Syrian Dinner

Chef Fatma Korid, September 12, 2016

The fish that everyone LOVED, shish barak.

For the dough:

•  1.5 C of flour
•  ¾C very warm water
• TBSP OIL
• ts salt
•  Lemon juice, lemon salt, or vinegar, whatever you got at home.

Making the dough:

• Add the flour to the mixer, in one bowl, mix half the water with the oil and vinegar or the lemon juice and the dry stuff together, then add them to the flour, start mix. Slowly start adding the remaining water.
• In an oily pan, put the dough in and make sure the whole dough surface is covered with oil. Let it set for an hr.
• An hr later, start rolling the dough as thin as 2mm/3mm. then with a ring, start cut the dough, and stuff it with the meat mix, close the rounded dough( like and take the 2 corners and bring them together, it will look similar like a fortune cookie shape) . What you can do is, put them directly to the yogurt mix or half bake them first then add them to the liquid. Cook them like you cook pasta, one it the dough is cooked, the dish is done.

Making the filling:

• Add 1 kilo of meat to a 2-table spoon of oil, with fine dice large onion, few garlic gloves and coriander, salt and pepper as needed.
• Once all the meat and onion is cooked, drain it from fat if there is any.
• Start filling the dough.

The sauce:

• On medium heat, In large pot, Add 750 g of 3% yogurt, 1TS of coriander, salt and pepper as needed.
• 1 box of Maggie, 2 L egg white, 1C of water- dissolve the Maggie in it for better result, 1ts of cornstarch for thickener, only if needed.
• Keep stirring the pot once the mixer get to boiled, add the pasta and keep stirring gently. Once the dough of the pasta is fully cooked, then the dish is ready.
• Let it simmer for 15 minutes, garnish with almonds or pine nuts.

Molokhia dish:

• Add the dried molokhia 1c pr person to a large pot, saute  it for at less 15 minutes on medium hear.
• Then add the coriander powder, garlic along with fresh chicken stock, or dissolve 2 boxes of Maggie in water. Add enough water to cover one inch above the molokhia, remember the molokhia is dried; it will absorb lots of water. Instead of water, you can boil a whole chicken and use its water for this dish; you will be using the chicken later on in this dish.
• Once the molokhia has absorbed the liquid it will be tenderized, let it simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on.

Serving:

• half of the plate is plain steamed rice and the other half is molokhia.
• Use the chicken pieces (9 skinless and boneless part) to spread it on the top of the molokhai.

Grape leaves:

Mixture:

• 2c of washed raw long grain rice,
• 1lb lean ground beef,
• TS salt,
• TS pepper,
• ts lemon
• salt, or fresh lemon juice.

Preparation:

• For a medium grape leave, put 2 ts of mixture, and start rolling the grape leaves like you rolling a cigar. Make sure all the corners are sealed.
• Watch for the amount of mixture you put in each grape leaves, the more rice you put in each one, the longer it takes to cook. Sometimes the grape leaves get busted due to large rice portion.
• Stack them gently in a pot. You can put bones in the bottom of the pot and then start stacking the grape leaves on top, for more flavor.
• Then add enough tomato sauce mixed with water to cover the grape leaves.
• Leave it on high heat until it boiled, once it does, turn the heat to medium.
• Cover it and keep watching for the liquid, RICE will start absorb the water- tomato sauce mixture, if need more liquid, keep adding till the grape leaves are soften and the rice is fully cooked.
• My mother always flip the pot upside down and let it set for 15 minutes, then she lift the pot and you are left with one nice block of well stacked grape leaves.

For people whom have fresh grape leave tree, collect the medium sized ones, wash them, and use them immediately, other wise superstore have canned grape leaves in the international section.

All the ingredients are available at the halal store on Maryland and at the Syrian supermarket on ellice cross the street from the ellice mosque.

Dessert:

In one bowl, add

• 1TS sugar,
• ½ TS yeast,
• 2C very warm water and let it set for 5 minutes.

In another bowl, add

• 2 C of flour,
• 1TS cornstarch,
• ½ ts salt

mix well, add the liquid to the dry ingredients, let it set for 15 minutes.

Start forming the pancake, however we wont flip them, we will cook them on griddle on medium heat till the heat travel through out the dough to cook the top of the pancake.

Remove it from the heat and let it cool down.

In a bowl add

• 1 C of mascarpone cheese,
• 1 TS icing sugar,
• coconut and some nuts.

Once the pancake cooled down, start piping into the center of the pancake, close it, your final product should be like the shape of half moon. Pan fry it to the desired crisp and dip it in simple syrup or pour maple syrup on it and serve.

