Greens with Wild Rice, Pomegranate seeds, Feta & Walnuts

Keep in mind what I write about Native people is based on my own personal experiences and in no way reflects all Native people. There is always diversity in every community and within families and not all Native tribes eat the same food items. Cree/Ojibwa people are not an agricultural culture so growing and eating vegetables that we see today in grocery stores is not apart of our traditional societies but neither are deep fried, processed foods, as well as refined flour and sugary foods we eat.

When I was teaching in Canada on a Blackfoot reserve I used to buy my lunch at the school but the school lunches were often deep fried and were mainly carbs/starches, and processed meat, and rarely was there a vegetable on the plate. I gained a lot of weight and I was tired by 2pm. When I got home from work I would nap for 1/2 an hour before making supper. Then one semester I ended up teaching CALM-20 its a Health and Career life management class. I knew I was not eating properly I was eating all the wrong foods, I was tired, I had no energy and I was gaining a great deal of weight. Its one thing to know this and still eat in an unhealthy way but its another thing to teach it, I felt like a hypocrite.

I decided I needed a change and I started eating more vegetables both raw and cooked. I tapped into my culinary knowledge that I had ignored and started to make my own sauces and salad dressings. I also started to bring my leftovers from supper or I would make a large salad for lunch. On average I was bringing a salad for lunch 3 days a week. The students and many of my Blackfoot co-workers loved to see what I was going to eat for lunch. The students often commented on my healthy lunches and especially the salads.

I would like to make this salad in this summer when the saskatoons are ripe and replace the feta with goat cheese because wild rice, freshly picked saskatoons and goat cheese with balsamic dressing sounds awesome!

I ate four bowls of this salad for supper!

 Greens with Wild Rice, Pomegranate seeds, Feta & Walnuts 

Pomegranate seeds

chopped walnuts 

wild rice

feta cheese 

Romaine lettuce and some mixed greens

1. Prep ingredients for salad by cooking wild rice. I used half a cup of wild rice and cooked it to package directions and then allow time for the rice to cool. You could cook the wild rice in advance. Next I chopped the romaine lettuce into small bite size pieces and then took a couple of handfuls of mixed greens from a package, and washed and spun dry all the greens. If you bought a whole pomegranate then de-seed the pomegranate. 
2. Place greens in a large bowl and then layer the rest of the ingredients on top of the greens and enjoy. I recommend you use one of your favorite balsamic dressing recipes.  

I used a balsamic dressing and I wanted to post the salad dressing but I made it in hurry, I wanted to make a balsamic syrup but I was inpatient and I ended up mixing the balsamic vinegar with dijon mustard and olive oil, nothing was measured but it turned out great. I will post the recipe soon! 

Coq au Vin

In our Native family tree we do have some French relatives from Eastern Canada. I traced the Pelletier French name to the Normandy region of France, coq au vin did not originate in Normandy, and I would really like to cook a few recipes from that region. Anyhoo I love cooking with wine and I am pretty sure its those recessive French genes. One of my favorite dishes to cook is boeuf bourguignon. I love the richness of slow cooked meat in red wine so cooking coq au vin is a French dish I just have to cook.

Coq au vin originally uses an old rooster or an old chicken that is old and tough. I decided to use organic Cornish game hens. They were smaller than the Tyson raised Cornish game hens, they were also $2.80 a bird so I couldn't resist. Its difficult to find an old rooster and chicken today does not have much flavor. I started using Cornish game hens because they seemed to be more flavourful. I would buy one hen for about $8.00 to $9.00 in Canada for soup. It made enough "chicken" soup for my son and I. When I bought these little beauties I knew I wanted to use them for coq au vin.

Now because I don't drink wine and I have no wine experience I used a cheap bottle of red wine and I will admit I should have selected a decent drinking wine. Next time I would like cook coq au vin with a good white wine, coq au Riesling or coq au champagne.

This is my first attempt cooking coq au vin turned out great. I followed a recipe I found online and I would change the amount of wine and chicken stock used if using game hens. This depends on how thick or thin you like your sauce. I like a thicker sauce so I would less chicken stock.

