shortcook 

3 tags

Broiled oyster with garlic sesame mayo

[Original Tweet] OYSTER: Mix mayo, sesame oil, soy sauce, crushed garlic. Spread sauce on shucked oysters. Pan-broil w/ oyster liquor. http://is.gd/4GxI0T Notes: This is quite rich so it might benefit from the addition of lemon. I broiled the oysters on low for about 10-15 minutes on one side, flipped them, then broiled another 10-15 minutes on another, but you can adjust...

Mar 15th

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3 tags

Sautéed zucchini with dried scallop

[Original Tweet] ZUCCHINI: Soak dried scallops in hot water until soft. Use water to sauté sliced zuke w/ sesame oil & crushed garlic. http://is.gd/VHTYXD Notes: The water used to soak the conpoy (dried scallop) adds flavour to the dish and creates a bit of a steaming effect in the pan to make the zucchini softer. The conpoy, garlic, and oil all give it a fragrant...

Mar 14th

2 tags

Broiled duck breast

[Original Tweet] DUCK: Score skin of duck breast at 1” intervals. Season with pepper. Broil skin side down 10 mins. Flip & broil 12 mins http://is.gd/qItmQ4 Notes: Franco made roast vegetables for Christmas dinner but I of course had to prepare a treat for myself. You can broil longer/shorter as needed. My duck breast was just under a pound (405 g). I served it sliced...

Dec 27th

6 tags

Sea urchin on shiso leaf

[Original Tweet] UNI: Put sea urchin on shiso leaves. Use 1 big or 2 small pieces per leaf. Sprinkle smoked salt on very conservatively. http://is.gd/glmeqw Notes: Another simple one with an amazing flavour combination that doesn’t actually require any cooking. The shiso leaf has a very floral, minty aroma and flavour, so if you find it overwhelming, you could just use half a leaf for each...

Dec 27th

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4 tags

Baked potatoes with oyster mayonnaise

[Original Tweet] TATERS: Parboil nugget potatoes. Bake, then chop. Eat with sauce of mixed mayo, soy sauce, scallion & diced raw oyster. http://is.gd/sjuTDH Notes: I looked in the fridge and made this up with the ingredients I had as I went along. While it has a very boring and monotonous appearance, it was very tasty. I shucked a Sawmill Bay Pacific beach oyster, chopped it up, and mixed...

Oct 11th

6 tags

Raw spot prawns

[Original Tweet] SPOT PRAWN: Remove heads+shells of live prawns. Serve tail meat w/sauce of sesame oil, soy sauce, minced garlic & water http://is.gd/hFsQUQ Notes: You can do this with the heads. Buy your prawns fresh and live, and if you prefer them firmer and with a more subtle flavour, eat them right away. I’ve always preferred letting the flesh break down for a day so that they become...

Jun 2nd

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6 tags

Spot prawn head and arugula bites

[Original Tweet] SPOT PRAWN: Steam live prawns. Pull legs from carapace to open head.Scoop meat+roe+tomalley onto arugula leaf; wrap;eat http://is.gd/RYaPcZ Notes: This is essentially the same thing as in the last post, except that was about eating the tail meat and this is about eating all the edible stuff in the heads. It is so flavourful that it needs no condiment. As you can see above,...

May 31st

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7 tags

Spot prawn and arugula bites

[Original Tweet] SPOT PRAWN: Steam prawns 3 min on rice cooker steaming rack as rice cooks. Serve w/arugula, lemon juice, shaved truffle http://is.gd/1C3EUx Notes: As I have mentioned before, I prefer eating my spot prawns raw, but I thought I would try some steamed too. They generally only need to be steamed for a minute or two, but I did them a little longer because I figured the heat was...

May 25th

3 tags

Sautéed squid with onion and mushroom

[Original Tweet] SQUID: Mix sesame oil, soy sauce, water+garlic. Refrigerate 1 day. Sauté squid arms, sliced mushroom+onion in the sauce http://is.gd/87gQBd Notes: I used cleaned, frozen squid tentacles for this. I had actually made the sauce weeks earlier and been using it for seasoning bit by bit. I may have added a bit of olive oil to the pan too. There was quite a bit of moisture from the...

May 9th

4 tags

Mushroom and cheese roux open-faced sandwich

[Original Tweet] SANDWICH: Melt butter in pan. Whisk in flour, then milk & grated cheese. Serve on toasted ciabatta w/sautéed mushrooms http://is.gd/OrTvRR Notes: Do I even need to say this anymore?: Franco made this sandwich. About 1 teaspoon butter, 1 tablespoon flour, a little milk, and then some cooking cheddar and emmental cheese. He suggests using a balloon whisk. Seasoned with...

