Fraser BBQ!

One of hopefully many backyard BBQ's this summer! Thanks Danny, David, & Steve for a lovely evening! RO.

Vietnamese Omelet

While sipping tea on the back deck one late afternoon I was overwhelmed by a wonderful smell. Suddenly just below me was the sound of something sizzling... Check it out. RO.

TAKE A 1.5 MINUTE BREAK.....

... and watch PASTA SHEETS being rolled.

Music "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy

Ontario Oyster Festival 2008 - The Oyster King or Queen!

Blogs are OK, I guess, a modern sense of having a garden; You have to maintain them & nurture them, for others that pass by, to see them as interesting. All that thought process is a little too quick, for our Oysters take such time to grow that the Oyster equation of knowledge to result seems so out of whack to the blog equation!

As seen in "The Island" journal press PEI...

The 20th year of the Ontario Oyster Festival is on the 20th of July, Sunday, at Rodney's Oyster House, (ROH) in the Oyster Garden area. That leads to The Canadian Oyster Shucking Competition in Tyne Valley. P.E.I., Friday Night August 1st. That winner represents our country at The World Oyster Opening Championships in Galway Bay, Ireland, Sept. 24th through to the 28th. The actual contest is on the afternoon of the 27th, Saturday!

There are some, over the next year, Oyster opening side shows that have historically happened in The Maritimes, Ottawa, Alberta, Vancouver, and New England, that attract the Oyster knifes of our fair vibrant Oyster eating city but they have dates that move and the details have to be researched. PS - The Crab Crack, in the fall! 

The Ocean is offering less and the actions to eat it every day at a value, do have there liabilities. With our work we focus on sustainability and a relationship of sharing and eating it with the community. The great spirit of the water workers is appropriately translated in ROH by the fact we carry our licenses, to get it right and correctly, giving the best return to the watermen and women in our portfolio of suppliers and we all end up, from wharf to plate, having a pleasant run with it; as our 20 plus year history says!

Your Loyal Oysterman and Crew!

Rodney Clark aka RTC; Rodney's Oyster House; a man among men, the world is your oyster, so shuck it!

Balcony Garden Update

The Galle Garden.....

One of the main ingredients that spawned this food blog has not only been our love of food & food stuff, but also our balcony "box" garden. If you'll look in our archive you'll find the very first entry was a salad right from our backdoor! Another beautiful moment for us was receiving the gift of some baby tomato plants from Papa Galle. Now as I understand it it's a great honor to be given these plants as Papa Galle holds them dear to his heart; he has been growing, storing, & hatching these same tomatoes for over ten years. Here's some photo-updates! RO.

Our Galle Tomato Plants are doing well.... 

Here's Our Other Meager Little Tomato Plant...

Easy as Pie... Pizza Pie!

I had an impromptu party last summer, where a friend of mine showed me the most delicious way to throw together a tasty and healthy pizza to serve in a jiffy. (Check out Cinque Sensi Catering) I recently re-created this delectable pie and was just as happy as the first time round. 

I could eat pizza (or flatbread, coca, whatever you want to call it) morning, noon & night. It's one of those versatile, delish, "can-be-healthy" meals and is so easy to serve while entertaining. The hardest part for me is always rolling out the dough, but once I get past that, it's smooth sailing from there!

What You'll Need:

fresh pizza dough (from your local grocer/bakery)
2 cloves of smashed garlic

1 tsp of red chilli flakes
one bunch of fresh spinach (or for you simpletons frozen spinach, thawed/drained)

a splash of white wine from your goblet
1/2 pint of firm ricotta cheese
crumbled feta cheese

grated parmesan

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness.

Sautee the garlic along with the chillies in a skillet. Add the spinach & white wine; for those who don't have any wine, (what's wrong with you?) you can use lemon juice to add some acidity! When everything is smelling great and the dough is all laid out, spread the spinach mixture evenly on the dough, followed by dollops of ricotta cheese. Finish by crumbling as much feta and parmesan as you wish right on top for a happy ending; it's always happy with cheese! Bake for 12 minutes or until crust is brown but not crunchy!

As always there are many variations & additions that can be made, for you meat lovers try adding some cured meats, ie. prosciutto, sopressata.... LC. 

An Elvis Addiction!

