Steak and Eggplant

It really wouldn't be a trip to the cottage if i didn't eat red meat. We hadn't picked anything up in advance, but the grocery store had a couple of nice tenderloins that looked like the good basis of a meal.

I let them get to room temperature, rubbed them with olive oil and my special meat rub that i make. (pretty much every spice at the cottage)

I also made this awesome eggplant recipe that my mother does. Its great for vegetarians, its done on the bbq and makes a great healthy side. You simply slice eggplant, lightly oil and bbq both sides. When you're meal is almost ready but back on the grill, add a slice of tomato (ideally one the same side as the eggplant, a couple rings of red onion and top with a dollop of goat cheese. (again, try to make the amount sort of match the size of the eggplant).

Here is everything on the grill
(in the packet is small potatoes)

The sides

Pizza on the BBQ

Ever since i made breakfast on the bbq i've had an urge to make absolutely everything on the bbq. The fact that i don't actually have my own bbq has hampered this operation, but at the cottage i can bbq everything - and it keeps the cottage cooler, so i was able to embrace my urges. This time i decided to bbq pizza!

I've never bothered to make pizza crust, and the cottage isn't exactly the place to try something like that so i simply bought a PC whole wheat crust. I would really recommend this product for any flatbread you want to make- it was nice and thin and cooked up wonderfully. AND surprisingly they had bbq instructions on the back.

We did some simple toppings - whole tomatoes, chopped garlic, red onions, black olives, jalapenos, some tomato sauce (or pizza sauce as the label so appealingly called it) olive oil and goat cheese.

Don't be fooled by the baking sheet - it was just for transportation purposes. I brought it out to the bbq on it.

BBQ pizza!

Cinco de Mayo Enchiladas

To celebrate Cinqo de Mayo i decided to make a bastardized mexican enchilada dish. I didn't have any recipe to go with this but since i've made similar ones i figured i could just wing it.



None of the ingredients were anything too special. I wanted to make the Tomatillo salsa/enchilada sauce again - so i roasted some peppers, garlic and onions to add to the canned Tomatillos.




Once they were roasted i added them and the tomatillos to the food processor to make the sauce.


I was also going to make some dips, so since the packages of tortillas are so big i thought i would bake some chips which would be a lot healthier. I lightly brushed them with some olive oil spiced with red peppers.


I then laid them out on a baking sheet - paying attention to them in the oven. I also made a dip of feta, tomato, onions and jalapenos for dips and guac. (not pictured)


For enchilada toppings i had cabbage, onions and jalapenos.


Previously, working with corn tortillas i've either fried them or baked them, but i had read about steaming them in a bamboo steamer so i did that. They were good, but i think if you're in the mood for something a little more decadent fry them. I appreciate the crispness, and i think they create a little more texture for the dish.


Making the enchiladas i put enough of the sauce to coat the bottom of the baking dish and set aside. To assemble them i simply put some of the tomatillo sauce down, then black beans (rinsed) and some goat cheese and cabbage. I rolled them up and added them to the waiting dish


Once i had filled the dish with rolled tortillas i topped the dish with the rest of the sauce then added the goat cheese, a mexican cheese blend and sprinkled with black beans. I covered it in foil, baking for about 10 minutes at 425, then removing the foil and allowing the top to brown and crisp up.

So authentic! (not)

Goat Cheese Pesto Quesadillas

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In university i worked at a really cool bar/lounge in the east end called 2066, and we had some very interesting food on the menu. One of my favorites, and definitely a really popular item were the goat cheese quesadillas. The ones on the menu also had grilled chicken in them, but i omitted the chicken since i don't eat it, but a lot of people really liked it with chicken.

The real key of the dish is the goat cheese pesto - its super tasty and gives it a unique tang. They made it at 2066 with goat cheese, cream cheese and pesto. I didn't have any cream cheese, so i just made it with the the basics. This is also a nice spread for a sandwich, in particular with grilled veggies.

