Back during the Great Depression food mostly came out of a can. A tinny version of Succotash using canned corn was choked down so regularly it coined the catchphrase “Suffering Succotash”. Nowadays with an abundance of fresh food we no longer need to suffer any boring fodder and we can enjoy virtually limitless variety. This pasta is so expletifly good that it may soon spur a new explurge “Sweet-ass Succotash!”

Pass that Succotash Pasta, sucka!

200g small shell pasta or orecchietti (little ears)

2 corn cobs

4 slices bacon, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup of white wine

½ cup fresh or frozen broad beans (fava, lima or edamame), shucked

1 cup sour cream

3 sprigs chives, finely chopped

good pinch of salt

nice crack of pepper

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

PROCEDURE

Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil.

Hold the ear of corn upright on the cutting board. Use your chef knife to slice straight down the sides of the corn to trim off all the corn kernels. They will be popping around like popcorn so be careful about the bouncing kernels.

After you trim off all the kernels remove all the corn milk by using the dull side of your knife to scrape down the length of the cob. The chunky milky stuff that comes out is the corn milk, or corn cream.

Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium high heat until crispy. Remove crispy bacon with a slotted spoon so the fat stays in a pan and set aside. Keep the pan off the heat until the pasta water is boiling.

Dump the pasta in the boiling salty water. It should take 8 minutes to cook the pasta, so set a timer.

Get the pan with the bacon fat back on the stove over high heat and toss in the red pepper, cook until soft, 3 minutes.

To the red peppers, add the white wine, all the corn and broad beans. Bring it all to a rapid boil and let it bubble while the pasta cooks.

Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and immediately dump it back into the same large pot. Pour the corn sauce and all into the pot. Add the sour cream, a good pinch of salt, a crack of fresh pepper and the blue cheese. Stir it all around so it is nice and smooth.

Serve it up all steamy hot and garnish with chives and crispy bacon.

gets along with

bacon, broad beans, butter, chives, crab, cream, hot sauce, pepper, prawns, salt, sausages, scallops, squash, sweet peppers.

fresh pick

Pick corn that is tightly wrapped in fresh green husk, not dry and crumbly husk. Watch out for mold around the silk (stringy bits). The sugars will start to convert to starch within a few hours, so get as freshly picked as you can get for maximum sweetness, or better yet pick your own. Cook corn the day you buy it since the sugars are turning to starch by the hour and tomorrow you might have chalky cattle feed.

Finding organic corn is just shy of impossible but you can at least get it fresh and local.

Quickeat

Here is the best way to make proper creamed corn. Hold the corn vertically on the cutting board and slice straight down with a chef knife to cut off all the kernels. Then using the dull side of your knife scrape out all the corn milk. Place it in a blender and fill it half way up the kernels with milk. Blend until very smooth… then blend for 3 more minutes.

The mix should resemble a smooth milkshake add more milk if it’s too chunky.

Pour into a small pan, bring to a light boil over medium heat, stirring evenly and cook over medium until it reaches desired thickness, season well with salt and stir in a little butter for old-time-sakes.

For a little heart-tugging and good cooking check out Clara’s Great Depression Cooking.

tidbit

Go to the grocery store and nearly everything has been touched by genetically-modified corn either as feed for the animals we eat, food colouring, corn oil, industrial packaging or the dreaded hyper-refined corn syrup which sneaks added calories and sweetness into most processed foods.

Sweet and sassy Cassis

Cassis (French for Currants) is a dazzling vision of beauty when she’s sparkling at a poncy party decked out with clusters of opalescent white pearls, luminescent red rubies and deep black jewels. She is refined and sophisticated in the form of a jelly or syrup in a creamy dessert or a sparkling cocktail. While she can be light on her toes, this sassy vixen can also contend with the beastly heavy-footed game meats.

Cassis Delice

This recipe falls somewhere between a panna cotta and a Bavarois. So I went ahead and named it a Cassis Delice because it’s got a poncy French vibe and it’s delicious.

2 cups of whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

½ cup water

1 packet gelatin

¼ cup black currant jelly or syrup

¼ cup icing sugar

Garnish (Choose one)

A drizzle of black currant syrup

A scoop of black currant jam

A shot of Cassis cassis as desired

Place the water in a small  bowl and sprinkle on the gelatin to soften. Meanwhile place the black currant jelly in a small pot and boil until it is liquid and bubbling. Pour the hot liquid black currant into the bowl with water and gelatin. Stir with a whisk, ensuring the gelatin is completely dissolved. Leave the mixture to cool down for 10 minutes in the fridge.

