Simon's Fine Foods: Recipes

 

Northern Pike Fillet, Herb crust, vine tomato salad, warm ratatouille dressing  

( SHAW TELEVISION "IN THE KITCHEN")

 

Ingredients

 

 

Begin by seasoning the Pike fillet and sealing in a hot pan with a little oil, 30 seconds one side then flip and 30 seconds the other, allow to cool.

Herb crust

In a food processor add the panko crumbs, tarragon, basil, thyme, parsley and spinach, blitz together till the crumbs are green.

Then add the soft butter and season with salt and pepper, blitz till the crumbs come together.

Pike

Take the chilled pike fillet place on a baking tray with parchment and spread a layer of the herb crust over the fish to cover it.

On your presentation plate place a sliced vine tomato on and season, do this ahead of time to allow the tomato to get to room temperature.

Ratatouille dressing

For the ratatouille dressing finely dice the Zuchinni, eggplant, onion, garlic, pepper, keeping them all seperate.

In a frying pan sweat the following, 2 tbsp zuchinni. 2 tbsp eggplant, 1 tbsp onion, 2 tbsp pepper, 1 clove garlic until tender. This can be done ahead of time.

To finish the dish place the Pike in a hot oven, 385 F for about 10 minutes till cooked through.

Put about 4 floz of olive oil and 1 floz of balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan and warm for about 30 seconds, add the ratatouille mix and allow to warm through then pull to one side and season to taste.

Presentation

Once the Pike is cooked place on the tomato salad then take the now warm ratatouille dressing and spoon over and around the fish to taste.

This is a very simple, quick and tasty dish using great summer produce, seve this with some warm crusty bread and a glass of chilled Rioja

See the finished product at SHAW TV -IN THE KITCHEN and in the photography section of my website.

 

 

 

 

warm salad of Saskatchewan pulses and grilled vegetables, extra virgin olive oil dressing (CTV- Jeff Rogstad, Mediterranean diet, airs Friday 12th June 12.00pm)

Simon will be promoting Saskatchewan pulses for the Saskatchewan pulse growers society.

pulses pre cooked

Or in which ever ratio you like.

All of the pulses can be found at the "Sask made place" on 8th street.

Either use dried and pre soaked pulses or canned and combine in a bowl, season with salt and pepper

In a saucepan warm the oil with the herbs, bay leaf, garlic slivers, only for about two minutes on the lowest setting, then allow to stand for 10 minutes to infuse

Add red wine vinegar to taste till you have the correct acidity.

Once you have your vegetables grilled ,pour the dressing over the pulses then mix, spoon this over the grilled vegetables and serve.

 

Seared king scallop, curried cauliflower and arugala puree, caper and Spanish saffron dressing (Shaw Television "In the kitchen")

 

Serves 4 people

Dressing

Squeeze the lemon into a bowl then add the saffron, allow the saffron to bleed for about 15 minutes then add olive oil to taste.

The more oil you add the less lemony the dressing becomes, usually I use a 4-1 ratio for this dressing

Cauliflower puree

Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and sweat in a little oil and the curry powder.

Add the milk and season, poach slowly till the cauliflower is falling apart.

Pour into a food processor and puree till smooth, then add the arugala and puree again

Seared scallop

Pat the scallop dry and season liberally with salt and pepper, roll in a little canola oil and then sear in a hot pan till a caramalized crust is created.

Ensure you dont overcook or the scallops will turn to rubber.

For plating see the photograph page or watch the video clip on shaw TV

 

 

 

Curried Saskatchewan pulse stew (CTV- Jeff Rogstad)

Your pulses can be canned or dried depending how much time you have, if using dried soak for 24 hours in water in your fridge. Pre boil till tender once soaked.

So begin by gently sweating the cumin seeds in the canola oil to toast them.

Next add the onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger and chilli powder and cook slowly till soft, stir constantly. This should take 2-3 minutes

Now add the tomato puree and all of your pulses and the peas. Add your red lentils too at this stage in the dried state, these will help thicken the stew as they cook

Add enough cold water  to create a sauce then bring to the boil and simmer for 20- 30 minutes ensuring it doesn't go dry .

Next add the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper.

