Monthly Archive for January, 2011

Rice with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Published on January 31, 2011 in Chef Shaun. 0 Comments Tags: food, rice, vegetarian.

I really didn’t know what I was going to cook tonight and I didn’t make it to the store. Luckily I had a few things in the fridge and was able to put something together.

I have made Whole Foods’ Zesty Quinoa with Broccoli and Cashews before and it has turned out pretty well. I wouldn’t say tonight’s dinner is even based on this recipe, but more inspired by it.

Rice with Broccoli and Sun-dried tomatoes

Rice with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

1 cup rice (I used a mixture of white, brown, and wild)

2 tsp dried basil

1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups water + a little bit

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup cashews, roughly chopped

salt and pepper

1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to combine and let toast lightly. Add basil and red pepper flakes, stir to combine. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Add broccoli and mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes, until rice is done and broccoli is cooked to vibrant green. Add cashews and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve topped with grated gruyere cheese.

Enjoy.

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Not pleased, but not surprised

Published on January 25, 2011 in Biking. 0 Comments Tags: ::Cycling, Belgium, bicycles, bicycling, bike, bikes, Biking, cross, cyclocross, racing.

This past Sunday was the Hoogerheide World Cup, the GP Adrie Van der Poel, a classic. It has been the World Cup right before the World Championships for a number of years and the home of the World Championships in 2009.

It is a great course and this year was no exception. It ran differently what I’ve ridden in the past and wasn’t nearly as boggy muddy, but it was really hard. The were some fast sections, some muddy grinding sections, ruts, and hard pedaling.

Derrick told me my goal should be to be in front of him at the end of the first lap. And guess where I was at the end of the first lap? Yup, I was in front of Derrick. Now, he really didn’t have a great first lap, but I was still in front of him. I had a killer start, passing what felt like half the field, avoiding crashes left, right, and center, and felt like I was really “in the race”. I also managed to be just wheels behind JPows. He also had a bad start with a big crash, but still.

From the end of that first lap, things just kept getting slower. I distinctly remember Kurt yelling at me from the pit, “You have to hurt yourself!” That’s what I did. I just kept pedaling as hard as I could all day. I felt like I ripped my right rectus femoris in two. I drove my bike as well as I could. Despite not racing as many laps as I would have liked, I had fun. I enjoyed it. I was smiling, suffering, and just happy to be riding my bike. I really wasn’t pleased with my result and not getting to finish the race, but after the last couple months of beatings I’ve learned that this is where I am right now so I’m not all that surprised.

Thanks everyone for all your support. It’s great. I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned and all the opportunities I’ve had. So thank you! I will continue to work, learn, improve and one day pass all that on to all the athletes I get to work with and help!

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An adventure in Belgium

Published on January 22, 2011 in Biking. 0 Comments Tags: ::Cycling, Belgium, bicycles, bicycling, bike, bikes, Biking, cross, cyclocross, europe, racing.

This morning I got myself together, slowly remembering what to wear and what bring to a cross race. I didn’t have to leave at the wee hours of those racing the Masters Worlds in Mol, but I figured I should set an alarm anyway. It was a nice morning and with just myself to think about, there was no stress. Although, it could be that I really just wasn’t stressed about the race in Assenede to begin with.

The drive was uneventful, but I didn’t have an exact address and the first place the GPS took me to was not it. I drove around for a while, keeping my eyes peeled, thinking the nearby forest might be a place to look. I still had time, but my prospects were falling apart. I found a couple cyclists who looked like they may have been racers, but nope. It wasn’t looking good, but I knew that I did not want to have to drive all the way back home and still ride my bike, so I drove around a bit more and thought if I don’t find it in the next 5 minutes I’ll call the house and get Craig to try and find it online. I remembered that there is a race Assenede tomorrow and I figured it had to be at the same place. After a few minutes on the phone with Craig I had a new address and new directions.

I was making the last few turns and ran into some fencing. I thought it was for construction, I had just driven through a bunch of other construction, but I went through anyway. The next fence I came to was weird…

Parking, for two

Ooohh, parking. The one car parked there didn’t quite give it away. I thought to myself, what the heck am I doing?!? Nobody is going to be here, this is a silly idea. But, I had found the race, so off I went. And it actually turned out to be a pretty big production. It was the Belgian National Championships of something, I figured the Championships of just this series. I was a little disappointed with the 10 euro entry fee, but you have to do what you have to do. There was a lot of fencing, a full on podium, a blow-up jersey, an announcer, a food stand, this was a cross race. There was also at least one racer I recognized, and was competitive with, at Lotenhulle and Petange.

