Food Mamma

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beef

beef pot roast

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Life is busy. Our days are spent running from one activity to the next. We try and keep Sundays free, a day to spend at home and putter around the house. Sundays seem like the perfect day to have something cooking for a few hours, filling the house with aromatic smells.

Yesterday we spent our Sunday enjoying the smells of a roast while we hung around the house. Cooked alongside lots of veggies and topped with a creamy gravy, this pot roast gives a sense of comfort. The perfect Sunday Supper.

We love beef around here. Since we love it so much, I felt I had to enter the Canadian Beef Blogger Ambassador Contest. I am up against 9 other competitors and would love your votes. Thanks for your help! Click here to vote.

Beef Pot Roast

1 small roast (3 to 4 pounds)
3 carrots, cut into chunks
2 onions, cut into large chunks
handful brussel sprouts, halved
1 pound mini potatoes, halved
6 cloves garlic
1 cup red wine
4 cups beef broth
salt
pepper
thyme
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in a pot on the stove. Add the onions and cook for a couple minutes. Remove and place on a dish. Add the carrots and brussel sprouts. Cook until there is a bit of colour. Remove and place with the onions.

Coat the roast with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides until there is a nice crust. Remove from the pan. Add one cup of red wine to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the bits. Place the roast back in along with the vegetables (including the potatoes) and cover with beef broth. Add a couple sprigs of thyme, throw in the garlic and place in the oven for approximately 3 1/2 hours.

Gravy

Remove the roast and cover with foil. Remove the vegetables. In a small pot, melt 2 TB butter and add 1/4 cup flour. Slowly add the drippings from the roast and stir until smooth.

canada beef and karisma resorts

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I first learned about the Canadian Beef Culinary Series last year, when I attended the Canada Beef & Karisma dinner at Rouge restaurant in Calgary. It was there that I sampled amazing beef dishes created by Chefs Allemeier and Rogalski and learned about Karisma resort. It was also there that I won a stay at the hotel in the Mayan Riviera, which turned out to be one of our favourite vacations (Part 1 | Part 2).

I was excited to be invited this month to the Karisma Influencer and Media event held at the new Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence which opened earlier this year in Calgary.

We were fortunate to be treated to a four course meal made by the talented chefs at Karisma Hotels featuring Canada Beef.  With Jeroen Hanlo, VP of Food & Beverage Operations at Karisma Hotels, the chefs kept us entertained and well fed all evening. 

We first toured the amazing centre – fully equipped with a consumer kitchen, commercial kitchen as well as the beef fabrication room. We learned a lot from Marty Carpenter, the Centre Director and Abe van Melle, the Centre Technical Manager.

The evening started out with a tasty bite – beef tartare with habanero aioli. The platter was beautiful arranged with flowers and the beef was served on potato chips.

Our first course was Canadian AAA Spice Rubbed Tri-Tip, Baby Beets, Blue Cheese, Chantrelle Mushroom prepared by Chef Florian Durre, Executive Chef and Elorado Royale.

Our second course was Canadian AAA Petit Tenderloin, Yucatan Sauce “Chimole” prepared by Chef Jonaten Gomez Luna, Executive Chef at La Chique.

Our main course was the Canadian AAA Aged Rib-Eye, Black Corn Truffle, Creamy Sweet Corn  with Traditional Mole and Tamarind. The rib-eye was my favourite cut, soft like butter. This course was prepared by Chef Francisco Perez, Executive Chef and Dorado Seaside Suites.

The final course was an amazing sight. The chefs prepared dessert using liquid nitrogen! The nitrogen was used to make creamy rhubarb sorbet as well as icy beads of carrot juice. This along with some coconut sponge, yogurt foam and cotton candy made for a flavourful dessert with lots of textures.

It was a fantastic evening, combining a couple of my favourite things – beef and Mexico!

pampa brazilian steakhouse

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We are so lucky to have some great new restaurants in the city. One of the new additions to Calgary is Pampa Brazilian Steahouse.  I was lucky to be invited to a media dinner for the new restaurant and try out their amazing offerings. This restaurant is every meat lovers dream!

We were greeted by owner Oscar Lopez, who welcomed everyone with a drink – either Caipirinhas or Guarana, Brazilian sodas.

Chef Joao gave us a bit of history before we were treated to a delicious meal. The buffet was unlike any one I have seen at a Brazilian steakhouse. The variety of items was astonishing – from salads and vegetables to beef carpaccio and a wheel of parmesan. Definitely something for everyone.

The meat – oh my! Here’s some of what we enjoyed: marinated chicken thighs, garlic steak, top sirloin, bottom sirloin, ribeye and lamb chops. My absolute favourite was the house specialty – Picanha. Also known as beef rump, it was sooooo tasty and melted in my mouth. The food was delicious and the meat made everyone at the table quite happy.

The evening ended on a sweet note – passion fruit mousse with a red wine reduction and chocolate mousse with an orange and star anise reduction.

The place was fantastic, the food was delicious and I can’t wait to go back for more!

canada beef culinary series in mexico

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While in Mexico staying at the Generations Resort by Karisma, we were able to enjoy the Canada Beef Culinary Series. For the past year, each month had a whole week dedicated to Canadian Beef. The program highlighted a different chef from Canada coming up with some great beef creations. The dishes were then paired with a wine by an expert from Jackson Family Wines. This was such a successful collaboration that the Culinary Series is back for 2015!

While we were there in December, we were treated to food by Chef Roger Sleiman from Kelowna. while wine pairings were done by Ben Fine from Jackson Family Wine.

