Iron Chef Canada

Iron Chef Canada

10 Ways Iron Chef Canada's Chris Nuttall-Smith Would Tackle the Secret Ingredients

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Food Network Editors

We put Iron Chef Canada's Chris Nuttall-Smith to a rapid fire test on his favourite ingredients to use in his own kitchen. Will he reign supreme, or, like so many competitors who enter Kitchen Stadium, crack under pressure? Read on and see…

  • Secret Ingredient: Trout
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Trout

    <p>Fresh <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-trout/video.html?v=FOOD0055690530000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Trout </strong></a>was the feature ingredient that challenged Iron Chef Lynn Crawford and Chef Shane Chartrand to do battle. At home, Chris would keep it simple by pan searing it, skin on, and cooking to no more than medium rare. “Finished with butter, capers and lemon, and paired with green beans, this dish is a classic, and a really nice dinner,” he says.</p> <p>Try Anna Olson’s recipe for <strong><a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/pan-roasted-trout-with-leeks-and-brown-butter/10119/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pan Roasted Trout With Leeks and Brown Butter</a></strong></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Goat
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Goat

    <p>Goat is a versatile ingredient, able to take on strong ingredients and various styles of cooking (an attribute Iron Chef Hugh Acheson and Chef Nick Hodge took full advantage of in <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-goat/video.html?v=FOOD0055690540000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Battle Goat</a></strong>). Chris loves Birria, a regional dish from Jalisco in Mexico, that features a leg or shoulder of goat coated in slow-cooked chilies, garlic and onions. “You pressure cook or stew the dish for hours and hours and hours, and it turns into this juicy, saucy, spicy, earthy kind of animal shredded meat that you put on tacos. They are freaking delicious,” he says.</p> <p>If you’re in the mood for spice, this fusion goat curry will fit the bill: <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/fusion-recipe-goat-curry-with-sage-and-cranberries/17587/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goat Curry With Sage and Cranberries</a></strong></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Offal
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Offal

    <p><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-offal/video.html?v=FOOD0055690520000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Battle Offal</strong></a> saw Iron Chef Susur Lee and challenger Chef Stefan Hartmann work with these challenging off cuts and organ meats. At home, Chris loves frying sweet breads (pancreas or thymus glands) until just crisp and deliciously golden. “They’re creamy and gorgeous on the inside,” he says.</p> <p>Check out Rob Rossi’s method of blanching and sautéing this delicate ingredient with <a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/crispy-sweetbreads-chanterelle-mushrooms-glazed-bacon-with-white-garlic-puree/11833/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Crispy Sweetbreads, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Glazed Bacon With White Garlic Purée</strong></a></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Eggs
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Eggs

    <p>Baked, fried, scrambled, poached or otherwise, <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/episode-guide/battle-egg/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eggs</a></strong> can be the shining star or a supporting player in so many dishes that Chris second guesses himself with this simple ingredient that pitted Iron Chef Amanda Cohen against Chef Duncan Ly. He ultimately chooses a soufflé — the downfall of many a chef during competition. “People look at souffle, and they think it's so hard, but they don't fall that easily,” he says. “I’d make a beautiful goat cheese soufflé, made with really good eggs, so it's yolky and gorgeous and fluffy and you get the cheese and the herbs on top.”</p> <p>Make a soufflé a snap with Christine Cushing’s <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/goat-cheese-souffle/145/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goat Cheese Soufflé</a></strong></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Cheddar
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Cheddar

    <p>Iron Chef Rob Feenie and Chef Ivana Raca were tasked with bringing <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-cheddar/video.html?v=FOOD0055690560000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cheddar</a></strong> in all its glorious forms — whether sharp, mild, creamy or granular — to the table for the judges’ inspection. In his own kitchen, Chris would go back to the basics with the classic pairing of cheddar and apple pie. “Simple and gorgeous,” he says.</p> <p>Try your hand at pie with this recipe for <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/apple-pie-with-cheddar-cheese-crust/15671/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Pie With Cheddar Cheese Crust</a></strong></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Tiny Fish
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Tiny Fish

    <p>Chris is a self-proclaimed “tiny fish fanatic”, so he was super excited for the <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-tiny-fish/video.html?v=FOOD0055690570000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">battle between Iron Chef Susur Lee and Chef Paul Boehmer.</a></strong> In (and out of) the kitchen, Chris uses anchovies in particular in everything — he even carried a tin with him on a recent canoeing trip to mix with butter and mash it onto toast, like they do in Spain.</p> <p>Check out this recipe for <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/marinated-white-anchovies/4472/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marinated White Anchovies</a></strong></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Bacon
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Bacon

    <p>Smoky, fatty and crunchy bacon packs a lot of flavour into each thin strip. In <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-bacon/video.html?v=FOOD0055690580000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Battle Bacon</a></strong> (not to be confused with <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-pork/video.html?v=1390353475510" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Battle Pork</a></strong>), Iron Chef Lynn Crawford and Chef Scott Vivian pushed this versatile ingredient to its limits, but at home, Chris craves simplicity. “I’d make a beautiful bacon and tomato sandwich,” he says. “Bacon and tomatoes, a little bit of pepper, good mayo, a nice bread — I'm in heaven.”</p> <p>Let your guests build their own with Ree Drummond’s <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/blt-bar/22660/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BLT Bar</a></strong></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Squash
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Squash

    <p>Kitchen Stadium was awash with <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-squash/video.html?v=FOOD0055690590000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Battle Squash</a></strong> as Iron Chef Amanda Cohen and chef Jonathan Gushue took advantage of the many different ways to use this versatile vegetable. Chris craves a savoury application for this often sweet ingredient. “Ravioli stuffed with squash and cheese with a nice butter sauce over top is absolutely gorgeous, silky and decadent,” he says.</p> <p>Try this recipe for <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/squash-ravioli-with-sage-and-walnut-butter/1996/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Squash Ravioli with Sage And Walnut Butter Sauce</a></strong></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Beef
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Beef

    <p>Beautiful beef (the star of <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-beef/video.html?v=FOOD0055690600000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Battle Beef</strong></a> between Iron Chef Rob Feenie and chef Fisun Ercan) can range from inexpensive ground or chuck to pricier cuts such as tenderloin or, Chris’s favourite: a perfect ribeye grilled over charcoal to medium rare. “It's got to be dry aged 50 to 60 days, and you basically have to give your car as a down payment to buy it,” he jokes. “It is one of the most decadent and delicious treats.”</p> <p>Try <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/grilled-ribeye-with-chimichurri-sauce/9466/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grilled Ribeye With Chimichurri Sauce</a></strong></p>
  • Secret Ingredient: Crab
     
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    Secret Ingredient: Crab

    <p>The sweet and delicate crustacean took centre stage in <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/iron-chef-canada/video/episode/battle-crab/video.html?v=FOOD0055690610000100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Battle Crab</strong></a>, and Chris is no stranger to this staple of the west coast. “I grew up in White Rock, BC, and I used to pedal my little bike down to the beach with a crab trap on my back,” he remembers. “I would go home and just simmer them in water, and eat them with drawn butter. Crab is such a perfect seafood.”</p> <p>Check out Lynn Crawford’s <strong><a href=" https://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/food-network-canada-chef-school/video/shortform/how-to-remove-meat-from-a-crab/video.html?v=1112508995708" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">best tips and tricks for getting crabmeat out of the shell</a></strong></p>
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