Pork Tenderloin with Fennel Seeds

1 pork tenderloin
a small handful of fennel seeds
half a cup of olive oil
teaspoon of dijon
salt and pepper

Pork tenderloin is the easiest of the roasting types to throw together. Start by heating your over to 400. While the oven is heating, blend everything except the pork in a food processor. Pat the pork down with a paper towel and rub the salt and pepper into it like the sensual type of cat you are. Slather to contents of the food processor over the pork. When the oven is hot put the pork in and cook for 20-25 minutes. Let it rest in a tinfoil tent for 10 minutes before slicing.

Pesto

You really don't need to over think making pesto. Blend a handful of basil, a handful of parm, a handful of olive oil, a handful of toasted pine nuts and a couple cloves of garlic in a food processor. Toss in a few pinches of salt and pepper. This is enough pesto to cover 450 grams, or a standard box, of pasta. Adding some fresh green peas right before you serve it might be fun.

Celine Dion

I recently found a cookbook titled "Star Palates" while combing my shelves. Here is a vine leaves stuffed with lamb recipe Celine Dion says she learned from her mother-in-law. Ha!

16 ounces grape leaves
1/2 cup of long grain rice
1/2 pound of ground lamb
1/2 pound of ground anglophone toddler
5 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
chopped parsley, mint
1/2 teaspoon each of oregano, turmeric, black pepper
1/4 teaspoon each of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon
salt and pepper

The description Canada's most famous ostrich provides is long-winded and mentions Rene Angelil. I'll spare you. Essentially you re-hydrate the grape leaves in some boiling water, combine cooked rice with the rest of the ingredients, stuff the grape leaves and steam them for 45 minutes.

Paul Bunyan

Today's Globe and Mail described Chef Michael Smith's culinary adventure show, Chef Abroad, as "whimsical." In other news, the Globe and Mail has fired its entire staff and is now relying solely on self-aggrandizing pieces from readers for content.

Tuna Steaks with Green Curry Sauce

This fella is easy and quick. Serve it with rice or a cold noodle salad. Or whatever you like, I suppose.

Tuna Steaks with Green Curry Sauce

4 250 gram tuna steaks

1 can of light coconut milk

1 or 2 tbsp of green curry paste

2 tbsp fish sauce

olive oil

salt and pepper

Rub the tuna steaks with olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat some olive oil in an appropriately sized pan over medium high heat. Gently (ever so) place the tunas in the pan and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds a side. Remove the steaks from the pan, put them on a plate and tent them with aluminum foil. Add the curry paste into the now barren pan and fry for about a minute. Pour the coconut milk into the pan slowly with your right hand, whisking everything together with your left hand. Cook the paste and the coconut milk for a couple minutes or until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the fish sauce. Say "nam pla" in a voice that is equally loud and shrill. Slice the tuna steaks thinly, against the grain. Spoon the green curry sauce over the tuna. Get yours.

Robert/Madame Jehane Benoit.

I saw a promo for the movie based on the Julie/Julia experiment blog and had three thoughts. First, I bet the perverts behind Ms. Doubtfire have their paws in this somehow. Second, a sad, lonely woman finding purpose cooking the recipes of another sad, lonely woman does not scream "summer blockbuster." Third, I should probably paint a veneer of nationalism on this and steal the idea.

I will be cooking from the Canadian classic Mme. Jehane Benoit's Complete Heritage of Canadian Cooking and posting the results here whenever I feel like it. To start, I will cook either her Chicken Pie Terrapin, Orange and Pimento Salad or Italian Cheese Loaf. Ever good?

Barefoot Soprano?

According to sources close to the project, James Gandolfini has been cast as Ina Garten in the upcoming film American Contessa.   The Garten bio-pic is said to focus on Ina's relationship with her longtime companion Jeffrey (Ralph Fiennes) and chocolate.

      

  

Beef 14 - Canadian TV Chefs

vs.

Well it looks like Michael Smith may be getting a serious beating thrown his way sometime in the near future. An upcoming episode of Chef at Home apparently shows the Vlade Divac of the kitchen popping off at the mouth about, host of Licence to Grill, Rob Rainford's lack of culinary talents. Smith reportedly throws numerous shots at Rainford throughout the episode. Michael can be heard saying over the credits that he "has money stacks" bigger than Rainford and that Rainford can "come holla at an East Coast boss" if he has a problem. When I informed Rainford he told me that "Michael Smith is terry cloth" and that "that means he's very soft." I have to side with Rob Rainford on this one. The guy looks like the type who's not scared to pop the trunk. Expect some caps to get peeled back in PEI sometime soon.

