Latest news with #Homemade
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Homemade
Welcome to Homemade, a Winnipeg Free Press project celebrating home cooking in Manitoba. We regularly publish recipe features that highlight the communities, traditions and flavours of this wonderfully diverse province. Submit your recipe to have your dish considered for a future story — recipes can be beloved family favourites or everyday staples. Submit a Recipe Eva Wasney 8 minute read 5:05 PM CDT Homemade is a series that celebrates home cooking in Manitoba. Find more stories, ideas and share your recipes at In today's Homemade Cooking School lesson, chef Mandy Wingert walks us through the basics of stocks and sauces — essential culinary components designed to enhance the flavour, moisture and texture of a dish. 'It's like the foundation of your house. If you don't have a good stock, you're going to be playing catch-up trying to make things taste better,' says Wingert, a culinary and baking instructor at Red River College Polytechnic. Originally from Saskatchewan, she grew up in a family of cooks and knew from an early age she wanted to pursue a career in food. We try reader-submitted Jell-O recipes Eva Wasney 8 minute read Preview Eva Wasney 8 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 9, 2025 Saturday is Eat Your Jell-O Day. In honour of this gelatinous holiday, we've done just that. Read Wednesday, Jul. 9, 2025 EVA WASNEY / FREE PRESS Clockwise from top left: Broken glass torte, spring parfait salad, orange jellied salad, tomato aspic. Salads add colour, texture, freshness and acidity to any dinner table Eva Wasney 4 minute read Preview Eva Wasney 4 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2025 Unlike most of The Simpsons clan, I'm of the opinion that you can, in fact, win friends with salad. And not because of their purported 'health benefits.' Read Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2025 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Alison's Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Mango Chutney recipe in Winnipeg on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. For Eva Wasney cookbook. Winnipeg Free Press 2022. Cutting edge tips: Learn kitchen knife skills in our new monthly cooking feature Eva Wasney 7 minute read Preview Eva Wasney 7 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 11, 2025 Welcome to the first class of Homemade: Cooking School, a new Free Press series featuring in-depth cooking tutorials from professional local chefs. Read Wednesday, Jun. 11, 2025 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Terry Gereta demonstrates knife skills at RRC Polytech on Monday. He says a sharp knife is a safe knife, as a dull knife may move while cutting. Turn on that barbecue and get grilling: Barbecue Lean Pork, Gale's Barbecue Trout and Auntie Shirley Potatoes Eva Wasney 4 minute read Preview Eva Wasney 4 minute read Tuesday, May. 27, 2025 Make the most of grilling season with reader recipes for Barbecue Lean Pork from Anita Lee, Gale's Barbecue Trout from Gale Petreny and Auntie Shirley Potatoes from Patti Mersereau-LeBlanc. Read Tuesday, May. 27, 2025 Freepik Adding lemon to barbecued trout is never a bad idea. Spring flings: Use seasonal produce in go-to faves asparagus soup, spinach salad, rhubarb pie Eva Wasney 4 minute read Preview Eva Wasney 4 minute read Tuesday, May. 13, 2025 This week, Homemade features cream of asparagus soup from Rae Carpenter, spinach salad from Vi Scherbak and rhubarb crunch pie from Velma Scott. Read Tuesday, May. 13, 2025 RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Rae Carpenter makes cream of asparagus soup every year when the snow is finally gone. Expand those Easter baskets Eva Wasney 7 minute read Preview Eva Wasney 7 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 16, 2025 Add some home-baked Easter treats to this weekend's cache of chocolate eggs and marshmallow chicks. This week, we have some sweet, sentimental reader recipes for Dolly's Easiest and Yummiest Sugar Cookies from Dolly Kuzyk, Babka from Shirley Kalyniuk and Daffodil Cake from Karen Stepaniuk. Want to share a recipe? Visit Homemade to fill out the submission form. Read Wednesday, Apr. 16, 2025 EVA WASNEY PHOTO Dolly Kuzyk's sugar cookie recipe can be decorated to suit the occasion. Stir things up with these creamy crowd-pleasers: Cowboy Caviar, Cucumber Chip Dip, Hot Hamburger/Bean Dip Eva Wasney 4 minute read Preview Eva Wasney 4 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2025 Due to the recent 'dip' in temperature, this week's Homemade is an homage to, you guessed it, dips. Read Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2025 RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS files Leslie Pitchford's Cowboy Caviar recipe is home on the range.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stocking up