Food stand=cross race!

The course was through a lot of corn fields, but was nice and tacky; no mud tires today. A couple little ditches and some dirt piles were the main attraction. The bumpy corn fields would give my back some trouble; luckily I’ve been top of the core work again. I liked it though. Simple. Good.

A real podium even

I started at the back (ok, 3rd row), not having any points in this series. I knew I had to get to the front ASAP. So I pushed through as many holes as I could find. I had made it into about 10th, but most of the lap was a lot of brown stripe racing (ie. only one real line), making passing difficult. I could see a lead group of 4 forming. I needed to get there, but a few people stood in my way and it took me a little over a lap to get the room to go full-gas. It was too little too late. And I had burned a few matches chasing after getting a clear run. The leaders were still in sight, but I had stopped closing the gap and they were splitting up. I just kept going as hard as I could, trying not to make any driving mistakes, while pushing all the blood to my legs. I almost caught one more guy who was fading at the end, but couldn’t quite make it. I rolled in for 4th. Not bad. Definitely my best result in Belgium. I had fun. I suffered. I think I could have done better, but considering what I’ve gone through tis last month, I’ll take it… with a smile!

A few fans watching the start

The 12 euros I won made up for my disappointment in the 10 euro entry fee. And I’m starting to like these ruts things, you just push your bike in them, relax, and hang on. Just make sure your weight is in the right place and you can fly around corners.

It was an adventure in Belgium. It was a good day.

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Coconut Brownies

Published on January 22, 2011 in Chef Shaun. 0 Comments Tags: bars, brownies, chocolate, dessert, squares.

I might just be on a cooking rampage here, but I needed to make something tasty to bring to Hoogerheide for Kenny for helping us out. Well I don’t have to, but I was off the ball in Kalmthout and he hasn’t been able to come to any other races since then.

I’m currently in love with making brownies. Maybe it’s because I haven’t really made them before the last little while or maybe it’s the abundance of nice Belgian chocolate. I don’t know, but I like it. The Banana Brownies I made last week for Pontchateau were delicious, but I wanted something different. I wanted something with coconut.

I couldn’t figure out how to get coconut milk into the batter without experimenting too much and making a mess. So I decided to try and put it into a ganache topping… When I was making the ganache and realized I didn’t have enough chocolate, so I put in the cocoa powder. It gave it just a tinge of bitterness and it was little too liquidy. It set fine. But it would be better with no cocoa powder and maybe 160-180g chocolate. Next time…

But all the American masters at The Chainstay loved them! Deeeelicious!!

Coconut Brownies
adapted from JoyofBaking.com

Coconut Brownies

Ingredients:

285g butter

300g dark chocolate

350g (1 1/2 cups) sugar

150g (1 cup) brown sugar

5 large eggs

235g flour

20g cocoa powder

50g flaked coconut

1 tsp salt

100g dark chocolate

30g cocoa powder

400ml coconut milk

18g (4 tsp) butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 9×13″ pan. I did one slightly smaller pan and 3×8″ because I wanted to give one away.

Make the brownies: Melt butter and chocolate in stainless steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. QWhick is eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, coconut, and salt until just combined.

Pour batter into pan and sprinkle with flaked coconut. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, with just a few crumbs. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Make the ganache: Melt the chocolate, cocoa powder, coconut milk, and butter in a stainless steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool, before spreading over the cooled brownies. Store in the fridge.

Enjoy!

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Chicken Enchiladas

Published on January 21, 2011 in Chef Shaun. 0 Comments Tags: chicken, cooking, dinner, food, main dish, mexican.

I’ve been saying that I’m going to make chicken enchiladas for well over a month now. So I figured it was time. I had picked up some nice bone-in skinless chicken thighs at the market and my favourite, very large, tortillas from Colruyt. I was set.

I’ve made these Chicken Enchiladas before from this Cooks Illustrated recipe with great success. This version would be ever so slightly different, given the difficulty of finding Mexican ingredients in Belgium. They turned out delicious with just the right amount of kick.