As for the toppings you can use whatever you want, but i stick to the version that they made at the bar - sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and red onions. You simply spread the tortillas with the goat cheese mixture, then top with the ingredients, fold the tortilla in half if you're using a large one, or as i only had small ones, i topped it with another tortilla, and a bit of the left over mixture.

You can bbq these, and they were made on the grill at 2066 - in my case i simply baked them, flipping them half way through so that both sides firmed up. Its best to serve this with salsa and sour cream and a salad. I made a fresh avocado salsa for mine.

Above:

Quesadillas
Ingredients
Assembling the quesadillas
Two quesadillas
(i added the red peppers after this pic - i forgot)

Tredwell - The Foreign Affair Winery Tour

Way back in July my family and i were invited by the Armstrong's on a winery tour in Niagara along with a wine-food pairing done by Treadwell. As i love both food and wine, this was an amazing trip. The started off by taking us to the fields to see where the grapes were, there were a few nice whites for tasting along with cheese and fruit. After a visit to the town, we went to the Foreign Affair Winery for dinner.

As we mingled around the table there was a Riesling served along with a few appetizers. there was a pea foam which i did not enjoy, an amazing roasted beet salad served on individual spoons, and prosciutto fresh shaved served on bread sticks. The first course was a pea and fava bean risotto with butter seared sea scallops and preserved lemon. This was served with their 2007 Chardonnay


The Second course was beef, i'm still new to beef, but i decided to try it and i'm glad i did. It was a Slow cooked "Cumbrea Farms" beef short rib with cauliflower puree, and "Koslick's" Mustard. I had never heard of Kolicks and its now my favorite mustard. This was served with two wines!! A 2007 Merlot and the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon.


The fruit dish was Whitty farms summer berries with chiffon cake, spiced basil sabayon and black olive caramel. I'm not really a desert person, and i enjoyed the berries and sauce, but the cake was made of Cabernet flour and i found it pretty dry. It was served with a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine. I had never had red icewine, and i don't really enjoy the white, but this was really good - almost a raspberry flavour to it.


Surprise, surprise, the cheese course was my favorite. This was 5th town Operetta with wild honey comb. Such a unique combo. The most interesting part about this course was that it was served with a barrel tasting of their 2007 Cabernet Franc which was exceptional.

Roasted Beet Salad

Like many things i make, i no longer have the original recipe for this salad, but i make it all the time. I would probably be shocked to see how different it is, but as i make it now its tasty and a very attractive recipe. The other bonus of this one is that you can roast the beets in advance so that you just assemble it at the last minute.

Ingredients:

four to six medium beets (either with greens attached or loose)
One diced shallot
Half a cup of almond slivers
Half a package of plain goat cheese
Mixed greens (i like arugula and spinach for this one, but if the beets come with greens put some of them in)
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar

How to roast beets:

This part is easy, but messy and unless you want red hands i would suggest you use gloves. I trim the ends and peel them before i roast them. Some people peel them after they are roasted - i haven't noticed any real taste difference, so its up to you. Cut them in half - or at least try and make them a similar size depending on the beet so that they roast evenly. Put approximately three pieces (depending on size) in double foil and put in the oven at 450. The time varies, but usually around forty minutes, you should be able to pierce them with a fork easily.

Meanwhile, back on the stove top...

Heat two tbsp of olive oil until shimmering. Add the almond slivers, stirring so that they cook evenly. Keep an eye on them as they can burn easily. Once they are golden remove from heat. Drain off any excess oil and reserve for dressing.

Once beets are done remove from the oven and allow cool until you can handle them. Cut into bite sized pieces, add shallots and reserved almond oil. Stir in 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar and another tbsp of olive oil. Allow the mixture to cool. I like to add the vinegar while the beets are still warm, i think it penetrates better.

To make the salad:

Place your choice of greens on a platter. Drizzle the greens with extra dressing. Spoon on beets, top with toasted almonds and crumble goat cheese.

This salad really lasts, just keep any extra beets aside and you can eat them on their own.

Enjoy!

Above:

Trimmed, peeled raw beet
Getting ready for roasting
Fresh out the oven
Beet salad and a sami