Chicken Noodle Soup, Italian style

The lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master. – Khalil Gibran

Comfort. It’s something we all seek, be it “comfortable-ness” in our life situation or comfort in times of trial or grief.

It’s unusual how the first reaction upon hearing of a death is to go to the kitchen and start cooking for the bereaved family. Apparently our grief is held in our stomachs, and can be assuaged by a full pot of baked beans, or a loaf of banana bread.

I know I’m as guilty of this as everyone else, and even self-medicate. When I’m sad I go for food. 

This past year has been full of stressful change – one where the blue fell from the sky like a heavy blanket onto the grass, garden, and everything else in my life. One week from today is the anniversary of losing someone very dear to me, and it’s got me down.

I try to not show my lingering pain, but at times it becomes raw, and it only takes the smallest memory to set it off. Perhaps after the one year mark I will begin to mentally file my sadness into its proper "forever place" in my heart.

It’s much of the reason I have been posting sporadically over the last year. Most days I just can’t bring myself to do it. It seems so unimportant. I need to change that. I enjoy writing this blog and sharing with all of you. Like food, it’s another form of comfort and is far easier on the waistline.

All this sadness over the death of a dog. But Henry was not a dog. He was as much a family member as any living being could ever be. He lived to be with me, and I returned the feeling. He was my child for 8-1/2 years. His passing hit me hard, for a whole host of reasons. I will always wonder “what if”...

He used to chase the waves as
they broke on shore of our
local beach. He loved it.

So I’m in need of a little comfort this week, and this night I took it in the form of food. So into the kitchen I went...

Chicken soup is always a safe comfort bet. The decision was aided by the fact I had some thighs in the refrigerator. But I had another problem: two bags of tomatoes picked two weeks ago.

Two days ago I oven-roasted two dozen, plus an eggplant, and then froze them for quick sauces later. There’s another 32 or so on the stovetop, and more from the bags ripening every day. Whatever “chicken soup” I made had to use tomatoes. I may be sad, but waste is sadder.

So I came up with this recipe. It stews garlic, tomatoes and other veggies, which are then puréed into an almost creamy base for pasta and shredded chicken.

All in all, very satisfying. And more than a little comforting.

Chicken Noodle Soup, Italian style

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook: 60 min  |  Serves 6-8

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 lg carrot, diced

6 garlic cloves, chopped

6-8 plum tomatoes, chopped*

4 cups chicken stock

6-8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in*

1 tbsp fresh oregano

1 tsp cracked black pepper

300g pasta (like penne, rotini, fusilli)

salt to taste

grated parmesan, optional

*depending on size

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a well-fitting lid. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and sauté on medium until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, stock, chicken thighs, oregano, black pepper and a little salt (1/2 tsp). Bring to a boil, reduce het to medium and cover. Let cook for 30 minutes.

After the half hour, remove the chicken thighs and set aside. Purée the vegetables and liquid in the pot until very smooth. Add the pasta to the purée, cover and cook until 2 minutes short of al dente. Stir a few times while it cooks.

While the pasta cooks, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat. Two minutes before the pasta is fully cooked, add the chicken and bring back to a boil.

Taste for salt and adjust as desired. Serve immediately with grated parmesan, crusty bread and butter.

.............................................................

If you like this post, feel free to share it. All I ask for is credit and a link back to this page.

Bean & Spinach Turkey Soup

Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. – Charles M. Schultz

Pot 'o goodness.

Did you have a hangover after the holidays? I did, but it wasn't from booze. Mine was leftovers. You know, the ones that seem to hang around far longer after a holiday than one would want...

So what causes the worst holiday hangover? The Bird. The 50 pounder we all feel compelled to roast. There it sits – glaring at you from the refrigerator every time you open the door.

This recipe helps deal with some of that meat you rightly didn't want to waste. It dispatches 3 cups of the beast from your icebox.