Now get a large bowl and a clean whisk. Whip the cream until the whipped cream is firm (not lumpy and chunky or you will be pretty close to making butter). Add the icing sugar and mix it all in.

Scoop some of the whipped cream into the bowl with the gelatin and whisk it together until smooth. Now return that mixture to the large bowl with the rest of the whipped cream.  Use a whisk to fold in the purple liquid until there are no streaks and the mixture is still light and fluffy.

Divide the mixture amongst 6 clear wine glasses or somesuch fancy serving vessel. Place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight until the mousse sets up firm.

If you are serving to extravagantly poncy adults top it with Cassis liqueur, for a more respectable crowd try the black currant syrup, for breakfast top it with black currant jam.

gets along with

Bison, cream, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, duck, game meat, mango, orange, sweet fruit, soft creamy cheeses, venison.

fresh pick

These little sweet and sour berries are loaded with colour and flavour. Pick out large clusters of firm berries. Currants come in black, red or white. The darker berries pack a stronger flavour.

It’ll take you about an hour to fill up a 4L pail ($12) at Kayben Farms 5^th Annual Black Currant Harvest Festival on Saturday August 28. Check out kayben.com for other U-Pick times. Bring the kids, they have a crazy-cool Adventure Park. Enjoy Jo-Jo’s yummy black currant whims at the Café.

quickeat

Make your own currant syrup by rinsing 1 pound of currants. Bring currants  (stems and all) to a boil in a large pot with 2 cups water and 1 cup sugar. Mash it up really well using a potato masher to release the precious juices. Pop a lid on top and boil for 30 minutes. Strain the mess through a fine meshed sieve using a potato masher.

Chill the syrup and keep it in the fridge for a month or two.

Use the syrup to fancify French Toast, fortify dark beers and super-fly a float using sparkling water and a scoop of vanilla icecream.

tidbit

Black currant stains on clothing are there to stay. The only solution is to simmer the rest of the garment in a pot with black currant syrup. Rinse thoroughly and let dry before you style your new purple blue jeans.

Cowboys eat unhealthy stacks of flap jacks while their adversaries eat green, stay lean and get mean. There isn’t much a competition if the cowboy only has to stay on for 8 seconds. If you want to get the big bull advantage you’ll need to step your game up with one of these detox shakes before (or after) Stampede. Get the steer out of your rear and get it in gear.

Green Bull Energy drink

Makes enough for 2 unless you want it all to yourself

1 oz. shot of wheat grass juice (fresh or frozen, see sourcing below)

1 avocado, peeled and pitted

1/2 english cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 kiwi, peeled

1 1/2  cups white cranberry juice or white grape juice

1/2 cup of ice

1 small handful of cilantro leaves (optional)

Here’s a fair warning before you get going. Wheatgrass is full of health benefits, however it can also have some health issues concerning mold and mildew. Buying fresh wheatgrass means you need to check for mold and mildew which can lead to an upset tummy or worse. Use your juicer to extract the juice or simply buy wheat grass juice by the shot.

In a blender, combine the wheat grass juice, a peeled and pitted avocado, peeled and seeded cucumber, peeled kiwi, white cranberry juice and the optional cilantro.

Put a lid on the blender and turn it on low, gradually increase the speed and blend until nice and smooth.

Add the ice and continue blending until totally smooth.

Serve it nice and cold in a clear glass.

More on wheatgrass…

gets along with

apple, basil, beet juice, cilantro, coconut milk, cucumber juice, lemon, honey, most sweet fruit juices, yogurt.

Sourcing

If you have a juicer you can get live wheatgrass at specialty health shops like Community Natural Foods or the Farmer’s Market. It comes in small hydroponic planter boxes with tightly packed blades of grass like a little bunch of turf.

Since wheatgrass is consumed raw it is important to make sure there is no mold or mildew around the roots which can be quite dangerous and give you a devastating bug or at the very least rough and tumble tummy rumble. When in doubt, throw it out.

Get freshly juiced wheatgrass by the shot at juice joints like Jugo Juice (jugojuice.com) and Booster Juice (www.boosterjuice.com). It tastes the way it looks, so get ready to chase it with something tastier.