Can be garnished with ground pistachios

Seared Scallops with pea puree, buckwheat tuile and velouté sauce

Chef Coleen Antonio, Recipient of the 2015 Les Marmitons Most Promising Chef Award - May 2016

Seared Scallops with pea puree, buckwheat tuile and velouté sauce

SCALLOPS

• 3 Scallops
• Oil as needed
• Butter as needed
• Wine as needed for deglazing

Pat dry the scallops, make sure that it is really dry, season with salt and pepper and sear.
Heat pan, add oil. Sear the scallops 1 ½ minute on each side depending on the size.
Add butter, and deglaze with White Wine

PUREE

• 600g Frozen Peas
• Butter as needed
• Cream as needed
• Salt / Pepper to taste

Add ingredients to food processor and puree till textures is how you like it.

BUCKWHEAT TUILE

• 1 cup Buckwheat flour
• 1.5 cup Canola oil
• 1.5 cup Water
• Salt / Pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together to the right consistency, it should be runny.

Garnish with Micro Greens and Nori Sheets

Sous Vide Yellow and Red Beets with mixed greens and candied walnuts

Chef Coleen Antonio, Recipient of the 2015 Les Marmitons Most Promising Chef Award - May 2016

Sous Vide Yellow and Red Beets with mixed greens and candied walnuts

CANDIED WALNUTS

• 3 cups Walnuts
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 3 TBSP Unsalted Butter

Heat pan and add the walnuts, sugar and butter.
Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently so the nuts don’t burn.
When the sugar starts to melt, coat the walnuts until all of them are coated.
Transfer to a sheet pan with parchment paper and let it cool.

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

• 3 TSP Lemon zest, grated
• 5 TBSP Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 3 TSP Sugar
• 3 TSP Dijon Mustard
• 10 TBSP Olive Oil
• Salt / Pepper to taste

Mix the first 4 ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. 
Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking. 
Season with salt and pepper

ROASTED BEETS

• Beets
• Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. 
Rinse the beets and trim off any leafy tops. 
Wrap completely in aluminum foil and place in the oven. 
Roast until tender and easily pierced with a knife, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 
Remove from the oven and let cool. 
When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel using a paring knife or by pushing the skin with your fingers.
Slice beets to desired thickness.

SOUS VIDE BEETS

• Beets
• Thyme
• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper

Preheat the sous vide water bathe to 185. 
Peel and thinly slice the beets. 
Place in a vacuumed sealed bag with a sprinkle of salt, a drizzle of olive oil and 2 sprigs of thyme. 
Vacuum seal the bags and place in the preheated sous vide. 
Cook for 2 hours and afterwards immediately submerge in a ice water bath for 10 minutes to stop the cooking process. If you’re feeling lazy you don’t even need to do this since you’re cooking veggies, it just means they keep cooking so your texture could be slightly less firm than you want. You can serve immediately or keep your little gems in the fridge for a month. They are great right out of the bag but they benefit from added acid and a peppery element such as arugula or just a sprinkle of pepper.

Ravioli stuffed with Crab Mousse served with creamy tomato bisque and herb oil

Chef Coleen Antonio, Recipient of the 2015 Les Marmitons Most Promising Chef Award - May 2016

Ravioli stuffed with Crab Mousse served with creamy tomato bisque and herb oil

CRAB MOUSSE

• 3 cups Cream Cheese
• 4 cups Crab Meat
• 2 cups Green onion, sliced
• 2 TSP Chilli Flakes
• Salt / Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together

FRESH PASTA

• 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
• 6 Egg Yolks
• 1 Whole Egg
• 1/2 TSP Olive Oil
• 1 TBSP Milk

Put all the flour on the working station; make a well in the middle that is big enough for all the egg yolks.
Pour the egg yolks, egg, oil and milk into the well. Break the eggs with your fingers and when they are, start swirling the eggs around in a circular motion without spilling over. This will slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs. Don’t rush this step, because you don’t want the pasta dough to be lumpy.
When the dough starts to thicken, use a pastry scrapper to lift the flour up and over the dough that is starting to form. Bring all that dough together and form it into a ball.
Knead the dough a few times. Do not fold it over on itself like you would do with bread. Re-shape into a ball, and repeat the kneading motion 2-3 times. The real kneading begins: Dust the work surface with flour. Knead the dough in the same manner as before, pushing it forward with the heels of your hands, and re-shaping it into a ball. Keep kneading in this way until the dough becomes silky smooth. The dough is ready when you can pull a finger across the top of it and it wants to snap back into place. This process will take from 15 to 20 minutes, but knead as a long as it takes to pass the pull test. If not, the dough could collapse when resting. Double wrap the dough in plastic wrap to make sure it doesn’t dry out. 
Let the dough rest for 30 to an hour before rolling it through the pasta machine.

