Phyllo Wrapped Salmon Fillets

Phyllo pastry is an easy way to dress up an endless array of ingredients. Most stuffing requires some cooking before being wrapped because the phyllo only takes about 15 minutes to bake in a 425F oven. Tonight I have chosen salmon, one of my favourite fish, to prepare with phyllo. Seeing as the cooking time for salmon is about the same as the phyllo, I will wrap it raw but marinated.

If you are using frozen phyllo, it must be completely thawed and room temperature before use.

Fish Marinade
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 vegetable oil
2 cloves fresh garlic
1/3 cup green onions, minced
1tbsp capers, minced
1/2tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves, crushed
1tsp thyme

• lay fish in marinade for 20 minutes and flip 1/2 way through, if not submersed.
• remove and pat dry before laying the fish on the phyllo

Wrapping
2 sheets of phyllo per (5-7oz) fillet
melted butter, as needed

• lay down 1 sheet of phyllo on a dry flat surface.
• butter the edges and a small amount across the middle using a basting or pastry brush.
• lay the 2nd sheet directly on top, smoothing it gently. Phyllo tears very easily but you can repair it using a little of the melted butter as glue.
• lay the salmon a few inches from the bottom, in the middle of the phyllo. Roll the salmon with the phyllo upwards, careful not to tear as you go.
• Before the last flip up, fold the ends into the center.
• Seal the last flip with some more of the butter.
• Lay on parchment (not wax, it burns) lined pan and bake in a 425F oven for 15-25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

drape with
Creamy Garlic and Parmesan Sauce
1cup whole milk or light cream (3-5%)
1tbsp butter
1tbsp all purpose, white flour
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch nutmeg
tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

• in a small sauce pan, melt butter, add garlic and cook slightly without browning the butter or the garlic.(browing at this stage will mean the sauce won't be white.)
• stir in the flour and cook another 1/2 minute more
• using a whisk, add the milk stirring continuously until the sauce begins to thicken.
  
• Reduce heat to low and add the cheese, stirring till incorporated
• add the remaining seasonings and salt to taste
• serve sauce immediately, over the fish

I enjoyed my dinner with a side of steamed asparagus spears.
*before cooking, asparagus should always have the ends snapped off, or shaved using a peeler, because they are woody.

Cool Cous Cous Salad

Summer salads: the perfect match for anything BBQ'd. Tonight I'm grilling up my Ribs and to go along side, I pulled together some fresh ingredients I had on hand. The result is a little something to cool the flames.

1 cup cous cous
1 cup water or stock

• bring liquid to a boil, add cous cous, stir, remove from heat and cover. After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and refrigerate till cooled.

1/4 cup celery, diced small
1/2 cup cucumber, diced small
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in quarters
1/4 cup red onion, diced fine
1 cup chick peas (if canned, drained and rinsed)
1 clove garlic, minced
hand-full fresh dill, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

• Once cous cous has cooled add the above ingredients, toss and taste. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Serve on a leaf of lettuce. Try something long and leafy like Red Leaf lettuce or Romaine because it is also firm.
OR
Try stuffing it into half a fresh pepper, cut lengthwise.

~ you're welcome ;o)

Homemade Margarine

Fat is fat. Not so. In this world of perpetual dieting, obesity epidemics and the subsequent rise in health awareness, understanding fat has never before been such a heavy subject. First of all fat is essential. It doesn't just pad our bones and roll over our jeans. Fat is needed for vitamin absorption and transportation through our bloodstream. It helps control blood functions such as clotting and pressure. And it is needed for exercise after carbohydrates have been burned. But not all fats are essential. In fact some are just down right bad, particularly when over consumed.

Trans fats are the latest lipids to be branded as bad. They are a double edged sword. Not only do they build bad cholesterol levels, causing coronary heart disease, but they lower good cholesterol. Saturated fats, in large quantities are also undesirable. Particularly palmitic acid, which occurs in high percentages, in common foods such as beef, butter, salmon and dark chocolate. However we do know that these foods also have beneficial qualities. Salmon also contains essential fatty acids. Dark chocolate has stress reducing antioxidants and beef is a valuable source of iron and protein. So what about butter? It tastes great and nothing substitutes it quite as well when it comes to baking and spreading. And taste is very important. Fat gives food flavour. Without it food can be bland or unbalanced. Often substitutions for fat include higher levels of salt, sugar and added chemicals and flavour enhancers. All of which are also bad if consumed in large quantities. And don't forget that your body needs fat to function. Restricting fat intake too much is not good either. Balance is essential.