If you’re sick of making turkey noodle (or rice) soup with some of those leftovers, try this slightly different recipe. It’s chock full of healthy things and it doesn’t require a lot of additional purchases. Spinach might be one, which isn’t really much to purchase at all.

Everything else you most likely have already sitting in your cupboard. I know I did, and my pantry is getting a bit thin. I used black beans because that is what I had. You could also use Romano or even kidney beans.

This recipe even uses up a little of the excess dried bread you bought for making stuffing. What recipe helps you use up that? The reason it is used is to add some “body” to the soup liquid. Otherwise soups can be a little “watery” in mouth-feel.

The result of your very minimal effort is a very fast dinner that is very filling and satisfying. And you’re in and out of the kitchen in 20 minutes. That’s no lie. It’s hard to believe but true.

So if you still have some turkey in your fridge or freezer (I bet you do...), break it out and get rid of it. It's certainly no chore to have to eat this!

Bean & Spinach Turkey Soup

Prep: 5 min  |  Ready in 20 min  |  Serves 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

28 fl. oz. can diced tomatoes, with their liquid

28 fl. oz. chicken stock (use the tomato can to measure)

19 fl. oz. can black beans, rinsed

3 cups pre-cooked turkey, chopped

3-4 cups spinach, chopped

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

salt* and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes until they start to become translucent. While they soften, chop the turkey and set aside.

Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, beans, turkey and spinach. Bring to a gentle boil and let cook for 5 minutes.

While the soup simmers, process some dried bread into fine crumbs in a food processor. Add the bread crumbs, parmesan, oregano, chilli and black pepper. Let cook for a couple minutes more. Then taste for salt and adjust.

Serve with a little grated parmesan at the table.

* Taste for salt at the end. The chicken stock and parmesan already carry a lot of salt.

...............................................................................................

If you like this post tweet it using the link at top right, or share it using any of the links below. Just give me some credit for the post, and a driver back to this page would be appreciated.

Crispy Italian Portobellos with Pasta

The husband who decides to surprise his wife is often very much surprised himself. – Voltaire

You have to admit, these look pretty tasty.

There’s surprises, and then there’s “surprises.” Some welcomed, some not so much... 

This falls into the first category. Who would think that you could make a delicious dinner with a few mushroom caps, a couple eggs, some bread crumbs and a little cheese?

My spouse and I attended a fundraiser for a client of mine on the weekend, Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in Canning. For the past three years I have designed the posters for Two Planks & A Passion Theatre as pro bono work.

The night consisted of an auction and dinner served by a Valley caterer. Part of the dinner were breaded portobello mushroom caps. They were pretty darn good. Almost as good as the shrimp...almost.

Since I’m shameless for stealing (I mean “adapting”) ideas from anywhere and everywhere I decided to try to replicate them at home. It seemed like an easy enough task. Some jacked-up bread crumbs, bound breading, etc...

The recipe calls for four caps for two, but I was eating alone so
I made three. Don't shame me... I'm a gourmand and admit it.

And it was. Actually I believe, breaking my arm patting myself on the back, mine were better. They turned out deliciously with a nice, crispy crust.

The only “problem” was what to serve with them. I knew it should probably be pasta because I made the breadcrumbs Italian flavoured. I did not choose a tomato-based sauce. The reason was I already had 3/4 of a sauce sitting in front of me after breading the mushroom caps.

I took my cue from Carbonara. The final technique when you make Pasta Carbonara is to mix an egg and milk into the hot pasta, cooking it in the process. Well, the egg dip was just sitting there. Why waste it?

This vegetarian dish is surprisingly quite filling. In fact, I didn’t feel the need to have anything else (much) in the way of snacks through the evening. I suppose, there was a gut-load of carbs in the pasta.

The meaty mushroom caps were crispy and delicious and the pasta turned out beautifully. If you’ve never had carbonara I know where there’s a really good recipe. The search box for my blog is at the top right...

This one’s a keeper, and it’s so very easy. I have a vegetarian friend – and many others – that would love this, I’m sure.