Nothing says Summer like a big dirty burger! So let's put health, heart, & cholesterol aside, because we're not Elvis & this is not an everyday occurrence. So, when you do it up, do it up BIG, in size, flavor & abundance.

What You'll Need (This'll make 4 nice patties)

1.5 lbs of lean Ground Beef

1/2 white onion (finely chopped)

2 tbsp of Montreal Steal Spice

2 tbsp of your favorite BBQ sauce

1/2 bunch of fresh oregano (chopped)

1 egg

S&P

Mush it all together till mixed nicely. Make patties the same width as your bun & 2 inches thick. Grill until juice runs clear... you know the deal.

Toppings (WHATEVER YOU WANT!) 

• 1/4 cup of your favorite cheese (Literally any cheese will work!)
  
• Caramelized onions, mushrooms, bacon, pickles... okay, seriously do you need suggestions? If you love it pile it on... I've heard peanut butter can be tasty, if you're ever in Ottawa, ON, Canada go to THE WORKS?

We garnished it with a Caesar Salad in our homemade Caesar dressing. (Recipe coming soon!)

That's it. Quick'n'easy. Super-duper edible! Bon apetito! RO.

Thank You, Caullyn & Bex!

The loveliest of friends, Caullyn & Rebecca made us a DEE-licious meal last month. Here's our thanks on the Street Car ride home.... RO.

La Familia Galle - an Italian Meal

GRAZIE MEAL-EH!

What can you say about a meal? A meal of simplicity, of family, tradition & friends... Anema e core. Thank you Francesco Galle & Family for a lovely evening with delicious eats & excellent company! The truth & purity of italian cuisine... & Papa Galle's homemade Vino!

This was my experience. RO.

Beer Can Chicken

Mmmmmm Beer... oh yeah, & Chicken!

by Chef Tawfik Shehata

STUFF:

• One Beer (in a can, preferably tall, stupid.)
  
• A whole Chicken
  
• S&P
• 1 head of garlic
• 1/2 bunch EACH of fresh thyme, parsley, sage & marjoram

Chef Tip: I recommend growing fresh herb plants on a windowsill, this way they are there when you need them and you are not stuck with a fridge drawer full of wilting 1/2 bunches of herbs.

What to do:

• light the BBQ (stupid.)
  
• drink some of the beer
  
• take a break; you'll have to save some of the beer though, sorry. (Or you could just drink all the beer and have BBQ chicken, but that's not the point here.)
  
• pick the leaves off the herbs and peel 3 or 4 cloves of garlic. Save all stems and garlic peels.
  
• thinly slice the garlic, mix it with the picked herbs and some salt and pepper.
  
• work your fingers under the skin of the chicken starting from the bottom of the breast and around the thighs. (yeah, that's it Mmm... you like that?)
  
• take the garlic and herb mixture and spread it as evenly as possible under the skin.
  
• take all your reserved herb stems and garlic peels and the leftover garlic an put them into the can (there better be at least half a can left, lush!)
  
• go to the fridge and get yourself another beer because why not, do you really need an excuse.
  
• turn the BBQ down to medium; or if you're a real man who uses charcoals, spread out the so there is a bit of a crater in the middle.
  
• plop the chicken on the beer can that you are not drinking. (No lube necessary... ouch.)
  
• S&P the outside of the impaled bird
  
• sit the chicken in the middle of the BBQ (it's good to have a disposeable aluminum tray, if you don't, be industrious and I know this is tough 'cause you're lazy from all the beer, but fashion one out of foil, you'll need this to catch the drippings to avoid flare ups).
  
• Close the lid. Drink beer and wait.
  
• Check on the bird every 15 mins to make sure it is not scorching, while you're there baste that buzzard with the drippins. Cooking should take about an hour. Drink beer.
  
• Check the chicken by inserting a small knife where the thigh joins the breast. If the juices run clear when the knife is removed the bird is done and hopefully you still have some beer left to enjoy with your dinner. If there are still droplets of blood, go drink more beer and wait, remember to baste.  
  
• When its done drink beer AND eat chicken!

Tawfik Shehata is Executive Chef of Vertical Restaurant. He is also of Egyptian descent.

Webster's Egg Salad Sandwich

Our Very First Contributor!

