Matty Matheson: Home Style Cookery

To Rizzo Louise Matheson

Contents

Seekers of the Truth

CHAPTER 1

Bread

Sesame Seed Rolls

Seeded Rye Bread

Molasses Bread in an Apple Juice Can

Bannock Ghost Bread

Roti

Grilled Naan

Cornbread

Focaccia

CHAPTER 2

Stocks

Celeriac Stock

Rutabaga Nage

Mushroom Stock

Court Bouillon

Fish Fumet

Chicken Stock

Pork Stock

Beef and Bone Marrow Stock

Lamb Stock

CHAPTER 3

Vegetables

Yuzu Cucumbers

Black Radish Kraut

Fish Sauce Green Tomatoes

Pickled Hot Peppers

Nannie’s Blood-Red Beets

Hot Pepper Agrodolce

Carrot Kraut

Pickled Radish

Dilled Pickles

Bread and Butter Pickles

Favorite Salad of All Time

Kitchen Sink Salad

Zucchini Greek Salad

Burn Your Tongue Caesar Salad

Bulgur Tabbouleh Salad

Good Canned Tuna Chickpea Salad

Waldorf Sweet Potato Salad

All the Tomatoes Tomato Salad

Escarole Bean Brodo

Kombu-Steamed Fingerling Potatoes

Broccoli and Mussel Escabeche

Leek and Mackerel Terrine

Roasted Cauliflower and Hazelnuts

Butter-Basted Cabbage with Sunflower Seed Sabayon

Root Vegetable Bouillon Soup

Fingerling Potato Supreme

Butter Chicken Rutabaga

Aligot Potatoes, or Cheesy Stringy Potatoes

Thanksgiving Stuffing Butternut Squash

CHAPTER 4

Dips, Purees, and Spreads

Chopped Baba Ghanoush

Good Canned Tuna Tonnato Sauce

The Infamous Cheesy Citrus Refried Beans

Smoked Whitefish Mousse Sundae

Pickled Hot Pepper Queso and Braised Beef Ribs

The Inedible Seven-Layer Dip

Whipped Goat Cheese with Anchovy Parsley Salad

Bone Marrow Tomato Tartine

Green Olive Tapenade

Romesco Sauce

Whipped Goat Cheese with Pea Lardon, Honey, and Bee Pollen

CHAPTER 5

Dumplings and Pasta

Oxtail and Mirepoix Pierogis

Parsnip and Cauliflower Pierogis

Beautiful Shrimp Dumplings

Frozen King Crab Legs Rangoon

Pork and Shrimp Gyoza

Ricotta Egg Yolk Raviolo

Le Select Chicken Fusilli

Clams and Hot Italian Sausage Spaghetti

One-Hour Bolognese

Braised Rabbit, Cipollini Onions, and Green Olive Bucatini

Braised Lamb Neck Ragu Rigatoni

Littleneck Clams Orecchiette

CHAPTER 6

Curries, Soups, and a Stew

Green Curry Beef Ribs

Green Curry Duck Legs

Yellow Curry Clams

Lamb Neck Dizi Sangi

Phở Gà

Master Rang’s Sister’s Vietnamese Fish Ball Soup

Smoked Ham Hock and Split Pea Soup

Double Rib Chili

Beef Cheek Risotto

Sichuan Preferably Newfoundland Cod

Turkey Neck Stew

CHAPTER 7

Sandwiches

Double Beef Patty Melt with Gruyère and Molasses Bread

Eggplant Parmesan and Italian Sesame Seed Bun

Beef and Cheddar

Italian Beef

Fried Mortadella with American Cheese Sauce and Savory Focaccia

Chicago-Style Pork Chops

Nashville Hot Halibut

Submarine

CHAPTER 8

Fried Foods and Cast-Iron Cookery

Fried Chicken

Chicken Cutlets

Master Rang’s Wok-Fried Red Snapper

Pork Shoulder Schnitzel

Chicken Fried Steak

Fish Sticks with Kewpie Tartar Sauce

Minute Steak and Onions with House of Parliament Sauce

Toad in a Hole: Pig Cheek, Sausage, Giant Yorkshire Pudding, and Frozen Vegetable Gravy

