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Plantain Chips

My love of plantains started when my mother let me go on an adventure when I was 15 years old to live in Costa Rica for one year as a high school exchange student. While the cuisine of Costa Rica may not be incredibly rich, it vastly expanded my view of food and further sparked my interested in food, partly leading me to where I am today. Since I grew up in rural Saskatchewan where there was little exposure to any kind of ethnic food besides Canadianized Chinese restaurants and locally adapted Ukranian food. Plantains were one of my favourite discoveries during my time in Costa Rica. I loved the sweet ones that were slowly cooked and browned in butter and served with your dinner plate of rice and beans or the smashed salty patacones that my host mother Sonia would make. But my favourite convenience store buy was a bag of plantain chips, savory or sweet. They are ridiculously easy to make as long as you don't mind doing a bit of deep frying in your kitchen.

Plantain Chips

Not much of a recipe is needed to make plantain chips, just some oil for frying, salt for seasoning and green plantains. This recipe can also be made with ripe plantains for a sweeter chip, but I prefer the green plantains for a more savoury snack.

2 green plantains

Vegetable or canola oil

Salt

In a medium to large heavy cast iron pan or large pot, add enough oil to fry chips. Heat oil over medium high heat to 350°F, adjusting the temperature as needed. Peel plantains, slice lengthwise as thin as possible ,while still keeping the slice intact. Once the oil is hot, fry plantains in batches, transfer fried plantains to a baking tray lined with paper towel and a cooling rack. Season while still hot with salt.

Salsa Verde

This is one of my favourite salsas that is great to top tacos, fajitas, eggs with or just simply enjoyed with tortilla or plantain chips. This recipe can be made smokier by grilling all the ingredients just until they are blistered.

5 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1 jalapeno, roughly chopped

1 small onion, medium dice

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 limes, for juice

A small handful of cilantro

Salt

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil, cook tomatillos until they lose their bright green colour to a faded pickle shaded green, this will take a few minutes, turning them once or twice. Transfer the tomatillos to a bowl of ice water to cool. Once cool, add tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic to the blender, blend until just everything is broken down but not too finely pureed. Season with salt and fresh lime juice to taste.

20/20 Roast Chicken

Before the new year started I decided I wanted to cook more and not just cook more but make new recipes, experiment, challenge myself in the kitchen. I'm not necessarily making more complicated recipes, but I've been actively making new dishes each week.

The best discovery so far has been the recipes from Onions, Etc. by Kate Winslow and Guy Ambrosino. While I do not know them personally I feel connected to them in a way as they also worked at the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School in Sicily. Everyone who has worked there, whether we have met in person or only through social media feels like family in a way with the school a special place for food and community connects us all.

I bought the book a year ago when it was released and loved flipping through it, drooling over the recipes and photos but then set it aside, at the end of the year I had not made one recipe from the book.

I started to make a few recipes like the sheet pan of harissa marinated chicken with chickpeas and onions, rajas con crema, warm onion bacon salad, the Cuban lime marinated steak and onions and more. Every recipe was a winner, and ones that I can see myself continually coming back to. But this 20/20 roast chicken takes the cake, while the titles refers to the quantity of shallots and garlic, it definitely scores 20/20. It's a simple roast chicken recipe but the chicken is spatchcocked making the skin wonderfully crispy due to the skin all being exposed to the heat and moist with a delicious bubbling sauce of wine and the chicken juices reducing together with the shallots, garlic and thyme.

20/20 Chicken

Adapted from Onions, Etc. by Kate Winslow & Guy Ambrosino

The recipe is mostly kept the same from the cookbook with the exception of using regular salt than chive salt (which is a sub recipe from the book) and the addition of fresh thyme sprigs. There aren't many dishes I don't add fresh thyme too, I never bother with taking the leaves off the stem, I always add the sprigs whole and let the leaves fall off and infuse and remove the stems from the dish before serving.

20 shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise

20 garlic cloves peeled

1 - 4 lb whole chicken

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth (I recommend a Chardonnay which will also pairs wonderfully with the finished meal)

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 325 °F degrees. Toss the peeled garlic cloves and halved shallots in a bowl with a little olive oil to coat, season with salt and pepper. In a medium to large cast iron or heavy enamel frying pan, spread the shallots and garlic evenly on the bottom of the pan, top with whole thyme sprigs.

Spatchcock the chicken, place chicken on a cutting board, breast side down, with a pair of kitchen shears, cut along the backbone on each side, removing the backbone (set the backbone aside to make stock). Open the chicken and tuck the wings behind the breasts, tuck the legs in so that the bottoms and the chicken is as flat as possible. Season with a touch of olive oil and generously with salt and pepper all over.

Set prepared chicken on top of the bed of shallots and garlic. Roast for 45 minutes, then pour over wine, return to oven. Roast for another 45 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. This is not absolutely necessary but in the last twenty minutes of cooking, start basting the chicken with the sauce to achieve an even more brown and crispy skin.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from oven, let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with boiled baby potatoes or mashed potatoes and other classic roast chicken accompaniments liked roasted carrots or brussel sprouts, depending on what vegetables are in season.