May 3rd

3 tags

Green tea shortbread

[Original Tweet] SHORTBREAD: Beat 1 cup butter+½cup sugar+ 2½tbsp matcha. Mix w/2 cups flour+pinch of salt. Cut dough into cookies. Bake http://is.gd/TuegyD Notes: I like plain shortbread, but have often wondered what green tea-flavoured shortbread would taste like, so I decided to throw some ground matcha I had in the pantry into the dough. I followed roughly this recipe from Kirbie’s...

Feb 9th

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2 tags

Corn chowder

[Original Tweet] CHOWDER: Fry diced onion.Add 3cups boiled water+veg stock, 2 tins creamed corn+milk. Mix.Add boiled diced carrot+potato http://is.gd/MfCkfc Notes: Franco made this. Served with tasty garlic bread, again courtesy of Franco. He also made the printed crow t-shirt he’s wearing, which, along with other designs, is available on our Etsy shop, MITMUNK: http://mitmunk.etsy.com.

Nov 30th

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3 tags

Broiled halibut fillet

[Original Tweet] HALIBUT: Sprinkle a bit of soy sauce & pinch of white pepper on a halibut fillet. Broil on high 2 mins per side. http://is.gd/so3Zi9 Notes: Halibut from Haida Gwaii, north coast of British Columbia. This was a small piece so very little cook time was needed. Halibut is really firm and flavourful on its own so I only added a tiny bit of soy sauce and white pepper. Served...

Sep 28th

2 notes

2 tags

Herbed chèvre open-faced sandwich

[Original Tweet] SANDWICH: Top toasted ciabatta halves w/herbed goat cheese, sliced tomato, roasted red pepper, basil+fresh ground pepper http://is.gd/eZfdZl Notes: Franco made this. He used mini ciabattas.

Jun 15th

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4 tags

Shrimp head spread

[Original Tweet] SPREAD: Pour meat+fat +tomalley from heads of 1lb of spot prawns in pan w/sautéed garlic+butter. Add egg white; scramble http://is.gd/0BkJIw Notes: I started out intending to sauté the spot prawns themselves but decided while doing the garlic to do the bodies/tails later, separately, and that the stuff from the heads could make up a really flavourful spread. Then as I was...

Jun 8th

5 notes

5 tags

Rice in salmon soup

[Original Tweet] SOUP: Boil salmon trimmings+rice vinegar+S&P+onion+ garlic+enoki in water. Simmer. Pour on rice. Top w/scallion+shichimi http://is.gd/8rxU7u Notes: I got some sockeye salmon trimmings from Fujiya which included the backbone, collar and fins and decided to make fish soup for the first time. I poured it hot on top of steamed white rice, chazuke-style. Comfort food. I also...

May 23rd

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3 tags

Spot prawns with truffle oil and ponzu

[Original Tweet] SPOT PRAWNS: Remove heads off live spot prawns; save for stock. Rinse & peel tails. Drizzle meat with truffle oil, ponzu http://is.gd/jODs4a Notes: As I mentioned, it is currently spot prawn season so I have acquired some from The Lobster Man on Granville Island (http://lobsterman.com) as well as from The Daily Catch (http://dailycatch.org) (thanks Franco). This was one of...

May 17th

2 notes

3 tags

Oyster motoyaki

[Original Tweet] OYSTER MOTOYAKI: Shuck oyster; leave on half-shell. Top w/mix of mayo+ponzu+sautéed onions+mushroom. Broil ‘til bubbling http://is.gd/boP6Tl Notes: My favourite way to eat oysters is raw but I thought I should try something new. I had no Japanese mayonnaise so I used the kind I usually have. I used Fanny Bay oysters from The Daily Catch, but if I were to try this again I...

May 13th

4 notes

4 tags

Seared scallop with boquerones

[Original Tweet] SCALLOP: Sear giant lion-paw scallop in butter, 2 mins per side. Top w/chopped boquerone, ponzu & shiso fumi furikake. http://is.gd/hOhfXt Notes: The giant lion-paw scallop is an Ocean Wise-recommended scallop from Baja. This one was a whole 100 grams. I chopped up some marinated white anchovy (boquerones) to top it with, and added some ponzu sauce for a little citrus...

Apr 29th

2 notes

3 tags

Baked bacon-wrapped chicken

[Original Tweet] BACON-WRAPPED CHICKEN: Wrap 2 strips of bacon around skinless chicken thigh. Bake. http://is.gd/VH948G Notes: Yup, that easy. The fatty bacon flavoured the chicken and kept it moist while it baked. Nothing wrong with using skin-on chicken, but I think skinless chicken would take on more of the bacon flavour in the meat. The meat ended up really tender and juicy with a nice...