OR You can pick up of wheatgrass ice cubes at Planet Organic and Community Natural Foods. Convenient portions of wheatgrass juice frozen and ready for use.

quickeat

Make a green tzatziki. Add some wheatgrass juice to yogurt with lots of cilantro, a grated cucumber (squeeze out the excess juice), a clove of grated garlic and a bit of salt. Use it like a sauce to mellow out spicy curries or for dipping warm pita bread.

tidbit

A one ounce shot of wheatgrass is the nutritional equivalent of 2.5 pounds of garden fresh veggies. It’s packed with the full range of vitamins, antioxydants and green chlorophyll which is the first consumable conversion of sunlight energy.

Celiacs need not worry. Wheatgrass is the first stage in the growth of a wheat plant, but until it sprouts wheat berries it remains gluten-free.

There’s a fiery bunch of nostril-flaring demons cruisin’ into town for the summer. They come in all shapes and sizes from white-hot icicles to deceptively burnsome watermelon colours. The one thing these radical roots all have in common is their ability to melt your face with their peppery bite. Behind their firey front, there’s some underlying sweetness if you’re not afraid of a little heat.

Warm, hot and cool radish salad

2 cups of assorted radishes

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup diced ham

1 tsp anchovy paste

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 big scoop of regular sour cream

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

5 chives, finely sliced

salt to taste

pepper to taste

PROCEDURE

Cut all radishes into bite sized pieces and divide the whole lot into two bowls.

Get a large heavy metal frying pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and ham and cook gently to warm up the ham.

Crank up the heat and add anchovy paste and white wine vinegar and cook until everything is nice and cohesive. Add only half the radishes and cook until they begin to get a little softer, about 3-5 minutes.

This is a good opportunity to practice your pan flipping skills.

When the radishes are soft remove the pan from the heat and add the Dijon and sour cream. Stir until the mixture is smooth and lucious.

Scatter in the remaining half of the radishes and half the chopped chives for colour. Mix it all up and taste it.

Add salt. Taste it. If it needs more add some and taste again until it tastes right. Do the same with the pepper. That is what salt to taste means.

Transfer the warm lucious salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle on the rest of the chives. Serve immediately as a salad or a side dish with chicken.

The hot cooked radishes will have a mellow sweetness and the cool raw radishes will retain their pepper heat.

Next time you can make the salad with all cooked or all raw radishes if you want to switch it up a bit.

GETS ALONG WITH  butter, butter lettuce, cream, dijon, ham, ginger, chives, iceberg lettuce, salt

FRESH PICK   Pick firm radishes, watch out for soft spots. If they feel especially light they might be pitted and dried out. If you can get nice leaves, it’s a bonus because you can eat those too, but they tend to be a little tough at times. Should smell fresh, not dank.

Grab a couple bunches of assorted radishes at the DJ Market ‪12 Street S.E. 403-243-7201‬ or down the road at the Blackfoot Market on weekends.

QUICKEAT   Salty radish compound butter on bread. Grate 1/4 cup of radish of choice, squeeze out the excess liquid and combine the grated pulp with 1/2 cup softened butter. Add some good grey seasalt to taste and spread some on torn chunks of really good baguette.

Pick around Blackfoot Market to find great local radishes in a variety of colours from white icicle, classic red, watermelon, stripped and black.

TIDBIT  Fight fire with fire. To quell the strong firey radish burn just cook ‘em. The heat enducing enzyme that produces and a harsh mustard oil can be deactivated with a little heat. Sautée whole or halved radishes in butter, roast in the oven until soft or steam them briefly and enjoy the hot new radishness.

Asparagus officinalis has been cultivated and coveted by gastroristocrats since the days of Ancient Greece. Throughout history it has been prized as a difficult to grow, luxury vegetable. If you feel like flashing a little culinary bling you can razzle dazzle some guests with grilled asparagus doused in fancy-pants orange-enhanced Béarnaise. The grass doesn’t get any greener.

grilled asparagus with orange Béarnaise

INGREDIENTS

15-20 small to medium asparagus spears

Orange Béarnaise

3 egg yolks

2 Tbsp fresh squeezed navel orange juiced

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 pound cold butter

pinch of salt

2 sprigs of tarragon, leaves only, finely chopped

serve with a grilled porterhouse and some boiled new potatoes

PROCEDURE

Fire up barbecue and get it screaming hot.

Boil some new potatoes while you get going with everything else.

To make the Béarnaise: Put the yolks, orange juice, vinegar and butter into a cold medium-sized pot. Get out your whisk and put the pot over medium-low heat.

Stir dilligently—you don’t have to stir hard, you don’t have to stir quickly, you just have to stir constantly. Don’t think you can walk away for a second.

