Big Red's Cooking

Mmmm….good. Onion rings are one of my favourite snacks or side dishes. And when it comes to fast food onion rings, A&W are bar far the best ones out there. They have that amazing crispy and crunchy outside, and the seasoning salt just puts it over the top.

Now, you can go out and buy your seasoning salt, but its so easy to make at home. And then you can adjust it so that it tastes exactly how you like it. Here’s what you will need to make these amazing onion rings and sprinkle them with seasoning salt.

Seasoning Salt
2tbsp salt – I prefer fine sea salt
1tsp onion powder
1tsp granulated and dehydrated garlic, but use regular garlic powder if that’s what you have
2tsp smoked hot paprika

Thoroughly blend all ingredients together and set aside.

Onion Rings
2-3 large white onions
1cup flour
2-3cups breadcrumbs, extra dry
Batter for onion rings
1/2cup flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1/2cup+1tbsp milk
1 large egg

1. Begin by slicing your onions in large rings. Check to see if there is any onion skins that are on any of the rings, removing and discarding. This will affect how the batter and breadcrumbs cling to the onions. Place the large rings in the flour, and save the smaller inner rings for another meal.
2. Sift together all of the dry ingredients for the batter, Make sure that the ingredients are well combined.
3. Blend together the milk and the egg, making sure to mix well so that the batter requires less mixing.
4. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix batter just long enough to make a smooth batter. The less you mix this the better.
5. Toss onions in the flour and tap off any excess flour.
6. Place onions in batter, and then allow excess batter to drain from the onions. Place in the breadcrumbs,
7. Make sure to coat all of onion with breadcrumbs. Its best to use a fork as its likely to stick to your fingers creating gaps in your coating.
8. Place in 350F oil and fry. You will need to flip them in the oil as they will float so that your get even cooking on both sides.
9. Once the onion ring is cooked, place in a paper towel lined bowl so that the oil can drain, and sprinkle with the seasoning salt.
10. Plate them up and enjoy.

Every so often, its well worth the effort to take a few extra steps to make a great meal for yourself. This week’s video and meal is just one of those occasions.

I am sure that many of you have boneless skinless chicken breasts in your freezer and have grown tired of them. They often get dried out, and can be hard to cook so that they stay nice and juicy. This recipe will change all of that for you. Here’s what you will need for each portion that you plan to serve:

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
2-4 strips bacon
1/2c basic bread dressing
– 1/2 cup bread crumbs
– 1/4 white onion
– 1tbsp butter
– 1tsp Mount Scio Savoury
– chicken stock, as needed

To make the dressing:
1. Melt butter or margarine in skillet and add onions. Sauté until until soft and turning translucent.
2. Add savoury and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium to low heat..
3. Add breadcrumbs and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until breadcrumbs have cooked and developed some colour.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the stuffed chicken breast:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Begin by butterflying the chicken breast. To do this, you slice across the chicken breast without completely going through so that you can open it up. It will look like a butterfly.
3. Cover the breast with plastic wrap and gently pound so that the chicken is an equal thickness.
4. Place the bread dressing in the centre of the breast and spread so that it forms an even row across the centre.
5. Roll the chicken so that it encompasses all of the dressing.
6. Lay one strip of bacon down and place the chicken at the end so that about 0.5cm/0.25inch and wrap the bacon around so that the bacon just overlaps itself. Continue to do this until the entire chicken breast is covered and wrapped in bacon.
7. Take a sheet of aluminum foil and place the bacon-wrapped chicken breast in the centre. Fold the foil over and wrap tightly. Twist the ends as if you were twisting a candy closed.
8. Place the chicken on a pan and into the oven for about 30 minutes. You want to achieve an internal temperature of 170F in the centre.
9. Remove the chicken from the foil and sear the outside in a skillet until the bacon is crispy all around.
10. Slice on the bias and serve. I suggest a shallot mushroom gravy.

To prepare the shallot mushroom gravy:
You will need:
1 shallot
2-3 button mushrooms
1tbsp butter
1tsp flour
1/2cup chicken broth

1. Slice the shallots lengthwise and saute in the butter.
2. Slice the mushrooms, and add to the shallots.
3. Once the shallots and mushrooms are cooked, add the flour and make a roux.
4. Add the stock and stir to dissolve all of the roux into the liquid. Allow to simmer until it has a gravy consistency.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

How many times have you gotten home and went “ugh!! Everything takes too long to cook, its just not worth the effort” and then grabbed a bit of take-out or a frozen pizza. It can be challenging to come up with something creative and tasty that doesn’t take a lot of work and is satisfying. Well, I have another pasta dish that will make your work day meal quick and simple.

