O•S•C•A•R© Shop Your Local! - Old Ottawa South

Page 38 The OSCAR - OUR 36 th YEAR DEC 2008
Red Apron Cooks
Regardless of which occasion
you are celebrating this
month (Hanukkah, Christmas,
Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice and New
Year’s Eve), I feel confident that food
will be part of these celebrations and
I wanted to give you some tips and
suggestions to make preparing for the
Holiday Season a little less stressful.
If are looking for easy entertaining
ideas, consider a smoked fish platter
from the Chelsea Smokehouse. Fish
and seafood have been smoked at
the Chelsea Smokehouse for over
25 years. At the beginning of June
2008, the business was taken over
by local food lovers Line Boyer and
James Hargreaves. In addition to the
cherished recipes acquired from the
former owners, Line and James have
also been adding new products of their
own creation. Organic salmon,
Atlantic salmon, Sockeye salmon,
Arctic char, rainbow trout, speckled
trout, steelhead trout and mackerel are
all available naturally smoked using
maple wood. Assembling a selection
of their tasty treats is an easy way to
entertain in style. Line also carries a
Season’s Greetings from the Red Apron
lovely selection of cheeses and some
very interesting ciders and wines.
The Whalesbone Oyster House
has been supplying local restaurants
with quality fish & oysters since
they opened. Now you can find The
Whalesbone sustainable oyster & fish
supply at 504A Kent Street (north of
Arlington, west side). Whalesbone
supplies only species considered
to be of healthy stock and caught
using ethical fishing practices, and
therefore considered sustainable by
industry experts. Call 613-231-3474
for information on their hours of
operation. Oysters are the obvious
choice for holiday entertaining and
you can order them up to serve raw
with different sauces and add-ons
like lemon and horseradish. There are
three to five types of east and west
coast oysters to choose from, both
small and large varieties - and their
selection changes daily.
Another great place to source out
some incredible food is at the 34th annual
Originals Ottawa Christmas Craft
Sale at Landsdowne Park from
December 11 - 21, 2008. Aside from
lovely arts and crafts, there is always
an entire aisle of food including
locally preserved jams, jellies and
chutneys, baked goods and savoury
treats. These items make great hostess
gifts and stocking stuffers too.
Remember to take some time
out of your busy December schedule
to take a walk or a ride through
downtown Ottawa. From December
4, 2008 to January 7, 2009, hundreds of
thousands of multicoloured lights will
illuminate approximately 70 sites along
Confederation Boulevard, including
Parliament Hill, national museums,
institutions, monuments, embassies
and other prominent landmarks. The
illumination ceremony takes place on
December 4, 2008, on Parliament Hill
and everyone is welcome to attend.
To help with your holiday
entertaining, our team of Red Apron
Elves will be busy stocking the fridge
and freezer with rich and colourful
holiday menu items. Naughty or
nice - everyone deserves the gift of
time and family. Visit our website to
view our Seasonal menu and get your
tastebuds in the festive mood – www.
redapron.ca.
One of our most popular holiday
items is our Butternut, Goat Cheese
& Mushroom Lasagna. If you are
feeling adventurous, I have included
the recipe below. This dish makes a
lovely vegetarian main course, or an
interesting side dish to more traditional
holiday fare.
Butternut, Goat Cheese &
Mushroom Lasagna
1 / 4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 1 / 2 cups chopped onions
3 cups of crimini mushrooms, sliced
(Note 1)
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled,
seeded, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
(about 5 1/2 cups)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup good quality pesto
2 400 ml containers whole-milk
ricotta cheese
1 log of good quality soft goat
cheese
1 cups grated mozzarella cheese,
divided
1 cups grated Parmesan cheese,
divided
4 large eggs
4 cups whole milk
5 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons Butter
pinch of nutmeg
Olive oil
9 fresh lasagna noodles (Note 2)
Note 1: Christophe from Le Coprin
Mushrooms provides beautiful
organic, locally grown mushrooms.
The King Eryngii is a great choice for
this dish.
Note 2: We use fresh Lasagna noodles
purchased from Parma Ravioli
Melt butter in large skillet over
medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté
until soft, about 8 minutes. Increase
heat to high; add mushrooms and
cook until tender, stirring constantly,
about 3 minutes. Season with salt and
pepper. Transfer mushroom mixture
to bowl; set aside.
Add squash, broth, 3 tablespoons
thyme, and 3 tablespoons sage to same
skillet.
Cover and simmer over medium
heat until squash is just tender, about 6
minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix ricotta, goat cheese & pesto
in large bowl. Season to taste with
salt and pepper; mix in eggs.
Make béchamel. Melt butter in a
saucepan and stir in flour and mix until
combined. Add cold milk and whisk,
bringing to a simmer. Stir constantly
until thickened and season with salt,
pepper and nutmeg.
Brush 13x9 inch glass or ceramic
baking dish with oil. Spread one cup
of the béchamel on the bottom of
the pan. Arrange 3 noodles on top.
Spread one half of the ricotta mixture
over noodles. Arrange one half of the
squash mixture over ricotta. Sprinkle
with one half of the mushrooms.
Spread one cup of the béchamel.
Top with 3 noodles, then remaining
ricotta mixture, remaining squash and
remaining mushrooms. Finish with a
layer of noodles topped with béchamel
and sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan
on top. Cover with oiled foil.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake lasagna, covered, 45 minutes.
Uncover; bake until golden brown
on top, about 15 minutes longer. Let
stand 10 minutes before serving.
The lasagna can be frozen for up
to one month for later use. When reheating
after freezing, thaw and bake
covered for 20 minutes and uncovered
for another 15-20 minutes.