Potato Salad

Here's a change of pace from your standard mayonnaise based potato salad.  Any potato grown at least 100 miles away from where you live will suffice.

Potato Salad

12 big Christian potatoes

1 handful of cilantro

1 handful of flat-leaf parsley

4 cloves of garlic

4 anchovy fillets

about a half cup of olive oil

a quarter cup of rice wine vinegar or so

salt and pepper

Scrub all of the filth off of the potatoes and boil them in their skins for about 15 minutes.  While this is happening, combine cilantro, parsley, garlic, anchovies, olive oil and rice wine vinegar in a food processor.  Blend.  Drain the potatoes.  Curse out loud as you attempt to remove the potato skin far too early.  Go out for a cigarette.  Remove the skin from the potatoes now that they have cooled a bit.  Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks.  Combine the potatoes and the dressing in a bowl and toss it around a bit.  Add salt and pepper.  Add more olive oil and rice wine vinegar if the potatoes don't look quite coated.

Chef and the City

The Food Network's busiest behemoth is at it again. Chef Michael Smith, of Inn Chef, Chef at Home, Chef Abroad, and Chef at Large fame, will be premiering his new show Chef and the City sometime next year. Rumor has it, Michael's son and sometimes co-star Gabe needs to begin elementary school. Since Gabe's academic demands obviously cannot be met in the Maritime provinces, Chef has decided to pack up the family and head to the Big Smoke. Food Network cameras will capture the move. Expect growing pains as Chef realizes he is not the biggest fish in the culinary pond anymore.

The Spread of Peace

Hummus

I'm sure some of you are thinking that, given the events of 9/11, the promotion of hummus may be inappropriate.  Obviously I share your concerns, but I encourage you to open your mind.  Give it a try, McCarthy.

1 can of chickpeas, drained

1 head of garlic

2 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp lemon juice

olive oil

salt

pepper

smoked paprika

Cut the top of the garlic head off, exposing the tops of the cloves.  Slather said exposed clove heads in olive oil.  Put the head on a baking sheet in an oven heated to 450 degrees and cook for about 20 minutes.  Put chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and a good amount of olive oil into a food processor.  Squeeze the head of garlic over the food processor.  In an ideal world the cloves will jump out of their papery-skin into your food processor.  If they disobey, get your hands dirty and get as much of the roasted garlic into the processor as you can.  Give the contents a good blend.  Pour more olive oil in if things don't look quite right.  Season with salt and  pepper.  Give it another buzz so everyone watching knows you don't play.  Sprinkle a little smoked paprika on top before you serve.

And everybody know, Strawberry, Strawberry is the neighbourhood ...

It's a Friday and the sun is shining. It's time to dust off that LA Kings hat, let your khakis hang low, turn up the Zapp and Roger and barbecue something. If you feel like grilling chicken or fish try using this strawberry salsa as a topping. Remember to strap on your locs and demand snaps on the petrol.



Strawberry Salsa

1/2 pound of strawberries
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
about a teaspoon of grated ginger
a handful of cilantro
salt and pepper
olive oil
juice of 1 lime
zest of 1 lime

Start by washing and drying your strawberries and cilantro. Next, give the cilantro a rough chop and toss into a bowl. Dice the strawberries into little chunks and toss them into the bowl as well. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, grated ginger and lime zest. Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl. Pour in a few glugs of olive oil. Turn the pepper grinder a few times over your concoction and add a pinch or two of salt. Make sure everything is mixed together well. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge till you are ready to eat.

Massimo's (possible) Last Recipe

The Globe and Mail strayed from publishing articles explaining twitter and admonishing poor people for not eating high priced local produce today. Massimo Capra gets some shine in the Life section with a fun sounding risotto. I cherish every new recipe I read from Massimo because I always suspect it will be his last. His unrepentant lust for pork reminds me of Sid Vicious' for heroin. In every single way.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/risotto-al-salto-with-prosciutto-arugula-and-parmigiano-reggiano/article1184344/

Chef Michael Smith

Canada's premier flavour advocate, family man, and unhygienic giant Chef Michael Smith will be Abroad again this fall.  My guess is the pressures of being At Home and At Large have finally caught up with Michael and he wants to grow that pony-tail out, step into some chef pants and stare at things in other countries.  Chef Abroad will air on the Food Network this fall on Fridays at 11pm and 3am.  Sweet time slot Michael.  Flavour.