The best fats to make a regular part of our balanced diet are known as essential fatty acids. They are our Omegas 3, 6 and 9, derived from linolenic and oleic acids. These fats are needed to support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune and nervous systems and are found in a variety of nuts, seeds, fish, dark leafy greens and oils like flax, canola and virgin olive. EFA's, like most vitamins and nutrients, can be destroyed through excessive heat from cooking. To preserve their benefits take care when choosing and preparing EFA rich foods.

So here is one way to achieve a fat balance. Make your own margarine. A perfect blend of butter and omega rich oils. Feel free to flavour it with garlic and herbs or just a pinch of salt.

• 1/2lb butter, softened
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Start butter in the blender adding the oil slowly until fully incorporated.
Transfer to a food storage container and refrigerate.

Mediterranean Lamb Chops

I don't think I've ever met a lamb I didn't love. And I hope this recipe will find your own heart all a flutter.

Marinade (yield: enough for 4 chops)
1/8tsp salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive brine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp rosemary

• marinate chops for 1 hour turning twice to ensure even marination.
• grill chops until medium rare- aprox 4 minutes a side depending on the thickness.
  
• top with grilled red peppers and red onions with sliced kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese.
  

Turkey Burgers

The weather is warming which means it's time to turn off the oven and fire up the BBQ. Let's kick it off with a great burger. And there is none better than one made from scratch. It's not hard. All the ingredients go in one bowl. Then get your hands in there, mix it up and make some patties!

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg, beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme, fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp onion or shallot, minced
2 tbsp celery, minced
4 mushrooms, minced
1/4 cup gouda, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs or crushed crackers
1 tsp lemon juice

• form into patties of desired size and grill until done (juices should run clear)
  
• serve on a toasty bun with any of your favourite fixings.
• Since my BBQ is already hot, I'd grill some vegetables like peppers and zucchini. And more cheese never hurt.
  

Slow Cooked BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Yummy Stuff You'll Need

2 large pork back ribs
1 large half pan with rack(to keep your babies out of the steam bath)
tin foil
plastic wrap

~the steam bath
1 can dark ale
1 cup malt vinegar
1/2 cup water

~ ay there's the rub
1tsp each of:
cayenne pepper
black pepper
garlic salt
onion powder
mustard powder
Hungarian paprika
thyme
crushed bay leaves

~so saucy
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup malt vinegar
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp each of white pepper and salt
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp minced onions (that means chop em up till you can't chop em no more....or use a grater)
2 tbsp butter

~ melt the butter in a sauce pan. Saute onions and garlic until onions are clear. Melt in sugar and honey. Then stir in the vinegar and Worcestershire. Bring to a soft boil, reduce and add remaining ingredients. Keep warm until ready to use or refrigerate for later use.

How ya do er up

OK so the key to this is time and patience. Never rush a good rib. So you may be a little bored waiting, but in the end your blood thirsty ways will be well fed. To start you need to mix the rub and then spread it across the top of your ribs. Be firm yet gentle. Then wrap em up good and tight in several layers of any old plastic wrap. Now let your ribs sweat it out (in the fridge of course) for at least 12 hrs.

When you're good and bored, pull them puppies out and preheat your oven to 275F. Pour the bath into the bottom of your half pan. Then set in the rack and lay the rubbed ribs on top. Wrap the top tightly with tin foil. Let your ribs steam for 2hrs. Now in the mean time, to keep up your interest, whip up a fresh batch of my BBQ sauce and get yer grill fired up good and hot. Remove your steamed ribs and lay them on the grill coated in BBQ sauce. The key here is not to cook them much further. At this point we're only searing them with sauce and building a bit of a char, so make sure the barby's good and hot. Remove, plate and scarf back with the same brand of dark ale you used in the bath.

You're welcome ;o)

Scalloped Potatoes with Peppers

There is always room for variation, especially when it comes to potatoes. The base of this recipe is the potatoes and the sauce, made of butter, oil, flour and milk. So feel free to change up the rest. Choose your own selection of seasonings and veg or omit them altogether and go cheese all the way. I'm always creating with the food I have on hand. Don't be afraid to do the same. I dare ya!

• 6 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 6 green onions, washed and sliced
• 1/2 large green bell pepper, washed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 large red bell pepper, washed and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt to taste
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 cups milk

1. Heat oven at 375F
2. Saute peppers and onion for 2 minutes or until bright.
3. Stir in flour until incorporated.
   
4. Add seasonings and milk and continue to stir until sauce is thick. Remove from heat.
5. In a bowl, combine mixture and potatoes well.
6. Transfer to a baking dish and cover.
7. Cook for 35 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 15 minutes.

~You're welcome ;o)