Seafood Casserole

Eating the last few days has been intense to say the least. I really should have reviewed each meal individually but I felt with all the people around and the hosts trying their best to make sure everyone had what they needed, the last thing they would have wanted was me in their face with a camera and notepad. So I'll just touch on what we had and finish off with the one that seemed the least disturbing for a photograph and that was oh-so-good. It all started off with an amazing spinach and cheese lasagna that my sister-in-law-to-be Josée made using her mother's special tomato sauce. The next day we ate a heart-warming traditional Christmas dinner (on boxing day) put together by my wonderful husband and his mother. They know how to cook everything to perfection and everyone couldn't help but have seconds! Day 3 consisted of cranberry and brie pastry bites, bacon wrapped bocconcini with a cherry tomato and balsamic, olive oil and pepper glaze to start, followed by a very fun and delicious chinese meat, chicken and mushroom fondue with every dipping sauce known to man, again put together by Josée and served with a couscous salad, rotini salad and ceasar salad. And day 4 wrapped up with the grand finale, my mother's seafood casserole. This casserole is rich not only in taste but also in price. She fills this casserole with massive chunks of lobster, crab, scallops, shrimp and filet of sole. My mother did a wonderful job this year of bringing the maritimes to me. There are two things I miss from New Brunswick, the beaches and the lobster. On day one, I failed to mention above that my mother also brought in 7 market size lobster for us to snack on. She, my husband and I seemed to be the only ones all over it, so we lucked out, and pigged out. As soon as she's back home she'll be sending me the seafood casserole recipe and i'll post it right away. YUMMY!

I'd also like to make mention of some of the wonderful wines and ports we had. Every single one below is worth every penny.

- Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

- Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Riserva 2005 Sangiovese from Italy

- Big House Red 2004 California Red Wine from the Bonny Doon Vineyards

- Lustau East India Solera Sherry from Spain

- Dow Vintage Port 1994

Merry Christmas!

It started at about 4pm yesterday and it's far from over. I just love this time of year for the constant eating of food fit for a king. My husband and mother-in-law spent an evening this week preparing the dishes for our Christmas eve get-together and Christmas morning brunch. 

Last night my husband layed out some gouda with cumin, some parm and Boursin, crackers, garlic stuffed olives, pickled mushrooms, mustard pickles and some homemade nuts and bolts.

A bit later we had some of the world's best curry clam chowder with homemade cheese crackers and soft, warm buns, followed by a delightful veal, pork and beef tourtière and mustard pickles.

Our friend's brought over some yummy marinated fig crostinis with arugula, goat cheese and prosciutto sprinkled with a balsamic reduction.

The next morning we snacked on the smoked salmon, capers, onions and whipped cream cheese with pumpernickel that never made it out the night before. 

And for brunch we had some mimosas, croissants fresh from the oven, bacon and a rich feta and spinach quiche. 

I have no idea what is in store for us this evening. My brother will be serving dinner tonight. I just hope I can digest all the above in time to enjoy the next meal.

Veal, Garlic and Rosemary Agnolotti

Tonight my husband and mother-in-law are spending the evening cooking for tomorrow night's guests. There are many time consuming recipes on the roster and this is not one of them. So to not waste too much time on dinner tonight, my husband pulled together a delightful pasta dish that left me both dazzled and stuffed. He bought the veal, garlic and rosemary agnolotti at La Bottega and combined it with a delicious pesto sauce. Over the top he sprinkled some fresh parm and toasted pine nuts. Magnificent!

Pre-Christmas Brunch

My wonderful friend Teresa had an awesome idea this week. She wanted to get everyone together but as you can imagine, this time of year most evenings are eaten up by some form of party or get-together. So she decided to make brunch for everyone. Genius! The minute we walked in I knew we were in for a feast. The aroma alone had me salivating. I made my way to the kitchen admiring the beautiful colours of fresh cut fruit and frosted shortbread cookies displayed on the table. Mimosa? She offered. As I sipped away at my drink I couldn't help but start on the sweets – before breakfast. Chocolate covered rice krispy squares, melt in your mouth almond bark and of course her heavenly shortbread cookies.


