LET'S BURN THAT COMMUNAL FIRE

Well hey again everybody! It's been awhile!

I've missed this! Writing about food and life, and making food so I can write about it, and then looping back so that writing and food became this jumbly wonderful colliding event. But I needed to take a break for various reasons that I'll go into a little bit before surging forward into all the new possibilities.

Back when I started this blog, I was using it as a form of creative therapy. I was pretty depressed when I first started it up and feeling really creatively stunted. At the time, the growing food blog culture was all new and exciting to me and provided a lot of needed comfort. So many pictures of food that made my tummy grumble! Ideas about food preservation and preparation I'd never imagined! It all wrapped me in a warm, cuddly blanket of things I loved and took me out of the troubling issues in the world and my life. When I started writing a blog of my own, it wasn't my ambition to become a part of the foodie scene, but it did feel like I was basing my blog template on that burgeoning food-blogger world.

When I stepped back from writing the blog, I did so in part because I was noticing some troubling trends in the food blog scene that I began to feel pretty heavy about. Most of the faces and voices cropping up on my networks were white and wealthy, and I became increasingly uncomfortable with the "lifestyles" I was seeing represented and that I myself felt entitled to represent. I wanted to step back and focus on other creative goals as well, while trying to use this incredible resource (THE INTERNET) to circulate outside of my own networks, start looking at radical food politics and criticism, and find new voices.

Then I started reading some really great blogs like this one and talking to more people about food practices and histories. I joined a group here in Montréal called Roots & Recipes and started working with elder communities on food traditions (a podcast is in development!). I've continued cooking and thinking about food (all the time) and I feel ready and happy to start updating this blog again. Since I stopped writing in the blog, I've still come back to use recipes I loved, to read about moments I archived here, etc. I want to use this blog to further archive the things that are important to me, which is STILL food, but also including all those resources and blogs I've discovered that are STILL underrepresented and are so important, that speak from perspectives and experiences I can never represent or understand, and that highlight all the change that still needs to come. 

My own white, cis-, hetero- privileges still trouble me, especially when I put my voice out in the world, and often I resent my own desire to create things. I don't have an answer to that resentment and I probably never will (because #whitesupremacy) but maybe it's the way to get on track in terms of acknowledging the deep divides in culture that are never acknowledged.

Oh ya, and this happened:

Braised Chicken with Dates

3 1/2 pound chicken cut up (breasts, thighs, drumsticks)

1 TBS flour

1 TBS olive oil

2 pounds shallots (about 10 large)

3 cinnamon sticks

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

Pinch cayenne pepper

3 cups low salt chicken broth

5 TBS fresh lemon juice, divided

12 dates pitted and halved

1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and flour.  Heat olive oil in heavy pot and add half of chicken pieces to pot, cooking until browned on both sides, about 15 minutes.  

Transfer chicken to platter and repeat with remaining chicken.  Pour off all but 2 TBS of fat from pot and discard (there may not be much fat in pot)  Add shallots to pot and sauté until golden about 6 minutes.  Add cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, turmeric and cayenne.  Stir 1 minute.  Increase heat to high and add broth and 3 TBS lemon juice.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.  

Place chicken pieces atop shallots in pot.  Bring to boil and reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked...about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken and shallots to platter and tent with foil. Boil juices in pot until slightly thickened.  Stir in dates and remaining 2 TBS lemon juice.  Simmer about 2-5 minutes.  Pour sauce and dates over chicken.  Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro and enjoy!

raspberry lemonade shandsicles

As the summer pushes on into Fall, I look back and realize I've been in Montréal for about a 1/3 of the season so far. Treks to Toronto, Los Angeles, New York and the townships have left me mulling through a haze of summer memories. Sometimes I catch myself thinking of an evening that happened last summer and placing it two weeks ago, or feeling that a city-switch can change my energy so distinctly I could have travelled months ago and not days. 

But in between all the happenings, the weddings and funerals, the jobs and other jobs, the friends from far-off places or family who pull me to and fro...in between it all I still love me some food.

There have been moments this summer where I've found myself too fatigued to cook, an exhaustion I find as emotionally frustrating as it is physically frustrating. I'm a lucky girl though, cause my boo made me some delicious cuisine (pulled pork tacos, fava bean kuku, watermelon popsicles, to name a few). However, I'm not about taking credit for someone else's work, so I'll be focusing on one day of respite when I cracked out some very fine shandy popsicles, garlic scape pesto and a MOTHER@%$ING duck-egg omelette (yea, I still got it).

On a fine summer's day, sometime this summer (I told you, I truly cannot remember anything linearly right now), my dearest friend Kristen had a car rental! Adventure, we said! Fun, we said! IKEA, we said! And IKEA it was.

So after nearly murdering my partner over shelves (let's not deal with that), we trundled back to the car with our loot and were going to head straight back into the city when Kristen had a stroke of brilliance. 

"How about the St. Anne de Bellevue farmer's market?" she asked.

What's so great about this farmer's market, you ask? Well, you smarmy asshole, YOU don't have to go, but I'll tell you anyway. 