I absolutely love fresh field or Roma tomatoes, and if you add a little fresh herbs and garlic, you will have a feast for the mouth. Top this with a chicken breast, and you have a meal that will leaving you feeling full and satisfied. Here’s what you will need:

For each portion you will need:
85g dry pasta – I opted for linguine, but use whatever you have on hand
1 large Roma tomato
1 chicken breast, boneless and skinless
1-3 garlic cloves – use as much or as little as you think you will enjoy
fresh thyme or any other herbs you prefer, and if all you have is dry, use that instead
olive oil

1. Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Make sure not to forget the salt, as pasta needs salt in the water. It just doesn’t taste right otherwise.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, gather the rest of your ingredients.
3. Cooking a chicken breast properly in a skillet can be a challenge, so I recommend pounding the chicken breast thin. I aim for something about 1cm or 0.5 inches thick. Make sure to use a couple of layers of plastic wrap so you don’t contaminate your whole kitchen with salmonella.
4. Dice your tomatoes and chop your garlic.
5. Once you water has come to boil, add your pasta. This is when I turn on my skillet, as I don’t want things overcooking or pans getting needlessly hot.
6. Sauté your chicken breast. Don’t forget to season with some salt and pepper, and feel free to add any other seasonings you might like. I often add cayenne to give it a little heat.
7. Once the chicken is cooked, add your tomato chunks to the pan. You want to make sure that your pasta is nearly fully cooked so that the tomato doesn’t cook for too long.
8. Remove the chicken breast from the pan, and set aside. Add the garlic and toss with the tomatoes. If you are using dried herbs instead of fresh herbs, this is the time to add them to the pan.
9. Take pasta directly from the pot of water and add to the skillet. A little of the pasta water will help to loosen anything that has stuck to the skillet and give you a better sauce.
10. Add your fresh herbs and toss with the pasta. You can turn the heat off of the pasta at this time.
11. Slice your chicken breast. Plate the pasta and layer the chicken breast on top.
12. Top with some parmesan cheese and enjoy.

If you are anything like me, you have loads of berries left in your freezer from last year, waiting for a special occasion to eat them. Or you have been eating your berries. Either way, this is a simple loaf that is amazingly tender.

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Grease a loaf pan. If you want to make sure to have no issues with removing it from the pan, you can place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.

For the streusel topping:
45g/6tbsp flour
35g/3tbsp brown sugar
25g/2tbsp butter
25g/1/4c quick oats

1. Combine flour, brown sugar, and oatmeal.
2. Cut butter into mixture. It should be crumbly when you are finished, with small pieces of butter remaining. You do not want to blend it together into a paste. Set aside.

For the blueberry loaf:
300g/2c flour
225g/1c sugar
1.5tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
200g/1c butter
175ml/3/4c milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2c blueberries

1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon.
2. Add butter and cut through. As with the streusel topping, make sure that you do not blend into a paste. You should have a course texture with small pieces of butter left throughout your mixture. Set aside.
3. Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla. Blend together well, making sure you have a good mixture.
4. Add to dry ingredients and only mix long enough to moisten the dry ingredients. The less you mix this batter the better, as this will give you a more tender product.
5. Fold in blueberries. Put batter in pan and spread streusel mixture across the top.
6. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick or metal skewer can be inserted and come out dry.

Fi & chi with d&g as those living in St. John’s might refer to it. Fish and chips has long been a favourite the world over, but top those chips, or fries as many call them, and you are in a whole new world of amazingness. And this coming Friday is Good Friday in the Christian calendar, and with it, the busiest day of the year for fish and chips shops.

I’ve never been a big fan of battered fish. I always find it to be a bit greasy, and unless you get it in to you within moments of it coming from the fryer, it has a tendency to loose its crispiness. But take that same piece of fish, and coat with an extra fine bread crumb and you will be delighted with something that does not absorb anywhere near as much oil and a piece of fish that stays crispy. To make this delightful meal you will need the following:

For the fish:
cod fillets – you will know how much you can eat
extra dry and extra fine bread crumbs – I used a food processor to get them extra fine
flour
egg wash – mixed at a ratio of 1 egg per 1/4 cup of milk
salt and pepper

1. Season pieces of cod, or any other pieces of fish you might like to eat with salt and pepper. Roll in flour and shake off any excess flour.
2. Coat piece of fish in egg wash and allow excess to drain.
3. Coat fish in bread crumbs and pat around to ensure that crumbs stick to the fish.
4. Dip breaded fish in egg wash a second time, and coat with bread crumbs a second time.
5. Deep fry in oil at 350F until golden brown. Fish should be floating on top of the oil when it is fully cooked.

