Fresh baby lettuce @vickiveggies farm

1 cup sunflower oil
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
1 shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon Dijon grainy style mustard
1 tablespoon tarragon, finely chopped
3 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and let sit for one hour for all the flavours to incorporate.  Or alternative, place in a mason jar with a lid and shake a few times.

Shake or whisk again, just before serving.  Remainder can be stored in a tight fitting glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. Remove from the fridge 15 minutes before serving.

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onions, ginger, celery and carrots for about 10 minutes till soft. Add in the ham and stir.

In a blender, puree 2 cups of the corn. Add in the puree, plus the remaining whole kernels into the pot. Add in the stock, cover and bring to a low boil. Add in the bone & rice and stir till incorporated. Place the leaves and coriander roots in a piece of cheesecloth and tie with a string. Place in the pot and cover. Reduce to simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth pouch, season and add in the parsley and serve.

* kaffir lime leaves can be purchased fresh in Asian grocery stores – I keep mine in a ziplock bag in the freezer (lasts for months). Very fragrant and is great in your pot when cooking rice too.

NOTE: I freeze bag fulls of our local corn every fall for my soups.

1½ cups flour
3 tablespoons cane or white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup of water

1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
unsalted butter and sunflower oil for frying

To prepare the batter, mix together in a large bowl all the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, beat together the egg, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and water. Add it to the dry ingredients and mix till just incorporated. Then fold in the coconut. The batter should be fairly loose and easy to pour in small circles. Add in the coconut and stir. The batter is now ready for frying.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium high heat; melt about a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of oil.  With a tablespoon, scoop the batter and pour about 8 small circles in your pan (or whatever you have room for). When bubbles rise, flip over and cook for another minute. Add more butter if required.

Repeat till all the batter is done. You may need to add a little water to the batter to keep it loose until you are finished. Keep the cooked pancakes warm on a platter in your oven on low.

Best served with Prince Edward County maple syrup!

2 tablespoons sunflower oil
3 cups onions, thinly sliced
½ cup red wine
½ cup molasses
2 cups of tomato puree
2 tablespoons Sambal (or hot sauce of your choice – optional)
Chopped Chives for garnish

On a plate mix all the dry ingredients and roll the roast on all sides into the dry rub. Let the roast sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

In a medium size, heavy bottom Dutch oven, over medium high heat, pour in the oil. When ready, brown the roast on all sizes till golden brown. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the pot and let rest on a clean plate.

Add the onions to the pot and stir well, incorporating all the left over bits by scrapping the bottom – Sauté the onions for about 5 to 6 minutes. Deglaze, by pouring in the red wine and stirring really well. Reduce till wine is just about evaporated (a few minutes). Add in the rest of the ingredients, stir and warm the sauce.

Place the roast back in the pot and cover with the sauce.  Put on the lid and
place in your oven for about 4 hours. Turn the roast occasionally.

At the 4 hour mark, remove the pot from the oven and let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes in the pot, covered. Carefully lift the roast from the pot and place it on your warm serving platter, remove the string and cover with foil. With the sauce, carefully skim off the fat and then reduce the sauce by half over medium high heat, about 15 minutes. Back to the pork – pull apart the roast with two forks on your serving platter. Pour some of the sauce on top of the pork and sprinkle with chopped chives. Place the remainder of the sauce in a warm pitcher and pass around.

Place the chicken in a large plastic zip-lock bag (preferred), or a bowl.  In another medium size bowl place the shallots, garlic and liquids and seasonings and whisk till incorporated. Stir in prunes, olives and grapes.

Pour the marinade into the bag or bowl and gently massage it into the chicken thighs. If using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Place in your refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator, 40 minutes before placing in the oven. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken pieces with the marinade in a single-layer in a baking dish.

Bake for 50 -60 minutes or till the juices from the thighs run clear.