You’ll notice the sauce starting to get smooth and creamy, but still quite thin and runny. Just be patient and keep stirring. It will start to thicken up.

When it is nearly the rich, velvety consistency of hollandaise, remove it (and keep it away) from the heat source. Stir in the tarragon.

Ideally you want to use it immediately, but if that’s not possible just make sure it doesn’t sit around for more than half an hour.

If it becomes too thick as it sits, whisk in a couple drops of warm water to loosen it up.

Head over to the barbecue with your steak and asparagus. Drizzle the asparagus with oil and sprinkle with salt to season before you pop it on the grill.

Roll the asparagus when it starts to get charred.

Grill the porter house to desired doneness, let it rest on a clean cutting board for 5-10 minutes and slice it nice and thin.

Serve up the grilled asparagus, boiled potatoes and grilled steak all smothered with loads of orange Béarnaise sauce.

gets along with

bacon, butter, chives, eggs, ham, olive oil, orange,  parmessan, new potatoes, smoked salmon or smoked trout, sour cream, tarragon and walnuts

fresh pick

Asparagus will perish quickly. So ideally you want to get it on the day it was picked so it is firm and sweet. Damaged leaves, flimsy stems or frayed bottoms are not worth getting. Thicker stems will need peeling to remove woody skin at the bottom, but thin stems should be crisp and tender.

quick fire

Drive up to the Edgar Farms Asparagus Festival on May 29-30 and hop on the ‘wagon’ ride. Learn lots of interesting trivia about asparagus while you bounce along the dirt road. Hop off, run over to the field, snap off a spear and take a bite. You will be stunned by the sweet juicy crunch of perfect fresh asparagus.

Check out www.edgarfarms.com or call (403) 227-2443 for time, location and event details

nerdbyte

Thanks to asparagusic acid, some folks produce strong smelling urine after eating asparagus. Oddly, not everyone can perceive the strong odour even if they produce it.

Click here to check out last year’s asparagus recipe

When you first hold your own little bouncing bundle of joyous baby arugula you’ll be brimming with pride. The peppery, spirited, tender young leaves will fill your heart. Enjoy baby arugula while it’s young, because before you know it the leaves will get tough, tasteless, demanding, resentful, spiteful, spoiled, hormonal… youth is wasted on the young.

‘It’s a grill’ Baby arugula crostinis

2 heads of garlic

salt

olive oil

1 bunch of fresh Hotchkiss Arugula

2 oranges, cut in half

2 lemons, cut in half

1 loaf of Italian bread, cut into ¾ inch slices

12 slices of pancetta

olive oil, for drizzling

excellent salt for sprinkling as needed

fresh cracked pepper

Chop the tops off your garlic to expose the cloves inside. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and wrap loosely in tinfoil. Toss the garlic on the BBQ and fire it up to full heat. Pop on the lid and preheat for at least 20 minutes so the garlic has time to start roasting. Garlic takes 30-45 minutes depending on the temperature.

Slice bread into thick ¾ inch slices, drizzle or brush liberally with olive oil and pile onto a plate with the pancetta, halved oranges and lemons.

Grill the citrus, bread and pancetta as simultaneously as BBQ space allows.

Rub the flat side of citrus halves with a little olive oil. Place them directly on the grill to get awesome grill lines. When they are grilled up, they’re done, set aside.

Grill the pancetta until crispy, if it starts to burn too quickly move it to a cooler spot on the grill. Set aside to cool.

Grill the bread until you get lovely dark grill marks. Move them to a top rack or a cooler spot to dry out and get crunchier… although it’s not traditional, I personally don’t mind a little chew in my crostini.

To serve these crostini. When the garlic is soft and sweet squeeze out the cloves. Spread a clove of garlic on each piece of bread and top with pancetta.

Top each crsotini with springy bundle of joyful arugula, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Serve on a big old platter with the lemons and oranges on the side. Let people squeeze on some of the chargrilled orange and or lemon juice.

Unhook your jawbone and take a huge bite.

Arugula

… gets along with

Beets, Blue cheese, capers, Candy-smoked salmon, garlic, halibut, lemon, olives, orange, pancetta, Parmessan, prosciutto, grilled steak, tomatoes, trout, walnuts.

… fresh pick

Pick bunches of bright green tender baby leaves. Older leaves get tough and lose their lovely peppery bite. Look carefully for spoilage, if one spot is spoiled the rest is soon to follow. If it begins to spoil at home, sautée immediately in lots of butter and perk up with salt and lemon juice.