Apr 22nd

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3 tags

Poached halibut cheek

[Original Tweet] HALIBUT CHEEK: Heat butter, garlic, scallion in a pan. Add milk. Poach halibut cheek in the sauce until just cooked. http://is.gd/tjpaCN Notes: Halibut cheek has a mild flavour and a texture comparable to that of scallops, so cooking it in a buttery, garlicky sauce was great. This served as the sauce for the spaghetti too. I used the same pan that Franco had just cooked tomato...

Apr 8th

3 notes

4 tags

Oyster stew

[Original Tweet] OYSTER STEW: Warm milk in pot. Add raw oysters, salt. Add butter+paprika before oyster edges curl. Stir until edges curl http://is.gd/U5UgNq Notes: It’s all about oysters these days. Currently reading Consider The Oyster (1941) by MFK Fisher, in which she quotes this recipe from Brown’s Country Cook Book (1937). Sweet soup—er, stew.

Jan 21st

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2 tags

Rice and vegetable wrap

[Original Tweet] WRAPS: Fry rice+onion+zuke+mushroom w/shoyu.Add onion powder+veg stock+jalapeño+chili flake+cheese. Wrap in tortilla.Bake http://is.gd/i9Cb3 Notes: Franco made this. With a side of carrot and olive salad. The flavours and textures were perfect. Eaten hot.

Dec 3rd

4 tags

Sweet shrimp and sea urchin salad

[Original Tweet] SALAD: Shear open shell of live sea urchin; remove gonads. De-shell & de-head raw pink shrimp. Serve together w/soy sauce http://is.gd/hXmXG Notes: More of the live uni and amaebi loot (this was sweet northern shrimp), fresh off fishing boats at Steveston and eaten raw. To clarify, the gonads are the parts that are eaten: there are 5 in each sea urchin. It is sometimes also...

Nov 29th

4 notes

4 tags

Clamato-boiled shrimp with rice in broth

[Original Tweet] RICE: Boil whole northern shrimp in water & clam+tomato juice cocktail until cooked. Serve broth & shrimp on steamed rice http://is.gd/hPBjE Notes: Got a few pounds of these pink northern sweet shrimp for $5 total from one of the boats at fishermans wharf in Steveston Village. This is one of the things I did with them. When boiling shrimp I rarely save the stock so I...

Nov 26th

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4 tags

Egg with green tea powder and sea urchin

[Original Tweet] EGGS: Soft-boil eggs. Peel off shells & coat eggs with matcha powder. Cut eggs in half & top each with sea urchin. Serve. http://is.gd/hElr7 Notes: When combining a bunch of things you like begets unparalleled deliciousness. There will be more uni in the posts to come as I was able to get a few off a boat in Steveston.

Nov 23rd

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3 tags

Squid with cumin and soy sauce

[Original Tweet] SQUID: Sauté sliced squid, soy sauce+ground cumin in olive oil+butter for 2 mins until squid curls. Serve w/steamed rice. http://is.gd/hmvOj Notes: A whole cleaned squid, tube and tentacles, which I cut up. I don’t mind buying it whole and cleaning it myself if needed though. I sautéed it with garlic and green onions last time but didn’t have any this time. Was just as good...

Nov 18th

4 notes

4 tags

Chicken and prosciutto noodle soup

[Original Tweet] SOUP: Bring chicken leg & stock, water+noodles+fatty prosciutto chunk+carrot+celery +mushroom+garlic to boil. Simmer 1hr. http://is.gd/gU9jE Notes: Seasoned with onion salt and ground pepper. The fatty chunk of prosciutto gave it an extra oiliness that helped clear the mucus in my throat, and turned out some good, cooked salty meat. I think I would have tossed some rosemary...

Nov 10th

2 tags

Savoury crêpe stack

[Original Tweet] CRÊPE STACK: Make 8 crêpes. Alternately layer crêpe & fillings of ricotta+scallion, sliced tomato, basil, spinach. Bake. http://is.gd/gCpw5 Notes: Savoury crêpe stack for dinner. I mixed ground pepper into the ricotta. I made the crêpes slightly thicker than usual because of my thick batter and the difficulty I had spreading it around in the heavy cast-iron pan, but it...

Nov 2nd

4 tags

Open-faced ham, cheese and grape sandwich

[Original Tweet] SANDWICH: Top whole wheat bread w/brie+diced prosciutto+coronation grapes. Microwave until grape skins split & brie melts http://is.gd/gsmev Notes: I know this is hardly cooking but the flavour combination of these delectables was so good I had to post it. The intesely sweet, tart, thick-skinned coronation grapes from the farmers market had the perfect salty pushback from...