Place the thighs on a platter and with a slotted spoon place the other ingredients on top. Then pour over some of the juices from the pan and garnish with chopped cilantro. (can use parsley or chives instead).

Best served with rice (I prefer jasmine or basmati…just pick your favourite).

In a medium size pot over medium heat, place the water and the sugar. Stir the sugar mixture and cook till it gets a caramel brown colour. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice, Place back on the heat over medium low and add in the zest, shallot, wine and vinegar. Stir really well to make sure you have all the caramel and ingredients incorporated. Reduce by half.

In a small bowl, mix the Port and arrowroot till dissolved. Add this mixture to the reduced sauce.  Then pour in the chicken stock. Reduce again by half.

Just before serving, remove pot from the heat and whisk in the unsalted butter with the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add a little maple syrup if needed to lift the sweetness level or a squeeze of lemon juice to reduce sweetness.

Serve drizzled over top of your poultry and place the balance in a sauce boat.

Over medium high heat, place the oil in a medium pot and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add cauliflower, apple and garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add in the spices and stir for one minute. Add in the water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes till the vegetables are soft.

Remove from the heat. Puree the soup with a hand held blender in the pot or place in a food processor a few cups at a time. Garnish with fresh chives.

1 teaspoon grape seed oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups sweet onion (finely diced)
1 cup apple (finely diced)
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup soft goat cheese
16 fresh basil leaves
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a fry pan, sauté the onion in the butter and oil till golden brown (about 10 minutes on medium heat), add the apple and cook anther 5 minutes. Add in salt, pepper , maple syrup and mix. Remove from pan and let cool on a plate. Best to place in the fridge for 30 minutes if you have the time.

Lay out the two sheets of puff pastry (keeping them on the sheets they are rolled in). Place the widest part of the sheet in front of you. Evenly divide the onion mixture and sprinkle over each sheet. Split and sprinkle the goat cheese over each sheet. Place two rows of basil leaves at the bottom of each sheet (closest to you).  With each pastry sheet, begin to roll upwards ensuring you have an even roll till you reach near the end. Then carefully seal and place the edge on the bottom. Squeeze slightly with your hands to make sure the roll is secure. NOTE: at this point you can cover the roll and place it in the frig till ready to bake.

Carefully with a serrated knife, cut ½ inch slices down teach roll. Place each pinwheel on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and puffed. Cool slightly, before serving.

Step One: Cornbread
¾ cup corn meal
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons honey
1 large egg
¾ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup fresh or frozen corn

Preheat oven to 400F

In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the honey, egg, buttermilk and butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix thoroughly. Stir in the corn.
Line a 12”X17” baking sheet with sides, with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the middle of the sheet and spread evenly (1/2 inch thick). Bake for 15-18 minutes till lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for a minimum of an hour, or until the cornbread has totally cooled. While the bread is till on the baking sheet, cut into small cubes. Set aside.

Step Two: Stuffing
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
½ cup onion
½ cup pear, diced into cubes
½ cup dried apricots, diced
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 350F

In a large skillet over medium heat place the oil. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes till soft. Add in the pears, dried apricots, salt and pepper and sauté for a further 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and vegetable stock. Add in the cornbread cubes and mix thoroughly.

With a 12-hole muffin pan, place PaperChef large parchment paper cups. Distribute the batter evenly amongst the 12 cups. Bake for 35-40 minutes till golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 10 minutes till you remove the cups. Remove paper and serve one or two per person. 

Garnishes:
finely chopped fresh herbs – parsley and/or chives
Paprika
Pine Nuts

Toast the pine nuts in a medium hot pan. Watch carefully. Remove from pan and let cool.

Rinse the chickpeas with cold water and place them in a food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, tahina and salt. Blend till smooth. Gradually pour in the olive oil, while it is still mixing, through the funnel. Place in a bowl and garnish.

Place in the fridge covered, for 1 hour before serving to blend the flavours. Serve with warm pita bread and olives.