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.

I like this salad served with a piece of roasted fish and Stuarts potatoes steamed & fork mashed with fresh herbs and a little butter.

Jess and I eat several meatless meals a week with the bounty Stuart sends this not difficult. With the tofu and peanuts you have a complete meal, it is just as good without the peanuts and you can always use other nuts like pinenuts or almond halves.

• heat a wok or large frying pan until hot but not smoking
• add the sesame oil and than the garlic, ginger and onion, cook until lightly browned and add the chili flakes and peanuts and stir well add the bok choy
  cook for 4-5 minutes or until the bok choy is wilted and the stems are tender, add the soya and oyster sauce and stir well
• add the remaining ingredients and stir well, taste for seasoning and serve hot with basmati rice

• in a heavy bottomed saucepan bring the milk, oil salt, chili flakes and pepper to a boil
• slowly pour in the cornmeal stirring constantly
  add the cheese and herbs and continue stirring for 3- 4 minutes
• remove from the heat and serve hot
  alternatively ~ pour the polenta into a well greased cake pan and let cool overnight
• remove from the mould, cut into squares and brush with oil and grill or shallow fry the polenta in a little unsalted butter

for the pesto ~

2 cups fresh basil, leaves only
1/2cup Italian parsley, leaves only
6 large leaves fresh arugula
6 large leaves fresh sage
2 cloves garlic, peeled
one half cup grated parmesan cheese
3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

One squash, cut in half seeds removed
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3 branches fresh thyme, leaves only
3 tbsp. organic canola oil
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
8 oz. soft goat cheese, such as Floralpe Micha
2 large eggs and one egg yolk
2 tbsp. all purpose flour

• pre heat the oven to 400 degrees
• toss the squash with the oil, thyme and salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet hollow side up and place the garlic cloves in the cavity of the squash
  place the squash in the oven and bake until soft approx. 30-40 minutes
• remove from the oven and allow to cool
• scoop the squash pulp from the skin and reserve with the garlic cloves
• butter a 12 cup muffin tin and reserve
• place the squash, garlic, goat cheese, flour and salt and pepper in the work bowl of a food processor and process until smooth
• add the eggs and process for one minute
• divide the mixture between the muffin tins and bake for 30 minute at 375 degrees
• remove the muffin tins from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes
• remove the souffles from the tin and place on a clean dish, if reheating the next day refrigerate until needed

• pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F
• toss the squash & apples with the canola oil, salt, pepper & ginger & place on a lightly oiled baking sheet
• place the baking sheet in the oven & roast until the squash is soft approx. 30 minutes
• remove from the oven and place the squash in the workbowl of a food processor
• add the butter and cinnamon and process until smooth, check for seasoning and serve hot

Squash is an old & revered vegetable in North America. It is part of the three sisters vegetable trio from aboriginal mythology. Native cultures believed that when corn, beans and squash were planted together they grew in symbiosis with each plant helping the other and nutritionally are nearly perfect when eaten together. The simplest preparation of squash is to cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and baste with maple syrup and butter, a little fresh thyme would not go amiss and if you like heat

I like to mix the maple syrup with some dried chili flakes. Roast the squash in the oven at 350 degrees until soft, approx. 45 minutes. A very quick & easy soup is to just take the cooked squash and remove it from the skin and place it in a pot in which you have lightly cooked one onion and several cloves of garlic. Add just enough water to cover and cook for 25 minutes, blend using a hand blender and season to taste.

Squash has a natural affinity for strong flavours and if you take the cooked squash and toss it with cooked pasta, bleu cheese and crumbled cooked bacon (optional) you have a fantastic quick and easy pasta. Squash is lovely and should be kept in mind as a fantastic local, seasonal vegetable, that can be enjoyed all winter.