After posing the question, “what do you want for dinner tonight?”  I’m often filled with regret, for asking, as ultimately, I really enjoy making what I like to eat.  Occasionally we go through this exercise, only to roll back to my wife asking, “well what do YOU want to make”

With that said, however, I’m always happy when she suggests pasta.  So tonight, it’s one of our favourites, whole wheat spaghetti with Italian sausage, fennel and tomatoes.

I always stress to people, the keys to successfully cooking pasta are
a) lots of water and
b) salt your water. 
Can I say it again?  Salt Your Water!! 
How much salt you ask?  Lots! 
Make your pasta water taste like the Mediterranean… Now if you need a frame of reference, this might be a good time to start the Italian vacation plans for next spring.  If this isn’t an option, just make sure the water is salty. 

Bring your water to a boil, add salt and pasta, stir to loosen the strands.  There is no need to oil the water.  If you use lots of water, it won’t stick.  After cooking I drain, rinse very briefly, toss with a little olive oil and reserve.  Don’t soak it in a cold water bath!  If it’s going to sit for a while, I’ll spread it out on a cookie sheet to cool.

For my sauce, I start with hot Italian sausage. Slice the casing and remove.  Cook the sausage
meat as you would ground beef, stirring to break up the large pieces.  Once mostly cooked remove from the pan.

I’m lucky to still have some good “blades” at home.  Most of my knives, including a favourite Grohman, complete with a broken tip, were lost in the fire. That was my first real knife, a gift when I attended cooking school twenty years ago.

I’ve diced  a cup of fennel, ½ Spanish onion and chopped 5 cloves of garlic and 2/3 cup fresh parsley.  Add the onion and fennel to the sausage pan, cook over medium heat until softened.  Add garlic and continue cooking.  If you have a little white wine, throw a splash in now.

I’ll add 1 tsp crushed chilies, 1 tsp freshly cracked pepper and 3 cups of tomato sauce.
Cooked sausage goes  back in to simmer for four or five minutes. 
Finish with the parsley!

Enjoy!
PS. Do let me know how yours turned out, use the comment form below or email me @alan@whitepoint.com!
Chef Alan

It’s Friday, and we’re expecting a few friends over for a quick bite before heading out for the night.  The plan…home made salmon fish and chips.   The reality…the few friends turned into 10, so the fish and chips, which is challenging for a few without a deep fryer, became impossible for 10.  So a quick switch and we opt for Salmon Chowder.

Simple really…finely diced dry cured smoked bacon, cook it until soft, drain about half of the rendered fat.  Add some diced spanish onion and fresh fennel,  cook till tender.  Stir in some fresh thyme leaves, a few table spoons of flour to make a roux with the remaining bacon fat, cook it a few minutes and take off the heat.

While this is cooking I’ve poached some fresh salmon fillets in water with a splash of lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Reserve the poaching liquid ( use as little water as needed to cover the fish)  and use this to boil some cubed, Cecile red skinned potatoes, peel still on.  Cook these till tender, save the water!  This water now has the salmon flavour and a little starch from the cooked potatoes.  It will make a liter of nice fish stock to start the chowder.

Put the bacon, onion, fennel, flour mix back on medium heat and add a small amount of the cooking water, stir to make a paste, add more water, stir, repeat till it’s all in.

I added a liter of 10% coffee cream and 500 ml of whipping cream.  Now you need to cook the chowder to thicken and remove that floury taste ( about 15 min at a simmer).

Adjust the thickness at the end with a little more blend or water.  Season to taste.

I flaked the cooked fish…and for a little added flavour,  added about a cup of thinly sliced smoked salmon. 
A hand full of chopped fresh dill  finished it off.

Hope there will be leftovers for tomorrow!

Dessert was profitteroles from the Super Store that I chocolate dipped and rolled in toasted hazelnuts.

Freshly baked rolls, still warm from Megan, a bottle of lightly singed wine, salvaged from the ashes of White Point, a toast to White Point and the evening was complete. (you’ll have to substitute here with something you enjoy!)

For the first time in 21 years, I find myself without a kitchen!
Now for most Chefs that usually indicates a change of venue, perhaps a sabbatical to pursue other options or a parting of ways with their current employer.  In my case however it was a much more dramatic event that led to my “homelessness”.  I’m looking out as the excavator removes the “well done” contents of, what was, my kitchen.

It’s true what they say about not realizing how much you love something until it’s taken away from you.  Not that I held a great deal of fondness for our old kitchen ( we had an exciting re-model planned for 2012) that’s just some old ovens and stoves. It’s the handling of the produce, cutting the meat, washing the lettuce, placing orders…all the mundane tasks we take little stock in when they’re a part of our routine.  As a chef at a large hotel, you become somewhat separated with the day to day preparation of food.  I have a great staff who took care of most of that.  Nevertheless, the handling of the food has always been, and will continue to be, my greatest joy.  Apart from eating, there is nothing I love to do more than cooking for others.

So, with all that said, I’m going to invite you to follow me as I continue to cook.  This time, at my home.  When my wife and I entertain, people will often ask her if we eat this way often.  To which she replies, not always, but usually.  While that is not totally accurate as I do enjoy the occasional burger and sometimes lunch is peanut butter toast.  I look forward to dinner every night, and feel somewhat cheated if that routine is not there or rushed.

So please accept this invite to “dinner at home” ( please don’t show up at my house though), feel free to follow along and look for our posts.  I can’t promise it will always be an epicurean adventure, but we’ll try to keep it interesting and tasty.

I’ll share something with you hereat least monthly…even more if I can!

Alan

Executive Chef Alan Crosby, White Point