Crispy Italian Portobellos with Pasta

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook: 15 min  |  Serves 2

spaghetti or linguine for 2

1 tbsp olive oil

4 portobello caps, stem removed

Italian bread crumbs (below)

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp oregano

pinch salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Italian bread crumbs

1 cup grated dried bread (I used brown bread)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp powdered garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet and keep warm.

Mix together the ingredients listed for the Italian bread crumbs on a plate. Remove 2 tablespoons of this mixture and set aside. In a soup bowl, beat the two eggs until broken up. Place the flour in a plastic bag. Now you’re ready to do bound breading!

Coat a mushroom cap in the flour, dip in the egg making sure it’s well covered, then coat in the bread crumbs. Place gill-side up in the warm skillet. Repeat with the remaining caps. 

Place the skillet in the hot oven. Bake the caps for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

To the remaining egg mixture, add the milk, oregano, salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in the pot. While the pasta is still hot, slowly pour in the egg mixture, stirring constantly.

Serve two caps per person. Top the pasta with half the reserved bread crumbs and some grated parmesan.

...............................................................................................

If you like this post tweet it using the link at top right, or share it using any of the links below. Just give me some credit for the post, and a driver back to this page would be appreciated.

Tuscan Kale Stew

My philosophy of dating is to just fart right away. – Jenny McCarthy

I don’t eat enough cruciferous vegetables. Do you? Kale is a cruciferous vegetable, as are many other vegetables I don’t eat enough of – especially in winter.

The list of cruciferous vegetables is long. It includes some you would expect, like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. But it also includes some you might not think of, such as turnip, watercress, radish and wasabi. So what do they have in common to fit the name?

Cruciferous vegetables are all in the family Brassicaceae (also called Cruciferae). The family takes its name (it's Latin for "cross-bearing") from its four petal flowers, in the shape of a cross.

They also have one other thing in common: gas. To some people they can be extremely gas-inducing; others don’t suffer quite so much. This is caused by a type of sugar known as raffinose, that most people have difficulty digesting. Luckily there’s an up-side, unless you find farts funny. I know some who do...

After simmering for 2 hours. The pork becomes fork tender.

All cruciferous vegetables contain a multitude of vitamins and minerals, and fibre, although some have more than others.They also contain phytochemicals that may aid in detoxifying certain cancer-causing substances before they have a chance to cause harm in the body.

So all good. And gassy too.

This post also references something from my last post where I told you if you see something odd in the grocery store to buy it. I saw Tuscan kale. Gorgeous stuff.

Kale isn’t an odd ingredient to see, but "Tuscan kale" was, and sadly kale is too odd in our kitchens. It was its beauty that made me buy it. It called to be a star in a pot of something...

Tuscan Kale Stew

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook 2h 15 min | Serves 8

1 tbsp olive oil

600 g pork loin roast, 2” cubes

1 medium onion, quartered

4 garlic cloves, peeled and whole

300 g crimini mushrooms, quartered

28 fl. oz diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

A full pot of deliciousness.

1 tsp whole fennel seed

2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tbsp fresh)

2 tsp dried basil (or 2 tbsp fresh)

1 tsp dried sage (or 1 tbsp fresh)

350 g penne

19 fl oz cannellini (or black) beans

1 bunch Tuscan kale, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

In a Dutch oven, brown the pork in the oil with the fennel seeds. Then add the onion, garlic and crimini mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Then add the tomatoes with their liquid, the chicken stock, oregano, basil and sage. Add some pepper and salt, but not too much salt. Adjust that at the end of cooking.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and let cook, covered, for about 2 hours.

The add the pasta, bring back to a boil and let cook for the pasta’s recommended time minus 1 minute. Add the drained, washed black beans and chopped kale. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.

Taste for salt and pepper, adjust and serve, with a lovely crusty country-style bread on the side.

This can be reheated easily. If doing so, add a little water as the pasta will absorb the liquid in the pot as it cools.

