A Fabulous Fall Soup!

     What a beautiful fall we are having!  The time is passing by so quickly for me, it's hard to believe its almost mid November.  How did that happen?  Time goes by fast in the hot kitchen, that is for sure!  (I wrote this a couple of weeks ago...so bear with me!)

    As for school, we are finished our rotation in the hot kitchen.  Six weeks has flown right by!  My last station was soups, where I made pureed vegetable, seafood chowder, cream of tomato, minestrone and cream of cauliflower with cheddar.  The soup station was nice and easy going, not a lot of stress.  Except when I was trying to defrost the fish stock for the seafood chowder and there was a hole in the bucket.  I kept thinking, where the heck is the stock going?  Why isn't it melting?  Then I saw the trail of fish stock on the floor...marking my every move with that bucket, and I flipped it over and saw the nice crack in the bottom.  Awesome.  

     We also had our hot kitchen exam, to which we were warned that it was extremely difficult.  And it was.  100 questions, a mix of multiple choice, matching and short answer.  It took us over an hour to write it, and by the end of that test, I was pooped!  But, I'm proud to say, I got 93%!!!  The second highest mark in the class!!  Woohoo! 

     Now, we move on to cold kitchen...where at some point, a half of a pig awaits us to be broken down!

    And I thought, since I have made a ton of soups in the last week and it's cooling down outside (especially today...brrrrr), I would share an awesome recipe for some yummy carrot and ginger soup!

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound carrots, diced (I didn't have enough carrot, so I added celery root and turnip)
• 1 cup onions, diced
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)
• 2 Tbsp ginger, peeled and minced
• 4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cream (optional)

1)  Heat the oil over medium heat, in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients.  I can still hear Chef Couper on one of the first days of classes, "Big job, big pot.  Small job, small pot."  It's funny how some things stick in your head.

2)  Add the carrots and onions (and any other veggies you may have added like I did) and sweat them in the oil for about 5 minutes, until they have softened just a bit.  Don't let them get any colour though.

3)  Add the garlic and ginger and continue to sweat for another minute or two.

4)  Add the stock and bring the soup to a simmer (not a rolling boil, that will make the veggies stringy).  Simmer the soup for 25 minutes or so, or until the veggies are cooked through.

5)  Once the veggies are cooked, you can puree the soup.  You can use an immersion blender and puree the soup right in the pot, like I did.  Or, you can use a blender, pureeing in batches.  If you use a blender, be careful!  Don't fill the blender all the way to the top.  Because the soup will be hot, it will expand once you turn it on and it will go every where!  Please vent the top, and use a towel under your hand to hold the lid in place.

6)  When you have a velvety smooth soup, return to the stove to heat through, bringing it just to the simmer again.  If you would like, you can add the cream (slowly) at this point.  Just don't bring the soup to a simmer once the cream is added.  This could cause the cream to split, making your soup look pretty nasty.  You could also try adding coconut milk, this would add a nice flavour to the soup.
7)  Enjoy your beautiful carrot and ginger soup!  It freezes well also, if you want to make a larger batch.  Then you can pull it out when you want some yummy soup.  Although...this soup did not last very long for me.  It was too good to let it sit in the freezer!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!  Another update is coming soon on the events of cold kitchen.  I'm going to try and take some photos of our "classroom" and the cafeteria, so you can see where we learn.

Chomp, or slurp, this soup up, it's excellent!

~Vicki :)

Salmon in a Bag

     All right, who's ready for Salmon en Papillote!  This recipe is pretty simple and is so delicious!  We made this in the second or third week of classes and I was blown away at how easy it was to make and the flavour that was achieved!  If you like fish, you'll love this dish!

