Lemon Dill Tuna Casserole

Tuna casserole was not something my family ate growing up but we did eat our fair share of tuna melts! If you follow me on IG you know tuna melts are one of my fav lunches and I am always adding different flavourings to my mixture. My favourite combo is definitely lemon + dill + grainy mustard. This recipe takes inspiration from my fav tuna melt with the classic tuna casserole. I referenced Spend with Pennie’s Tuna Casserole recipe for ratios!

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Lemon Dill Tuna Casserole

Serves up to 4, 35 mins including 15 min bake

Ingredients:

2 shallots or 1 small onion, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cups dried egg noodles cooked to 3 mins less than the package (I use the No Yolk brand!)

1 can chunk light tuna in water, drained well

3 stalks celery, finely diced

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayo

⅓ cup milk

1 tsp dried dill

Juice of ½ a lemon (around 2 tsp)

2 tbsp grainy mustard

Salt n pepper

1 cup old cheddar cheese, grated + extra for topping (use your cheese judgement, I’d say about ¼ cup)

2 handfuls of plain chips (ideally Wavy Ruffles), crushed

Lots of fresh ground pepper

method:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Get your water boiling for your noodles if you haven’t already, and meanwhile head olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat.

2. Sautee your diced shallot or onion until softened, about 7 minutes.

3. Cook noodles according to package, less 3 minutes (they will continue to cook in the oven so you want a slight bite to them).

4. In a large mixing bowl combine your tuna, fine diced celery, cooked onions, sour cream, mayo, milk, dill, lemon juice, grainy mustard and grated cheese. Mix until well combined and season with salt and pepper.

5. Fold in your cooked noodles until they are well coated. The mixture may look a little loose/wet but that will thicken in the oven. Transfer mixture to a 8x8 oven-safe pan (or a loaf pan if you can’t find your 8x8 pan like me!).

6. Sprinkle your extra grated cheese on top, then the crushed potato chips, then a good seasoning of fresh ground pepper.

7. Pop in the oven and bake until bubbly and the chips are browning, about 15-20 mins.

8. ENJOY!

Zuchinni Chicken Burgers

These burgers were an early pandemic creation for me before I discovered grocery delivery and was limiting my grocery shops to once a month. I often ran out of ingredients and had to get super creative with what I had on hand. There was a solid two weeks last April that I didn’t have eggs, but I had some ground chicken in my freezer. Knowing that zucchinis add a great amount of moisture to baked goods, I thought to experiment with them as the binder. They turned out so well, and now are in regular rotation! I honestly like them better than chicken burgers made with the traditional egg and breadcrumb binder. I find they stay super moist and remind me of a smash burger texture. The Worcestershire sauce adds so much savouriness to the patties that they almost taste like a beef burger.

The mixture is pretty loose, which is typical of a chicken burger because there’s less fat to keep its shape when they are cold. Update: I’ve tried these on the BBQ and they hold together well! You just need to cook them on a high heat, similar to the pan method, so that a crust forms before flipping. Tips below.

A few tips:

Mix your binder/flavourings before adding in the ground chicken

Similar to my glazed chicken meatballs, I recommend mixing all your flavourings first then adding in your ground chicken so everything gets evenly distributed without over mixing the meat.

Put oil or water on your hands to shape

Since ground chicken can be a bit ‘sticky’, coating your palms with a little oil or wetting them with water will help prevent your hands from getting too sticky.

Cook on a high heat

To give them a good crust and help them keep their shape, I start them at a high heat and then turn it down to finish cooking through. If you have a cast iron, I would recommend using that with a good glug of oil but I have also made these in a non-stick!

For the BBQ, heat grill to high and brush grill with a high smoke point oil like vegetable or canola oil. Grill on high until a crust forms before flipping! This will ensure they don’t stick.

Do not disturb for the first few mins

In order for a good crust to form, you need to sear them hard in the oil and not move them around too much to start. Otherwise, you’ll have some mixture sticking to the pan / left behind!

Freeze for future you!

My friend tested out freezing these raw (wrapped in plastic wrap) and they held up well! Just let them thaw, and then cook as below.

