Road Trip - Montréal

Last week we celebrated my 40th birthday in Montreal!  We wanted to go somewhere fun and, surprisingly, have never been to Montreal together, and neither of us has been since we were teenagers. 

Montreal is about a 7 hour drive from home. On the way, we stopped to visit family for a couple of nights in Eastern Ontario, then headed into the city.  

I'll let Matt, the Beer Baron, talk about all the beer he tried in an upcoming post, but one of our first stops was Atwater Market to check out the beer and cider selection at the Fromagerie.  We collected several selections to enjoy in our hotel room.

We chose the Delta Montreal as our hotel and it was great. The Jazz Fest was on while we were there and it was right next door. It was an easy walk to Old Montreal and shopping downtown. 

Spring Lobster Salad with Corn, Potatoes & Tarragon

It's finally starting to feel like spring around here.  So I decided to celebrate with a simple but luxurious dinner salad.  

Tarragon is easily found in most grocery stores. It's has a liquorice flavour that's a great match for lobster.  

This recipe is inspired by Epicurious but I made some small changes.  

Here's what you need to serve two as a main course or four as a starter:

Lobster Corn Chowder

Is there anything as pretty as a seafood chowder?  Chunks of lobster, potatoes and vegetables, fresh corn and bacon.  So tasty!

How about a close-up?

I was lucky enough to find some frozen lobster claws at the supermarket right when the last corn of the season was available.  So I snatched it up and chowder was an easy decision.  

Lobster Rolls

You can't argue with that.

I love cooking seafood because it photographs so beautifully.  This tastes as good as it looks but it is not a "traditional" lobster roll and it is not a healthy choice.  I went light on the butter compared to the original recipe and it's still about twice as much butter as I'd normally consider cooking with.  But it was worth it.  So delicious.  

I picked up a couple of frozen lobster tails on sale this weekend and thought lobster rolls would make good use of them.  I originally intended to make traditional cold lobster rolls with mayonnaise and celery, but I got lazy at the last minute and found these buttery, Connecticut-style lobster rolls.  Never a fan of mayo, these are more my speed so I made them instead. 

First, a disclaimer.  Lobster rolls are one of those foodstuffs like pizza that people have passionate, regional, unbreakable rules about.   A real lobster roll must be made with fresh whole lobster, with mayonnaise and minimal other ingredients and served on a top-sliced, commercial hot dog bun.   Check out this awesome blog post where the writer is outraged about the use of green stuff and frozen lobster tails.   

Even though this recipe may be considered a travesty by traditionalists, it was so delicious I have no regrets.  

Scallop Pappardelle

I think, perhaps, my favourite pasta is pappardelle.  These wide egg noodles are so thick and chewy, they feel so substantial.  Whenever I see pappardelle on a restaurant menu I order it.  It's my intention to someday make an authentic Bolognese sauce with pork, carrot, milk (!) and a little tomato paste to top the pappardelle but, until then, these seared scallops were a great match.  

I used this recipe from Martha Stewart and added in some asparagus.  I particularly loved the toasted breadcrumb topping and plan to use it often!

Here's what you need:

Lemon Dill Seafood Linguine

This recipe was inspired by Clean Eating magazine.  They served it without the pasta, but the linguine makes it a hearty meal.  

Orecchiette with Bay Scallops and Corn

Some things are just made for each other. Pasta, particularly, often has a special relationship with other ingredients based on its shape. Pappardelle's wide ribbons pair well with thick ragù. Orecchietti means "little ears" and the curved shape is perfect for tiny bay scallops and corn to rest in. This was a very successful meal that will make it into our regular rotation.

Here's what you need for 4 servings:

400g bay scallops (thawed if frozen) 250g oricchiette
6 green onions
1 hot pepper (or red bell pepper)
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon (optional)
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the oricchiette. Cook according to package directions. Before draining, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water.

Chop the chili pepper and the white and light green parts of the green onions (chop the dark green parts and keep them separate).

While pasta is cooking, heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large pan and cook the corn, bacon, peppers and onions for about 3 minutes until softened.  

Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Dry the scallops well. Heat the other 1/2 tbsp oil in the pan and add the scallops, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Cook the scallops just 2 minutes, tossing until lightly browned, then add the wine and bring to a simmer.

Remove the scallops to the bowl with the corn so they don't over cook.  Then add the butter to the wine and simmer for a few minutes to reduce slightly.

Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water then drain and toss the pasta with the butter and wine in the pan.

Then add the cooked vegetables and scallops back to the pan along with the dark parts of the green onions and toss it all together, adding pasta water as needed to moisten the mixture.

Serve it up in bowls for one of the tastiest pastas you've had in a while.

See how all the ingredients nestle into the little pasta ears?  Perfection.  

Roundup - Favourite Meals From 2012

As 2012 draws to a close I though I'd look back at some posts from earlier in the year that may have been missed.  These are some of my favourite meals I posted near the beginning of the year, but I've made them again several times since then. Some were old favourites and some were new to me but they're all part of my permanent rotation now.

