The Tomato: March/April 2014

Formerly City Palate

Take a bite of your city | March April 2014 | thetomato.ca

Edmonton’s top 100 best things to eat.

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editor

Contents

Mary Bailey marybee@telus.net

publisher BGP Publishing

copy editor Don Retson

designer Bossanova Communications Inc.

contributing writers Peter Bailey Anne DesBrisay Tina Faiz Jonathan Hiltz Judy Schultz Lisa Vaughn

illustration/photography Mary Bailey Amanda LeNeve Kevan Luc Morin, Curtis Comeau Photography Gerry Rasmussen To Be in Pictures

design and prepress Bossanova Communications Inc.

printer distribution Greenline Distribution For editorial inquires, information, letters, suggestions or ideas, contact The Tomato at 780-431-1802, fax 780-428-1030, or email marybee@telus.net For advertising information call 780-431-1802.

the tomato is published six times per year: January/February March/April May/June July/August September/October November/December

by BGP Publishing 9833 84 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6E 2G1 780-431-1802

Features

6 10

The Second Annual Top 100 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton Our readers pick their favourites

Some Ruminations on Class, Food & Great Divides, Including Mentions of Lord Black, Timbits & Bronx Grapes Karen Virag

12

Cibo Bistro’s New York State of Mind

20

Celebrating Persian New Year

22

Cooking With Mary Jane

26

Take It To Heart

30

Canadian Culinary Championships 2014

A busman’s holiday to the Big Apple | Lisa Vaughn

Persians embrace rituals to celebrate the spring equinox | Tina Faiz

Ganja Gastronomy | Jonathan Hiltz

Heart-healthy canola recipes

And the winners are ... | Mary Bailey

Departments

5

Dish Gastronomic happenings around town

14

Beer Guy

16

Drink

18

In Season

24

The Proust Culinary Questionnaire

28

Wine Maven

32

Kitchen Sink

34

According to Judy

Peak Beer | Peter Bailey

The best beer in the valley | Anne DesBrisay

Easter Brunch at The Tomato Test Kitchen

Shane Chartrand, executive chef, Sage

Mary Bailey

What’s new and notable

Pies for all | Judy Schultz

Cover: Charcuterie at Glass Monkey, To Be In Pictures photo.

Subscriptions are available for $25 per year.

thetomato.ca The Tomato | March April 2014 3

ICS_3_4Vert_Jan14.pdf

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1/30/14

3:30 PM

Perfectly placed to make fine wine and good friends.

R E S TAU R A N T

www.tinhorn.com

kdish n i r D & d o o F o

s d r a w A n g i s e D n e h c Kit gastronomic happenings around town |

t a m o T The

a new meaning to eating by candelight

the kitchen is the heart of the home Mary Bailey photo

Built a new kitchen lately? Proud of it?

Enter your kitchen in the Tomato Kitchen Design Awards (TKDA). Submissions open March 14 and close April 25.

TKDA is open to architects, builders, contractors, designers, developers, and do-it yourselfers offering awards in several categories, including outdoor kitchens.

See submission rules and regulations at thetomato.ca.

the heart of the matter

eat drink dance Timeless Edge photo

Part business incubator, part raucous party, the Hawker’s Market, created

by Chris Jerome, offers fledgling food businesses an opportunity to work out kinks or try out new ideas and products.

Expect vendors like Mojo Jojo Pickles; food trucks Parts and Labour, SailinOn, and Drift; holistic nutritionist Alison Landing; Chad Moss grilling pecorino cheese, and the South Island Pie Company (see Judy Schultz’ column on New Zealand’s love affair with meat pies on page 34) Entry is $10, with food chits ranging between $5-$8. Hawker’s Market, April 22, Mercer Warehouse, 10363 104 Street, don’t miss it!

Tickets at eventbrite.ca

Liana Robberecht, executive chef of the Calgary Petroleum Club was the special guest at Taking it to Heart, Alberta Canola’s fundraiser for Heart and Stroke held in February at the Edmonton Petroleum Club. Chef Robberecht is considered an über chef by her peers in Calgary; it’s good to see movement between the cities’ chef communities.

happy new year!

NAIT photo

grow your own

A traditional lion dance, popping firecrackers and delicious food greeted guests at the Tét celebration of the Vietnamese lunar new year at Hoàng Long Casual Fare, David Vu and Cecilia Hoàng’s newest restaurant on 109 street. Their first small restaurant in Chinatown opened a few decades ago, leading to two west end locations.

