There’s nothing like a snowstorm over a long weekend to sell yourself on the idea of staying in and committing to the couch. It’s a long weekend in Canada, we have Family Day in Ontario tomorrow and we’ve been blanketed by a blizzard that seems to be causing havoc across most of the country. I’ll be honest, I kinda miss this type of snowfall! When we were kids this was a common occurrence, but days like this seem few and far between now.

I, for one, love getting out there to enjoy a laborious walk through the deep snow with my dog and the rest of the family–well, those that I can convince to come with me. I'll be heading out this afternoon with Angus and a shopping list to prepare a few new recipes I’m working on. I will be sure to head to one of his favourite parks to let him drudge through the deep snow until he’s too exhausted to continue.

This clay pot tofu recipe is the perfect way to warm up after a day of winter fun. I did my best to edit this one down to a super easy-to-follow 6-minute video. I encourage you to give it a shot, warm yourself up, and let me know how it goes!

Happy Family Day weekend to my fellow Canadians, and just a general happy weekend to our American friends–which you will always be, no matter who tries to convince us otherwise.

Please enjoy this video of Angus checking out the new path my son dug out for him in our backyard.

Prep: 15 minutesCook: 20 minutesServings: 4

Ingredients

* 1 large thumb-sized knob of ginger

* 1 bunch green onions

* 5 cloves garlic

* 3 cups high-quality chicken or vegetable stock

* 1 block of firm tofu

* 2 eggs, beaten

* 1 cup all-purpose flour

* Neutral oil (for frying)

* 2 tbsp sesame oil

* ¼ cup light soy sauce

* ¼ cup Shaoxing wine

* 1 tsp white pepper

* Salt, to taste

* Optional: 1 tsp MSG

* Optional: Dried Chinese mushrooms, rehydrated

Equipment

* 7” or 10” clay pot, or any shallow pot

* Medium frying pan

Method

Step 1: Prepare the Aromatics and Broth

* Peel the ginger and slice into thin discs.

* Smash the garlic and roughly chop.

* Thinly slice the white part of the green onions, saving the green tops for later.

* Heat a clay pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil.

* Sauté the ginger, white parts of the green onions, and garlic for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.

* Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, salt, and optional MSG and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer.

Step 2: Add the Tofu and Braise

* Remove the tofu from its packaging and cut into equal 1 cm thick slices.

* Dredge each slice in flour, shaking off the excess, then coat in the beaten eggs.

* In a shallow frying pan, heat 2-3 tablespoons of neutral oil over medium heat. Fry the tofu in batches until golden brown on both sides. Add them directly into the simmering broth.

* Add the tops of the green onions to the pot and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Step 3: Sides

* While the tofu braises, blanch gai lan or your preferred greens in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and coat with a drizzle of oyster sauce thinned out with a bit of water.

* Prepare some steamed Thai Jasmine rice as you normally would.

Serve the braised tofu in your favourite soup bowl with your greens and rice on the side!

Prep: 60 minutesCook: 45 minutesServings: 4-6

Ingredients

Crust

* 2.5 cups AP flour

* 5 tbsp butter, cold

* 5 tbsp lard

* 1 tsp kosher salt

* 1 tsp baking powder

* 8-10 tbsp cold water

* 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

* 1 egg + a little cream for the egg wash

Filling

* 900g ground pork

* 350g potato

* 5-7 cloves, ground

* 5-10 twigs of thyme, tied together

* Handful of fresh sage

* 2 tsp allspice

* ½ nutmeg, grated

* Kosher salt

* Pepper

* 1 large onion

* 4 cloves garlic

* 2L of chicken or pork stock

* Olive oil

Method

Step 1: Prepare the Pie Crust

* Combine 2 ½ cups flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking powder in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.

* Add the 5 tbsp cold butter and 5 tbsp lard. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

* Slowly add the 8 tbsp water and 1 tbsp vinegar while pulsing until the dough just comes together.

* Knock the dough out onto a clean work surface and finish kneading with clean, wet hands. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2: Ready the Potatoes

* Peel and dice the potatoes into large pieces.

* Add the potatoes, and a few pinches of salt to the 2L of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Remove from the stock when they are fork tender. Set aside to cool.

* Continue boiling the stock to reduce. The stock will now have clouded from the starch released from the potatoes. This just adds to the flavour of the pie filling. When it has reduced by 75% remove from heat and set aside.

Step 3: Make the Filling

* In a large, heavy bottom pot, add a few big glugs of olive oil over medium-high heat, add in the onion, and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.

* Add in the ground pork and start to brown. You want to keep browning and stirring until the liquid has released and mostly evaporated.

* Add the spices, thyme, and sage. Stir to combine. Next, add the reduced stock and continue simmering on low until the liquid has evaporated - about 20 minutes. Keep testing for salt levels.

* Add the fork mashed potatoes and stir well until everything is combined. Set aside and let cool.

Step 4: Assemble and Bake the Pie

* In a small mixing bowl, make an egg wash by beating one egg with 1 tsp of milk. Set aside.

