Potato Salad with Bacon and Barbecue Sauce

Serves 10 to 12 as an appetizer

• 4 pounds small red or yukon potatoes
• 1/2 cup lean bacon, preferably applewood-smoked
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/3 cup mayonaise
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large pot, cover the potatoes with salted water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook until fork tender, about 30 to 35 minutes. Drain the potatoes, rinse under cold running water, and cut into quarters. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, about 5 or 6 minutes. (You don’t need any additional oil, as the bacon will provide enough oil for itself for cooking.) Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Finely dice the bacon once it is cool enough to handle.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce, mayonaise, mustard, and vinegar. Pour the mixture over the potatoes and carefully fold until well-mixed. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes so the potatoes absorb the dressing.
4. Carefully mix in the shallots, bacon, parsley, and tarragon. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything once more and serve.

Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles

Prep Time 5 Minutes Cook Time 15 Minutes

Servings 8
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1 pound Pasta (fettuccine, Linguine, Angel Hair)
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• ¼ cups Finely Minced Parsley
• 1 whole Lemon
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
  
  Preparation Instructions
  Cook the noodles according to package instructions. (If using angel hair, stop just short of the al dente stage.) Drain and set aside.
  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the cooked pasta and cook it around in the butter for a couple of minutes so that a few of the noodles get a little bit of a panfried texture to them, whatever that means.
  Zest the lemon. Squeeze in the juice, then add the zest of half the lemon.
  Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss around and serve. Yum!
  

Fish tacos

Recipe summar

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes 
Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

Spicy Avocado Lime Cream

4 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped

2 cups plain thick yogurt or sour cream

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, chopped

A few drops of green Tabasco sauce, to taste

A handful of cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper

Pico De Gallo

2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped

1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 onion, minced

Juice of 1 lime

A handful of cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Fish

450 grams haddock fillets, cut into large cubes

1 cup of flour for dredging

Canola or peanut oil for frying

Beer Batter

2 cups flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups beer (2 bottles of beer)

Salt and pepper

Serving

Homemade tortillas (refer to Chuck’s recipe)

Green chili sauce (refer to Chuck’s recipe)

Iceberg lettuce, finely shredded

Directions

Spicy Avocado Lime Cream

Using a food processor, mix all the ingredients together. Keep in the refrigerator.

Pico De Gallo

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients. Keep in the refrigerator.

Fish

Heat oil in deep fryer to 180 C (350 F).

Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter and fry for 1-½ minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

Beer Batter

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Next, quickly stir eggs and beer into flour mixture (don't worry if there are a few lumps).

Serving

Spread Avocado Lime Cream on a homemade tortilla (see Chuck’s recipe) and place 3 pieces of fried fish on top. Add shredded iceberg lettuce and garnish with Pico de Gallo and Spicy Green Chili Sauce (see Chuck’s recipes).

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas, Feta and Apples

1 cup quinoa, rinsed in a fine sieve
1/4 cup golden or sultana raisins
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
a big handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta (or as much as you want)
1 tart-ish apple, chopped
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or almonds

Dressing:
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. curry paste or powder

Cook 1 cup quinoa according to package directions; dump into a wide salad bowl and set aside to cool. (Tip: add the raisins as it cools – the raisins will plump up as they absorb any excess moisture.) Add the chickpeas, parsley, feta and apple and drizzle with dressing. (To make the dressing: shake all the ingredients up in a jar.) Toss, then sprinkle with toasted walnuts or almonds right before serving.
Serves 4.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 ounces rice vermicelli
• 8 rice wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)
• 8 large cooked shrimp - peeled, deveined and cut in half
• 1 1/3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 leaves lettuce, chopped
•  
• 4 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
•  
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts

Directions

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
4. In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.
5. Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures.

Slow-Baked Salmon

2 tbsp (30 mL) each: honey, whole-grain or other mustard
1 tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce
1 tsp (5 mL) hot sauce (I use green tabasco)
4 centre-cut salmon fillets (each about 6 oz/175 g), skinned, patted dry

In small bowl, whisk together honey, mustard, soy and hot sauce.

Arrange fillets in lightly oiled roasting pan. Spread honey mixture
evenly over each piece. Bake in preheated 225F (110C) oven until
salmon is cooked through and opaque but still juicy, about 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Crostini with Prosciutto, Figs, and Mint

Epicurious  | February 2006

By Jamie Oliver

• 1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
• Good-quality extra virgin olive oil

• 6 large ripe figs
• 12 slices of prosciutto
• Small bunch of fresh mint
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper

Grill your slices of ciabatta. While they're still hot, rub them gently with the cut side of the garlic and drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Tear the figs in half, then drape a piece of prosciutto over each of your hot crostini and squash a piece of a fig on top. Finish with mint leaves and serve drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil, a drop of balsamic vinegar, and some freshly ground black pepper.