Now they are coming back downtown in a big way, opening near 100 Avenue in the summer. We love the fresh flavours of Cecilia’s cooking and the convenient eat-in or take-away ease of the 109 street location.

HWKRS

MRKT

David Vu photo

You could say NAIT culinary has become an urban homesteader, part of the burgeoning do-it and grow-it yourself movement. Asipring chefs will no longer open plastic packets of herbs nor purchase from a local grower or greenhouse. Instead, they’ll step over to the Urban Cultivator and harvest cilantro, basil and other herbs and microgreens for their dishes. According to Tarren Wolfe, founder of Urban Cultivator, the device is the world’s first commercial-sized appliance able to grow fresh, organic micro-greens and herbs every day of the year.

Long underwear? Check. Wool socks? Check. Thin merino sweater, thick sweater, down vest, several scarves, check. Getting dressed for the Rg Rd winter dinner at Natures Green Acres farm took almost as long as getting there. All well worth it, from the first Dr Zhivago moment in a Percheronpulled sleigh, cosy in furs and sheepskins, to the last bite of the warming bread pudding under an impossibly starry sky. We love Blair Lebsack’s interpretation of Alberta food and this was a bravura performance; five courses cooked outside on several types of stoves. We’re still marvelling that plates and foods stayed hot while there was no issue keeping the Nova Scotia bubbles cold. Everybody was a good sport, though I did hear of a hefty cash offer being made for a Canada Goose parka.

From top: A well-dressed Shannon Ruzicka with the magnificent Percherons; chef Liana Robberecht; Tarren Wolfe, founder, Urban Cultivator with Hong Chew, NAIT Culinary Arts instructor; David Vu and Cecilia the mercer warehouse Hoàng’s celebrate Tét, the lunar new year, and the Hawkers Market logo.

EAT 6pm DRINK UNTil

The Tomato | March April 2014 5

dancE

THE 2ND ANNUAL

THINGS TO EAT OR DRINK

IN EDMONTON

Glass Monkey charcuterie, To Be In Pictures photo 6 March April 2014 | The Tomato

Last year, when we asked Tomato readers for their opinions on the best things to eat, we thought it was a one-time feature, a way to celebrate the 100th issue.

But, after being deluged with tweets, emails, phone calls, letters, and facebook posts, we realized that once was not enough. Our readers demand to be heard!

1.

This year we welcomed a tsunami of comments, votes, seconders, and heartfelt odes to a dish or a place. Comments were funny, pointed (we were scolded a few times for not talking enough about someone’s favourite restaurant. Duly noted). We rediscovered old favourites and were introduced to tasty new items.

Thank you to all who voted, campaigned for their favourites, and entered the debate with a sense of fun and discovery. It’s been a pleasure. To those nominated; long may you prosper.

Corso 32’s shortrib. There’s no doubt that Edmontonians love Corso’s food. The Jasper Avenue restaurant tops the list for the second time with the most votes for a variety of dishes.

The beloved beef short rib with fresh pear edged out spaghetti bolo, parsnip agnolotti, rabbit ragu, arancini, and the salted hazelnut chocolate dessert for the top spot. We give a shout out for their innovative, mostly Italian wine list, cocktails and amaro offerings.

4.

The simple rice ball called arancini is having its moment. The best place to enjoy them, especially at lunch, is at Cibo Bistro. Crispy on the outside, laden with cheese and other good stuff on the inside. We have a friend who does a drive-by several times a week — calls from his car and takes them home in a box. Voters also loved the beef cheeks, lobster tortellini and polenta fritta with salami. We love their $10 lunch.

5.

Breakfast at the Sugarbowl: cinnamon bun and the huevos rancheros were mentioned most frequently. If we had a best casual atmosphere with the nicest-people-behind-the-bar award it would go to the Sugarbowl.

6.

2.

A few trends noted: less Asian on the list this year but we remain loyal to our pho; cauliflower is the new kale; and we love our sweets — there were more nominations for cookies than anything else. But, we noticed that several came from the same addresses ;)

Tavern 1903’s KFC Korean fried cauliflower.

Larry and Melinda Stewart’s second restaurant opened this summer to raves — the room comfortable, the food accessible, the cocktail list fun and modern. The idea that cauliflower can hit number two on a Best Of list points to something: are vegetables being taken more seriously in the land of meat and potatoes? Is cauliflower the new kale? Yes and yes.

7.