I prefer to eat the roasted garlic cloves whole but the recipe suggests to mash the garlic cloves to thicken the sauce.

Bourbon Ginger Banana Bread

While my original intention was to make a healthier version of banana bread with coconut oil, millet, toasted buckwheat and sunflower seeds. When I began to search for recipes my mind and desires quickly went elsewhere, I was swept up with the thought of filling my kitchen with the aroma of brown butter, bourbon and spiciness of freshly grated ginger. Here are the results (it was so good I ended up making it twice in one week!).

Bourbon Ginger Banana Bread

Adapted from Joy the Baker's - One Skillet Dark & Stormy Banana Bread

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla paste

4 medium ripe bananas, ( +1 more for the banana garnish on top, can be less ripe)

1 tbsp bourbon

2 - inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated finely on a rasp

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Demerara sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small pot add butter, begin to melt and brown over medium heat, cook until it begins to bubble and when it starts to foam and smell like caramel and roasted nuts remove from heat, let cool slightly.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, mashed bananas, add slightly cooled brown butter (making sure you get all those caramelized milk solids on the bottom of the pot). Add vanilla paste, bourbon, grated ginger and spices.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir carefully until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Pour batter into a prepared loaf pan that has been greased and has a piece of parchment across. Top with your remaining banana that has been sliced horizontally through the middle, sprinkle with some coarse sugar like demerara.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until when a cake tester is inserted it comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you'd like and enjoy warm.

Tabouleh

We are in the thick of this summer and my garden is bursting with tomatoes. The plants are thick and bushy and yet won't stop growing taller either. The tomatoes have no bounds, and are even sneaking up next to the skateboard on our porch. I am starting to get stuck on the same meals and for good reason, they are simple, nutritious and are a celebration of the season. I'm talking about salads. This is my current go to.

Tabouleh Inspired Salad

1 cup bulgur

1 2/3 cup water

1 tsp kosher salt

2 lemons

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped parsley

1 cup grape and cherry tomatoes

All and any herbs and flowers, I also throw in mint leaves, fresh coriander seeds, nasturtium flowers and petals etc.

In a large bowl add bulgur and salt, pour over 1 3/4 cup of boiling water, cover and let sit for 15 minutes, until water is absorbed. Let bulgur cool, spread onto a baking tray if necessary. Once cool mix with herbs and tomatoes, season generously with fresh lemon juice and olive oil, adjust seasonings to your preference.

dark Chocolate Sour cherry Clafoutis

Makes one 8-inch custard

¾ cups whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

⅓ cup honey

3 eggs

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted

1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate

Butter, to grease pan

2 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Grease an 8-inch pie plate or round cake pan with butter and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar. Blend together milk, cream, honey, salt, vanilla, flour and eggs in a blender. Pit cherries, add to prepared pan. Pour over batter, sprinkle over chocolate. I recommend placing the pan in the oven and pouring the batter over, to avoid spillage when lifting the pan into the oven from the countertop. Bake until top is golden brown and custard is set (moves as one when jiggled, toothpick comes out clean), about an 45 minutes to one hour. Serve warm or cold, but cool completely before removing whole clafoutis from pan. Store chilled.

Morocco

I'm in the process of attempting to develop my photos from the past three years or so, that thing that no one seems to do anymore. While going through my photos, it got me reminiscing on that time I said yes to the opportunity to run a restaurant in Morocco for three months and how I convinced my best friend and her husband to do it with me. While it certainly was not all sunny and glorious while we were there, it does feel nice to look back on it now. There were so many challenges, normal errands in Canada became obstacles like sending mail, buying produce, taking taxis, etc. but it also was so incredibly rewarding and one of the most unique experiences in my life.

Pretty soon it will be a year that I've been back in Toronto and honestly I'm feeling a bit conflicted about it. I truly love it here, I managed to luck out and find a new home in my old neighbourhood but with an opportunity to have a garden and I found the best roommate. I've been steadily busy with work since returning and had new successes in food styling/illustration and more. I am truly blessed and grateful for all that surrounds me and fuels my life. But adventure calls, I want more travel, more exploration, more discovery but alas that this is not the case for me right now which is good too because I think I need to still process all the travelling I have done and also focus on some new projects.

So to somewhat soothe my desire to travel, I am going to dive in and finally start working on the next issue of my food magazine. I have been 'working' on it since I've been back in Canada but I've let other commitments take more precedent in my life as I need to pay the bills (and I think seperation from your work is sometimes the best thing you can do for your work). The break is soon over as I hope to have it published before the end of the year and not only online but a real print issue! This is going to be a challenge but in the best way. I'm so looking forward to sharing the real thing with you later this year but here is a snack to tie you over. (Also posting this online is also a public commitment that is will happen!).