Oct 29th

2 tags

Chantarelles with yogurt and curry powder sauce

[Original Tweet] MUSHROOMS: Mix yogurt, green onion, garam masala powder, ground cumin, salt. Sauté chantarelles. Coat lightly w/the sauce http://is.gd/gmmFo Notes: Chantarelle mushrooms from the farmers market. The sauce was left cold-ish.

Oct 27th

3 tags

Russian blue potato salad

[Original Tweet] SALAD: Mix greens, blue cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, jalapenos, sundried tomato oil. Top w/boiled Russian Blue potatoes http://is.gd/fNS4W Notes: A non-mushy, non-mayonnaise-y potato salad. We got some of these heirloom potatoes from the farmers market and Franco made this. He also toasted sunflower seeds to put in.

Oct 6th

3 tags

Plum muffin tops

[Original Tweet] MUFFIN: Mix flour+sugar+cocoa & bkg powder+salt. Add butter+milk+egg+vanilla. Put batter in paper liner. Top w/plum. Bake http://is.gd/fvQRz Notes: Just a tiny bit of cocoa powder to provide a little bitterness to push back against the sweet, tart plum and the dab of raspberry jam filling I put into some of them. I also added a handful of chopped nuts into the batter,...

Sep 27th

3 tags

Endive boats

[Original Tweet] ENDIVE BOATS: Boil diced potatoes until soft. Mash w/milk+butter+cheese. Put atop blanched endive leaves w/prosciutto+S&P http://is.gd/fjFu9 Notes: I blanched the Belgian endive leaves because I wanted a milder flavour than what the raw leaves would have produced. The skin was left on the potatoes. A bit of grated cheddar went into the mashed potatoes, and I topped the...

Sep 20th

2 tags

Tofu veggie wraps

[Original Tweet] WRAPS: Spread hummus on tortilla. Add sliced fried tofu+tomato+cucumber+carrot+avocado+greens+chili flake+seasoning. Roll http://is.gd/fb71B Notes: Franco whipped this up really quickly with some spinach tortillas. The seasoning was some leftover taco seasoning powder from a packet.

Sep 15th

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2 tags

Cheese tarts

[Original Tweet] TART: Heat butter. Stir in flour, then milk, then cheese. Fill blind-baked puff pastry w/sauce+fried onion+mushroom. Bake http://is.gd/eXJjy Notes: More puff pastry. Franco made this. Served with avocado and greens.

Sep 6th

3 tags

Broiled white spring salmon

[Original Tweet] WHITE SPRING: Broil white spring salmon fillet until just cooked. Serve w/butter creamed w/chopped chives & minced garlic http://is.gd/eLIrJ Notes: White spring from the Granville Island Public Market. White flesh in salmon is apparently a result of genetics, their diet, and/or the stage they’re at in their migration (which is also related to their diet, i.e. the type of...

Aug 30th

3 tags

Rainbow chard with parmesan

[Original Tweet] CHARD: Dice chard stems. Bake w/olive oil, S&P. Add leaves+olive oil to pan. Bake. Add heavy cream+grated parmesan. Bake. http://is.gd/eFcXA Notes: Beautiful red-, yellow-, and green-stemmed rainbow chard from BowFEAST <http://www.bowenagalliance.ca/category/event/bowfeast> on Bowen Island, where I was one of the speakers, giving a talk on the history of farming and...

Aug 26th

4 tags

Apple tarts

[Original Tweet] TARTS: Roll out puff pastry sheet. Cut to desired tart sizes. Lay thinly sliced apple on. Sprinkle sugar & cinnamon. Bake http://is.gd/eAZWv Notes: I used the rest of the premade puff pastry to make these tarts. Served with whipped cream—which I had a somewhat hard time whipping up due to my inexperience and the heat—on the side, and cardamom cream spread on the apples,...

Aug 24th

4 notes

5 tags

Salmon en croûte

[Original Tweet] EN CROÛTE: Wrap salmon fillet in rolled puff pastry on pan, w/olive tapenade+basil+tomato+bocconcini spread on fish. Bake http://is.gd/eoW5x Notes: GW came over with his Jamie Oliver cookbook from the library and we decided on this to make. We didn’t have olive tapenade and didn’t feel like buying a jar since we had kalamata olives and capers at home, so we crushed some with...

