Canadian dishes by Ottawa chefs

In celebration of Canada's 150th birthday, CBC Ottawa challenged Ottawa chefs to create unique dishes that combine ingredients from across the country.

A Very Canadian Dish

Ministry of Coffee chef Sarah Farmer created her Very Canadian Dishusing Arctic char from the Northwest Territories, birch from British Columbia, Prince Edward Islandfingerling potatoesand wild berries from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Arctic char

1. Preheat your water to 46 C.
2. Vacuum seal your Arctic char with a small amount of olive oil and salt.
3. Cure the fish for about 30 minutes.
4. Sous vide for 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish.

Birch Confit Fingerling

1. Melt 2 cups of duck fat.
2. Boil fingerlings on low heat for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from oil.
4. Toss fingerlings in a frying pan with birch syrup.
5. Cook until the birch syrup sticks to the potato (roughly 2-3 minutes).
6. Cool slightly and slice into rounds.

Wild Blueberry Molasses

1. Combine cupof wild blueberries, 2 cups ofwater, 2 cupsbrown sugar, cup ofapple cidervinegar in a heavy bottom pot.
2. Cook for 10 minuteson low heat and strain the blueberries out.
3. Continue cooking on medium heat until thick (roughly 10-15 minutes).
4. Add a squeeze of lemon towards the end to balance the flavours.
5. Cool completely before using.

Hakurei Turnips

1. Slice thin with a mandolin or very sharp knife (noneed for cooking these as they are beautiful fresh).

Blistered Chives

1. Pull chives from the root so they would hold together when cooked.
2. Get your pan smoking hot withoil.
3. Sear them long enough to char them and get some blistering (for about 1 minute).

Garnish with chive flowers and pea shoots.

Oh Canada Bowl

Author of The Accidental ChefCarolineIshii created the Oh Canada Bowlfeaturing Alberta Rye Whiskey, New Brunswickdulse flax hemp, Ontario beet root, Yukon morel mushrooms and Saskatchewan wild rice. Ishii said was inspired by her Japanese culture in making the dish. Her recipes areveganand mostly gluten-free, except for the dumplings.

Alberta Rye Whiskey MisoRhubarb Strawberry Glazed Tofu Skewers

• 1 package firm tofu (La Soyerie, National Capital Region).
• 3 tablespoons dark miso (Tradition Miso from Claremont, Ontario).
• 2 tablespoons Alberta Rye Whiskey.
• 2 tablespoons or more Ontario maple syrup to taste.
• 2 tablespoons ginger.
• 1 cup Ontario rhubarb strawberry compote.

1. Combine ingredients in a pot, heat to boiling point and reduce to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Drain the tofu.
3. Wipe dry and cut it into oneinch cubes.
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Glaze the tofu with the sauce and place on a baking sheet.
6. Bake in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes.

Ontario Rhubarb Strawberry Compote

• 2 cups diced strawberries.
• 2 cups diced rhubarb stalks, leaves removed.
• 1 apple, peeled and diced.
• lemon, juiced.
• to cup organic sugar, adjust based on your preference.
• to cup water.

1. Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, apple, lemon juice, sugar and water in a sauce pan.
2. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Saskatchewan wild rice pilaf with Yukon morel mushrooms with Ontario beet root to shoot and garlicscapes

• cup wild rice.
• cup brown rice.
• 1 cup water or stock.

1. In a pot, bring water and rice to a boil.
2. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to simmer.
3. Cook for about 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Mix the cooked beet greens, garlic scapes and morels (recipes follow) into the rice.

Beet greens and garlic scapes

1. Chop the garlic scapes into small pieces.
2. Cut away the beets from the tops and set aside.
3. Chop the beet greens.
4. Heat oil in pan.
5. Add the garlic scapes and beet greens.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes and set aside.

Yukon morels

1. Trim the ends of the morels and cut in half.
2. Put the morels in a bowl of cold water and swish them around to remove any grit.
3. Lift the morels out of the water and pat them dry.
4. Heat a pan over medium high heat.
5. Add oil. Add the morels.
6. Cook for about 5-10 minutes.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted beets

• 8 beets, scrubbed and dried.
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.

1. Coat beets lightly with balsamic vinegar.
2. Wrap beets in foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in a 375 F oven until cooked through (approximately 45-60 minutes).
3. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, peel and slice.

New Brunswick Dulse Furikake

• Dried dulse.
• Flax seeds.
• Hemp seeds.

1. Toast dulse in a dry skillet over low heat until crisp.
2. Cool.
3. Grind dulse, flax seeds and hemp seeds, in equal parts, in a blender or with a mortar and pestle until everything is lightly ground.

Kimchi Perogies

• 1 jar ofkimchi, drained and chopped into smaller pieces.
• 1 package of dumpling wrappers (round shape).

1. Place about a teaspoon of the kimchi in the centre of each dumpling skin.
2. Dab a little water around the edge of the skin.
3. Fold over the skin to make a half-moon shape and use the thumb and index finger of one hand to press edges together firmly to make a tight seal.
4. In a large pot, heat water until there is a gentle boil.
5. Add dumplings, and when they pop to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon.

Bannock and Berry Grunt

Dominic Paul, who's kept busy working at Wilf and Ada's andArlington Five,created the Berry Bannock Grunt using bannock from Manitoba, berries from Nunavut, Quebec maple syrup and McIntoshapples from Nova Scotia.

For the bannock dough:

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour.
• tsp salt.
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder.
• cup melted butter, canola, or lard.
• cup water.
• cup of milk.

For the berry sauce:

• 1 cup of blueberries.
• cup of blackberries.
• cup of cranberries.
• 1 cup of dried currants.
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• cup of maple syrup.

To finish the dish:

• 1 McIntosh apple (or other tart apple), sliced thinly.
• 1 small can of evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk).

Instructions:

1. Make the bannock dough: Mix all the dry ingredients together, then stir in all the wet ingredients. Mix and knead the dough in the bowl for just about a minute, enough for it to come together and form a ball.
2. Make the berry sauce: Place the berries, lemon, and maple into a pot and bring to a low simmer.
3. Cook the bannock dumplings: Tear off 12 or so small balls of the dough and form it into a thick disk or coin shape and gently place it into the simmering berry sauce. Place as many as you can fit while still allowing some space between each bannock dumpling. Place the lid on the pot and allow to simmer about 5-8 minutes. The dumplings at this point should have doubled in size.
4. Plating: In a small soup bowl, pour about 3 to 4 large spoonfuls of evaporated milk. Put one or two dumplings into the pool of milkand spoon a little berry sauce over the dumpling. Add the sliced apple and serve.