Chicken Meatballs

2 lbs ground Chicken

2 Tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 C Bread Crumbs

2 large Eggs

1/2 Tsp freshly ground Black Peppercorns

2 Tsp Kosher Salt

1 can (750ml) diced Tomatoes

Add all chicken, garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, pepper and salt to a clean dry bowl and mix till well combined.  

Using two soup spoons, form the meatballs into 16 rustic but equal sized balls, each ball should be roughly 2” in diameter. 

Tomato Sauce

1 can (750ml) diced Tomatoes

1 Tsp grated fresh Garlic

1/2 Tsp freshly ground Black Peppercorns

1 Tbsp Kosher Salt

Place all ingredients in a large wide mouth pan with high sides and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.  

Avocado Mash

1 whole Haas Avocado

1/2 Tsp freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

Kosher Salt to taste

freshly ground Black Peppercorns to taste

Place all in a bowl and mash with a fork.  Set aside for sandwich assembly.

Finishing It Up

1 bunch of fresh Spinach roughly chopped

Place meatballs in the simmering tomato sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes or until meatballs are nearly fully cooked.  Make sure to flip the meatballs at the halfway cook point.  

Add spinach on top of the meatballs and cover the pot.  Once the spinach wilts, in a couple minutes, mix all contents of the pot and get ready to assemble the sandwich. 

Get your favourite bun and cut in half.  On the top half of the bun spread 1/4 of the avocado mash.  On then bottom bun add 3 meatballs making sure to scoop up some spinach and a healthy amount of tomato sauce.  Repeat for three more buns to make a total of 4 sandwiches.  The remaining four meatballs can be refrigerated for a late night snack.  

Put the sandwich together and try not to fall asleep right after you eat it.  Hehehe.  

1/2 C diced Bacon

2 1/2 C diced White Onion

2 Tbsp chopped Garlic

1 x 540 mL can Black Eyed Peas (drained and rinsed)

1 Red Finger Chili 

3 C Basmati Rice

1 C Coconut Milk

4 C Chicken Stock

2 lbs boneless skinless Chicken Thighs

1 Tbsp dried Thyme

Kosher Salt for seasoning

freshly ground Black Peppercorns for seasoning 

fresh Purple Basil for finishing

Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper on all sides and set aside in fridge.  

Heat a pot with a lid to medium high heat and add bacon.  Once the bacon begins to brown and has rendered about half of its fat, then add onions and garlic.  Reduce heat to medium and saute for approximately 5 minutes unit the aromatics are beginning to soften and brown slightly.  

Add black eyed peas, chili, rice and mix till everything is well combined.   Make sure to keep the chili intact and not burst, as this is for flavour and not spiciness.  Add coconut milk, stock, chicken, thyme and mix gently until well combined.  Season the whole pot with salt and pepper and mix.  Cover the pot and reduce to low heat.  Cook for 25 minutes or until rice and chicken are fully cooked.  Adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.  

Serve immediately and finish with fresh purple basil.  

Oh yeah, I dare you to not have seconds…or thirds.  🙂

Chive Dumplings 

• 1/4 C Ricotta Whole Milk
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 C Yellow Cornmeal
• 1/4 C chopped fresh Chives
• Vegetable Stock to simmer

Combine ricotta in food processor and process until smooth.  Add beaten egg and season with salt and pepper.  Combine with cornmeal until completely smooth.  Transfer to a clean bowl, add chives and mix.  Let rest for 10 minutes and then form into 4 balls of 46 grams per dumpling.

Bring vegetable stock to the simmer and add dumplings just enough to not crowd the pot.  Once they float allow to simmer for 1 more minute, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reheat for service in a poaching vegetable stock liquid.

Potato Soup

• ½ Tsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 C chopped White Onions
• 2 C diced White Potatoes
• 3 C Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• 4 sprigs of fresh Thyme, including stems
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sweat onions in vegetable oil until translucent.  Add diced potatoes and sauté for 1 minute.  Add stock and thyme and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked roughly 15 mins.

Remove thyme stems from pot and puree in a blender until smooth.  Season to taste.

Arepas

• 1 C Masa Arepa (Pre Cooked Dehydrated Fine Ground Corn)
• 1 1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 1/4 C Water
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

Combine corn flour and salt in a clean stainless bowl, add water and mix till well combined then cover with a

plate. Let dough rest for 20 minutes to allow the water to absorb. Split the dough into 4 equal sized balls

and form each into a hockey puck shape. Have a small bowl of water nearby to help form the pucks, using

the water to smooth any cracks as you go. Let rest another couple minutes to let the surface moisture

absorb.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat a large cast iron pan to medium heat.

Rub both of the flat sides of each formed arepa dough with vegetable oil and place in preheated pan, making

sure to gently press down on each arepa in the pan. Let the arepa cook till medium brown then flip and

repeat, each side should take approximately 5 minutes. Once both sides are browned, place in the oven for

15 minutes to fully cook.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Using a sharp knife, cut the arepa in half

horizontally. Fill the arepa with your favourite fillings, there a few ideas below to get you started.

Arepa Bar Filling Ideas

Folded Omelette with herbs

Your favourite cheese

Deli Meats

Fresh Herbs

Chopped Chilies

Guava Cheese

Avocado

Chicken or Tuna Salad

Your favorite Jam

Grilled / Braised Meats

Chopped Hard Boiled Eggs

Pickled Vegetables

• 3 lbs Pork Shoulder boneless
• 1 Tbs Kosher Salt
• 1 Tbs Crack Black Pepper

Preheat one side of a bbq to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, you will be cooking this recipe over indirect heat so only half of the bbq is needed.

