Cooking the vegetables in bacon fat for this soup adds a whole other dimension and then you can use the bacon bits later to garnish the soup! Using a mirepoix for this soup isn’t exactly traditional, but again, adds more depth of flavour. All of the vegetables in this soup can be sliced on a mandolin, which makes the process a lot faster!

4-6 strips of bacon, cut into matchsticks

3 large leeks, washed and finely sliced

1 carrot, finely sliced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

1 small onion

2 potatoes (Yukon Gold if possible)

1 litre chicken stock

1 bay leaf

Sprig of rosemary

5-6 sprigs of thyme.

Slice bacon into matchsticks, and over a medium heat, cook until the fat starts to render and bacon gets crispy. Remove bacon, leaving bacon fat in the soup pot.

Add onion, celery and carrots, and cook in the bacon fat till the onion becomes translucent (about 6-7 mins). Add leeks, and stir until the leeks begin to cook and reduce in volume. Add potatoes, and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer till the potato is cooked through.

Blend using an immersion blender, or cool the soup and puree in batches in a food processor.

Garnish with bacon and serve!

For a friend’s going away dinner the other night I cooked two of his favourites (Beouf Bourguignon and Potato, Leek and Bacon Soup) for him and 4 other hungry men, but wanted something a bit lighter as well (for my lovely sous-chef J & I!), so I came up with this salad. The bacon ensured that it was a hit with the guys!

1 bag baby spinach

1 large shallot, finely sliced

6 strips of bacon, cut into matchsticks and cooked till crispy

1/2 cup crushed cashews

Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Toss spinach with bacon, shallots and cashews.

Whisk together ingredients for dressing and dress salad to taste.

This salad is a perfect match with this week’s Wine pick, the Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Reserve!

When the temperatures dip below 0, there’s nothing like a hearty beef stew to warm your body and soul!

Stewing Beef

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper

Vegetable oil (or if you have it – bacon fat is even better!)

4 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 onion

2 parsnips

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 bottle red wine

500 ml beef stock

2 bay leaves

sprigs of fresh thyme

Fresh rosemary (chopped)

Handful (or two) of frozen peas

Pat dry the beef with paper towels. In a shallow bowl, combine flour with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Coat each of the pieces of beef in the seasoned flour.

Meanwhile, heat oil (or fat) in a large dutch oven over med/high heat. Add meat in batches and brown on all sides. Do this in batches, and don’t overcrowd the pan! This is where you will develop all of the caramelized flavours that make the stew so rich. Place browned meat to side.

If needed, add some more oil or fat to the pan, and brown the vegetables. Once the onion is translucent, remove the vegetables and put to the side.

At this point the bottom of your pan will be covered in caramelized bits of goodness. Add the wine, and whisk vigorously to dislodge everything at the bottom of the pan. Return the meat and vegetables to the pan, stir in tomato paste, and pour in beef stock to just cover everything. Add herbs, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.

Before I serve it, I usually throw in a handful of frozen peas to add some colour. Serve it with crusty bread, mashed potatoes, or both!

The lower the temperature and longer the cooking time, the more delicious this stew will be!

An important tip when cooking with wine is to always use wine that you enjoy drinking. As this dish calls for half a bottle, I normally drink what’s left while waiting for it to finish… Last time I used the Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone, which was a delicious match with the resulting stew as well!