The Village Cheesemonger - not just cheese.

Salamis, Charcuterie, Proscuittos oh my!


With a meat selection increasing every week - here is a little sampler of what you can put together with products from The Village Cheesmonger in Liberty Village, Toronto.  A-maz-ing.

the best spinach papardelle bolognese you will ever have. ever.

Now, though I do like to keep this blog consistent with my own personal recipe creations - I will not take credit for a dish that is not mine.  Therefore for this recipe blog, I have to give full credit to one of the best Italian Chef's in the world - Mr. Mario Batali.  I have tried some really good bolognese sauces but this one is by FAR the best one.  I'm not kidding, it is a life changing bolognese.  Makes all the rest seem like a second rate knock off of chef boyardee.  it is THAT GOOODDDD!  I was inspired to try this recipe after skimming through the Babbo website (a fabulous NYC restaurant a la Batali) and now, I don't think I will ever be able to go back to another bolognese recipe - try it and you will see.  you will allll seeeee. Layers and layers of flavour

You will need:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 onion (chopped fine)
3 carrots (chopped fine)
4 celery stalks - the mirepoix (chopped fine)
4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
3/4 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground beef
3/4 lb ground veal
Salt and Pepper
2 cups tomato paste
2 cups milk
1 1/3 cup dry white wine
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

 **Note - keep the lid off the pot for all beginning steps until instructed otherwise)

Start with a heavy deep bottom pot (I use my Le Cruset crock pot (a kitchen must-have that I simply could not live without).  Add your olive oil and butter and let it heat up on medium high heat.  Once your butter has completely melted - add your onion, celery, carrots and garlic.  Let cook for 25-30 minutes (do not let them brown).  Next, add your meat and season it with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Cook on a slightly lower hear (medium) stirring a few times for 45 minutes, this will render the fat out of the meat and allow the meat to brown in a very special way creating an amazing layer of flavor. You should start to hear a crackling noise towards the end.  Using a flat bottom wooden spoon, scrape up the bits that have stuck to the bottom - again - creating another layer of flavor.   Now, add your tomato paste and stir.  This will caramelize the sweetness of the tomato flavor.  Let this simmer for 30 minutes.  Add your milk (this will act as a deglaze and pick up more flavor from the pot), let this reduce for 4-5 minutes only.  Add your wine which provides a nice amount of sugar and acidity to the dish - really lower the heat at this point and put the lid on the pot.  Let cook for 1 hour.  Taste for seasoning.

The best way to pair this sauce is with a nice spinach papardelle pasta.  I made some homemade for this dish and it was the perfect pairing.  For a homemade pasta spinach papardelle you will need:

1 tbsp sea salt
1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
5 large eggs


To prepare the spinach, bring some salted water to a boil and set up an ice bath next to the stove.
Blanch the spinach leaves in the boiling water for 45 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately place into the ice bath to cool.  Once cool, use a strainer to squeeze out the excess water. Then place onto a kitchen towel and twist to remove as much moisture as possible.

To make the dough, chop the spinach verrrry finely and then combine it with the eggs in a bowl.  Mix well until smooth. Mound the flour on the countertop and make a well in the center. Add the spinach mixture. Begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the outside edge of the flour to retain the well shape (don’t worry if it looks messy).
When half of the flour has been incorporated, the dough should begin to come together. Start to gently knead the dough with your hands to incorporate the flour. As soon as the dough comes together in a cohesive mass, set it aside. Don't worry, as you may have more than 1 cup of flour that has not been incorporated. Scrape up any dried bits of dough and leftover flour and discard.

Then lightly flour the countertop and continue kneading the dough for about 10 minutes. Dust with a bit of flour, each time the dough sticks to your hands or the counter. Scrape the counter from time to time, just to make sure any dried bits aren’t being incorporated into the dough.

After kneading for about 10 minutes, the dough should be smooth and soft and just a touch tacky, but it should no longer be sticking to your hands or the countertop. Once ready, wrap it in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.  This dough can now passed through a pasta maker to create nice green sheets.  Once you have the sheets, lightly flour and roll the sheet up into a long tube.  Using a knife, cut the pasta horizontally into papardelle noodles about 1 inch thick.

