BEST SOUP IN TORONTO

Left-Over Braised Brisket Sammy

On Jewish holidays, we don't have turkey and cranberry sauce. But people have been known to ohh and ahh when the Brisket is pulled out of the oven. In my family, like all proper Jews, we always end up with far too much food, so I have created a riff on that OTHER holiday sandwich.
To Make the Brisket
2-pound brisket
2 tbs all-spice
1 tbs cumin
.5 tsp ground cardamom
.4 tsp ground ginger
2 large white onions, chopped
4 medium carrots, cut into 1"-thick half moons
4 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 whole garlic cloves
.5 cup red wine you would drink
2 cups chicken, beef or veg stock
2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Season meat with salt and pepper. Mix all the spices together and give your meat a dry rub (this should ideally be done the night before). Make sure to really massage the meat, working the spice blend all over. Heat the olive oil in your dutch oven until the oil is shimmering. Brown the brisket on all sides, which helps to lock the flavor. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the rest of your veggies until soft and then add red wine to deglaze the pan, meaning that with the help of the liquid and your wooden spoon, you remove all the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Those have the most flavor, so you want them in your sauce. Cook until the alcohol aroma has left the wine, and then add your meat and stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for as long as possible (6 hours is not too much, it is practically impossible to overcook this puppy.) Serve hot with all the fixings (tzimis, horseradish, fish, salad, ect). Reserve braising jus as well as leftover meat, they may come in handy.
Left over Sandwich
1 large white onion, julienne
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup pulled left-over brisket
1/2 cup left-over braising jus
1 tbs of any condiment of your choice (mustard, mayo, whatever) 1 tsp freshly grated horseradish
Any fresh, delicious country bread
Salt to taste
Heat Add olive oil to a small pot and heat until shimmering. Add onions and let them get brown and crispy. Add salt, reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Heat up a ladle of the remaining jus in a pan, until it is bubbling. Add the leftover brisket and cook until warmed through. put onto bread with condiment, fresh horseradish, and caramelized onions. Zei Gezunt.
Photo and Food Styling by Reena Newman

Daily Round-Up

1. Sadly, two Ossington Strip staples have closed down. La bar a Soup and the Get Real Cafe, both of which were there long before the hipsters showed up, just couldn't compete with the massive amounts of competition that showed up over night.

2. Wine trends are really funny when you work as a server. Last year, everyone ordered Shiraz without even glancing at the menu. This year, Malbec has taken over. And just wait, I bet in 2011 Merlot and Chardonnay will come full circle. Here is an article about wine trends of the last 10 years.

Watch me cook

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Round-Up

Today's food news.
1. A wine that goes well with video games. Natch. If you only knew the hours I have spent in EB Games over the years...
http://www.thestar.com/living/article/736093--wine-that-goes-well-with-game-especially-video-game

2. The hot chocolate I just drank is making me feel a little bit sick. It's a slow food day, alright?

3. I really liked this article, but maybe it's because I had a 10 course meal cooked for me by Daniel Boulud last year.

4. enRoute's 10 best new restaurants in Canada. I don't believe the one in Ottawa is really in the top 10, I just think they had to expand their picks beyond Montreal and Toronto.
http://enroute.aircanada.com/en/articles/canada-best-new-restaurants-2009/page:3

Azura Lamb Eggplant

Food Photography and Styling by Reena Newman.

On a recent trip to Israel, I had the best meal of my life at Azura, a tiny Iraqi restaurant in the Machane Yehuda. I recreated my favorite dish.
Enjoy!







1 large eggplant
.5 lbs ground beef
.5 lbs ground lamb
.5 onion, diced
1/4 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds
.5 pomegranate, seeded
2 tbs coarsely chopped parsley
2 tbs toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Tahini
2 cloves minced garlic
lemon from 2 lemons
1/2 cup of tahini
1/4 cup water
1 tsp coarsely chopped parsley

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place eggplant on a lined baking sheet and puncture holes with a sharp knife, so the eggplant doesn't explode in the over.
Cook the eggplant for 25 minutes or until completely soft on the inside and the outer skin is shriveled.
When the eggplant has cooled, cut it in half length-wise. Use a sharp knife and make sure that the stem is still on, just because it looks nicer. Scoop out the insides, so the eggplant skin acts as a bowl for you meat mixture.
Make the Tahini by adding the sesame paste to the garlic and lemon juice and whisk. It will start to separate, the acidity of the lemon reacts to the high fat content of the paste, so slowly add water until its at your desired consistency. Remember that you want to pour it over top two eggplant halves, so you want it to be a little bit runny. Add parsley.
Mix lamb and beef together and add spices. Heat a pan over medium high and add onions. Cook until translucent and add meat. Cook the meat for 5 or 6 minutes, until its no longer red in the center. If you like, add some of the eggplant meat you scooped out earlier and cook for 1 minute.
Scoop into your skins, top with tahini, pomegranite seeds, pine nuts and fresh parsley.
Enjoy.