Joanie’s Liver and Onions

Fried Catfish Taco Night

CHAPTER 9

Roasts, Bakes, and a Pie

Roasted Salt Crust Leg of Lamb

Crispiest Pork Belly

Beef Tourtière

Broiler Pork Chops

Macaroni and Tuna Casserole

Whole Turbot with Peas and Bacon

Sunday Roast Beef

CHAPTER 10

Smoked

Christmas Ducks with Orange, Whiskey, and Hoisin Glaze

Hard Smoked Merguez Sausage and Polenta

Curry Spiced Whole Lamb Rack

Texas-Style Prime Rib

Burnt-Ends Hot Dogs

Smoked Seven Seafood Chowder

Smoked Mackerel

Smoked Trout Almondine

CHAPTER 11

Grilled

T-bone Steak and Fine Herb Chimichurri

Spatchcock Squab with Hot Pepper and Plum Agrodolce

Chicken Thighs with Peas and Aligot Potatoes

Chorizo Verde and Tomatillo Salsa

Squid and Romesco

Whole Sea Bass and Fennel Mash

Grilled Sardine and Cabbage Sando

Clams with Nduja Butter and Bread Crumbs

Shrimp Banh Mi Dog

Lamb Chops with Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

Swordfish and Peppers with Couscous and Salsa Verde

Lobster Thermidor with Béarnaise and Salt and Vinegar Chips

CHAPTER 12

Desserts

Joanie’s Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Trish’s Hello Dollies

Apple Tarte Tatin

Lemon Tart

Banana Cake

Dean’s Cow Bay Frogs

Trish’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Molasses Cookies Stuffed with Dulce de Leche

Crème Caramel

Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream Sundae

Thank-Yous

Index of Searchable Terms

Seekers of the Truth

I never thought I’d have the opportunity to write a cookbook in my life, let alone two. More than a decade ago, my sous chef at Parts & Labour and I used to talk for hours and hours about food, chefs, and everything else in our industry, but one of the things I remember the most was seeing Canadian chefs with huge food icons on social media. It would completely freak us out every time we saw any big-name chef come to Canada. How the fuck could that ever even happen? Daniel Boulud hanging out in the woods with the guys from Joe Beef or Anthony Bourdain eating at Martin Picard’s Au Pied de Cochon. The fact that Americans were eating in Canada and people were posting about it was insane. Then, the tables started turning. Through the restaurants of Montreal, the world started recognizing the bountiful food of Canada and giving opportunities for younger chefs to shine.

Still, it was unfathomable for a normal Canadian chef to have a cookbook. I only knew of three chefs from here that ever had one. Fellow Canadian chefs and I used to talk about what we would do if we ever had the chance to write one of our own: what would be in it, what the pictures would look like, what stories we would tell, who we’d include—our farmers, our staff, our food. I thought that there would only be opportunities for chefs to write restaurant cookbooks. I never thought anyone would be interested in a home cookbook from anyone in my country.

In the days before social media and Amazon, we would search actual cookbook stores for copies of books by these titans of food to read. It was a lot like searching for new punk music. Finding a bookstore with a good cookbook section was hard, but when we did find them, it was like discovering Valhalla. When I discovered The Nouvelle Cuisine of Jean & Pierre Troisgros, it was like the first time I listened to Victim in Pain by Agnostic Front. Finding and reading Letters to a Young Chef by the master Daniel Boulud in a bookstore was like the first time I listened to a tape of The California Takeover . . . Live with Strife, Snapcase, and Earth Crisis. And I stole The Complete Nose to Tail cookbook by Fergus Henderson of St. John restaurant from an Indigo store in Ottawa (I’m sorry Indigo!) because I was on tour with my friend’s band and had no money. Reading the first lines of that book was like creepy crawling to the Cro-Mags’ Seekers of the Truth, the nastiest riff of all time. All those experiences with food and music were life-changing and made me the chef that I am today.