Hopefully you can see some improvement in the photography since these older posts.  The lighting should be better at least!

So here's a second look at some great meals this year.

#1  Simple Seafood Pasta

This was our New Years dinner last year.  It is simple and delicious and the best part is, you can really use whatever seafood you have on hand.  

#2 To Do: Make Caesar Salad from Scratch

The first time I made this it was a revelation.  I'm not going to say I haven't used store-bought Caesar salad dressing this year but I really feel strongly that home made is the way to go.  

#3 Easy & Fancy Rack of Lamb for Two

I made this in January and again a few times this year because it is so sophisticated and delicious but so easy!  The potatoes taste amazing after cooking under the lamb.  You can serve two or four or more by just increasing the ingredients. 

#4  French Onion Pastina

This is one of my go-to pantry recipes for a cold night.  I always have onions and parmesan cheese on hand and I keep pastina in the cupboard just for this.  It's very easy and even with fancy Italian Parmigiano Reggiano it is still pretty inexpensive.  Try this!  

#5 Pork, Butternut Squash and Fennel Stew

Another one of my favourite recipes. I make this often throughout the year but especially in fall and winter.  I've got some pork shoulder in the freezer right now and plan to make this soon. The finsished stew also freezes very well.  

Poached Shrimp Cocktail & Shrimp Stock

If you ever buy those frozen shrimp rings at the grocery store, consider this instead. Poaching your own shrimp gives you such a nice, fresh flavour, plus the opportunity to make useful shrimp stock from the shells.  And it's so easy!

All you need is some frozen raw shrimp and some aromatics.

This is the shrimp I used, but any large, raw, shell-on shrimp is fine.  This is a great resource for finding out about sustainable seafood.  I'll admit, I didn't use it this time.

Fill a large, shallow pan with about an inch of water and add a bay leaf, garlic clove, a few peppercorns and a sprinkle of chili flakes.  Bring the water to a simmer and add the frozen shrimp in their shells.

As the water starts to come back to a simmer, the shrimp will start to turn pink.  Flip them over as they become opaque.  They only need about 3-4 minutes.  

Once they're just cooked through, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon or tongs and reserve the poaching liquid for your stock.  Cooking shrimp in their shells gives them way more flavour than peeling them first.

To make shrimp cocktail, chill the shrimp and peel them but leave the tails on.

You can make an easy cocktail sauce with a tablespoon of horseradish, two tablespoons of ketchup and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce to taste.  Serve on a platter with sliced lemon or in little cocktail glasses for an individual appetizer.  

That's diced celery and celery leaves at the bottom of the glass.  You can make these in advance and chill them in the fridge until guests arrive. 

But save the shrimp shells!  We're going to make a flavourful shrimp stock you can keep in the freezer and use in lobster bisque or any recipe that calls for fish stock.  

In a medium pot, heat a little oil and add a celery stalk and the white parts of a couple of green onions or a quarter of a small white onion.  

Add the shrimp shells and stir, cooking for about a minute.

Cover with water and throw in the shrimp poaching liquid. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20-30 minutes until reduced by about half.

Strain out the solids and place the stock in a freezer container.

I ended up with exactly 2 cups and put it in the freezer for next time I need a little flavour in a soup.  Next time I'll show you what you can do with the rest of the poached shrimp.  

Mussels with Bacon and Fennel

If you've never made mussels at home, what are you waiting for?  They are super cheap and so easy you won't believe it.  This recipe from Serious Eats is actually a little more involved than it needs to be.  You can use basically any vegetables and liquid you like to steam mussels.  Wine, beer, cider, tomato sauce, coconut milk, stock... the possibilities are endless.  

The bacon in this recipe makes them a little more hearty.  With fresh bread this is a full meal.  For a main course, about a pound of mussels per person will do.  I bought a kilogram for about $4.50!

So here's what you need:

1 kg (2lbs) fresh mussels
3 slices bacon
1 small or 1/2 large fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 sprigs each fresh thyme and tarragon
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp butter
fresh parsley
juice of one lemon

First, prepare your mussels by rinsing under cold water in a colander.  Shake them up a bit.  The mussels should all snap closed.  Discard any that aren't closed tightly. 

Here are the ones I threw away.

Now chop the bacon.

Add it to a large pot over medium heat.

And fry it up until starting to crisp. 

Dice the fennel.

Once the bacon is browning, add the diced fennel to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened.

Chop your garlic, thyme and tarragon and add them to the pot along with the wine.

Then dump in the mussels and cover the pot.  Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pot a few times.

Once the mussels have opened, add the parsley, butter and lemon juice and mix until butter is melted.  Discard any mussels that don't open.  

Serve up the mussels in a large bowl and pour the wine broth, fennel and bacon from the pot over top.

These are great with some fresh bread to dip in the broth.  A hearty, filling meal that's cheap and easy enough for any weeknight.  Delish!