Chicken Enchiladas
adapted from CooksIllustrated.com

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

4 bone-in skinless chicken thighs

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 packet taco seasoning

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 small jar salsa

1 14.5oz can tomatoes

1 cup water

1 small can corn

5 chilis, chopped

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

8-12 tortillas

a couple handfuls of spinach

Directions:

Heat olive oil in dutch oven or other heavy pan over medium high heat. Add chicken thighs, cook until just browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Set aside in a bowl.

Add more oil to the pan, necessary. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning, cumin, brown sugar, and salt, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add salsa, tomatoes and water (I just put some in the tomato can and salsa jar to get out the last bits and added that in). Stir in 3 of the chilis. Return chicken to pot and bring to simmer.

When chicken is just cooked, about 15-20 minutes, remove it from the pot and let cool slightly. When you can handle the chicken, pull it off the bone and into bite size pieces. Return chicken to the pot, stir to combine, and let simmer for a few more minutes, soaking up the flavours and finishing cooking. Stir in corn.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Using a fine mesh strainer, strain sauce from chicken mixture, pressing with a spatula to squeeze as much out as you can. Stir remaining chilis and 3/4 of the cheese to the chicken mixture.

Pour about half the strained sauce into a 9×13″ pan. Spoon chicken mixture into center of each tortilla, add a small handful of spinach (I just happened to have some I wanted to use up before it went bad, but would actually probably be better without it), and roll tightly. Place each rolled tortilla seam side down in the pan. When the pan is full (you may want to put some on the side of the pan if you have more tortillas and filling, depending on your pan and how you rolled them), top with remaining sauce and then remaining cheese. Bake in oven until cheese is melted and edges are just crispy, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas, served up

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Apple Walnut Risotto

Published on January 20, 2011 in Chef Shaun. 0 Comments Tags: apple, dinner, main dish, nuts, rice, risotto, vegetarian.

I can’t seem to finish all my leftovers and the fresh food I’ve bought fast enough. That, and I can’t stop thinking of and finding delicious things to cook. This blog really is turning into a food and cooking blog more than a cycling and thoughts on life blog… maybe it’s time for dissection of the two and a site for each. I just need to decide on a good name. Any thoughts?

Gabby wanted to make risotto and I thought it sounded good. I found this scrumptious-looking recipe from Jamie Oliver and just couldn’t resist.

Apple Walnut Risotto
adapted from JamieOliver.com

Apple Walnut Risotto

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil

5 good-size strips of bacon, chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1.5 cups risotto rice (or so, I didn’t actually measure it)

1 vegetable bouillon cube (Gabby is most vegetarian, I probably would have used a chicken bouillon cube)

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup Sloeber or other pale ale (of course, you can drink the rest with your dinner)

about 3 or 4 cups hot water (I just boiled the kettle and kept it nearby)

2 apples, chopped

2 tbsp butter

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and just crispy, about 5 minutes. Add onions, leek, and celery and cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir into vegetables. Add bouillon cube and thyme.

Add beer, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until moisture is absorbed. Add in water about 1/2 cup at a time, cooking until it is absorbed. Continue adding water until rice is cooked, it should be soft and chewy and have a creamy texture, but not be soggy.

Remove from heat and stir in apples, butter, and cheese. Stir in walnuts. Season to taste with pepper (I found there was enough salt from the cheese and everything else, but feel free to add some if you like).

Serve with a few more chopped walnuts sprinkled on top.

Enjoy!

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Roast Leg of Lamb with Beer Gravy

Published on January 19, 2011 in Chef Shaun. 0 Comments Tags: beer, food, gravy, lamb, main dish, roast, salad.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Beer Gravy and salad

I saw the lamb section in the fridge at the Delhaize and saw some nice looking fresh cuts. And it was cheap. So I knew at some point I would have to make some lamb while I’m here. And when I found this recipe… well, there you go.

There have been a number of recipes utilizing beer that look fantastic that I’ve found recently, so look for more to appear in my repertoire… But many can be found on the session roundup here.

Unfortunately there was no ground lamb at Delhaize and I didn’t really feel like trying to figure out how to grind my own without a food processor or anything. There was this one nice little leg though… hmm… what if I just roast it as is and make a beer gravy?? That could work.

I opted to make a simple salad to go with it as well. I just tossed together spinach, half a red bell pepper, half a yellow bell pepper, a carrot, some goat cheese with a dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. It was pretty tasty. All the guys in the kitchen thought it looked fantastic, despite its ease of creation.

