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  • Top 5 Slow Cooked Meat Recipes to Make You Drool

    This for me is the one pro in a sea of cons when it comes to winter: it’s the perfect time for slow cooking . I much prefer any kind of meat – including chicken – slow cooked to melt-in-your-mouth or fall-off-the-bone yumminess, over grilling up a pink, leaky slab’o’steak. Here are my top 5 favourite recipes for slow cooking meats, with some minor provisions (these are also why I’m such good pals with my treadmill -- it’s no diet food, I’ll be honest). Brisket I've an uncle who's a butcher -- uncle Solly, of the late Max and Sons butcher shop in Toronto's Kensington Market -- who makes a killer brisket for the Jewish high holidays. The whole family looks forward to it all year, so once I was able to, I attempted making my own. Brisket is a cut from the cow's breast , beneath the first five ribs. Traditionally thought to be the least desirable as it's the toughest, slow cooking it turns the meat to candy, with a sticky, satisfying flavour that has me hooked. I started out with Bonnie Stern's brisket from Friday Night Dinner , but lately I've been onto Mona's Brisket by Ricardo -- excellent! Chicken Tagine Traditionally a Moroccan dish, I can't say enough to praise the spices -- caraway, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon is just such a beautiful combination. Of course, it takes Michael Smith to turn me onto this ethnic delight, but no matter. I found this recipe because I was looking for new ways to cook chicken thighs , and boy am I glad. My only stray from Michael Smith's Moroccan Chicken Tagine is instead of dates, I use pitted prunes. Pulled Pork Ok, so this is not one of the recipes I turn to on a weekly basis. It's an involved, several-tier-commitment, which, I might add, culminates on a BBQ -- not so winter-friendly. But we do it all the time, and by we, I mean my husband, so I'm ok with winter BBQing. This Jerk Pulled Pork from Matt Dunigan spans two days, involves fussy smoke pouches and soaking wood chips, but believe it or not the end result is sooooo worth it! There's nothing better than a bowl of spicy, saucy, juicy shredded pork shoulder , that in view of my carbophobia I eat like cereal, straight out of the bowl (the recipe is actually for sandwiches). Osso Bucco This is my husband's first love. He credits Osso Bucco -- Northern Italian dish of braised veal shank -- for getting him onto the cooking train. The key to good Osso Bucco is getting the pieces sliced -- they're sliced like pucks off the shank...

  • Michael Smith Brings Together the Food Network Family for a Good Cause

    Chef Michael Smit h’s “aha!” moment occurred not long after his son Gabe was born 6-1/2 years ago. “Everything changed,” he says. “I realized I wasn’t engaged with the real issues of food facing Canadian families.” Smith’s emerging desire to do “things that matter in food” led him to develop the very personal program Chef at Home for the Food Network. Entering its fifth season this fall, Chef at Home is shot, well, at home in PEI and features the gastronomically adventurous Gabe, who is shown in the credits sampling anything and everything Smith makes on the show (no “white food only” for this boy!). But off air, Smith’s desire for engagement led him down another path -- to the Children’s Emergency Foundation. Based in Toronto, the CEF is a national organization that helps provide nutritious meals to 70,000 children each week, through a network of breakfast clubs and lunch programs throughout Canada. Smith stepped up as the CEF’s national spokesperson over two years ago, and on Saturday, August 16th, he was front-and-centre at a bustling fundraiser in Toronto’s Distillery district, billed as “An Evening at the Chefs’ Table with the hosts of the Food Network.” And what a night it was! For one thing, the weather did some charitable giving of its own, and, for a change, in this summer of Toronto’s unrelenting cloudbursts, it actually did not rain. And the star power! It took Smith “just one phone call” to get 20 different Food Network hosts involved in the event: Bob Blumer , Laura Calder , Anthony Sedlak , Lynn Crawford , Matt Dunigan , Sandi Richard and more. I haven’t seen this many network stars all together in one place since we launched the channel back in 2000. As with most foodie fund raisers, the fun lay in grazing through the various stations, situated at this event along the cobblestone pathways of the historic inner city district. It was like a giant cocktail party. The cooks know everyone has to walk, eat and balance a wine glass all at once, so their goal is to deliver small bites with big flavour. For many them that meant a mini sandwich: Lynn Crawford of Restaurant Makeover piled pulled pork and ancho chili mayonnaise onto a cheddar biscuit; Michael Smith’s Maritime take on that notion was a gingery salmon burger, topped with red onion relish on a potato dill roll. And Anthony Sedlak (left) of The...