Fries
I don’t spend a lot of time on the fries in this video as I made them in a recent video but here is the procedure.

1-2 russet potatoes (or any potatoes labeled as baking potatoes)

1. Scrub, and if you prefer, peel the potatoes.
2. Begin by taking one slice off of the potato so that the thickest part of the slice is the same size you want your fries to be. Place to the side.
3. Lay potato of the flat side and cut into slices the same thickness you want your fries to be.
4. Cut your slices into fries. Place in cold water and rinse once or twice.
5. Place cut fries into the fridge for an hour (or a day or two if need be) so that some of the excess starch can dissolve away. This will give you a better looking french fry.
6. Drain fries and pat dry.
7. Cook fries in a deep-fat fryer at 250F until they are floating on the top. The fries will not have a lot of colour nor texture at this time. They should resemble frozen fries that have defrosted.
8. Place on a pan that will allow them to drain and cool. Let cool for at least 20-30 minutes (less if you place them in the fridge or freezer). The fries can also be frozen at this time or kept in the fridge for 2-3 days.
9. To finish cooking your fries, heat your deep fryer to 350F and cook until golden brown and crispy.

Dressing
2 cups of bread crumbs
1 small-medium onion diced small
2tbsp butter or margarine
1tbsp Mount Scio savoury
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter or margarine in skillet and add onions. Sauté until until soft and turning translucent.
2. Add savoury and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium to low heat..
3. Add breadcrumbs and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until breadcrumbs have cooked and developed some colour.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, there is the tartar sauce.
1/2cup mayonnaise
3-4 gherkins, chopped fine (almost any pickle will work if you don’t have gherkins)
1tbsp chopped parsley
1tsp lemon juice

1. Mix all ingredients together. If you prefer a sweeter tartare sauce, use some of the gherkin juice instead of the lemon juice.

To assemble, place fries on plate. Top with dressing and pour some of your favourite gravy over the top.

I hope everyone enjoys!!

Pasta is my go-to comfort food. Its so versatile and lends itself to many quick preparations. Well, today’s video is a very quick preparation, and in all honesty, the longest part of it is waiting for the water to come to a boil to cook the pasta. I don’t even start any of the prep for the dish until I actually put the pasta into the water.

This week I make a lemon garlic shrimp pasta. Lemon and garlic are a wonderful combination that balances very well with the sweetness of the shrimp. Coupled with a little fresh thyme, and you have a winning combination.

To make this you will need:
Pasta – I used spaghetti, but use almost any pasta you like (85g is a good portion size)
Shrimp – I had a dozen 30/40 shrimp, but again, this will work with any size you have
Lemon – you will need the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon for each portion, but you can reduce this ratio if you are making a larger amount
Garlic – 1-2 cloves should be more then enough unless you are like me, then use 4-5
Olive oil – this is the basis for the sauce. About 1-2 tablespoons per portion should be good. If you don’t have olive oil, use butter, or a combination of butter and vegetable oil
Thyme – I used 3 springs, but a pinch of dry will work as well.

1. Get your water boiling for the pasta, and don’t forget to salt it. This is essential for good pasta.
2. Once your pasta is in the water, start chopping your garlic. Don’t chop too fine as it will burn much easier.
3. Make sure your shrimp are ready to go. Peel any shells that might be on them.
4. Heat pan on medium heat. Add olive oil and sauté shrimp.
5. Add the garlic once the shrimp are nearly cooked. Take care not to overcook the shrimp or burn the garlic.
6. Add zest of lemon and thyme and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. Deglaze pan with lemon juice and scrape any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
7. Add cooked pasta and mix well.
8. Serve. Top with a bit of parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

Every one of us has a dish that we grew up eating and that still holds a special place in our hearts. It may not have been the greatest meal, or the fanciest meal, but there was something about it that made it special for us. For me, it was my mom’s pork chops cooked in Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup.

Now, I can’t recall the last time I had soup out of a can. Its just not my thing anymore. As I learned to cook, and as my tastes matured, I stopped eating processed foods. And as I learned more and more about processed food, I turned away from it forever. But I still have great memories from some of it, and I love that I can now use my skill to recreate some of those dishes using better quality ingredients. I still get those sense memories and its good.

