Chef Bruce Wood's Recipes of the week
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My name is Bruce Wood and I have been a chef since 1984. I did my apprenticeship in Toronto at the Hazelton Café and attended George Brown college when it was still in Kensington market. This is when my love for all things local started to really take hold.

I would wander the market on my breaks looking for new and exciting foods to work with and meet many vendours and local food producers. I moved to Ottawa in 1992 and worked in several restaurants before winding up at Mariposa Farm. Working for the owners Ian & Suzanne was one of the most liberating culinary experiences any chef could ever experience. For 3 years I wrote the menus for Sunday lunch and all the functions using only products from the farm or other small local food producers and farmers.

We developed a series of succesful cooking classes featuring these local products. In September of last year I left the farm to get married and am currently teaching at Algonquin College where I have taught part time for the past 4 years. I also do guest appearances on Rogers and the new RO and teach in many small venues around Ottawa. I am very excited to be involved with Bryson farms and look forward to finding new and wonderful ways to prepare the fruits of their labours.

2 lb. Mixed mushrooms ~ cremini, oyster, portobello, shiitake & white
1 leek, split, washed and sliced
1 small onion, peeled and roughly sliced
3 cloves garlic, slivered
1 tbsp. Fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tbsp. Unsalted butter
1/4cup arborio rice
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste
1 litre chicken stock

• wash and roughly chop the mushrooms
  in a heavy-bottomed pot melt the butter and add the garlic, cook for one minute or until lightly browned
  add the onion and leek and cook for two minutes stirring
• add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until soft
• add the rice and chicken stock and simmer until the rice is cooked, approx. 20 minutes
• season to taste with the salt and pepper
• add the thyme and blend the soup with a hand blender or in a food process or serve hot with wedges of bread brushed with the garlic butter
  for the garlic butter ~
  

• in a saute pan cook the garlic in the olive oil until just lightly browned
• cool and when cool place in the workbowl of a food processor with the remaining ingredients
• blend until well combined and remove to a clean container

1 lb. organic potatoes, washed
2 tbsp. organic canola oil or duck fat
sea salt & freshly milled black pepper
8 slices good quality smoked ham ( optional ~ if you would like a vegetarian option use 4 handfuls of the mixed salad greens you get in your baskets )
8oz. Cheese
1 cup homogenised milk
2 tsp. Cornstarch

• pre heat the oven to 400 degrees
• toss the potatoes with salt & pepper and place on a baking sheet
• roast the potatoes until crisp approx. 25-30 minutes
  remove from the oven and keep warm
• heat the milk and cornstarch slowly in a heavy bottomed pan and add the cheese stir continually until the mixture is smooth and creamy
• divide the ham (or greens) between 4 diner plates, top with some of the roasted potatoes and nap with the cheese
• N.B. ~ as soon as asparagus is season you can add some roasted asparagus to the potatoes
  

1 hubbard or butternut squash, split in half and seeds removed
6 cloves garlic
1 leek, split and washed
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut up
2 large branches fresh thyme
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Dried chili flakes
2 litres chicken stock ~ or~ water
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

• pre heat the oven to 350 degrees
• grease a baking sheet with 1 tbsp. of the butter
• make two piles of the thyme & garlic and invert the squash on the piles
• place the squash in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until soft
• remove from the oven and cool slightly
• remove the squash pulp from the skin and reserve with the garlic and thyme
• meanwhile in a heavy bottomed pot melt the remaining butter and olive oil and add the onion and leeks
• cook for 5 minutes stirring often
• add the squash, chili flakes and potatoes
• add the chicken stock and simmer for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft
• season to taste and remove from the heat
  working in batches blend the soup until smooth
  serve the soup with a dollop of thickened yoghurt

• in a large sift together the dry ingredients except the brown sugar
• melt the butter
• pre heat the oven to 350 degrees
• grease a 9 x 13 inch loaf pan
• in a food processor combine the brown sugar, eggs, melted butter and molasses and blend well
  add the beer and blend
• remove the mixture to a bowl and working in 3 stages fold in the flour
• pour the batter into the prepared pan
  the batter will be the consistency of light pancake batter
• place the pan in the centre of a 350 degree oven and bake for 40-50 minutes
• remove from the oven let rest 10 minutes in the pan and turn out onto a rack

One day while walking my dog I had an epiphany. I was trying to think of a more elegant way to serve glazed onions. I thought of the traditional French dessert upside down apple tart and aha it all came together. This is lovely accompaniedwith a nice green salad or with rich meats like duck.

8 small onions, peeled
3 thyme branches
2 tbsp. Brown sugar
2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. Unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. Puff pastry or pie dough

• peel the onions carefully to retain as much of the root end as possible so the onions stay together during the cooking process
• cut the onions in half north to south
• pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
• in a non stick pan heat the vinegar, butter and brown sugar
• add the thyme sprigs and the onions cut side down
  saute the onions until they begin to brown and place the pan in the oven
• place the pan in the oven and cook until the onions are soft aprox 20 -–30 minutes
• remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 400 degrees
• roll out the pastry and cover the onions
  bake until the pastry is crisp aprox 10 minutes
  remove from the oven and place a plate over the pan CAREFULLY turn the tarte over the juices in the pan are very hot
• serve the tart warm

2 white turnips
4 medium carrots
6 parsnips
12 pearl onions, peeled
8 cloves garlic
1/4 cup maple sirop
2 tbsp. Organic canola oil
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 branches fresh thyme
1/4 tsp. sea salt
freshly milled black pepper
1 cup rolled oats ~ or ~ organic 7 grain cereal
½ cup grated old cheddar
2 tbsp. Butter

All vegetables peeled and cut into one inch cubes

• pre heat the oven to 350 degrees
• melt the butter, cinnamon, thyme and maple sirop
  place the vegetables, onions and garlic in a roasting pan and toss with the butter & sirop mixture, salt & pepper
• place the pan in the oven and roast until the vegetables are tender and pierce easily with a fork approx. 45 minutes
• remove from the oven and place the vegetables in a bowl with the cornstarch & the apple cider
  place the vegetables in a glass baking dish
  mix together the oats, cheddar and butter and spread over the vegetables
• place the dish in the pre heated oven and bake for 20 minutes
• remove and serve hot