Winter Recipes Inspired by the Praries

Food writer Dan Clapson has spent his career writing about the culinary scene in the prairies. Here he highlights some of his favourite cost-saving ingredients and winter recipes inspired by the Canadian region.

WINTER-SPICED BEEF GOULASH

(inspired by Alberta)

While beef in general can be pricey, otherwise, using stewing beef and slow-cooking can make this higher-priced protein more affordable. Goulash has Central-Eastern European roots, so it’s no wonder people love to cook it on the Prairies.

Other ingredients keeping it low cost are tomato paste, potatoes, onions, garlic and pantry staple spices like paprika and bay leaf. I also spend 2-3 months a year in Prague working remotely, so I’ve had more goulash variations than most people ever will in their lives haha. Oftentimes pubs or families have their own subtle twists. Mine opts for more winter spices than are typical, which makes things taste all the more cozy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kg of a stewing beef roast (sirloin tip, chuck, etc…), cut into approximate 2” pieces
• Cornstarch, enough to lightly dredge 
• Salt, to season
• Canola oil, enough to brown meat
• 16-20 baby potatoes, halved or quartered
• 2 yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 allspice berries
• 2 dry bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp dried marjoram
• 2 Tsp ground black pepper
• ½ Tsp caraway seeds
• 2-3 Tbsp pickle juice or plain white vinegar
• Thinly sliced onions and rosemary, for garnish

METHOD:

1. Place beef pieces in a large mixing bowl and cover liberally with cornstarch and salt, toss until evenly coated.
2. Heat canola oil in a large pot or stovetop-safe French oven on medium-high heat, and work in batches to brown beef pieces. After you complete the browning in batches, transfer beef to a slow cooker. The sliced potatoes can go into the slow cooker as well.
3. Once browning is complete, add sliced onions and garlic to the pot, as well as the red wine to help deglaze. Cook onions until translucent and pan is completely deglazed, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add broth, tomato paste, spices and vinegar/pickle juice and bring to a near-simmer on medium heat. Reduce to low heat and allow to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until aromatics (rosemary, stick, bay leaves and allspice) have infused into the mixture.
5. Pour the mixture over the beef in slow cooker and let cook on low-medium setting until beef is very tender, about 4-6 hours.
6. Serve with warm bread and top with thinly sliced onions.

SUNFLOWER SEED, WHEAT BERRY AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

(inspired by Manitoba)

I love, love, love making risotto when I’m having friends over for dinner for many reasons. Firstly, it’s a dish that is scalable, so it’s as easy to make for 4 people as it is for 8. It’s also a perfect savoury blank canvas for whatever flavours you personally enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 3 cups diced butternut squash (fresh or frozen)
• 1-2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 Tbsp water
• ⅓ cup diced beef jerky, optional
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup wheat berries (rinsed well)
• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tsp  of fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tbsp pickle brine
• Salt, to season

Direction:

1. Place chicken broth, water, tomato paste and squash in a medium-large pot and bring to a simmer on medium-high heat. Cook until squash is tender, about 10-12 minutes, and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
2. Reduce broth and squash mixture to low heat to keep hot while preparing the base of the risotto.
3. Heat canola oil on medium-high heat in a large deep pan. Add diced onions and cook for 6-8 minutes or until onions start to brown lightly.
4. Add several splashes of water to the pan and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Onions should deepen in colour slightly, add more water to slow browning as needed.
5. Add butter, garlic, and diced beef jerky, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then add the sunflower seeds and wheat berries.
6. Next, add a ladleful of the hot broth mixture to the pan. Stir regularly until absorbed. Continue this process 4 more times until approximately 1 cup of broth mixture remains in the pot, this should take about 25-30 minutes total.
7. Add the cream to the pot of remaining broth and allow to heat up before continuing to ladle the mixture into the pan of risotto.
8. Once the last bit of broth mixture has been added to the pan, also stir in the herbs and apple cider vinegar. Continue to cook (and stir) until the herbs have wilted, approximately 1-2 minutes.
9. For serving, portion out into shallow pasta bowls or plates and finish with grated parmesan, cracked peppercorns and fresh herbs if desired.

Tip: An al dente texture is the goal here, so have a taste of a risotto towards the end of the cooking process to check consistency.

