A Canadian Resolution, Raclette or Hot Pot!

Happy New Year!   Tonight, on New Year's Eve, Nasa Astronauts will be ringing in 2014 by sending greetings from space to the crowd gathered in New York's Times Square. What an exciting time to be there!

As we plan our New Years' Eve menu, I think about Canadian Food Experience Project and the theme for this blog, Canadian resolutions.

On our New Year's Eve menu will be pheasant, a gift from our neighbour who was successful on his hunting trip in October!

At the same time, we are planning our road trip to Northern Manitoba to celebrate Christmas on the Georgian calendar along with planning menus for our two week stay there.  Our Matterhorn Raclette will be packed so that we can entertain friends in the area.  A trip to Crossroads Market is in order to buy raclette cheese.

Raclette Jan, 2013 in Manitoba

When we return at the end of the month we will be celebrating Chinese New Years, the Year of the Horse on January 31st.  Our daughter danced with the Phoenix Chinese for eight years and loved the "funky" clothes that the dancers performed in.  The Chinese New Year's Eve Celebration was a perfect way to end the festive season.

As I look at the theme for this blog and the festivities that we still have planned in January, I reflect and realize that making resolutions on New Years' Eve was never part of growing up and really still is not!

However, revisiting the Canada Food Guide is always a good idea at any time. 

With my birthday in the middle of January, Hot Pot has become my traditional meal.

Jan 18, 2014 Hot Pot  

Growing up on a prairie farm, homemade chicken soup was a staple. Fresh farm chicken and home made noodles were the bases for this soup.  The broth that my Mom made for soups had to be perfectly clear and was strained through muslin when it was not!  I find that I turn my nose up on soups that are cloudy and not clear.  Her stocks were always made from scratch using raw meat.

With the changing diversity in Canada, many dishes have evolved with the global influence of other cultures and many recipes are listed as "infused" into a certain cuisines from other cultures.

Hot Pot is a wonderful way to share a delicious soup that everyone can enjoy as one can pick and choice their favourite vegetable or meat.  The two separate parts of my Hot Pot dish can also have two very separate broths or spices in them.

Hot pot is also a very easy entertaining company dish although it reguires a fair amount of chopping beforehand but once assembled lends itself to a leisurely meal and conducive to family conversation.

 Since Hot pot recipe is more a process than a recipe, here are the steps I go through in preparing Hot Pot.  

Over the years, I have used different pots to cook the Hot Pot at the table.  I have used an electric wok or a deep fryer. Now I have a tabletop burner that uses cans of butane fuel and a dish with a divided section so that you have have 2 very distinct broths or different seasoned broth.  However, I tend to keep the broth bland.  In setting the table, add chopsticks to the serving plates and add little dishes for the mixing of sauces and spices.

Prepare a broth in a large pot. 

I usually prepare the broth using uncooked chicken breast, onion, herbs and water.  Bring the water to boil with the chicken meat, then shut of the heat and place a lid on the pot.  The heat of the water will cook the breast meat.  

Slice a variety of meats and fish thinly to be cooked in the hot pot.

One is able to find sliced meat such as pork, chicken, lamb and beef at the Chinese markets. I prefer the sliced chicken and lamb for the Hot Pot.  Fish balls can also be found in the Chinese markets.  Raw Shrimp, scallops and other seafood are a wonderful addition. 

Select and prepare some vegetables

A variety of vegetables can be used for the Hot Pot.  I like to use Shanghai bok choy, spinach and pea pods.  Mushrooms of all varieties are used in the  Hot Pot preparations.  I also add fresh herbs like cilantro and slices of lime or lemons to the platter of vegetables.

Prepare the noodles.

Any variety of Noodles can be used.   I do not add the noodles to the soup while the Hot Pot

is cooking as the starches from the noodles make the broth very murky!

An assortment of condiments is places on the table for creating one's own dipping sauce. 

Typical condiments to prepare a sauce include soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and sweet chili sauce.  Give each guest a separate small dish to mix their sauce.

Transfer your hot broth to the Hot Pot you are using and place it in the centre of the table.

Arranging the seating so that everyone is sitting in a circle so that everyone can reach the food easily on the table. 

