Ramblings and Recipes

Hi, it’s Meesh Moran here (The Nomadic Chef). This winter my first experience EVER cooking at lodges – AND IT’S LOVE! (Ha.) I am purely driven by a passion for food and a need to cook for others (it makes me so happy). Bonus part of lodge life: I get to meet so many new people and even cook for some familiar faces. So, for me it’s also about sharing stories on the skin track and bonding over music at après after a day in the mountains. But my favourite moment is when the dinner table quietens after the first few bites of a meal… that brings a smile to my face as much as skiing with the guides & guests earlier that day!

The first recipe is a throwback treat from my childhood that my mom would always make. They’re the easiest bars in the world to whip up. More importantly they’re everything you want to energize you back up the skin-track for another lap. I had to hide these from the guests otherwise they’d often disappear before I could say breakfast is ready. Many guests asked for the recipe so here you go!

Meesh’s Mountain Squares

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• ¾ cup butter melted
• 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
• ¾ cup hazelnuts
• ¾ cup each pecan halves
• ¾ cup unsweeted, shredded coconut
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Process

• Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and press into a 9”x13” parchment lined baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for 15min.
• Once cooled, sprinkle remaining ingredients  (chocolate chips, pecans, coconut) evenly in order as listed, then drizzle the can of sweetened condensed milk over the whole lot.
• Bake in the oven for 20-30minutes or until the top is golden brown and delicious.
• NOTE: use as much or as little of each layer as you feel necessary… you can’t go wrong you just want a good layer of all the goods.
• Allow to fully cool before cutting… if you can!
• Recipe makes LOTS but never quite enough (depends on how big you cut them).

The second recipe could also be attributed to the days of my youth, which is why I recommend a 90’s hiphop playlist when making Spanakopita. Say it with me now… span-ah- koh-pee-tah. Another regular item on my après menu for good reason; these little triangles are damn delicious after a long day of pow hunting. I grew up with a great bunch of Greeks in Kenora, Ontario. Slinging saganaki, orzo and breaking plates in one of the local restaurants was a regular occurance. So, naturally, I picked up some cuisine tricks along the way. This is my spin on a classic Greek appetizer.

Spanakopita

Preheat oven to 375°F

Ingredients

• 1 package of phyllo pastry – at room temperature
• 2 bags fresh spinach
• 2 eggs
• 200g feta, crumbled
• 1 cup pine nuts (optional)
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing the phyllo
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt/pepper

Process

• Beat the eggs in the bottom of a large bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients and toss to combine.
• Allow the mixture to sit for at least an hour, mixing every once in a while, insuring all the ingredients are incorporated, until the spinach has wilted.
• Unroll phyllo pastry flat and keep it covered with a slightly damp tea towel (key element to keeping the pastry workable and not drying it out) while working on one sheet at a time.
• Fold one piece in half on your cutting board (leaving folded edge at the top of your work surface) and brush just the top of the folded sheet liberally with olive oil.
• Use a knife to cut 4 equal strips
• Place a small spoonful off the filling at the bottom of each strip then take the bottom right corner of phyllo and fold it over to make triangle. Then continue folding the triangle over until the end

Process Continued..

• Keep doing this until you have nothing left. Place the triangles on parchment lined baking sheets and brush tops with a little bit of olive oil.
• You can bake the triangles immediately for about 30min (rotate pan halfway through time). Or freeze the uncooked pastries on the sheet pan to cook later.
• Makes 50+ pastries

For more recipes from Meesh, follow her on Instagram at:

@the_nomadic_chef

@meeshmoran