Be honest, how many of you thought “gross, I hate turnips” or something similar when reading that title?

Since we were young, turnips are just one of those vegetables that’s gotten a bad rap. It seems almost everyone comes around to enjoy the usual “gross” vegetables from their childhood like broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans, but the lowly turnips, brussel sprouts and beets seem to be the bottom dwellers of the vegetable popularity chart.

Well, why should you even bother with them? For starters, in this low-carb, eating healthy day and age, turnips are one of the tastiest and best low carb potato substitutes out there. Forget mashed cauliflower, hot mashed turnips have the texture and a similar flavour to everyone’s favorite side dish. They are cheap, available all year round, and as you’ll see, can be much more than a potato stand-in.

Tip for Picking Turnips:

Look for turnips that are very firm. Turnips are a root vegetable and can have a very slight horseradish/mustard tone to them which some people dislike. However the flavour is not as strong in the very firm turnips as opposed to the softer ones.

Turnip Recipes You’ll Love:

In my opinion, these are can’t miss recipes even for self-proclaimed turnip haters. 2 ways to prepare them you may not have thought of, including my favorite recipe for the classic mashed turnips.

Bacon Wrapped Turnip Hors D’oeuvres

Ingredients: (Makes 32 hors d’oeuvres)

- 16 thin pieces of smoked bacon, cut in half
- 3-4 large turnips, cut into 1″ wedges
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko (regular breadcrumbs work fine)
- Vegetable oil, salt and pepper

In a medium sauce pan, boil turnips in salted water for 6-7 minutes, until slightly softened but not yet fork tender. Remove from water and let cool slightly. Wrap each wedge with a half-slice of bacon. Whisk eggs in a bowl and place panko breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottomed saute pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil on medium/high and pre-heat the oven to 350F

Dip the bacon wrapped turnips in the egg first, then in the bread crumbs, and place in saute pan. Once bacon is browned, transfer each to a lined baking sheet, and transfer to the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until turnips are tender.

Drain on a paper towel and wait for people to ask you what’s in them!

Best Mashed Turnips

Ingredients: (serves 4)

- 4 large turnips, roughly chopped
- 1 head garlic, roasted
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp parmiggiano reggiano cheese
- 1 tsp horseradish
- 2 tbsp fresh snipped chives
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Preparation:

To roast the garlic: Cut the top off the head of garlic, drizzle it with olive oil and place in a 300F oven for 45-50 minutes until soft.

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot and place in the chopped turnips. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until very tender. Drain turnips and immediately mash in the butter and milk, being careful not to add too much milk. (Turnips will not absorb the milk and butter like potatoes will and you’ll end up with turnip soup)

Stir in the horseradish and the roasted garlic, blending well. Just before serving, mix in the chives, parmiggiano reggiano and salt and pepper to taste. The horseradish plays off the turnips natural root flavour, and the cheese and chives balance the flavour with the richness of mashed potatoes, without the carbs. Enjoy and surprise your next guests!

Over the last 7 days, Drew Cooks! has been providing lunch catering to the numerous staff and volunteers from Medecins sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders and their exhibit set up in front of the Vancouver Public Library.

The exhibit was entitled “Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City”, and is in the process of traveling to major cities across North America. Here is some information from their website about the exhibit itself:

Guided by MSF aid workers, visitors are asked to imagine that they are among the millions of people fleeing violence and persecution in, for example, Somalia, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Sudan.

The exhibit is made up of materials used by MSF in its emergency medical work around the world, including emergency refugee housing, a food distribution tent, water pump, health clinic, vaccination tent, therapeutic feeding center, and a cholera treatment center. It addresses questions such as:

• Will I be safe?
• What will I eat?
• How do I find water?
• Can I get medical care?
• Where will I live?

Today, 42 million people around the world have fled armed conflicts and are searching for safety (see Refugee/IDP Snapshots). They are children, women, and men living in temporary shelters, camps, or shanty towns, struggling to survive in new and often hostile environments. Those who have sought refuge in another country are refugees, a status which entitles them to certain rights under international law.

Those who are seeking refuge within their own countries are officially called internally displaced persons (IDPs). They have fewer rights than refugees, yet make up almost two-thirds of the people around the world today who are seeking safety from armed conflict and violence.

It was a pleasure cooking for the hard-working staff and volunteers each day, who braved the Vancouver rainfall and October chill to give tours to hundreds and hundreds of visitors over the week.

