vanilla

FILLING:

2 cups cream

1/2 cup butter

20 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1 shot espresso, cooled

GARNISH:

2 ounces whilte chocolate, finely chopped

whipped cream, fresh fruit, mint (optional)

In a food processor, blend the nuts, flour and sugar until fine.  Add the butter, egg, and vanilla, and pulse until the mixture holds together.  Press into an oiled 10-inch tart pan.  Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.  Cool.

In a saucepan, bring the cream and butter to a boil.  Pour over the semisweet chocolate, and let sit for 1 minute.  Stir gently until smooth.  Stir in the espresso.  Pour mixture into the crust.

In the microwave on low, melt the white chocolate, then drizzle it on top of the filling.  Using a toothpick, swirl the white chocolate to create a decorative effect.  Chill for about 2 hours or until set.

Cut into 20 slices.  Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, a piece of fresh fruit, and a sprig of mint if desired.

So Much On My Plate - Oktoberfest and a Thanksgiving Alternative

This week So Much On My Plate observes Oktoberfest and a nice alternative to turkey for a Thanksgiving dinner for two.  First, my recipe for those who don't want to roast a whole turkey for Thanksgiving.  I get my duck breasts at Cowichan Bay Farm near Cowichan Bay...and the blackberries?  Well, I pick them myself from my own property or from any number of clumps of blackberry bushes along my street.  You could purchase frozen blackberries, or try using blueberries or raspberries instead.

Duck Breasts with Blackberry-Chocolate Sauce   Serves 4 

Ingredients

4 boneless duck breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. cold butter, cut into cubes
1 ounce orange liqueur such as Cointreau or Triple Sec (optional)
1 tbsp. semi-sweet dark chocolate, roughly chopped

For the sauce:
Put the blackberries, sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and simmer until the berries have completely broken down.  Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.  Strain the berry mixture into a bowl to remove all the seeds, then return the juice to the pot.  Add the balsamic vinegar, the cinnamon and the orange liqueur and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half.  Remove from heat, and whisk in the chocolate a little at a time. Then whisk in the butter a half-tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm while you prepare the duck breasts. 

Pre-heat oven to 450F, and heat until very hot a cast-iron or oven-safe heavy-bottomed frypan large enough to hold the breasts in one layer.  With a sharp knife, score the skin of each duck breast, without cutting through to the flesh, in a diamond-shaped pattern.  Season the breasts all over with salt and pepper and lay them skin side down in the frypan.  When the skin has become crisp and golden and the fat has rendered out of it, remove the duck to a plate and carefully drain most of the fat from the pan.  Put the duck breasts back in, skin side up, and roast in the oven for about 5-7 minutes for medium-rare.  Remove from the pan and tent with foil and let rest for a few minutes.

Place each breast on individual plates and pour a little pool of sauce around it.  This would go well with a simple green salad and some wild rice.  Enjoy!

The other recipe I talked about on the show is much more simple.  Simple take about 4 sausages of your choice, chicken, beef, pork, spicy, mild, hot, whatever, and grill or fry until cooked.  Let cool, then slice on the diagonal into half-inch rounds.  Chop up an onion and some garlic and saute in a large pot with some olive or vegetable oil.  When the onion has coloured, add the cooked sausage, a tablespoon of caraway seed, and a large jar of sauerkraut that you have drained and rinsed in cold water.  Then pour in the better part of a bottle of robust beer, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes to let the flavours mingle, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with some mashed potatoes and grainy mustard.  Instant Oktoberfest!

So Much On My Plate - Albacore Tuna

This week So Much On My Plate explores the delicious world of BC Albacore Tuna.

The albacore tuna fishery off BC's coast is a sustainable catch of young tuna.  When I've purchased them whole they've weighed about 10 to 12 pounds.  There's not a lot of waste, but I find it a lot easier to purchase tuna loins, which are boneless and skinless.  In the grocery store or fish shop, these loins, plain or smoked, should always be frozen.  Don't defrost them until just before you're ready to use them.

For more information about this fishery, including recipes and even some instructional videos, visit the Canadian Albacore Tuna website. You can also check out Victoria-based Finest At Sea for that company's line of albacore tuna products. For the recipes I served on the show today, keep on scrolling!

Don's Tuna Tataki

This is my take on a traditional Japanese dish.  Japanese traditionalists would probably be in an uproar if I served them this tuna, as they think it's sacrilege to put a spicy coating on sashimi grade tuna...but I'm like Emeril, I like to kick it up a notch!

Ingredients

For the tuna

1 skinless, boneless albacore tuna loin, frozen

vegetable oil

1 tbsp. spice rub of your choice

For the sauce

1 3-inch piece of daikon radish, peeled (these are the huge, long white radishes)

1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

1 green onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. hot chili paste

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. soya sauce

Trim the tuna loin so that it is of uniform length and width.  You basically want it to look like a squared-off tube.  Save the trimmings to make poke. (see recipe below)  Heat a heavy-bottomed frypan on high heat and add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom.  Coat the tuna loin in the spice rub, and when the oil is smoking, put the tuna in the pan and sear on all sides.  You don't want it to cook all the way through, just a thin outside layer.  Remove from the pan and let cool.

