Bachelor Chow, Kingsland Recipes

Get Stuffed!

0 Comments 29 April 2012

Bachelor Chow #9 : Get Stuffed!

by Gabriel Hall

One of my rules is, “When you stuff meat with more meat, it can only get better”.

My friends have an annual wing competition purely for bragging rights. Up to 20 guys compete in an intense game of one-upmanship to see who has the best, the hottest, and the most innovative chicken wing. In brainstorming for an absolutely killer, winning piece of chicken I came across the idea of stuffing a deboned wing with all sorts of meaty goodness before giving it a good roasting on the grill. Since I have only seen this technique on TV and at restaurants, I decided to experiment on something a little bigger and a little easier to work with, a chicken leg.

In deciding upon the stuffing I wanted something that would be a strong contrast to the mild chicken meat. Bacon, sausage meat, and spiced beef would be great choices, but you don’t have to be limited by meat in general. A mixture of nuts, herbs, cheeses, and even fruits would go very well with the relatively neutral chicken. In my case I went with sausage meat and a few cloves of garlic. Nice, simple, and pork related. Continue Reading

Hidden Gems, Kingsland Recipes

Hidden Gems: Mustard Greens

0 Comments 25 April 2012

As much as I love to experiment and create something new in the kitchen, sometimes I need inspiration to get me going. I regularly browse through other people’s blogs or search Tastespotting.com for tasty looking dishes, adding to my “to make” binder of recipes. Sometimes I’ll follow a recipe exactly; other times, I’ll put my own spin on it, as was the case with this week’s recipe.

I saw an African Peanut Stew ages ago and decided I test it out. My visit to Kingsland to pick up my supplies included a stop at the Greens, Egg & Ham booth. If you ever want to try something different, visit these guys! They always have uncommon but wonderful ingredients that you can’t find anywhere else. I always end up with something unexpected… and then need to find a creative use for it!

This time, I walked away from the booth with a bag of mustard greens. These leafy greens are something I’ve never used before. I’m a fan of all things green and I find that they can mostly be used in a similar manner, such as sautéed with onions & garlic or wilted into a soup or stew. Mustard greens packs a ton of nutrition into this dish. The flavour of mustard greens is less bitter than kale and more peppery, like arugula and its dijon undertones complemented the peanut-tomato sauce in the stew quite well. Continue Reading

How I Met Your Dinner, Kingsland Recipes

Cooking for Klingons!

2 Comments 22 April 2012

Cooking for Klingons by Ensign Terrence Lo
(Warning – Extreme Geek culture references, but still yummy in the end!)

Star date 22042012.9

In just a few days, the entire crew of the Starship Enterprise 1701-D will beam into the BMO Centre to greet the thousands of fans awaiting for their chance to thank them for years of delight, entertainment and inspirational wonder.  Among them is Ambassador Worf (aka Michael Dorn), one of the most celebrated Klingons of the Federation, and a legend among those who follow his heroic exploits in his battles against the Romulans, the Cardassians, and of course, the Tribbles.

Now the human crew of the Enterprise have a plethora of choice for wonderful food.  While we don’t have any replicators to bring about their favorite foods at a whim, we do have some of the best restaurants in the West Coast, awesome food trucks and of course, extraordinary farmers’ markets.  But what about the Klingon?  For example, bruschetta on a slice of garlic baguette does not a Roasted Heart of Targ make.  And unlike Deep Space 9, there isn’t a single Klingon restaurant in this quadrant.   Continue Reading

Bachelor Chow, Featured

Bachelor Chow: 28 Days Later

0 Comments 21 April 2012

Spring is here. You wouldn’t know it from just looking outside however. A bit of snow is still on the ground, the odd flakes still fall from the sky, and the nigh time wind chills your to the bone. Most mornings I watch a cloud of my breath disperse in the chill morning air as I climb onto my bike and aim it towards the towers downtown. It’s depressing when the end of April seems like March or even February.

Despite the much debated effects of global warming, spring ingredients have been showing up on market shelves and on the menus of your favourite restaurants for weeks now. Ordering or cooking some of these spring specials may seem daunting, but most everything can be done simply to bring out their natural flavours. Not to mention you’ll look like a rock star in front of the girl you’re trying to impress for serving up something unique and “in season”. Continue Reading