Honestly, I never thought that I would be a chef. I never had that moment of falling in love with the craft before I went into my career. I only wanted to cook to make money because I genuinely loved being a cook. It never really clicked that it would be my path or that I would become a Canadian legend.

Now, when I started thinking about writing my first cookbook, it took me a long while to figure out what it would be like. Would it contain all my drug stories? My fucked-up cooking stories? I didn’t know if it should reveal the twisted mental stories of kitchens that I lived through and am very happy I made it out of alive or stories about farmers and fisherfolk. In the end, I decided to put myself out there because your story is the easiest one to tell, since no one else has that story. It is yours and yours alone.

I wanted to tell that story of my life through a culinary lens, and I think I did a pretty bang-up job. It’s so fucking scary to write and put something out there, like I did in that book. I made a book proposal, and when I started having meetings with publishers, they all told me that I needed a cowriter to tell my story. I asked several writers to work with me, and every one couldn’t do it for legitimate reasons. Regardless, I found impostor syndrome kicking in. Why doesn’t anyone like me? Why don’t publishers and cowriters believe in my book? Why won’t anyone help me? Am I not far along enough in my career to write a cookbook? I’m lucky that I found Garrett McGrath and Abrams. They were happy to take a chance because they saw potential in me and my story that no other publisher did. I’m lucky they believed in me to write my own story. They helped me and pushed me to write honestly and be true to myself. That helped the book flow like my favorite beverage of all time, cold water from a hose on a hot day.

And now my first book has become a New York Times bestseller because you—my fans—believe in me! My fans are the greatest fans in the world. You guys made a college dropout a bestselling author. It’s true that I still don’t know what a semicolon is or where a period should really go. I also think that every sentence should be a paragraph long, an exclamation point should end every sentence I write, and WRITING IN ALL CAPS IS OKAY! But you all have embraced me, who I am, and the way I write. It’s beautiful and pure. Thank you for your understanding.

Okay, okay, okay, I’m getting a little crazy here, but I’m fucking proud of myself and proud of where I am and where I’m going! Right now I’m flying to Australia. I’m writing my second book on my phone like I wrote my first book because I don’t know how to use a laptop or a keyboard, and I can type faster on my phone, so fuck it all! My editor and publisher are equally excited about that as well.

I’ll admit that maybe my first book was selfish because I didn’t worry about people cooking from it. My goal was to tell the story of my culinary lineage and the restaurants that made me the chef that I am today. It’s fucked up, but I didn’t think enough about whether people would make recipes that will take four days. Cooking is difficult and some dishes are hard to make, but a lot of those recipes are brutal, and I’m sorry. I always laugh to myself when people tell me that my recipes don’t work, or it doesn’t look like the photo in the book. That’s right, I’ve made most of these dishes a bunch of times. Who in their right mind thinks that if they are a novice cook but follow a recipe they will end up with a perfect dish? If I read a recipe word for word, step by step, I know I wouldn’t be able to make it perfectly the first time. If you were to give me the blueprints for carpentering a scootch box, I’m sure it would take me ten or fifteen tries to put together so that my scootch box is scootch-able. I just couldn’t do it on the first try. My brain is fragile that way. It takes time, and it takes fucking it up a few times to find your groove and that space where time stands still and you cook effortlessly and tastefully. Please be patient with cooking. Like most good things, it takes time.

Now what the fuck is this cookbook going to be? Why am I making this? Simply: I want to share home cookery with you so you can cook for the people you love. That’s it. I always cooked for my friends throughout the years, but now that I have a home and a growing family, I cook for them more than anyone else because of the joy that it brings them and it brings me. They love eating Daddy’s food. But let’s be real: It’s also because I don’t have any restaurants open right now. But I want to make a home cookbook that builds your self-confidence through sharing food with one another.

