Smoked Ribs with Cornbread and Grilled Peaches

It poured rain all day long yesterday so a heavy, comforting meal was the perfect way to remove the lingering chill. My husband made one of his many specialties, smoked ribs. I've raved about these ribs before so I won't bore you with the details. But if you haven't seen the post, I highly recommend checking it out. He makes the most amazing rub and then smoking them on top of that is just the best! They were still as good (if not better) last night as they were first time he served them to me.

My friend Zoya wanted to contribute to the meal as well. She knew that cornbread was often served with ribs, so we searched for a relatively simple recipe. We ended up finding a VERY easy one on epicurious.com, and it went beautifully with the ribs. If you read the reviews for this recipe, most people added more cream corn, so we did as well and it turned out great. We also added some chopped fresh jalapeno and a bit of maple syrup. Yummy! I think this now has to become a regular with the ribs going forward. In additon, my husband made mouthwatering garlic mashed potatoes, carrots and beans sprinkled with lemon juice, butter and salt. We were so stuffed, we could barely sit up in our chairs.


We waited a bit before moving onto the final course, a decadent dessert of grilled peaches topped with mascarpone and a balsamic drizzle. A few nights ago my husband threw some peaches on the bbq and served them to me dripping with maple syrup and cream. My reaction to the dessert inspired the one he made last night. Super easy but so impressive. My mouth is still watering.

And what would an evening such as this be without the right wine. We sipped on quite a few. All worth mentioning.


Zoya and Marc brought this delicious 2004 Rioja, La Montesa.


Leftover from the night before, we had a few sips left of yet another fantastic Rioja, 2005 Muga.


Currently my favourite wine, and mentioned in a previous post, the Robertson Winery Wolfkloof Shiraz from South Africa. And last but definitely not least, Deakin Estate's Australian Victoria Shiraz.

Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata

I (yes me!) made breakfast this morning. My husband was still in bed. And it actually turned out great. I picked this recipe off the epicurious.com site. When I cook (rare I know), I pretty much always get my recipes from there. They're so clear, you can easily do detailed searches, and the reviews that come with all of them are so helpful.

This frittata is fun because it's made in a small dish rather than a big pan, which is just a bit different than the norm. The sun-dried tomato is so yummy and overall, just a really easy recipe. Perfect for me. I served these little frittatas with some toasted Art-is-in garlic and rosemary bread.

Cheese, Rillettes and Terrine

Our friends Zoya and Marc are here for the weekend. It's always a pretty big food fest when they come or when we go there. They enjoy food as much as we do so it makes revolving the weekend around eating so worth it. I didn't want my husband (or I) to be stuck in the kitchen last night though. I actually thought going to Murray Street and nibbling off their charcuterie menu would be nice. But we're all trying to cut down on eating out, so I decided to do the same thing but at home.

I went to the Chelsea Smokehouse to get the majority of our feast. They have such a marvelous selection of local foods. Check out what I brought home.

- Aux trois p'tits cochons verts – Mousse Foie de Volaille au Porto (terrine of chicken liver, duck fat, creme, egg and port)
- Aux trois p'tits cochons verts – Sanglier Canneberge (rillettes of pork, boar, liver, cranberries, egg, red wine)
- Gibiers Canabec – Terrine de lapin aux bleuets (rabbit terrine with duck, pork, chicken liver, blueberries, veal)
- La fromagerie le ptit train du nord – La Petite Folie soft sheep cheese
- Chelsea Smokehouse – Smoked salmon mousse with goat and sheep's milk cheese with horseradish
- La maison Alexis de Portneuf – La Sauvagine soft surface ripened cheese
- Olivia chocolate – 76% cocoa with a touch of maple – this is actually made in Wakefield!
- Gorgonzola (this was just from the grocery store)

I also picked up a few things that were recommended in the current issue of Ottawa Magazine. I'm not sure if it's because I've now been in Ottawa for 10 years, or if the writers have changed, or if I was just blindsighted before, but I've really enjoyed getting this magazine regularly for the past couple of years. They have wonderful restaurant reviews and fantastic information about lots of local food shops in every issue. This one was especially good with their “101 Tastes to Try Before You Die”. Quite a few things were purchased because of that article. Like bison spring rolls (they actually talked about the egg rolls), which I got for last night but never ended up cooking them.


Mmmm, lemon and salt pistachios. This was tasty treat number 49. As explained in the article, they're ordered from Iran and then sent to Montreal for roasting before they arrive at Shiraz. I especially love the chunks of salt.


The bread I picked up at two spots, the Red Apron and True Loaf Bread Company right next door. I picked up some Art-is-in garlic and rosemary bread, currently one of my absolute favourites, from the Red Apron, and a rye and walnut and French white baguette from True Loaf. It's really nice to have a selection of breads – it's almost just as fun as trying all the cheeses.


