G! Eats: Wellington – A Meal Fit for a Duke?

Photography and text by Christina Flemming

It is historically rumoured that the Duke of Wellington didn’t really like food. It wasn’t even like he had to cook; he had a huge kitchen staff working tirelessly to thrill him during every dinner service, but nothing really impressed the velvet socks off him.

The Duke of Wellington, after all, was an important guy. Arthur Wellesley was the leader who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Not everybody’s a foodie, but there were a few things old Arthur liked. He enjoyed beef, he liked mushrooms, and he loved pastry. So his culinary team put them together and created what we like to call Beef Wellington, named after the Duke’s famous victory and said to resemble a polished riding or Wellington boot.

Though most accounts agree on the origin of the dish, it’s important to note that there are disputers. In The New York Times Food Encyclopaedia, Theodora FitzGibbon provides a recipe for “Steig Wellington.” She uses the Irish spelling for steak, claiming that the dish is of Irish origin and that it was merely a favourite of the Duke of Wellington. Incidentally, many years later, the dish was also a fave meal of President Richard Nixon.

Classic Beef Wellington consists of seared beef, brushed with a topping of duxelle (mushroom paste with herbs), wrapped in puff pastry, baked in the oven and served with some type of sauce—commonly Madeira sauce (made with super-sweet Madeira wine). Even if you’ve never ordered your kitchen staff to prepare you a plate of Beef Wellington, you’re likely to have seen Ramsay yelling at his protégés on Hell’s Kitchen for either over or undercooking the Wellington. Bloody Hell!

But why go for beef when you’re surrounded by water?

Two local chefs have created their own twists on the dish. Chef Ilona Daniel, formerly of Daniel Brenan Brickhouse, was recently serving up Atlantic Smoked Salmon Wellington. Even with the beef replaced by flakey smoked salmon and drizzled with a sweet pea veloute, the dish is both heavy and heavenly. As the Brickhouse menu will be changing due to Daniel’s departure and the incorporation of a new chef, we may have to Google our own Smoked Salmon Wellington recipes in the future. Numerous variations exist online, many with Dijon as a main flavouring ingredient.

Halibut Wellington is perhaps even less common than Smoked Salmon Wellington. Islanders can find a recipe for this dish in Charlottetown Chef Paul Lucas’ first book, Prince Edward Island Seafood: Local Fare, Global Flavours (Acorn Press). In a recent interview with The Guardian, Lucas explains that his Halibut Wellington is topped with duxelle and encased in store-bought pastry and eventually topped with cream sauce made of dried mushrooms reduced to a powder with an electric coffee mill. He explains that meatier types of fish, such as halibut, often make nice substitutes for beef. Who says you can’t serve Wellington to your vegetarian friends?

If you are still unable to forsake fresh island beef (quite understandable), it’s easy to get your hands on a recipe for Beef Wellington just the way the Duke liked it. And with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it might be a good time to test your own culinary capabilities…

Christina Flemming is G!’s newest foodie who has recently come to the Island and learned how to shuck oysters and throw enough elbow to get to the front of the crowd of samplers at the International Chowder Championships. She is passionate about food ranging from oatcakes to octopus. She will eat anything at least once, but there are a couple of things she will never eat twice; namely, pig fat and raw sea urchin.   

Photography and text by Christina Flemming It is historically rumoured that the Duke of Wellington didn’t really like food. It wasn’t even like he had to cook; he had a huge kitchen staff working tirelessly to thrill him during every dinner service, but nothing really impressed the velvet socks off him. The Duke of Wellington, [...]

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G! Gets Zesty: What’s for Brinner?

Is there anything better than breakfast for dinner? Bring a little sunny side up to tonight’s dinner menu

By Cory Gallant (aka Zestycook)

Scrambled, boiled, or fried – not your usual dinnertime request, but when you’re cooking breakfast for the last meal of the day, it’s the norm. Finding time in the morning to make a big traditional breakfast is hard to come by, let alone finding the time to savour each tasty morsel. When you want a meal you can really sink your teeth into and enjoy, brinner reigns supreme. As far as I’m concerned, it can’t get to the table fast enough.

What would breakfast for dinner be without its most cherished dietary staple?  For as long as chickens have been laying them, eggs have always been an easy and affordable way for people to get a healthy dose of protein. Plus, there are endless ways to use them when you’re whipping up a brinner menu. Here are two simple egg-inspired dishes that are ready to serve, morning, noon, or night.

Baked French Toast

Crisp on the outside and tender in the middle, this recipe will have you craving French toast any time of day.

What you’ll need:

3 large eggs
2/3 cup of whole milk or whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
6 to 8 slices stale French bread, thickly sliced
1/4 cup of salted butter

 

In a large shallow pan, mix eggs, milk, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Place bread slices in a single layer in the pan and allow to soak up the liquid for 10 minutes; flip, then soak for another 10 minutes (the slices can be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point, if desired).

In another large baking pan, melt butter in a 400°F oven. Transfer the soaked bread onto the hot, heated, buttered pan in a single layer. Drizzle the leftover egg juices on top of the bread slices and bake for 10 minutes. Turn bread slices over and bake for another 10 minutes, or until bread is golden. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Zesty tip: Baking French toast instead of frying it allows every slice to stay hot so everyone gets a nice, hot stack of golden deliciousness.

Quinoa & Kale Crustless Quiche

Quiche is a timeless classic that never gets old. This version is a little different since – tada! – there is no crust. This crustless quiche will have you wondering why you ever needed the pastry in the first place.

