Pass The Peas with Ruby Jane

THE CATERER

2010-04-25T12:44:00.020-04:00

My career as a secret agent began when I received this note:

Here is your mission:
- attend Noora's 31st birthday party
- the theme is James Bond and all things spy-related (only so that we can all dress smashingly, drink martinis and talk with a Sean Connery lisp, saying pretentious things like "shaken, not stirred")
- master chef, Julie "Ruby Jane" Mondor, is coming from MTL, so there will be lots of delicious hors d'oeuvres

*This message will now self-destruct*

Thus, life as Ruby Jane was no more. I became The Caterer, hired by Noora aka Girl Birthday to wine and dine the notorious, the rich, the famous, the dangerous. Using my skills in the culinary arts, I executed a perfect balance of delicious flavours to mask special potions that affected imbibers in varying ways. My dishes, depending on the mission, had the power to seduce, extract truth, sedate, or in some situations, KILL.

After a week of reconnaissance in the culinary field,
I was ready to embark on the mission.

A few infamous individuals were in attendance...

X and A, Girl Birthday, El Gato, The Caterer, Mdot

The Club and More Gasma

Le Cinephile, El Gato, Æ
(I must express my admiration of El Gato's resourcefulness. All it took was a fake fur vest, paper, a sharpie, and two saliva-wet twists to make ears, and El Gato was joined by an evil feline that would accompany him forever in his villainous exploits.

That evening, I and fellow double agents Girl Birthday and Le Cinephile prepared an array of amuse-gueules, each named after a James Bond film:

Thai-inspired mango and basil salad with a curry-lime vinaigrette

Grape tomatoes stuffed with feta and herbs

Food from the motherland: St-Viateur bagel bites topped with a cream-cheese, smoked salmon, green onion and caper spread.
Note: 514 is the area code for Montreal.

Genoa salami, chorizo, prosciutto and french mustard

Girl Birthday's own Chana Massala on naan.

Every secret agent must keep up his or her energy
with nutrient-rich crudités and hummus.

Ruby Jane's Jerk Chicken

Large pasta shells stuffed with Cajun Cod Salad

"Codfinger" was the night's hit. It came together randomly during a recon mission at Loblaws. I asked for the fishmonger's freshest white fish. I got cod. After searching in vain throughout the area for pre-made polenta, I happened upon the pasta shells. The recipe came together out of the void.

- Take one filet of cod, season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and roast in an oven at 350F for about 20 minutes or until flaky. Remove from oven, drain juices and cool.
- Prepare pasta shells as directed on the package (al dente)
and let cool.

The Salad:
- Break up the fish with a fork.
- Blend in 2 tbsp of mayonnaise, 1 tbsp of honey dijon, 1 large clove of minced garlic, 2 finely-chopped spring onions, and a handful of finely-chopped red pepper and celery.
- Season with salt, pepper, cumin, dried chili, lemon zest, paprika, fresh thyme and parsley (use your instincts for the flavour! A secret agent must often rely on her instincts during kitchen missions).

- Delicately spoon the salad into the shells.

Ruby Jane Snack Mix

Æ provided the music for the night with this radiostream
from Soma FM. Click on the man with a license to kill.

Secret Agent: The soundtrack for your stylish, mysterious,
dangerous life. For Spies and PIs too!

REGGAE GOT SOUL

2009-09-04T21:56:00.020-04:00

I'm a white girl from Canada, but my favourite food is Jamaican.
That's my soul food.

My mother always made Irish-style stew with left-over turkey or beef.
Some nights went like this:
"What's for dinner?"
"Stew."
"Aw! Again?!"

Someday, in my house, it might be like this:
"What's for dinner?"
"Jerk chicken, rice and peas."
"Aw, again?!"

My first taste of jerk chicken was at Caribbean Flavours in Ottawa on Somerset Street. When I first moved out on my own, I lived in Chinatown and Caribbean Flavours was across the laundry mat. Sitting on the stoop, I'd sip on a home-brew ginger beer, waiting for the spin cycle to end.

