Last week I was the fortunate winner of a picnic cooler from Save-On Foods which was packed with a variety of locally produced food items.
Save-On supports local businesses with an entire section devoted to displaying products made in our local area; kudos to manager Jim Tennant and his staff. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the entrepreneur, for people who take the risk to start a new business and work towards self-sufficiency, and I support them whenever I can.
People say to me, “I’d like to support local products, but they’re so much more expensive.” Really? For first grade, organic, locally grown, and produced within 100 km of our homes, in small batches with no foreign fillers, no additives, no slave labour, I think they’re worth every penny of the cost. And just for the record, all three of the free trade local coffees I’ve tried have been equivalent in cost to any free trade brand in town.
If you want to save money, stop buying a few of those “prepared foods” (and I use the term “food” loosely at that). Cook from scratch, it’s far healthier. And remember when we buy local foods, we’re supporting families just like us.
My thanks goes out to Save-On-Foods and the following merchants who took part in the contest: Denzel’s Hot Sauces, Little Creek, White Lake Organics Ltd., Black Forest Home Style Noodles, Queen’s Kettle Corn, Mrs. Palmer’s Pantry, and Tribal Java for donating products to my winning picnic cooler. I plan to do a feature on some of our local products in the future, but until then, do try some locally produced foods.
Southwest BBQ’d Shrimp:
A Denzel Sandberg Recipe
Raw shrimp (as many as you can afford)
Denzel’s Southwest Seasoning
Olive oil
Lemon as needed
Skewers
Clean, peel and devein shrimp. Marinate in olive oil and Denzel’s Southwest Seasoning to coat, let sit a good half hour.
Put five or six shrimp on each skewer and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook. Serve with lemon wedges. Very spicy, very good!
Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff:
Aussie Style
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 pound beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
2 cubes beef bouillon
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 (6 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked Black Forest Home Style Noodles
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and fresh mushrooms; cook until the onions are translucent. Stir in curry powder until well blended.
Place the meat strips in the skillet, and fry until evenly browned. Dissolve the bouillon cubes in the boiling water, then stir into the skillet. Add the mushroom stems and pieces and dried shiitake mushrooms. Let the mixture simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain.
Reduce the heat under the skillet to low, and pour in the cream, stirring until the sauce is an even colour. Simmer for about 5 minutes, but do not boil. Serve over noodles.
Mango Chicken Salad
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon reduced-salt soy sauce
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
300 g chicken breasts
750 g new potatoes, washed
2 large sprigs fresh mint
120 g asparagus spears
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced
150 g mixed baby salad greens, such as spinach, arugula and romaine lettuce
Fresh Orange Dressing
1⁄2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon walnut oil
Pepper to taste
Place the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sunflower oil in a bowl and whisk together. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat both sides, then leave to marinate 15 minutes.
Place potatoes in saucepan, pour over boiling water to cover and add mint sprigs. Cook for 15–20 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, place the asparagus in a steamer basket or metal colander, cover and set over the pan of potatoes to steam. Cook thin spears for 4–5 minutes and thick spears for 8–10 minutes, or until just tender.
Drain the potatoes (discard mint) and leave until cool enough to handle, then cut into thick slices. Cut the asparagus diagonally into 6 cm lengths.
Preheat the broiler. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on the broiler rack. Broil, brushing frequently with the marinade and turning once, until cooked through and the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with the tip of a knife. Leave to rest for 3–4 minutes, then slice.
To make the orange dressing, place the orange rind and juice, mustard, and sunflower and walnut oils in a large serving bowl, and whisk all the ingredients together until slightly thickened. Season with pepper.
Transfer the warm sliced chicken, potatoes and asparagus to the serving bowl and gently toss together to coat with the dressing. Add the mango and salad greens and toss gently again. Serve mango chicken salad immediately, while still warm.
Fresh Strawberry Dessert
Crust:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
Filling:
1 cup butter, softened
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 quarts fresh strawberries, halved
Glaze:
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Whipped cream
In a small bowl, combine flour and nuts. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 300 F for 25-30 minutes or until set; cool completely on a wire rack.
For filling, in a small bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Spread over crust; cover and chill.
For glaze, 2-3 hours before serving, combine sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan. Stir in water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, arrange strawberries over filling. Spoon glaze over berries. Chill until serving. Garnish with whipped cream.
Yield: 12-15 servings.
Cathi Litzenberger is The Morning Star’s longtime food columnist.