Here are a few pictures of both the event and the staff involved in putting this together:

Thank you to all at MSF/Doctor’s without Borders for your hard work in bringing this display to Vancouver!

Photos courtesy of Kevin Hooi

Well, Vancouver magazine has done it again. With easily some of the best foodie articles in the city (I still read over their “Best Steaks” issue), they have released a complete list of 101 “must try” dishes and products around the city.

This was something I had worked on putting together a little while ago, but they completely knocked it out of the park. There’s always something to try and something to learn in a city like Vancouver, so read up and go try em all! I know I’ll be heading down very soon to grab a Japadog.

View the full list here, and consider printing it out! It may not be on the site permanently.

Ahhhh, sweetbreads.

A long-time foodie favorite, many, many people still have not tried them, or even know what they are. To be honest I can’t say I blame them with a name like sweetbreads. I mean, they are neither sweet, nor are they anything resembling bread.

So what are they? Well, as eloquently as I can put it, sweetbreads are the thymus glands of young veal, pork and lamb. That’s right, today we’ll be learning about eating thymus glands!

“You sit there and eat ALL your thymus glands Billy, or no dessert!”

Now we can get these thymus glands from two places, the first is just below the throat of the animal, and the other is near the heart, which are generally more prized and more expensive as many consider them to have a better flavour. Here’s what they look like:

I have a strange feeling I may have grossed some of you out by now. But let me just say this:

Sweetbreads are delicious.

There is a reason many of the best chefs in the world have had them on their menus for years. If prepared right, you’ll order them everytime you see them on a menu. Alright, alright, well if they’re so good, why doesn’t everyone have them on their menus?

A couple reason:

1. First and foremost, they are extremely perishable, usually having to be prepared and eaten within 24 hours of purchasing. This makes them not very cost-effective for most restaurants.

2. Well, let’s not sugar coat it, thymus glands are a tough sell. I’m not sure why they came to be called sweetbreads, but there’s a good chance it was simply to call them something else other than what they actually were.

But let’s move on now from all the nay-saying and approach this with an open mind. What do they taste like?

They have a very delicate liver flavor with a slightly creamy texture. My favorite way to have them prepared is blanched, lightly battered and fried. I had one dining companion say they tasted like “the best chicken mcnugget ever, just a bit creamier”. Hey, whatever works.

Feeling adventurous enough to try them? Head out to Le Crocodile, the famous mainstay of fine French dining here in Vancouver, as they always have them in some form on their menu.

http://www.lecrocodilerestaurant.com/

Most people are familiar with (and love, for good reason)  Korean style BBQ short ribs. Sliced thin, marinated overnight and grilled over hot charcoal they are a fantastic alternative to standard BBQ fare. However, short ribs are not limited to just the grill for cost-effective enjoyment (they are considerably cheaper than your average steak) as I’ll show you with a follow up to my braising article - Braised Beef Short Ribs.

The short ribs in all their glory:

You’ll notice these are considerably thicker than the Korean BBQ style. These will be cooking for a longer period of time, so you’ll want to ask your butcher to slice them 3/4″ to 1″ thick for you.

Next slice up some fresh veggies. I’ve got some local garlic, new potatoes, carrots, onions and button mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Next, slice the short ribs in half and season them with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, then sprinkle 1 tsp of flour over each short rib. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a large heavy bottomed pan:

Brown the short ribs well over high heat on both sides. Getting a nice sear is important to the flavour of this recipe.

After well browned, remove them from the pot and brown the onions and garlic, then sautee the rest of the vegetables:

Now add the short ribs back to the pot, and add in the demi glace, beef stock, red wine, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bring mixture to a boil. (Full recipe posted at the end)

Now, I know not everyone is crazy like me and makes their own demi glace, then freezes it in cubes, so omit this step if you like and thicken the braising liquid with a roux at the end of the braising process instead:

Your pot should look something like this:

Pre-heat the oven to 375F, and once mixture is boiling, place the pot covered in the oven and braise for 1.5-2 hours or until short ribs are ridiculously tender.

Plate simply and garnish with a little flatleaf parsley if you like (I couldn’t wait and started eating mine before this step)

There you have it! Something new and some good eats if I do say so myself. Here’s the ingredients for those keeping score at home.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2-3 lbs beef short ribs, 3/4″ to 1″ thick
1 lb new potatoes, halved
8-10 small carrots, peeled
3 gloves garic, diced
1 medium onion, sliced
10-12 button mushrooms, quartered
4 cups beef or veal stock
2 cups dry red wine
2 cubes or 2 tbsp demi glace, or the same amount of roux
2 cups whole canned tomatoes
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

I had a bit of time over the long weekend to do some relaxing cooking for myself. It’s funny how that works, I cook for others for a living yet still find it relaxing and exciting cooking for myself in my spare time, which is why I love what I do so much.