I enjoyed the cooking class one night while hubby and I both attended the gala dinner.  Take a look at some of the delicious dishes that we enjoyed!

Lime Marinated Canadian Inside Skirt
Watermelon, Feta, Mint, Pepitas
Spice Rubbed Canadian Top Sirloin
Cabbage and Radish Slaw, Avocado
Canadian New York Strip Steak
Corn Puree, Chimichurri

Canadian Beef Carpaccio
Arugula, Fried Capers, Parmesan, Mustard Aioli
Marinated Canadian Tri Tip
Grilled Ratatouille, Pesto
Coffee & Ancho Braised Canadian Short Rib
Mushroom Arancini
Canadian Beef Tenderloin
Anna Potato, Braised Cambray Onion
Dark Chocolate Cremeux Tart
Cream, Caramel

karisma and canadian beef

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The holidays are done and we are back to our busy routine. School, work, extra curricular activities – it is definitely back to the grind.

We were lucky to escape in December, and oh what an escape it was! We enjoyed a week at the Generations Resort by Karisma in the Mayan Riviera while enjoying the Canadian Beef Culinary Series at the El Dorado Hotel next door. It was a wonderful week and Q keeps asking when we get to go back. If you were following along on Instagram, you know how spoiled we were while enjoying the Mexican sun. Looking forward to sharing about our trip next week for Travel Tuesday. Stay tuned!

mexican pasta shells

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In the last few weeks, Q has decided that Tuesdays are for tacos. Since they are quick and easy and loved by us all, we are happy to indulge his desire for Taco Tuesdays. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to put a spin on things – Mexican Pasta Shells. Inspired by K, my former co-worker, large pasta shells are filled with seasoned taco meat, covered in salsa and cheese. The baked dish is then topped with everything you would put in a taco.

I wasn’t sure what Q’s response would be. He is sometimes finicky with pasta, usually choosing other things over it. This dish, however, was a hit! I’m always thrilled anytime he goes back for seconds of anything.

There’s not really a recipe for this per se. I use taco seasoning when browning my meat. I stuffed the cooked shells with meat and layed them in a dish on top of salsa. I put more salsa on top and then covered it with cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted. In K’s recipe, the taco meat is mixed with cream cheese. Hubby is lactose intolerant though, so I held off on the cream cheese. His portion of shells were also not covered in cheese.

Once out of the oven, top with onions, tomatoes and avocado and serve with sour cream. An easy and filling dish that’s everyone’s favourite.

superbowl eats

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Looking for some ideas for your Superbowl party this weekend? Here’s a round up of some perfect food to munch on while watching the big game.

Beef Bacon-Wrapped Boursin-Filled Prawns 
Key Lime Pie 
BBQ Beef Ribs 
Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip 
Garlicky Tomato & Avocado Bruschetta 
Cheesy Ranch Fried Pickles 
Jalapeno Hummus 
Salsa 
Spicy Ranch Roasted Red Pepper Dip

beef ribs with blueberry bbq sauce

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Fall is here! You can feel the chill in the air and see the leaves changing colour.  It really is a beautiful time of year.

I’m still holding on to summer though, and thinking about how we took advantage of all the summer fruits in our meals. We tried to use them in as many things as possible.  Blueberries were used in one of my favourite recipes this summer – blueberry bbq sauce!

I think it was all the yummy BBQ I smelled but it was at the Stampede that I thought I wanted to incorporate blueberries into a bbq sauce. Hubby indulged me and we went right away to stock up on blueberries so that I could play in the kitchen. We also stocked up on ribs, thinking it may be a good vehicle for the sauce.

A little mix of sweet and savoury, this bbq sauce turned out better than I had imagined. It tasted really great in an ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich. It went amazingly with the big beefy ribs that were cooked in the slow cooker until they were tender and then finished off on the grill. 

I froze some blueberries just so that I could enjoy this sauce later in the year.

Bluberry BBQ Sauce

1/2 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 TB coriander
1 TB cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika

Heat olive oil in a pan
over medium heat. Cook the onions and garlic until softened.Add blueberries, sugar, vinegar, ketchup and spices and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced. Let cool slightly and and then puree in a blender.

Slow Cooker Beef Ribs

Cut a rack of beef ribs into pieces. Smother each rib with the bbq sauce and place in a slow cooker. Add enough water to cover the ribs and let them cook on low for eight hours until the meat is almost falling off the bones. Glaze each rib with more bbq sauce and cook on the grill until they are nicely charred and the sauce is caramelized.

bbq beef ribs – happy father’s day!

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Happy Father’s Day!  Hope all the wonderful loving fathers got spoiled today!  We spoiled our dads with a bbq.  When Barbecues Galore sent me this gift basket a little while ago, hubby was itching to grill.  We cracked open the basket and did our usual short ribs and chicken. 

I saved the barbecue sauce (Gopher Guts and Dr. McGrill’s) though, planning to make those huge beef ribs
like the ones from Tony Roma’s.  If we were going to do ribs, Father’s
Day was the day to do it.

We wanted to have the meat just fall off the bone so we had them in the oven early.  Once the meat was nice and soft, we slathered them with barbecue sauce and put them on the bbq.  The result was a tender, saucy, finger-licking piece of meat. 

Barbecued Beef Ribs

Beef ribs
Your favourite bbq sauce

Cut the ribs into pieces and season with salt and pepper.  Brush with barbecue sauce, wrap with foil and place in a roasting pan.  Cook in a 275 degree oven for 3.5 to 4 hours.  Once the meat looks like it is cooked and falling off the bone, place on bbq basting with the bbq sauce.  Enjoy!