………………………………

If you like this post retweet it using the link at top right, or share using any of the links below. Feel free to comment. I'll always try to respond. If you like this post, feel free to share it. All I ask is that you credit me and share a link back to the original.

Chicken in Garlic Basil Cream

A career is wonderful, but you can't curl up with it on a cold night. – Marilyn Monroe

So winter isn’t really done with us yet. It’s not as cold out as it could be, but it’s still cold. This morning found us sitting at -13°F. Brrrrr......

This month is shaping up to be a hectic one for me. So I’ll have to keep Marilyn’s words constantly in the forefront of my mind. All work and no fun makes our loved ones feel neglected. Not a good thing.

When there is a little down time to cook, and the weather outside is still frightful, there’s really not much that can compare to a garlic cream sauce. Couple that with basil and tender chicken, and all you’re really missing is a bottle of wine.

Oh, and someone to enjoy with with.

See, I almost forgot already. Not really... :-)

Chicken in Garlic Basil Cream

Time: about 20 minutes

6-8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

salt and pepper, to taste

4-6 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup 32% whipping cream

penne, for 3 or 4

If serving 3 people, cook 6 thighs; if serving 4, cook 8. Cook enough penne, cutting the suggested time down by 1 minute, for either 3 or 4 people. Keep it warm in water while you cook the chicken.

Place the chicken skin side up in a dry, hot pan with a lid. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook until the chicken releases from the surface. Fat will render out as it cooks.

Turn the chicken and repeat the process, skin side down. Once the chicken releases easily, remove to a plate.

Discard all the chicken fat in the pan except for about 1 tablespoon. Add the chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant. Then add the cream and return the chicken. Sprinkle with half of the chopped basil, cover and cook on medium for about 5 minutes.

Then add the penne, and let cook until the sauce reduces enough to start to coat the pasta and chicken.

Serve with more fresh basil, salt and pepper as desired, sprinkled on top.

.............................................................

If you like this post retweet it using the link at top right, or share using any of the links below. Feel free to comment. I'll always try to respond. If you like this post, feel free to share it. All I ask is that you credit me and share a link back to the original.

Squash Ravioli with Mushrooms and Sage

These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have. – Abraham Lincoln

I’m not about to get into the broader themes of equality. I could, but I won’t...right now. I’m talking today about egalitarian eating, serving a vegetarian main dish at home, and to start, taking a vegetarian out to a restaurant.

This past weekend we took our friend – who my spouse was staying with last school term – out for dinner. It was a thank you for all her help to us. A small one for all she did, but a thank you none-the-less.

It's tricky to go out eating with a vegetarian. Short of going to a vegetarian restaurant, great choices for the non-meaters can be hit or miss. Luckily we found a fantastic place in The Cellar, on Clyde Street in Halifax. Go. There. This. Weekend. But make reservations.

If your pasta dough isn't smooth after kneading don't worry.
The 30 minute "sit" does miraculous things.

Besides several fantastic vegetarian starters they also had squash ravioli. Nothing beats squash ravioli with sage, not even meat dishes. It is the most wonderful combination of flavours. 

Every Italian restaurant worth its salt will have either squash or pumpkin ravioli on the menu in the fall/winter. Most good restaurants vary their menus by the season to offer diners the best in available ingredients.

How to pick a dry squash, maybe...

I love dry squash. Mushy squash is, well, gross. Dry squash is fluffy, light and soaks up butter like it was born to it.

Here's an interesting tidbit for people who dislike "wet" squash as much as I do. I think I have found out the secret to picking a dry squash out of the pile at the market.

The secret is kind of obvious. You lift the squash and compare how heavy ones of similar size feel. I was doing this at the store to get the biggest one for the least amount of money. They sell squash by the pound (most times) and you’re buying a lot of water. I was being cheap.

I have tried other techniques: pressing my fingernail into the skin to see if it dents easily, tapping for a hollow sound, etc. But my new technique makes so much sense. A lighter squash will have less water content. Less water content means drier flesh. This technique has worked so far...