Coq Au Vin 

3 to 4 Cornish game hens-cut up or use whole or 8 chicken thighs

5 slices of good thick bacon

4 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 onion 

1 stalk of celery

2 cups of red wine

2 cups of chicken stock

1 bay leaf

6 sprigs of thyme 

3 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of flour

8 ounces of button mushrooms

8 ounces of pearl onions 

parsley for garnish

1. Prep all your ingredients. Mince garlic cut up celery and onion. Wash and quarter button mushrooms, remove outer layer of peal onions if they are fresh, if frozen remove from freezer. If you are using game hens you can leave them whole and generously season with salt and pepper or you can cut them up into smaller pieces. 
2. You are going to cook this on the stove so use a good size pot, pan or dutch oven that will hold 3 to 4 game hens or 8 chicken thighs. Cut up and fry the bacon. Once the bacon is cooked remove from the pan and set aside.  
3. Brown the game hens or chicken thighs in the pan you used to cook your bacon, remove game hens/chicken from the pan. Remove all but a couple of tablespoons of baking drippings from the pan. Keep the excess bacon drippings. You are going to combine the bacon drippings with the 2 tablespoons of flour. I didn't combine the flour with the bacon grease. I combined the flour with a bit of water this could have been a mistake of mine)
4. Next, sauté the chopped onion, celery and minced garlic until soft then add in red wine, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste, and cooked bacon. Stir until tomato paste in combined then add game hens/chicken thighs to the pan. Once the liquid comes to a simmer cover and cook for 45 minutes.  
5. After 45 minutes, remove game hens/chicken from the pan, cover and set aside (I took apart the hens with my hands at this stage, they come apart easily). Next, add the pearl onions and mushrooms and the flour mixture to the pan, not all at once to avoid lumps and mix well. Once the mixture is brought back to a simmer and is thickening add the game hens/chicken back into the pan and cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve with chopped parsley. 

Adjustments:

I could not find pearl onions so I ended up using 5 shallots. The recipe also de-glazed the pan with cognac before adding the stock and red wine but we a dry family so I was not going to buy a bottle of cognac so I omitted that step. I would also either omit the celery or add a chopped up carrot to the celery and onions. I like a sauce that thickens on its own therefore, I would only use 1 cup of red wine and by pass the flour mixture (I used flour and water). You can always add the 2nd cup of red wine if you need to during the cooking process and if you want a thicker sauce then use the flour mixture.

Hot Rosemary & Lemon Water

Its been challenging trying to bake at a higher altitude. I attempted to cook fried apple rings but it was an epic failure. Several recipes I made this week were all epic failures.  

I also live with a family that are fussy and suspicious eaters and it has been a challenge for me not only baking at higher altitutes but also cooking for a family that is used to eating highly processed foods.

This week Montana Man needed to buy and haul hay for the horses. I decided to take a break as well and went with him. It had snowed on and off for several days and I wanted to see what the reserve looked like under snow. 

I don't drink enough water and during days like this Montana Man and I always have an insulated cup of coffee. Its great to find an alternative warm drink other than coffee. 

I discovered hot lemon water and infusing water with different herbs when I was detoxing.

I made some rosemary lemon water right before we left to pick up the round bails. I do like working outdoors with Montana Man, it reminds me of my childhood. I spent hours outside during the winter playing in the snow.

I love how I can feel the crisp winter weather on my cheeks and nose and when I take a big gulp of the hot rosemary lemon water it immediately warms up all of my senses. Being outdoors and drinking my hot rosemary lemon water makes up for all my failures in the kitchen. 

Rosemary & Lemon Water 

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemons

honey or agave nectar

6-8 cups of water

(depending on how much of the rosemary lemon water you want)

1. Heat up in a saucepan heat up the 2 cups of water with the 2 sprigs of rosemary. Once the water comes to a boil take the sauce pan with the rosemary off the stove and allow the rosemary to infuse into the water. (room tempature)
2. While the rosemary infuses with the water, freshly squeeze about 3 to 4 lemons or until you have half a cup. (Your making hot lemonade so use as much lemon as you would in cold lemonade)
3. Next, heat up the remaining water pour in the lemon juice and add about 1/4 cup of honey or just sweeten with honey to your tastes. I don't like overly sweeten drinks so I prefer just a hint of sweetness. 
4. Add the rosemary water to the hot lemonade you just made and pour into cups.What you don't drink hot can be cooled at room temperature and put into the fridge to drink cold over ice. 
5. If you don't want to make a pitcher of the rosemary lemon water then just follow step one with just one sprig of rosemary and use the juice 1/2 a lemon with a squeeze of honey. 