The Marc’s pommes frites with truffled mayo. Ok, who doesn’t love french fries? And who doesn’t love French fries shared with mushroomy-scented mayo and a glass of Champagne? That, my friends, is one of life’s affordable luxuries. Another reason to flock to the Marc — they understand hospitality; how it can turn a humdrum Tuesday-night-after-workdinner into something that feeds the soul.

Rge Rd is another restaurant where it’s hard to pin down a favourite dish as the menu changes with the seasons. One thing we know for sure, the unmentionables (chef Blair Lebsack’s magic with the parts of the animals we would rather not think about) rewards the brave. Scotch eggs were mentioned and diners don’t forget a dish.

Reader Cynthia Strawson is still talking about the green bean and lemon curd appetizer she enjoyed last fall.

We miss: The wor tip beef dumplings at Shanghai 456, aka the canteen of the Edmonton Flying Club. We still miss the Greek deli off 124 Street, and we said goodbye to Oasia, Bistro Saisons and Niche this year, a reminder of just how hard the restaurant business can be.

Here’s the first 25 of the TomatoTop100, find the full list at thetomato.ca Photos, top left: Corso 32. Top right and middle left: Kevan Luc Morin, Curtis Comeau Photography.

Bottom left: To Be In Pictures, right: Mary Bailey.

3.

Three Boars Eatery changes its menu frequently, which is good, but it does make it more complicated for fans to pick just one thing, so they don’t. The mushrooms with egg yolk on toast topped the list, lamb neck croquette was a close second, with mentions of the addictive crispy anchovy-stuffed olives, pad thai and chilling with a cocktail at the main floor bar.

8.

It’s a dead heat between Izakaya Tomo’s tonpei yaki, pork and cabbage with okonomi sauce; and the pork belly in broth. We know a chef who pops by for a double order of the pork belly with udon noodles. Now, that’s a bowl of deliciousness. Also, Tomo’s delicate salad rolls, seaweed salad, Japanese beers and the credible saké list are winners. Ask Chis to pair saké with your dishes for the full izakaya immersion.

The Tomato | March April 2014 7

Photos from top: The Bothy’s Kevin Ostapek and a bowl of their bacon tomato soup; Judy Wu’s banana cream pie/pudding; The Marc’s frites with Champagne; Evelyn and Harold of Gramma Bears Baking. Facing page: MoJo JoJo pickled carrots.

Photos To Be In Pictures except banana dessert, Mary Bailey frites and Gramma Bears Baking, Amanda LaNeve.

8 March April 2014 | The Tomato

9.

x1x Nineteen has a winner in the ahi tuna twist appetizer with something like 10 million sold. (Kidding, but it is a big number.) Readers waxed rhapsodic about the hoisin-glazed short ribs, and we are huge fans of chef Andrew Fung’s tender sous vide pork rack and the deeply-flavoured lamb shanks.

10.

We love the relaxed vibe at Glass Monkey. What readers love even more are the charcuterie plates, for their variety, quality and sheer beauty. And who knew roasted broccoli could taste so good? Dishes like this will make vegetable lovers out of carnivores.

11.

Kudos to all the Winter City drink entries. Here’s to the winners: home-made Rosemary Ginger Beer by the culinary students at Jasper Place High School and the cardamomscented, rum-laced coffee Birkie Break from Transcend Coffee. Drink up!

12.

Cheese boards at the Cavern. We’re seeing more cheese and charcuterie boards, which is a good thing, and the Cavern’s remains one of the best and best value in town. The cheeses are in impeccable condition, always.

13.

Jack’s Burgers in St Albert has rabid fans, plus you have to love a joint that names a burger the Vicki Cristina Barcelona.

We’re not sure what the movie/burger connection is but we’re loving it just the same. Howard the Duck, a beef patty with roasted duck, bacon, avocado and lettuce, tomato and mayo was most mentioned.

14.

Dauphine Bakery’s lemon tart has just the right amount of creamy to sour lemon, worth going down the stairs for.

15.

Cally’s Teas scones and tea service was mentioned several times. Walshcooks tweeted: ‘Just had the most delish scone jam and cream ever at Cally’s teas.’

16.

A tweeter called the Courteau family tourtière from Duchess Bakeshop ‘their delicious new Christmas tradition’.

We’ll add that to the perennial list of fave dishes from the Duchess; salted caramel macaron, the Duke, the gruyere croissant, double ginger cookie, and the incredible fruit pies.

17.

The pizza at the west end Italian Centre is the real deal, thin crust pizza with a variety of fresh toppings. We like the one laden with Parma ham and arugula with lots of fruity olive oil drizzled over.

18.