Making homemade pasta

Don't be intimidated by making your own pasta. It is really quite easy. Ravioli is a little more time intensive but the work is worth it. All you really need is a hand crank pasta roller, although you can roll it by hand. In Halifax the only place I was able to find one was at Stokes in Dartmouth Crossing. They’re about $29.98. Go and get one. You should have one. It’s great fun on wintry weekends, and sadly we’ll be having more of them before spring.

Homemade pasta cooks in minutes. As such everything that goes into a filling needs to be cooked beforehand. (There is an egg used for binder, but the usual four minutes cooking time is enough.)

Another important tip about ravioli is that you have to make sure they are well sealed on all four sides. If not you will have a terrible, disappointing mess when they cook. I usually pinch them together again just before cooking.

One last note. If you’ve never had fried sage you have no idea what you have been missing. A simple fried sage butter sauce is the perfect complement to these fall ravioli or even plain pasta. Two ingredients, and superb.

I added mushrooms to the sage/butter sauce to make it a little more filling, but that is all. Do yourself a culinary favour and make homemade ravioli soon. If you don't eat them all they can be frozen separately and then bagged very easily.

Squash Ravioli with Mushrooms and Sage

Prep: 1 hour  |  Cook: 3-4 minutes  |  Makes 24 ravioli

Pasta dough:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 cup milk + 1 tbsp

Filling:

3/4 cup cooked squash

140 g soft goat cheese

1/4 cup parmesan (optional)

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp cracked black  pepper

Sauce:

3/4 cup butter

150 g crimini mushrooms

1/2 cup sage leaves

cracked black pepper

Mix together the egg and milk in a small dish. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour with a fork.

Continue to mix with your hands until a ball is formed. If necessary add a slight bit more milk but err on the dry, rather than wet, side.

Place the dough on a board and knead for about 5-8 minutes until relatively smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes. You can also let it rest longer in the refrigerator.

While the dough is resting, make the filling. Mix together the squash, goat cheese egg, salt and pepper. It should be fairly dry and a spoonful will keep its shape. If not, add the parmesan. Set aside.

After the dough has rested cut into four equal pieces. Roll each piece out to a thin sheet. (On my pasta machine I have seven settings. I roll to one from the thinnest – 6.) Roll all four pieces of dough.

Lay one sheet on the counter. It should be about 2-1/2 feet long. Place a rounded dessert spoonful of filling at each end of the dough about 1/2” from the edge. Place 10 more spoonfuls along the dough at equal intervals.

If your filling isn’t equally spaced adjust the balls so they are. Dampen all the pasta showing around the filling with water. Take a second sheet and place over the fillings. Firmly press down between the filling trying to push out as much air as possible. (Air will make them explode when cooking.)

After the top sheet is well adhered to the bottom trim the outer edges and ends with a sharp knife. Then cut down between each ball of filling. This will make 12 ravioli.

Repeat with the remaining sheets of pasta. Place the finished ravioli on a lightly dusted surface or a piece of plastic wrap or tin foil. Don’t worry if they’re not perfect. That is part of their charm.

Make the sauce by melting the butter in a frying pan. Coarsely chop the sage leaves. Chop the mushrooms and add to the butter. Once the mushrooms start to soften add the sage leaves and let cook until the mushrooms have browned and the sage has darkened. Do not let the sage burn. Season with pepper.

Bring water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the ravioli and let cook for 4 minutes. Drain and serve with the mushroom/sage/butter sauce.

These ravioli are on the large side. An appetizer serving is usually three or four ravioli; an entrée is six to eight.

…………………………………..

Feel free to comment. I'll always try to respond. If you like this post, feel free to share it. All I ask is that you credit me and share a link back to the original.

Black Braised Pork with Kale

Too many people just eat to consume calories. Try dining for a change. – John Walters 

Mr. Walters was right. We so often sit down and shovel food into our open maws with hardly a thought as to what’s going in there.