Ingredients (for 1 serving)

• Salmon fillet (or any fish you would like)
• Carrots, julienne
• Leeks, julienne
• Turnip*, julienne
• Tsp or so of butter
• White Wine - 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup
• Chives, chopped
• Herbs/spices - whatever you want!
• Salt and Pepper
• Small cube of butter
• Lemon wedge
• Parchment paper

    *You don't have to use turnip in this dish, you can substitute any other vegetable you would like.  This dish is so versatile, you can pretty much do whatever you want, wrap it up in parchment paper and pop it in the oven.  The carrots and leeks really add great flavour and you can compliment this with so many vegetables.  You could use celery root (celeriac), fennel, parsnips, squash...the options really are endless! 

Step 1 - Get all your ingredients ready: 

To Julienne a Leek

• Cut all the veggies into julienne (match stick size) pieces *When slicing the leeks, cut the leek into 6 cm pieces and then cut that piece in half, lengthwise.  You can then peal off any tough or dirty outer layers. Then you can take a few layers at a time, press them flat and slice them thinly.  Leeks are the easiest vegetable to julienne!
• Chop the chives and pull out and prepare any other herbs/spices that you want to use

• We used fresh dill along with the chives in class.  I used dried dill when I made this at home.  Fresh is better, but the dried work pretty good too.
• Prepare the parchment paper.  Cut off a long rectangular piece and fold it in half.  The paper should be big enough to hold the salmon fillet, with all the yummy veggies on top, with enough room to fold the paper over and press and fold the edges together (it will all make sense soon!)
• Pull the salmon out of the fridge and season both sides with salt and pepper.  You can then put the salmon on the parchment paper, beside the fold.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Step 2 - Start building the flavour!

•  In a medium sized pan, melt the teaspoon of butter over low heat.  This is not an exact measurement of butter...you need just enough to coat all your beautifully julienned veggies.  So feel free to add more "love" (as my instructor calls butter) to the pan.
• Next, add your veggies and sweat them in the butter until they become fragrant and just tender, about 5 minutes or so.  Don't let them get any colour, you just want to start extracting the flavour from them.
• Once the veggies are just tender, add the wine and let the veggies steam in the wine until the wine has reduced by half, another 3 to 5 minutes.  You still want to have liquid in the pan, this is going to steam our fish! 
• Once the wine has reduced, turn off the heat and remove the pan.

Step 3 - Making the parchment bag of yumminess!

• Using tongs, take the veggies out of the pan, letting the liquid drain off and place on top of the salmon that is on the parchment.  Make sure to save the liquid!
• Top the veggies with the chives, dill and any other spices you are using, and place the small cube of butter on top.
• Fold the paper over the salmon and trim off any excess if you have quite a bit of paper around the salmon and veggies.  You can cut the paper in a heart shape, making the folding easier if you would like.
• To close the bag, without making things sound too complicated, all you need to do is fold the edges around the salmon and veggies, making sure that there are no open edges.  Go all the way around, folding the edges, until you're about 3/4 done.  You now have a pouch.  
• Transfer the liquid left over from the veggies to a measuring cup that has a pouring spout.  Lift up the parchment bag, and pour the liquid in to the bag.  This liquid is going to steam the fish and add tons of flavour!
• Seal up the remainder of the edges and place it on a baking sheet.
  

Step 4 - Bake and eat!

• Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• The parchment bags will fill up with air and cook the salmon to perfection!
• After 10 minutes, take them out of the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes.

Now for the best part!  Place the parchment bags on plates and serve!  Cut open the bag, give it a squeeze of lemon and enjoy that salmon!

     If you are making this recipe for a group of people, you can do everything ahead of time, up to the point of putting the papillotes in the oven.  Place them in the fridge and pull them out when you are 20 minutes away from putting them in the oven. You don't want to put them in oven straight out of the fridge, as they won't cook as nicely.  Letting them come up to room temperature first, will help them to cook evenly and you won't have to increase the cooking time.  Then serve your guests the papillotes and a pair of scissors and let them open the bag themselves.  Served with a nice salad or some steamed vegetables, this a delicious meal!  

     You could make it a little healthier too by sweating your veggies in vegetable oil and omitting the butter on top as well.  It's all up to you!  You can change up the fish, change the veggies, change the wine, the seasonings, the herbs...There are SO many options with this recipe!