Roast Leg of Lamb
inspired by Beer47.com and adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Roast Leg of Lamb with Beer Gravy

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 leg of lamb, bone-in (mine was small at a little under 600g)

salt and pepper

4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

1 bottle Chimay, 33cl

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 cups water

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp butter

Directions:

Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper on all sides.

Preheat oven to 300F.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a cast iron pan or other heavy pan. When oil starts to shimmer put the lamb in, fatty side down. Cook until just browned, 3-5 minutes, on each side.

Add garlic cloves to pan and put in oven for 15-20 minutes (10-12 minutes per pound) for medium rare.

Remove from pan and cover with foil to let it rest. Put the pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add in the beer and bring to a simmer. Stir cornstarch into the water in a cup to dissolve, then add to the pan. Continue stirring the simmering gravy, until it reduces by about half or until desired consistency. Stir in honey and butter, until melted and combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice lamb and serve with gravy and salad.

Enjoy!

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Banana Brownies

Published on January 18, 2011 in Chef Shaun. 0 Comments Tags: bars, brownies, chocolate, cooking, dessert, squares.

It’s funny, I have hardly baked brownies at all before. It always seemed sort of daunting, though I have no idea why. I think I maybe screwed them up once or twice and was scared ever since then. And hey, if there is a dessert you don’t like then why force to try and love it?!? Broccoli, on the hand, is something you should acquire the taste for if you don’t currently love it.

I thought I should make something to take to the World Cup in Pontchateau for all our helpers (though I think Craig and I ended up eating most of them). And when Pete first arrived, he got the effects of the carrot cake I had made to send home with Gabby and Rick. When there was no dessert the next day he was disappointed, thinking that it was just a regular occurrence at The Chainstay. None the less, it was time to make something and I could leave some for the other guys at the house. I remember this episode of Chef at Home a long time ago and have passed by the recipe a couple times.

Banana Brownies
adapted from foodtv.ca

Ingredients:

227g (1 cup) butter

450g dark chocolate

4 eggs

4 ripe bananas

260g (1 cup) flour

200g (1 cup) sugar

10g (1 tbsp) cocoa powder

8g (1 tbsp) baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Melt butter and chocolate in a small bowl set over a simmering pot of water.

In another bowl, mash together eggs and bananas (I left my bananas a little chunky, partly by choice and partly by laziness, but I think it worked out well). Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Pour in melted chocolate and butter and stir to combine.

Lightly butter a 9×13″ pan. Pour in batter and level with a spatula. Bake in center of oven for an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

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Lasagna

Published on January 18, 2011 in Chef Shaun. 0 Comments

Lasagna is something that I’ve been wanting to make for a little while now. Maybe it was because Gabby made it a few weeks ago or maybe because Holly made one for some of the guys last week. Or maybe I just haven’t made one in a while and I had some interesting ideas. I do remember making an absolutely delicious spinach lasagna with prosciutto from cooksillustrated.com last year.

I was searching out a few different recipes on some of my favourite sites, a classic lasagna and a lasagna bolognese from simplyrecipes.com and a lasagna bolognese, spinach lasagna, and mushroom lasagna from cooksillustrated.com. From there I just kind of read them all and got the basic ideas and just went crazy from there. It didn’t look really pretty, but it was delicious!

Lasagna Bolognese with Spinach and Mushroom Bechamel

Lasagna Bolognese with Spinach and Mushroom Bechamel

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 pieces thick-cut bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 small carrots, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

450g ground beef and/or pork

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp herbs de provence

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 28oz can tomatoes

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp olive oil

a small handful dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in a cup of water

handful crimini mushrooms, chopped super fine

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 heaping tablespoons flour

1/4 cup white wine

2 cups milk

2 big handfuls spinach, roughly chopped

3 cups grated parmesan

About 12 lasagna noodles

Directions:

Make the bolognese sauce: Heat oil in a dutch oven over high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and just crispy. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5-10 minutes. Add beef and/or pork and cook until no pink remains, about 10 minutes.
Browning the pork with the vegetables

Reduce heat and stir in cinnamon, herbs de provence, and tomato pasta, stir to incorporate. Add white wine, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, and rind from parmesan (if you have it).

Let sauce simmer and thicken while you prepare the bechamel.
The simmering bolognese sauce

Make the bechamel sauce: Remove soaking porcini mushrooms from water and chop, reserving the soaking liquid.