This simmers, covered, for three hours.

I’m as guilty as the next person. But every once in a while it’s nice to treat yourself to something healthy AND extraordinary, as long as it's not too labour intensive.

This recipe does not take a whole lot of work. What it does take is time. Three hours of braising, to be exact. But it’s well worth the wait. Pick a day when you’re trapped inside either by pouring rain (like today is going to be) or snow.

This recipe seems quite simple when you look at it, and it is. But something magical happens when all that time elapses: the onions and garlic disappear into the sauce and all the flavours infuse into the meat.

This is not “blackened” in the Cajun cooking sense. If anything this is more Mediterranean (Italy or Provence) than anything. So whence cometh the name?

I called this recipe “black” for two reasons: the black pepper and portobello mushrooms. The decent amount of cracked pepper adds a nice background spiciness, while the portobello gills break down and make the liquid in the pot a very, very dark colour. It certainly makes the green kale pop!

The result.

This is a deep, delicious and complex tasting dish. If you want to step it up a notch try adding 1/2 cup of white wine to the pot if you don’t think you have enough liquid just before you thicken it. Just make sure it’s wine you would actually enjoy drinking.

Here’s a sage word of advice. Choose a piece of pork that is well marbled. It will break down as the dish cooks and render the meat unbelievably tender. Pull apart tender.

This recipe is quite filling. Both the portobello and kale helps in this regard, I believe. A little goes a long way. It’s a bit of an anomaly, because usually dishes that taste this rich are loaded with calories. I can state with almost certain conviction that this one is not.

I do have to admit that this is one of the best things I have made in quite a while.

Black Braised Pork with Kale

Prep: 10 min  |  Braise: 3 hours  |  Serves 4, easily

1.5 lb pork roast

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1-1/2 medium onions, quartered

3-4 portobello caps, diced large

3 lg garlic cloves

3 cups chicken stock

2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp water

4 cups chopped kale

Heat the butter and oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot with a lid. Sprinkle the roast with a little salt and pepper and sear on all sides.

Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic to the pot. Then add the chicken stock, the 2 tsp of pepper, sage and a little more salt.

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Let cook for 3 hours. Check periodically to ensure there is still liquid in the pot.

At the end of the time, remove the roast to a plate. You should have between 1.5-2 cups of liquid. Mix the flour with the water to make a smooth paste. Add to the pot. Increase the heat to medium and stir until the sauce thickens.

Add the chopped kale, stir in well, cover and let cook for 5 minutes.

To serve, tear the pork apart into bite-sized pieces. Place some sauce on the bottom of the plate. Pile some pork in the centre and serve.

Be prepared to serve seconds, because you WILL be asked.

..............................................

Feel free to comment. They’re always appreciated. I’ll answer quickly and as best I can. Feel free to share this post. All I ask is if you repost, please give me credit and a link back to the original on this site.

Dining in Halifax drove me to Anchovies

Just sit right back, And you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip, That started from this tropic port, Aboard this tiny ship. (if you’re of a certain age you know what that is.)

The solution to bad dining experiences in Halifax.

Or, as I like to call it, "the reason you take your chances when boarding the ferry in Dartmouth to dine out in Halifax."

When I visit my spouse at college we try to pack as much activity and enjoyment into 2 days as possible. We’re kind of “dating” again, which is really nice. Of course an important part of the whole process is eating.

One restaurant that we thoroughly enjoyed was Bistro Le Coq, a French restaurant on Argyle Street. Loved, loved, loved it. We had exceptionally good luck dining for the month of September, except for this weekend. It was an unmitigated disaster.

It all started on Friday night when three of us went out to eat. You know the phrase: “you can never go home again.” Well, you can never go back to your favourite bar again, either. I’m talking the Economy Shoe Shop. You used to be able to set the Town Clock by our arrival.

I always loved their nachos, and Marty always knew when to come by to see if you were “ready for another.” You used to get good food and friendly service there. We received neither. If I could have left a negative tip I would have.