Now, my plans for cooking today started off pretty normal. I was going to head out to the butcher and pick up a nice big bone-in pork butt, smoke it slowly all day and by dinner time, turn it into a huge pile of pulled pork for delicious smoky sandwiches all week long. I also planned on making some cornbread in my trusty cast iron skillet.

Neither of these things ended up happening, as my butcher’s shop was closed (for the holiday of course) and upon starting the cornbread I realized I was fresh out of cornmeal…somewhat of a key ingredient in making cornbread.

Determined to make something tasty and time consuming I ravaged my cupboards and found an old recipe I printed out a long time ago for everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure: brioche.

A quick scan revealed I had all the necessary ingredients and I went to work (don’t worry, I’ll post the recipe at the end). After some measuring and mixing the dough needed a couple hours to rise, and I was still looking for something tasty to cook up in the meantime. A raid through my spice rack and I found something interesting, some Ethiopian Berbere spice powder I picked up at Gourmet Warehouse awhile back. A fiery blend of spices, this was to be my starting point for a unique dinner, though not necessarily a traditional accompaniment for brioche, to say the least.

After a bit of searching I decided to make a traditional Ethiopian dish called Doro Wat, which is basically a spicy chicken stew garnished with hard boiled eggs. I’ve eaten this before at an Ethiopian restaurant but never prepared it myself.
The aromas in my house as I cooked were amazing, and before I knew it my brioche was in the oven. After a few hours of running around, improvising and cooking, here’s what I ended up with:

I did end up finding some pita bread in my freezer to simulate the traditional inerja bread of ethiopian cuisine, however I’d be lying if I said I didn’t dip a bit of the brioche in it too, and I’d also be lying if I said it wasn’t awesome.

Two complete culinary opposites in classic French cooking and Ethiopian came together in one strange and wonderful day of holiday cooking today.

Oh, and before I forget, here’s the recipes for the brioche and the Doro Wat:

Ethiopian Doro Wat (Chicken Stew)

Does it get any better than smoked pork? I mean really. I wanted to demonstrate with this video that making great restaurant quality BBQ ribs is possible without any fancy equipment, or even nice weather (as demonstrated in this particular video).

If you learn anything from this video, learn this:

- DO NOT BOIL RIBS. EVER. Well, that is unless you like eating flavourless gray mush grilled at the last minute and drowning in store bought BBQ sauce. But I guarantee once you try these, you’ll never go back.

Okay, I’ve talked enough, watch this will ya? By the way, I apologize in advance for the questionable video quality and lighting, it’s BBQ, it’s outside, and it’s all about the end product anyways!

Now for recipes and method:

Drew’s BBQ Rub

1 cup Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chinese 5 spice powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients well and store in an airtight container.

Method for Great BBQ Ribs on Any Grill

1. Prep ribs by trimming excess fat, and removing the membrane along the underside. Use a butter knife to lift the corner and a paper towel to help you grip the membrane and pull it off in one piece.
2. Apply a thin coat of yellow mustard to the exterior of the ribs (as stated in the video, there will be no mustard taste left, but if this still freaks you out, use olive oil)
3. Liberally apply the BBQ rub to both sides of the ribs to coat evenly.
4. Heat BBQ on indirect heat (completely off on one side, low on the other side, shoot for an internal temperate between 225 and 275F if you have a gauge)
5. Place ribs on unheated side of the BBQ along with a foil pouch of wood chips and let smoke for 2 hours.
6. Remove ribs from the grill and wrap loosely in heavy duty aluminum foil. Place back on BBQ for approx. 2 more hours
7. Remove ribs from foil place back on BBQ unfoiled for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until ribs are crispy and tender to the touch

Remove and enjoy with your favorite BBQ sauce! Or try making one of mine

Sweet and Smoky BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1.5 cups ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tsp tobasco

Simmer all ingredients except water for approximately 15 minutes. Add in the water and stir to bring sauce to desire consistency. Pour sauce through a fine strainer into air tight container and refrigerate any unused sauce for up to 2 weeks.