In today's Homemade Cooking School lesson, chef Mandy Wingert walks us through the basics of stocks and sauces — essential culinary components designed to enhance the flavour, moisture and texture of a dish. 'It's like the foundation of your house. If you don't have a good stock, you're going to be playing catch-up trying to make things taste better,' says Wingert, a culinary and baking instructor at Red River College Polytechnic. Originally from Saskatchewan, she grew up in a family of cooks and knew from an early age she wanted to pursue a career in food. Wingert moved to Prince Edward Island to complete her Red Seal training in cooking and baking at the Culinary Institute of Canada at Holland College, where she competed in the Culinary Olympics. She worked at the Fat Duck, a three-Michelin Star restaurant in England, and elsewhere in the Maritimes before joining RRC Polytech's faculty in January 2024. It's been a varied and flavourful career — just like a good sauce. Stocks and broths MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Chef and Red River College Polytech instructor Mandy Wingert. While stock and broth are both made from a long-simmered combination of water, vegetables and, often, animal products, these foundational liquids are siblings not synonyms. Stock: Liquid made from bones and vegetables Broth: Liquid made from meat and vegetables Both liquids can be used interchangeably as the base for soups and sauces, but broth tends to be a more expensive ingredient owing to the meat component. Making broth or stock is a good way to reduce food waste in the kitchen. Keep bones and vegetable scraps in the freezer for later use. 'You're taking a leftover or something you wouldn't otherwise use and making a usable product out of it, but stock is also not a compost bin,' Wingert says. Avoid using vegetables that will make your stock cloudy, such as peppers, or bitter, such as leafy greens. Carrots, celery and onions (a mixture that, when diced, is also known as mirepoix) are standard additions, along with herbs and other aromatics. Tip: Roast the bones in the oven first for a darker stock with a richer flavour — a great base for gravy. Add everything to a large pot and cover with water, bring to a boil and let it simmer for three to four hours. Skim frequently to remove the impurities released by the bones during cooking, which will make for a nice clear stock. The final result should be thick and jiggly when cooled. 'A good stock will set up like Jell-O,' Wingert says. Stock and broth can be frozen in small containers or ice cube trays and added to dishes or sauces as needed. Sauces MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Different thickening agents used in sauces include (counter-clockwise from left) white roux, blond roux, brown roux and beurre manié. In classical French cooking, there are five 'Mother Sauces' on which all other sauces are based. Most start with a roux, a thickening agent made with equal parts flour and fat (butter, oil or animal fat) cooked until the desired colour is achieved. Béchamel: A thick cream sauce made from white roux and milk Velouté: A light creamy sauce made from blond roux and light stock Espagnole: A rich, dark brown sauce made from brown roux and dark stock Tomato: A tomato sauce made from roux and stock Hollandaise: A creamy sauce made from emulsified butter and egg yolks To make a white roux, heat the fat in a saucepan over medium-low heat and add flour, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth, pale and beginning to smell nutty. Continue cooking (and stirring) for a blond or brown roux, each of which has progressively more colour and flavour. Liquid is then slowly added to the roux to form a sauce. 'If I add it all at once, it's going to lump together, so I have to build it in steps so that it slowly heats up,' Wingert says. Cornstarch is a gluten-free option for thickening sauces, but it must be added correctly. First, make a slurry by stirring cold water into cornstarch. Then, add the slurry to a hot, simmering sauce towards the end of cooking. A beurre manié — a paste made of equal parts soft butter and flour — can make sauces thick and glossy. Stick the paste in the middle of a whisk and stir it into a nearly finished sauce or soup, Wingert says. Liquid ingredients can also be reduced by simmering until most of the water has evaporated to create a sauce with a more concentrated flavour. Sauces are generally made separately and added to a dish before serving, but can also be made from braising liquids or pan drippings, as is often the case with gravy. Just add a thickening agent, such as flour, stock and desired seasonings. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Egg yolks act as an emulsifier in mayonnaise. Mayonnaise 2 egg yolks 7.5 ml (1 1/2 tsp) white vinegar 7.5 ml (1 1/2 tsp) water 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) salt 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) dry mustard Pinch cayenne 425 ml (1 3/4 cups) neutral oil 5 ml (1 tsp) lemon juice Whisk the egg yolks and dry mustard for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix vinegar and water together and add 5 ml (1 tsp) to the egg yolks. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking as the mixture begins to emulsify and thicken. Continue to whisk while adding the remaining vinegar and water, cayenne, lemon juice and salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. — Mandy Wingert More on emulsification Many sauces rely on emulsification: the near-magical process of combining two ingredients that don't naturally mix, such as oil and water, to create a stable solution. Emulsifications need emulsifying ingredients to form a bond. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Add oil slowly while whisking to make an emulsion. Common emulsifiers include egg yolks, butter, mustard and honey — all of which contain particles with an equal attraction to fat and water, thus helping hold everything in suspension together. Most salad dressings and vinaigrettes are temporary emulsions that separate over time, but can be reconstituted by shaking or mixing. Thicker sauces, such as mayonnaise, are more permanent emulsions. 'Mayonnaise is basically like a cold hollandaise sauce,' Wingert says. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Mayonnaise is an example of a permanent emulsion. To make mayonnaise, oil is slowly added to egg yolks and other ingredients while whisking vigorously (visit to watch a video of Wingert demonstrating the process). 'If I dumped all the oil in at the same time, it's just going to split. With all emulsifications, salad dressings, anything, you have to very slowly add your oil,' she says. If your mayo or hollandaise does split, add another egg yolk and continue whisking. Mayonnaise can be used on its own or as an emulsifier for other dressings and dips. It's also the base for aioli, which is made from mayo, garlic, lemon juice and whatever other ingredients strike your fancy. Tools and tips To make stock or broth, you'll need a large pot, a spoon for skimming and a strainer to separate the cooked liquid from the bones and veg. Use a shallow pan or pot, depending on the quantity of sauce you're making. Whisks or whips, as they're sometimes called, come in many shapes and sizes. Piano whisks with thin wires and a bulbous head are the most versatile; while French whisks have thicker wires and a narrower profile, making them useful for thicker sauces. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Dish Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. If hand-whisking, wrap a damp towel around the bottom of your bowl to keep it steady on the counter. A food processor can be used to create emulsions; drizzle oil slowly through the opening in the lid while the machine is running. Working slowly and steadily is the key to making top-notch stocks and sauces, as is building in flavour. 'Don't rush your sauce. If you want a good sauce, use a stock — and there's nothing wrong with using stock from the grocery store,' Wingert says. In next month's Homemade Cooking School, we discuss everything eggs. Eva Wasney Reporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Winnipeg Free Press
25-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Winnipeg Free Press
Saved by salads
Unlike most of The Simpsons clan, I'm of the opinion that you can, in fact, win friends with salad. And not because of their purported 'health benefits.' Salads make a meal more balanced by virtue of their freshness and acidity. They add colour and crunch and they don't need a recipe — if you've got oil and acid, you've got salad dressing. A salad can be made of vegetables or fruit, or some combination of the two. There are salads made of bread (see: panzanella), salads made of pasta and, yes, even salads made of gelatin. The possibilities are truly endless. This week's recipe roundup features friendship-worthy salads: Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Mango Chutney from Alison Baldwin, Irene's Cucumber Salad from Lori Ferguson Sain and Strawberry Salad from Judy Antaya-Rajotte. Speaking of gelatin, please send in your favourite Jell-O recipes — sweet, savoury and otherwise — for an upcoming Homemade feature. Visit Homemade to fill out the submission form. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS files Alison Baldwin combines roasted sweet potatoes with spices, herbs and a mango chutney is sure to help make friends. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS files Alison Baldwin combines roasted sweet potatoes with spices, herbs and a mango chutney is sure to help make friends. Dressing Preheat oven to 425 F and combine potatoes, 45 ml (3 tbsp) of olive oil, rosemary, salt, pepper, cumin and ginger. Stir to combine and bake until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 30 ml (2 tbsp) of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the sunflower seeds and cook, stirring until toasted. Transfer the seeds to a plate and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, scallions and red pepper and set aside. Combine dressing ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a small saucepan and heat through. Remove from heat and whisk in olive oil. Assemble salad by gently tossing the roasted potatoes with the cranberry-red pepper mixture. Add enough of the dressing to coat and garnish with toasted seeds. Serve with extra dressing on the side. — Alison Baldwin English cucumbers, thinly sliced Dressing Combine dressing ingredients and pour over sliced cucumbers. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Drain liquid before serving. This salad keeps in the fridge for several days. 'Irene Ferguson was our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and mother-in-law. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, she married a member of the RCAF. They were transferred to Winnipeg in the early 1960s and, other than a short stint in France, she lived in Winnipeg for the rest of her life. This is her cucumber salad recipe, a staple at holiday dinners and cottage gatherings for decades.' — Lori Ferguson Sain Dressing Prepare vinaigrette dressing in a small bowl by stirring together garlic, mustard, both vinegars and brown sugar. Whisk in oil. To serve, toss mixed greens with vinaigrette in a large bowl. Place an equal portion of dressed greens on plates and top with cheese, nuts and strawberries. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 'This recipe came from the Best of Bridge series. A simple recipe with gourmet results. I have served for lunch with a baguette or croissants. This salad is always a big hit.' — Judy Antaya-Rajotte Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Spring flings: Use seasonal produce in these go-to faves from Manitobans
A few weeks ago, I was bemoaning the lack of spring weather. Now, it seems like we've skipped over the whole season and jumped right into summer. The whiplash continues, with the May long weekend forecast now calling for lower temperatures, but let's take a moment to savour some fleeting spring produce with some seasonal recipes. This week, Homemade features cream of asparagus soup from Rae Carpenter, spinach salad from Vi Scherbak and rhubarb crunch pie from Velma Scott. Speaking of camping, please send in your favourite camp-friendly recipes for an upcoming edition of Homemade. This can be something made over a fire pit, cooked on a camp stove or prepared for the backwoods ahead of time. Visit to fill out the submission form. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Rae Carpenter makes cream of asparagus soup every year when the snow is finally gone. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Rae Carpenter makes cream of asparagus soup every year when the snow is finally gone. Ingredients Directions 'I looked forward each spring to the asparagus in our garden to start growing after the long Manitoba winters. This is one of my family favourites.' — Rae Carpenter Matthew Mead / The Associated Press files Who doesn't love fresh asparagus? Matthew Mead / The Associated Press files Who doesn't love fresh asparagus? Ingredients Directions 'About 30 years ago, there was a restaurant in the Eaton Place mall called Mr. Greenjeans. This is a recreation of their delicious spinach salad.' — Vi Scherbak Matthew Mead / The Associated Press files Nothing beats rhubarb crunch pie. Matthew Mead / The Associated Press files Nothing beats rhubarb crunch pie. Ingredients Directions 'I anxiously wait for my rhubarb patch to pop up again, so I can make this pie again. It is just a great seasonal enjoyment. It is an easy go-to and has all the 'regular' ingredients one has on hand. I hope you find this rhubarb pie as enjoyable as we have.' — Velma Scott Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Glasgow Times