Henderson's Beet Root Salad

Every morning this week I have been waking up to a gentle dusting of snow these past few mornings. It finely stopped snowing last night and today the warm western winds arrived warming up the Bearspaw Mountains. We have not gone into town shopping since it started snowing last Friday and we are low in groceries and hay for the horses. While the weather is warm and beautiful we have decided to load up the trailer and go buy some hay, groceries will have to wait until tomorrow. 

 Beetroots if stored properly in the fridge will keep for weeks and since we have beetroots, red cabbage and onions today is the perfect day to make Fergus Henderson's Beet Root Salad. 

Tonight we have planned a simple meal, boiled neckbones, boiled potatoes and beetroot salad. I don't have all the ingredients so I made a few adjustments. 

Beetroot salad is an eye popping salad, the colors of this salad invite you to take a bite and when you do its not only earthy but sweet until you bite into the red onion. It's a great salad to serve those in your family that grew up eating beets. I couldn't help myself, I ate some for lunch! 

Fergus Henderson's Beetroot Salad

2-3 small beetroots

1/2 red onion 

1/4 of red cabbage

salt & pepper

olive oil 

balsamic vinegar 

capers 

creme fraiche

1. Wash and prep all raw vegetables. Peel outer layer of the beetroots and grate. Peel red onion and finely slice only 1/2 of the red onion. Next take 1/4 of the red cabbage and slice thinly. 
2. Combine all raw vegetables and season with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and capers to your tastes. 
3. Let the salad sit for an hour before serving with a spoonful of creme fraishe. 

Adjustments: I used sour cream instead of creme fraiche. I substituted balsamic vinegar with red wine vinegar and half a lemon. I don't like the strong taste of red onions so I soaked the onions in water, I then drained the onions and socked them again in some of the red wine vinegar. 

Chicken Liver Pate

I love liver pate its the only way I will eat liver and I have been wanting to make my own liver pate but never did until now. Turns out the local IGA carries a couple of jewels if your into the odds and bits of the animal and organic chicken livers are just one of the jewels of IGA that I found. 

I downloaded Jennifer McLagan's cookbook, Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal and found a simple and easy recipe for chicken liver pate.  

20 minutes later I had liver pate, wow who knew it was going to be that easy. I mostly followed Jennifer's recipe and the pate turned out to be very tasty.

I am going to confess, I like my store bought liver pate. Its the only pate I have to compare my homemade version to and the homemade version is better. The chicken livers are not overwhelming, there is a slight rosemary flavor, but I think next time I make this recipe I will use white wine. 

Chicken Liver Pate

7 oz of chicken livers

1 shallot

2 sprigs of rosemary

3 tablespoons of Vermouth (I used chicken broth)

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons of either butter/olive oil

1. Prep the chicken livers by patting them dry and slice up the shallots. 
2. In a sauce pan add the 3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil, place the sprigs of rosemary and chopped shallots into the pan. Once the shallots looked cooked but not brown add in livers.
3. Cook livers for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. 
4. Once livers are cooked through, remove rosemary, let the livers and shallots cool down.
5. De glaze pan with either 3 tablespoons of vermouth or chicken broth. Reduce and then add 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar cook for a few seconds.
6. Add the liquid to the chicken livers. 
7. Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree. Refrigerate and take out of refrigerator to soften up before serving. 

Bone Marrow & Poached Eggs

Success! I found some bone marrow. Actually I found some frozen bones labelled dog bones at the local grocery store. I asked the butcher if he had any bone marrow. The man smiled at me and said, "how long do you want them cut?" 2 inch lengths sounds good to me. 

I had already posted Fergus Henderson's recipe for bone marrow, so I didn't want to COOK and POST yet another Fergus Henderson bone marrow recipe and besides that I am not familiar with parsley as an accompaniment with bone marrow.