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Zuchinni Chicken Burgers

Time: 30 mins

Yields: 4 burgers

Ingredients:

1 cup grated zucchini, drain out excess liquid (either press down in a strainer or squeeze with a clean cloth or cheesecloth)

¼ white onion, grated

1 tsp Sriracha

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

1 package ground chicken (450g)

1 tbsp neutral oil for pan - avocado or sunflower oil preferred for high heat, use lower heat with olive oil (you won’t get the same crust!)

Optional burger sauce:

1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Sriracha

Method:

1. Mix together your grated zucchini, onion, Sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Once well combined, mix in your ground chicken.

2. Form into 4 equal patties.

3. Heat pan with oil over medium-high heat. (Alternatively, heat BBQ grill on high and brush grill with canola or vegetable oil).

4. Place patties in the pan (or on grill), ensuring space between them so they don’t steam.

5. Leave them undisturbed for 5-7 mins until a dark crust forms. Flip with confidence! One swift movement under and then flip!

6. Continue to cook on the other side for another 2 mins then turn down the heat to medium and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165F (about 4 mins). Top with cheese slice if desired!

7. Serve on a bun with tomato, lettuce, burger sauce, and whatever else tickles your fancy!

Guide to Oven Pulled Pork

This is less of a recipe, and more of a guide, and it’s been a long, long, long time coming. I’ve been making oven pulled pork for about 10 years, and each time I make it, it’s a little bit different. I also don’t really have many good photos of pulled pork sandwiches because I usually make them for a crowd, aka a party, aka I have a few beverages during the prep. But the result is what you imagine - saucy, drippy, and oh-so-delicious. I’ve added notes below of all the considerations I keep in mind, the variations I make, and how to adjust depending on your flavour preferences. I hope you find this guide helpful and choose your own adventure to a delicious sandwich. 

One disclaimer is this guide is for oven-roasted pulled pork. I do not claim to be an expert in smoking or BBQ - those are truly an art I have no expertise in. This is purely based on my own experience experimenting with my favourite sweet and saucy pulled pork sandwich, using the tools available to me (my oven). 

A few recipes/resources I’ve consulted over the years that have influenced this guide are: Tyler Florence Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Barbeque Bible “In Praise of Pork Shoulder”.

Overall approach to this recipe:

This recipe can be made in 1 day. I’ve done it many times that way. BUT if you have the luxury of time, I recommend starting this 3 days out:

• Day 1: make the dry rub and coat your pork shoulder in it. Let it sit in the fridge covered overnight.

• Day 2: roast the pork, let it cool, shred it, put the meat in a covered dish in the fridge. Put the pan drippings in a mason jar overnight. Optional: make your bbq sauce and refrigerate, or save that for Day 3.

• Day 3: reheat pork with pan drippings (fat skimmed off) in an oven-safe dish or on low in a slow cooker. Make your bbq sauce if you haven’t yet (or get that store-bought stuff ready!). 

To serve:

• You want squishy white buns. No fancy buns needed. Just those little hockey puck-sized white buns that if squished would become a pancake. Delish.

• I like to add in ½ my BBQ sauce to the pork to make it saucy, with the rest of the bbq sauce in a dish with a spoon or a squeeze bottle for those who like extra sauce. You could also keep the BBQ sauce separate so guests can truly choose their own adventure.

How much pork to buy:

• You want pork shoulder or Boston Butt

• ¼ lb of pork per person assuming you are eating on buns

• You can buy bone-in or boneless - bone-in will take longer to cook but often has more flavour

  • Bone-in will lose ~40% of its weight once it cooks

For example: if feeding 8 people, 4 lbs bone-in pork shoulder will be perfect and leave a bit leftover.

Dry rub ratios:

Essentially 3:1 paprika to others (below if perfect for 4lb, double if you have a bigger piece of pork):

• 3 tbsp paprika (I like to do 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp regular)

• 1 tbsp dry mustard (optional)

• 1 tbsp onion powder (optional)

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp ground black pepper

I like to add in for heat and flavour (optional):

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground chile powder

• ½ tsp ground cayenne

Salt depends on how big of a piece of meat you have:

• Roughly ½ tbsp of kosher salt per lb of meat. 