Not only one of the best ways to satisfy a sweet tooth, Gramma Bears butter tarts remains one of the most affordable. Take a few minutes to chat with Evelyn and Harold Dickout at their stand in the Old Strathcona market — you’ll be much happier when you leave. And pick up a couple of frozen pies too, we recommend the pumpkin.

19.

Wild Tangerine’s Fork Fest menu is always a winner. Which dish? It’s a toss-up between the amazing slow-cooked Spring Creek Ranch beef or the banana cream pie/pudding dessert. Or their frog legs, or the popcorn shrimp. Actually, pretty much anything cooked by Judy Wu.

20.

Nomad Mac’n Cheese with Crackling at Woodwork. Nuff said.

21.

Tavern 1903’s Desert Shrub cocktail; tequila, prosecco, grapefruit. Heaven!

22.

We tried the bulgogi udon at Sabu and we liked it. Thanks for the reccie @GreenOnionCake!

23.

The Bothy Wine Whisky Bar’s bacon tomato soup. This is fullon rainy day soup. Nothing will warm you faster, except a single malt to follow, if you don’t have to be back at work right away.

24.

King Noodle Pho Hoang. One could argue that there is lots of good pho in town, but we remain united on one thing — there’s only one Moustache Man. Go get a bowl right now.

25.

Mojo Jojo’s salted pear caramel is delicious. But what do our readers reach for every day? The pickled carrots. Crisp, colourful, delicious.

Enjoy an all-inclusive evening out the Grape Escape

Wine, Spirits & Beer Festival

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Tickets to this all-inclusive event are available online or at our MacTaggart Ridge location.

5962 Mullen Way – 780-432-2258 coopwinespiritsbeer.com The Tomato | March April 2014 9

Some Ruminations on

Karen Virag editor, writer, broadcaster, teacher, and one half of The Grammar Gals, died January 11 after a brief illness.

Everyone at The Tomato loved Karen’s take on food and food issues — her stories were supremely wellresearched, erudite and always funny.

Karen was past president of the Editors’ Association of Canada, Prairie Provinces branch and past national vice-president of the Editors’ Association of Canada (EAC).

She leaves her mother, brother Steve, cat Stanley (adopted by a friend) and a legion of friends and colleagues.

We’ve chosen to reprint a piece that is classic Karen, including one of the longest titles in magazine history.

We’ll miss you Karen.

10 March April 2014 | The Tomato

Class, Food & Great Divides, including mentions of

Lord Black,

Timbits &

Bronx Grapes karen virag

Sorry, people, but despite what you might have heard to the contrary, a banana is never just a banana.

I say this because we are constantly interpreting the world — everything we do, say, wear and eat reveals something about us. In his book Everybody Eats, food anthropologist E. N. Anderson tell us that in medieval England, one of the original duties of the coroner was to ensure

that people did not eat the porpoises or sturgeons they caught — such creatures were reserved for the royal court. Today, even if porpoises are off the menu and the coroner is no longer responsible for monitoring fishermen’s catches, food, with all its moral, cultural, political and religious overtones, is still an important signifier of one’s social class.

But what do we mean by class? In the absence of a North American aristocracy (with apologies to Lord Black) one definition of class is that it is an economic category. Many

studies have found a correlation between poverty and poor eating habits, but such a superior statement insults vast swathes of people and smacks too much of middle-class smugness for my liking. Besides, not every poor person shamelessly washes down buckets of KFC with Coke every day. One of my friends told me that during the poorest period of her life (she went back to university in her thirties to complete a master’s and had a yearly income of around $19,000), she and her daughter ate fairly well. Here’s why — she was an adept cook who knew that

cheaper cuts of meat are delicious if prepared properly, and dried beans are tasty and nutritious. But here’s the rub — you need time to prepare such foods, and with a grad student’s timetable, she had it. These days, technology has increased the pace of life to an almost unbearable degree.

Many people work several jobs to survive, and lots of us, poor or not, drive around every night delivering our oversubscribed children to yet another lesson or club. It is estimated that about 20 per cent of meals eaten in North America are consumed in the car. No matter what class you hail from, who has time to eat, let alone cook?

Hey, Michelina!

Not all societies have statusbased food distinctions in eating habits. Stanley Mintz, a noted food anthropologist, observed that in China, “there is a remarkable constancy from top to bottom of the society in regard to the agreed-upon ways to produce good food, and about the patterned relationships among foods.” In contrast, our country has many status-based food distinctions. Think of the difference in register between lobster and Salisbury steak, braised radicchio and Cheez Whiz-stuffed celery, Miss Vickie’s kettle-cooked, hand-selected potato chips and Old Dutch.

