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Recipe of the Week: Taco Pie
No big explanation necessary. Now you know what you're going to make for Superbowl Sunday!
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs ground beef
3 tbsp A Spice Affair Taco Seasoning
3 cups frozen corn niblets
2 cups tomato sauce
To taste salt and pepper to taste
4 10" wheat tortillas
1 can refried beans
3 cups cotija cheese, grated (substitute with mozzarella if needed)
1-2 cups fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the onion in the vegetable oil for about five minutes, or until soft
3. Add the ground beef and brown. Add the Taco Spice and corn niblets, stir well, and continue cooking for another three minutes, or until corn is soft. Add the tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Line a 10" springform pan on the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
5. Spread 2 tbsp of refried beans on each tortilla, covering the surface area.
6. Place one tortilla on the bottom of the springform pan. Spread 1/4 of the simmered beef on top. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on top of the meat, then finish with 1/4 of the cilantro.
7. Repeat step 7 until all the tortilla and sauce is in the pie. Sprinkle extra cheese and cilantro on the top if you have extra.
8. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown on top.
9. Let cool for 10 minutes before opening the springform pan and transferring the pie to a serving platter. Serve with limes and hot sauce.

Recipe of the Week: Soy Sauce Chicken
This Sunday is Groundhog Day everyone! We are a few steps closer to spring! I can almost taste it!
Soy Sauce Chicken is a delicious comfort food that is so easy to make, you’ll be wondering why you don’t make it a couple of times a month. You have definitely walked by Chinatown restaurants that showcase their soy sauce chickens in the window – the caramelized colour of the chicken gleaming, just waiting to be chopped up and served on steamed rice with a side of scallion-ginger condiment. In honour of the Year of the Snake, I wanted to showcase a great recipe that you can easily do at home (perhaps with our Heritage Chickens that are on sale this week!). This recipe is slightly modified from the great food blog The Woks of Life. Check them out for all kinds of amazing Chinese recipes.
Soy Sauce Chicken
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, 3.5-4 lbs (heritage chickens work really well)
2 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable, avocado, grapeseed, etc)
8-10 slices of fresh ginger (no need to peel)
3 whole scallions, bruised with the back of a knife
3 pc star anise
1.5 cups Shaoxing cooking wine
1.5 cups light soy sauce
1.25 cups dark soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
10 cups water
Method
1. Remove the chicken from the fridge to bring it closer to room temperature, about 30 minutes before you start the recipe.
2. Heat the oil in a tall stock pot over medium high heat. Add the ginger and fry to release the aroma – about one minute. Add the scallions and continue frying for another minute.
3. Add the star anise and the Shaoxing wine. Simmer for a minute to cook off the alcohol.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes to create your cooking broth.
5. Increase the heat and bring the broth to a light boil. Using either a carving fork or a large, perforated spoon, slowly lower the chicken into the broth, breast side up, until it’s completely submerged. If it’s not submerged add some hot tap water to cover. Leave in the broth for five minutes
6. After five minutes, raise the chicken out of the broth and let the broth that was trapped in the cavity run back out into the pot. This step is to ensure the chicken is cooked evenly (otherwise the interior of the chicken would cook more slowly than the exterior, as the broth in the cavity would be cooler.
7. Lower the chicken back to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
8. After 25 minutes, turn the heat off and place a lid on the pot. The chicken will continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes. Check the internal temperature after this time (it should be 165°F).
9. Remove the chicken form the pot and allow to rest for a few minutes before carving and serving on steamed rice.
Ginger Scallion Condiment
Ingredients
4 tbsp scallions, finely chopped
4 tbsp peeled ginger, finely chopped
to taste salt
1/3 cup neutral oil (vegetable, avocado, grapeseed, etc)
Method
Mix all ingredients together and let marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe of the Week: Top Sirloin Steak with Peppercorn Sauce
Pan-searing a steak allows you to accomplish two great things. First, by searing the steak you create what’s called the Maillard reaction – this is a chemical reaction where proteins and sugars are transformed by heat to create that beautiful golden-brown crust on a steak. This makes the steak tastier than if it was, say boiled. Secondly, the residue left in the pan from searing a steak can be used to create a delicious pan sauce. Pan sauces can be made with a variety of flavours and ingredients, and today we’re looking at a classic bistro recipe.