I enjoy the communal experience of Hot Pot as after the initial preparation of the food and arrangement on platters, the Hot Pot is such a leisurely experience that is very conducive to conversation.  The Hot Pot meal lasts over an hour as you are cooking and eating as you go along, mixing and experiencing different sauces.  

Happy New Year to  you everyone participating in the Canadian Food Experience!

Turkish dishes

My husband and I were invited to a turkish meal. My husband made dated filled cookies to add to the menu. His mother used to make date filled cookies for christmas, but not made in a wooden mould.  

Date filled Cookies

The appetizers served were spinach and feta Borek and Lentil Kofte.

Spinach and Feta Borek

Spinach and Feta Borek

 Lentil Kofte 

The main entree was eggplant Kebabs which was ground beef tied up in strips of eggplant in packages

Eggplant Kebab

Canadian Ukrainian Christmas Tradition.. Rural style

Ritual Dish

Imagine days of celebrations focusing around family and food, along with singing Christmas carols after the Christmas meals, while waiting for midnight mass!  Imagine days of food not being pared with wines, in fact no wine glasses on the table!  Imagine not having to stress about gifts!  As no Santa existed!  Unbelievable!!  

Yes, there was a St Nicholas that came after  the children's Christmas concert!   A scary parishioner dressed in a moth eaten beard symbolizing someone with acts of kindness to the poor, especially the children.  One who used his inheritance  to help others especially to save children from sexual slavery.  He was also known to give gifts and to sometimes hang stockings filled with treats and gifts.  

Angels bring in St Nicholas

St Nicholas giving out bags of candy and oranges to the children!

St Nicholas Concert

St Nicholas Concert

St Nicholas Concert

After Christmas Eve dinner, midnight mass including everyone and all the children attending!  No one stressing that a change in ones' schedule may be of concern!  There where no excuses to not attend, it was part of the whole Christmas package and no one complained.  As a child, I remember how awesome this was!  Something so wonderfully waking up and hearing Christmas Carols and seeing the peaceful look on the faces of my parents'.  

Not everyone is ready to put up the Christmas Stocking after Midnight Mass! 

My first memory of Christmas, was the annual gathering of my Mom's siblings at my Grandparent's home for Christmas Eve.  All of my Grandparents' children attended, some had to drive a fair distance in Manitoba winter conditions, but they always came through.  

A spruce tree decorated with white candles was only lit during this special evening meal.

As a child, it was a highlight to to play in my grandparents house with my cousins who were all close in age.  Since the house was lit with kerosene lamps, many of the rooms were dark and an awesome place to play hide and seek!

The twelve course meatless and dairy less meal  started with Kutya, followed by Borcht with dumplings, Pickled Herring, Wild Mushroom, variety of Pyrohy, Cabbage rolls, Fish Aspic made from pickerel or white fish, Fruit Compote.  Mandarin oranges, nuts and candies were passed around as everyone sang Christmas Carols.  Gifts were passed around that my grandmother had ordered with care from the Eaton's catalogues.  

Church Christmas Dinner, 2013

Another special memory was of a rural picturesque Christmas when our family drove to my Dad's brother's place in Saskatchewan.  Not all of rural Saskatchewan was electrified at the same time due to the different payment scheduling from the Saskatchewan government.  As a teenager, it was quite the experience to see the flickering light of an open flame in the Kerosene lamps and the resulting glow in the room and on the faces.  Again, the meal started with Kutya followed by  meatless dishes.  Just as the meal was finishing, one could hear Sleigh Bells ringing as a horse drawn open sleigh came to view with carollers covered in the soft falling snow. 

Yes, I continue the tradition of preparing the twelve dishes for Christmas Eve dinner for my family.  Why, because there is such a connection to my past and a resulting sense of Christmas spirit in doing this.  As the first star appears, I think of my Dad coming in from the barn with that great broad smile of his, saying all the animals had been feed and that we could now leave for Grandma's for the Christmas Eve dinner. 

For  the last few years, my husband and I have been returning to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas in rural Manitoba.  There is something magical in returning to the country to spend this time with family and friends.  For me, it is a spiritual renewal and a reconnection to the past and present.  The local radio station continues to plays Christmas Carols throughout the whole time, with Christmas greetings from the local merchants for those celebrating this Christmas. 