Of course, factors other than economics affect food consumption: geography; ethnicity; the disconnect of our highly urban society from where food actually comes from; and loss of knowledge — unless they are maintained and passed on, cultural habits fade into history. A friend in his forties once asked me how to cook a potato. Another friend, who works in a provincial ministry, tells me that her younger colleagues never bring lunch to work because they don’t know how to cook; instead, they go to fast-food restaurants.

And given that sales of fast food in Canada are expected to reach $23.6 billion by 2016, it is obviously not just the poor who are buying Big Macs and Whoppers. As for my very middle-class workplace, many of my colleagues bring frozen microwavable meals for lunch. StatsCan reports

that in 2010 Canada’s frozen food industry had revenues of $3 billion.

Hey, Michelina, that’s a lot of dough!

Perhaps the most influential factor in consumption patterns, though, is the tsunami of advertising that comes at us from every screen, every publication and the uniform of every professional athlete in the land. Food ads feed us endless images of the wonders of heavily processed foods, full of unpronounceable ingredients, ready to be rapturously consumed by beautiful, slim people. A recent Stanford University study on the language of food advertising found that companies tailor their message to their intended market. Ads for the upper and middle class stress a food’s “naturalness”; ads for the working class stress tradition and family. And give yourselves three lashes with a wet noodle if you think you’re not affected by advertising — corporations don’t spend $3.5 million for a 30-second Super Bowl commercial because advertising doesn’t work.

Do they grow grapes in the Bronx?

Another great divide complicates traditional class-based food consumption patterns — average Joes and Josephines versus food snobs. A recent Boston Pizza TV commercial, which plays with this concept, shows three men seated in a booth. One remarks that his “pulled pork penne is divine.” His use of the word “divine” surprises his friends, but they are even more surprised when he suddenly sprouts a suit jacket, bow tie and dark glasses.

The voiceover then tells the viewer to love their Boston Pizza pasta, “just be careful not to become a foodie!”

The word foodie is pronounced with a particularly contemptuous sneer.

According to the commercial, then, Boston Pizza is for ordinary people but its fare is good enough to be appreciated by a bow-tied food snob, which is not a good thing to be.

It’s hard to disagree when you hear about foodie groups that, say, consume endangered species like ortolans, songbirds fattened in dark boxes. Such abominable behaviour makes consumption more fetish than food. Fortunately, such practices are

rare. Instead, one is more likely to encounter a more mundane kind of foodie-ism, like that of an effete snob who wouldn’t be caught dead eating a Timbit, lest he pollute his holy interior. This kind of food elitism was summed up by the chef and über foodie Alice Waters in a 60 Minutes episode, in which she is cited as saying: “Some people want to buy Nikes, two pairs. And some people want to eat Bronx grapes and nourish themselves.”

It’s obnoxious statements like this that give those of us interested in food a bad name. Such sanctimony!

Besides, Alice, it’s just not that simple — many families have to choose between eating and not eating. One in ten kids lives in poverty in wealthy Alberta; about one-third of them have one or both parents who work full-time. They are not choosing between brands of expensive running shoes, but between eating and not eating. I imagine they would be happy to feed their children any grapes, let alone a Bronx grape (whatever that is).

Class acts You might think we eat food but really we eat our history, geography and social class at every meal — those things shouldn’t be laden with pesticides and additives. So what can we do? Vote for politicians who espouse wise policies on food safety and land use; teach our kids how to cook; read labels; try to eat local; be skeptical about advertising. What we mustn’t do is become insufferable snobs who will, say, eat only almonds that have been shelled between the downy thighs of vestal virgins.

We are all in this together, folks, so this also means not turning up our noses at the contents of other people’s grocery carts. I can’t believe he’s buying frozen pizza! Look at all that pop she’s buying — no wonder her kid is screaming! Haven’t those people heard of roughage? In other words, let’s have a little class.

Call her what you like, but Edmonton writer Karen Virag actually prefers Old Dutch potato chips to Miss Vickies.

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The Tomato | March April 2014 11

Cib o Bist r o’s

New York State of Mind lisa vaughn

a lovely driver arranged by My One Fine Stay. We found our onebedroom apartment on the Upper East Side through them as well.

One Fine Stay provided an iPhone loaded with the host’s favourite places, Google maps, everything you’d need to feel like a local.

Our first stop was to a nearby pizzeria for a New York slice, then it was off to Babbo for our 10:30 reso.