The food, significantly more than sub-par, was expensive for what you received (not like before) and our waiter spoke so fast you could hardly understand what he was saying. The food was so bad that we ended up going to The Old Triangle for something else to eat to get the taste out of our mouths. 

Let me elucidate. The nachos were a mess – undercooked, cheap tasting cheese, too few actual chips, served with salsa that probably was from a jar. Enough said there. Easy to understand. 

We also had the Build-a-Board Antipasti. It starts at $3. It is “an assortment of artisan breads, house made chutneys and pickled onions.” You can add fresh fruit, olives and sun-dried tomatoes for $6. Additionally you can add cheese, cured meat and smoked salmon for $8 more.

We shot the works for $17. What did we get?The "assortment of artisan breads" was slices of dried, round bread. No “assortment,” unless they meant "more than one piece"...

The house-made chutneys consisted of blueberry and peach. You could tell blueberry season just ended. There was three times as much of it as the peach. The peaches had to have come from a can. A cheap can. Both chutneys were overbearingly cinnamon-y. At the time I said that they tasted like the inside of Cricket on the Hearth smells – Christmassy. And not in a good way.

The $6 addition consisted of 7-8 olives, around a dozen blueberries (a small assortment plate where the same ingredient is used twice?!?), four wafers of pear and 3 sun-dried tomato halves. 

But it gets better. For $8 extra, you get 3 small triangles of herbed havarti, two rolls of some sort of packaged sliced Italian meat and two pieces of smoked salmon.

Seriously? Not a good experience and one I will never repeat.

................................................

Saturday night wasn’t any better. A couple weeks before we tried to dine at The Bicycle Thief, a trendy restaurant on the waterfront, but couldn’t because they were too busy. That's a good sign, so we tried again.

I can’t comment on the food, or wine, because we received neither. We were seated at the bar, which usually isn’t too awful an experience. But their bar was cramped – four chairs in a 5 foot space. We received menus and a wine list. But then we were completely forgotten. 

Should have put on six anchovies.

We waited a full 15 minutes and no one even so much as came by to ask us if we would like something to drink. The busy bar staff assiduously avoided eye contact with all of us sitting at the bar.

That’s a real shame, because I had my eye on a $90 bottle of wine. We could have dropped $200 on dinner easily. I was hungry.

But after 15 minutes we picked up our coats and left. I don’t even think anyone said “thank you” or “see you again” when we exited. We could have been there eating for hours for all they knew...

................................................

Next stop, Pipa, a new-ish Portuguese restaurant on Argyle Street. Once again we waited and waited and waited and waited for someone to take our order. There were probably 12 patrons in the whole place. What gives? Are people incompetent, lazy or a combination of both?

But since we were exceptionally hungry we decided to order. Our server informed us they had very little red wine (in contrast to several on the wine list). So we opted for a Portuguese beer. There were two on the menu. They had neither.

Saturday night, in September – cruise ship time, and you have hardly any wine and no signature beer? I bet if we had ordered the Feijoada - their "Brazil's national Dish" (served only on weekends) they wouldn’t have had that either. So we showed our displeasure with the soles of our shoes.

................................................

By this time we were pretty weary of poor service in Halifax’s finest dining establishments, but we made it to one last place: Baton Rouge.

As you can imagine our annoyance and disgust was almost palpable. We escorted to a (dirty) table, and when we asked for a clean one our second option was dirty as well. But by this time we weren’t even in the mood to eat. So we went back across via the ferry without so much as a crust of bread to show for our effort.

Saturday night left a metaphorical bad taste in our mouths, and Friday night a literal one.

The moral of this fateful trip? I have no idea, but writing about it certainly was cathartic. I guess, if anything, be careful of where you choose to dine in Halifax if you like your food “good” or “in a reasonable amount of time.” 

And if the entire population of Halifax thinks somewhere is good, then it’s probably not. It’s just trendy. This I know from past, as well as this weekend’s, experience.

