York and Chapel’s Taste of the Holidays

Phil McFadden

Copy Director

The Holidays are almost here. Time for all your favorite family dishes.

To fire-up that Holiday appetite, we asked our resident foodies to share with us their favourite Holiday dishes. 

We were going to base this on the 12 days of Christmas song, but no one could figure out what type of wine to serve with a turtle dove.  

Now, without further distraction, here’s the best of the York & Chapel Holiday Cookbook.

Nicole Beckmann’s Sockeye Salmon and Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of mini peppers
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• Chilli flakes
• Herb spices
• ½ cups of crumbled feta cheese
• 3 cloves of garlic
• ⅓ cup of mayo
• 2 tbsp of chopped fresh dill
• 3 tbsp of mayo
• 1 juicy lemon
• 1 whole salmon

Directions for Stuffed Mini Peppers:

1. Cut off the top of the pepper and deseed the inside.
2. Season them with salt, pepper, and olive oil then throw them in the oven for about 8 mins or until soft.
3. In the meantime, pour yourself a glass of wine.
4. Next, in a medium sized bowl you crumble the feta cheese and add chilli flakes, garlic salt, herbs, and a dash of olive oil.
5. Take the peppers out of the oven, and stuff them with the feta, the more cheese the better.
6. Toss them back into the oven and wait for the cheese to warm up and melt.

Directions for BBQ Whole Sockeye Salmon:

1. In a bowl, mix three cloves of minced garlic, with 2/3 of mayo, and fresh dill.
2. Spread a thick layer of the delicious mayo mix in the inside of the salmon.
3. Place thinly chopped lemon on top of the mayo.
4. Wrap the entire salmon in aluminum foil and place on the bbq for about 20 mins or until flaky and juicy.

Jim Kamp’s Risotto alla Zucca

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 3 big handfuls (about 3 cups or 400 grams) pumpkin
• 6 cups of chicken stock (or substitute vegetable stock)
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3 fresh sage leaves
• ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a deep pot over medium heat, add the shallot and a little salt and pepper. Sweat shallot for about 10 minutes (without browning it).
2. Next, add the pumpkin with a few tablespoons of the stock and cook them slowly until tender. Then, raise the heat, add the rice and 2 of the 3 sage leaves and saute for a few minutes. Add the wine and let it cook out. Stir constantly.
3. In a separate pot, heat the stock to almost boiling. Ladle in the stock a little at a time until it is completely absorbed. Continue adding the stock until the rice is al dente (keep stirring!).
4. Turn off the heat, add a few handfuls of the Parmigiano.
5. Garnish with some toasted pumpkin seeds and a bit of the third sage leaf.
6. Pairs nicely with Prosecco, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, or a nice Chardonnay.

Lisa Chong’s Charred Brussel Sprouts with Crispy Bacon

Ingredients:

• 24 small brussels sprouts
• 1/2 pack bacon (try to pick less fat)
• 1/4 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/8 lemon (wedge)
• black pepper and salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons of water or white wine

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Prepare the brussel sprout mixture and put it in a mixing bowl: Wash, clean, and cut the brussels sprouts in half. Dice the onion into 1/4 inch dice. Mince the garlic.
3. Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4 inch strips and put the strips into a heated pot/saute pan.
4. Over med-high heat, saute the bacon until the fat is rendered. Brown it, but until it is just-under super crispy.
5. Pour the bacon including a bit of the rendered fat (if you dare!) over the brussel sprout mixture. Leave the heat element on.
6. Put the pot/saute pan back onto the stove top and pour in water or white wine to “deglaze” the pot. In other words, scrape up the bits of bacon stuck to the bottom of the pot.
7. Pour the deglazed liquid over the bacon and brussel sprout mixture and turn off stove top.
8. Toss the mixture well and pour onto a baking sheet.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
10. To get that char going, turn your oven setting to broil for an additional 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on the brussel sprouts to keep them from burning too much!
11. To serve, add salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon to taste. For extra flavour, add in optional toppings: olive oil drizzle or shaved parmesan cheese.