The room buzzed with clinking glasses and silverware, chatter, laughter, and alternative rock music (which we found out later was Mario Batali’s iPod banging out his favourite beats). The wine list was a book. We laughed a little when we noticed that the cheapest bottle on the menu was $125, and yes, the food was amazing.

Thank you New York, day one done.

We left for New York right after our massive Boxing Day family dinner at Cibo Bistro, our restaurant in Edmonton, deciding to forgo NYE at the restaurant this year, and spend it in NYC instead — a dream for both of us.

We made reservations at Mario Batali’s Babbo and Del Posto and left the rest up to serendipity, choosing what appealed to us as we walked by, and what bartenders and servers recommended.

We hoped to pick up some ideas we could bring to Cibo, and our time there did not disappoint, even if I did get sick and spend some of it in bed.

We arrived in New York early on December 27, to be greeted by

12 March April 2014 | The Tomato

Day 2.

We both felt it important to visit Ground Zero. After three hours of crowded lines and airport-style security, we walked into an oasis of calm. It was simply beautiful; a large park filled with trees, benches and people in silence surrounding the memorial — two waterfalls with the victim’s names carved into marble and lit from beneath. It’s surreal to think that such chaos had taken place there, and very moving.

Trying to reserve the tasting menu at Momofuko Ko is like trying to get tickets to a hot concert. So we went to Momofuko Noodle Bar instead, a quaint wine bar down the street, while we waited. The bartender poured a super tasty blend from Tuscany and brought a salumi plate on the house for us to share, even though he knew we

were waiting for the call from Momofuko and weren’t staying. New York knows the definition of hospitality.

After Momofuku we thought: ‘we’re far from home and it’s Saturday night,’ time to check out the Lower East Side.

Wandering down East First, a funky wooden sign saying Macondo caught our eye. Once again, there were two open seats at the bar in an otherwise full house.

Rosario ordered his usual Negroni and I ordered a mango gin cocktail with an addictive smoked sage salted rim. We enjoyed the vibe of the room so much we asked the bartender to suggest some other hot spots. Multiple drinks and three stops later we ended up at Pulqueria, where the cab driver wouldn’t take us down the spooky Chinatown alley. But the streets were clean, and there were Chinese lanterns everywhere.

We made our way through a small door and down the narrow, dimly lit staircase. Jackpot! An underground Mexican restaurant/ weekend nightclub. Lit candles were stuck in all the cracks of the brick walls, the drinks were creative, the music was amazing and it was filled with happy people having fun.

December 29.

What else is there to do on a rainy day in New York? Shop! Rosario’s highlight at Bloomingdales was the umbrella man — dressed in a suit feeding wet umbrellas into the Umbrella Bagging Machine — it keeps the floors dry and allows women to stick their umbrellas in their bags. Genius!

Dinner tonight is at Dal Posto. This is what Rosario has been waiting for. The entire trip was planned around eating at this landmark

Italian restaurant. Rosario again ordered a Negroni made with Del Posto’s oak-aged gin, and I had a classic Bellini. One of our five servers started us off with tasters, while another brought us sparkling wine. Del Posto offers guests three choices: five-course tasting menu; eight-course tasting menu, or creating a menu of your choice. We went with that while they paired wines to suit.

This wonderful three-and-a-halfhour dinner experience ended with cheese, chocolate, a secret dessert box with a different treat in each drawer, a chocolate art piece and individual mini boxes of freshbaked shortbread.

Between the amazing food and the unforgettable service, Del Posto was the highlight of our trip in more ways than one. And, although our little bistro doesn’t have that scale of service, we definitely picked up on a few ideas to freshen up the Cibo experience.

Day 3 Experience Eataly.

When you first walk in there are people everywhere: standing here, eating; sitting down there, eating; people shopping with glasses of wine. We kept thinking, ‘this is amazing, but where do we start?’

There are nine restaurants, each focusing on a different aspect of

TASTING

EVENTS

MacTaggart Ridge Tasting Centre 5962 Mullen Way 780-432-2258 Facing page: our lovely driver waiting patiently at the airport; Del Posto, the focus of our trip.

Above: the organized chaos of Eataly. Below: Our view of Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

the culinary craft. But it took us a while to figure this out. There are cheese, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetable sections; a gelato stand; a pasta deli that makes fresh pasta right in front of you.

There is even a vegetable butcher who cleans and trims your veg so you go home with only what you need. Eataly was simply heaven to two restaurateurs. Each restaurant is supplied with fresh food from the stations. I know what we have to do to keep it fresh and local, it takes so much time with so many suppliers. All they need to do is place an order and it’s shipped from a section of the grocery store.