• Example: 2 tbsp salt (kosher or sea salt) for a 4lb pork shoulder.

For cooking:

½  tall can of cider or beer (lager, nothing too hoppy)

Or you can use apple juice or water!

Steps:

• Mix together your dry rub and rub all over the pork shoulder. You can do this up to 24 hours ahead of time (just put it in the fridge wrapped). If you have any extra dry rub I would just add it to the bottom of the pan. It will cook out in the liquid making a great pan sauce.

• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325F. Place the pork shoulder in a roasting pan or other oven-safe dish with high sides, pour in ½ a tall can of cider or beer for moisture and cover with tin foil. Cook time depends on the size of pork shoulder (once it’s in the oven, I would start the BBQ sauce on the stove - below).

• Check the pork every 30 - 45 mins to ensure it’s not drying out - there should be lots of drippings and moisture in the pan. If your oven runs hot, consider turning it down to 300F and adding some water to the pan if it’s drying out.

Rough guide of cooking time:

• 3-4 lbs -> 4-5 hours

• 5-7 lbs -> 6 hours

• 7-10 lbs -> 8-9 hours

You want to cook it until it is falling apart with a fork. Once it’s done, let it cool until you are able to touch it. Remove pork to a cookie sheet or cutting board and shred the pork (I use my hands but you can also use two forks), removing any large piece of fat. Place in a slow cooker if you are serving later for a crowd or into an oven-safe dish to reheat later. 

Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a mason jar and place in the fridge to cool so the fat separates. Once cooled, scrape off the fat, and then add the pan drippings to your pork 

If you want saucy pulled pork (this is how I make it!):

BBQ Sauce

I like to start this on the stove pretty soon after I put in the pork. Letting it simmer for a few hours at a low heat cooks out the ketchup-y flavour, caramelizes the sugars slowly, and allows for a deep tangy, sweet sauce!

Base sauce*:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 white onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed

1 cup ketchup

½ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup molasses

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp yellow mustard

The other ½ tall can of cider or beer

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat your olive oil and add in your diced onion. Sautee until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic cloves and remaining ingredients. Stir or whisk together and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn down to low heat and simmer covered for a few hours. Check it every 15-30 mins to ensure the bottom isn’t burning (there’s a lot of sugar in there!), giving it a good stir. Once the colour has deepened to nice brown colour and it’s thickened, it’s in a good place. Now taste! Follow my asterisk below for adjustments:

*The reason I say “base sauce” is you should taste and trust your taste buds. Some people like their BBQ sauce more acidic, some like it sweeter, or more savoury. Start with this, let it simmer for 1-2 hours, then taste. 

• If it needs more sweetness, add more molasses or brown sugar (or honey! Or maple syrup!). 

• If it needs more acid, add more apple cider vinegar. 

• Need more savouriness? Try a tsp or two of soy sauce. Or maybe more Worcestershire sauce. Or maybe salt?? Taste and adjust! 

• Do you want some spice? Add in some drops of your fav vinegar-based hot sauce, like tabasco or cholula. 

Remember: the pork will be salty, smokey, savoury and fatty. The sauce should be a bit sweet and tangy to counter that.

Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Bacon and Spicy Marinara

One of the things I miss most about pre-pandemic life is getting to see my work friends in Chicago. My team is based in Toronto, Chicago and Montreal, and normally we would see each other every few weeks in person. The past few years I would go to Chicago 3-4 times a year, and I absolutely adore the city and its food scene. Some of the best meals I’ve ever had were in Chicago. The Girl & the Goat (+ every Stephanie Izard restaurant), avec, Monteverde, Publican, Topolobampo, Au Cheval, the list goes on!

On one of my last trips there in 2019 I went to avec with my work friend for dinner. It now feels like a totally different world - narrow, crowded restaurant, bench style tables that you share with other parties basically nudging each other's elbows. When we arrived my friend said we had to get the stuffed dates to start. Reading the menu I was so intrigued. I’d had bacon wrapped dates before, I’d had bacon wrapped water chestnuts too, but the idea of dates with chorizo and bacon AND spicy marinara seemed so out of the box to me. These were not things I would think to combine. When I took my first bite my mind was blown and that food memory is forever etched in my mind. The chorizo and marinara bring a spicy heat, the dates become sticky sweet, and the bacon ties it all together with saltiness and smoke. 

