We had a little beef for dinner… Tatiana thought that the burger needed a little cheese to really “get there”. I disagreed.

So here you are with a BIG decision to make. No matter what you decide you have a pretty good thing right here.

INGREDIENTS for 1 patty

• Beef patty or tofu (let’s not forget our vegan friends!) of your choice. I have a preference for a mix of bison and veal
• A slice of your favorite cheese, or not…
• 5 tbsp of Le Grand’s Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
• 1 minced green onions

PREPARATION

• Mix  3 tbsp of Pesto and some green onion into the meat
• Cook to your liking. I cook at high and add a little water to cool down the cooking of the meat (it steams it a bit)
• When you’re almost done add the cheese, the remaining pesto and green onions and let the flavors mix

I had the opportunity to meet Véronique at the last Expo Manger Santé, in Montreal. She was telling me about different recipes she was doing with our products. Amongst them, one stood out because of its basic simplicity. Few ingredients, lots of taste, little time, easy to make… That’s along my alley.

Thank you Véronique!

INGREDIENTS

• One trout fillet (about 1lb)
• One tomato divided in 8 quarters
• 4 tablespoons of Le Grand’s 4 Nuts & Cheese Pesto
• One tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar
• 2 minced green onions
• A little butter

PREPARATION

• In a pan melt the butter and quickly sauté the green onions
• Place the trout (skin side) on the onions and pour the vinegar on the fish
• Cover and cook at low heat for about 7 to 10 minutes
• During that time mix the pesto and tomato in a bowl
• When the trout is almost ready spread the pesto and tomato mix
• Wait a little bit for the flavors to mix and serve!

Berlin is the “cool capital” of Europe, combining history, beauty, reasonable prices and lots of young people. We decided to visit Berlin to get a “feel” for how people lived and eat.

First of all the quality of food is superior, organic or not. Speaking of organic, there is a chain of small supermarkets, called BIO, that sells only organic food at very competitives prices. That in itself was a shock for us.

As for the food trends it’s hard to make generalizations, but the way people eat in general is more traditional. The quality is impeccable, anyway for what we experienced, and the focus revolves around meat. Though a lot of young germans are very conscious of what they eat and the environmental foot print in food and agriculture is a big concern.

So unlike in North America the latest fad in food trends is not a big subject of interest.

They start their day with a good breakfast that typically involves; muesli, cold cuts, dark sourdough bread, yogurt and fruit.

For the rest of the day bear in mind that we visited Berlin on cold winter days, so we were quite happy with the comforting german cuisine, not exotic or too creative, but based on tradition and continuity. If it ain’t broke why fix it…

Every year in february is the largest trade fair of organic producers and transformers, BIOFACH; we had to check it out!

Being a certified organic transformer we were curious to see and taste the latest trends in Europe.

Millet milk, sophisticated vegetarian cold cuts, organic-free-range-grass-fed-meat, name it it was all there and all organic… It’s impossible to describe the thousands of products we have seen, but one thing is for sure BIOFACH is there to stay, prosper and grow as more and more europeans embrace this increasingly affordable option.

Next; Berlin New-York of Europe!

After the euphoria and the excess of the Super Bowl,”Life” continues…  For those of you who anticipate with joy the firsts buds of spring, I have a delicious vibrant  and green powerhouse entrée disguised as an innocent salad; It goes like this…

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups of arugula
• 4 leaves of romaine, chopped
• A handfull of green beans, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 scoops of Mozzarella di Buffala or the equivalent in bocconcini cheese
• 3 tablespoons of Le Grand’s Garden or 4 Nuts and Cheese Pesto
• 3 green onions, chopped
• Olive oil to taste
• Lemon juice to taste
• Salt & pepper

PREPARATION

• Toss all the ingredients (except the cheese) together, season to taste
• On a plate, place the Mozzarella on the side and top with  Pesto
• Arrange salad in the middle

INGREDIENTS

• 2 racks spare ribs (10-12 bones each)
• 4 tbs (60 ml)  Le Grand’s Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
• 4 tbs (60 ml)  maple syrup
• 2 tbs (30 ml)  Dijon mustard
• 1 tbs (15 ml)  Tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp (5 ml)  fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
• 1 green onion, finely chopped just to garnish and tempt a vegetarian…

PREPARATION

• Simmer the ribs for 30 mins with a little dried thyme (optional)
• Remove excess water
• Mix Pesto, mustard and  maple syrup in a bowl
• Spread on top and bottom of the meat
• Cook @ 350ºF  for 15 min.*
• Broil for 5 min., look for a golden color –not brown!

Being a “artisan-manufacturer” and making fresh products everyday we tend to have our nose to the grind stone. We have to. We love it most of the time and yes, we have our so-so days, but then someone reaches out and writes  ”OMG!!! I just had your tzatziki and it is AMAZING!!! I have physically craved it ever since I’ve had it. I think you need to make a bigger bag!!!”,* and the whole day changes… It’s not everyday, true, but we keep those comments and good words in a bank of precious words, better then gold, warmer then the biggest fireplace.

We realize the joy we have, in this crazy world we love, to do something that touches people. Because food, good food, makes us happy, it’s a celebration to sit down and enjoy a meal, it doesn’t matter if it’s a vegan feast or the best triple burger. Food is life. We tend to forget…

On a lighter note, turkey is on it’s way and spirits are high or will get there, so to all of you, from all of us at Maison Le Grand, Happy Holidays and Peace on earth, this little planet we love!

*We love to hear from you!

Being born in Manitoba (spent the first weeks of my life there!) and my parents from Saskatchewan and Manitoba I am especially proud to be selling from coast to coast. We are looking forward to visit Safeway stores in the spring, but in the meanwhile Tracey, our rep is visiting as many stores as her legs will carry her!

So there it is folks, Le Grand’s products are available from coast to coast thanks  to Safeway in the west!

Friday  night, week’s almost over, but not quite, one meal to go. We know the feeling… Well, I have a little recipe that will cheer everybody, but will not burden the cook (the true hero of modern life, really… ).

INGREDIENTS for 4

• 4 to 6 boneless chicken thighs
• 5 tablespoons (75g) of  Le Grand’s Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
• 1 cup of 35% cream
• 2 tablespoons of dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt

PREPARATION

• Sprinkle the rosemary and the salt in a pan, heat up at high
• When the pan is hot and  the pungent rosemary fills  the air,but before it burns, lay down the chicken thighs
• Lower the heat a bit and do not move them until they stop sticking to the pan (about 4 to 6 minutes)
• Then turn them and let them cook for 3 to 5 minutes then add the cream and the pesto
• Lower the heat, let it simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes, until you have a nice and thick sauce and serve this TGIF freedom chicken!

INGREDIENTS FOR 4

• 4 cod filets
• 4 medium potatoes cut in half
• 1 medium onion cut half
• 3 ounces (90 g) of Le Grand’s Red Pepper Pesto
• 4 ounces (125ml)of 35% cream
• 3 green onions (minced)
• 1 tablespoon  of dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon od dried rosemary
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION

• In a cast iron skillet, place the potatoes and the onion
• Sprinkle the herbs and salt, heat up the oven to 350 F, cover and cook for an hour
• After an hour; remove from the oven and place the cod on top of the potatoes, add half of the pesto and place back in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes
• When the cod is cooked, remove from the oven
• Mix the rest of the pesto and the cream together, pour over the cod, break the cod lightly and mix gently in the whole casserole
• Add the green onions and serve!