Abby Lupoff’s Family Gravlax

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs (skin on) salmon filet
• ¼ cup vodka
• ⅓ cup fine sea salt
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• ½ cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 large glass baking dish
• Plastic wrap

Directions:

1. Cut your salmon filet in half widthwise and rinse thoroughly, then pat dry. Use tweezers or a fork to remove any bones. Place salmon on a dish or any other vessel and drizzle the vodka over both pieces, face up. Let the salmon bask in its drunken state until later. (Optional: pour yourself a little vodka, don’t let your friend drink alone.)
2. Mix sugar, salt and pepper on a plate and divide into 3 even piles- this is your curing mixture for the fish.
3. Sprinkle a third of the chopped dill evenly over the bottom of the baking dish, then top evenly with one of the piles of your curing mixture.
4. Then lay one of the filet pieces, skin side down onto the baking dish, then sprinkle half of the next pile of the curing mixture onto the fish – then sprinkle a third of the dill – then the other half of that pile – and sandwich the other filet piece skin side up on top.
5. Sprinkle the remaining curing mixture and then dill to the skin of the top piece of filet.
6. Fix a sheet of plastic wrap to the top of your curing fish stack and tuck in the sides around the fish in the baking dish. Then put a plate or cutting board, smaller than the perimeter of the baking dish on top of the plastic wrap, and top with a few canned food items. (I usually do a small cutting board and 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes) This will help the curing process and release excess moisture from the fish.
7. Put your fish dish into the fridge and let it chill for the next 12 hours. Take out after 12 hours and gently pour out any liquid at the bottom of the dish. Repeat this process 2 more times.
8. After 48 hours, you may release your filleted friends from their chilling purgatory and rinse them well under cold water, then pat dry. When serving, slice on the bias. I like to eat mine with Maille whole grain mustard or with a bagel and cream cheese!

Jessica Nickel’s Family Rouladen

Ingredients:

• 8 slices round steak, cut ¼ inch thick (a butcher should know if you ask for Rouladen slices)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Prepared Mustard
• 1 large onion, diced fine
• 8 slices of bacon, chopped and cooked into bits (save bacon drippings)
• 8 small size dill pickles (larger pickles can be cut smaller)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ to ½ cup milk (depending on desired thickness of gravy)
• ⅛ tsp prepared mustard
• 1 heaping tablespoon of sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Fry bacon in an oven safe pot, leaving the drippings at the bottom.
3. Spread steak out in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread with prepared mustard to taste. Sprinkle diced onion and cooked bacon bits evenly over the entire meat surface. Add pickle to one end of the meat (if pickle is too large and sticks out over the edges, cut smaller so it fits). Roll the meat, starting from the pickle end, and secure with toothpicks.
4. Once all meat rolls have been assembled, brown them on all sides in the pot with saved bacon drippings. Set the browned rolls aside.
5. To the pot, add quartered onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots, and cook for another five minutes. Add in the broth and bay leaf, making sure to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the rolls back into the pan with the broth.
6. Cook in the oven covered 1 ½ to 2 hours, until meat is tender. Add more broth if necessary.
7. Carefully remove cooked rolls to a serving plater and cover with foil while making gravy. Strain liquid from the pot and set aside.
8. In a small bowl, mix together flour, milk, mustard and sour cream. Heat the strained liquid in a saucepan. Once hot, gradually add the flour mixture until well combined. Heat until bubbling and thickened. Transfer to a gravy boat.
9. Serve the Rouladen with mashed potatoes and your favourite veggies. And don’t forget to cover that thing in as much gravy as you want.

Aisha Agivetoga’s Simple Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium cucumber, chopped
• 1 medium red and orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple/red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. To cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa, add water and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine the cucumber, bell pepper, and parsley. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
4. Add a serving bowl to the quinoa, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined.