Tag: the hungry bunch

Ciabatta Bread With Roasted Garlic Oil

I have had a love for bread since before I can even remember, I pretty much love any type of starchy carb. When my love for cooking really took off it was natural for me to want to learn how to make my own bread. For my culinary internship, the baker at the restaurant at the time asked me “what is one thing you really want to learn how to make?” and naturally my response was “a loaf of ciabatta”. Unfortunately I never got to write down her recipe, but when I started the baking program in college it was one of our first lessons. I finally got my hands on a good ciabatta recipe that I can keep with me for a lifetime.

Now, this isn’t a ciabatta bread recipe post, but it is a post about beautiful accompaniments. Roasted garlic oil, just saying those words together is music to my ears. This is a great quick little recipe to have stored away to impress your friends and family with. It’s also ridiculously easy to make. Plus, it gives you 2 items to use, delicious garlic oil, and roasted garlic. Both have their place next to a loaf of bread.

This is a perfect appetizer to put out when you have some friends over for drinks or a pre snack before heading out to dinner for the night.

Roasted Garlic Oil & Accompaniments

  • 1 Loaf of Ciabatta Bread (post to follow)
  • Olive Bruschetta (store bought)
  • Balsamic Vinegar (as needed)
  • 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 cup Olive Oil
  • 1 Head of Garlic

Method:

In a saucepan add olive oil and vegetable oil with peeled garlic cloves. Place over low heat and watch closely. As the oil heats up it will roast the garlic and flavour the oil. Do not walk away from the stove; the garlic will go from a perfect golden brown to black in a matter of seconds. Once the garlic is a nice light golden brown, remove from the heat and place the whole pot in a bath of cold water to help cool down the oil and stop the cooking process of the garlic.

Strain the oil into a serving dish of your choice. Save garlic and put into a small ramekin and smash with a fork or spoon, add salt and pepper to taste.

Add balsamic to the garlic oil. Slice ciabatta bread into strips and place on a serving dish or cutting board. Put olive bruschetta, roasted garlic puree, oil and balsamic mixture close by and start dipping!

There you have it, a great little appetizer to add to your next gathering of friends or family. This is also really easy to bring with you to a friends house if you like to arrive with something in hand. Just pour the olive oil and roasted garlic in a mason jar and assemble when you get there. minimal dishes are required and it looks quite extravagant on a dining table.

Fish Taco Recipe

  • Salmon Taco

Who said tacos are just for Tuesday’s? Fish tacos are an easy delicious meal that we typically incorporate weekly into our dinner schedule. Since I was a little girl tacos have always been my favourite meal, but I honestly never even had “proper” tacos until recently. Growing up my mom was never much of a chef. Now don’t get me wrong, we were always fed and happy, but my moms flavour profiles were always very bland when it came to cooking. She would make the typical tacos with ground beef, and a good ole Old El Paso taco kit, you know what I’m talking about. While this was great as a kid and I never complained, as I’ve gotten older my palate has definitely become more high quality.

The tacos in this recipe taste much more fresh than classic ground beef tacos in my opinion, and the colours are stunning. I’m truly so happy that my daughter is going to grow up eating such a diverse variety of flavours and colours. Having her be health cautious, as well as appreciative of the foods she is able to eat is extremely important to me.

  • Pineapple Salsa

The pineapple salsa is probably my favourite component of these tacos. I’ve always been a fan of mixing sweet and savoury and this salsa does just that for these tacos. The salsa and the cabbage also give the tacos really beautiful colour, which I believe is a must for a balanced meal. I always say, eat the rainbow.

“Eat the rainbow”

Ingredients:

  • Fish Taco Ingredients

Method:

Cut a slice off of the purple cabbage and using a peeler, peel the sides of the cabbage so you get nice strips. You could also use a knife here but I liked the thinness of the peeler and the consistency it gives you. Once you have enough cabbage peeled, season with salt and pepper heavily, drizzle olive oil and white vinegar of our choice. Stir around to distribute evenly, allow to marinate while you prepare the salmon.

Slice salmon into thin strips, season with your choice of seasoning. I used cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt and pepper, but you can use what ever you have on hand.

  • Seared Salmon

In a large nonstick skillet on high heat, warm a couple tablespoons of an oil of your choice (I used olive oil this time). Make sure the pan is hot, and place each strip of salmon on the pan ensuring there is space between each piece. Let a nice sear develop on the salmon and flip to the opposite side to get an additional sear there. When salmon is done, remove from the pan and place on a serving platter

  • Cooked Salmon

Follow the directions on the tortillas you bought to heat them up. I prefer corn tortillas as they add a more authentic Mexican touch. Heat up a cast iron skillet and warm each side until a few dark brown spots form. This takes some time so I suggest enlisting a helper or doing this step first and wrapping in tinfoil and placing them in an oven on low heat to keep their temperature.

Slice the avocado, wedge the limes, place everything out on the table, and start assembling the tacos! You can also add your favourite hot sauce. I like serving this with my homemade peach and habanero hot sauce.

  • Assembled Taco

So there you have a relatively easy fish taco recipe. I dare you to be a rebel and make these any day of the week, because once again, tacos are not just for Tuesdays! Make these delicious tacos tonight for dinner, and tag us on Instagram @thehungrybunchh so we can see your creations!

Chipotle Aioli Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 750 ml oil of choice
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • ½ can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • Salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:

In a medium sized bowl place egg yolks and mustard. Using a whisk, beat egg yolks until combined with mustard and pale in colour.
Drizzle a mild oil of your choice (I used grape seed oil this time, but you can use vegetable oil or a mixture of oils) into the egg yolk mixture, a few drops at a time while vigorously mixing.
Keep slowly adding oil and mixing until all the oil is used up then add in the vinegar and whisk again. You just made mayonnaise!
Now pull out the chipotle peppers form the can and decide if you would like to remove the seeds or not. If you do not remove the seeds your aioli will be quite spicy. Since I am a baby with spicy food, I seeded my peppers.
Add them into a blender or food processor with all the adobo sauce and some water (about 5 tablespoons) blend and add more water as needed until it forms paste.
Add this mixture into your mayonnaise base and whisk until it combines.
Season with salt and pepper until you have the seasoning you want.

Thin the aioli out with water until you have the desired consistency.
Transfer to an air tight container or a squeeze bottle and place in the fridge for up to a month or use right away.

Pineapple Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe pineapple
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 2 red peppers
  • ½ red onion (or as much as desired)
  • ½ bunch cilantro
  • 4 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • Salt & pepper (to taste)

Method:

Peel and core pineapple, dice finely and place in a large mixing bowl.
Dice the red onion, jalapeno and red pepper and place in bowl with pineapple. Chop up cilantro and set aside, add in the sesame oil, rice vinegar and seasonings to pineapple mixture and mix well.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Add in as much cilantro as you prefer.
Use right away or leave in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

Earls Copy Cat Poke Bowl

  • Prepared Ingredients

Poke Bowls are something I have been really inspired by for the past 4 years. I worked at a place in downtown Toronto that solely did sushi burritos and poke bowls. They had a spicy cajun salmon with a miso ginger dressing bowl, a shrimp and pineapple bowl, and a sunshine Ahi tuna bowl. Ever since then I have been on a Poke bowl kick. It is a light and refreshing meal that offers variety of textures and flavours so each bite is an exciting experience. There are so many ways you can switch this up. When I started making it I would dice up jicama root as a crunch factor.

You can use any protein, fruit or vegetable you prefer. Once my friends started opening up to the idea of poke bowls I started trying to recreate the one from Earls that everyone likes so much. Its a great recipe that is good for anyone who is new to the raw fish game. It has simple and crisp ingredients that are familiar to the amateur pallet. It is quick to make and refreshing to eat. Perfect for a sunny Sunday afternoon meal. Poke was originated in Hawaii, one of my favourite places, so it only makes sense that I am obsessed with this dish.

