Eye for a Recipe

This tasty recipe from the March issue of Canadian Living can be on the table in about 40 minutes. Cook onion and garlic, add tomato paste, wine, tomatoes and sugar and simmer until thickened. Cook the pasta and then add the mussels to the sauce and cook until they open, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the mussels and sauce and serve with crusty bread.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use butter that contains only cream. I used No Name tomato paste and Unico tomatoes. You can skip the wine or use one that contains only naturally occurring sulfites. I used a white wine from  Frogpond Farm.

The sauce comes together quickly; simmer for a few minutes until it thickens.

Steam the mussels and then add the cooked noodles.

Ingredients:

2.2 lbs (1 kg) mussels

2 tbsp (30 ml) butter

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

¾ tsp (3 ml) salt

Pinch pepper

¼ tsp (1 ml) hot pepper flakes (optional)

2 tbsp (30 ml) tomato paste

¾ cup dry (185 ml) white wine

1 14-oz can (398 ml) no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1 tsp (5 ml) granulated sugar

8 oz (225 g) dried fettuccine

3 tbsp (45 ml) chopped parsley

Preparation:

Using stiff brush, scrub mussels; remove any beards. Discard any mussels that do not open when tapped. Set aside.

In large pot, melt butter and oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook for 1 minute. Add wine and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes and sugar; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Add mussels, stirring to coat. Increase heat to medium; cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that remain closed.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Add pasta to mussel mixture; stir to coat. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living

The ingredient list for this delicious dish from Cook’s Illustrated may seem long, but once you have your ingredients ready the stir-fry comes together in about 20 minutes. Marinate and stir-fry pork, cook scallions, shiitake mushrooms and Napa cabbage and toss with noodles. Better than take-out!

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I have never been able to find ready-made oyster sauce and hoisin sauce that are additive-free, so I make my own. The recipes are below; make sure the peanut butter and sesame seed oil are additive-free. Use tamari instead of soy sauce and check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used Imagine Organic chicken stock and Eden rice cooking wine. I used Simply Natural sriracha for the chile sauce; you could also use original-style Tabasco.

Marinate and sear pork

Add mushrooms and scallions

Cook garlic and cabbage until the cabbage is slightly wilted

Pork stir-fry with noodles

Ingredients:

Oyster Sauce

1 ½ tablespoons (25 ml) tamari

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sugar

1 ½ teaspoons (7 ml) cornstarch

Hoisin Sauce

4 tbsp (60 ml) tamari

2 tbsp (30 ml) peanut butter

1 tbsp (15 ml) honey

2 tsp (10 ml) white vinegar

Pinch garlic powder

2 tsp sesame seed oil

1 tsp (5 ml) Tabasco sauce

Pinch pepper

For stir-fry

3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) oyster sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil

¼ teaspoon (1 ml) five-spice powder

1 pound (454 g) boneless pork, sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch pieces (0.3-cm)

¼ teaspoon (1 ml) liquid smoke (optional)

½ cup (125 ml) low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon (5 ml) cornstarch

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons/10 ml)

2 teaspoons (10 ml) grated fresh ginger

4 ½ teaspoons (25 ml) vegetable oil

4 tablespoons (60 ml) Chinese rice cooking wine (Shao-Xing) or dry sherry

½ pound (227 g) shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps cut in halves or thirds (about 3 cups/750 ml)

2 bunches scallions, whites thinly sliced and greens cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces (about 2 cups/500 ml)

1 small head Napa or Chinese cabbage, halved, cored, and sliced crosswise into ½ -inch (1.25 -m) strips (about 4 cups/1 L)

12 ounces (340 g) dried Chinese egg noodles (lo mein) or 8 ounces (227 g) dried linguine (see note)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) Asian chile garlic sauce

Preparation:

Combine oyster sauce ingredients and set aside.

Combine hoisin sauce ingredients and set aside.

Bring 4 quarts (4 L)  water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat.

Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and five-spice powder together in medium bowl. Place 3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce mixture in large zipper-lock bag; add pork and liquid smoke, if using. Press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Whisk broth and cornstarch into remaining soy sauce mixture in medium bowl. In separate small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vegetable oil; set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in 12-inch (30-cm) cast-iron or non-stick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of pork in single layer, breaking up clumps with wooden spoon. Cook, without stirring, 1 minute. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) wine to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced and pork is well coated, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer pork to medium bowl and repeat with remaining pork, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) wine. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.

Return skillet to high heat, add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil, and heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add scallions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes longer; transfer vegetables to bowl with pork.