GREEN LENTIL AND FARMER’S SAUSAGE “CASSOULET”

(inspired by Saskatchewan)

This French-style recipe uses Saskatchewan’s largest commodity—aside from wheat: Lentils. Using lentils instead of beans in a cassoulet allows for much less prep, and quicker cooking process.

Farmers’ sausage is an affordable protein and a product that is ubiquitous in grocery stores across the Prairies. Slicing the sausage thinly helps bolster the flavour of the comforting lentil mixture, while allowing the pulses to still be the star of this hearty dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 4 bacon strips, thinly sliced
• 1 500 g farmer’s sausage, cut into ½” thick slices
• 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and quartered and cut into ½” thick slices
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 Tbsp pickle juice or white wine (to deglaze pan)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 6 cups plus ½ cup of good quality unsalted chicken broth, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves
• 2 celery stalks, halved
• 1 carrot, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 3 cups uncooked green lentils, rinsed

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a deep sauté pan or braiser on medium heat. Once hot, add sliced bacon and cook until the bacon has released most of its fat and is browned, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer from pan to paper towel to absorb access fat.
2. Working in batches, add sausage slices and sliced rutabaga to pan until browned. Set aside with bacon for now.
3. Add onions and garlic to pan, and stir well. Use pickle juice or wine to deglaze pan, followed by butter and cook until onions soften, about 4-5 minutes.
4. Next, add broth, bay leaves, cloves, celery and carrot. Allow broth mixture to gently simmer until it has reduced by ⅓, which should be about 15 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaves, cloves, celery and carrot and discard. Add lentils to broth, topping up with remaining ½ cup of broth.
6. Once broth returns to a simmer, cook lentils until they reach an al dente texture, about 15 minutes.
7. While they’re cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Nestle sausage, bacon and rutabaga back into the pan and bake in oven 90 minutes, checking mixture and gently breaking up the surface of the pan to help crust form.
9. Serve with warm bread.

SOUR CREAM PANNA COTTA WITH STEWED FRUIT

If you’re like me and you don’t excel at making desserts (no shame in that), a panna cotta can be a person’s best friend.

Positive attributes of a panna cotta include, but are not limited to: being easy to make in advance, a blank canvas to add your favourite flavours to and it is quite a lovely word to say out loud.

Jokes aside, my take on panna cotta incorporates sour cream for a bit of tang, which gives it a kind of can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-it flavour that your friends will love. For the topping, dried saskatoon berries come alive wonderfully when rehydrated in a mixture of currant wine, brown sugar and butter. Add some locally-grown pear if you can get your hands on any remaining cellared stock, otherwise feel free to leave it out.

INGREDIENTS:

Sour Cream Panna Cotta

• 2 Tsp gelatin
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ tsp vanilla paste
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 6 small 6-ounce ramekins (or similarly sized small bowls)
• Vegetable-oil-based cooking spray or Canola oil, enough to coat inside of ramekins or bowls

Stewed Fruit

• ½ cup dried saskatoon berries
• 1 cup diced Bartlett pears
• ¼ cup Living Sky Winery currant wine
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter

DIRECTION:

Sour Cream Panna Cotta:

1. Place gelatin and milk in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside for now.
2. Place whipping cream, sour cream, vanilla and sugar in a medium pot and bring to a near-simmer on medium-high heat (i.e. when the mixture is steaming, but not bubbling).
3. Add milk and gelatin mixture to the pot and whisk until completely dissolved, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Either spray the interior of desired vessels with cooking spray or dab a paper towel in some canola oil and rub interiors well enough to coat.
5. Evenly distribute the hot liquid to the six vessels, leaving approximately ½” of space from the lip. Place into the refrigerator and let panna cottas set, approximately 4 hours.

Stewed Fruit:

1. Place all components except diced pears into a small pot and bring to a simmer on medium-high heat.
2. Reduce to low heat and allow to cook until berries soften considerably and liquid reduces by ½, about 5 minutes. Add in diced pears and cook for several more minutes.
3. Remove from heat and allow to return to room temperature before serving.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Take panna cottas out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving to allow to warm up slightly (this will result in a smoother, creamier texture).
2. Place a generous spoonful of stewed fruit mixture over top of each and serve.

Note: both the panna cottas and stewed fruit components can be made several days in advance. The stewed fruit pairs perfectly with pancakes.