#werdrecipes

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Whiskey Eats In: Roast Beef w/ Garlic & Chive Mashed Potatoes

Just like the roast pork, this recipe is super simple and makes a wonderfully savoury dish.  Ingredients: > 1 cup red wine > 1 cup soy sauce > 1 beef roast > 2 cups water > 2 tbsp. butter / margarine > 3 - 4 potatoes > 3 - 4 carrots > 1 bunch chives > 3 cloves garlic > 1/2 cup milk

COOK IT: > pour soy sauce and red wine into roasting pan or dish > ensure your roast is completely thawed; in the fridge, marinate the beef in the red wine / soy sauce mixture for 3 - 4 hours (turn your beef every hour or so for a more even marinade) > preheat oven to 450 degrees > wash and peel the potatoes; cut them into quarters > wash and cut up your carrots (peel them first if you like, i don’t feel it’s necessary) > dice the chives > peel and dice or crush the garlic (for best results, I prefer to crush it with a garlic press)  > place your roast into the heated oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes; add in the 2 cups of water > after 10 minutes, reduce the heat of the oven 375 degrees and cook the roast for approximately 1 hour (until desired doneness - I prefer my roast to be just pink in the middle) > upon reducing the heat, drop the carrots into the pan / dish around the roast > boil potatoes until easy to mash (TIP: for me, the easiest way to tell if my potatoes are done is to stab a few with a sharp knife. if they stay stuck on the tip, they need more time. if they slide right back off, they’re done) > drain your potatoes, add garlic, milk and butter / margarine; mash > stir in the chives > remove roast from the oven when done; SAVE THE DRIPPINGS! > carve your roast and plate with carrots and mash > using a ladle, press a divot into your mashed potatoes and fill with drippings from the dish - it will make a super savoury au-jus sauce! (you can also use it as a great base for gravy at a later date! pour it into a tupperware and freeze it for later) > serve and enjoy!

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Whiskey Eats In: Roast Pork w/ Potatoes & Pan-Fried Kale

This will also teach you how to make the perfect crackling.  I finally got around to trying to make this myself. It was way easier than expected, and it turned out better than I could have anticipated!  Ingredients: > olive oil > sea salt > pepper > 2 cups water > 1 pork roast (with a fair amount of skin and fat on it) > 1 onion > 3 potatoes > 2 cloves garlic > 1 bunch kale

COOK IT: > preheat over to 425 degrees > peel and skin the onion, cut it in half > wash the potatoes and cut into halves / quarters > ensure that your pork roast is completely thawed > using a sharp knife, slash the skin of the roast > coat slashed skin liberally with olive oil and sea salt > massage both the olive oil and the salt into the slashes > place the pork roast into a roasting tin or dish; tuck one half of the onion under each end of the roast > pour two cups of water in to the roasting pan / dish > cook your roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes > after 40 minutes, place the potatoes in the roasting pan / dish around the roast > clean, chop and dry your kale; dice the garlic > heat three tablespoons of olive oil in frying pan > fry garlic for about a minute > place kale into frying pan (be careful - if it’s still wet it’ll react with hot oil and spatter) > fry kale in olive oil and garlic for about two to three minutes (until it begins to wilt) > when your roast is cooked, your crackling should be golden brown and crispy; the potatoes should be soft; remove from oven and let cool > remove the roast, onion and potatoes from the pan; pour the drippings into a separate container to keep for stock > using a sharp knife, remove the crackling from the roast and cut into pieces > carve your roast > serve with potatoes, kale and onion and enjoy!

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Roman Drinks: Hot Toddy

Today is National Hot Toddy Day!

Which is great news for a few reasons:

1. I have been a touch under the weather 2. I didn’t properly prepare for this post (you know only my first one, nbd 🙄) 3. I don’t want to leave the house

How are all these things great news? Well the wonderful thing about hot toddies, beyond the warm happy feeling they give you from the inside out, is that science (or one article that I read by a doctor - thank you confirmation bias) says that they can actually help relieve cold symptoms. On top of that, there’s really no right or wrong way to make them. Just combine a spirit (usually whiskey or bourbon, but any spirit will work), hot water, a sweetener, and spices! So if you make a cup of tea, add in some booze, and a touch of honey then you’ve just made yourself a hot toddy!

Roman’s What-Do-I-Have-In-The-House Hot Toddy *note all ingredients are approximate-ish

Hot water 1.5 oz honey (locally-sourced if possible) 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice 2 oz spirit of choice 7 oz boiling water 1 teabag (or loose-leaf equivalent) 1 pineapple skewer

Create it! >Pour hot water into your drinking glass to temper it! Hot drinks should be hot, not room temperature cause the glass was cold >Now that your glass is hot, empty it and put in the honey >Pour in the boiling water and stir until honey is dissolved >Add in your tea of choice (I used Bengal Spice, which contains both cinnamon and clove - good spices for hot toddies), and let it steep >In a tumbler combine lemon juice and spirit of choice (I used Crown Royal Harvest Rye but would happily use ‘Any brand who would like to sponsor me’) >Cut up pineapple (eat lots of it while you wait, cause it’s delicious) >Once the tea has steeped add contents from the tumbler into the tea >Insert pineapple skewer because you don’t have a cinnamon stick on hand. Let the drink sit for a few moments while the flavors mingle. >Enjoy! (Dr. Roman's orders) P.S. There will be pictures next week - This was an oversight as I drank it before the photoshoot took place  😲

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Whiskey Eats In: Manicotti

This one is more than worth the effort. I first tried this back in 2007 and it was one of the most flavourful things I’ve ever tasted. It’s super easy to make and will impress anyone who tries it. This recipe makes a bunch of food, which is great because everyone is going to want a second helping.* Ingredients: > 2 tbsp. olive oil > 1 lb. ground beef > 1 bunch spinach > 1 small onion > 2 containers ricotta cheese > 1 box manicotti noodles > 1 can tomato paste > 1 pinch salt, pepper > 1/2 cup heavy cream > Two sprigs thyme

COOK IT: > Bring a large pot of water to the boil; boil manicotti for about five minutes (about half-way done); drain and let cool NOTE: The manicotti should stay firm and tubular; if it gets soft and the tubes collapse, you’ve overcooked it and they will be harder to stuff > Clean the spinach with cold water > Heat olive oil in frying pan > Dice the onion > Dice the spinach  > Drop the beef and the onion into the frying pan; cook until beef is cooked through; add salt and pepper > In a large bowl combine the beef, ricotta and spinach; stir until completely mixed > Stuff the cooked manicotti noodles with the cheese/spinach/beef mixture (ensuring they don’t split). This part is a little time consuming but it’ll be more than worth it > Pour tomato paste into a pot; add heavy cream and thyme; heat and mix thoroughly > In an oven-safe glass dish, pour a base amount of the tomato paste/cream/thyme mixture > Place stuffed pasta into dish until full; cover with remaining tomato paste mixture > Baked pasta at 450 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes > Remove from oven; let stand five minutes > Serve and enjoy! * You’re also likely going to need more than one over-safe dish.

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Friday January 5th at 10am I will be launching the second part to my Whiskey Eats series with Whiskey Eats Out! Every Friday I’ll be posting my reviews of where to eat out in Toronto! Follow me here and on Instagram @whiskey_pockets and stay tuned for tomorrow’s first restaurant post!