This was the first and the best jerk chicken I've ever eaten. I've tried countless other places in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. The next best I've had was when I made a trek across Brooklyn to Peppa's jerk chicken near Prospect Park. But nothing has come close to the smoky, rich, spiciness of Frederick's chicken at Carribean Flavours. And though it is a modest restaurant without refined decor, it has careful touches such as a rim of nutmeg on the ginger beer glass, a dish of cardamom pods on each table to crack open and nibble on, and freshly-ironed linen on the tables. After a fire burned down the restaurant, Frederick reopened on Carling Avenue just west of Churchill. Even though it's kind of out of the way, I try to make it out at least once a year when I'm visiting Ottawa.

a compilation of soul tracks covered by reggae artists

The secret to Frederick's jerk chicken is his homemade marinade. Most people buy the sauce or rub. In fact I was really sad to see Chuck Hughes use a jar for his jerk recipe on his new Food Network show. Come on, Chuck, teach me something!

I did have his jerk crab at Garde-Manger, his upbeat, creative restaurant in Old Montreal. I'll admit, it was amazing.

(bottle or homemade, serato or vinyl?)

I have yet to take Frederick up on his offer to show me how
he prepares his chicken. In the meantime, I am indebted to jamaicatravelandculture.com for their recipes.
I've made my own variations on them...

JERK CHICKEN WITH RICE&PEAS AND GRILLED PLANTAIN

Chicken:
Use any part of the chicken you'd like.
I prefer drumsticks and thighs with the backs attached,
both with the skin on.
This is enough sauce to feed 8 people minimum,
so I'd say 8 thighs and 8 drumsticks.
Throw in a few chicken breasts for picky eaters.
Poke holes in the meat and marinate for a looooong time,
preferably overnight. Keep 1/2 cup of marinade for later.

To prepare the marinade,
mix together all this stuff in a blender:

4 sliced scotch bonnet peppers
3 Tbsp. thyme
3 Tbsp. ground allspice
8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Medium onions, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tsp nutmeg
1 Tsp ginger
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of one lime
1 cup orange juice
1 cup white vinegar

The best jerk chicken has a smoky taste that comes
from a charcoal grill. But since I don't have this option,
this is how I prepare it:

In an oven preheated to 300F/175C, roast the chicken for 3 hours in a roasting pan covered with foil. After the 3 hours, pour out most of the liquid from the pan (save it and make a yummy gravy!) Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken and set the oven to broil for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy and the sauce has darkened considerably.

Rice&Peas:
3 cups of white jasmine rice
1 can of tinned peas (either kidney beans or pigeon peas)
5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
3 spring onions
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 tsp thyme
2 tbsp ground allspice
1 cup coconut milk
2 3/4 cup water

Bring to a boil, uncovered.
Then reduce heat to 2, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Plantains:
Use very ripe plantains that are yellowish-black.
Fry them in a very hot pan with a little bit of butter,
until they're golden brown with a touch of black.

Miko is holding a bottle of Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce.
Amazing with this meal. See? I use bottled stuff too.
(I also use serato)

Check out the trailer for Rocksteady : The Roots of Reggae
which premiered in Montreal and features an appearance by
Montreal's own reggae selecta and producer Mossman.

"Music can heal you.
Music can make you happy.
Music touches where a doctor can never go: to the soul."
- Judy Mowatt

RUBY JANE SNACK MIX!

I recenly had the honour to join DJ Static in the wefunkradio studio
for a funk-hiphop-soul session. I only used vinyl for this one.

click the picture for the show

FISH ON MY DISH

2009-03-08T21:56:00.002-04:00

NATALIA GROSNER is the slick hand behind
these hip hop inspired prints.
Each one features a sweet rhyme about food.

click on the image to see more of her prints

I love Natalia's stuff because it's clean and bright, something I strive for when I'm cooking and writing. She uses a few dominant colours and refuses to overcrowd the design with multiple fonts. She brings all the elements together to produce both simplicity and depth.