2013-Horse drawn sleigh full of carollers

My aunt who is ninety- two this year, continues to prepare the meal with her sister and daughter in law in the party room of their seniors' complex.  It has been wonderful to be part of her family and to experience how they time manage this elaborate and delicious meal!  Only after having prepared this meal myself, have I gained the appreciation of all the work that goes into successfully carrying this meal out! 

Pampushky was my contribution 

After the wonderful supper, we drive to the midnight mass in a wooden church with a candle lit chandelier.  This church in the middle of the country fields is packed with local farmers and those from a nearby city. 

Lighting the candle Chandelier

My Christmas Eve dinner always begins with Kutya, the wheat berry dish sweetened with honey.  Kutya is a ritual dish and very much part of the Christmas Eve meal.  Custom is that everyone partakes of Kutya, no matter how small a portion this is!   The dish dates back to early cultivation of wheat in Ukraine before Christianity and is believed to be part of an ancient religion with the offering of wheat to the Sun God!

My recipe follows how I saw my Mom preparing this dish.  My father would proudly bring in his wheat from that year's crop.  The night before Christmas Eve, the wheat was rinsed with many washes and any husks that floated to the top of the water where removed.  The cleaned wheat was allowed to soften overnight and again rinsed in the morning.  Fresh water was added to the pot with the soften wheat and brought to boil.  This was done early in the morning.  Poppyseed is added at this time.  When the water came to boil, the wheat  simmered most of the day until soft.  Being careful to watch that the water does not evaporate and adding more water as necessary.  The final step is to add honey for flavour and sweetness.  My family likes to serve this wheat dish warm, but some serve it cold.  

This post is part of The Canadian Food Experience Project and features the Canadian Christmas Tradition.

Jamaican Coconut Fish

Jamaican Coconut Fish 

We enjoyed the Jamaican fish dish at the Sandals resort this May.

The chef told me the recipe, which was similar to how my Mom used to cook Pickerel in Manitoba.. The fish is dried and dusted in flour that has been seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika and chilies.  The fish is then panfried in butter.  Julienned vegetables such as green spring onions, carrots and  assorted peppers are sautéed in oil.   The vegetables are then added to the fish and served hot with Bammy.

Bammy

Here is my version of the Jamaican Coconut Fish.. 

Julienne the vegetables, carrots, an assortment of bell peppers, jalapeños peppers, an onion and garlic are sautéed until onions soften.  I also added julienned pineapple and mushrooms.   Thyme and allspice were added to the vegetables.  Allspice is the traditional spice for most of the Jamaican dishes.

  

The fish is dusted in seasoning flour and pan fried in butter.

Lay the fish fillets on top of the vegetables and pour a tin of coconut milk over top, and bake until hot

Garnish with spring onions and cilantro.  I also garnished the dish with fresh pineapple chunks.

Enjoy!

Harvest and Canadian Thanksgiving going hand in hand! Celebrate with a Manitoba Cake

Uncle Fred's farm

Fall as a kid was one of my favorite season.  New clothes for school, some sewn, other bought.  The weather was sunny and warm, but crisp; a perfect time to wear one's brand new sweaters.  Fall colors were in their splendour!  

Harvest was in full gear, as combines could be seen late into the night, until heavy dew fall.  The garden had been harvested, green tomatoes covered in a box in a dark cool spot to ripen slowly, potatoes dug and canning or freezing of vegetables completed.  There is something so magical in this season, even the Harvest moon shines brightly to extend the workday past sunset to help the farmer harvest their crops.

Canadian Thanksgiving fits perfectly into this Harvest season as one takes time to be thankful for one's bountiful crop or life's riches.  It was a time to feast on the fruit of one's toils, with potatoes and vegetables from one's garden, along with a farm grown turkey.  

The Pilgrim's menu had readily been adapted from the Americans due to the Loyalists flee to Canada during the American Revolution.  This feast and traditions of Thanksgiving revolved around what one had readily available.  The turkey and all it's trimmings ending with a pumpkin pie may be seen by some as a ridge tradition.  Yet any menu that stays away from this does not truly understand what the menu means and the value of tradition.

The more sophisticated our palate become to the exposure of other foods in this Global world, the more necessary is the need for the comfort of tradition along with the connectedness to the community through food!