I also wanted to cook these little bones of deliciousness right away. Then it came to me! Why not have bone marrow for breakfast with eggs! Bone marrow in place of bacon what a way to start the day. 

Now parsley and shallots sound good to me but I could not find any shallots so I replaced the shallots with green onions.  

I was going to bake some bannock to serve with the marrow but Montana Man had ordered and bought some bannock and I was not going to post another woman's bannock, not on my blog. I bought some whole grain bread to go with the marrow and poached eggs. 

I only had one good shot to post but let me say why the hell did I wait so long to combine bone marrow and poached eggs for breakfast? I scooped out the marrow and mixed it in with the yoke of the eggs  with a sprinkle of parsley and green onion, it was the most satisfying breakfast I have had in years. 

Bone Marrow & Poached Eggs

2 inch length bone with marrow

Eggs

whole grain bread or a good loaf of crusty bread 

Flat leaf parsley 

Onions

Sea salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place bones in an oven proof pan. Place in oven and cook for 15 mins. 
2. Clean and chop green onion and a few stalks of flat leaf parsley.
3. Meanwhile, get hot water ready for poached eggs. When the marrow is cooked after 15 mins., cook your eggs and toast a slice of whole wheat bread or a thick slice of crusty bread.

Scoop out the marrow and place it on top of your poached eggs and toast, with a sprinkle of parsley, green onion, and salt and pepper. 

Vietnamese Coffee

When I decide to do something, like start a food blog, I have a tendency to jump right in without much planning and I hope for the best. I wanted to share stories and Native history through food but I decided this weekend that I need to do a bit more research and planning when it comes to this blog. I need recipes. Last night while I was snacking with Montana Man we pulled out a variety of snack foods; liver pate, pickled pigs feet, sweet gherkins, goat cheese, crackers and red grapes. While we finished up the liver pate, pigs feet and crackers the recipes started to flow.

Why don't I make my own pate, pickled pigs feet and crackers? My mother also bakes like a maniac she has a ton of cookie and dessert recipes that she has collected for over 30 years that I can use. The recipes are starting to come together; organ meats, bones, cheap cuts of meat, pig fat, canning, vegetables, snacks, cookies and desserts. What about the wild meat? That is a bit more of a challenge since Montana Man doesn't hunt, at least not this year. Game birds are also a little harder to come by and this is why I have to do more planning and research to see what is available in this area.

But the reading, research and cooking will have to wait a little longer, today I helped Montana Man do a little fence work. I am like a surgical nurse that keeps the tools organized and in one place, then hands over the necessary tools when asked. The day started out warm but quickly dropped temperature when the clouds rolled in, perfect timing. I snuck back into the house and made myself a nice sweet cup of Vietnamese coffee to warm up the cheeks and finger tips before heading back outside. 

Vietnamese Coffee

3 teaspoons of strong coffee

2 tablespoons of sweeten condensed milk

1. In a 12oz coffee cup put 1-2 tablespoons of condensed milk in the cup. 
2. Using a metal filter put 3 teaspoons of either Cafe Du Monde or Trung Nguyen Premium Blend coffee. Screw on metal screen (lightly). 
3. Next place the metal filter over the coffee cup and pour hot water into the filter about 1/4 of the way, wait until water completely disappears then fill to the top with hot water.
4. Once the water is completely gone (if you screwed on the screen to tight you may have to loosen), take the metal filter off, mix and enjoy. You can either drink it hot or pour over ice. 

Note:

If the coffee is too strong add a bit of hot water directly into your coffee cup. I also start out with one tablespoon of condensed milk, but adjust the milk to your liking. You can find these metal filters and the coffee in most Asian grocery stores, I bought mine at T&T in Calgary, Alberta. The filter I bought also came with instructions. 

A Sense of Place

I am in Great Falls today with Montana Man and his kids. Here are some pictures I have taken in 2012-2013 of the Rocky Boy area, Montana Man's horses and Havre. 

Centennial Hill

Rocky Boy, MT

Just over those hills is the Parker School District where I live with Montana Man (Rocky Boy) 

Those are the Sweetgrass Hills on the horizon.