This is a pretty easy dish to make, and one that really doesn’t require a recipe, but for those that need a little guidance, here’s as close as I can get.

pork chops – 1 for each person, or more if they are really hungry
onion – 1 onion for every two people, unless your like me and absolutely love onion and then use 1 for each person
mushrooms – a 1lb container should suffice for 3-4 people, but again, let your taste buds and desires decide how much to use.
garlic – personally, I go for 2-3 cloves for each person, but for most that would be excessive.
heavy cream – about 2 fl.oz. for each person.
salt and pepper – enough to make it taste good
butter/olive oil/vegetable oil – enough so things don’t stick
thyme – a couple of sprigs, but feel free to use a sprinkle or two of dried if that’s what you have handy.

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Slice onions and place in a skillet with the fat of your choice. Turn on a medium heat.
3. While onions are cooking, slice mushrooms and mince garlic.
4. When onions have become soft and translucent, remove from pan and set aside.
5. Add a bit more fat to skillet, and sauté mushrooms. If you end up overcrowding your pan, as I did in the video, crank up the heat to eliminate the excess water that will seep from the mushrooms.
6. When mushrooms are nearly cooked, add minced garlic and thyme. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes and add to the cooked onions.
7. Turn the heat on high and allow skillet to get very hot. Once very hot, add the pork chops. The goal here is to simple brown them, not to fully cook them. If required, do pork chops in several rounds. Season with salt and pepper as they are browning.
8. Once pork chops are browned, return mushrooms, onions, and anything else you have used to pan.
9. Add heavy cream, bring to a simmer, and place in oven. Allow to bake for 20-25 minutes.
10. Serve with your favourite starchy food. I opted for a sour cream mashed potato.

Enjoy!!

If you are like me, you have been snacking a great deal more since the beginning of Covid. We have all been locked in our houses for various durations, and if when we are not locked down at home, there just are not as many social opportunities. So what do we all end up doing, that’s right, watching tv and snacking.

I don’t know about you, but potato chips have to be one of my all-time favourite snacks. And they are much easier to make than you think. But like everything I make (and I am hoping that you are making as well), it comes down to selecting the correct ingredients to make it the best you can. And with chips, that comes down using the correct type of potatoes.

In kitchens, we talk about starchy or mealy potatoes and about waxy potatoes. Growing in Newfoundland, I heard people talking about wet potatoes (waxy) and dry potatoes (mealy/starchy) potatoes. We use the different types for different potato dishes, and it comes down to this; as a general rule, the only time we use a waxy potato is when we are cooking them in some sort of liquid and want to make sure that they hold their shape. Think things like soups, stews, and casseroles, where its important that we don’t end up with a mushy mesh. For everything else, we want a starchy potato.

Waxy potatoes have a much higher sugar content, and are certainly no good for frying, since they tend to develop a lot of streaks and end up much darker in colour, almost burning or charring before properly cooking in the hot fat. A starchy potato is what we want, and in my opinion, the russet is the potato to grab. This is your classic baking potato, and that is what you want to look for when you are out there shopping; if it doesn’t say russet, make sure to at least get something that is labeled a baking potato.

1. Begin by scrubbing your potatoes clean. You can peel if you prefer, but I chose to leave the potato on mine.
2. Slice to your desired thickness. The chip will finish close to the same thickness as you slice them, so if you wish for a classic Hostess or Lays style chip go thin. Personally, I prefer a thicker chip that is more in the style of a extra-crunchy kettle cooked chip similar to the Miss Vickie’s.
3. Place the sliced potatoes into water as you are slicing them so that they do not get brown. Once you have all of your potatoes sliced, rinse really well under cold water.
4. After you have rinsed the potatoes, add white vinegar to the water at a of about 5-10% of the water. I just added a couple of good splashes to the water. We are not looking to flavour the chips, but the acid from the vinegar will help to keep the potato very white.
5. Drain potato slices well, and pat dry. You do not want to be adding a great deal of wet slices into your hot fat, which will cause a great deal of spattering and be dangerous.
6. Heat your fat to 300F. I used plain canola oil, though peanut and corn oil are also good options.
7. Add the slices in small batches. Make sure to stir around in the hot fat so that the slices do not stick to each other. Allow to cook until the colour and crispiness that you want has been achieved.
8. Drain well, and place in a bowl. Toss with a bit of salt or any other flavour you choose. Popcorn toppings are a great way to create salt & vinegar, BBQ, sour cream and onion, or any other flavour you want.

Enjoy!!

As I noted in my last post, I am Mi’qmak l’nu and as a chef, I love to take classic dishes that we have all grown up with and make them with wild foods. Moose meat has to be my favourite meat in the world, and growing up, the Big Mac and fries was my go-to if I was grabbing takeout. These days, I tend to avoid the big burger chains, its just not my thing anymore. Too much salt, too little value, it just doesn’t appeal to me. I much prefer to cook at home, but I sure do miss Big Macs sometimes.