    I hope you have fun chomping this recipe up!  It's definitely going to be a keeper in my kitchen!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

~Vicki :)

Easy Peasy Tomato Sauce

     It's hard to believe it's Thanksgiving weekend already!  I have so many things to be thankful for!  My amazing family and friends, who have listened to me vent over the last few weeks as I try to find the balance between school and work.  My roommate, who puts up with me coming home at midnight after a shift at work and rummaging around in the kitchen for a snack.  To my mates at school, who keep me laughing.  To my instructors, for all the little tips and tricks I'm learning.  I am very grateful for all of you!

     And now, as promised, the easiest tomato sauce that you're going to love!

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup onions, diced
• 1/2 cup carrot, diced 
• 1/2 cup celery, diced 
• 1 large can of whole tomatoes, seeded 
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh basil or oregano
• 1 lb cooked ground beef (optional)

Step 1)  Heat a good sized sauce pan on medium/low heat.  My instructor at school always says "Big job, big pot.  Small job, small pot."  Making sure we have the right equipment for the job.  Once the pan is warm, add the oil and continue heating until the oil is warm, then add the holy trinity of vegetables, the onions, carrots and celery.  Or, in the culinary world, these 3 are known as the Mirepoix, which is in everything!

Step 2)  Sweat the mirepoix for a few minutes, or until the onions become translucent.  Don't let them get any colour on them, you don't want them to brown.  They should could cook lightly in the oil, letting all of the yummy flavours come out.

Step 3)  Add the canned tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, garlic, sugar and salt and pepper to the pot and bring it all to a simmer.  If you are adding ground beef, you can also add it now.

*If at all possible, try to remove as many of the seeds from the tomatoes as you can.  When cooking tomatoes for long periods of time, the seeds can become bitter, giving your dish an unpleasant taste.  I removed a good portion of them...but its a tricky job.

**You can also used fresh tomatoes in the sauce, cutting them into chunks (and seeding).  They may have to cook down a little longer though, and you might have to add a bit of tomato paste to get the right consistency and tomato flavour.

Step 4)  Once the sauce has come to a simmer, keep it at a simmer on low heat for about 45 mins or so.  This will reduce the sauce and thicken it.  

Step 5)  When the sauce has reached the consistency you like, you're done!  Taste it and adjust the seasoning to your liking and add any fresh herbs.  Basil or oregano would be fantastic in this sauce!  And if you want something a little less chunky, you can puree the sauce in a blender, and then add your herbs.  Just don't puree if you've added the ground beef...that might not come out looking too nice.  I personally like the chunky look of the sauce, it's a little more rustic looking, like Mom's tomato sauce.  

Then, pour the amazing sauce over a bed of your favourite pasta and dinner is served!  Or, you can do what my roommate and I did, we roasted a spaghetti squash while the sauce was cooking.  When it was done, we scraped out the squash and served the sauce on top.  It was delicious!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!  We made this one in school, and I was amazed to learn how simple tomato sauce really is.  I realized I was over complicating things when I made it at home, explaining why I wasn't getting the flavours I wanted all the time.  But, now I know!

Enjoy chomping this one up!

Next up - Salmon en Papillote (I'm making this tonight!)

~Vicki :)

October 7, 2014

    Wow, it's October already!  I can't believe the leaves are turning colour and the temperature is dropping already.  Time sure does fly by when you're having fun in Culinary School!  The last couple of weeks have been very busy.  Our lab days are done, and we have moved on to the "big kitchens"!  There are 3 kitchens that make up the Okanagan College cafeteria, as well as the Infusions restaurant, and us students spend 6 weeks in each of them.

These "kitchens" are:

     

• Hot kitchen - which prepares the hot entrees for the cafeteria, as well as the lunch buffet for Infusions
• Cold kitchen - which does some of the butchery and prep work, as well as preparing the salad station for the cafeteria and for Infusions.
• Bakery - they're the ones that make the entire place smell like heaven with all the breads and treats they make.  I can't wait to get in there!
• Infusions - this is the fine dining restaurant at the college.  They have an amazing menu that us students cook to order Tuesday to Friday evenings.