TOMATO BISQUE

• Unsalted BUtter as needed
• 3 Carrots, chopped
• 1 Celery, chopped
• 10 Garlic, Mince
• 10 TBSP All Purpoase Flour
• 4 L Chicke Broth
• 1 Can Crushed tomatoes
• 5 sprigs Parsley sprigs
• 5 sprigs Thyme
• 2 Bay Leaf
• Heavy Cream as needed
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, sautee onion, carrots, celery and garlic until soft. 
Stir in the flour and cook it, stirring for 3 minutes. 
Pour the broth and crushed tomatoes and bring to boil while stirring constantly. 
Tie the parsley, thyme and bay leaf together with kitchen twine and add to the pot. 
Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes – 45 minutes. 
Remove from heat and allow to cool, when the soup is cool remove the herb bundle. 
Use a blender or an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth. 
Strain the tomato puree and return to the pot – reheat to medium heat Whisk in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Orange Marinated Grilled Lamb Chop with parsnip puree, roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, grilled asparagus and lamb jus

Chef Coleen Antonio, Recipient of the 2015 Les Marmitons Most Promising Chef Award - May 2016

Orange Marinated Grilled Lamb Chop with parsnip puree, roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, grilled asparagus and lamb jus

GRILLED LAMB

• 8 Racks of Lamb
• 6 pieces Orange
• Olive oil as needed
• Salt / Pepper to taste

Clean the rack of lamb, take off some of the fat and silver skin – French Cut.
Mix orange juice, zest and olive oil, salt and pepper
Marinate the Rack of lamb for 2 hours before grilling.

Cook to desired doneness: 
Rare: 115 to 120°F
Medium-Rare: 120 to 125°F
Medium: 130 to 135°F
Medium-Well: 140 to 145°F
Well-Done: 150 to 155°F

ROASTED POTATOES / PARSNIP PUREE / GLAZED BABY CARROTS

PARSNIP PUREE

• 2 lb Parsnips, peeled, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 4 TBSP Unsalted Butter
• Kosher Salt to taste

Bring parsnips, garlic, cream, milk, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. 
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until parsnips are very soft, 10–15 minutes. 
Uncover and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes; season with salt. 
Purée in a blender until smooth.

ROASTED POTATOES

• 3 per Russet Potatoes
• Salt / Pepper as needed
• Oil as needed

Peel the potatoes, cut with a cutter(circular) Coat with oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, until cooked.

GLAZED CARROTS

• 2 per Baby Carrots
• Honey as needed
• Butter as needed
• Salt / Pepper as needed
• Fresh herbs, chopped

In a saucepan, place carrots in 1 inch of water. 
Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. 
Drain well. 
Add honey and butter to carrots in saucepan. 
Cook, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and carrots are glazed. 
Add chopped herbs, season with salt and pepper.

Vanilla Panna Cotta & Dark Chocolate Mousse with Respberry Coulis

Chef Coleen Antonio, Recipient of the 2015 Les Marmitons Most Promising Chef Award - May 2016

Vanilla Panna Cotta & Dark Chocolate Mousse with Respberry Coulis

DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

• 50g Egg yolks
• 55g Sugar
• 125g Cream
• 220g Chocolate, 64-70%
• 500g Cream

Combine egg yolks and sugar.
Heat cream
Temper egg yolks with hot cream and cook to 85
Add chocolate to make ganache
Whip cream to soft peaks and fold in when ganache is cool but still soft.

RASPBERRY COULIS

• 800g Frozen Respberries
• 1.5 cup Sugar
• Water as needed

Combine all ingredients in a pot and simmer.
You can adjust how sweet you want the coulis to be. Just add more sugar
Strain the coulis and cool.

VANILLA PANNA COTTA

• 500 ml Milk
• 500 ml Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 pouches Gelatine Powder
• 1 TBSP Vanilla Bean Paste

*bloom gelatine powder*
Combine the first 4 ingredients together in a pot until it boils; take it out of the heat. Make sure you don’t whisk it… as it will create bubbles that we don’t want. Stir with a spatula.
Strain the mixture
Add in the vanilla paste
Cool for 5 minutes
Pour into containers and chill in the freezer for an hour… take it out and put in the fridge for another hour.

Spice Mixes

Chef Cheryl D'Souza - Manitoba Club - January 11, 2016

Harissa
Harissa is a hot chili paste that is commonly found in North African cooking, mainly Moroccan,
Algerian, and Tunisian cuisine. It is added to couscous, soups, pastas and other recipes.

• 10-12 dried red chili peppers
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Remove stems and seeds.
In a food processor combine chili peppers, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Blend.
Add remaining spices and blend to form a smooth paste.
Store in airtight container. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top to keep fresh. Will keep fora month in the refrigerator.

Za’atar
Za'atar to Middle Eastern cooking is like what Essence is to Emeril. Za'atar is a spice blend that
is so versatile! It can be used on meats, veggies, rice, and breads.