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
I tried the signature sandwich from Homemade in Glasgow
From the moment the French Dip at Homemade was served with a pot of gravy on the side and a total of four napkins for just one person, I knew this wasn't going to be a dignified affair. Better just to roll up those sleeves, accept my fate and dive in. Pictured: Homemade in Glasgow's West End (Image: Newsquest) I'm here thanks to one of The Herald Food and Drinks' very first TikTok followers who, having watched our lunch review of Grumpy Pedro's, suggested I hop along to the West End of Glasgow for the next in the series. I'd be lying, however, if I said this hasn't been high up on my list since I first interviewed the shop's owner, Caitlin, in 2021. 'I always wanted to make these really massive sandwiches," she told me weeks after opening. 'I used to watch The Sopranos a lot, and when they would be eating huge American-style sandwiches and I would think to myself, 'I really want one of those' "You know, the kind of sandwich that would take you about half an hour to eat?" I knew exactly what she meant, and even though four years have passed since our conversation, I've followed the shop's journey closely on social media, lusting over weekend specials and vowing to one day secure one of these Soprano-worthy sandwiches for myself. The problem is, even though they're open seven days a week on Dowanhill Street, Homemade is known to sell out quickly, which means it takes a little forward planning to ensure you'll be able to choose from their full menu. On a Monday at around half twelve, there are only a couple of other sit-in diners in the industrial-looking space, all exposed brick and wired lighting fixtures, as a soundtrack of LCD Soundsystem and Jake Bugg fills a somewhat awkward silence. During what I imagine is a rare quiet lunchtime for the team, I was able to place my order and nab a table by the window in no time at all. The shop is bigger than I expected, and from my perch, I can see right into the kitchen where panko breaded chicken fillets are being plunged into deep fat fryers for portions of the Chicken Parm with homemade tomato sugo and mozzarella. I had been close to choosing that one myself, but instead settled on the French Dip, knowing their take on a sandwich designed to be dunked was one of the first to help Homemade build their online hype. Pictured: The French Dip is served with a pot of homemade gravy for dunking (Image: Newsquest) And it certainly looked the part when it arrived: a flour-dusted roll split in two and stuffed with slices of rare roast beef, horseradish mayo, red onion chutney, and Swiss cheese melted under the intense heat of a blow torch until its edges had just started to blacken. But after saturating my first few bites in that piping hot pot of homemade gravy, I'm surprised to find the whole experience a little underwhelming. I wanted to love this unapologetically messy creation, but the bold flavours it had promised aren't quite there. (Image: Newsquest) Any peppery heat from a horse radish mayo is minimal and quickly overpowered by the sweetness of that onion chutney, which also bullies the mild Swiss cheese out of the picture. It's the bread that really lets the whole thing down, a pillowy soft sub-like roll which rapidly turns to mush when introduced to hot liquid. It's not a texture that does anything for me. The gravy itself is brilliant, the kind of deep and complex meaty concoction that you'd be proud to serve with your Sunday roast at home. The beef is fantastic too, packed on thick and carrying the entire dish. That's why latterly I feel so little shame for eventually deciding to ditch the roll and pick out the meat, even as it attracts sideways looks. It's far too good to waste. It's not a bad lunch by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm eager to take another run at ordering from Homemade. Perhaps the Halloumi & Squash with rose harissa, pomegranate and tahini miso dressing or the 'Spicy Italian' with salami napoli and melted scamorza. While I know the French Dip is a favourite of many regulars here, it simply leaves me craving a proper roast dinner with more of that beef, lashings of their gravy and crunchy spuds to replace the lacklustre bread. Price: £10.50 for the French Dip sandwich Time: Around 5 minutes. Service was friendly and fast without feeling rushed. Score: 3/5. Although I wanted to love this place, my first experience was a mixed bag. I'm certain there are a lot of good things coming out of that kitchen, and I look forward to returning soon to try another menu option. Homemade is located at 11-13 Dowanhill Street in Glasgow.