Top Sirloin Steak with Peppercorn Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 top sirloin steaks, about 6-8 oz each
to taste salt and pepper
2 tbsp grapeseed or other high temperature cooking oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp shallots, minced
2 tbsp black pepper, coarsely crushed (use a spice grinder, or crush under a heavy pot)
4 branches fresh thyme
4 tbsp brandy
2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup whipping cream
Method:
1. Remove the steaks from the fridge and season well with salt and pepper. Allow to sit on your counter for 30-45 minutes to marinate.
2. Preheat a large heavy bottomed pan over a medium high heat. Rub the oil on the steaks, and when the pan is hot, add the steaks, making sure they are not crowded in the pan (this can cause steaming which you don’t want).
3. Cook the steaks, flipping every minute or so, until an internal thermometer reads 120°F, about 8 minutes depending on the thickness of the steak. Remove the steaks and set aside in a warm area to rest. When resting they will increase in temperature as well.
4. Turn the heat down to medium in the pan. Add the butter and the shallots. Using a wooden spoon, start to scrape the fond that is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the peppercorns and the thyme, then deglaze with the brandy. Be careful as the brandy could ignite if the pan is too hot.
5. Reduce the brandy by half, then add the beef stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the beef stock by half until it’s about a cup, then add the cream. Reduce to thicken. Taste for seasoning (add salt if necessary). Remove the thyme and discard.
6. Add the steaks into the sauce to reheat for about 30 seconds. Then arrange the steaks on a platter and cover with the sauce. Alternately, you may want to serve the sauce on the side in a boat. Bon Appetit!

Recipe of the Week: Homemade Hamburger Helper
This recipe is from my cookbook, and was created long ago out of a need to eat delicious food while on a budget. I ate it, and versions of it, a lot when I was going to school and later as a new cook. Delicious, inexpensive, and simple.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp salt (divided)
1 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut in medium dice
½ tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 pound ground beef
1 Tbsp paprika
1 pound pasta of your choice (small noodles work best)
1 (10 ounces) can chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 Tbsp sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
½ bunch green onion, chopped
Method:
1. Fill a large pot with water, add the 1 Tbsp of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, set your biggest frying pan over medium heat and add the oil. When it’s hot, add the 1 tsp of salt, the onions, and pepper. Turn down the heat to low, cover the pan, and allow the onions to cook, stirring every minute or so, for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Add the beef, then turn up the heat to medium. Using a spoon, mash the beef with a spoon so it browns all over. Stir in the paprika and cook, uncovered, for 8 minutes or until the beef is no longer red.
4. When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta, stir, and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Drain and set aside.
5. Stir the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste into the beef mixture and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
6. Stir the sour cream into the beef mixture and turn down the heat to low. Stir until the beef is well coated and saucy, then add the drained pasta and cheese, stirring well to allow the cheese to melt into the sauce.
7. To serve, scoop the hamburger helper into a large serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Recipe of the Week: Roast Goose
If you ever fancied a holiday dinner straight out of Dickens story, here you go.
Roast Goose with Prunes and Chestnuts
Recipe abridged from Cooking Meat.
Serves 6 to 10, depending on the size of the goose
Ingredients:
1 (9–11 pounds) whole goose
1 orange
2 cups dried prunes (divided)
6 bay leaves (dried is fine, divided)
Salt and pepper
1 cup honey
4 shallots, chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup Madeira
1 cup prune juice
2 cups Beef Stock
2 Tbsp reserved rendered goose fat from the roast
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup peeled chestnuts, roasted until golden
Method:
- Have a roasting pan with an elevated roasting rack ready.
- Three hours before you plan to eat, remove the goose from the fridge and inspect it for small feathers and feather “plugs”). Place the goose, breast side up, on your cutting board and remove the wishbone to making carving easier. To do this, lift the flap of fatty skin from the front of the goose and use your fingers to locate the wishbone. It runs in an inverted “V” down from where the two breasts meet. Using a paring knife, cut the meat away from each side of the wishbone, slowly exposing it. Wriggle your fingers in, grasp the wishbone, and pull it out. Save it for the pan sauce. Use the paring knife to score the goose breast in a crosshatch pattern at ¼-inch intervals, making sure that you’re only cutting through the skin and not into the meat of the breast.