• 1/4 cup sumac
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons marjoram
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Grind the sesame seeds in food processor or with mortar and pestle. Add remaining ingredients
and mix well.
Store za'atar in a cool, dark place in a plastic zip bag or in an airtight container. When stored
properly, za'atar can be used from 3-6 months.

MIXED SPICES (BAHARAT)

• ½ cup black pepper corns
• ¼ cup coriander seeds
• ¼ cup cloves
• 1/3 cup cumin seeds
• 2 tsp cardamom seeds
• ¼ cup nutmeg powder
• ½ cup paprika
• ¼ cup cinnamon powder

Place first 5 ingredients in a grinder and grind to powder. It may be necessary to combine whole
ingredients and grind ½ cup mixture at a time. Add the last 3 powder ingredient and mix well.
Store in an air tight jar and use as specified.

Jeweled Couscous Salad

Chef Cheryl D'Souza - Manitoba Club - January 11, 2016

This recipe is an adaptation of the classic Persian jeweled rice, traditionally served at weddings and other celebrations, and usually containing pomegranates, herbs and nuts for color and texture. This couscous recipe follows the same lines. 
In this salad, the jewels are the nuts, carrots, cucumber and pomegranate seeds. Don’t worry if one element is missing — for example, you can swap the pomegranate for dried apricot, the cucumber for blanched chopped green beans or the pine nuts for flaked almonds or pistachios. Just make it colorful! 

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serving Size: 4 as a side dish 

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups couscous 
• 1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock 
• 2 heaping tablespoons pine nuts 
• 1 tablespoon sunflower or pumpkin seeds 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• juice of 1 lemon 
• a pinch or 2 of sumac (optional) 
• 1/2 large cucumber, diced 
• 1 carrot, grated 
• seeds from 1 pomegranate 
• a handful of mint leaves 
• a handful of flat-leaf parsley 
• 1 1/4 cups feta, crumbled (optional) 

Instructions

• Put the couscous in a bowl, then pour in the boiling hot stock, cover with plastic wrap and leave to fluff up for 5 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts and sunflower or pumpkin seeds in a dry pan and leave to cool for 10 minutes. 
• When it’s ready, add the oil and lemon juice and some seasoning to the couscous and use a fork to stir and separate. 
• When cool, add all the remaining ingredients, stir together and serve.

Crispy Falafel

Chef Cheryl D'Souza - Manitoba Club - January 11, 2016

Serve the crunchy chickpea bites with a spicy harissa yogurt — 2 tablespoons harissa paste stirred into plain Greek yogurt seasoned with salt. 

Makes 40 and keeps nicely in the fridge or freezer

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups chickpeas, soaked in water overnight 
• 1/2 cup bulgur wheat, soaked in water overnight 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1/3 cup diced red onion 
• 1 tablespoon garlic 
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley 
• 1/4 cup chopped mint 
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
• 1 tablespoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon harissa paste 
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• vegetable oil, for frying 
• Chopped fresh herbs to garnish 

Instructions

• Drain the bulgur wheat and chickpeas very well. 
• Saute onions and garlic for 5 minutes, until translucent, then set aside to cool. 
• In a food processor, combine onion and garlic with chickpeas, bulgur wheat, parsley, mint, cilantro, white sesame seeds, baking powder, cumin, salt, harissa and black pepper. 
• Pulse, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula, until the chickpeas are finely minced and everything is well-combined. 
• Roll the falafel mixture into chestnut-sized balls or small patties.
• Arrange on a baking tray and chill for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. 
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer to 350F, then fry falafel in batches until deep golden-brown — about 3-5 minutes. They go from perfect to burned in just a few seconds, so keep a close eye on them, then remove from fryer and drain on a layer of paper towels. 
• Plate by spooning a little of the spicy harissa yogurt onto a plate or serving platter, placing a falafel on top, then topping with a little more of the yogurt and chopped fresh herbs or microgreens.

Turkish Ravani Cake

Chef Cheryl D'Souza - Manitoba Club - January 11, 2016

Semolina cake with ground pistachios and zesty orange syrup

• 5 Medium Eggs, Separated
• 1 Tbsp Sugar, Plus 1 Pinch Extra
• 1 Orange zested
• 50g Fine Semolina
• 50g Plain Flour
• 100g Ground Pistachios

Syrup:

• 600ml Fresh orange Juice
• 1 Orange zested
• 500g Sugar

To Serve:

• 300ml Cream
• 300ml Greekstyle Yoghurt
• 2 Oranges

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180c. Butter a muffin tray that has 6 large moulds.
• In a large bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of sugar until stiff.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1 tbsp of sugar and the 0range zest until pale.
• Add the semolina, flour and pistachios to the egg whites and partly mix through.
• Add the egg yolks and fold through until combined. Spoon into the muffin tray and bake for 30 Min.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup. Place the orange juice, zest and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, mixring until the sugar dissolves.
• Simmer for 10 minutes or until syrupy and lowerd by half. Leave to cool.
• Whip the cream until thick and mix in the yoghurt.
• Segment the oranges by sliceting off the peel with a small sharp knife, making sure you remove all the white pith.
• slice on either side of each segment, removing wedges of flesh but leaving the membranes.
• When the cakes are cooked, ladle over some of the cooled syrup and leave to soak for at least 10 minutes.
• Serve the cakes with the whipped cream and yoghurt, orange segments and a little extra syrup.

Grilled Shrimp With Lime Powder

Chef Cheryl D'Souza - Manitoba Club - January 11, 2016

This rustic Turkish-style parsley sauce unlocks not only the flavor of seafood but of grains, vegetables and chicken, too. The shrimp get a dose of intense citrus flavor from bittersweet dried lime powder. 
If you have dried limes, you can grind them in an electric spice grinder. You can also substitute the zest and juice of 2 to 3 fresh limes, if necessary. Use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil in the sauce and serve with rice or another grain. 

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serving Size: 4 

Ingredients

• 2 cups tightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley 
• 6 cloves garlic, minced 
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 3/4 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil 
• sea salt 
• 2 teaspoons dried lime powder 
• 2 tablespoons Grapeseed oil 
• freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 2 cups warm freshly cooked rice or whole grain, such as millet, quinoa or freekeh 

Instructions

• Coarsely chop the parsley and place it in a large bowl with the garlic, lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil, and stir to combine. 
• Season to taste by adding 1/2 teaspoon salt at a time, until the flavors pop. 
• Add pepper to taste. 
• Prepare a hot grill. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together the lime powder, grapeseed oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. 
• Add the shrimp and toss to coat evenly. 
• Grill the shrimp for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until they’re opaque in the middle. 
• Spoon the shrimp over the rice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Top with the parsley sauce and serve immediately.

Lamb Biryani Rice

Chef Cheryl D'Souza - Manitoba Club - January 11, 2016

Mamta Gupta 

Biryani is a rich rice dish, where rice is cooked with spicy meat or chicken or prawns or vegetables or fish. Lamb or mutton biryani is perhaps the most popular of all types. It can be a meal in itself or can be served as part of an elaborate Indian meal. Do not be put off by the long list of ingredients, it is an easy dish to cook, once you have assembled them. Make sure that you have all the ingredients, cutting corners spoils the end result. 

Serves 6-8 

For the Rice 

• 750 gm.-1 kg. Basmati rice 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 2 1/2 litre water for rice 
• A small sprig of mint leaves-you must remember to add these to rice water 
• A couple of sprigs of coriander leaves-you must remember to add these to rice water.

For cooking the Meat:

• 1 kg. lamb or mutton leg/shoulder cut into small pieces Meat on bone is good for this dish), washed and drained. Do not use poor quality meat for this dish. 
• 4-5 tbsp. oil or ghee 
• 6 large onions (750gm.), peeled and thinly sliced 
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely 
• 1 inch piece ginger, chopped or grated finely 
• 10 cardamoms*, 

• 2-3 inch piece of cinnamon* 
• 4-5 bay leaves* 
• 8-10 black pepper corns* 
• 8-10 cloves* 
• 1 heaped tsp. cumin, 
• 2-3 green chillies- slit lengthways (adjust amount to your taste) 
• 2- 2 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste) 
• 1/2 tsp. chilli powder (adjust amount to your taste) optional
• 1/2 cup thick yoghurt 
• 2 large tomatoes (250gm.), chopped 
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves, chopped 
• 1 small bunch of mint leaves, chopped 
• 1 lime or 1/2 lemon, cut into small pieces 
• A few strands of saffron soaked in a tablespoon of warm water 
• Rose water 
• 1 tbsp. Ghee or clarified butter
• Orange food colour, dissolved in 1 tsp water 
• 1/2 cup cashew nuts or blanched almonds (optional)

Instructions

• Prepare the Meat for Biryani
• Peel, wash slice onions thinly. 
• Peel, wash and grate ginger and garlic finely. Measure all whole spices*. Crack brown and green cardamoms a little with a rolling pin/pestle. Keep all whole spices aside together. 
• Measure/prepare all other ingredients as listed. 
• Heat oil/ghee in a large pan and fry onions, until quite dark brown. Take out & keep aside. I put them in a wire sieve, to drain of excess oil. 
• In the same oil (if there is too little left, add another tablespoon or two), add all the whole spices; cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, black peppers, cumin, bay leaves and then ginger and garlic. 
• Fry for a couple of minutes. You will get a distinct aroma of fried garlic and spices. 
• Add meat pieces, salt and chilli powder. Stir fry on moderate heat, until meat is nicely browned on all sides. 
• Add yoghurt, tomatoes, 2/3rd of coriander and mint leaves, sliced green chillies, pieces of lime and 2/3rd of the fried onions, keeping 1/3rd onions aside for garnishing later. 
• Cook, stirring frequently, until meat is nearly done and only a little gravy is left. This may take 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the cut and quality of meat. 
•  

