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Rob Feenie excelled at Le Crocodile, cornered the fine-dining market with Lumière and Feenie’s, and, upon moving to Cactus Club in 2008, redefined both the chain and our casual-fine-dining landscape. Casual Classics, his fourth cookbook, reflects the upscale-to-casual shift that has overtaken Vancouver’s food scene. Feenie masterfully elevates comfort food with a confidence evidenced in recipes that call for honey in pizza dough and creamy burrata in a tomato salad. Recipes like pork piccata with white-wine-braised kale and rabbit in tarragon mustard sauce reflect Chef’s fine-dining roots; even so, the instructions are easy to follow. Feenie endorses local ingredients throughout and leads readers to results that look as lovely as they taste. Stop by Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks (1740 W. Second Ave.) on Sept. 9 for a demo of a recipe and cookbook signing with the Iron Chef.
(recpie below)
with apple-pineapple relish and braised Brussels sprouts
Pork Chops1/4 cup kosher salt1/2 cup sugar4 cups water1 Tbsp crushed black peppercorns1 bunch fresh thyme2 bay leaves4 double-cut pork chops, each 12 to 14 oz2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Apple-Pineapple Relish
1/2 cup diced Granny Smith apple1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice1/2 cup diced pineapple1 Tbsp rice vinegar1 Tbsp liquid honey1/3 cup roasted pecans, lightly crushed
Braised Brussels Sprouts
1 cup diced good-quality maple-smoked bacon2 Tbsp finely chopped shallots1 lb Brussels sprouts, cleaned and thinly sliced1 Tbsp butterJuice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 Tbsp)2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pork has been part of my family’s repertoire for as long as I can remember: Mom made her famous pork roast every Sunday. My wife and I love pork as well, but we brine it first for at least twenty-four hours to keep the meat very moist and hard to overcook. The relish mixes apples with sweet pineapple, then gets a nice kick of heat from chili flakes and a bit of acid from rice vinegar. Combined with Brussels sprouts-cooked at the last minute with bacon, a touch of lemon and a hint of Parmesan cheese to finish-this is a flavourful,well-rounded dish. Serve these chops with some roasted potatoes or even polenta. Serves 4
From the book Rob Feenie’s Casual Classics: Everyday Recipes for Family and Friends, by Rob Feenie, published 2012 by Douglas & McIntyre: an imprint of D&M Publishers Inc. Reprinted with permission from the publisher.