Lemon Risotto with Chantrelle Mushrooms, Scallops and Maple Smoked Salmon

Risotto can be intimidating to make for some people. All it takes is patience. Saute in butter  1 and 1/2 cups Arborio rice in a pan over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Stir constantly so the rice will not stick and burn. Slowly add one ladle at a time of chicken stock (total of approximately 4 cups) until mostly absorbed. 

Once the rice is almost finished absorbing the stock, feel free to add lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh herbs, frozen peas etc., and cook a few minutes longer. We topped the risotto with scallops, maple smoked salmon pieces and parmesan pieces.

Shrimp Green Curry with Tandoori Roasted Cauliflower

Green curry paste mixed with a can of coconut milk is a great base for nay curry recipe. Simply add vegetables and tofu, seafood, beef or chicken and the result is impressive. The coconut milk adds a creamy buttery texture to the broth. Be careful when adding curry paste because an amount as small as an extra teaspoon can add quite a bit of spice.

A very simple and delicious side dish is roasted cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower in florets, mix in a bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil and add any spice you like. We like to add curry and tandoori. Once the cauliflower is coated with the oil, place the pieces on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil and bake for about 12 minutes. For extra crunch, bake at broil and extra minute or 2.

Octopus Okonomiyaki

The recipe for Okonomiyaki can be found in our blog entry dated March 15, 2012 (simply click on the “Japanese” label below and it will take you to the recipe. It’s basically a mix of cabbage, flour and egg, cooked in a pan for about 5 minutes per side. Top it with Japanese mayo, hoisin sauce and anything else you like. We like to add roasted octopus, smoked salmon and roasted vegetables. We discovered a restaurant/fish market called La Sirène de la Mer (114, av Dresden, Mont-Royal) which has a poissonnerie inside the restaurant. 

People who eat at the restaurant can select the seafood they want directly from the market. We ordered half a pound of octopus “to go” and they cooked it for us on the spot. We are definitely going back for dinner at the restaurant.

Chocolate Meringue French Toast

If you are making French toast with egg whites, why not make them with chocolate meringue? 

Fluff the egg whites and add vanilla extract, cocoa powder and sugar. Dip the pieces of bread in the meringue mix and cook in a hot pan until crispy but not too hard. We like to have it with maple syrup and fruit. Easy and tasty!

Thanksgiving Leftover Okonomiyaki

We love Okonomiyaki so much that we made it with thanksgiving leftovers we had frozen. The mixture included turkey, stuffing, broccoli and we added pieces of peach. Strange mix but it was amazing!