A little milk and flour make a luscious, creamy sauce without the addition of whipping cream or too much cheese. Look for nutty spelt pasta in the organic or gourmet section of your supermarket, or substitute with whole wheat.
Wheat berries (soft wheat kernels) give a nutty chewiness to this version of a popular takeout salad. Look for them in health and bulk food stores as well as in the grains or organic/special diet section of the supermarket. You can use barley instead, but cook it for only 20 minutes.
Egg-Free Gluten-Free Nut-Free
While goat's milk is not dairy-free, some people with lactose intolerance (or milk allergies) can handle it. Be sure to ask before serving. Look for goat's milk and butter in the dairy department of health food stores and the organic section of some grocery stores.
Three simple ingredients are all you need to make the best ricotta you've ever tasted. For an extra-indulgent treat, opt for organic whole milk, which is slightly higher in milk fat. This ricotta is most delicious served right away and warm, and it makes the most decadent and impressive topping for toasted bread.
My family and I own a 16 acre farm of organic cranberries. When I saw the challenge was to use local products, I couldn't resist working with this wonderful, beautiful and tasty fruit. I serve these with roasted buttercup squashe. The sweetness of the squash blends well with the sweetness of onions and cranberries.
To serve this fairground treat as a fun appetizer, cut the hotdogs into four or six pieces and serve with ballpark mustard as a dip. You can find nitrate-free hotdogs in the organic section of the grocery store or at specialty food shops. You will need about 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick wooden skewers, cut in 6-inch (15 cm) lengths.
Red Fife wheat is a heritage grain, often used in breads, that is regaining popularity across the country. Here, it is combined with walnuts and local honey in a sweet quick bread that goes well with aged cheeses. Look for Red Fife flour in specialty or organic food stores. If you can't find it, just substitute an equal amount of stone-ground whole wheat or all-purpose flour – either works well.
Menu:
Lake Brome Duck Breast with Cranberry and Kumquat Chutney
Oven Roasted Nova Scotia Organic Fingerling Potatoes
Organic Nova Scotia Carrots in Maple Syrup Glaze
Salad of Organic Nova Scotia Micro Greens and Sprouts with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette and Honey Goat Cheese Puffs
Inspiration: The inspiration for this meal comes from the 100 mile challenge featured on Food Network. I am currently involved with a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm here in Nova Scotia and am quite passionate about eating Slow Food, which is locally grown. I want to reduce my carbon footprint by using as many ingredients as possible that come from the province where I live in rather than from afar. It is nice to know, not only where your food comes from, but who grew it as well. Our children are quite excited each week to see our food box arrive, and always wonder what our farmer has sent us. Part of what I like about this recipe is that although it appears complicated, it really is quite simple and requires nothing out of the ordinary for most kitchens these days, with the exception of the kumquats. I have also included the recipes for the side dishes I like to serve with this meal. Preparation time includes preparing and cooking the side dishes as well. There are substitutions for the vegetables, for example using new baby potatoes or baby carrots, and substituting a peppery arugula for the micro greens. Food doesn't have to be pretentious or difficult to taste good. This recipe calls for one duck breast for each person, which for some appetites may be alot. The recipe could be stretched to serve 8, if the breasts are on the larger side. Wine Pairing: Jost L'Acadie Blanc Chardonnay (The Flight of the Silver Dart Commemorative) or Domaine de Grand Pre L'Acadie Blanc
Presentation: When presenting this dish, place a spoonful of the chutney in the centre of a warmed plate. Slice the duck thinly crossways and fan half over either side of the chutney. I place the carrots at one end of the plate with a bit of the glaze and the potatoes at the other, and drizzle balsamic glaze on each plate.
There is nothing better than fresh lobster from the Maritimes. Lobster tails are marinated in a very simple marinade and grilled. One of my favourite childhood dishes my mum made was Jumbo Prawns split and filled with some hot fresh chili and shallot paste and then grilled over a charcoal fire. Here I've tried to capture that flavour of red pepper and shallots in the marinade. In the summer I serve lobster tails over a simple bed of organic greens ladled with a generous amount of peach salsa and hearty bread from my favourite bakery or I do up some coconut rice and serve the lobster tails with the rice.
I am very excited about entering my recipe in the 2009 Canadian Living Cook of the Year Contest. I am an avid home-cook and love creating new and exciting home recipes to make for my family and friends. I am a firm believer in seasonal cooking, using the freshest ingredients available, and making use of local ingredients whenever possible. Consequently, I was delighted to see that this year's contest was to feature Canadian ingredients. I wanted to take things a step further and include some local Newfoundland ingredients. Newfoundland and Labrador has some wonderful producers for fresh, often organic, produce, seafood and meat products...and of course the island is well known for it's abundance of wild berries. Berry picking is a provincial past-time in late summer and early fall and many families, including my own, can be found on the hillsides or barrens, bent over and collecting gallons of sweet, juicy berries to be used fresh, or to be frozen for use during the long winter months. I knew as soon as I read about this year's contest that I wanted to feature these berries, along with our wonderful, locally-raised lamb and artfully crafted local wines, in my recipe. I hope you enjoy a taste of Newfoundland!
