Nova Scotia’s Traditional Foods

[codheadred]

They look great breast of lamb is a favourite cut of mine, be it as part of a lancashire hotpot or breadcrumbed ste menhould stylee. Are they tender after an hour? Ive got to ask as usually mine get 2 hours minimum in the oven.

edited cos i cant spell

Edited November 14, 2010 by codheadred (log)

[Peter the eater]

They look great breast of lamb is a favourite cut of mine, be it as part of a lancashire hotpot or breadcrumbed ste menhould stylee. Are they tender after an hour? Ive got to ask as usually mine get 2 hours minimum in the oven.

edited cos i cant spell

The cut I used was labeled flank which I believe means the thin slabs behind the breast toward the rear legs. If a tiny person were to saddle-up on a lamb, its where the spurs would make contact. It was about three-quarters ribs -- definitely a cut that requires long and low moist heat. This piece simmered in a smoky brine for two hours on the stove top, then marinaded for two hours, then roasted for another hour. A longer roast time at a lower temp may have made it a bit more tender, but nobody complained.

[Peter the eater]

or breadcrumbed ste menhould style

I totally forgot about that dish. I saw it in my library's copy of The River Cottage Meat Book a few years ago and fully intend to make it myself one day. What do you like for the dip?

[codheadred]

Right got you they get cooked in the brine, its got to be tartar sauce, tho mustards good too..

Edited November 14, 2010 by codheadred (log)

[Peter the eater]

Pork Belly

Best part of a pig? Possibly. Almost all the pork bellies produced here get processed and sold as bacon. My butcher says the only people who ask him for fresh whole bellies are "from away".

I've got a lovely one-kilogram slab to cook for dinner tonight. We had our turkeys weeks ago as Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Jour de l'Action de Grâce, as they say in French Canada.

Pretty sure pork bellies count as traditional food everywhere there are men with pigs. I'm struggling to resist all my "from away" pantry items like star anise, cinnamon, Szechuan pepper, etc.

Pictures to follow . . .

[Peter the eater]

I couldn't help but notice that the dimensions of my Paderno fish poacher looked accommodating. The slab got scored and doused in a combo of my own maple syrup, local garlic, Annapolis Valley apple cider vinegar, sea salt from god knows where, and black pepper from Madagascar I think. It's in the oven.

[nakji]

Best part of a pig? Possibly. Almost all the pork bellies produced here get processed and sold as bacon. My butcher says the only people who ask him for fresh whole bellies are "from away".

MMmm...belly. Chater's in Dartmouth keeps a wide variety of different meat cuts available for those "from away". It's my first stop whenever I get back in town and my Dad starts demanding I cook. Next time you get some, you should try "hong shao rou" or "twice-cooked pork". Both excellent dishes. Did you keep the skin on the belly, or take it off?

[Peter the eater]

Next time you get some, you should try "hong shao rou" or "twice-cooked pork". Both excellent dishes.

Funny you should say that, I've got this odd book from 1979 called "The Complete Book of Chinese Cooking" from Ken Lo and Grace Chu. I considered their twice-cooked pork recipe and the ensuing egg drop soup, then realized I don't have three hours today to simmer anything. So I Google-imaged crispy pork belly recipes and winged it with the stuff on hand. No photos yet because the camera went with the girls of my household on a Sparks sleepover.

[Peter the eater]

The high caliber of recent eg Foodblogs compels me to share.

A well-prepared scotch egg is a beautiful thing -- I stole this great idea from Prawncrackers.

[Blether]

Those are the salmon scotch eggs from whoever's it was, somewhere on the Devon or Cornwall coast, are they ? They look great. That's an idea I stole too, just haven't gotten round to actually making any yet

Mind you, another eG thread in the last day or so has inspired yet another scotch egg idea...

Edited March 30, 2011 by Blether (log)

[Hank Kingsley]

I live in the south end and find the Barrington Superstore to be awful. I've repeatedly been to the Clearwater and Fishermans Market and find both to be disappointing. The Fish Shop at the Halifax Farmers Market is fine but I think fish should be cut to order and served on ice. Peter, where can we get really good fish? And where do you think has the best fish and chips?

[Peter the eater]

I live in the south end and find the Barrington Superstore to be awful. I've repeatedly been to the Clearwater and Fishermans Market and find both to be disappointing. The Fish Shop at the Halifax Farmers Market is fine but I think fish should be cut to order and served on ice. Peter, where can we get really good fish? And where do you think has the best fish and chips?

I usually hit Clearwater and Fishermans Market on a Friday afternoon and can always find something super fresh at a good price. If you're out of the city, there are a few lobster pounds that sell seafood right off the boat. I like Ryer's down the road from my neighborhood.

Best fish & chips? I've lost track there's so many. Phil's is good. I would have said Shaw's Landing but I haven't been back since the Swiss Chef went back to Switzerland.

[Peter the eater]

Those are the salmon scotch eggs from whoever's it was, somewhere on the Devon or Cornwall coast, are they ? They look great. That's an idea I stole too, just haven't gotten round to actually making any yet

Mind you, another eG thread in the last day or so has inspired yet another scotch egg idea...

That's right.