Heat butter and oil in a large pot or dutch oven until melted and beginning to bubble. Stir in porcini and crimini mushrooms, garlic, and then flour.
Beginning the bechamel sauce, butter and mushrooms

Continue stirring and when it starts to come together and before the mixture browns, about 2-3 minutes and in wine, stirring continually. As the wine is absorbed and cooked off, add in mushroom soaking liquid and continue stirring. Then add in milk and continue stirring. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in spinach until it wilts slightly and and then stir in half of the parmesan.

Assemble the lasagna: Heat oven to 425F. Prepare lasagne noodles according to package directions. Layer the bottom of a 9×13 pan with the bolognese sauce. Layer lasagne noodles without overlapping. Spoon another layer of bolognese sauce on the noodles and then a layer of the bechamel sauce. Add another layer of noodles, a small layer of bolognese, the remainder of the bechamel sauce and top with the remaining parmesan. Bake for about 20 minutes, until bubbling and crispy brown on top.

Enjoy!

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I guess I was in the wrong race

Published on January 17, 2011 in Biking. 0 Comments Tags: ::Cycling, bicycles, bicycling, bike, bikes, Biking, cross, cyclocross, europe, france, racing, world cup.

I was originally thinking of not going down to Pontchateau for the World Cup, but when I asked him Adam for his thoughts he told me that he would kill to do that race and that it was his favourite World Championships. Sold. I was in. And who knows, maybe a smaller field, a New England style course, maybe I could have a good ride and maybe I could win some cash.

Hanging out with the Michelin Man

The drive down was pretty easy and uneventful, but there were some sights to be seen… It was nice to get to talk more with Derrick and Natasha on the drive. We got there and we were mostly spent, so we just got some groceries and and went to Flunch for dinner. That place was quite the adventure. It was confusing about how things worked and what you got and how you payed and everything… but we got sorted. And it was cheap.

Rest stop bathrooms in France... open air...

Saturday was pretty relaxed, with preriding opening at 2pm. It was sunny and warm, a welcome change from the rain in Belgium. The course was nice and flowy, very New England style. I would realize that it lacked the stop and go accelerations, but it would still be fun. There was some climbing that I knew was really going to hurt me and it was going to be fast, so I really just had to maintain contact with a group and things should be good. My legs were heavy while preriding on Saturday having just traveled and ridden at all on Friday. I spun out on the road with Gabby and thought things would get better for Sunday.

Preriding with none other than Gabby Day

I was feeling good on Sunday morning. I was excited! It was foggy and cool, the course was almost faster as everything got tacky and smooth. I was feeling good on it. My warmup went well. I was on the last row in the grid, so I backed up about 5 meters and got a flying start. I felt great down the first straight and made up a few spots on the first couple corners and kept pushing. I was in a good position coming through the first pit. I hit the first couple slower climbs and lost a few spots on each. All of a sudden I was at the back again. Oh boy. Get back on that group! Nope, I guess not. I kept driving and trying to get back, but it wasn’t happening today. I really wish I had a powertap on to see if it was just an off day for me or if it was just too fast. I just kept focused, driving, accelerating, picking up the baseball bats. And I was driving really well, I don’t think I could have taken the corners any better. Unfortunately as soon as I lost contact with the group it was only a matter of time before my day would be done. I did everything I could, fought for every second, and completely shattered myself in the process.

Going as fast as I can in Pontchateau

The day really reminded me of Nationals this year. I did everything right, it just didn’t go my way. My back was hurting, I couldn’t put the power down and despite my driving being as good as ever I couldn’t put it all together. I left everything I had on the course and I had fun. My suffer face had a slight hint of a smile in it all day. It wasn’t really until I got home after the 7 hour drive and saw my official result that I was extremely disappointed and overcome with emotion. I was on the verge of tears. I talked to Adam briefly and he summed it up succinctly, bluntly, and honestly, “You were just in the wrong race today.” Truth hurts sometimes…

I can tell you that all of the support I’ve had from you, my friends, has been amazing. You are all absolutely amazing and I love you all! Thank you!

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Monthly Archive for January, 2011

Rice with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Not pleased, but not surprised

An adventure in Belgium

Coconut Brownies

Chicken Enchiladas

Apple Walnut Risotto

Roast Leg of Lamb with Beer Gravy

Banana Brownies

Lasagna

I guess I was in the wrong race

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