Fresh figues really complete a cheese plate.


And to pull it all together, some sweet pickled gherkins, St Ambroise beer mustard, L'Herborerie onion jam and date, crab apple and roasted cumin spread.

Kind-of Thai Warm Shrimp Salad

Well, here we are, back to the healthier form of eating. And what a great meal to get started with! My husband roasted some corn on the barbecue and then shaved it off the cob. To that he added some shrimp, basil, baby spinach, feta and deliciously fresh tomatoes from a friend's garden in Fredericton. Fresh, home-grown tomatoes have so much more taste and firm texture than the imported ones in the grocery store. And from what I can tell, are super easy to grow, so worth the little effort.

For the dressing, my husband added some basil, lime, curry and cream to the PC Thai Green Curry sauce we had leftover in our fridge and heated it up. A slight spiciness and tangy aroma make this sauce a definite one to come back to.

Pizza Delight

My husband and I had a list of places we wanted to eat before coming back to Ottawa. Lucky for us, dinners were being served left, right and center. Not so lucky for us, we only had a few days to fit it all in. So we didn’t get to hardly any of the places on our list. Except this one, Pizza Delight. Unfortunately we don’t have one of these anywhere near us now. I’m guessing if we did the luxury would be gone anyway. But since we don’t, it becomes one of our stops when we go home to the Maritimes. We waited right up to the last minute for this one, stopping in Edmundston just before crossing into Quebec.

My husband ordered his usual, a Donair, and me, just a regular ol’ pizza with the works. I’ve always loved their crust, thin, but not so thin you have to eat 10 slices to be full. Just the perfect amount of cheese and the usual yummy toppings that goes with the works. They have many different kinds to choose from now too. A comparable pizza in Ottawa is hard to find, but the Dewie is pretty close.


My husband isn’t so lucky with his Donair. You can’t get anything remotely close in Ottawa. In fact, I don't think Donair sauce even exists outside the Maritimes (although I've heard rumors there may be some, I've yet to find it). That unique, sweet tasting sauce has had east coasters wrapped around it’s little finger for a very long time. And the meat, donair meat, is also impossible to come by. There are no comparable options for this dish in Ottawa. One of the supposed-to-be “maritime” bars has tried and failed, using mayo for the sauce and ground beef for the meat – why even bother.

We snacked on these lovely treats all they way through Quebec. Yum!!

Lime and Cilantro Mussels and Lobster

Of course our last dinner out East included lobster. Why anyone would think anything else is beyond me. My father-in-law and his wife treated us to a heavenly finale the last night of our vacation. Since I’ve already done quite a few posts on lobster (once you’ve seen one little lobster face staring back at you, you’ve seen them all), I decided to focus on our appetizer – marvelous mussels.

I’ve had some pretty good mussels in my life. I’ve also had some pretty boring ones. I find they don’t always take on the flavour they’re cooked in. But these ones! Oh these ones were definitely some of the best. Mostly due to the fact that they did take on the flavours they were cooked in so nicely. Lime and cilantro (my favourite herb!) – really did these mussels justice. To the lime and cilantro, Brenda added some fresh chopped garlic, white wine, cream and a splash of hot sauce, for the most appetizing mussels ever!


She paired this dish up with a delicious fruity wine she brought back from BC, 2007 Kerner from Oliver Twist Estate Winery.


And with the lobster, probably the best accompanying wine out there, an oaky 2006 Okanagan Chardonnay from the Burrowing Owl Estate Winery.

We gobbled up our lobster with some side coleslaw and potato salad. And if that wasn’t enough, ended the evening with an ice cream from Tingley’s (actually the Dundonald Dairy Bar now, but everyone still calls it Tingley’s). Thanks guys for an unforgettable last dinner!

Herb Frittata

I woke up this morning to a marvelous breakfast. My mom always knows what to do to make you feel great after a night of a few too many drinks. The frittata, filled with ham, mozzarella and fresh cilantro was to die for. The cilantro added so much flavour to this oven-baked omelette and the best part? It came from my mom's garden. Slightly different, this cilantro wasn't flat leafed like I'm used to, it had the same texture as dill, but with the fragrant mix of parsley and citrus that make cilantro so great. 

What you’ll need

8 eggs

2 tbs water

120g deli-style shaved ham, chopped

1 cup shredded Kraft Mozzarella Cheese, divided

3 tbs chopped fresh cilantro, divided

What to do

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs and water with wire whisk in medium bowl. Stir in ham, 1/2 cup of the cheese and 2 tbs of the cilantro.

Pour into greased 9" pie plate and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.