I think the biggest problem people have with cooking is the main idea. Like, I bought a chicken, now what the fuck do I do with it? Coq au vin, grill it, stuff it, fry it, make a stew, make a soup, make a pasta? It’s daunting, so I want this book to help just a little and give some ideas and some easy techniques for all you lovely freaks out there. This book starts with recipes for basics like breads, stocks, vegetables, and dips. Next, we move on to dumplings and pastas, curries, soups, and a stew, and the underappreciated sandwiches. And we close the book with the bangers: fried foods, roasts, smoked meats, and grilled dishes. I haven’t forgotten desserts. I hate making them, but I love eating them. I know in my first cookbook there are only three desserts. Don’t worry, we got Matty’s top ten big boys holding down the last section. They will break your pantry and your brain. Baking is science, and I am not a scientist

I wanted a book for real building blocks and stepping stones, and by the end of reading through it and hopefully cooking one or forty-seven or however many you have the willingness to commit to, I hope that you find that one dish that you cook for your girlfriend, boyfriend, friends, family, grandmother, anyone. I truly hope that you cook for someone you love, which will begin to make you love yourself more. Let’s build up that self-love, baby! Dance hard or die.

CHAPTER 1

Bread

Bread Is Life, Flour Is Not the Enemy, Grind Your Grains

Growing up with my mom’s grain grinder is such a beautiful memory for me now, but when I was a kid I was embarrassed to have whole-wheat breads or large pullman loaves in my sandwiches at lunch. All the other kids had Wonder Bread. How lucky they were in my misconstrued mind. Now I wish I had the time to make bread at home or grind wheat to flour. My family was so lucky; we were so well fed, but I’m sad that I mostly resented it. It’s funny how hindsight is 20/20, ya know. It’s so fucking badass that my mom made fresh bread weekly and that we had that in our young lives.

Every family has traditions. Every part of the world has their breads, that mixture of flour, water, and yeast that gives so much back to your home. As I’ve traveled the world I have found that people are so proud of the breads that they make and serve with their meals. I’ve broken bread on almost every continent.

The reason why I’m starting this book with breads is because of this pride. These are my favorite kinds. They are blocks of the world. With them you can go in hundreds if not thousands of directions. The only thing holding you back is your imagination. These are the most basic and most loved breads that will help you on your culinary journey.

Bread can take time and can fuck up real bad, real fast, and I want you to know that I understand that. I fuck up all the time, in a lot more than just bread-baking. Not letting up is the key, though—to keep going is the gift that keeps giving, to get it right is the miracle.

There are some things you will have to understand before baking. If you have dusty-ass packets of active dry yeast, buy new ones because the old ones will not work. It does matter if you overwork or underwork your dough. It definitely takes making breads a couple times to even begin to understand what this all is. Was your water too warm? Maybe! Was the dough too cold because your kitchen is drafty? Unfortunately, it all matters so much. I always say I’m not a scientist ’cause bread and baking are 100 percent science and 100 percent love, so that’s fucking 200 percent! Fuck! Hahaha. I have the love, though, and I hope you will, too. We all gotta keep going. Please keep trying and please don’t get discouraged.

These breads will give you so much to look forward to. Dipping homemade Roti into the Lamb Neck Dizi Sangi or Yellow Curry Clams will feel way better than buying some roti from down the street. Don’t feel bad if your hands are full with making the curry. Maybe buy the roti the first time, then buy some curry next time and make the roti, ya know. Don’t take on the world. Crawl, walk, run is always best with life and cooking.

In this chapter are eight of my favorite breads. Make them and love them. Trust the process. Understand that the process doesn’t stop the first time you make one. That’s just the beginning. Remember one thing: Always save your apple juice cans ’cause you never know when and where you’ll need to pump out some molasses bread! Hopefully, there’s snow on the ground, a fire roaring in the fireplace, and rabbit stew on the stove. Godspeed, my little boulangers.