For those who love a tangier sauce with their BBQ (like me), here is a mustard and vinegar based sauce that goes great with ribs and pulled pork especially:

Tangy Mustard Vinegar Sauce

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Yellow mustard
1/4 cup onion finely minced
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Simmer all ingredients together for about 20 minutes over low heat. Strain throw a fine sieve just like the other sauce and enjoy! Refrigerate that leftover sauce (if there is any) for up to 2 weeks.

So there we have it! And lastly, for the BBQ purists, I am well aware that “true” BBQ is cooked over wood or a combination of wood and charcoal and not a tiny propane grill on a rainy patio. My point with this video was simply to show that great tasting ribs with smoke flavour CAN be cooked on a small condo grill, where bylaws often forbid charcoal and wood burning BBQ pits. Hey, anything’s better than boiling right?

Enjoy!

I’ve decided we’re going to start something new over here at the food blog. Each week, I’m going to share a unique or overlooked ingredient with you along with some info and a recipe or two. Why? Because I can, and also because each time I go to a place like an asian grocery store, or Granville island market, I like to buy something I have never of or tried before. Even for someone who’s been cooking for a while, you will never run out of things to try. Sure, some have been awesome discoveries, and some brutally bad (I once bought a pound of lamb brains after seeing someone deep fry and eat them on TV), but hey, try before you judge right?

Without further adieu, here is this week’s unique ingredient: The Meyer Lemon

So what? It looks like a regular lemon! Maybe, but it’s not a regular lemon at all, in fact it’s a rare citrus that is a combination of a regular lemon with a sweet mandarin, originating from China and recently becoming popular in Western culture after being used by some very famous chefs.

It has a balanced tang and sweetness that make it perfect for desserts, dressings, and other applications. The most famous chef to make use of meyer lemons is Charlie Trotter, who used these almost exclusively in place of regular lemons in his recipe collections.

Are they expensive? Well, in a word, yeah. Buying some meyer lemons will cost you about 3x what buying regular lemons will cost. It’s not outrageous considering they are only grown in a couple areas of the US, but enough to make you want to think about what you want to do with these little babies before you buy. So fear not, here’s a couple recipes that will benefit from the unique sweet and citrus flavour of the Meyer lemons, and ones that will help you recognize the flavour difference from using regular lemons:

Meyer Lemon Risotto (my personal favorite)

ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped, about 1 to 1-1/2 cups
1 tender inner celery rib, finely chopped, plus 1/4 cup chopped leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice (10 ounces)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons julienned basil leaves
1/2 cup porcini mushrooms (optional)

In a medium sauce pan, bring the stock to a boil. In a separate large sauce pan, melt the butter and saute the onions, garlic, and celery until soft. Add in the rice and stir to coat with the butter, continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add the hot stock to the rice and vegetables, stirring constantly and waiting until each cup is absorbed before adding the next. Continue stirring and ladelling stock for approx. 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked through, and the mixture is thick and creamy.

Add in the meyer lemon juice and zest, the basil, the parmesan cheese and the mushrooms. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes and then serve in bowls, garnishing with extra parmesan cheese.

And now, for a cocktail to wash it all down:

Meyer Lemon Martini

1.5 oz. Lemon Vodka or premium regular vodka
1/2 oz. cointreau
1 oz simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
Juice from 1 meyer lemon
Ice
Sugar for glass rim garnish
Meyer Lemon slice for garnish

Method:
Muddle all the ingredients, including rind, in a shaker. Add in the ice and shake until blended. Strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a meyer lemon slice.

WHERE TO BUY?

Granville Island Market sells them at one of the asian specialty vendors (the one who sells the hard to find peppers and fresh wasabi). They are individually priced but average about $2.50 per lemon.

I’ve had this discussion on numerous occasions and thought I’d write a bit about it here on the ol’ Drew Cooks! food blog. The question is pretty simple:

Is life too short to eat out at chain restaurants?

Let me get this out of the way first, I am not completely anti-chain, stick it to the man, against corporate North America, or whatever you want to call it. Hey, I’ve even worked in more than one chain restaurant over the years. As with anything, there are good ones and there are definitely bad ones.

But at the end of the day, if forced to give an answer, mine would have to be yes. Life IS too short to dine at chain restaurants for all our gatherings, special occasions and those times when we just don’t feel like cooking.

We are creatures of habit, we know we like that 6″ roasted chicken with southwest sauce from Subway on our lunch break, so we don’t want to risk trying that little deli around the corner with the cured meats and cheeses and grilled paninis. Hey, we may not like it. On the flip side, it could be the greatest sandwich we’ve ever eaten and we’ll never go back to boring mass produced subs ever again. At the very least, we may discover an ingredient, a method, a condiment or even a vegetable we never even knew existed, or thought we enjoyed. Wouldn’t that alone make trying a new place worth it?