This recipe is my rustic interpretation of that dish. If you look at avec’s Instagram you’ll see perfectly wrapped dates, glistening in sauce. These are a bit more home-y, but the flavour is all there. These would work as an appetizer or can hold up as a main. The recipe is flexible based on how many dates you have. 

A few tips:

• Chorizo sausage: you want to buy fresh sausages for this recipe, not dry-cured. Most grocery stores will have “Spanish-style chorizo” in the sausage section, but if you are able to go to your local butcher or sausage spot, I recommend getting them there!

• Medjool dates: although they are more expensive than regular dates, Medjool dates are key to get the sweet caramel flavour this recipe needs. They are a bit of a splurge but totally worth it for this recipe. You can get them at the grocery store, online, or at your local bulk store.

• Bacon: If there was ever a time to splurge on bacon, this is one of them (although I personally think you should always splurge on bacon!). If you can get your bacon from a local butcher, that’s best. You want the thicker cut, double smoked if possible. 

• Serving tips: I love this with crusty bread to dip into the sauce. As a main, serve it with a bright, acidic salad (even just arugula with lemon juice and olive oil works!).

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Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Bacon and Spicy Marinara

Serves 4-6 people as a main, 10-12 as an appetizer if you make them small!

15 min prep time, 60 mins cook time

Ingredients:

4 chorizo sausages (fresh - not cured)

12-20 Medjool dates

1 package good bacon (need 12-20 slices, or 6-10 cut in half)

Marinara sauce (notes below of how I make it from scratch if not using bottled)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

3. Open your dates and remove the pit, flatten them by pressing with your thumbs and middle fingers, and set them aside

4. Remove sausage from casing and form into meatballs (same amount of meatballs as dates)

5. Place a meatball on each flattened date, wrapping the date around the meatball (depending on the size it might just cover half).

6. Wrap each “meatball date” in bacon, and place onto cookie sheet. If you have extra bacon leftover you can always put it onto the sheet to crisp up for a “chef snack” :)

7. Bake until meatballs are cooked through (165F internal temperature) - 45-60 mins depending on the size of the meatball.

8. Serve in marinara! I like to pour the pan drippings into the marinara sauce for extra flavour. Best served with crusty bread.

Spicy Marinara:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 white onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 can tomatoes (794g) or bottle of crushed tomatoes (passata)

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium

2. Add onion and garlic, cook, until softened (5-7 mins)

3. Add crushed red pepper flakes and tomato paste, cook out for 2-3 mins

4. Add in tomatoes (if whole tomatoes, crush with your hands as you add-in)

5. Simmer on low, covered for 30 mins - 2 hours! Stir every once in a while to ensure it’s not burning on the bottom. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Paprika Chicken with Roasted, Stewed Potatoes and Chimichurri

In 2018 I went on a two week trip to Portugal with my dear friend Anna. We spent a few days in Lisbon, some magical days in Porto (one of my favourite cities I’ve ever been to!), a few days in Lagos and then returned back to Lisbon for a night. The whole trip was amazing - we ate so many pasteis de natas (top 3 favourite desserts!), drank so much delicious wine, and ate at some amazing restaurants.

One of my favourite restaurants we went to twice was an Argentinian restaurant (Cafe Buenos Aires) set on stairs up one of the hills in Lisbon, with a beautiful view of the city. We ate these fried broad beans with an unreal dipping sauce that I will never forget. We also shared a steak that was topped with a bright, acidic chimichurri and came with a side dish of beautiful dijon mustard - a perfect pairing of French and Argentinian flavours. The only picture I have of the plate is very blurry but I’ll never forget those flavours.

This recipe is inspired by the flavours of that chimichurri, the classic Portuguese peri-peri chicken, and my mom and grandmother’s roast chicken preparation with stewed potatoes cooking under the chicken. Method wise, I was inspired by Feasting at Home’s Portuguese Chicken and Crispy Potatoes, adapting to a more “stewed” approach.

A few notes:

Spatchcocking the chicken

Ok I know this looks scary but it’s actually way easier than it looks and it makes for the best roast chicken. It cuts down on your cooking time drastically and also helps the chicken cook more evenly. I prefer to use kitchen shears to cut out the spine but you can also do this with a sharp chef’s knife. Here’s a video on how to spatchcock a chicken (+ a British accent!).

Rub the marinade under the skin

This marinade I use for chicken all the time, works on any cut! It’s a riff on peri-peri chicken, adding in dijon mustard and swapping in smoked paprika. The key to imparting tons of flavour in a short period of time is to put the marinade *under* the skin of the chicken. You can just lift the skin by running your fingers underneath and then pushing in the marinade. A little messy but worth it!

Keep the peels on your potatoes and add some broth for extra moisture

These aren’t going to be crispy potatoes, but more stewed, fall apart tender potatoes, which is why I recommend keeping the peels on - it helps hold them together. The flavour of the chicken drippings and chicken fat bake into the potatoes, making them addictingly good. The chicken broth helps get them started. I like doing a combo of sweet potato and regular potato but either works!

Keep the stalks on your parsley!

Chimichurri is a herby, acidic condiment popular in South America, originating from Argentina. It pairs really well with grilled meats, but also brings a ton of brightness and flavour to a dish like this, that is stew-y, roasty, and a little spicy. A lot of chimichurri recipes also use oregano, but I kept this to one herb. Since you are whizzing the parsley in a food processor, I keep the stalks on. There is so much flavour in soft herb stalks, no need to waste them!

Use a Meat Thermometer

Whole chickens come in a range of sizes and the length of time to cook depends on size, and how cold the chicken is before you put it in the oven. If it’s fresh from the fridge, it’s going to take longer to come to temperature than one that’s been sitting at room temperature for 30 mins. The best way to know if your chicken is done is by using a meat thermometer. This is my favourite one, just $15 on Amazon. Another tell-tale sign is if the bones fall apart easily from each other - for example if you can pull off the leg without much effort.

For me, this is the perfect Sunday supper. Tons of flavour, easy to prepare, and plenty of food for however many people are around your Sunday table. I hope you enjoy it!

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Paprika Chicken with Roasted, Stewed Potatoes and Chimichurri

Ingredients:

Paprika Marinade

Whole chicken

3-4 medium sweet potatoes and/or white potatoes

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup chicken broth

Chimichurri 

2 cloves of garlic

1 shallot

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

Big handful of parsley, about 1 cup

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp water

½ tsp kosher salt

Optional for serving: arugula or pea shoots.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. You’ll need an oven safe baking dish, ideally 13x9 with deep sides.

2. Mix together your marinade and set aside.

3. Slice your potatoes into ¾ cm slices - I like to keep the peel on. Place in your baking dish and toss in 2 tbsp of olive oil and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Shingle along the bottom of the baking dish, not overlapping too much so they cook evenly.

4. Prepare your chicken. Turn it breast side down onto your cutting board and use kitchen shears or a very sharp chef's knife to remove the spin, by cutting down on either side of the spine. I prefer to use kitchen shears. Turn back over and press down to flatten. This video here shows how to do this (first 1 minute)!

5. Rub the marinade all over the chicken, lifting the skin and getting the marinade under the skin. Once it’s coated and all of your marinade has been used, place the chicken on top of the prepared potatoes in the dish. 

6. Drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil on top of the chicken.

7. Add ½ cup of chicken broth to the pan, drizzling over the potatoes.

8. Place into the preheated oven and cook uncovered for 45 mins. 

9. While the chicken is cooking, prep your chimichurri! Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a fine “salsa” appearance. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed!

10. Once your 45 mins pass, check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer, it should be 165F at the thickest part (I like to check both the breast meat and leg meat). If it’s not ready, continue to cook for 15-30 mins longer (timing will depend on how big your chicken is and how cold it was before putting it in the oven!).

11. Once the chicken reaches temperature, remove it from the oven and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes so the chicken juices to set within. Serve with chimichurri sauce and a handful of arugula or pea shoots!