Frugality is in. Recipes to make with pantry ingredients, local chicken and pork, in-season veg and things preserved from the summer.
Confit Garlic Bean Dip
“This bean dip is full of flavour, protein and vitamins. Spread it on toast or dip your favorite seasonal vegetables in it. You can also thin it out with some oat milk and use it as a plant-based pasta sauce. I’ve used home canned beans, but store bought are just fine. I also used an Aji Amarillo pepper I grew this summer and dehydrated, but store-bought chilli flakes work as well.” –Holly Holt, SheCooks, Bronze medal Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, Edmonton.
| 2 c | canned great northern beans (large white beans), rinsed well |
| 2 heads | garlic, peeled |
| 1 c | canola or olive oil |
| 1 T | white vinegar |
| 1 | dried aji amarillo, minced (or substitute 1 t chilli flakes) |
| kosher salt and pepper to taste | |
| ½ c | water (if needed) |
Place garlic and oil into a small, heavy bottomed pot with a lid. Gently heat on the stovetop at very low heat for about 30 minutes, or until soft and tender. The garlic must be fully submerged in oil at all times while cooking. Be cautious not to burn your garlic. Let cool to room temperature, remove the garlic cloves and reserve oil.
In a food processor, add the beans, vinegar, chilli and cooked garlic. Blitz until smooth. While keeping the food processor running, add the oil used to cook the garlic, slowly. If it seems too thick, just add the ½ cup water.
Makes about 3 cups, or 4-6 servings.
Ivan’s Lentil Soup
Kaelin Whittaker, Awn Kitchen
| 1 med | onion, finely chopped |
| 3 | carrots, finely chopped |
| 1 lg | potato, cut into 1 cm cubes |
| 2 T | butter |
| 1 c | red lentils |
| 6-7 c | homemade vegetable stock |
| salt and pepper, to taste | |
| cilantro for garnish |
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Sweat for 5-8 minutes until the veg are beginning to soften but not colour. Add the lentils and the stock, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes until the lentils are tender, checking to see if you need to add more liquid every so often. Blitz with a blender, taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serves 6-8.
Beer Cheese Dip
“This cheesy dip is a good way to use up leftover cheese, wine and beer from a party.” –Chef Lindsay Porter, silver medal Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, Edmonton.
| ¼ c | flour |
| ¼ c | butter |
| 1 | onion diced |
| 2 t | mustard |
| 1 lg bottle | stout (750 ml) |
| ½ bottle | white wine |
| 1 c | beer cheese |
| ½ c | alpine cheese |
| ½ c | curds |
| ¾ c | cream |
In a heavy-bottomed pot, add the butter and sauté the onions. Add the flour to make a roux. Add the stout and white wine and cook for five minutes. Add the cream and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium low. Take off the heat and stir in the cheeses. Serve with warm crostini, pretzels, pita or vegetables.
Makes about 4 cups.
Winter Squash Risotto
“Notes on risotto: Your finished risotto should be saucy, not overly thick, but not soupy either. Most risottos start with a sofrito of onion or shallot sweated in oil or butter, or both. You can also start with diced pancetta, or chorizo, rendering off the fat, before you add the onion or shallot. Your rice should always be stirred into the hot soffrito, so that it is nicely coated. Stock should be added a ladleful at a time, after you add the wine. It should be gently simmering as you add it. Risotto is usually finished with Parmesan and cold diced butter. A good risotto should be al dente—the rice should have a little bite. Remember that it will keep cooking as it rests. For a vegan alternative, omit the butter and substitute 1⁄4 cup white miso for the parmesan in the recipe.” –Kathryn Joel, Get Cooking.
| 2c | risotto (Carnaroli or Vialone Nano) rice |
| 8 c | stock, chicken or vegetable, or as needed |
| 1 glass | white wine |
| 2-3 T | olive oil |
| 2 | shallots, finely diced |
| 1½ c | winter squash (kabocha or hubbard) peeled, seeded and diced into ¼-inch pieces |
| 100 g | Parmesan cheese, grated |
| 50 g | unsalted butter, diced and chilled |
| small handful sage leaves, chopped |
Place the stock in a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer. In a separate pan, add oil, then add the shallots and cook until translucent, seasoning with salt. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the rice, squash and sage. Stir until well coated in oil, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the wine and stir until absorbed. Begin to add the hot stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring briskly until completely absorbed before adding more stock. Continue adding stock and stirring briskly and constantly, keeping the risotto at a simmering point, for 18-20 minutes until the rice is creamy and just al dente. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed (remember the cheese is salty too). Once the rice is al dente, stir in the cheese and cold butter, season to taste with salt and pepper. Your risotto should be loose and creamy and not too thick. Cover and remove from the heat. Rest for a couple of minutes, then serve in warm bowls, garnished with chopped sage.
Serves 4-6.
Stuffed Pork Loin with Potato Purée and Winter Greens
“Alberta pork is the least expensive of the meats and it is beautiful. With pork loin there is no wastage. Whatever leftovers you have can be repurposed into a sandwich or a salad.” –Doreen Prie, private chef, CBC Radio Active food columnist.
| 1 | pork loin, cleaned, butterflied |
| salt and pepper to taste | |
| 3 bunches | green onions, grilled |
| 1 T | fennel seeds, toasted and ground |
| 3 T | Dijon mustard |
| 100 gr | shredded smoked cheese (cheddar or mozzarella) |
| 2 T | grape seed oil |
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place the butterflied pork loin on your cutting board and season with salt and pepper and the fennel. Spread the Dijon mustard on the inside of the pork loin. Add the cheese and green onions and roll into a roulade. Use butcher twine to keep the roulade together.