How to Cut an Onion. Properly.

Daily Round-Up

Hey everyone, trying to file a few stories by end of day, but thought you might like to know what's going on in the food world today.

1. Montreal Chef wins Gold Metal Plate Competition (globeandmail.com)

2. This restaurant used to be homed in a very multi-cultural food court in the middle of nowhere (all I can remember is a very long bus ride from Downsview station). But they have to have a new location, will let you know what I think once Lea and I go there.

3. If you have ever met me, you know I love to drink. That is why I love this slideshow. End of story. On a side note, in New York City, hot buttered rum was all the rage last year. Why can't we get our act together and get some good bartenders in this city?

4. How to eat a chicken wing, properly (youtube.com)

Daily Round-UP

None of this applies to me and my experiences serving, but this article 'aint bad. For Readers Digest...

Montreal is considered cool everywhere, even NYC.

I really want to try this recipe, who wants to have burgers at my place?

This is interesting. Genetically modified rice...

Was bashing one of The RD's former chef's really necessary Mrs. Kates?

Chill Out

Wow, a Daniel Craig Popsicle. This summer Del Monte is releasing this frozen treat that is meant to replicate the scene where Craig emerges from the water as 007 in the film Casino Royal.

NEW BLOG

Holy Moly has it been a while.
Well, I'm back and ready to blog.
Tune in later today for some fun recipes and food news, and check out my new blog (restogossipto.blogspot.com).

Without Friends Like These

I would not eat so well! Thanks Cheryl for making this incredible Cassoulet that tasted as good as it looks.

Blubber

So, I'm getting really fat, and what girl likes to put on the pounds alone. So here are some ideas to help you pack it on for this cold snap.
Thanks Nick!

Another One Bites the Dust

Tablaa Wine Bar, 2711 Yonge Street, has always been a bit of a mystery. An Indian restaurant with over 1,000 wines on the menu, Tablaa's huge dining room was hard to fill on even the busiest night. So, is it a suprise that an employee went to work last week to find the door padlocked? When he tried to call his boss, the owners cell had been disconnected, making the server extremely nervous because of all the money he is owed.

Sorry, out of eggs

Foodies take note. Mika Bareket has opened a store that looks small, but will have you browsing and chatting for hours. Good Egg, 267 Augusta Ave. in Kensington Market, is a cookbook store with a twist. A perfect book selection and an array of La Creuset cookware are just some of the things worth checking out. The former manager of Type Bookstore, Bareket has a great sense of style, food and selection. Plus, she gives a shout out to my parents former restaurant, Licken Chicken, where she spent a good deal of her childhood. 

goodegg.ca

Un Petit Probleme

Although a hipster hotspot the moment it opened, turns out the food at Le Petit Castor just doesn't add up. The Star's Corey Mintz doesn't trash the staff enough (they are rude, I was at a party with one of the pop tarts who works the floor) but basically calls the food awful. Owner Luke McCann is a former journalist and founder of Urban Supper Club, and his years of schmoozing has got people coming in hoards. This makes it the new place to be, but they have to do something about that food.

Blind Item

What notorious Toronto chef bought an entire cow from a local farmer, divvied it up into garbage bags, stuffed in the walk-in freezer and forget about it, only to put 90-day aged beef burgers on the menu a few months later.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!

How Cute is This?

In Japan, you can say I love you with a Bento. This season, pack a lunch worthy of your honey, like this Super Mario Classic here. 

For more, check out Flickr or Face Food: The Visual Creativity of Japanese Bento Boxes by Christopher D. Saylers.

When things go bad...

This is helpful for a condiment lover like myself.

Back in the Saddle

After a long week of working at my real writing job, I can get back to doing this...

Cookstr.com is a new site that features recipes from celebrity chefs and cookbook authors alike, with full bio pages that feature famous fact, recipes and cookbooks from superstars like Daniel Boulud and Claudia Roden. My favorite feature is that you can search for a recipe by cost, skill level, total time, mood, method and dietary consideration.