I've learned that the main mistake in cooking or writing is to over-spice or to over-word. Too many ornate words can bog down a description. I want vividness. I want balance. When I first started cooking, I used too many conflicting spices and ingredients. All the flavours got lost. I've learned that each flavour needs integrity, all the while tightening up with the rest of the ingredients to play together in a solid jam.

SOUPE DU SUD

I love southern France-- the dry heat, the breeze, the ocean, the flavours. It is nothing like the north of France. It's like another part of the world.

This soup is inspired by the traditional southern French dish, bouillabaisse, which is a tomato-y fish broth with several different types of seafood served on the side.

It's also served with rouille, a home-made mayonnaise flavoured with cayenne and coloured with paprika. On the side you'll also find little crunchy baguette toasts topped with gruyere cheese. Instead of gruyere, I wanted to try another swiss cheese called "Diabolo-Gourmet".

This is what you need:

1 medium onion, diced
5 very ripe tomatoes, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
4 cups water
2 large filets of white fish (like sole or halibut), cubed
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp savoury
1 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp paprika
pinch saffron
salt and pepper to taste
juice of half a lemon

Sauté the first four ingredients in 2 tbsp of olive oil until the onions are somewhat transparent. Add the savoury, bay leaves, lemon juice, one filet of fish and water. Let simmer for 25 minutes. Purée the mixture with a hand blender or regular blender. Add the tomato paste, paprika, saffron, cayenne, salt, pepper and the rest of the fish. Simmer again for 20 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of quality olive oil on top.

PS. The soup is waaaaay better the next day when the flavours have had a chance to hang out together and find some harmony.

RUBY JANE SNACK MIX

Here's a 20-minute bite of mellow funk
featuring DJs Alkaline and Ruby Jane

right-click the goldfish for listening options!

1. Pass the Peas intro
2. Sharon Jones - fish in my dish
2. Orgone - lone ranger
3. Gil-Scott Heron - angel dust
4. The Headhunters - god made me funky
5. The Blackbyrds - funkie junkie
6. Ann Winley - watch dog
7. Brother Jack McDuff - hunk o' funk

ALL IS CALM, ALL IS BRIGHT

2008-12-21T18:15:00.001-05:00

There's snow this December, unlike last year, when global warming's effects were directly in our faces and on our consciences. Perhaps this is why this season seems more promising than last year. Christmas is full of promises, many not kept. We feel betrayed by the outcome of all the build-up to December 25th. We get a little bewildered, like the red border collie I saw outside the grocery store today. Worriedly anticipating his owner's return, he sat, alert, as the large snowflakes came down. Within seconds a mound of snow had collected on his head. I reassured him with a rub of his scruffy neck, making sure not to upset the funny, snowy hill he was wearing.

I made a Christmas meal this month, but improvised it, avoiding the expectation of greatness a recipe bears. The Atwater Market provided me with all the flavours I had in mind.

Zattar and I also threw together a little mix with a Christmas theme.
You'll see it at the end of this post.

We started it off with small New Brunswick oysters
and very cold, very light white wine.
I made a dressing for the oysters with white wine vinegar,
lemon juice, red chili paste, horseradish and red shallots.

Shucking them was ridiculously hard.
The effort made them taste amazing.

Sweet and savoury make merry in this meal...
Cornish hens with cranberry, sausage and quinoa stuffing
cooked in ruby porto.

The salad was warm and bright, Christmas on a plate:
Baby spinach, pomegranate, grilled eggplant and clementine.
I added a hint of cinnamon to the white wine vinaigrette.

Despite the fact that this creation was like a jazz song,
felt out and improvised, I have a rough recording of it...