Aug 19th

3 tags

Plummy dumplings

[Original Tweet] WONTON: Slice+peel plums. Boil w/h2o+sugar. Drain. Mix pulp w/almond flake. Put in wonton wraps. Brush w/plum juice. Bake http://is.gd/ekmcM Notes: Franco used the reserved the plum pulp from the plum ginger dressing in the previous post to make these. Served with caramel ice cream—he found the first wonton he tried to be a little heavy on the pastry and not sweet enough, but...

Aug 16th

4 tags

Plum ginger dressing

[Original Tweet] PLUM GINGER DRESSING: Boil sliced, peeled plums w/water+sugar. Remove pulp. Mix juice+shoyu+crushed garlic+minced ginger. http://is.gd/egi2U Notes: Franco made this and served it on some stir-fried carrots, peas, and three different types of mushrooms: enoki, king trumpet (king oyster) & bunapi (white beech) mushrooms, accompanying fried rice with egg. He reserved the plum...

Aug 13th

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2 tags

Broiled fig with blue cheese and walnuts

[Original Tweet] FIGS: Put halved figs on pan, skin side down. Top w/crumbled blue cheese, chopped walnuts+honey. Broil on low for 4 mins. http://is.gd/ed8nj Notes: Someone from work kindly gave me a fig so I got the idea to make this for dinner last night, as figs and blue cheese are among Franco’s favourite foods. Really, really easy, and out-of-this-world delicious. Works for a quick snack...

Aug 11th

2 tags

Braised mushrooms and tofu on rice

[Original Tweet] BRAISING: Brown mushrooms+tofu cubes in pot. Add water+rice wine+shoyu+sugar+rosemary+cinnamon+garlic+onion. Boil; simmer http://is.gd/eadS5 Notes: Served on rice. Shiitake and I think white mushrooms went into this. I had made a version with beef first, since I was in the mood for beef and wondered whether cinnamon would go well with it. I found this recipe for Cinnamon-Beef...

Aug 9th

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4 tags

Mushroom tofu wontons

[Original Tweet] WONTONS: Roll diced sautéed shiitake+veggie ham+tofu+green onion in wonton skins. Wet wraps w/water; pinch to seal. Boil. http://is.gd/e2r8g Notes: I used shiitake and brown mushrooms. I did gloss over the shiitakes a little when showing the kids the insides before wrapping them, considering their demonstrated aversion to mushrooms other than white ones. I sautéed the tofu in...

Aug 4th

2 tags

Broiled chicken thigh

[Original Tweet] CHICKEN: Rub onion salt+rosemary+garam masala+ground cumin into bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. Broil both sides on low. http://is.gd/dOS5i Notes: Broiling gave the chicken crispier skin, juicier meat, and more intense flavour than when I baked it. Cooks it much faster too. All it took was pushing a different button on the oven.

Jul 28th

2 tags

Grilled eggplant

[Original Tweet] VEG: Cut eggplant lengthwise in 4. Grill. Top w/tomato paste+pesto+cheese+green onion+basil+sautéed onion&mushroom. Grill http://is.gd/dCe1A Notes: Eggplant, basil, and portobello & shiitake mushrooms from the farmers market. Franco recreated this from what his friend Mike in Denmark made once. Kind of a non-dough alternative to pizza, Franco says. Eaten with salt and...

Jul 22nd

1 note

3 tags

Rocky road brownies

[Original Tweet] BROWNIES: Mix flour+sugar+salt. Melt chocolate chips+butter; add to mix w/vanilla & egg. Spoon mix into muffin tin. Bake. http://is.gd/dus2N Notes: The 4-year-old, 7-year-old and I made these together using the recipe from the book Kitchen for Kids by Jennifer A. Low. The book is full of recipes suitable for young people to take the lead on the food prep/cooking/baking...

Jul 16th

2 tags

Roasted vegetables

[Original Tweet] VEGETABLE ROAST: Parboil potatoes, carrots & beets. Bake 20-30 mins at 400°. Boil peas & kale. Plate & serve with gravy. http://is.gd/dphO8 Notes: Farmers Market loot includes the little carrots, beets, and kale. The whole-roasted beets were so sweet they tasted like corn. We just used meatless gravy mix from a packet this time.

Jul 12th

6 tags

Lobster salad with saffron mayo

[Original Tweet] LOBSTER SALAD: Mix mayonnaise, saffron, lemon juice, capers & diced cooked lobster meat, roe & tomalley. Serve on greens. http://is.gd/dgfes Notes: I ate the rest of the lobster first since it takes me forever to extract all the meat from the shells, and saved the tail for this creation. I usually eat lobster whole and plain, with a bit of melted butter, but since this...

Jul 5th