Hotchkiss Arugula is available in specialty food shops like Planet Organic, Janice Beaton Fine Cheese and Community Natural Foods, just to name a few.

… quick fire

To make Arugula pesto toss 1 bunch of baby arugula in a blender with a cup of toasted walnuts, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 clove of garlic and a good pinch of salt. Stand by with olive oil and blend until smooth, adding olive oil sparingly until you reach the desired consistency. Smooth or chunky, it’s your choice. Serve this pesto on grilled steak, roasted halibut or penne.

… nibble

Having trouble choosing a name? Arugula (aka rocket, ruccola) is a riff from the latin roc meaning rough or harsh. Pick ‘em while they are young before they live up to the name.

If you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em … beat ‘em good!

Soft avocados // Rough quac with roast tomatoes

1 avocado

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

drizzle olive oil

sprinkle of chili powder

2 green onions, sliced thin

100 g queso fresco or feta cheese

In a baking dish, toss the tomatoes with the oil and a pinch of salt. Bake at 450˚F until the tomatoes release juices, get a little dark around the edges and start to get shrivelled.

Use your thumbs to mush up the avocado inside the peel. Mush it up really well without breaking the skin.

Break open the skin and scoop it all into a bowl. Top it loosely with tomatoes, sprinkle of chili powder, sliced green onion, queso fresco and squeeze on the lime juice. Serve it rough with some nachos and cerveza.

Hard avocados // Creamy quac with coconut milk

1 avocado

zest and juice of 1 lime

3-4 whole sprigs of cilantro

¼ cup coconut milk

pinch salt

In a blender combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed.

Serve it in a bowl with some nachos and cerveza.

Medium avocados // Chop guac with mango

1 avocado, chopped

1 mango, chopped

2 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

¼ red onion, finely chopped

½ red chili, finely chopped

juice and zest of 1 orange

drizzle of olive or avocado oil

Chop all ingredients and toss gently in a bowl with orange juice and a drizzle of oil. Serve it up with some nachos and cerveza.

Ripe on // If your avocados are rock hard you can expedite the ripening process by tossing them in a brown paper bag with an apple or tomato and leaving them on the counter at room temperature for a day. No paper bag? Wrap it all in some of that newspaper right there… the sports section would be an appropriate choice.

Round one…

John Gilchrist is flanked by bright red stacks of his newest publication of My Favourite Restaurants in Calgary.

I cut through the crowd of weekend market shoppers with a tight clenched fist, ready to deliver a message to this well respected local food guru. Like a shot I extend the poised fist levelled at his head and stop, release the grip and drop a one pound block of cultured local butter on his display table.

“Challenge accepted.” I exhale and walk away before John’s glare can change from bewilderment to whatever it changed to after that… hopefully glinty steele or fury or something perculating with strong emotion.

It’s official, the Pie fight challenge has been delivered. At the end of April I will be going pan to pan in a Pie Fight against John Gilchrist.

John Gilchrist is best know round these parts for reviewing restaurants on CBC Radio. He’s been doing it since 1980… that’s 30 years, I know this cause I’m about to turn 30.

He also pens the best little restaurant guide books for Alberta and is up to nine National Best-Sellers.

He can write and he knows about food. But that’s not what I’m worried about…

Can John make a good apple pie?

Will his lard crust be able to stand up to my classic flaky butter crust?

We met recently on neutral turf to peacably discuss the terms of engagement.

The only ingredients allowed are flour, fat, sugar, apple, eggs, salt and apples. For this competition, the pie has been defined as having a top and bottom and an apple filling.

John is a lard crust man.

I am a butter crust man.

Herein lies the challenge, to see which crust is better and who will get the upper crust! …and if you think that joke was flakey, wait til you see my crust.

I’ll keep you posted…

When Flora, the ancient goddess of growing greenery, shows up this spring you know she’ll be looking vivacious. She’s spring-loaded to deliver all the greenery to life with a healthy dose of invigorating chlorophyll.

When was the last time you enjoyed a dose of chlorophyll?

Chlorophyll’s the green life-sustaining stuff in plants that allows them to absorb energy from the sun.

If you want to absorb energy from the sun make this big green version of the classic springtime primavera pasta for a bright yummy dose of greenery.