- Roll the orange on your work surface to break up the cells of the fruit inside. Using the tip of the paring knife, poke 8 to 10 holes all around the fruit. Place the orange, 1 cup of the prunes, and 4 of the bay leaves inside the cavity of the bird.
- Truss the goose to seal the cavity. Season the goose all over with salt and pepper, place it on the roasting rack, and set the roasting pan on the center rack of a cold oven.
- Turn on the oven to 400˚F. Roast the goose until the skin is golden, about 20 minutes from when you turned the heat on. Turn down the oven to 300˚F and roast for another 2 hours.
- Fifteen minutes before the goose is due to be finished roasting, heat the honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove the goose from the oven, brush it all over with the honey, and return it to the oven for the final 15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165˚F. Remove the goose from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes.
- While the goose is resting, make the sauce. Drain the fat and roasting juices from the pan into a bowl and set aside. Set the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat and add the wishbone and shallots. Cook, stirring well and scraping up any bits of roast that are stuck to the bottom of the roasting pan, until the shallots are translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the remaining 2 bay leaves, red wine, and Madeira, bring to a simmer, and reduce by half. Add the prune juice and reduce by half again. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Using a tablespoon, skim the fat from the top of the reserved roasting juices and reserve 2 Tbsp of it (refrigerate any excess for another use—roast potatoes are ideal). Add the roasting juices and beef stock to the saucepan, bring to a simmer, and reduce by half again. Season with salt and pepper.
- To thicken the sauce, mix the reserved goose fat and flour in a bowl to make a paste. Slowly whisk this paste into the sauce, bring the sauce to a simmer, and allow it to thicken for about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. Add the remaining 1 cup of prunes and the chestnuts and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Carve the goose and arrange on a platter. Spoon some of the prunes and chestnuts from the sauce around the goose and serve with the remainder of the sauce on the side.

Recipe of the Week: Duck Confit
Recipe abridged from Cooking Meat
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 cup salt
1 cup granulated sugar
6 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of your knife
2 Tbsp whole peppercorns
15 thyme sprigs
4 bay leaves
6 duck legs, preferably from smaller hens
1 quart rendered duck fat
Method:
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together the salt, sugar, garlic, peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaves. Add the duck legs and toss well to coat them completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 275°F.
- Melt the duck fat in a large ovenproof pot over low heat. Rinse the duck legs under cold, running water to remove the surface cure, add them to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven until the duck meat is pulling away from the bone, 2½ to 3 hours. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the fat.
- About 20 minutes before you plan to serve the confit, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of a frying pan large enough to hold all the duck legs (or use two pans). Have ready some paper towels or a kitchen towel.
- Arrange the duck legs, skin side down, in the pan, add a few tablespoons of duck fat, then set on the lower rack of the oven and roast until the skin is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the duck legs from the oven and allow to cool on the towel.
- To serve, arrange the duck legs on a serving platter and serve hot.

Recipe of the Week: Chicken Liver Mousse
Chicken Liver Mousse
Recipe abridged from Cooking Meat
Serve this mousse with some gherkins and crusty French bread.
Makes about four 1-cup jars
Ingredients
1 lbs chicken livers
½ cup milk
To taste Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup cold butter, diced, plus 1 Tbsp butter for cooking
1 cup minced shallot
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp chopped thyme
1 bay leaf
½ tsp paprika
½ cup brandy
¼ cup rendered chicken schmaltz or duck fat
Method
- Clean the livers by trimming them of any visible fat, green bits (which would be from the connected gall bladder), or excess membrane. Place the livers in a bowl, cover with the milk, and allow to soak for 1 hour. Discard the milk, rinse the livers well, and dry them completely using a towel. Remove as much moisture as possible so they fry well.
- Season the livers liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add half the livers to the pan and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked livers to a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining livers. Turn down the heat to medium.
- Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in the pan, then add the shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and paprika, and sweat until the shallots are translucent. Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping all the bits off the bottom of the pan, and cook until the brandy is reduced by half, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Place the chicken livers and shallot mixture in a blender and purée on high speed. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of cold butter, stirring until fully emulsified. Season, if needed. Strain the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean measuring jug.