Sesame Seed Rolls

MAKES: 6 (6-INCH/ 15 CM) ROLLS

PREP TIME: 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES, PLUS 1½ HOURS INACTIVE TIME

This is the best bread for cheesy garlic bread, a submarine sandwich filled with the finest and thinnest cold cuts, or crisp French toast. Your friends or children will love you forever when you hit the sesame seed French toast with hot maple syrup and fresh whipped cream.

1 cup (240 ml) warm water (115 to 127°F/46 to 53°C)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

¼ cup (60 ml) plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

3 cups (450 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

Canola oil, for the bowl and plastic wrap

½ cup (75 g) toasted sesame seeds

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy and fragrant; this indicates the yeast is active and alive.

Add 1⅓ cups (200 g) of the flour and mix with the dough hook on low speed for 2 minutes. Add an additional 1⅓ cups (200 g) of flour until well incorporated. Continue adding the remaining ⅓ cup (50 g) flour one-third at a time until a soft dough forms. The dough should still be sticky. Pull the dough off the sides of mixing bowl and continue kneading for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough has come together but is still a little sticky at the bottom. Unload the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and continue kneading until smooth and soft to the touch. Place the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and let proof for 45 minutes.

After the dough has risen (it may not double in size, but it should be noticeably puffy), turn it out onto a clean work surface and divide it into six. Roll each piece of dough into a long, skinny loaf shape about 6 inches (15 cm) long and 1½ inches (4 cm) wide. Once shaped, roll each piece in the sesame seeds, making sure the rolls are completely covered in seeds. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, allowing least 1½ inches (4 cm) of space between the loaves. Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise until they double in size, about 45 minutes.

While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls for 25 minutes. When the seeds are toasted and the bread is golden brown and feels light, place on wire racks and let cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Seeded Rye Bread

MAKES: 1 LOAF

PREP TIME: 1½ HOURS, PLUS 6 HOURS AND 20 MINUTES INACTIVE TIME

This bread was designed for eating with smoked fish, salty things, and acidic things. Fry it in butter. Slice it thin then top with cultured butter and beef tartare and you’ll love me forever. The first time I had rye bread was in Copenhagen. It was just a slice served with butter, a nice ham, and a boiled egg. A perfect breakfast in a perfect city.

3 cups (700 ml) plus 2 tablespoons warm water (115 to 127°F/46 to 53°C)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

⅓ cup (32 g) sunflower seeds

⅓ cup (32 g) pumpkin seeds

⅓ cup (32 g) sesame seeds

6 cups (900 g) rye flour

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons (327 g) bread flour, plus more for kneading

½ cup (120 ml) molasses

⅓ cup (32 g) cracked rye

½ teaspoon salt

Canola oil, for the bowl

½ cup (120 ml) ice

In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup plus 4 teaspoons (100 ml) warm water, the active dry yeast, and the sugar. Mix well and let sit for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy and fragrant. This indicates the yeast is active and alive.

In another small bowl, combine the sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds.

In a stand mixer, combine the rye flour, bread flour, yeast mixture, molasses, half of the seed mixture, the cracked rye, salt, and the remaining water. Mix with the dough hook on medium speed until a dough has formed, about 2½ minutes. Let the dough sit, covered with a towel, for 20 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is smooth and has a nice elastic bounce, about 5 minutes. Move the dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place in a cold oven to slightly inflate, about 1 hour. Transfer back to your workspace, flatten the dough, then fold the top and bottom edges toward the middle. Return the dough to the bowl, then back to the cold oven. Let sit until doubled in size, about 3 hours.

Transfer the dough back to your work surface. Positioning your hands on the outside of the dough, rotate the dough over the surface to form a taut dome, pinching the edges underneath. Transfer, seam side up, to a large oiled colander and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough double in size again, about 3 hours.