“Each bite is an exciting experience”

I have found a local place that offers sushi grade Ahi Tuna, fresh or froze. The quality of this tuna is actually so good that a neighbouring sushi restaurant sources their tuna from them. If you are local to burlington and would like to know which place I get my tuna from leave us a comment and I’d be happy to share.

Crispy Onions

Once the tuna was in our possession we went on a mission to get the other ingredients. A crunch factor that we had been missing the other times we’ve recreated this dish was crispy onions. we found them at a local grocery store and they are amazing. This item could be made at home but it would defeat the simplicity aspect of why we enjoy this dish as much as we do.

A quick PSA before we get started, I have not listed amounts as the bottom. This is due to the fact that it is all so personal, if you want more tuna, add more tuna. If you really like mango, add a lot of mango, if you hate it, don’t add it! My favourite thing about cooking is there are no rules! I am hesitant to add a list of quantities to follow because maybe my tastebuds are different from yours, I really encourage everyone to be confident and go with your gut.
Now that we have all the ingredient, its time to get started!

“My favourite thing about cooking is there are no rules!”

Yellowfin Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl

  • Ahi Tuna
  • Radish
  • Avocado
  • Mango
  • Cucumber
  • Dried Seaweed
  • Cilantro
  • Crispy onions
  • Sushi Rice
  • Japanese Mayonnaise (recipe below)
  • Sesame Oil
  • Soy Sauce

Method:

Prepare sushi rice as directed on packaging.
Dice up Ahi tuna and place in a container, add soy sauce and sesame oil as desired. Marinate in the fridge for up to a day.

Sushi Rice

Dice mango and cucumber, slice avocado, chop cilantro, slice dried seaweed and cut radish however you prefer. Place all ingredients in separate bowls or piled on a butting bored.

To make Japanese mayo, either make your own mayonnaise to start with or use a store bought one. Both options are fine. Add in rice wine vinegar and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add more sugar or vinegar as needed. The mayonnaise should be slightly sweet and tangy. Loosen out the mayo as needed with water.

To assemble poke bowl add rice in the bottom of a bowl, drizzle with Japanese mayonnaise.
Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and crispy onions.
Add even amounts of each ingredients listed above around the edges of the bowl.
Place Tuna in the middle of the bowl and top with dried seaweed strips.
Top with as much soy sauce as you would like and dig in!

  • Completed Poke Bowl

Charcuterie Board: Appetizer

Downtown Bistro & Grill: Burlington ON

Charcuterie board has always been my favourite appetizer. Pictured above is an example of a restaurant version, but I have to admit I typically prefer homemade. You can do such a variety of different boards, the possibilities are truly endless. For me personally the staples of a charcuterie board include a few different types of meat, at least one cheese, olives or pickles, pepper jelly and grapes. Its up to you the specific types of meat you choose, but I always seem to end up with some type of prosciutto and definitely salami.

Whenever I’m hosting any type of get together at my place I always include a charcuterie board because, well its a crowd pleaser. Theres almost never a bite left behind! Its great for a party because with the variety of flavours everyone is usually satisfied, and its so easy to prepare. If you haven’t given charcuterie a try, I recommend putting one out at your next party, and watch how fast it will go. I’ll include the recipe for my charcuterie board below, although you can basically substitute any of the ingredients for things that you may prefer.

Homemade Charcuterie Board

Ingredients:

1 Double Cream Brie Cheese
300g Prosciutto crudo di Parma (thinly sliced)
200g Hot Genoa Salami (thinly sliced)
1 fresh Baguette Loaf
Spicy Red Pepper Jelly
Manzanilla Olives

Preparation:

Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and remove brie cheese from packaging.
Place brie cheese in a baking dish and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese starts oozing.
Thinly slice baguette, and arrange on a large wood cutting board, or serving platter.
Arrange prosciutto and salami on the platter to your preference.
Arrange olives to your preference.
Place brie on the platter once done baking, and place your jar of red pepper jelly with a cheese knife.