INGREDIENTS

Pesto

½ cup toasted Pinenuts

¼ cup Basil leaves

¼ cup Flat leaf parsley leaves

¼ cup mint leaves

zest and juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup olive oil, or more as needed

veggies

3 Broccolini or rapini, cut into 1 inch lengths

10 Snowpeas, cut into 1 inch lengths

2 small zucchinis, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch lengths

½ cup Frozen green peas

2 Green onion, finely sliced

optional cream sauce

1 cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream

4 cloves Garlic

10 little bocincini (little fresh mozzarella balls)

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

pasta

500g dried pasta of choice (penne, bowtie, rotini)

PROCEDURE

The Pesto: In a blender, food processor or mortar combine the pinenuts, herbs, lemon juice and oil. Blend the ingredients to form a smooth pesto.  Add more oil if needed to get desired smooth consistency. This stuff will keep for 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.

The Cream sauce: Get the white wine and garlic cloves into a small pot and put it on high heat. Boil until the liquid reduces by half. Reduce the heat to medium and add the heavy cream while stirring with a whisk to incorporate. When it comes to a slight bubble, you can reduce the heat even more and just let it simmer until the pasta is ready.

The Pasta: Get a huge pot of water over high heat until the water comes to a rip-roaring boil. Add salt so it tastes like the ocean.

Make sure all your veggies are sliced and arranged in little bowls before you start cooking the pasta.

Dump in the pasta. Fussili, rotini and penne all take about 8 minutes. So while the pasta is cooking you will be adding the veggies at key times so they can cook too.

Pasta goes in the water. Start the timer for 8 minutes.

When the timer says 4 minutes remaining add the rapini. Stir it in.

At 3 minutes add the snowpeas and zucchini. Stir it in.

At 1 minute add the frozen peas.

At 0 minute check to make sure the pasta is al dente. Cook one more minute if necessary.

Drain everything into a colander and then immediately dump it all back into the pot. Add the green onions, reduced cream sauce, half the pesto, the little bocincini balls and half the parmesan cheese. Stir it all up.

The bocincini balls will start to melt and make a really nice sticky sloppy green pasta. Serve it up in bowls and with a little scoop of pesto on top and a nice sprinkle of parmesan.

Eat until you are chloro-full.

Serves 4-6 herbivores.

The more you broaden your palate, the better you feel, so let’s have beans for every meal.

These beans are as at home on the range as they are in a fancy-pants restaurant. They most certainly must be enjoyed with great relish.

This dish goes beautifully with a nice bottle of crispy white wine and the good silverware… just don’t light too many candles.

INGREDIENTS

relish

2 onions, diced

vegetable oil for frying

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp balsamic

¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

¼ cup dried cranberries

½ bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped

salt to taste

beans

1 large can white beans (19 oz), drained

2 carrots, 2-inch lengths

2 stalks celery, 2-inch lengths

4 whole cloves of garlic

1 cup white wine

2 cups chicken stock

sprig of thyme

juice and zest of 1 lemon

4 spolumbo chicken sausages (or anything flavour you like)

Serve with chilled white wine, warm baguette and room temperature butter

PROCEDURE

To zest the lemon, use a good sharp peeler to pull off long strips of lemon zest (yellow part of the peel). Set aside for later.

Get a large pot over medium heat and let it get hot for 5 minutes. When it’s hot add the oil and then the carrots, celery and garlic. Sautee until the garlic becomes nice and brown and a little soft. Add the white wine and cook until the boozey smell evaporates. Add the chicken stock, beans, lemon zest and the sprig of time. This amount of chicken stock makes rather soupy beans, but you can cut it in half if you like them less soupy.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and bubble away for 25-30 minutes.

While the beans are cooking make the onion relish.

Get a big honking frying pan over high heat and glug in a good glug of vegetable oil. Toss in the onions and keep a close eye on them, keep stirring and tossing so they get nice and evenly brown and careful not to burn them all on one side.  When the onions are gorgeous, soft and caramelized take them off the heat and add the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, toasted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and freshly chopped parsley. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

To cook les wieners, poke holes through the skin using a fork to allow steam to escape then you can heat them up by grilling them on the barbecue, firing them into the oven or frying them in a frying pan. The cooking time will depend entirely on whether your sausage is raw or pre-cooked and on the size of the wiener. To check for doneness, just cut into it to see if it’s still raw inside. Cut the wieners into big chunks for serving.

Let the beans rest off the heat for 10 minutes before adding salt and lemon juice to taste.

To serve up les beans et les wieners, simply ladle up some of the soupy lovely beans into a big bowl, pile on a couple of pieces of grilled wieners and top it with a lovely little scoop of sweet onion relish. Enjoy with warm bread and cold butter. Some chilled white wine would be nice too.