Season pork all over with salt and pepper and place on bbq over indirect heat (or “cold” side of the bbq), cover the bbq and cook for 2 hours.  Remove pork from bbq and tightly wrap in heavy duty foil or double layer of regular foil and return to bbq over indirect heat.  Cook for another 2 hours or until meat is fork tender.

Unwrap meat and place in a brownie pan.  Using two forks, shred the meat into strands making sure to incorporate all the cooking juices.  Cover and keep warm until you are ready to put it together.

Mustard Sauce

• 1/2 C Yellow Mustard
• 1/4 C White Wine Vinegar
• 1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Honey
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

Combine all in a small pot and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 1 minute and set aside till cooled to room temperature.

BBQ Vinegar Sauce

• 1/2 C BBQ Sauce
• 1/2 C Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/8 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/8 Tsp ground Black Pepper

Combine all in a small pot and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 1 minute and set aside till cooled to room temperature.

Putting It Together

• 8 Buns
• 2 Tbsp room temperature Unsalted Butter

Place butter on inside of both sides of all the buns.  Place over direct heat of bbq until the bun is warmed through and they get some grill marks.

Place a healthy portion of pulled pork on the bottom half of bun followed by a healthy portion of your sauce of choice.

For the authentic pulled pork sandwich experience, the dish is just the bun, meat and sauce. If you are looking for a little extra, then garnish with pickles, coleslaw, herbs, and/ or potato chips.  Enjoy.

Orange Glazed Salmon

• 1 1/2 C freshly squeezed Orange Juice
• 1 1/2 lbs skinless Salmon filet
• freshly ground Black Peppercorns to season

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Place orange juice in a small skillet and simmer over low medium heat until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 C total volume, this should take approximately 30 minutes.  

While the orange juice is reducing, trim the belly and back of filet so that you have a rectangular piece of salmon.  Slice salmon into 8 x 1/2” thick slices.  Turn each piece on the side so that largest flat side is up, each piece should be 4” long x 1” wide.  Place sliced salmon onto a parchment lined tray and season with black pepper. 

Roast in oven for 3 minutes then remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.  

Once both are fully cooled, brush on an even layer of orange glaze on top of the salmon and set aside for assembly below.  

Rye Toast Points

• 4 pieces of Dark Rye Bread
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt to season
• freshly ground Black Peppercorns to season

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Remove the crusts of the bread and cut each slice of bread into rectangles that are 4” long x 1” wide.  Place on a parchment lined tray and drizzle evenly with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper and kosher salt.  

Place in oven for 4 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool fully.  

Cilantro Ginger Pesto

• 2 C loosely packed fresh Cilantro
• 1 thumb peeled fresh Ginger
• 1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• pinch of Kosher Salt

Puree all ingredients together in a food processor or blender and set aside. 

Putting It Together

• 24 very thinly sliced pieces of mini cucumbers
• Large flake Maldon Sea Salt for garnish

Spread a thin layer of cilantro ginger pesto on top of rye toast points. 

Using an offset spatula, place glazed salmon on top of the pesto smeared bread.  Add 3 slices of shingled cucumber sliced on top of the salmon and sprinkle with large crystal sea salt.  

Serve immediately.  

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3/4 C finely diced White Onion
• 1 C canned diced Tomatoes
• 1/4 Tsp Paprika
• 2 cloves very thinly sliced Garlic
• 1 1/2 C Jasmine Brown Rice or Brown Rice
• 3 1/4 C Chicken Stock
• 1/2 C Morrocan Olives or Black Olives with pits
• 1 C peeled Pumpkin wedges cut in half, 1/4” thick
• 4 oz Cured Chorizo peeled and sliced to . thickness, cut on the diagonal
• 1/2 C frozen Peas

Preheat a large skillet to medium heat and add oil and onions. Sweat onions until translucent and

softened, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and paprika then simmer for another 3

minutes. Add garlic then rice and stir together. Add chicken stock and stir gently, shake the pan so

that the rice settles flat. Bring to the boil and reduce to a slow simmer.

Evenly distribute pumpkin and olives in the pan and simmer until rice is al dente, approximately 10

minutes. Reduce heat to low and evenly sprinkle peas over the pan and stand the chorizo slices in the

rice, making sure to evenly distribute them in the pan. Cook for 10 minutes or until rice is fully cooked

and chorizo and peas are heated through, serve immediately with lemon wedges.

• 4 large Italian Pork Sausages (about 1.5 lb total)
• 3/4 C shredded Smoked Cheddar
• 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 Tsp finely chopped Jalapeño
• 1 Tsp All-Purpose Flour
• 4 Hot Dog Buns, toasted
• 2 Tbsp melted Butter
• ½ C Baby Arugula

Par-cook the sausages. In a large shallow pan, add sausages and just enough cold water to cover. (If you’re feeling fancy, you could add beer for some extra oomph here. Your call.) Bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes, remove sausages from liquid and set aside. Let cool on a clean foil-lined tray.

Preheat broiler to high and set rack one third from top of oven.

In a small bowl combine smoked cheddar, smoked paprika, jalapeño, and all-purpose flour. Mix well and set aside.

Score cooked sausages in a diagonal cross hatch pattern, about ½ inch deep, without cutting all the way through. The scored marks will spread open slightly as they broil and you want to leave the sausage base intact for best results. Broil on foil-lined tray until surface is golden and hatches open up slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Using kitchen towels, remove the tray from oven and carefully gently press cheese mixture into the pockets you’ve created in the sausages. (Be careful, as both the tray and the sausages will be hot to the touch.) Broil cheese-stuffed sausages for about two minutes, or until cheese is melted, bubbly and has a few crispy edges.

Served hot on toasted, buttered buns with fresh baby arugula.