Once you have your stew you can either finish it with some yoghurt and serve straight away with rice and Naan bread, or allow the stew to cool and refridgerate for a day to allow the flavours to develop.

With this dish you can adjust it to taste making it as hot or as mild as you like.

 

If you saw the cooking demo on CTV you will have seen with everything prepared before hand it only took a matter of minutes to produce this dish!

 

Roast chicken, lemon, garlic and rosemary (CBC radio interview)

Your first job is to wash the inside of the chicken to remove any blood.

In your roasting tray place the carrots whole and peeled.

Sit the chicken on top of the carrots, this creates a trivet to allow even cooking beneath the bird.

Cut the lemon in half and push one half inside the cavity, then cut the garlic bulb in half and do the same( this seems a lot of garlic but by roasting this reduces the strength of the garlic making it more mellow).

Spread the softened butter over the bird, (this will help retain moisteness as well as adding flavour)

Bruise the rosemary and sprinkle over the bird, stalks as well, its all flavour!

Squeeze the remainding lemon over the bird.

Season well with fresh black pepper and salt, sea salt would work well. Dont season until the last minute otherwise the salt will remove moistness from the bird.

put about an inch of water in the tray before roasting this will create moistness and nearly evaporate before the end leaving some great gravy juices.

Roast at 375f for 35 -45 minutes depending on your oven and the size of the bird, I leave mine un-covered to allow a nice crisp skin to develop, but check half way through cooking and if its browned quickly then cover with some foil for the remainding time.

Check the legs are cooked by piercing with a knife , if the juices run clear then the bird is ready.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest in a warm place before carving, this allows the meat to retain the juices.

Use the pan juices for your gravy.

keep the bones for making stock for soup the next day.

I like to serve mine with sweet potato puree,  roast beets and classic bread sauce.

To accompany the meal your favorite Shiraz.

The combiation of lemon garlic and rosemary will make a roast chicken dinner that smells wonderful and tastes fresh and tangy!

If you would like these recipes feel free to e-mail me.

 

Cream Of Locally grown pumpkin, walnut pesto

 

In a deep saucepan add the butter and melt, then add all of the vegetables and sweat on a low heat for about 15 minutes, dont allow to colour too much

Add enough stock or water to cover the vegetables about 1 inch over, if you add too much liquid you will have a diluted tasting soup

Bring to the boil then simmer until all the vegetables are tender

Puree everything together and season, taste then add 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg and taste again

Push the pureed soup through a sieve to remove any junk

chill the soup in an iced water bath then place in the fridge till needed

Soups always taste better the next day after the flavours have developed

To serve, warm then add cream to taste, adjust the seasoning and put a spoon of walnut pesto in each bowl when serving

 

Walnut pesto

put everything in a food processor and blitz till smooth

 

 

 

Raspberry creme brulee

You will need....

 

The first stage is to beat the yolks, sugar and seeds of the vanilla pod till pale and creamy

Next put the vanilla pod into the cream and warm the cream to just below boiling point

Remove the vanilla pod and pour a few tablespoons of the cream over the yolks while whisking, this stage is called Tempering

Then pour this mix into the remainding cream and whisk together

(At this stage you must pour the mix into a tall jug and allow to settle, remove any froth with a spoon, this will ensure a smooth brulee once cooked)

Into four 8 ounce ramekins put a tablespoon of rinsed and dried raspeberries

Place the ramekins into a deep tray which will allows you to pour water in up to the sides of the ramekins, otherwise know as a waterbath

Pour the custard over the raspberries until all the mix is divided,

Place in a pre heated oven, then pour warm water half way up the ramekins to create the water bath

 Cook at 300F for 15 to 20 minutes till the custard is set

Carefully remove and place the ramekins onto a cooling rack for about 30 minutes then place in the fridge till chilled, at least 4 hours

Remove when needed sprinkle castor sugar over the brulle till covered then glaze with a blowtorch till the sugar caramalises

Using a blowtorch is the best method to quickly cook the sugar, but ensure you follow the proper methods of use for safety.

The raspberries will explode in the custard while cooking creating colour and taste, serve with shortbread biscuit or any crisp cookie

 Brulee is a perfect dessert to be made the day before a dinner party and finished on the night leaving you free to enjoy the night.