Tilt Skillet

    I was placed in the hot kitchen first, which was pretty daunting.  I had visions of running around like a crazy person trying to get everything ready on time.  But, it isn't that bad so far.  I started on the veggie and starch station, and have enjoyed getting the dishes together and learning how the kitchen flows. I've definitely peeled my share of potatoes that's for sure!  I also learned how to use the tilt skillet.  Which is basically a massive frying pan, that has a crank on it to tilt the basin, which makes for easy cleaning and getting your finished product out.  I was terrified of this thing, at first. But after sauteing some veggies with what felt like a canoe paddle, I'm a pro now!

     Today we switched stations, and I moved to the protein station.  Yikes!  The pressure is now on!  It's definitely a lot busier and you really need to know your temperatures for cooking protein.  I made crab and shrimp cakes today and I was dying to try one, but I knew I shouldn't sacrifice a whole one to myself.  So I tried the tiniest piece that broke off while I was pan frying them, YUM!!  I'll have to make those soon!

     Oh, and not to toot my own horn, but Chef Bernard Casavant ended up beside me and was watching me pan fry the crab cakes.  He then said "your crab cakes are a thing of beauty."  OMG!  Thank you Chef!  I was honoured!  If you don't know who he is, he's a pretty big deal in the culinary world.  And, he is the director of the culinary program here at the college.  In other words, yay me!  (We couldn't keep the crab cakes in the serving tray today...they flew out of the place!)

     After a couple of stressful weeks and battling a cold, I think I am finding my groove.  I am learning so much and working with some great people.  And I'm making some pretty awesome food.  Of which I would love to show you all, but it's so busy I barely have time to have a snack during the day.  Which makes it tough being surrounding by all this mouth watering food.

     That's what's been going on with me the last couple of weeks.  A lot of learning and trying to rest up and get through this cold.

     The next recipe is:  Tomato Sauce!  So simple, so delicious!  I'll have that up in the next couple of days!  It's time for me to do some homework :)

Thanks everyone!

~Vicki :)

3 Weeks In

     I can't believe week 3 of Culinary Arts is done, and I'm on to week 4! What a great first couple of weeks.  All the instructors are passionate about what they do and are excited to teach.  My fellow students and I, as eager as we were to get in to the kitchen and start chopping, had to wait a few days though.  The first day was an orientation to the campus and the course, finding out what we needed for our journey.  Which ended up in a trip to Chef's Edge here in Kelowna.  That was fun!  A few hundred dollars later, I now have a pretty swanky set of knives and gadgets to get me through the next 10 months.  The next couple of days in class consisted of a knife demo, lots of theory and a couple of assignments.  Homework?  Already?  What?  

     Finally, on day 4, we get into the lab kitchen and start making our stocks.  So, out come those fancy new knives, and I start chopping away.  I sure found out how sharp those knives are, I cut myself in the first 20 minutes.  I was so embarrassed!  I didn't want to be the first one cut, so I hid it for a few minutes, hoping I wasn't cut that bad.  Unfortunately, I was bleeding, so with my tale between my legs and ego sliced, off to my instructor I went to claim the first band-aid.  To my surprise, my kitchen partner had also cut herself and was also trying to hide it.  Neither one of us knew what the other had done until we both ran up to our instructor. When we realized what happened, we all (including our instructor) burst out laughing!  Off to a great start!

My excellent Hollandaise sauce!

     The last couple of weeks we ended up in the classroom for the first couple of hours every day, and then into the kitchen to practice what we learned.  The second week of class was soups and sauces.  It was such a fun week!  We made chicken noodle soup and cream of mushroom (delicious!)  We then moved on to the "mother sauces" like bechamel and hollandaise.  Hollandaise is surprisingly not that difficult.  Just takes a lot of whisking.  My instructor loved my hollandaise!  Not too shabby for a first try!