* Preheat the oven to 375°F

* Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit for 5-10 minutes if it’s too firm to roll. Cut it into two pieces, roughly 2/3rd and 1/3rd.

* Roll out the larger piece (2/3rd) into a round shape large enough to fill your pie plate, leaving about an inch of overhang after pressing it into the dish.

* Pour the cooled tourtiere filling into the crust, spreading it out evenly.

* Roll out the second dough disc (1/3rd) and place it over the top of the pie. Trim any excess dough and crimp the edges to seal—use a fork, or pinch and twist with your fingers for a classic crimp.

* Cut a few slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape.

* Brush the top of the crust with the egg wash.

* Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes

* Serve with a simple side salad and your favourite condiment such as ketchup, cranberry sauce, or mustard.

Enjoy!

You can find the original full recipe here:

https://jeremypotvin.substack.com/p/classic-christmas-tourtiere

…and the rabbit version here:https://jeremypotvin.substack.com/p/ring-in-the-new-year-with-rabbit

A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with an old friend to talk about how I ended up in the food space and record an episode for his podcast, The Rocky Talky Podcast. And oh man, did he get me talking.

The episode went live a few days ago, and the response has been overwhelming. People who’ve known me my whole life have reached out to say how much it moved them—that they had no idea I’d been through even half of the stuff Rocky and I talk about.

That really got me thinking. If some of my closest friends didn’t know the full story, then for sure most of my cooking community has no idea either.

So, I wanted to share it with you too. And I’ll give you a little spoiler—if you’ve ever thought you were too old, or that you missed your chance, or even if you just needed a push to finally start that dream project, I promise this conversation will inspire you. I’m 54 years old, and I can tell you firsthand—it’s never too late. This conversation will change the way you look at time as it relates to your own story arc, and by the end of it, you’ll feel like you’re in your mid-20s with all the time in the world ahead of you.

This is my story.

This is a classic for a reason. You can find the whole recipe with step-by-step instructions right here:

https://jeremypotvin.substack.com/p/classic-beef-stew-the-winter-warmer

Prep: 30 minutesCook: 3.5 hoursServings: +8

Ingredients

* 4 pounds beef (a mixture of beef cheeks, chuck, and shanks)

* 1 pound beef sugar bones

* 5 shallots, halved and peeled

* 4-5 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cubed

* 5 cloves garlic, smashed and diced

* 1 bunch thyme, tied with butcher's twine

* 2–3 bay leaves

* ½ bottle red wine (Chianti works well)

* 3–4 medium carrots, peeled and diced on an angle

* ~3 litres beef stock

* 2 tablespoons tomato paste

* 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

* Kosher salt

* Cracked black pepper

* ½ cup flour (for coating the meat)

* Olive oil or beef tallow (for browning)

* Optional: Cornstarch slurry for thickening

Equipment

* Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven

* Wooden spoon or spatula

* Butcher’s twine

* Large mixing bowl

* Ladle

* Chef’s knife

Method

Step One: Prepare the Beef

* Place the chuck and sugar bones in a large mixing bowl.

* Cube the cheeks to roughly the same size as the chuck pieces, and place them in the mixing bowl.

* Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the meat from the shanks and cube it the same size as the other pieces. Place the shank bones and meat in the mixing bowl.

* Toss the beef and bones in kosher salt first, and then add the 1/2 cup of flour. Toss until evenly coated.

Step Two: Brown the Meat and Bones

* Heat olive oil or beef tallow in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

* Brown the beef in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Remove the beef and set aside.

Step Three: Sauté the Vegetables

* In the same pot, add the halved shallots cut-side down and cook until caramelized.

* Add the diced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

* Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute.

* Add the red wine and deglaze the pot by scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Reduce the wine by about one-third.

Step Four: Stock and Seasoning

* Return the browned beef and sugar bones to the pot. Pour in enough beef stock to fully cover the meat.

* Add the carrots, thyme bundle, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, a generous pinch of salt, and a few good cracks of ground pepper.

* Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for about 2½ hours.

Step Five: Potatoes and Finish

* Remove all of the bones. Make sure to pull any bone marrow out first, and then discard the bones. Add the bone marrow back into the stew.

* Check the tenderness of the beef. It should be nice and soft at this point. If not, you could delay the next step for another 30-45 minutes.

* Add the potatoes and bring the heat up to medium low. Cover and simmer for another 45 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened slightly.

* Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

* If you prefer a thicker stew, as I do, stir in a cornstarch slurry.

* Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch with about a cup of cold water and whisk so there are no lumps.

* Add it to the stew, bring the liquid up to a quick boil and then reduce to medium-low again. Let thicken for another ~10 minutes.

Serve with some warmed sourdough baguette slices or some King’s Hawaiian dinner rolls and a little bit of butter.

You can find the full recipe here:

https://jeremypotvin.substack.com/p/christmas-eve-austrian-cheese-fondue