- Have ready four sterilized 1-cup jars with lids. Melt the schmaltz (or duck fat) in a pot over low heat.

Recipe of the Week: Spiessbraten
Spiessbraten means “spit-roasted” in German. The recipe originated in Rheinland-Pfalz, in southwest Germany, and was created by local gemstone prospectors who adapted the gaucho tradition of roasting meats over wood that they had learned while in South America. If you like smoky pork, I urge you to try this delicious dish. Serve with sweet mustard, dill pickles, and potato salad.
Recipe abridged from Cooking Meat.
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients:
8 pounds boneless pork butt, butterflied open
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp ground juniper berries
to taste Salt and pepper
3 Spanish onions, thinly sliced (divided)
3 cups wood chips
- Season the pork butt with the garlic and juniper, and salt and pepper. Layer half the onions in the bottom of a nonreactive pan, place the pork on top, and cover with the remaining onions, ensuring the pork is completely covered. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- The next day, transfer the pork from the pan to a cutting board, leaving the top layer of onions on the meat. Roll up the shoulder like a pinwheel, enclosing the onions within the meat, then tie up the roast.
- Fill a smoker with wood chips. Preheat the smoker to 250°F. If you don’t have a smoker, you can use a charcoal barbecue for this dish. Arrange the charcoal on one side of the grill and preheat the barbecue to 250°F. Soak 3 cups of wood chips in cold water for 30 minutes, then scatter them on the hot coals to create the smoke. Close the lid of the barbecue and adjust the air vents so the temperature inside remains around 250°F.
- Place the pork roast either in the smoker, or on the “cool” side of the charcoal grill, and smoke for 5-6 hours, adding more wood chips every couple of hours and checking the temperature and the smoke periodically. (The pork will become too dark and bitter if the heat is too high). Make sure you have enough charcoal to get you through the 6 hours. To do this, you can heat up more charcoal in your starter chimney before adding it to the kettle. Cook the pork until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reads 160°F.
- Remove the roast from the smoker/charcoal BBQ and wrap it first in aluminum foil and then in a towel so it retains its moisture as it cools.
- Once the roast reaches room temperature, unwrap and slice thinly. Arrange slices on individual plates and serve.

Recipe of the Week: Coq au Vin
Traditionally this dish is made with a rooster, an older animal in need of a long bath in a hot stock, but I use regular chicken legs. They turn out tender and supple when stewed.
Recipe abridged from Cooking Meat
Serves 4
Ingredients
¼ cup all-purpose flour
To taste salt and pepper
4 Tbsp butter (divided) + 1 Tbsp butter, cold, cubed
1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned with a brush or towel (don’t wash them)
1 cup pearl onions
¼ pound slab bacon, cut in medium dice
2 Tbsp brandy
1 herb bundle made of 8 parsley branches, 6 thyme branches, 2 bay leaves
3 cups red wine
1 Tbsp minced Italian parsley
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot over medium heat.
- Place the flour in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Dredge the chicken legs in the seasoned flour, and shake gently to remove any excess. Set aside.
- Melt 3 Tbsp of the butter in the pot, then add the chicken legs and brown both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the onions. Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Using a paring knife, cut the root ends off the pearl onions. Plunge the onions into the boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain and refresh in the ice bath. When cool, drain the onions, and slip them out of their skins.
- Once the chicken is browned, turn the heat under the heavy bottomed oven proof pot down to medium low. Melt 1 Tbsp of the butter in the pot (no need to wipe it out first) and add the mushrooms, stirring to release their moisture and help pick up any bits of browned chicken stuck to the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking, stirring once in a while, until the mushrooms are slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Once the mushrooms have browned, transfer them to the plate with the chicken and place the bacon and pearl onions in the pot. Turn the heat back up to a medium and sweat until they are just starting to get golden, about 8 minutes. Deglaze with the brandy, then return the chicken and mushrooms to the pot. Add the herb sachet and then the wine. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven to braise for 1 hour, or until the chicken falls away from the bone.
- Transfer the chicken legs to a serving platter, leaving everything else in the pot. Discard the herb sachet, place the pot over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Turn the heat off and add the 1 Tbsp cold butter and parsley, stirring continuously until the sauce is emulsified.
- To serve, pour the sauce over the chicken legs and divide among individual plates.