This was by far one of my favourite street foods, often on my way home from the markets back to the restaurant I would stop by at a market stall and have a couple ma'quada - fried spicy potato cakes. During my last week in Fez, I got connected to a local Moroccan woman who invited me to her home so I could learn to make a few of my favourite Moroccan dishes. This dish did not disappoint and I've been very happy with the results of reproducing the dish in both Italy and Canada. I am a true traditionalist when it comes to this dish and even add the addition of yellow food colouring to achieve the yellow golden colour (and those who know me know how incredible particular it when it comes to food and if it isn't natural or wholesome I am very likely to roll my snobby food eyes over it but this deserved an exception).

Maakouda - Spicy Moroccan Potato Cakes

Potato cakes:

1 kilo potatoes, washed

7 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried chili flakes

2 tsp harissa paste

1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped

Salt, to taste

Batter:

1 1/2 tsp active yeast

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp saffron colouring or yellow food colouring

1 tbsp white vinegar

Water, enough to make a thick batter

Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water with their skin on until tender when pierced with a paring knife. Remove from pot, peel off skin while still hot, mash with a fork or potato masher in a large bowl. Mix potatoes with spices,herbs and salt, adjust seasonings to your preference. Form mixture into small disks, approximately 2 tbsp of mix per disk. Place on parchment paper lined tray in the fridge until cool.

Meanwhile in a large bowl make the batter, add the dry ingredients and then whisk in vinegar and water and whisk until it becomes a thick batter. Cover with plastic wrap, set aside.

When the potato discs have completely cooled, heat a large deep frying pan or pot over medium high heat, add vegetable oil, heat until when you place a small amount of batter it begins to bubble. When oil is ready, dip potato disks into prepared batter with fork, coating the disc on all sides, place in hot oil, fry on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined tray to absorb excess oil.

Best eaten hot but can be cooled and reheated if necessary. Optional, serve with a tomato salsa made of green olives, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper.

Rich in Food

After the last long weekend finished and I started my week again back at work, I was thinking about why the weekend felt so good. Well, my brother Matthew had come to visit and we spent the weekend hanging out and talking. I realized it had a big part to do with food. I ate so well, that does not mean we went out for nice meals at expensive restaurants. No, we ate simple, comforting food, most often at home, with the exception of those fries with garlic aioli from Bellwoods Brewery, which were well deserved after 3.5 hours of dance class.

When I think about my passion for food it almost always comes back to my love for sharing food with others. I like to think it is one of the special values my mother passed along to me. My mother's continual generosity and value for inclusion inspires me. Growing up my mother always had the attitude there was always room at the table for another person, especially someone in our little town that she worried was not getting a proper, warm meal on the regular. If they couldn't make it to our house, she often delivered a hot meal to the disabled or seniors in the community during the holidays.

Not much makes me happier than to have company over and serve them a meal. Sharing a meal together is so much more than just a way to fill your belly it is a way to feed your soul. When I cook for others I truly want them to feel the love and care that I put into preparing the food. My new work life I end up eating takeout five days a week and in some ways I am incredibly grateful that I have a job that essentially covers two meals a day and I don't ever have to worry about packing a lunch or going hungry. But eating takeout, prepared food all week long makes me crave home cooking more than ever. When I worked at a restaurants on my days off I almost never wanted to be found in the kitchen, I wanted and needed separation from the kitchen to prepare myself for another week of long hours. I needed to be on the other of the table, being served and not serving. But now working as a food stylist, I crave simple food made by me. I don't want fancy dishes or even complex flavours, I just want something that will nourish and satisfy me, whether that is poached eggs and sauteed rainbow chard with tomatoes and bread or a kitchen sink salad full of all the vegetables from my fridge or garden.

I may not have much money but I always feel rich when I eat well and share it with others.

This is my first winter in Toronto after spending the last two in Sicily at the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School and I find myself reminiscing on past meals there often as of late. I've been craving boiled cauliflower served with lemon and olive oil, panelle, biancomangaire and more. Last week I decided to try making one of my favourite winter pastas, 'Pasta con broccolo' -essentially mushy cauliflower cooked with onions, anchovies, raisins and topped with toasted pine nuts and golden breadcrumbs.

Pasta con broccolo

1 lb penne pasta

1 cauliflower, cut into medium sized florets

Olive oil

2 anchovies, packed in oil

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 tbsp tomato paste or estratto

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted until light brown

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, toasted in olive oil

Salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (salted like the sea, always taste test).

In a large frying pan begin to soften the anchovy fillets in olive oil until they dissolve, add onions, cook until soft over medium heat, about four minutes, add tomato paste, cook for 1 minute, add raisins and wine, reduce by half.

Meanwhile blanche cauliflower in the salted water until tender, approximately five minutes, once tender add to frying pan and let continue to soften, there should be no bite left and it will start to break down. Boil pasta once cauliflower is done, add to frying pan, tossing everything together adding a bit of pasta water if dry.

Scoop into pasta bowl and top with toasted pine nuts and breadcrumbs.