Cook for only 3-4 minutes in salted boiling water.

Combine the fresh pasta with the bolognese sauce and a touch of the starchy pasta water. Add some Parmesan cheese - serve & enjoy!

BLD...nap......BLD.....nap.....

Here's a question.  If you found a restaurant that offered breakfast, lunch, dinner and an abundance of delish alcoholic beveys all under one roof - would it be totally inappropriate to bring a sleeping bag and camp out overnight so you can roll last nights dinner... into the next morning's breaky without the hassle of even going home? I'm thinking this is a fantastic idea - and one I am contemplating doing at Toronto's BLD restaurant.  Why bother going home when you've got one of Toronto's best chefs ready and willing to feed you buttermilk buckwheat pancakes and fresh squeezed orange juice for my morning pick-me-up - maybe a lil foie gras poutine for lunch? yes, please.  Then just finish the day off with short ribs... or maybe the miso black cod... or how about anything on the menu as long as I have a bucket of that blue cheese gnocchi on the side.  Executive Chef, Taylor Quinn takes chances with his dishes and from what i've seen - succeeds every time.  Hubs refers to himself as having a "delicate palate" and his ever so precious taste buds were dancing all night.  

The decor is very chic - top of the line everyyything with a really modern black and white color palate and a touch of pink.  Contemporary feel but still cozy and comfortable.  right up my alley. sexy bar chairs.  I almost stole one.

BLD has been open for breakfast/lunch & dinner (obvi - hence the name) for just over two months now and even has an express counter with fresh daily features.  For more info. visit their website www.bldrestaurant.com

Oh and if anyone is looking for me - I'll be napping in the fetal position with a pillow under a booth waiting for Taylor to feed me my next meal.

xo Chef Natty

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas!

 

Saturday night's dilemma?  Option A: dressing up like a hooker on Halloween and getting elbows smashed into my face squishing through a crowded bar... Option B:  Get drunk at home with my fabulous hubby and have a Mexican fiesta theme night avec a lovely line up of horror flicks.  Option B won the race.

In light of this decision I decided to go all out and make a full out authentic Mexican feast.  Menu consisted of chips with tomatillo salsa to snack on pre-game.  Cervesas. Cornbread. Refried Beans. Mexican rice & of course - the star of the show - Chicken Enchiladasssss! The recipes for everything else are soon to come - but for now - let's master the main event first.

You will need: (makes 8 enchiladas)

2 roasted chickens (fully cooked)
EVOO
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Mexican spice blend
2 small red onions (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 cup canned corn
5 whole green chilies - canned (chopped and seeded)
4 chipotle chilies - canned (minced and seeded)
1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes
8 flour or corn tortillas
4 cups enchilada sauce
3 cups shredded montery jack, manchego and mozzarella cheese
Garnish: cilantro, sour cream & scallions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Using your hands, shred your chicken.  In a large pan, coat it with oil and add your shredded chicken along with your cumin, garlic powder and the Mexican spice blend.  Saute for 2-3 minutes and then remove chicken and set aside.  In the same pan, saute your red onions and garlic until tender.  Add your corn, chilies (both) and stir well.  Add the stewed tomatoes and saute for another minute.  Add the chicken back into the pan and let simmer for 30 minutes.  Taste for salt.

Microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds (this helps make them more pliable).  Coat the bottom of two baking pans (or one large one) with a ladle of enchilada sauce.  In a separate bowl add the rest of your enchilada sauce.  Coat a tortilla with some enchilada sauce and then spoon 1/2 cup of your chicken mixture into it, folding, and then placing it in the pan - seam side down.  Repeat this process for the rest of the tortillas and use the extra enchilada sauce to drizzle over the top of when you are finished assembling them.  Top them with some shredded cheese and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese melts.  Garnish & Serve!

Stay tuned for the rest of the fabulous sides to this amazing Mexican fiesta feast!

xo Chef Natty