Grate the daikon radish on a medium to fine grater.  Grate the ginger on a fine grater.  Mix together the radish, ginger and the remaining sauce ingredients. 

Slice the tuna into quarter-inch slices and place on a plate so they attractively overlap.  Pile the sauce on the side and serve.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Tuna Poke

This kind of fish dish is quite common in Hawaii, where they use a variety of fish and a variety of spicings, so feel free to experiment.  You can also add small bits of seaweed to the mix.  Adjust quantities of the spicing according to how much fish you have.  On today's show I probably used a quarter pound of albacore trim.  Cut it into bite-sized chunks and put in a bowl.  Add a splash of sesame oil, a splash of soya sauce, a splash of fish sauce if desired, 1 finely chopped green onion, some cilantro if desired, a dollop of hot chili paste.  Mix all ingredients together and sprinkle with some toasted sesame seeds.  Serve with rice crackers or others of your choice.

So Much On My Plate - Well-Rounded Ingredients

This week on So Much On My Plate, well-rounded ingredients, including table grapes, cherry tomatoes and beets! 

I used BC Coronation Grapes to make two versions of Grape Foccacia.  These grapes are practically seedless, a sweet inside with a slightly sour skin that makes for a perfect balance.  Click here to go to the British Columbia Grape Growers Association website recipe homepage, where you can find the recipe for the focaccia.  I also did a savoury version where I used olive oil, coarse salt and chopped rosemary along with the grapes.

BEETS:  Look at your local farmers' markets for white and Chioggia beets.  The Chioggias have beautiful stripes inside them and along with the white beets, make a stunning salad platter.  Wrap them in foil and roast them whole at 400F in your oven or on indirect heat on your barbecue.  When you can pierce them easily with a skewer, remove from heat, let cool, then peel and slice.  Arrange in one layer on a plate and drizzle with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and toasted cumin seeds for an extra punch.

CHERRY TOMATO SOUP:  I take a couple of pounds of cherry tomatoes and put them in a large roasting pan.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and and pepper, and then nestle in some peeled whole cloves of garlic and a few branches of fresh rosemary and thyme.  Cover with foil and roast at 400F until the tomatoes have burst their skins and have broken down.  Remove the branches of herbs and pour the whole mess into your food processor.  Puree and then pass everything through a sieve to remove the seeds and skins.  Add a little chicken stock if it seems to thick.  Serve hot, at room temperature or even chilled!

So Much On My Plate - Figs

This week on So Much On My Plate I talked about fresh figs and what to do with them.  The figs in this photo are green figs from the tree in my backyard, and I'm having a bumper crop this year, although they seem to be ripening more slowly than usual.  I received some advice that recommended more watering, so I've really been soaking the roots for the past few days, as it has been very dry in the Cowichan Valley all summer long.  I think the variety I have is the Desert King, which are apparently easily propagate from cuttings.

For more about fresh figs, dried figs and what to do with them, check out the California Fig Advisory Board website, as most of the figs commercially available are grown in California. There are also some great fresh fig recipes on Epicurious.com. For today's show, I made two recipes.  They are so simple you don't really need a list of ingredients or a formal recipe:

Figs Wrapped in Spicy Pancetta:  This recipe was inspired by my friend Nathan Fong, who served these as an appetizer at a recent dinner party.  Cut your figs into quarters, lengthwise, and wrap them in spicy pancetta, or prosciutto, or even thin-sliced salami.  Skewer the meat and fig together with a small wooden skewer and bake at 400F on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet for about 8 to 10 minutes.  The meat should release some of its fat and start to crisp, without burning.  Serve immediately.

Figs Topped with Blue Cheese and Balsamic Cream: Cut figs in half lengthwise.  If they are very round, cut a small slice off the rounded bottom so they will sit upright on the baking sheet.  Place a small cube of your favourite blue cheese on top of each fig half.  (you could also top with a walnut half)  Like the pancetta-wrapped figs, place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast at 400F until the cheese has melted onto the fig.  Remove from oven and drizzle with cream of balsamic vinegar. (available at Italian grocers and delis)  Or you could use honey.  Serve immediately.

One other idea you can try if you have a fig tree in your backyard, or a friend with a tree, is to take the largest leaf you can find, stem attached, and brush the upper side of the leaf with olive oil.  In the centre of the leaf, place a small round of soft cheese, Brie or Camembert style, and wrap the leaf around it.  You can then use the stem to poke through the leaf to 'seal' the package.  Put on your BBQ on medium heat until the cheese just starts to melt.  The flavour of the fig leaf will gently infuse the cheese, and it makes for great presentation with some sliced baguette or crackers, as you can just scoop the warm, soft cheese onto the cracker with a knife.  Enjoy!

So Much On My Plate - More from New Orleans

This week So Much On My Plate returned to New Orleans...kind of.  I made a Voodoo shrimp recipe with BC side-stripe prawns and uses my barbecue for a cedar plank variation on the classic Bananas Foster! 

Voodoo Shrimp

I picked up this recipe in New Orleans from chef Duke LoCicero at Café Giovanni.  He and his family are real troopers, recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in record time.  The restaurant was looted, and they had to clean up $30,000 worth of food that had spoiled in the fridge and freezer due to the power outage.