Heat up a large frying pan and add the grape seed oil. Fry the pork loin on all sides until nicely caramelized and place on a tray with parchment paper and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes (or longer depending on size). It should be medium to medium well, no more.
Potato Purée
| 5 | russet potatoes, peeled, washed and diced |
| 1 stick | butter |
| 7/8 c | whipping cream |
| salt to taste | |
| pinch nutmeg |
Place cream and butter in a pot and heat up. You want to add a hot liquid to your cooked potatoes. Cook the potatoes in salted water until soft. Once soft, drain them. Cover the potatoes with a kitchen towel, allow some space to steam the water out, for about 2-3 minutes. This method will make your mash less runny. Push the potatoes through a ricer and pour in the heated cream and butter liquid slowly. Don’t add all at once. You might not need the whole mix. Season with salt and add a pinch of nutmeg.
Seared Brassicas
| 750 g | winter greens (chard, black kale or broccolini) |
| 500 g | olive oil |
| 500 g | lemon juice, to taste |
| 500 g | sea salt to taste |
In a sauté pan, heat the oil over a med- high heat and sear the greens, adding lemon juice and salt to taste, and stirring constantly, until wilted. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6 depending on size of loin.
How to make one chicken last five meals
“There are several excellent chicken farms near Edmonton. The birds are organic, humanely raised, much larger than a supermarket chicken (they don’t shrink like a supermarket chicken either) and can be pricy. But if you think cost per meal, they become the most economical choice. With these big birds, even after feeding four or six people, there will be lots of meat, including breast meat, left. The large ones can take a day or two to defrost (if you buy frozen) so keep that in mind.
This is what I do. I make a roast chicken dinner, then I’ll take all the remaining meat off the bones and store in the fridge. The next day I’ll make sandwiches from the best bits of meat and stock from the bones. The rest of the meat goes into chicken pot pies, chicken soup, chicken and mushroom pasta or a casserole. I use some of the stock to make these dishes and freeze the rest in half cup containers. Remember, it’s super concentrated. Having stock in your freezer is money in the bank.” –Mary Bailey, editor of The Tomato.
Roast Chicken
Place a few bits of lemon in the cavity and cover the bird generously with salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil or butter. You can cut up a few carrots and onions and put in the bottom of the roaster if you like. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Put the chicken breast side down in the pan and roast until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through, checking for doneness after about 1 hour, when your kitchen starts to smell amazing. Poke a meat thermometer into the biggest part of the thigh (it should register 160oF) or twist a thigh, if the juices run clear, it is cooked.
If not, continue to roast, checking every 10 minutes or so, until juices run clear. Times are approximate, let your nose and a meat thermometer be the judge. Smaller chickens take less time. Let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before you start carving.
Chicken Stock
Take the rest of the meat off the bones and refrigerate. Toss the bones into a stock pot (very large pot) with a few bay leaves and simmer for at least six hours or overnight. I cook at a low simmer for about five hours, then uncover, until about 20-30 per cent of the volume is lost. This makes a concentrated stock. Do not salt. Strain the liquid, cool and put in the fridge.
Chicken Pot Pie
This is a basic chicken pot pie recipe, which you can customize with chopped greens and diced potatoes if you like, but always onion, celery, carrots and frozen peas. Otherwise, it’s not a chicken pot pie. Top with your favourite pie crust, puff pastry, biscuits, or even mashed potatoes.
| 5 T | butter |
| 1 med | yellow onion |
| 2 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 c | chopped carrot |
| 1 c | chopped celery |
| ¼ c | dry sherry or brandy |
| ¾ c | milk |
| 3 T | cornstarch |
| 2 c | chicken stock |
| 2 c | water |
| 1 c | frozen peas |
| kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper | |
| 2 c | shredded cooked chicken |
| ⅓ c | fresh parsley, chopped |
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large pan, melt the butter over medium-high. Add the onion and garlic, cook for a few minutes, then add carrot and celery and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the sherry, scooping up any browned bits. Dissolve the corn starch in the milk, whisking away any lumps. Stir in the milk cornstarch mixture. Slowly add stock, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in peas. Season, then add chicken and parsley. Check for seasoning. (Can be frozen up to this point). Pour into a 2-quart baking dish or into 6 individual dishes.
Bake individual pies for 15-20 minutes, large for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and pastry is golden. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve 4-6.
Khao Soi-ish Chicken Soup
This is an easy recipe inspired by khao soi, the northern Thai noodle soup. The garnishes are key—fresh, bright, crunchy things to contrast the richness of the soup.
| 2 t | canola oil |
| 4 cloves | garlic, finely sliced |
| 3 T | Thai red curry paste or to taste |
| 2 t | ground turmeric |
| leftover chicken, about 2 cups | |
| 2 c | chicken stock |
| 1 tin | full-fat coconut milk |
| 1 | fish sauce, or to taste |
| ½ t | soft brown sugar |
| flat egg noodles, or lo mein noodles |
Garnishes
| spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced | |
| handful bean sprouts | |
| small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped | |
| small bunch mint, roughly chopped | |
| salted peanuts or cashews, roughly chopped | |
| lime wedges | |
| fresh green or red chilli, thinly sliced, or chilli flakes or chilli oil, to taste |
In a pan over a moderate heat, add the oil and fry the garlic for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the curry paste and turmeric, and cook up to a minute, stirring all the while. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce and the sugar. Bring the pan to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more fish sauce if needed. Remove from the heat.
In a separate pan, cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and divide the noodles between four serving bowls. To serve, ladle soup over the noodles and garnish with toppings.
Serves 4.