For brunch she served a divine breakfast strata made with sausage and cheese, pan fried potatoes with peppers and onions, turkey bacon, and possibly the best homemade cinnamon buns i've ever had, hot, right out of the oven. The breakfast was excellent, the company even better. Thanks T!

b/Side Wine & Small Plates

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I've been wanting to try this place since before they opened. As soon as they put the sign out saying a small plates restaurant was coming I couldn't wait. I love the idea of small plates – you get to try all kinds of wonderful stuff and it's a more fun and casual way to eat. So to finally shut me up about wanting to eat there, my husband took my mother-in-law and I out tonight. I'd been next door to Benitz once before (it's the same owner and chef). The food was great and the service, well, let's just say it was the best i've ever had in Ottawa. b/Side's was the same, only a bit less fancy and very reasonably priced. I was a bit surprised at the menu. I expected there to be more rare and unique dishes. Why I expected that i'm not sure, but the dishes that they did have were delicious nonetheless. They also have a pretty extensive wine list and offer a lot by the glass. We ordered 6 plates total but 5 would have been more than enough. We started off with tamari and honey roasted quail with wild mushroom fricassee, the arancini which is a duo of stewed red deer filled saffron risotto balls, goat cheese fondue and porcini dust (these two were my absolute favourite dishes), and some calamari with a yummy cucumber dip. Then came the bbq basted baby back ribs, merguez sausage which is a Portuguese spicy lamb sausage and celeriac purée, and finally, a scrumptious linguini vongole with baby clams, sweet peppers and white wine and cream. Everything was delectable. So much so that I overate – big surprise! The price for the small plates range between $5 and $18 and offer quite a bit for a small plate. Definitely a great spot to check out.

www.bsidewine.com

The Whalesbone Oyster House

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This is one of my absolute favourite restaurants. Everything from the food to the service and especially the atmosphere is fabulous. And the best part is that they're about a 5 minute walk from my house. When they first opened I was so excited, until we had the food. The price was high and the food left little to be desired. Josh, the owner, was a great guy and asked us how we enjoyed our meal. We were honest and not long after they had a new chef. When Steve Vardy started working there they took off and became probably the best seafood place in Ottawa. Steve isn't there anymore but the chefs going in and out have been consistently great. On the menu they've got small plates and big plates. We usually start off with oysters but this time we went straight to the small plates. First, Warm Pickled Beef Tongue with smoked tuna aioli, baguette toasts and chives. The beef was so tender and the aioli to die for. Then, my favourite dish, Salt Cured Foie Gras Tart with pickled shallots, smoked chicken and balsamic – absolutely amazing. Our third plate was a Hand Crafted Ricotta Gnudi with crisp sage, lobster cream and chorizo, this one unfortunately wasn't as good as the others, but still good none the less. And last but not least, delicious Fried Fish Cakes with saffron aioli, crackling and white fish caviar. We ate at the bar, it's a very small place so getting a table without a reservation is near impossible. They also turn the tables over a few times in the night, so if your reservation is early you'll have to be out by a certain time. The bar is great tho, the staff is very entertaining and they'll often have oyster shucking contests and crank the tunes from their vinyl library. This is definitely one of my favourite places and a spot I like to go often, even just for drinks. Small plates range from $7.50 to $15 and big plates from $25 to $30.

www.thewhalesbone.com

Gianetto Dip

I'm making a special post to rave about this wonderful dip. My good friend Gina is from Midland and she gave us a container of her family's famous “Gianetto dip”. This dip is absolutely amazing. Made with cottage cheese, mayo, onions, garlic, salt, parsley flakes and paprika, it's enough to have you scarfing down every cracker or raw veggie available. If you're ever in the Midland area, stop by 290 King Street and pick yourself up some of this delectable dip.