Brilliant, just brilliant.

at least 175,000 people. We fled to a coffee shop to warm up and made our way home. After our toes thawed we walked down the street into the first place that looked like a fun place to ring in the New Year — The Writing Room. I’d like to say we went somewhere fun and crazy but our night was simple; two seats at a table by the window in the lounge. We ate pasta and seafood and had lots of Italian sparkling wine. The countdown came and went and it was 2014. We went back to the Pizza Place to end our trip the way it began: with a slice of margarita. We needed to be up early the next day to make our way home.

We decided to stay close to home for dinner and checked our host’s iPhone for his favourite spots.

We chose a place called Cascabel Taqueria, only four blocks away.

Goodnight New York, you were amazing.

The room was filled with brightly coloured art, Christmas lights and Mexican dance music. We chatted with the friendly owner while waiting for a table, ate amazing fish tacos and wanted to return the next day.

New Years Eve in New York.

We lasted an hour at Times Square.

We were at 56th, and Times Square starts on 47th. We were behind

”We lucked out this entire trip.

Everywhere we went was our own personal movie scene — always two seats and a great server or bartender waiting to serve us; the Negroni were over-sized, strong and tasty,“ says Rosario.

If anyone ever flies out of Jersey?

Stop at the Mexican place in the airport. Best. Salsa. Ever!

Cibo Bistro's Lisa Vaughn eats her pizza with a knife and fork.

Lisa Vaughn photos.

For tickets or to view more great tasting events visit: coopwinespiritsbeer.com/events

Guess the Expensive Wine – Big Reds

We have combined two of your favourite signature classes. This is sure to be a teeth staining blast. We will play guess the expensive wine with a flight of the biggest and deepest red wines we can find. We will be sure to bring our whistle as this event always stirs the crowd. There will even be a prize for the triumphant winner! Don’t forget your teeth whitening strips!

March 13, 7-9pm • $25 per person

A Classic California Vintage – 2007 Horizontal Tasting

The 2007 vintage up and down California is regarded as one of the best in decades. Wines from California produced in the vintage have received some of the highest ratings seen to date. This evening we will uncork some of the finest wines that California has to offer in a horizontal tasting of premium wines. Look forward to tasting the best of the best including Ridge Monte Bello, Colgin Estates, a 100 point wine produced by Verite, and many other premium standouts.

March 15, 7-9pm • $125 per person

Great American Bourbon

This uniquely American spirit acts as the principle component in many heritage cocktails. In this evening, we will explore some of America’s greatest bourbon whiskeys with a flight served straight and neat. We will also explore classic cocktails and modern twists in what is sure to be an event not to miss for the spirit lover. We will send you home with some great tips and recipes for cooking with bourbon.

March 22, 7-9pm • $40 per person

Wicked Washington Wines

Washington wines are slowly stealing away shelf space from California in our USA wine aisles. Washington is home to some very serious and very old soils created during an ice age 10,000 years ago. A relatively young wine industry is burgeoning with aromatic whites and big reds. Come join us as we uncork some of our favourite Washington gems and open the door to the newest old world wine region. We are certain you will discover a new favourite wine!

March 28, 7-9pm • $25 per person

The Popes New Castle – An Evening of Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Deep in the heart of the Southern Rhone Valley of France is an appellation producing some of the finest of French wines. In 1308, Pope Clement V relocated the papacy to Avignon and brought with them a love and understanding of the vine. Since then, the region has become renowned for producing long lived, deep and complex wines. Join us as we uncork some of the finest examples of this illustrious wine growing region and share its history with you!

April 5, 7-9pm • $35 per person

Numbers & Wine

We have teamed up with Alberta’s own Numerologist Vikki MacKinnon to bring you an exciting evening of numbers and wine. You’ll not only learn the special qualities of your own life path but also a perfectly picked pairing just for you!

April 11, 7-9pm • $30 per person

Chocolate and Wine – Couture Chocolates by Jacqueline Jacek

Jacqueline is a self proclaimed “Cocoanista”. Combining her love of fashion and chocolate into incredible edible pieces of art! Jacek Chocolate Couture was named in the top 10 North American Chocolatiers in 2011. Join us for a delightful night with the two detoxifying treats we love the most…chocolate and wine! We will pair up a hand picked selection of gems to create the ultimate ensemble!

May 3, 7-9pm • $50 per person

For a listing of more great events, view our tasting event calendar online or pick one up in-store!