Again, this is an extremely simple recipe that you can change and make your own in many different ways. However, I do think this is a great starting recipe for a charcuterie board, as its simple and delicious. This recipe is intended for a smaller amount of people, maybe 3-5, although you can double the ingredients if you’re catering to a larger group. I hope you find this appetizer as delicious as we do! If you decide to give it a try take a picture and tag us on Instagram, @thehungrybunchh, we would love to see what you can create!

Sotiris | Authentic Greek Cuisine (Alycia’s Review)

3135 Harvester Road, Burlington, Ontario

Living in Burlington Ontario (as I do) there are limited restaurants that offer authentic Greek food and even fewer that do it well. I visited this establishment with my boyfriend and his parents on Thursday night. This is a place I have frequently ordered takeout from but have never actually sat down and ate inside. When you pull into the parking lot at Sotiris, its usually quite full. This, in my opinion, is always a good sign at any food establishment.

Upon arrival we are greeted by an empty front desk, no signage or poster to say “please wait to be seated” as we stand there for the better part of 5 minutes, we are finally acknowledged by a waitress and are told that she must check with her manager before she seats us, despite the fact that I had made a reservation. We are directed through the large dining room to our table for four. Our waitress for the evening quickly comes over to take our drink orders; 2 beers, 4 waters and 2 black coffees, simple enough. We also placed our appetizer order at the same time, 1 order of fried calamari and a dip trio consisting of tzatziki, taramosalata (a personal favorite of mine) and melitzanosalata with pita. Once our drinks were delivered, we were unfortunately short 1 coffee. Once that error was corrected we were asked again if we would like any appetizers… we told our waitress that we already placed our order with her. She responded saying she was sorry and just confused, and that she already rang in our order. The appetizers came promptly and were quite delicious. The calamari was crisp and golden brown without any excess grease, it also comes with a small ramekin of their tzatziki. Our dip trio was excellent, besides maybe being a few pitas short for my liking.

Fried Calamari, Pita and Dip Trio

When we were almost done our apps, the waitress swiftly came by to drop off 4 Greek salads and a basket of garlic bread, despite the fact that we had not ordered our entrees yet. Upon noticing our confused looks she quickly responds with “oh I just assumed you would all want these salads” which we didn’t dispute. (My assumption is she ran another tables order to us by mistake) We placed our main course orders (grilled seafood platter for 1, Greek platter for 1, Caesar salad with gyro and an order of moussaka) when our mains arrived in a very timely matter, my salad was a Greek salad, not a Caesar. She quickly took my salad away and brought back the correct order and told me she took another tables food by mistake (a little bit of an over share if you ask me) once we were all settled she looked at my boyfriends mother and asked if her moussaka was warm in the middle or not? She checked, and it was in fact, cold. The platters were lukewarm at best. I cant be positive that this was a kitchen mistake, as the moussaka was, or if it was a matter of the food sitting in the pick up window too long. Despite the food temperatures, all our food was amazing.

Sotiris offers a beautiful ambience that mimics its authentic Greek cuisine. This is a family run restaurant that can allow for a refreshing break from all the franchises that litter the food culture of Burlington. If you are looking for white glove service, or decent service at all, this is not the place for you. If you’re looking for great Greek food, or are in the mood to try something a little different that you have never tried before, then I would recommend ordering takeout.

Sotiris Menu

Overall Review of Sotiris: 2/5

The Keg Steakhouse + Bar: Restaurant Review (Brittany’s review)

Butcher’s Cut

pan seared hanger steak, mushrooms, pearl onions, brussels sprouts, carrots, red wine sauce, gremolata

Chances are that if you live in North America, you’ve visited the Keg at least once in your life. The Keg is a classic chain steakhouse that I have visited a few times in my life, and I’m going to be honest, I’ve never been thrilled. That is until the last time I went, which happened to be on Valentine’s Day of this year. In the years past I’ve never been overly impressed by the food at The Keg, although, the atmosphere has always been lovely. The Keg has a cool, dark sultry aesthetic, which definitely makes for a great date night spot. Though the atmosphere and service has always been great, the food never seemed to “wow” me.