Boiling the rice

• While meat is cooking, boil the water for rice with mint and coriander leaves and salt. 
• Add rice and boil briskly, with the lid off, until 2/3rd done (2 grains felt, when rice is pressed and squashed between two fingers). 
•  
• Drain the water off by transferring the rice to a colander/large sieve. Run cold water over it to stop it from cooking further while resting. Leave in the colander for a few minute for the water to drain out completely. The grains should be separate. 

Putting the Biryani together or layering the biryani

• Grease a large oven proof dish or a pan with ghee. Spread 1/3rd of the rice at the base of the pan. Sprinkle 1/3rd of the saffron soaked in water and a few drops of kewra (screw pine flower) water/rose water on top of the rice. 
• Now layer with 1/2 of the meat. 
• Next, cover with the second 1/3rd of the rice. Sprinkle 1/3rd of saffron and rose wateron top of rice. 
• Now spread the remaining 1/2 of the meat on top of the rice. 
• Finish with the last 1/3rd of the rice layer on top. 
• Dot with the remaining saffron and rose water on top. 
• Sprinkle fried onions on top evenly. You can spread some of the fried onions on each layer of rice, from step 12 onwards, if you wish. This adds to the flavour. But you will have to fry more onions at the beginning. 
• Dot with a little ghee and a few drops of liquid orange colour here and there . 
•  
• If dry colour powder is used, dissolve it in a teaspoon of water. These drops of ghee and colour will trickle down into the rice and when you serve, they will give you a nice flavour, as well as a few dark orange coloured rice grains interspersed in the rest of the white rice. This looks very nice when served. 
• Sprinkle the cashew on top. 
• Cover the pan with a tight lid. 
•  

Finishing off

• Put it in a medium hot oven, 170o-180° C, on the centre shelf, for 20 minutes or so, until the rice is fully done. It can be cooked directly on the hob, on a low flame, with the lid tightly closed (Dum). This will take 20-30 minutes*. 
• Serve hot with yoghurt, pickles and papodoms. Traditionally, it is served with Mirchi ka Saalan (A kind of chilli curry) or a curry gravy, sliced onions and yoghurt.

Notes

• If you would like a richer biryani, add another 500 gm. of lamb. Remember to increase all other ingredients required to cook the lamb, accordingly. 
• Biryani can be pre-prepared up to step 19, cooled quickly and then kept in the fridge. 
• Cooking time in oven will be increased by 10 minutes when cooking chilled Biryani straight from the fridge. Do not leave cooked rice lying around at room 
• temperature, it is a health hazard. 
• Biryani freezes reasonably well. Defrost fully. Sprinkle a little water on top, cover and heat in a microwave, or an ordinary oven at low-medium heat or in a heavy bottomed pan, on low heat for 20-30 

Roasted Zucchini-Chickpea Dip with Za'atar

Chef Cheryl D'Souza - Manitoba Club - January 11, 2016

Serves 6 to 8
Active time:10 minutes
Total time:30 minutes 

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 medium zucchini, cut into rough dice (about 1 quart) 
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup) 
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or use 1/2 cup dried 
• chickpeas, soaked overnight in 3 cups water and simmered until tender) 
• 3 medium cloves garlic, smashed, peels removed 
• 2 tablespoons tahini paste 
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice from 2 lemons 
• About 3 tablespoons water 
• 1 teaspoon za'atar 

Instructions

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Toss zucchini and onion with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Turn onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are tender and browned, about 20 minutes. 
• Add chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and roasted vegetables to the bowl of a food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse until well-chopped. 
• With machine running, stream in olive oil, lemon juice, and water, and blend until smooth. Add more water if mixture is too thick. Taste, adding more oil, lemon, or seasoning as needed. 
• Scrape dip into a serving bowl, drizzle with 1 additional tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with za'atar. 
• Serve with toasted flatbread, pita or crudités. 

Warm Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter Ganache, Salted Peanuts

Jessica Young - Buffalo Stone Cafe - April 13, 2015

Warm Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter Ganache, Salted Peanuts

Cake 

• Flour – 675 g
• Sugar – 610 g
• Cocoa – 70 g
• Baking soda – 3 tsp (32 g) 
• Canola oil – 270 ml
• White vinegar – 45 ml
• Vanilla – 10 ml
• H2o – 750 ml
• Salt – 5 g

- Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Whisk the two together. Bake in a hotel pan, lined with parchment paper at 325 F for approx. 20 min, till stick comes out clean, rotate half way through.

