Cooking Club - Local, Seasonal Food

It is almost every chef's mantra to use the best quality, local and seasonal ingredients in their cooking. Our group of amateur cooking club members decided to join them in this.

Our menu included:

Imogen - Tomato "Burgers"

Tomatoes from Essex County are simply the best

and are only enhanced with basil right from the garden.

Danielle - Cumin Scented Beet Latkes with Canadian Horseradish Goat Cheese &

Carrot Latkes with Gingered Michigan Applesauce

Beets and carrots from the backyard, doesn't get more local than that.

Dana - Pasta with Five Fresh Herbs

Rosemary - Roast Pork Stuffed with Chestnuts and Apple

The ingredients were very seasonal, maybe not so local.

Jillian - Roasted Fingerlings with Red and Yellow Piperade

Melanie - Fabulous Fall Fruit Crisp

All of this was served with Walkerville Brewery beer and Pelee Island wines.

Food Network Canada Articles

Over the weekend, Food Network Canada's blog posted two of my most recent articles on Essex County Wineries and The Chatham Street Grill. Check them out!

It's all about the food.

Food is the name of the game lately, though it probably always has been. In the past month my husband and I have indulged in quite a few culinary experiences, besides the cooking class and cooking club meeting I mentioned in previous posts.

They have included:

* going on a wine tour of Essex County (article to be posted soon on Food Network Canada)

* eating out at Lighthouse Cove Inn (not bad for fresh perch, better for the view), Caldwell's Grant (great alligator!) and Cafe Muse (grilled cheese really is one of the best)

* making some of the best Muttar Paneer I have ever tasted (see below)

* planting a large vegetable garden

* having a Victoria Day Party that included Sweet Potato and Yam Chips with Honey Blue Cheese Dip

The Best Muttar Paneer

1/4 c butter

8 ounces paneer, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

large piece ginger, minced

1 t salt

1 t each of turmeric, garam masala, coriander seed, cumin, chili powder

2 c frozen peas

1 large tomato, chopped

1 cup vegetable stock

1/2 c low fat sour cream

Heat the butter in a large skillet and add the paneer cubes, in 2 batches, and fry until they are golden. Remove the golden cubes to a double thickness of kitchen towel.

Leave 1-2 T of butter in the pan. Fry the onion, garlic cloves, and ginger gently for about 5 minutes with a sprinkling of salt. Stir in the spices and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the still frozen peas.
Add the tomatoes and the vegetable stock over the contents of the pan. Stir again and turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, tasting to check that the peas are tender. Add the paneer and the sour cream and cook for another 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Serve with fresh pita.