By Wendy Burke
Winnipeg Free Press
Copyright 2007 Gale Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
ASAP
Copyright 2007 FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership
WINNIPEG, Ontario — JEFF Derraugh is a Winnipeg firefighter who loves to serve on the fire truck... and off. In between calls he trades his helmet for an apron and serves up meals for his crew. He’s been doing it for so long, it was time to write it all down. And now, at 48, the senior firefighter is a published cookbook author with Fire Hall Cooking with Jeffthe Chef (Touchwood Editions, $19.95).
The former CITI FM radio personality wasn’t one of those guys who grew up dreaming of becoming a firefighter.
“I had three friends from university who were firefighters alreadyand a neighbour who was a firefighter and they talked me into doing it. They said it’s a great job, a stable job, unlike radio. I’ve never regretted a moment of it. And besides -- radio station, fire station -- what’s the difference? They both have radios.”
He signed up in February 1990.
Fire chef
So how does the guy wielding a hose end up with the spatula?
Derraugh says he volunteered to pick up groceries one day and thatwas it.
“I was just really fortunate that I worked with excellent cooks and I learned from them. They taught me the tricks of the trade, thingslike cooking under a deadline. You know you’ve only got two-and-a-half hours from when you come in at 5:30 until you eat at 8 o’clock. And that time also could have practice drill sessions and alarms and calls.”
“There are three components to the successful firehouse meal that I mention in the book. One is ample quantities. If you don’t have enough for the guys to eat, you’re gonna hear about it. If your prices are out of line, if you shop at 7-Eleven and you picked up groceries and the price is $12 per supper, that’s unacceptable. And flavour... you’ve cooked it right. So if you’ve messed up on any of those three components, you’re in for a long night! And they’re not gonna let up. They are the worst food critics. But they’re true critics, because they really appreciate it when you do it.”
Fire hall family
Cooking for firefighters is like cooking for a family, only in larger quantities.
“I’ve been raising kids for a long time. My eldest is 26 and the youngest is 12. You have picky eaters in both (home and fire hall). And I certainly have with five kids. Three of them are still at home. I’ve got a vegetarian, two carnivores; one who eats pepperoni pizza and one who eats chicken fingers. And I’ve got two grandchildren as well. My little guy, I think all he eats is croutons!
“And it’s the same thing at the fire hall; you’ve got people who don’t eat seafood, or don’t eat onions or, ‘I’m allergic to green peppers they give me heartburn!’ So you’ve got to steer around those people as well.”
“When firefighters come to work, we sit down to a meal, just like a family does. We sit together and we have our laughs and jokes everything else. We talk about fires we’ve fought, or calls we went on or how our day went. And that’s what brings us together. That’s why the fire hall cook job is revered in some ways. The line that’s often said is, “Don’t mess with the fire hall chef.’ They cut you a little bitof extra slack.
“The book covers the lighter side of our job that people don’t necessarily get to see. They share the heavier side, the fires, the car accidents and the medical calls. This the yin and the yang. It’s the balance -- it’s the lighter side which is us at the hall -- our camaraderie and meals together and practical jokes and trying to keep things light because we do have to deal with all this stuff.”
The family-style meals build family-style relationships among the crew members who depend on each other for their safety. Every call that comes in potentially means a crew going out on a dangerous mission. And while Derraugh is an easy laugh, he is equally emotional about the tragic loss in the line of duty of two of his colleagues on Feb. 4.
“The book is dedicated to (Capt.) Harold Lessard and (Capt.) Tom Nichols. I worked with Tom for many years, and Harold, I didn’t know as well, but I worked with him the night of Feb. 4. I stayed on the crew an extra hour waiting because they were short a member on their crew. So I was with them for the first hour on their shift and then an hour later the call for the fire came in.”
Derraugh says all the firefighters were deeply affected by Feb. 4 -- he says the date with the same emotional expression some people say 9/11. It’s a harsh reminder:
“Oh yeah... we’re mortal.”
But he’s grateful for his experiences.
“Firefighters are a great bunch of guys and I’m just so happy thatI’m a part of it, from all the people that I’ve met and all the goodtimes that we’ve had and all the recipes that we’ve shared.
Where Can I Get It?