Duck Eggs! Lardons! Fresh basil! Sundried tomato bread! Waterfront views! and cheese, delicious delicious cheese.

I wandered around aimlessly for awhile, wiping away my bitter feelings from the IKEA trip, until the sounds of Seadoos from the bay lulled me into blissful dreams of lunch. I gathered up some eggs and an onion confit soft cheese from La Beurasse (this cheese is my absolute favourite of theirs). Then I got some fresh basil and a loaf of hazelnut and fig bread, and I was ready to rumble. 

Once home I threw some garlic scapes from my CSA in with the basil and walnuts and made an awesome pesto, most of which I froze (MOM TRICK). Then I made an omelette with these duck eggs. I had never actually worked with a duck egg before, but the yolks are such a bright yellow and so large that I only used two. I put some fresh basil, shallots and cheese in the omelette, spread pesto on my bread and voila! lunch for two!

For dessert, I had been inspired by a friend's post about Pims cup popsicles and wanted to make my own boozy pops. I had always thought it was impossible to freeze alcohol, but learned that with hard liquors, you can boil off some of the alcohol and they'll freeze fine! I decided to take a shortcut and just use beer, making a raspberry lemonade shandy. They were pretty beer flavoured, but perfect for a hot summer day. 

Vegan Carne Asada

THE CLEANSE.

The journey through week one has been at times a trial, at times a revelation. The headaches, achey joints, swollen face, grouchy mornings, afternoons and evenings were just a few of the hurtles Luke and I have had to navigate; But we discovered all sorts of amazing things! 

For instance: Cauliflower rice! This might sound ridiculous, and it is certainly not as filling nor as quick and easy as regular old rice, but when looking for a light and healthy substitute, this stuff is wild and crazy. It has rice like texture and absorbs delicious sauces like nobody's business. 

To be honest, the meals on this cleanse are really simple and not at all unpleasant. The first week is a rough track because I had to give up some of my most loved and adored indulgences, namely grains (BREAD), dairy (BUTTER), and sugar (CHOCOLATE). Oh ya, and meat (EVERYTHING).

So I was behaving in a pretty hangry fashion towards the end of week one, at which point we had run the gamut of our new recipes, discovered all the pleasantries of feeling lighter on our feet, emptier in our tummies and generally much less full of delicious but not necessarily nutritious cuisines.

Out of this hangry hangover, I decided to get a little creative on this cleanse's butt. And the thing I was craving more than anything? Meat. Can't deny it people, I'm a mad carnivore. I cleansed myself off all the delicious things that I know and love, and my biggest craving is some lamb tacos, a nice roast chicken, or some M&%^$iING CARNE ASADA. mmmm.

So I did it!!! That's right peeps, I made a totally awesome, gluten free, sugar free, MEAT FREE Carne Asada dinner. Included is a charred red pepper, sweet potato fries and an avocado sauce made of fresh cilantro and lime juice.

The "meat" is portobello mushrooms marinated in the "cleansing broth" from the cleanse, some lime juice, salt and pepper, and various spices. I grilled 'em up and, in totem, a glorious vegan feast that fully satisfied me until week two began the next day and I was allowed to eat some fish.

Next up in my craving pool, sugar (really tracking what's most important to my crazy food brain). I'll get into all THAT next post. Wish me luck with the rest of week two y'all!!

Winter Chicken

I call this post "winter chicken" somewhat ironically, because I made this chicken with thoughts of the next season. Thoughts of sitting outdoors with a picnic basket and a case of beer and my hula hoop. I thought about having some fresh watermelon to go with this meal of fried chicken, sweet-potato fries and brussel sprouts. I thought of everything that brought me out of my wintery gloom, and so therefore I dub thee Winter Chicken, because you are the chicken I eat in winter to reduce my ailing for the sun.

Not that this winter has been all bad. Granted I haven't made many posts online, which might indicate I've been lazy in the kitchen and/or a bad blogger (does that equal death on the internet?). But in fact I have been making some very delicious one-pot dishes (braised lamb shanks, unnh) and most everything from my cookbook Jerusalem (lamb Kofta, kibbeh, hummus...). So there, recap done. I been bizzy, ok?
Also, looking after this little guy Billy in VT for awhile.

But I'm shortly beginning a Spring cleanse diet (ala My New Roots blogger Sarah Britton) so I figured I should indulge in one more meaty, gluten-y, fry-me-up-good-and-happy meal. And hey, if it's a Spring cleanse that means the winter's almost over, right? (where have I been?)

The fried chicken I made was a standard recipe. I brined the chicken over a few hours in the fridge with a brine of 1 cup water/ 1/4 cup salt ratio. I added some spices and peppercorns and citrus to the brine to give it flavour (improvise!). Then I had a bowl of buttermilk and a bowl of flour, cayenne, s and p and some herbs. I heated some veggie oil in a skillet, waited til it was good and hot and then dunked in the flour, buttermilk, flour...BAM into the fryer. Wait til it's goldeny brown.