Ruby's Christmas Dinner for Two:

2 large cornish hens
¼ cup ruby porto
¼ cup chicken broth
2 good quality sausages (veal or pork)
¼ cup quinoa
¼ cup water
¼ cup fresh thyme (just the leaves)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
¼ cup celery, diced finely
4 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
Zest of 1 lemon
4 red shallots, diced finely
Handful of dried cranberries
Handful of roasted, unsalted almonds, chopped coarsely
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Rince the quinoa well.
Bring 1/4 cup of water to boil in a saucepan, add the quinoa, cover
and let simmer until the water is absorbed (10-15 minutes)

2. In a frying pan, sautee the celery, garlic and shallots until slightly tender. Take the sausages out of their casings and break them up into small chunks as you add them to the pan. Saute that until the sausage is no longer pink.
Add the thyme leaves, lemon zest, almonds, and cranberries
and sauté for 2 minutes. Add quinoa.
Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Rinse and season the hens inside and out with salt and pepper.

5. Stuff the hens with the stuffing. Close up the cavity with toothpicks.
You can be devilish and take their legs and make them do a little jig
before tying them together with cooking string.

6. Put the porto and chicken broth in the roasting pan and rub the liquid all over the hens. Throw in some sprigs of thyme. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast the hens for 1 hour, basting them every 10 minutes and turning them over after 30 minutes.

7. Take the foil off and broil the hens for 5-10 minutes or until they're nice and crispy golden all over, turning them over and basting them every few minutes to avoid drying them out.

Tastes amazing with white wine.

Our desert was a beautiful Québecois ice cider and some cheese.
It found its long lost brother in the old cheddar.

click the image to learn about the "hidden side of the apple"

Taking advantage of the bottle of porto bought for the hens,
a glass of the ruby sweetness came last.

Heartfelt wishes to all the amazing people who are in my life
as well as those yet to come.

Relax, be creative and surely this season's festivities
will be warm, bright and soulful.

"Stuffin' the Bird" A RubyJane/Zattar Christmas mix:
click the Christmas tree!

1. Intro
2. Stone Soul Christmas - Binky Griptite
3. Tired of Fighting - Menahan Street Band
3. The Telephone Song - Charles Bradley+Menahan Street Band
4. In the Raw - The Whitefield Brothers
5. One Beer - MF Doom
6. Soulful Christmas - James Brown
7. Gumbo - MF Doom
8. Stuffin' the Bird - The Lockers
9. Christmas is Coming - James Brown

BREAKIN' BREAD WITH MY MAMA

2008-11-29T20:14:00.001-05:00

My love for food began with my parents. I got my love for eating from my father (especially spicy food!) but I got my passion for cooking from my mother. When I was a young teenager and just starting to cook, I was clumsily chopping up garlic in the kitchen. Mom walked in, smiling..."Ooh! The smell of garlic!" She took my hands into her own and breathed in the smell as if my hands were full of lilacs. That's where it begins.

This blog is dedicated to my mother, a sweet and generous woman. This August, we went on a trip to Ireland and southern France. She had planned originally to go with my father, but he died a year ago. So I stepped in. Every Guiness I had was for him.

Ireland

In Cork, the blackberries poured over every wall.

Moss leaked out of every crevice.

At Dan Lowry's, a tiny little pub, quiet and cozy, we had traditional Irish soul food: Shepherd's Pie with peas, peppered mackerel with famous Irish oat bread. Beamish Stout is made in Cork and is creamy goodness. Here I learned that stout and blackcurrant cordial have a secret love for each other.

The hot toddies were well appreciated at Tis Coili in Galway.

Southern France

After a week of rain, wind and beer, we rambled over to the land of heat, sun and wine. Here is our first meal in Montpelier... it was a table d'hote for only 13 euros. Beef filet and magret de canard. Both were served with traditional southern french-style vegetables... baked potatoes topped with creme fraiche and various purees of root vegetables, each flavoured differently. The food was so, so good.

Antigone Market... Enormous paella pans, pick-up trucks full of live fish, giant loaves of bread... SO.MUCH.CHEESE. *le sigh*

The beach... *le sigh x 2* I had never swam in warm saltwater. NEVER.

Best bloody mojitos I've ever had.

This song by Fred Wesley and the JBs
sums up my trip with my Mama.