So I’m in the mood for some real food, and for me that's anchovies. Lots of anchovies. I’m going to fry me a sandwich. 

This recipe is actually an Italian classic. It will be the first decent food I’ve had since Thursday.

Fried Mozzarella & Anchovy Sandwich

Time: about 10 min  |  Makes 1 really good sandwich

2 thick slices of sturdy bread

1 cm thick slice of mozzarella, about 150g

anchovy filets, to taste

torn oregano leaves

sprinkle of pepper

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

flour, mixed with salt and pepper

olive oil for frying

Place the mozzarella on the face of one slice of bread. Lay as many anchovy filets as you wish on top of the cheese. Then add the oregano and some black pepper. Close the sandwich up.

Heat a good amount of olive oil (1/4” deep) in a small skillet until it is fragrant. Reduce the heat to medium.

Take two plates. Mix the milk and egg together on one; the flour, salt and pepper on another. Dip the sandwich in the egg mixture, letting it soak a little and coating both sides well. Then dredge in the flour.

Place the sandwich in the hot oil and let it cook until the cheese has softened and the bread is deliciously crunchy and brown on both sides.

Remove from the heat, hide in a corner, snarl and devour it.

........................................................

You know, I really like comments... I really do.

Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks? Just ask! I’ll answer quickly and as best as I can. If you like this post feel free to share it. If you repost, please give me credit and a link back to this site.

Canning Mushroom Eggplant Pasta Sauce

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. – Wayne Dyer

I had a change of plans yesterday. I found eggplants and mushrooms on sale for half price at a local grocery.

We tried growing eggplant in our garden this year to miserable failure. If the weather holds through October we might – might – have a couple measly, scrawny examples before frost.

But I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

The sauce after simmering 1/2 hour.

I went to the grocery store looking for deals. This Sunday shopping has put a bit of a wrinkle on on-sale meats and such. Before 7-day shopping, groceries used to put meat on sale Saturday night that the “best by” date wouldn’t last through until Monday.

I thought since today is a holiday the same would hold true. Nope. Perhaps we were early. But I did find eggplant and some excellent mushrooms bagged and at 50% off.

That’s where the change came in. I was going to make tomato sauce anyway, so it changed to eggplant/mushroom.

It may have been fortuitous because this sauce is almost hearty enough to just be served on pasta as it is, no additions. Of course feel free to add what you would like. Chicken or sausage would be good.

So when life gives you lemons (or eggplants) it’s best to carpe diem. 

Hope you like. I’m starting to get a bit of a shelf full of canned goods from the garden. It’s quite a rewarding feeling.

Mushroom Eggplant Pasta Sauce

Prep: 10 min  |  Cook: 1 hour  |  Yield 3 x 500 ml + a little

Leave chunks when you purée. It makes for a far more
interesting and satisfying end result.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

500 g mushrooms, chopped

1.5 lb eggplant, cubed

8 plum tomatoes, cubed

1/2 cup red wine

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp capers, drained

2 tbsp fresh basil (2 tsp dried)

1 tbsp fresh oregano (1 tsp dried)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

In a large Dutch oven pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for a half hour, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is simmering sterilize four 500 ml canning jars.

Once the sauce is cooked, either mash – or purée with a stick blender – about half of the sauce, leaving chunks.

Pour into the sterile jars, wipe the rims and seal. Place the jars in a large pot with enough water to cover the tops about 1".

Process in boiling hot water bath for 35 minutes, then remove and let cool on the counter. As they cool the lids will "pop" down. Once cool, retighten the lids.

Store in a cool, dry place until ready to use. Refrigerate any jars that the lids don’t snap down on. They aren’t vacuum sealed.

Do not process the small amount leftover. Refrigerate it. That little bit of sauce can be used within 1 week.

........................................................

You know, I really like comments... I really do.

Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks? Just ask! I’ll answer quickly and as best as I can. If you like this post feel free to share it. If you repost, please give me credit and a link back to this site.