I read with great interest the food articles in the Globe and Mail Friday edition before the Thanksgiving weekend.  One article by Dave McGinn referenced the feast as  kicking off the "Unofficial waistline-be-dammed season of gluttonous indulgences".   Another article  by Laurie Best talked about Thanksgiving dinner being a "feast of burden".   The Globe and Mail did "assemble a menu" that stood out "for it's unconventionality - fish instead of turkey!'  These articles certainly made me want to throw in the towel and munch on a celery stick!   But my husband insisted I pick up a small turkey and planned a menu that his Mom had prepared for Thanksgiving Days.

In the weekend edition of the Globe and Mail, John Allemang in his article "Choosing between tradition and evolution talked about making this feast less rigid and updating the "feast to suit Canada's more flexible approach to diversity".  John looked at a family who added a Chinese twist  to the Classic Thanksgiving dinner, by marinating the whole turkey in soya sauce.   My initial thought was how different was this for me growing in rural Manitoba  and my mom's Thanksgiving dinners .  My Mom served turkey with stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and carrots, with a Ukrainian twist to the menu, pyrohy, cabbage rolls and Nalynyky.  To finish this feast, there were always pies, pumpkin and lemon meringue pies.  All these dishes were made from local ingredients from one's garden or farm.

I agree with Elizabeth Baird who writes in her "Classic Canadian Cooking"book that there are few meals that appeal or "resonate with a broad community in Canada".  Thanksgiving dinner with turkey is one such meal and families do and had personalized the feast to meet personal taste or dietary restrictions. 

Alnaar follows her Mother in Law's Thanksgiving Dinner's menu recipes

I  enjoyed the pictures posted on Facebook of Thanksgiving feasts, the turkey was certainly the star and in one picture the turkey was referred to as the "pièce de résistance".  These awesome pictures taken of the turkeys are those of two young moms', one being a first generation Canadian.  

Donna's work of art, a "pièce de résistance" 

Thanksgiving weekend is also a time for families.

An advertisement in the Calgary Herald summed up the beauty of a Canadian Thanksgiving!

When does time last longer?
These days, life seems to be lived at one speed, fast.  We never seem to have enough time and days disappear so quickly, it's hard to set our bearings.  Thanksgiving is a change of pace. 
For a few hours over dinner, time goes slowly as we settle in with those who matter most to us. 
Conversation are animated as they evolve around family memories and old stories that have been told a hundred times before but still end with laughter. 
We use time wisely debating earth -shattering events like who gets to pull the turkey wish bone this year. 
At Thanksgiving we get to simply enjoy being surrounded by family, at home, where time last longer and vivid memories are created that will last a lifetime.

Golden Warmth of Fall

Saskatoon Farm 

Setting the table

Acorn Squash readied for the Smoker

Fresh Greek Oregano and Sage from the garden for the stuffing

Garlic harvest

Bill following his mom's recipe for making turkey gravy

Very moist turkey cooked in a turkey roaster oven 

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

What better way to celebrate Harvest along with my Husband and son's birthday than to feature the Manitoba Cake. 

 Into the batter is mixed 1 cup of raw grated beets and 2 cups of raw carrots

to give this gorgeous color that makes one think of autumn.  

This Manitoba cake was to be in my Harvest blog and a birthday cake too, however since my husband wanted a chocolate cake, I did add 1/3 c of coca to the flour mixture!  Some times a gal has to do, what she has to do!

The Manitoba Cake recipe can be found in the Mennonite Treasury of Recipes Cookbook and a popular cake in the rural areas.

Manitoba Cake 

Preheat oven at 350°F.

Prepared a Bundt pan

Mix together

3/4 cup sunflower oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons hot water

In another bowl, pass through a sieve the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon (opt)

Mix together the dry and wet ingredients 

2 cups raw carrots, finely shredded

1cup raw beet, finely shredded 

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Add the raw carrots, the raw beets and the nuts and mix well.

With the electric mixer, whip the 3 egg whites until they are fluffy

3 egg whites

Fold gently into the cake preparation until the whites are incorporated 

Pour into the prepared Bundt pan

Bake 45 to 50 minutes. 

Use Cream Cheese frosting or just dust with a bit of icing sugar

• 1 8 oz (250g) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
• 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
• 
  

The Canadian Harvest is the sixth theme for the great Canadian Food Experience Project as bloggers across Canada explore and discover the Canadian voice.