  • VIDEO: Matt Dunigan on All Things BBQ

    A few weeks back I had a chance to interview Matt Dunigan, the host of Food Network Canada's new BBQ series Road Grill , at a lively meet-and-greet event in Toronto. I asked the formal CFL quarterback about his new show , grilling tips , and I asked him 10 food-related questions . You can watch the 10 Questions with Matt Dunigan below: Watch all three videos are now up in our Get Grilling microsite . It also happens that we picked two of Matt’s recipes for Cooking Club Challenge this month: 1) Grilled Potato Skins with Provolone, Bacon and Sour Cream with 2) Avocado Corn Relish from the Blackened Scallop with Avocado Corn Relish recipe. Be sure to check out the mouth-watering mid-monthly round up and get your submissions in before the end of the month for your chance to win cookbooks. Here's how the Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Challenge works: Make the chosen monthly recipe: Matt Dunigan's Grilled Potato Skins with Provolone, Bacon and Sour Cream with Avocado Corn Relish (see below). Feel free to fol low it to a "T" or add your own creative flair. Email me (blogATfoodtvDOTca or using the contact form ) a picture (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph (100-150 words) before June 30, 2008 for your chance to win prizes. ( See original post for more details ). Do check out past Cooking Club Challenge results . Recipe 1: Grilled Potato Skins with Provolone, Bacon and Sour Cream YIELD: 8 Servings INGREDIENTS 4 x Large russet potatoes washed, skin on 2 tbsp olive oil 2 cups mixed grated cheese provolone and cheddar 1 cup cooked crispy bacon drained and crumbled 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1/2 cup sour cream Salt and pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Preheat BBQ to 325°F (162°C) medium low. Leave two burners on and one burner off. Oil the grill to prevent sticking. Rub potatoes with 1 tablespoon (15ml) of the olive oil and prick all over with a fork. Place potatoes over indirect heat for 40-50 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked. Remove from the grill and cool. Using a sharp serrated knife slice the potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the insides leaving a ½ inch boarder of potato on the skin. Season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with oil paying close attention to the rim of the potato (the ½ inch border). Sprinkle the cheese and bacon equally among the potatoes. Preheat BBQ to medium high heat 375°F (190°C). Oil grill to prevent sticking. Place potato skins cheese side up...

  • 10 Questions with Matt Dunigan

    Last week I told you all about the meet-and-greet event with Matt Dunigan , the host of Food Network Canada's new BBQ series Road Grill . I got a chance to interview him amidst the hustle and the bustle, and we’ll be posting those videos in our Get Grilling microsite . In the meanwhile, here are Matt’s responses to our 10 Questions With... . feature, where we ask our hosts 10 food-related questions. Catherine Jheon: What is your favourite BBQ utensil/gadget? Matt Dunigan: Ziploc bag for marinades. CJ: What ingredients are you excited about these days? MD: Cilantro for the unbelievable smell and the unique taste. CJ: Favourite condiment? MD: I’m a mustard guy. CJ: What do you typically have for breakfast? MD: Fruit, yogurt, cereal, coffee; I’m also a healthy guy. CJ: What would we typically find in your fridge? MD: Everything! I've got three teenagers -- 20, 16 and a 15-year-old. CJ: Hamburger or sushi? MD: Depends on my mood. I can do both and I love both. CJ: Where does your love of BBQ come from? MD: I think it’s in my DNA. As a man, we think what we can kill we can grill. We’re trying to get the ladies in to the grilling so we can do it all together. CJ: I know you grew up in the south, what food reminds you of being a kid? MD: Clams from clam bakes I went with my parents as a kid. CJ: What is your guilty food pleasure? MD: I don’t have many so I’d have to say liquid beverage. I’m a Crown Royal kind of a guy. CJ: What would your last meal on earth be? MD: A killer porterhouse, a little tenderloin and a little strip. I’d put my own special wet rub on it, cook it medium-rare with nice char marks. I’d couple that with killer twice baked potatoes and throw together a cucumber, asparagus salad then kick back and relax with that cool beverage I was talking about and I’m a good to go. For this month’s Cooking Club Challenge, we're making Matt Dunigan’s Grilled Potato Skins with Provolone, Bacon and Sour Cream with and Avocado Corn Relish . Be sure to participate for your chance to win prizes.

  • Huge Turnout for Road Grill Party

    There was music, turkey pastrami, and cheerleaders. Hundreds showed up yesterday in downtown Toronto for the meet-and-greet with Matt Dunigan , the host of Food Network Canada's new BBQ series Road Grill . It was an impressive turnout. Everywhere Matt went, he was mobbed by throngs of autograph seekers. Being a football idiot, I confess I had no idea he was such a big sports legend. I found out that he’s been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#39). If the size of the man’s neck is any indication, I can tell you he must have been one hell of a football player! There was no cooking demo, but we were served pre-made turkey pastrami sandwiches prepared with crushed coriander seeds, chopped garlic, ginger, brown sugar, mustard seeds and Spanish paprika that’s been slow smoked for three hours with hickory wood chips. The turkey was moist and delicious. My only beef was that it was cold, but I’m guessing that had to do with logistics since they were giving away hundreds of sandwiches, 3,100 to be exact! It definitely beat street meat from the nearby hot dog vendors. After the pandemonium died down, I got a chance to interview Matt. He’s just as enthusiastic and excitable in person. He’s a big personality, although smaller than I thought he’d be, being a pro footballer and all. I asked Matt about hosting Road Grill (he told a funny story about having icicles on his body after going down the water slide in three degree Celsius!), foods that remind him of being a kid (clams) and much more. We’ll be posting those videos in our Grilling microsite so be on the look out for that. In the meanwhile he offered these handy BBQ tips: 1. Oil the grill (after you’ve cleaned it) so your food doesn’t stick. 2. When you’re grillin’ you gotta be chillin’ – once you’ve put your food on the grill, leave it alone. 3. Always tent barbecued meat with foil and let it sit so the juices don’t end up all on your plate. (A steak needs 5 – 6 minutes, a whole leg of lamb needs about 30 minutes).
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