Creamed Leeks

     We then moved on to vegetables and starches.  Have you ever had creamed leeks?  They are seriously delicious and so simple!  We also made pasta and a cream sauce.  Then on to meat!  Learning all the cuts of beef and pork.  In the kitchen we learned how to shallow fry some breaded pork, seared a steak and made a pan sauce.  The next day was poultry, learning how to cut up a whole chicken, and then braising the thighs and drumsticks in a demi-glace we made the week before...wow!  Then we pan-fried a chicken breast, mine was perfect!  Then on to seafood and fish, making Salmon en Papillote, which is salmon, baked in a parchment bag, with white wine and veggies.  So simple, and absolutely delicious!  I will post that recipe soon!

Salmon en Papillote

     I've learned so much already in these 3 weeks, it's hard to narrow down what to share with you all.  So, I thought I would share a tip on cutting onions.  It's an easy technique to learn and will save you time (and tears) in the kitchen.  

• The first thing you do, is cut the stem/end off of each end of the onion. 
• Then stand the onion up on one end (you've now created a stable base) and cut the onion in half, from core to stem

• Next, make small cuts starting back from the core about 1 cm, cutting down and back through the onion.  Make sure you don't cut the onion in slices.  By not cutting all the way through on the core end, this holds everything together.

• Now, turn your knife so that the blade is parallel with your cutting board, and make slices through the onion, stopping before you slice all the way through.  Making about 3 slices this way, moving up the onion.

• Now, slice away!  As you slice, the onion will come off the blade perfectly diced.  Once you get close to the core, stop.  And viola!  You have a diced onion!  If you want a finer dice, simply make your cuts closer together.  Or use this technique, and then chop them finer once they are diced.

This technique does take a bit of practice, but it definitely saves you time.  And when these little guys make you cry, speedy dicing is excellent!

I hope this tip helps!  Stay tuned for an incredibly easy and delicious tomato sauce and Salmon en Papillote!

Thanks everyone! :)

~Vicki

Zoo Jam!

Zoo Jam, AKA Zucchini Jam.  I know it sounds a little strange and you might be wondering how the heck zucchini ended up in jam.  But trust me, it's delicious!  And if you like marmalade, then you will love this stuff!  My Mom used to make this jam all the time as I was growing up, using the giant zucchinis from our garden.  Every time I taste this jam now, I'm transported back to my childhood, sitting in our tiny little house.  For me, there's nothing better than zoo jam on toast!

Let's make some jam!  The full recipe will be at the bottom of the post for you.

Before you get started with the jam, you are going to need to sterilize your jars and lids.  This recipe makes about 10 cups of jam, so make sure you have enough jars ready.  To sterilize the jars, place them in a large pot, cover with water, making sure the water comes above the jars by about an inch.  And then boil the living day lights out of them!  Just kidding!  Once the pot comes to a boil, 10 minutes at the boil will be good.  Then, using tongs or the fancy canning utensil thing (that I don't have), carefully take the jars and lids out and set them on a clean towel, upside down to dry.  Please be careful, they are going to be hot!  I don't have a canning pot, so I used my biggest soup pot.  It wasn't big enough to do all the jars and lids at once, so I did two batches.  Just make sure you don't re-use the water or crowd your pot.  You don't want the jars banging into each other or they could crack or break.

For the jam, you're going to need 6 cups of grated zucchini.  I peel it, my mom doesn't.  So it's up to you.  If you want the green bits of skin in your jam, go for it!  I've had it both ways, and it doesn't effect the taste at all,  just the look.  Once it's grated, the zoo can go in the pot.  A great trick I learned, was 

to put the zoo in the pot in one cup piles.  That way, you don't lose count of how many cups you have.  Once you have six piles, you're good to go!