6 large Eggs
1-2 tablespoons Mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
2 stalks celery, washed and chopped
1/2 bunch chives, chopped

A squeeze of lemon juice

S&P
2 small handfuls of lettuce

8 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2 inch. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or long enough to stop the cooking. Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, now mash with a fork. Don't overdo it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more mayo to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time. Stir in the celery and chives. Taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Al Webster is a world-class drummer; who's performed with the likes of Jeff Healey, Colin James & Amanda Marshall; the list goes on.

Human Livestock

Corn & Cucumber Salad

Sweet, creamy, salty, tangy, juicy, oily, fresh, light, wow, the glory & diversity of CORN; booze, syrup, oil, cornmeal, chips, popped, heck they even made smoking pipes out of the cob! They say there's a zillion uses for it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be able to fuel our automotives by it someday... For now, I'm just gonna eat it.

Now there are a few ways to prepare the corn for this salad/condiment/side; any way you choose I'd recommend you start with the fresh stuff, right off the cob (If that's unavailable you can substitute your favorite can.) From it's raw state you can either char it on the grill, or stove (cut from the cob & into a hot pan with oil *careful POP-POP!) or as I like it, simply blanched.  

You'll Need - 4 cobs of corn, half of a standard cucumber, 4 sprig of fresh mint leaves, red wine vinegar, & some quality olive oil. S&P. 

Once the corn is removed from the cob & chilled add to large bowl. Dice the cuke to about the same size as a kernal of corn. Chop & add mint leaves, a good splash of red wine vinegar (3-4 tbsp... or to taste.) Drizzle olive oil as garnish upon serving. It's ideal to let this salad marinate in the fridge & let the flavors marry each other. 

I hope you enjoy this popping fresh mouth filler! RO.

If it's too Hot; get out of the Kitchen.

... to make a long story short...

For those of you who've never worked in a restaurant & have only the pleasure of enjoying the service & good vibes of a dining room. Here is a taste of what happens whilst you're sipping @ your Casanova Di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino 2001. In short, relax, enjoy, be patient, for great things come to those that wait. Cheers. RO.

The 6 Minute Gazpacho

Flavorful & Light! A Perfect Fit for your Afternoon Pool Party!

I'm all about quick recipes in the kitchen, so I have more time to spend with loved ones, enjoying some bevvies & patio laughter. When it comes to fast, light cooking there's nothing easier than cold, blended soups on a hot sunny afternoon. 

I've been making Gazpacho for years now and realize that it's different every time. There are so many variations on this Andalusian classic that anyone can make it their own. The traditional Spanish method uses stale bread, tomatoes, garlic and vinegar. I tend to stay away from a lot of starches/carbs in the summer (well, except for chips... I won't deny myself chips!) so sans the bread, then add a few spicy flavors of my own!

WHAT'S IN IT 

* blender or large food processor

1 can of tomatoes (San Marzano preferably: whole, pureed or diced) your choice
2 garlic cloves

1 green pepper

fresh lime juice
1 chilli roughly chopped
one cup of water or a small can of V8a chopped fistful of fresh coriander
salt & pepper to taste

BLEND IT

Roughly chop the garlic and green pepper and chilli and puree until almost well blended, add some olive oil to moisten it up. Add the tomatoes, lime juice, water and salt and pepper. Puree until your desired consistency. Add the V8 or more H2O, olive oil and coriander to the blender and proceed to mix. Make sure to chill the soupy mixture, even better if left over night. 

TO GARNISH

As a topper for the soup I like to add something different every time. This time, I mixed up some avocado, lemon juice, red onion and cucumber with a little olive oil and S&P, along with some fresh oriander leaves and, wham-oh, the soup pops with colour. 

Once again, experiment, punch it up a bit by adding some vodka (tequilas best!) or a splash of your favorite hot sauce, maybe some fresh cucumber or even roasted red peppers. For those of you not diggin' the coriander, you may substitute with basil or parsley. This incredibly diverse soup is hard to mess up. To sip, may I suggest a beer? LC.