Anyway, this recipe is great as an appetizer for four people, or serves two as a main course entrée, either on pasta, or with lots of crusty bread to mop up the juices.  I’ve given it a BC twist by using BC side-stripe shrimp, which are in season for most of the summer.  You could use any other large shrimp as a substitute.  Don’t overcook them!

Ingredients:
1 pound side-stripe shrimp, shelled and de-veined if necessary
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. Cajun spice rub, or other hot spice mixture
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup Southern Comfort liqueur, in a small heatproof ramekin
1/2 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (available at most Asian markets)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Pour the olive oil and the Cajun spice over the shrimp and toss to blend well.  Set aside for up to half an hour.

In a heavy skillet on medium-high heat, melt the butter, then add the garlic.  Saute until translucent, then add in the tomatoes and stir.  When the tomatoes soften, add the shrimp mixture and cook the shrimp, stirring, until they just turn opaque.  Pour in the Southern Comfort and, if cooking on a gas stove, tilt the pan slightly into the flame to ignite it and flambé the shrimp.  On an electric stove you can carefully ignite the liqueur with a match.  When the flames burn out, add the Thai chili sauce and the basil leaves.  Stir again to mix well and serve immediately.

Planked Bananas Foster

This recipe is from Ron Shewchuk’s Planking Secrets.  It’s a variation on the classic Bananas Foster recipe invented in New Orleans in the 1950’s.

Ingredients

1 cedar plank, soaked overnight or at least 1 hour
4 ripe but not overripe bananas, peeled, then cut in length halfwise, then cut in half
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur
1/4 cup dark rum in a small bowl or ramekin
4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Preheat your grill on medium-high for 5 or 10 minutes.  Rinse the plank and put it on the cooking grate.  Cover the grill and heat the plank for 4-5 minutes, or until it starts to throw off a bit of smoke and crackles lightly.  Reduce heat to medium.

Put the bananas on the plank, cut side up, and cover the grill.  Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until they are light golden and soft but not mushy.  Remove from plank and set aside.

Combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a heavy skillet and heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.  Stir in the banana liqueur and transfer the bananas to the skillet.  When the mixture is warm, carefully add the rum.  If you’re cooking on a gas stove, tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum.  On electric, use a barbecue lighter or match to do the same.  Serve hot, placing the bananas on a scoop of ice cream and spooning the sauce over the top.

So Much On My Plate - New Orleans

This week on So Much On My Plate, some culinary highlights of my visit last week to New Orleans, including the legendary Muffuletta sandwich.  These sandwiches are made on a round loaf of Italian bread, piled high with cold cuts and a special olive spread.  The Central Grocery Company, established in 1906 in New Orleans, purports to be the home of 'the original' muffuletta.  Whether that's true or not I don't know, but I liked the sandwiches there enough to buy two of them!

Here's how I tried to recreate the sandwich at home, you can certainly play with the ingredients to taste:

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted Greek olives, chopped

1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped

2 cups Italian pickled vegetables, sometimes called giardiniere, larger bits chopped

1 small jar capers, drained

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before using.

For each sandwich, you need the following:

1 Italian bun, cut in half

slices of mozzarella and provolone cheese

sliced ham, Genoa salami and mortadella salami

Put one layer of each meat on the bottom half of the bun.  Top with one layer of each cheese, then put another layer of all the meats on top of the cheese.  Top with a generous helping of the olive spread and top with the upper half of the bun.  These sandwiches are better if you let them sit for a bit, so wrap tightly in waxed paper and refrigerate to help the sandwich hold its shape when you eat it.

(but take it out of the waxed paper!)

The cocktail I made today is called the Sazerac, a classic from New Orleans. You can read about the history here, and get the recipe here. It calls for absinthe, which is now legal to buy in Canada, but you can use something like pernod or sambuca instead.

So Much On My Plate - Summer Harvests

This Friday on So Much On My Plate I shared the fruits of the summer harvest, starting with garlic from Ken Stefanson, the Gabriola Gourmet Garlic guy.  I roasted a whole head of garlic, after trimming the top off and drizzling with olive oil.  Then, it was wrapped in tinfoil and roasted at about 400F for half an hour.  You can use the roasted garlic on toasted bread, or a nice stinky cheese, or in my case, I mixed the roasted garlic with miso, soya sauce and sesame oil, and spread it on a boneless fillet of halibut.  That went on to the barbecue for about 10 minutes.

I served the halibut with a mango salsa, goosed up with a pickled jalapeno pepper chopped fine, some green onion and cilantro and the last of a box of boysenberries purchased from Helma Stewart at Cottage Farm.

Other dishes included roasted beets, done again in foil with fresh stalks of rosemary and thyme, and some baby fennel brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and grilled.

I also spent an exciting Thursday afternoon at Hilary's Cheese where I helped cheesemaker Denis Huet make some fresh ricotta cheese from goat whey.  We both agreed that cow's milk ricotta could be a little sweeter, but adding a little maple syrup and lemon juice made it into a real treat.