 

What you’ll need:

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 bunch of kale, chopped (stems removed)
1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of reduced fat white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of reduced fat feta cheese
4 whole eggs and 3 egg whites
Salt and pepper to taste

 
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9 inch pie dish with butter or baking spray. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.

Thinly slice the onion (I used my food processor). Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook slowly until they’re soft and browned; this will take about 35 minutes. Once golden brown, remove onions from pan, and place in a large mixing bowl.

Clean and chop kale and add it to the hot onion pan; cook until kale is wilted and bright green, or 2 to 5 minutes.

Add the cooked kale, cooked quinoa, garlic, and cheeses to the mixing bowl.  Stir the ingredients so that they are evenly distributed.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg whites. Pour eggs over the quinoa/kale mixture. Stir until the egg mixture clings to the greens. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour mixture in the prepared pie dish. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the pie has started to pull away from the edge of the baking dish.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Zesty fact: Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen wah’) like a grain, but is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach or kale. It’s considered a ‘super food’ because it is high in nutrients, antioxidants and protein. It has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture with a delicious, nutty flavour when cooked. It’s good – try it!

For more tantalizing brinner ideas,such as Breakfast Pizza, Tuscan Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, or Apple Pie Slow Cooker Oatmeal, stop on over to www.zestycook.com. You’ll never look at dinner the same way again!

Take care,

Zesty

Find Cory Gallant aka Zestycook every month in G! for ideas on what to put on your plate and in your belly.

Is there anything better than breakfast for dinner? Bring a little sunny side up to tonight’s dinner menu By Cory Gallant (aka Zestycook) Scrambled, boiled, or fried – not your usual dinnertime request, but when you’re cooking breakfast for the last meal of the day, it’s the norm. Finding time in the morning to make [...]

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G! Gets Zesty: Crank Up the Heat

Give your taste buds a kick in the you-know-what by making it spicy!

By Zestycook Cory Gallant

 
Variety is the spice of life; the same goes for your food life. The world is full of tasty options, so why settle for the same foods and flavours day in and day out? Spice things up – literally!

Those who enjoy a diet rich with spicy foods get more out turning up the heat than just tingly lips. Studies show that people who regularly incorporate spicy foods and hot peppers, such as jalapenos, into their diet have improved sleep patterns, circulation and digestion. Spicy foods have also been known to aid in weight loss and help keep mood swings in check. Not many foods out there can do all that!

Not all spicy foods have to be heat-seeking, blow-your-socks off hot. If you like to live on the mild side, try this recipe for Basil Hummus. It’s like a cross between hummus and pesto and it’s delicious. The Tabasco sauce gives this dish a touch of zest that will make you taste buds take notice.

 

 

Basil Hummus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients
* 1/4 cup of pine nuts
* 2 cups of sweet basil leaves, packed
* 3 cloves of garlic, smashed then minced
* 2 15-ounce cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained*
* 1/4 cup of olive oil
* Up to 1/4 cup of water
* 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
* 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of salt
* Several dashes of Tabasco sauce
* 1 teaspoon of tomato paste

 
Method

Heat the pine nuts in a small skillet on medium to high heat. Stir as they begin to brown. When most of the pine nuts have lightly browned, remove them from the pan into a bowl to cool. You’ll want to reserve a few of the pine nuts for garnish.

In the bowl of a food processor, place the basil leaves and the garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, most of the pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, tomato paste, and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. Pulse several times for several seconds each time until the hummus is smooth. Add more Tabasco and salt or lemon juice to taste. Add water to the point of desired consistency.

To serve, place in a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over top. Sprinkle with a few toasted pine nuts. Serve with pita wedges, crackers, or rustic bread.

Spicy Mushroom Pasta

 

Let’s dial the heat up a little bit. This Spicy Mushroom Pasta takes pasta to the next level of awesomeness. The freshness and bite of the arugula balances with the sweetness of the tomatoes and makes a great base for the heat supplied by the red pepper flakes and jalapeno. The best pairing for this dish is a tall glass of milk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients
* 1 handful of Fettuccine pasta
* 10 -12 mushrooms, chopped
* 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
* 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
* 12 grape tomatoes
* 1/2 cup of white wine
* 1 cup of fresh Arugula
* 2 tablespoons of butter
* 1 teaspoon of olive oil
* salt and pepper to taste
* fresh parmesan cheese to garnish

Method
1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan; salt and add pasta. Cook according to directions and drain.
2. In a large pan, turn on medium heat and add the olive oil and half the butter.  Add mushrooms and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add in red pepper flakes, Jalapeno and cumin. Cook for another 3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 more minutes.
5. With heat still on medium, toss in the white wine and cook down for 1 minute.  Add remaining pat of butter and stir.
6. Toss in the arugula and let wilt for 2 minutes.
7. Add cooked drained pasta and toss gently. Shred parmesan cheese before serving.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you find the sauce a little dry, add a small portion of the reserved pasta water before draining down the sink. This will bring a nice starchy, salty flavour to the sauce and give it a nice balance.

For more ways on how you can spice up your food life, head over to zestycook.com and I’ll show you how to heat things up!

Take care,

Zesty

Give your taste buds a kick in the you-know-what by making it spicy! By Zestycook Cory Gallant   Variety is the spice of life; the same goes for your food life. The world is full of tasty options, so why settle for the same foods and flavours day in and day out? Spice things up [...]

Read more »

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