Need a Father’s Day gift? Actually, this cookbook would be great for anyone-- rookie cooks and veterans alike. The recipes are tasty, hearty, they use readily available ingredients and are easy to follow.Filled with anecdotes, Fire Hall Cooking is a peek at real life at the station. It’s available on-line and if people order through the links at www.stayingalive.ca, a non-profit safety site, (Derraugh has been involved with them for several years) will get a commission on sales from Amazon and Chapters. McNally Robinson has it, too.
Here’s a sample.
Teriyaki steak over Asian mixed greens
Here’s a light meal for a hot day.
Place your favourite vegetables in a salad bowl:
Choose a selection of your favourite greens: spinach, leaf lettuce, bok choy, beet tops, red Swedish chard. Use a variety of colours tomaximize the salad’s presentation.
Chopped green onions or red onions cut into strips.
Mushrooms minus the stems.
Lightly toast sunflower seeds and almonds in a saute pan with a little brown sugar and butter. Allow to cool.
Then add this delicious dressing to the veggies:
125 ml (1/2 cup) soya sauce
125 ml (1/2 cup) white or rice vinegar
60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil, preferably peanut or canola
30 ml (2 tbsp) white sugar
20 ml (4 tsp) sesame oil
30 ml (2 tbsp) ginger, fresh and finely diced
10 ml (2 tsp) or more minced or pressed
Here’s how to make the salad a meal in itself
Marinate steak or chicken breasts in teriyaki marinade (recipe follows). About 4 hours basking in the fridge basking in the flavour bath should do it.
Barbecue breasts until no longer pink inside or barbecue the steakuntil it is medium rare inside. Let stand 5 minutes and slice into strips.
Place a serving of salad on a plate and top with strategically placed strips of teriyaki beef or chicken. Sprinkle sesame seeds over top.
Go for broke by boiling the marinade for 5 minutes, then drizzle it over the beef or chicken.
Teriyaki marinade
175 ml (3/4 cup) teriyaki or soy sauce
60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
45 ml (3 tbsp) liquid honey -- melt in microwave if necessary
5 ml (1 tsp) ginger powder
5 ml (1 tsp) garlic powder
5 ml (1 tsp) or more chili-garlic sauce to fire it up
3 green onions, chopped small
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
Place the steak or chicken in a plastic bag, toss in the teriyaki and let it soak for 4 hours for chicken to overnight for juicy steak.
Seafood sauce chicken
This is Derraugh’s most requested fire hall dish. He had to marry his wife, Lori, before she’d let him have it.
750 g (1 1/2 lbs) large chicken breasts for main course, 1.5 kg (3lbs) wings or drumettes for an appetizer
2 eggs, beaten
20 or so crushed up Breton crackers
1 jar seafood sauce
equal part orange juice (measure with empty seafood bottle)
equal part sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
Set oven at 205C (400F). Dip chicken in egg and coat with cracker crumbs. Place chicken in a lasagna dish or roaster. Bake for 15-20 minutes, uncovered.
Mix seafood sauce, orange juice, sugar and salt together.
Pour sauce over chicken and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through.
Let the chicken stand for 5 minutes and serve over rice.
Sunshine salad
The walnuts mixed with butter and brown sugar put this salad over the top.
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
125 ml (1/2 cup) pecans or walnuts, chopped into bits
2 heads of butter lettuce or 1 large head of leaf lettuce
2 bananas sliced
250 ml (1 cup) pineapple tidbits -- reserve juice for dressing
500 ml (2 cups) red or green grapes -- sliced in half
2 kiwis -- sliced
500 ml (2 cups) strawberries, sliced
(You can substitute a tin of mandarin oranges for any of the above. Any combination of your favourite fruits will work.)
3 sliced nectarines or canned peaches
For the dressing:
125 ml (1/2 cup) canola or another lightly flavoured oil, such as corn
60 ml (1/4 cup) frozen orange juice concentrate
30 ml (2 tbsp) soft or liquid honey
3 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
5 ml (1 tsp) ground ginger
15 ml (1 tbsp) of reserved pineapple juice
Warm a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add a couple of tablespoonseach butter and brown sugar and lightly brown the pecans or walnuts.
As the nuts cool, wash and break up the lettuce. Give it a spin dry.
Combine the dressing ingredients and refrigerate along with the lettuce.
Chop up the fruit and add the dressing. Just before serving add the lettuce and nuts and toss them through.