In the past when I’ve visited the Keg I’ve typically always gotten the same thing; strip loin, some kind of potato and a tiny bit of vegetables on the side. In other words, boring. Now I apologize if you’re the “boring” type when it comes to food, and what I just described probably sounds decadent to some people, but for me it simply didn’t satisfy. I’ve also been left with quite the stomach problems after The Keg, although that was only one time. It wasn’t until this past week when I discovered a different part of the menu that I was left totally amazed. Now I’m jumping ahead of myself, lets start with the appetizer.

Tuna Tartare

sesame-soy seasoned Ahi, avocado


We decided to give the Tuna Tartare a try, (pictured above) and let me tell you I’m glad that we did. This appetizer was the perfect mix of simple and delicious. Now if Ahi tuna isn’t something you enjoy than this app isn’t for you, but coming from a raw fish lover, this was amazing. The sesame-soy marinate was simply stunning, and the wonton crisps were the perfect pair. I’m a big fan of Ahi tuna paired with avocado, which meant this app was right up my ally. I couldn’t get enough of this, I will be returning to The Keg just for this dish.

Now onto the main, the part that I wasn’t overly excited for. I was so thrilled when I came across a part of the menu that I didn’t even know existed called “Casual Plates”. This part of the menu peaked my interest because I was seeing things that were different from your typical steak, potato and vegetable plates. I chose to try the Butchers Cut (see at top), and I was not disappointed. The Hanger steak was cooked to perfection and the gnocchi satisfied a craving that I didn’t even know I had. It was perfect for me because I prefer something with a more diverse flavour profile, and this dish seemed to have it all. The mix of textures was stellar as well, the creaminess of the steak and gnocchi mixed with the crunch of the vegetables and the tang of the red wine sauce was simply perfect.

Vodka Soda (lots of lime)

Now I have to admit, the cocktails at The Keg have never disappointed. While this past time I decided to opt for a simple vodka soda, something that is hard to get wrong, it’s not the only cocktail I’ve tried. I stole a sip of my dates specialty coffee, and wow it was the perfect mix of coffee and spirits.

Overall I have to admit that my outlook on The Keg has definitely changed. I was left feeling satisfied and delighted, not overly stuffed, and most importantly no stomach problems. The Keg would be a great place for any celebration, or simply for a family night out. The atmosphere caters to basically any occasion. Though, beware that they don’t seem to honour reservations, so make sure you give yourself a good amount of time if you want to eat there. I’m going to base my overall review solely on my most recent visit as it was the first time I had been in a few years, and I’m looking forward to trying The Keg again sometime soon.

Overall Review of The Keg Steakhouse + Bar: 3.5/5

Earls Kitchen & Bar: Restaurant Review

Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl

Earls is a North American restaurant that we frequent quite often. Upon entering the restaurant you’re greeted with their rustic industrial aesthetic, a personal favourite of mine. Although we’re always pleased with the vibe and cleanliness of the joint, the service is often subpar. Hostesses can take up to three minutes to greet us, and we’ve been seated without menus a few too many times. Also, waiters and waitresses are less than speedy, though always pleasant.

Though the service is never 100%, the food is usually close to it. One of our most favourite dishes is the Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl. (pictured above) Though sometimes its served with unripe mangos that doesn’t stop us from enjoying every bite. The Ahi Tuna is always marinated to perfection and the flavour profile is simply stunning. We love this dish so much that we’ve even recreated it to a tee. (post to come)

The cocktails are also fresh and delicious. Lately we’ve been all about their Moscow Mules. They’re the perfect mix of fresh, spicy and sweet, making them utterly delicious. You really can’t go wrong with a cocktail at Earls happy hour.

Moscow Mule

Overall Earls never seems to disappoint. We’ll take less than stellar service for the delicious food and drinks. Earls is also one of the only restaurants that we’ve come across that offers such an outstanding happy hour. Every day from 3-6, and then 9-close is happy hour at earls. Who doesn’t love when happy hour turns into happy day, right? In conclusion, as long as Earls keeps making food we love, and offering amazing deals I think we’ll be hooked for quite awhile.

Our overall review of our Earls Kitchen & Bar experience: 3/5