Peanut Butter Ganache 

• Dark chocolate callets – 454 g
• Peanut butter – 90 g
• Heavy cream – 250 ml

- Scald cream; pour over chocolate, let stand for a minute, whisk till smooth. 

Whisk in peanut butter.

Salted peanuts

• Peanuts raw – 200 g
• Salt Maldon – 3 g
• Olive oil – 15 ml

- Toss together, bake till golden.

Chocolate mousse

• Dark chocolate calletes – 400 g
• Heavy cream – 400 ml
• Sugar granulated – 400 g
• Egg whites - 8 each
• Banana – 2 each

- Melt chocolate over double boiler. Let cool slightly. While that’s happening, whisk egg white and sugar, in clean bowl till firm peaks, whisk whip cream till firm. Stir in a small amount of egg whites, then fold in whites, then cream, puree banana, fold in. you may only need one banana. 

- Plate with passion

Roast Chicken, Parisian Gnocchi, Tomato Love, Roasted Shallot

Jessica Young - Buffalo Stone Cafe - April 13, 2015

Roast Chicken, Parisian Gnocchi, Tomato Love, Roasted Shallot 20 ppl

Roast chicken

• Chicken – 3 whole or 3 kg of skin on breast, or 3 kg boneless skin on thigh
• Olive oil – 250 ml
• Salt – 30 gr
• Pepper – 20 gr
• H2o – 250 ml

- Oil salt and pepper chicken. Depending on what cut we are using some more may need to be done. Place in a hotel pan, water in pan, cook at 375 f till thigh bone area reaches over 160 f.

Gnocchi

• Emmenthaler – 250 g
• Dijon – 35 ml
• Flour – 625 g + 4 cups
• Salt – 12 g
• Milk – 1250 ml
• Butter – 375 g
• Eggs – 12 each
• Herbs – 20 gr

- In an aluminum pot heat butter and milk till a scald. Add flour, stir to combine, it’s going to be stiff. Let it cook out slightly, continually stirring.  Put into a mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on med speed a few minutes to release some heat. Add herbs, chees, and salt. Add eggs slowly. The mixture should slowly slide off the paddle; depending on how big the eggs are you may not need all of them.

- Place mixture into piping bag, tying end with elastic.

- Piping into lightly boiling water, you’re going to cut nubs about an inch long with a paring knife into the water. Small batches at a time. Dip the knife into water often so it doesn’t stick.

- Cook for approx. two min; agitate them if there clumping together. Skim out onto a sheet pan to cool.

Shallots

• Salt – 4 g
• Sugar – 4 g
• Olive oil – 40 ml
• Shallot whole – 200 g

- Clean shallots. Cut into quarter or half-length wise. Toss with ingredients, and tinfoil in half hotel pan, roast for approx. 15-20 min. uncover, cook till browned.

Tomato Love

• Tomato fresh – 3.5 kg
• Olive oil – 100 ml
• Thyme – 15 g
• Nicoise olive – 80 g 
• S+p – to taste

- Dice tomatoes, pit and half olives. Add everything together and cook slowly till it is ready to serve and lovely. 

Banh Mi Pork Meatballs, Pickled Slaw, Lime Aioli

Jessica Young - Buffalo Stone Cafe - April 13, 2015

Banh Mi Pork meatballs, pickled slaw, lime aioli 20 ppl

Meatballs 

• Ground pork – 3 lbs (1.362 kg)
• Thai basil – 40 gr or so (regular basil is good too)
• Garlic – 10 gr (about ten cloves)
• Lemongrass – 10 gr 
• Fish sauce – 45 ml
• Cornstarch – 30 gr
• Siracha – 45 ml
• Honey – 45 ml
• Salt – 10 g
• Pepper – 5 g

- Mince garlic and lemon grass. Ensuring to not use the woody part of the lemongrass. Julienne basil.

- Mix all ingredients well, a mixer fitted with a paddle works best. Test for seasoning.

Slaw 

• Cucumber – 200g
• Carrot – 200g
• Daikon – 200g
• Cilantro – 1 bunch
• Mirin – 1 cup
• Salt – 15 ml
• Rice wine vinegar – 1 cup
• Sesame oil – 45 ml

- Julienne daikon, carrot, and cucumber. Pick the cilantro leaves.

- Mix mirin, vinegar, salt and oil. Test for seasoning. Dress slaw half an hour before service. Finish with cilantro.

