Baked Mixed Fries

One of my favorite Food Rules - Eat all the junk food you want if you make it yourself. These delicious potato strips can be enjoyed guilt free if baked or if you're feeling glutinous go hard and fry em. I like to use sweet potatoes and Yukon Golds - Russets and Purples are great as well!

BAKING: season w/ s&p fresh rosemary and drizzle with olive oil. On a baking sheet bake @ 400 degrees for 45 mins shaking the pan every 15 mins so fries don't stick. 

FRYING:  soak in cold water for a few mins and pat dry before frying. Use peanut or canola oil for frying in a deep pot with a few cups of oil - do not fill more then half the pot and be careful of splattering oil - it will burn the crap out of your poor hands if not careful. Use a slotted spoon or a small frying basket. Only put a few handfuls in at a time They need room to fry and maintain the right temperature (about 365 degrees for 2-3 mins) and place on a rack or paper towel for excess oil to drain. You should fry each batch twice to make them perfectly crispy (until golden brown) and season after frying. You can also blanch your fries in water before frying - you will only need to fry them once for this. Seasoning: salt, celery salt, paprika, chili powder, cayan powder, cumin black pepper - or you can buy a pre packages spice blend cajun is one of my faves. 

Food for thought - Cooking Class

I'm trying to gather some information about cooking learning and exploring. If you were to go to a cooking class what would you want to learn? How much or how little do you know about food, ingredients, techniques etc...? Are you culinarily challenged, are you Tomato Snob looking for new ways to spice up your repetoire? Do you have a list of signature dishes you make all the time - is your family sick of your signature dishes that you make all the time. Are you the type of person who buys cook books. Have you ever watched an online tutorial on how to _____? Do you follow recipes? Do you write your own recipes? How do you decide what's for dinner? Tell me more... Do you watch the Food Network? If you do watch the food network who's show do you love? Who's show do you hate? What style of cooking intrigues you most? What type of food do you like the best? Have you ever been to a cooking class? If so what was it like? What did you make? Did you enjoy the experience? Did you wish you had spent your money on fancy dinner out with a lover instead. Did you learn things you could apply in your everyday cooking. Did you find you knew more then the person teaching you? Please tell me! Write me @ thetomatosnob@gmail.com or click comment and give us some insight. Looking forward to your food for thought. Chow for now!

sweet cedar plank salmon

So I was just watching Grill it with Bobby Flay - I just love him. 
His guest made a delicious sounding cedar plank salmon filet. He created a dry rub of brown sugar, tumeric, cumin curry, cofee and s&p. Bobby wad drooling over the dish and so am I. Dad  I think this recipe is perfect for you - he loves his cedar plank. Put it in the recipe file and let me know how it goes. 
Chow for now. 

top 5 farmers markets in GTA by sweetspot.ca

sweetspot.ca has recently posted their pics for the top 5 farmers markets in Toronto. I haven't tried them all yet, but by the end of the summer i'll have plenty to report. Have a delicious weekend everyone!

CONTEST: by chefshaunice

A chance to win a set of Paula Deen prep bowls by fellow foodbuzz blogger chefshaunice. Good luck yall

Cupcake heaven - ming makes cupcakes

Holy cupcake food porn, I 'm salivating all over myself.  The site of these sweet treats are almost satisfying enough. Everyone loves cupcakes and there is this ongoing battle for the best of. I would love the chance to try these cupcakes from mingmakescupcakes a site of amazing recipes by one very skilled cupcake baker.  I may just have to blog my way through their recipes a la "Julie and Julia" style. Maybe not such a great idea since i'm in the thick of my fat off. Must look fab for my engagement party in August. Will have to make these over the next few years or something... I usually try and make recipes healthier and less fattening, but that would just be wrong in this case. I challenge any of you to try some of these recipes - but please invite me over! Look out for my upcoming trip to NYC and my Magnolia Bakery review. Chow for now!

Spring Veg- Buckwheat noodles with spring veg

This post should have been published a few weeks ago. I just love the spring! Seriously my friends are starting to think i've gone nuts - I get so excited to welcome asparagus and obviously tomatoes to Ontario. Being seasonally obsessed i've been deprived from my red seeded friends since I was in Mexico in december and oh how i've missed them. In tomato season I usually enjoy them raw since they are so sweet and delicious. This recipe should come right after my fiddle heads post as I used the left overs in this dish as well. Buckwheat noodles with spring veg INGREDIENTS:

left over fiddle heads - finely chopped (see Hey Diddle Diddle some shallots and some fiddle post)

Japanese buckwheat noodles - boil and rinse in ice cold water

1 garlic clove - minced

1 head of asparagus - blanched and trimmed

1 bunch of campari tomatoes - cut in quarters

1 bunch of cherry tomatoes - cut in half

handful of crumbled Bulgarian feta cheese

handful of parsley - rough chop (optional)

1/2 lemon - juiced

olive oil

salt

pepper

PREP: cook noodles in boiling water - then shock in cold water when cooked. Keep the boiling pasta water to 

quickly blanch the asparagus (1-2 mins) then add them to the chilled pasta water. Drain well. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and give a quick toss. Easy breezy fresh and fabulous food. Enjoy

LEARN-COOK-EAT

New cooking experience in the Toronto area. Sort of like a cooking class - but not really. 
Check it out 

New kitchen cooking - made it out alive

Is very happy to report that I'm back to myself again. Appetite less then before so there's at least 1 good thing from food poisoning. I also moved... bigger kitchen, new butcher block me = very happy Tomato Snob! Right now have a pot boiling with blackberries, nectarines, ginger mint vanilla and lime... to be served as cold delicious bevie.  Oven piping hot - roasting carrots tomatoes garlic and basil for to be delicious soup dinner. Guacamole with mint and shallots done. It's great to be back to normal - better then normal! Getting geared up for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for later. Chow for now ;)

Pan fried haddock with golden beets and fiddle heads

Another triumph! If I do say so myself my plating is getting better and better. My partner Jovan told me this was restaurant plating. Now if only my photography skills would improve as well. One of the most difficult things to do is take beautiful pictures of beautiful food - not the easiest subject matter. This was my first time using or eating fiddleheads, and while I did enjoy them  I must advise they are definitely an aquired taste like ocra. They both have the same sort of slimy quality to them. Its best to quickly blanch them before sauteing.


FISH: Haddock is a great meaty fish most commonly used for fish and chips, but of course not limited to. I seasoned mine with a bit of dijon mustard sumac s&p.  Pan fried the fish with a little white wine and butter it was fantabulous! Ridiculously delicious.
BEETS: thinly sliced and simply roasted with olive oil s&p.
FIDDLEHEADS:  from previous recipe
All on a bed of spinach with some finely chopped parsley dusted over everything. Sorry no formal recipe.  Perhaps one day I will re make this stunning dish and publish the recipe so all you tomato snobs at home can taste the deliciousness.