For the sweet potato fries, use Sarah Britton's recipe....it's rad. And use many of her other recipes, they will totally change the way you think about food (and then you can do her cleanse with me!)

Winter is nearing it's soupy, slushy, numbing end everyone! Let's drink to that!

Polish Platter 2013

 After an incredibly easy-going New Year's, as well as a very disappointing dinner on the last day of 2012, my sister and I decided to make our favorite foods for the new year together. We chose a Polish Platter 2013, consisting of potato and cheese pierogis with caramelized onions and cabbage rolls. 

Someone visiting us last christmas made us these amazing cabbage rolls, and since then I have been wanting to remake them. Luckily, my sister took it upon herself to get this train rolling and we made the  best New Year's meal I've yet to have. 

Besties of 2012

 I know it's cheesy, and I haven't even had this blog for a full year, but here are MY Besties for the year 2012:

Best Roast:

Thanksgiving Turkey

This Thanksgiving, I had the best turkey I have ever had. We brined it overnight with citrus fruits and peppercorns, and the meat was so flavorful I was freaking about it all night. 

Best Sandwich: 

The Chicken at Bakesale Betty's

Luke and I made an epic trip across Canada and down the western coastline in 2012. En route, we ate some pretty spectacular meals, ranging from duck confit benedict on the train to Burmese pumpkin pork stew and more than a few roadside tacos. But I found this chicken sandwich pretty damn impressive at Bakesale Betty's in Oakland. 

Yet another small shop spawning from protegés of the epic Chez Panisse, BB focuses exclusively on a few fine baked desserts, mouth-watering lemonade and this fine sandwich. The baguette is insanely crusty and the chicken is perfectly tender and crisp on the outside, but it's the slaw that just KILLS IT. Super fresh and crunchy greens with a hint of lime and flecked with spicy jalapenos, this sandwich is a MUST-RECREATE for 2013.

Open Faced Kibbeh

So I made an error. I was so hungry/thrilled at having made this dish, I failed to photograph it. I also don't know the legality of taking other people's recipe images and posting them on my site, so I'll just say you should check this video out to get an idea of my kibbeh.

In order to keep you interested until the recipe, I'll post the picture of Luke's Magnum Opus sandwich:

Alongside this picture of Luke:

Which reminds me a lot of this video:

So on to the Kibbeh. Kibbeh is a dish I tasted by chance at Montréal's street-food-famous Boustain's, a lebanese take-out joint that is frequented by drunk college students and club-hoppers, for the most part. In this form, it was a kind of deep fried meatball, stuffed with cinnamon flavored beef and topped with a thin tahini sauce. It was a total party in my mouth, but I kind of left it to Boustain until I stumbled upon Yotam Ottolenghi and his PLETHORA of free recipes on the Guardian's site.

For anyone not familiar (I wasn't until yesterday!), Ottolenghi has penned some pretty hip and beautiful cookbooks of late (namely Plenty and Jerusalem) and he operates two of London-town's hottest restaurants. His "schtick," if you will, seems to be comfort-food from around the globe, but his taste and choices are absolutely unique. Everything he writes about and makes seem at once completely outside of my creative palette, but totally simple. The ingredients are often very few, but every dish ensures a balance of flavors, creating earthy, rich and subtle combinations. 

Ok, so here you have it. I have fallen in love with this guy in a day. And this is really the first recipe of his I tried, but I made it BECAUSE I had so little in my fridge. The fact is, it was so much more satisfying than if I'd gone to a stock pasta sauce, just as filling and it didn't make me feel bloated or heavy. Why? Because rather than pasta I used millet, and rather than heavy sauce with oil I used tahini and lemon, and the meat was minimally seasoned, but CINNAMON and BEEF are a ridiculous combination. sooooo good.

So try this out sometime. It's probably not new to any of my friends from Lebanon or Israel or areas more exposed to this particular type of comfort food (how did I never realize that bitter herbs were so damn comforting?), but to anyone new to flavors like this, it is worth many a return. 

Open Face Kibbeh

Very Loosely adapted from Ottolenghi's recipe

Around a pound of beef (he used lamb)

one onion

two garlic cloves

one green chili

1 cup millet (he used barley)

1 tsp flour

2 tbs lemon

1/2-3/4 cup tahini

1/4-1/2 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp coriander

salt and pepper

Notes: His recipe is likely much better, but includes pine nuts and other things I didn't have, but check out the video I linked at the top if you want to give it the real college try. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

First, sauté the minced onion, chili and garlic until soft on medium heat. Take off the stove and add in the beef until brown, then add back in the onion mix and all the dry spices, plus salt and pepper to taste. 

As this cooks, put the dry millet on the stove o toast slightly, until you can smell it. Then add two cups of water and cover for 15 minutes until soft. Then mix the millet with the flour and salt and pepper.

Take a bread pan and line the bottom of it with the millet, then layer the beef on top. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Mix together the tahini, water and lemon until it's thick but pourable. take the dish out and pour the tahini on top, then bake for another ten minutes. 

Take out and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.