  Aioli 

• Canola oil – 750 ml
• Eggs – 3 yolks
• Salt – 5 g
• Dijon – 10 ml
• Lime juice – 20 ml
• Thai chilies – 5 
• Garlic – 5 g

- Mince garlic and chilies, minus the seeds.

- In a metal bowl place yolks, Dijon, juice, garlic, and chilies.

- Whisk together. Slowly whisk in oil, if it gets too thick add alittle water. 

Season to taste with salt.

Roasted Carrot Salad

Jessica Young - Buffalo Stone Cafe - April 13, 2015

Roasted Carrot Salad 20 ppl

• Medium sized carrots – approx. 3 kg
• Chives – 10 g
• Pistachios – 200 g
• Sultana raisons – 200 g
• Fresh dill – 80
• Fresh parsley – 100
• Sour cream – 1200 ml
• Honey – 200 ml
• White wine vinegar – 100 ml
• s+p – to taste
• Olive oil – 100 ml

- Peel, quarter turn cut carrots (bite size), toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Oven roast at 350 f for approx. 45 min, cool.

- Whisk together honey and sour cream, season.

- Pick herbs, finely cut chives.

- Toast pistachios

- Coat carrots in a appropriate amount of the sour cream dressing. Toss with remaining ingredients, reserving some of the chives for final garnish.

Salted Cheese

Jessica Young - Buffalo Stone Cafe - April 13, 2015

Salted cheese 20 ppl

• Cheese (emmenthaler or something sharp) – 1.8 kg (approx. 90 g per person)
• Baguette – 3 whole
• Shallots sliced – 3 each 
• Apple sliced – 2
• Maldon salt – 2 tbsp
• Fresh cracked pepper – 4-5 tsp
• Olive oil – 1 cup

- Slice baguette on a bias approx. ¼ inch thick, toss with enough olive oil to coat evenly. Lightly grill on each side.

- Thinly slice cheese, shallots, and apples. Layer all three hap hazzardly, drizzling with oil and sprinkling with Maldon and pepper.

- Annnnnd eat!!!

Wild Mushroom Strudel

Chef Craig Guenther - Winnipeg Winter Club - March 9, 2015

Wild Mushroom Strudel

FILLING

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup red wine
• 4 cups sliced wild mushrooms
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup soft, mild goat cheese or ricotta
• ¼ cup toasted unseasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper

Strudel

• 4 sheets phyllo dough
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Roasted red bell pepper & Chipotle sauce

• 2 knobs of butter
• 1 cup fine dice yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon fine chop garlic
• 1 cup can chopped roasted red peppers
• 1 tblsp chipotle paste
• 1 cup whipping cream
• Salt to taste

Melt butter, sauté onions, and garlic till soft, add chopped red peppers and chipotle paste, sauté 3-4 min. Add cream and boil 5-10 min. then puree till smooth keep warm

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until very hot.  Add the onion, shallots, and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the red wine and reduce by 1.2 about 4 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook until just tender and most of the liquid is reduced, 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow the filling to cool slightly.  Transfer the filling to a large bowl and allow it to cool completely.  Fold in the Parmesan and goat cheeses.  Add the bread crumbs, basil, rosemary, and black pepper.  Mix well, season to taste with salt, and then set aside.

Place 2 sheets of the phyllo dough on a clean dry work surface and generously brush the top sheet with melted butter.  Place two more phyllo sheets on top and again brush the top sheet with butter.  Spoon the filling into the centre of the dough, spreading it to form a rectangle while leaving a 2 inch border.  Fold one of the short ends of the dough about 1 inch over the filling.  Fold one of the long ends over about 1 inch of the filling and gently roll into a log.  Place the strudel, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet and cut ¼ inch deep vents along the top.  Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the strudel from the oven and cool on the pan.  Using a serrated knife, slice the strudel into 8 pieces.  Serve warm with the sauce on the side.

Warm Red Cabbage Salad with Pancetta and Goat Cheese

Chef Craig Guenther - Winnipeg Winter Club - March 9, 2015

Warm Red Cabbage Salad with Pancetta and Goat Cheese

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup pancetta, or bacon, diced
• ½ head of red cabbage, shredded finely, like coleslaw
• 1 small head of radicchio, thinly sliced
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cups arugula
• 1 cup fresh basil, julienned
• 4 ox soft goat cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted

Heat 1 tsp oil in a large wok or pan over medium high heat.  Add pancetta and sauté until crispy and the juices have run out, about 10 minutes.

Add cabbage, radicchio and red onion and cook for about 10 more minutes, until slightly wilted and soft.  Turn off heat and add the remaining olive oil and vinegar and toss to coat.  The oil and vinegar will be absorbed into the hot cabbage.  Add the arugula, basil, goat cheese and pine nuts and give it a gentle toss.

Transfer to individual plates and serve right out of the hot pan.