Well, if you are anything like me, you might want to make some of the classics at home yourself. We all have far too much time on our hands these days, and it seems that a great many people are looking for new cooking challenges. Well, this one is pretty low. And you can easily make this with any kind of meat that you like. To make a homemade Big Mac you will need for each person you are feeding:

200g ground meat (I used moose, but if you prefer beef, I suggest regular grind, not lean or medium)
1.5 sesame seed hamburger bun
30ml/2tbsp ketchup
30ml/2tbsp mayonnaise
30ml/2tbsp sweet relish
15ml/1tbsp onion, small dice
15ml/2tbsp lettuce, shredded
2 cheese slices
2-3 pickle slices

1. Divide the meat into two 100g balls and shape into patties.
2. Sear at medium high temperature. Season only with salt and pepper. Wait until droplets of blood forming on top of the patty until you flip it over.
3. Mix ketchup, mayonnaise, and relish to make the Big Mac sauce. Set aside.
4. Take one half of a hamburger bun, and carefully trim to remove the outside of the crust, which will become the centre bun for the burger. Toast lightly.
5. When the patties are nearly completed, spread some of the Big Mac sauce on the bottom bun and top with diced onion.
6. Place a patty on the bun and top with a cheese slice.
7. Place centre bun on top and spread some Big Mac Sauce. Top with second patty with cheese.
8. Place 2-3 pickle slices (or many more if you are like me) on top of the cheese, then top with shredded lettuce, and finally the top of the bun which of course has more of the Big Mac Sauce.
9. Serve with french fries and enjoy.

To make the french fries you will need:

1-2 russet potatoes (or any potatoes labeled as baking potatoes)

1. Scrub, and if you prefer, peel the potatoes.
2. Begin by taking one slice off of the potato so that the thickest part of the slice is the same size you want your fries to be. Place to the side.
3. Lay potato of the flat side and cut into slices the same thickness you want your fries to be.
4. Cut your slices into fries. Place in cold water and rinse once or twice.
5. Place cut fries into the fridge for an hour (or a day or two if need be) so that some of the excess starch can dissolve away. This will give you a better looking french fry.
6. Drain fries and pat dry.
7. Cook fries in a deep-fat fryer at 250F until they are floating on the top. The fries will not have a lot of colour nor texture at this time. They should resemble frozen fries that have defrosted.
8. Place on a pan that will allow them to drain and cool. Let cool for at least 20-30 minutes (less if you place them in the fridge or freezer). The fries can also be frozen at this time or kept in the fridge for 2-3 days.
9. To finish cooking your fries, heat your deep fryer to 350F and cook until golden brown and crispy.

K’we.

It’s not something that I have talked about a lot on in my videos, but I am a proud aboriginal L’nu of Mi’qmaq heritage and a member of the Qalipu band. Aboriginal ancestry is something that many people in Newfoundland have been discovering, but not me. I was one of the lucky ones that grew up always knowing about this part of my past. My mother made sure that we knew who we were, in part because her father made sure that they knew who they were. This is not something that was always easy to do, especially growing up in a time when we were told that there were no aboriginal people in Newfoundland.

Aboriginal people in Newfoundland were lucky in some ways though. I recall listening to Elder Calvin White of Flat Bay who talked about our cousins in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and really, right across Turtle Island that were forced onto reservations, cut off from their traditional way of living, unable to eat country meat, Rich Francis, a well known chef and friend of mine in Ontario, has been trying to fight the stigma of traditional foods, and its a growing movement as more and more chefs embrace these amazing wild foods.

I thought I would dig into that bag of recipes of mine this week, and pull out a very simple and easy traditional item to make. Many of you may have heard of bannock before, but Mi’qmaq ate lusknikn (sounds like loose-skin-agin). Now there are some that would argue that this is not traditional aboriginal food, but traditions are not static and are constantly changing and evolving. This is certainly not a pre–colonial food, but for many, it is a traditional as it gets. I read somewhere that is was essentially a part of cultural exchange hundreds of years ago, between the Scots and the original inhabitants of Turtle Island, which makes sense, since it is very much like a scone.

To make this you will need:

2 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1 cup water (or half water/half milk, which is what I used)

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Shift dry ingredients together.
3. Add liquid and mix to form a dough.
4. Place in a greased baking dish, or like I did, in a cast iron skillet.
5. Flatten until dough is just under 1″ or 2cm thick.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
7. Enjoy with a bit of butter, or your favourite jam.

This is really simple to make, and can allow you to connect with your aboriginal heritage.

Nemultes