Pork Chop with Red Wine/Shallot Glaze and Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

• pork chop x 1
• shallot x 1/2
• red wine x 1 glass
• Yukon gold potato x 4
• garlic x 2 cloves
• rosemary x 1 tbsp

Pork chop:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Season with salt, pepper and crushed rosemary. Fry on a skillet (medium heat) 3-4 minutes each side. To get the marks rotate 90 degrees after 2 minutes on each side. Continue the cooking process in the oven for 5 more minutes. Let the chop rest. Deglaze the pan with wine, add shallots and let it reduce for 5 minutes. Pour the glaze on top of the chop.

Rosemary garlic roasted potatoes:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Parboil the potato in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut in quarters. Season with salt and pepper. Coat with olive oil (or duck fat, if you have any) and roast in the oven, turning the potatoes every 10-15 minutes. After 20 minutes add garlic and rosemary and toss with the potatoes. Let them roast for another 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Chipotle burger with bacon and caramelized onion

Ingredients:

• lean ground beef
• double smoked bacon x 1 slice
• red onion x 1/4 cup
• tomato x 1-2 slices
• cilantro x 1/2 cup
  
• goat cheese
• burger bun
• mayonnaise
• greens
• salt, black pepper, chipotle pepper, olive oil
  

Caramelize the onion in some olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper and chipotle pepper. Set aside. In the same pan fry the bacon (don't add more oil). Put the bacon on a paper towel, once it's crispy. Mix ground beef with salt, black pepper, chipotle and some cilantro. You have to get dirty! Mix it with your hands until it combines well. Make 3/4 inch patties and let them rest until they're in room temperature. Drain the excess fat from the pan and fry the burger on the same pan on medium heat, 3-4 minutes on each side. Don't move it around and flip it once. In the last minute put some goat cheese on top of the burger. Let the burger rest for a few minutes. Toast the bun lightly. As for the condiments, I mixed some chopped cilantro, salt, pepper and mayonnaise. Assemble the toppings, place the top half of the bun and press! Then eat and enjoy ...

Pizza - 3 in 1

Sauce: Olive oil, garlic, tomato, oregano, salt and pepper (chili flakes if you want it spicy)
Toppings on each 1/3:

1. arugula and shaved parmigano reggiano cheese
2. roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, thinly sliced red onion and goat cheese
3. cheddar cheese, crumbles of cambozola cheese, thinly sliced red onion and chorizo sausage

Eggplant, Chickpea and Almond Stew

Ingredients:

• eggplant x 1
• tomato x 1 small can
• chickpea x 1 can
• almonds x 1/4 cup
• garlic x 1 clove chopped finely
• onion x 1/2 chopped finely
• turmeric x 1 tsp
• smoked paprika x 3 tsp
• chili flake (optional) x 1 tsp
• cilantro x 1 cup
• olive oil, salt, pepper

Slice the eggplant in 1 cm rings, then in quarters. Salt them generously and let them sit in a stainer for 30 minutes. Dry, coat with olive oil and roast in the oven (325 F) for 30 minutes. Check periodically, turn and make sure they don't get burned in one side. Once the eggplant is ready (it has to be soft but not fully falling apart), take out and set aside. In a pot, sauté the onion, garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Add turmeric, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and chili flakes. After 5 minutes add tomato and pinch of salt/pepper. Let it simmer for 7-8 minutes. Add eggplant, cilantro and chickpea and let the stew simmer 20-30 minutes on low heat (adjust the seasoning if required). Serve with rice.

1 Year - 100 Posts

Hello family and friends, or anyone else who is kind enough to read my blog ...

It was last year around this time that I started this blog, mainly as an archive to keep my recipes and store my culinary experiences. Since then, it's evolved into something more precious than that for me. I have become very passionate about sharing my food views and hopefully showing everyone that with all the good food and fantastic ingredients in the world, we don't need to be boring, bland or unhealthy eaters.

This blog was Meaghan's idea and I thank her for that. Writing it has helped the right side of my brain to be more active and creative; I'm constantly thinking about food! All the flavors, colors, lighting, textures, pictures and descriptions have given me an artistic vision of what we eat. I'm also thankful to my mother for sharing her fantastic Persian recipes. Through them, I hope that I can expose more people to the delicious and sophisticated cuisine of Iran. And finally, props to all my family and friends who read my posts and leave lovely comments.

Let's eat well, try new things and develop our taste buds, because there are very few pleasures in life more enjoyable than eating.

Me by Ecole Gregoire Ferrandi, Paris

Poutini's House of Poutine

http://www.poutini.com/
1112 Queen Street West, Toronto

Quaff Cafe

http://cafequaff.ca/
668 Queen St West. Toronto

Mutter Paneer

Ingredients:

• crushed tomato x 1.25 cups
• tomato paste x 3 tbsp
• water x 0.5 cup
• cream x 0.5 cup
  
• shallot x 2 chopped finely
  
• garlic x 2 cloves chopped finely
  
• ginger x 1 inch grated
• curry powder x 1 tbsp
• chili flakes x 1 tsp
  
• paneer x 450 grams cubed
• sweet green pea x 1 cup
• salt, pepper, vegetable oil, butter

Saute shallots, garlic and ginger in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Add curry and chili flakes and saute for another 5 minutes. This helps the spices to wake up and develop their flavors. Add tomato (both crushed and paste) and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. While simmering lightly fry cubes of paneer. Add cream to the sauce and mix well. Add peas and fried paneer and let it cook for another 10 to 20 minutes until all the flavors are blended. Serve with basmati rice and thick yogurt.

Ella's Uncle

916 Dundas Street West -Toronto, ON M6J 1W1 - (416) 703-8881
http://www.ellasuncle.com/

Coq Au Vin

The recipe was very similar to the one I used last time:

http://bardiail.blogspot.com/2009/09/coq-au-vin_16.html