Once all the zoo is in the pot, bring it to the boil over medium heat and let it simmer for about 6 minutes.  This

will bring all the water out of the zoo.  After 6 minutes, you can add 5 cups of white sugar (this used to be 6, we reduced it last year.  It could even be reduced again I'm sure...next batch!), 1 cup of crushed pineapple (the juice is ok too) and 1/2 cup of lemon juice.  Give this a good stir and bring it back to the boil.  Let this mixture simmer for another 8 minutes.  Then, add 1 double package (or 2 small packages) of peach Jell-O.  Stir this all together and take the pot off of the heat.  

Make sure the jars are dry and ladle the jam into them.  If you have a funnel with a wide spout, it will definitely make the job easier.  The jam does tend to get stuck in regular sized funnels, so I use a ladle. Which can create a bit of a mess if you're not careful.  Before you put the lids on, give the jars a wipe with a paper towel so they're not sticky.  Then on with the lids!  Tighten them hand tight, and voila!  Zoo Jam!

The jam will have a thinner than expected consistency, until it goes in the fridge.  The gelatin in the Jell-O will set the jam once it's cold.  As long as your jars seal, the jam is safe on the shelf.  Pop it in the fridge the day before you want to use it, and it will be nice and thick.  It's delicious on toast with peanut butter or butter, on scones or muffins.  You could even use it as a sweet component in a vinaigrette.  

I hope you enjoy the jam as much as I do.  And if you decrease the sugar any more, let me know how it turns out!

Happy jamming!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups of peeled or unpeeled zoo
• 5 cups of sugar
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 double package of Peach Jell-O powder (or 2 small packages)

1. Place the zoo in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Simmer for 6 minutes.
2. Add sugar, pineapple and lemon juice and stir.  Return to the boil and simmer for an additional 8 minutes.
3. Stir in the Jell-O powder and remove from the heat.
4. Ladle into jars and seal.
5. Refrigerate the day before opening to set the jam.

*Yields approximately 10 cups of jam.

My Mom's original recipe :)

Me and My Blog

Hello and welcome to Chomp It Up!  My name is Vicki, I am a huge foodie and I would like to share my journey through culinary school with you.  Classes start on September 2nd and I am getting very excited!  But before we get into that, I thought I should fill you in on who I am and what I'm about.

Mini Butter Tarts

About 4 years ago I received a knife set for Christmas and after cutting off a few finger nails, I realized I could now chop anything and everything with ease!  I also realized I was pretty good at it, and thus bloomed my passion for cooking.  I have always been a decent cook, as far as I know anyway.  No complaints so far!  I did a lot of cooking for the family in my teen years, as my mom worked evenings, my Dad didn't get home until later and my sisters were quite young.  I baked a lot as a teenager too, brownies, cookies and cinnamon buns.  But until that knife set came along, I had no idea how much I love it!

Chicken Breast with Mango Salsa

From there I became addicted to the Food Network, watching all kinds of cooking shows.  My favourites are Top Chef and Chopped, where you get to see the creative side of the chefs and see their skills.  Then, my cook book collection started to grow, and before I knew it, my bookshelf was full!  Anytime someone talks about a recipe, I have to have it! One day I'll try it!

 I then began trying recipes from all these cook books and magazines I have, and fell in love with the new flavours I was creating.  It's so much fun to try a recipe for a dish you have never tasted before.  And then you take that first bite, and wow!  

Blueberry Almond Bars

My job has also encouraged my love of food.  I work with over 20 ladies and 2 gents in my department, and we have a small obsession with potluck lunches.  I'd say we have one every two months or so and the spreads are amazing!  To celebrate my education leave for culinary school we're having a potluck (of course)...oh what too bring?  Hmmm....I think since the blueberries are amazing right now, Blueberry Almond Bars it is! (My poor roommate...the house smells so good and she can't have any...but I'll save her a piece!)

Join me as I share with you my journey through culinary school, on the road to becoming a chef.  I will share the ups and downs of my experience, as well as any tips and tricks that I learn along the way.  And of course, recipes!

Let's chomp it up together!

Thanks for stopping by :)

~Vicki

PS - Stay tuned for my favourite jam recipe!