Vinegar - Nature's Super Hero

VINEGAR: the Cure All

(CH3COOH: acetic acid)

Beyond recycling, using cold H2O for washing clothes, taking 5 min showers, or whatever new "save-the-world-trendiest-moment" is; It could be as simple as the stuff you clean with. There's a whole lot of talk about organic this & natural that; & it's hard to believe that store bought, brand-name household cleaners are anything but? So as we buy into their "natural" Lavender scents, let's not forget that we can hardly pronounce whatzinnem!

The word "Vinegar" derives from French vin aigr, meaning "sour wine." So, pretty much anything you can ferment, you can get a vinegar from, but I'm talking about the white french fry stuff; you know, by oxidizing a distilled alcohol, probably made from maize. A-N-Y-W-A-Y. It's a pretty decent cleaner among other things. But without getting too preachy & listing a whole crap-load of things you can do with it, check here: Cleaning & Tips with Vinegar. 

Best all-purpose/all-surface cleaner is 50/50 water-to-vinegar. 

Besides the fact that it works, is simple & cheap, & is used by hospitality professionals; think of it as Nature's natural bacteria & mold killer. Change the pH, change the world... Stay tuned for the adventures of Apple Cider Vinegar. RO.

Integrating "Delivered/Takeout" Leftovers

Where Saturday Nights doggy-bag becomes Sunday Nights TV Dinner.

While it may be hard to integrate leftover pizza, there are many ways to use up your girlfriend's doggy-bag due to her "I'll-have-the-18oz-ribeye-steak" order, or for this matter Phil's BBQ Pulled Pork Entree (w/beans, coleslaw, & cornbread, AND butter. Mmm-Mm.)

Pasta & Stir frys are probably the #1 easiest way to stretch a meal and even clean out the fridge. So, with Phil's wickedly smoked pulled pork, I decided to riff on Vertical Restaurant's pappardelle pasta in a wild boar ragu.

THE SAUCE

A touch of vegetable oil into a saucepan, add chopped garlic, sautee, add chopped pieces of pulled pork and sautee till lightly browned. A splash of red wine to deglaze, add a small can of plain tomato sauce (none of that pre-herbed, pre-cheesed, pre-flavored crap.) Grate in a good whack of fresh Parmesan cheese. Tear in a couple sprigs of fresh basil. Let simmer.

THE PASTA

Instead of parpadelle I boiled some rigatoni, al dente, in salted water. I measured out my dry pasta by using the dish I'd be serving it in. Once drained I added just enough pasta so that it wasn't overly saucy, but also that every noodle was covered in sauce. To plate. Generous grating of fresh parm to garnish. Eat!

Although it's shy in comparison to the quality of a restaurant item. It goes down pretty well with a mouthful of Briccotondo, Barbera, from Piedmont, Italy, which really picked up whatever the sauce was lacking. RO.

Balcony Garden Salad

My boyfriend and I planted fresh herbs and vegetables in four used, wooden pear boxes and have finally started reaping the benefits; tomatoes and our hot and sweet peppers seem to be doing great but we have to eat the lettuce immediately.

Here's our herbs; basil, leeks, parsley and fennel frawns.

I can still taste the freshness of the herbs in my mouth from the salad that we made last night. It was so easy and tasty that all I want to do this summer is grow everything myself and use it in every dish.

Stuff We Used:

Vinaigrette

Several fresh sprigs of each, basil - parsley - leeks (less a few sprigs)

Grind everything together in a mortar & pestle so it's well mashed. Squeeze half a fresh lemon, mince garlic, add olive oil and a shot of white balsamic vinegar. With the dressing done in a flash, it was light and incredibly aromatic, seemed like a nut-free, vegan pesto. Pinch of S&P.

The Salad

We threw in three types of lettuce ranging from bitter to peppery to sweet. (Head Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce, & Red Sails Lettuce) Some fennel frawns, celery sprigs, julienne organic carrots, fresh strawberries & blueberries, goat's cheese &..... Voila! With our "pesto" dressing, all was balanced beautifully. XO.

The pairing of the slatey, crisp, Italian Pinot Grigio, Villa Marianna (Veneto, Italy) was a nice selection. Its dry, light body, helped cut through the garlic & acidity of the vinaigrette, and came together nicely with the smoky chevre.

Summer and salads go hand-in-hand for me and I encourage more people to experiment with our leafy friends. Maybe start your own little backyard oasis where you can escape the hectic, urban rush hours, and find some unexpected inspiration . LC