Wouldn’t you rather give your business to a place where the head chef doesn’t get his new menu items from the “head office” but toils, perfects them and cooks them with passion? Don’t get me wrong, there are some extremely talented head chefs working at chain restaurants, but if you asked them I would bet nearly all would love to have their own little restaurant somewhere, complete control over their ingredients and food and glowing reviews. The reason many don’t do this is simple: it takes a lot of money and it’s hard. Very hard. Putting yourself out there on the chopping block (bad pun alert), going for it, being married to your restaurant for 16 hours a day, trying to turn a profit; like I said before, one thing makes that happen: passion.

This hard work and dedication is exactly the reason why we should visit the little guys instead of the big guys and see what we’re missing. Get a wood fired pizza from Commercial Dr. instead of Panago. Try some West Coast Italian cuisine from Vita Bella Ristorante on Hastings instead of Olive Garden, I could go on for hours.

Vancouver is a restaurant and foodie hot-bed waiting for your empty bellies, so get out there and try something new!

Have you ever walked into your butcher shop and taken a look at the items in the far recesses of the display? You know, the “weird” and cheap items that make you wonder who would buy that and what would they do with it? Let me help you out with some examples of things I’m talking about:

1. Lamb, Beef or Veal Shanks

2. Beef Brisket

3. Pork Butt or Picnic Roast

4. And perhaps scariest of all, Tripe

Now I won’t lie, even for me tripe (essentially the lining of a cows stomach) is a stretch. I only include this because while reading Thomas Keller’s book (arguably the top chef in North America) he had a fantastic recipe for braised tripe which I tried and actually enjoyed. It CAN be done.

However for the rest of this list, and several others not included here, it can be done much easier and just as cheap. For a fraction of the cost of some high end steaks, you can take home some beautiful meaty lamb shanks and create something beautiful and delicious with just a bit more time. I’ll include a recipe a bit later, but first:

What is braising?

The best way I have heard braising described is as “stewing with a college education”. It is essentially a combination of dry and wet cooking methods, where meat is seared in a pan with a small amount of oil until the exterior is browned and caramelized, and then vegetables, stock, wine, and other flavouring ingredients are added and the mixture is simmered to allow the meat to tenderize and take on flavour. Even the toughest cuts of meat are no match for mighty braising, and can be turned into melt in your mouth tender dishes bursting with flavours.

Why Bother?

Well for starters, eating grilled steaks and chicken every meal gets boring, not to mention expensive. 4 or 5 high quality ribeye steaks will cost you at least double as the same amount of the above cuts. Another reason is experimentation. Let’s be honest, anyone can grill up some steaks with a little practice and have it turn out great, but with braising and experimenting with other tougher cuts of meat, endless flavourings, herbs, vegetables and stocks can be added to the mix to create something unique and delicious that any cook would be proud of. Many top chefs include a large number of these items on their menus, not soley in an effort to save cost, but to challenge themselves to turn an often overlooked cut of meat into something refined, beautiful, delicious and worthy of a spot on their menu.

Have I sold you on trying it out sometime? Great, here’s my favorite recipe and great one to start off with if you aren’t familiar with braising.

Braised Lamb Shanks

Ingredients:

- 4 meaty lamb shanks (ask your butcher, these generally cost around $3.99/lb or less)
- 1 lb fingerling potatoes, halved
- 4 large carrots, chopped into large pieces
- chopped celery, about 2 cups
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup diced canned tomatoes
- Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- Salt and Pepper
- Sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary

Method:

Heat a small amount of olive oil  in a large heavy bottomed pot over high heat. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Sear the lamb shanks in the hot oil, turning to brown and caramelize evenly on all sides. When all sides are browned, remove shanks from the pot and set aside. Add in potatoes, onions, carrots, celery and garlic to the pot and season. Add in the red wine to deglaze and use a wooden spoon to scrape the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lamb shanks back in and add in the chicken stock and tomatoes, along with a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer, covering the pot with a lid. Let simmer for approx. 2 hours until lamb shanks are extremely tender. In a separate pan, heat butter and whisk in flour to form a roux. Add to the pot and whisk to thicken the mixture. Do a final seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and then plate the lamb shank in the center of a large white plate and arrange the potatoes and vegetables around it, ladelling some of the flavourful sauce on top to finish.

Enjoy!