Paul Ainsworth's No6 restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall

I used quail eggs, farmed Atlantic salmon, plain breadcrumbs and maple syrup since I had no dill on hand. There a bit fussy but worth the effort.

[PopsicleToze]

The high caliber of recent eg Foodblogs compels me to share.

A well-prepared scotch egg is a beautiful thing -- I stole this great idea from Prawncrackers.

I am so glad you revived this thread. It's one of my favorite threads on this entire board!

Scotch eggs, huh. Never had them, but I've thought about making them many times. My forefathers do go back to Scotland (Graham Clan), so now I guess I *have* to make these.

Yours look really good. I'll let you know how mine come out.

Cheers!

[PopsicleToze]

Question... I'm finding 2 schools of thought on the eggs. Do you boil them so that they are cooked completely like you would for any other boiled egg, or do you just boil them enough for the white to set so that the yolk isn't completely cooked?

Thanks!

[Peter the eater]

Question... I'm finding 2 schools of thought on the eggs. Do you boil them so that they are cooked completely like you would for any other boiled egg, or do you just boil them enough for the white to set so that the yolk isn't completely cooked?

Thanks!

Most Scotch eggs I see are pub food served warm with draft beer. For some it's more of a cold picnic item that travels well. To serve a warm scotch egg with a perfectly soft yolk is no small feat, like a rare beef tenderloin cooked en croute. For my quail eggs in salmon above I boiled them to medium, cooled then shelled. It's cheaper to tinker with Scotch eggs than Beef Wellington.

[baconburner]

I am an ex Montrealer who spent time in Nova Scotia,Grandparents and parents retired there. Also a stint at Cornwallis. I have in front of me the Dutch Oven cook book prepared by the Ladies Auxilliary of the Lunenburg Hospital Society from 1976. Many a good recipe which I still prepare. Soups and chowders and all the goodies. Bon Appetite

[Peter the eater]

Farm-fresh Speckled Trout and fiddleheads for dinner tonight.

The fish will likely be baked with herbs and citrus. Steam the ferns, make some rice, bob's your uncle.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I can't believe this thread has made it to 8 pages without a single mention of Nova Scotia Black Fruitcake! The recipe I use was passed from a great-aunt from Halifax, and it has apparently been in my family for centuries. When I was in Halifax last I asked around, and apparently it's not just a tradition in my family, either. It definitely bears inclusion in the traditional NS foods, as it's the best fruitcake running (especially after 6 months in black rum... )

[maggiethecat]

I can't believe this thread has made it to 8 pages without a single mention of Nova Scotia Black Fruitcake! The recipe I use was passed from a great-aunt from Halifax, and it has apparently been in my family for centuries. When I was in Halifax last I asked around, and apparently it's not just a tradition in my family, either. It definitely bears inclusion in the traditional NS foods, as it's the best fruitcake running (especially after 6 months in black rum... )

That looks swoonworthy. Can you point me toward a recipe?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I'll post mine tomorrow morning. Be aware that it takes about 5 lbs of candied whatnots....

[Peter the eater]

I can't believe this thread has made it to 8 pages without a single mention of Nova Scotia Black Fruitcake!

I don't bake much. But you're right, it's a handsome regional classic.

Can you point me toward a recipe?

From Marie Nightingale's Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens:

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Here's my Aunt Roslind's recipe - it's a bit more involved than the one Peter has posted. It makes two standard loaf pans (9x5x3").

4 oz candied citron, coarsely chopped

2 oz candied lemon peel, coarsely chopped

2 oz candied orange peel, coarsely chopped

8 oz candied cherries, halved

1 lb candied pineapple, shredded

1 lb golden raisins

8 oz sultana raisins

4 oz currants (I substitute dried blueberries)

1/2 C black rum

4 oz almonds, blanched and shredded

4 oz walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

2 C sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 TSP mace

1/2 TSP cinnamon

1/2 TSP baking powder

1 TBSP milk

1 TSP almond extract

2 TBSP blackstrap molasses

1/2 C butter (1/8 lb)

1 C granulated sugar

1 C brown sugar, packed

5 eggs.

1. Mix the fruits, add the rum, and allow to stand overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to slow (275 F). Grease your pans, line with wax paper, and then grease the paper (don't skip the greasing the paper step!)

3. Combine the fruit mixture, the nuts, and 1/2 C of flour.

4. Sift together the remaining flour with the spices and baking powder, and add the almond extract and molasses to the milk.

5. Cream the butter until smooth, adding the sugars gradually, and continue to mix until even. Add the eggs, mix well, and then add the milk mixture. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

6. Pour the batter down over the fruits and nuts, and mix thoroughly. Fill the pans and press the batter down firmly.

7. Bake the loaves for about 3 hours. Remove from the oven when the toothpick comes out clean, and let stand 30 minutes, then turn out of the pans onto wire racks and peel off the paper.

8. Once the cakes are fully cool, wrap them in cheesecloth soaked in the liquor of your choice (I use more black rum), and place in a tightly sealed container. Allow to age 1 month (minimum), adding about 1/2 oz of liquor every week.

I have a stone crock for aging my own cakes, and (since I offer this fruitcake seasonally in my bakery) I've found that cakes can be aged very well at the back of the fridge, simply wrapped in cheesecloth, then tinfoil, and sealed in ziplock baggies.