Add remaining teaspoon vegetable oil and cabbage to now-empty skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Clear center of skillet; add garlic-ginger mixture and cook, mashing mixture with spoon, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into cabbage; return pork-vegetable mixture and chicken broth-soy mixture to skillet; simmer until thickened and ingredients are well incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

While cabbage is cooking, stir noodles into boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender, 3 to 4 minutes for dried Chinese noodles or 10 minutes for dried linguine. Drain noodles and transfer back to Dutch oven; add cooked stir-fry mixture and garlic-chili sauce, tossing noodles constantly, until sauce coats noodles. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

From Cook’s Illustrated

This recipe from Ina Garten’s new cookbook Cook Like a Pro, is based on the farro salad served at New York City’s Charlie Bird restaurant. Farro is cooked in apple juice or cider, then tossed with a lemony vinaigrette, pistachios, parsley, mint, tomatoes and radishes. Delicious!

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used pure apple juice instead of cider. Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice, genuine Parmesan cheese that does not contain additives and pistachios with no colour or preservatives added.

This salad contains arugula, herbs, tomatoes, radishes and pistachios.

Toss the cooked farro with the vinaigrette and let stand for 15 minutes.

Charlie Bird's Farro Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) pearled farro (6 ounces/170 g)

1 cup (250 ml) fresh apple cider

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup (125 ml) good olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ cup (125 ml) roasted, salted pistachios, whole or chopped

1 cup (250 ml) roughly chopped fresh parsley

1 cup (250 ml) roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

1 cup (250 ml) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved through the stem

1/3 cup (85 ml) thinly sliced radishes (2 to 3 radishes)

2 cups (500 ml) baby arugula

½ cup (125 ml) shaved Italian Parmesan cheese

Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon

Preparation:

Place the farro, apple cider, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) salt, and 2 cups (500 ml) water in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the farro is tender. (If all the liquid is absorbed before the farro is tender, add a little more water.)

Drain the farro and transfer to a large serving bowl. Discard the bay leaves.

Meanwhile, in a small measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) pepper. Stir the vinaigrette into the warm farro and set aside for at least 15 minutes to cool. Before serving, stir in the pistachios, parsley, mint, tomatoes, and radishes.

Add the arugula and lightly fold in the Parmesan so as not to break it up too much. Sprinkle with the sea salt and serve immediately. Serves 6.

From Cook Like a Pro by the Barefoot Contessa

This is a delicious recipe from Food and Wine that combines spicy beef with fresh greens and herbs. The ingredient list may seem long, but the dish comes together quickly once you have everything ready to go.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I have never been able to find additive-free oyster sauce, so I make my own. The recipe is below. Use tamari instead of soy sauce because it contains alcohol as a preservative instead of sodium benzoate. I use Cock brand fish sauce and Marukan rice vinegar.

Marinate beef for 20 minutes

Combine salad ingredients

Sear the beef quickly

Shaking Beef

Ingredients:

Oyster Sauce

1 ½ tablespoons (25 ml) soy sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sugar

1 ½ teaspoons (7 ml) cornstarch

Beef

1 ½  tablespoons (25 ml) oyster sauce, plus more to taste

1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) cornstarch

1 teaspoon (5 ml) fish sauce

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 ½ pounds (680 g) boneless rib eye steak or New York strip steak, trimmed and cut into ¾ – to 1-inch pieces (1.9- to 2.5-cm)

Salad

¼ cup (60 ml) thinly sliced red onion or shallot

2 tablespoons (30 ml) water

1 ½ tablespoons (25 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) granulated sugar or honey

1/8 teaspoon (0.65 ml)  fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon (0.65 ml) freshly ground black pepper

4 cups (1 L) lightly packed watercress, baby arugula, or other salad greens

1 cup (250 ml) torn radicchio or 8 halved cherry tomatoes

¼ cup (60 ml) fresh mint, basil, or other herb leaves, torn

2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil or other neutral oil (such as grapeseed)

Preparation:

Make the oyster sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Make the beef

Stir together oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, fish sauce, pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl. If a saltier finish is desired, add up to 1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) more oyster sauce. Add beef, toss well to coat, and let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature.

Make the salad

Rinse onions in a strainer under cold running water for about 10 seconds; set aside. Whisk together 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add onion; top with watercress, radicchio, and herbs. Do not toss.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over high, and add oil. When oil is shimmering, carefully add beef in a single layer. Cook, shaking pan every 30 to 60 seconds, until seared on all sides and meat reaches desired degree of doneness, 3 to 4 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from heat. Quickly toss salad, and transfer to a platter or serving dish. Pile cooked beef and juices on salad, and serve immediately. Serves 4.

From Food and Wine