Like Us On Facebook Get great recipes and stay up-to-date on our latest tasting events. facebook.com/coopwinesandspirits

The Tomato | March April 2014 13

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beer guy | peter bailey Peak Beer Revelstuck. That’s what the locals call it when snow closes the road in and out of Revelstoke, British Columbia.

But with a fine local brewery in town, getting stranded isn’t such a terrible thing.

For me, Revelstoke has been just another hardscrabble mountain town on the road to the coast. But for Mt. Begbie Brewing founder Bart Larson, Revelstoke was home, the small town he had to leave for the opportunities of the big city.

Larson studied at UBC and SFU, earning a PhD in nuclear physics and doing work at Los Alamos, the home of the Manhattan Project. Forced to decide between city life in the States and the mountain life of B.C., Larson made the right choice and returned to his hometown.

There, Larson turned his scientific talents to the art of craft beer making, launching Mt. Begbie Brewing with his biologist wife Tracey in 1996.

Like other mountain towns, Revelstoke has an interesting past and a unique local culture that those of us passing through don’t see. Mt. Begbie Brewing is rooted in its place, named after the mountain that overlooks town, which in turn was named after Matthew “Hanging Judge” Begbie.

Beer labels feature local lore and historic photos from the Revelstoke Archives. They have walked a careful line, brewing tasty beers but not too radical to be rejected by more traditional locals.

In town the pace of change seems slow but that’s part of what makes the place special. Talking about

14 March April 2014 | The Tomato

development in the mountain West, Alberta writer Robert William Sandford noted, “It is not what we built that truly makes us unique as a culture, but what we saved.”

People are attracted to mountain towns for their special character, yet as they move in, that character begins to fade away. My parents moved away from Canmore not long after the town got its first stop light, claiming “Canmore has gotten just too big.” Revelstoke may never be a Canmore but growth is happening more quickly since Mt. Revelstoke Mountain Resort opened in 2007. So too with Mt. Begbie Brewing, which grew slowly but steadily over the years, but in the last three years it has seen 20 per cent annual growth. After moving a couple of times, Larson is now hoping to build a 15,000 square foot brewery to accommodate growth.

Craft breweries and brewpubs are a positive and welcome addition to mountain towns. I remember my first time skiing in the Rockies in 1981, hitting the powder at Jasper’s Marmot Basin. I loved the skiing but even as a callow youth I recognized that Jasper was lacking in food and beverage options.

Jasper Brewing has been a great addition to the food culture of Jasper, as have breweries all over the mountain West. Even tiny Valemount, B.C., just past Jasper, now has a craft brewery, Three Ranges Brewing Done well, beer can be a door into the culture and character of a place. Next time you find yourself in Revelstuck, or on the road less travelled, slow down, breathe and enjoy a mountain beer.

Double Black Six Pack Schuss on down to Sherbrooke Liquor or other good beer stores to find these mountainous beers; with the exception of Jasper Brewing’s beers, usually available only at the brewpub in Jasper.

Deschutes Red Chair NWPA, Bend, Oregon Born in 1988 in the outdoorsy town of Bend, Deschutes sets the standard for what a successful craft brewery can be. Always brewing great beer, Deschutes has grown year by year to become one of the largest craft brewers in the U.S. Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale is a beautifully balanced pale ale named after the red chairs of the oldest lift at nearby Mt. Bachelor ski resort.

Grizzly Paw Big Head Nut Brown, Canmore Canmore’s brewpub has been an après-ski standby since 1996.

None of their beers will frighten the horses, but the opening of a big offsite brewery in 2013 may open the road towards more adventure. Big Head is an easy-going brown ale with sweet caramel body and mild hops.

Mt. Begbie Powerhouse Pale Ale, Revelstoke Bart Larson turned his back on a career in nuclear physics when he returned to his hometown and started a brewery in 1996. Working to honour local history and local people, Larson brews beers popular with skiers, boarders and sledders alike. Powerhouse is a mild but tasty pale ale, perfect with lunch at the brewery’s bar high on the hill at Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

Fernie Black Mammoth Winter Ale, Fernie Fernie is the quintessential mountain ski town, full of oddball characters united in their love of powder. Since 2003, Fernie Brewing has generally stayed on the groomed runs with its beer, but recently they headed off piste. For their tenth anniversary they brewed this rich, strong winter warmer, spiced with dark cocoa and curacao orange peel.

Jasper Brewing Rockhopper IPA, Jasper Opened in 2005, Jasper Brewing was the first brewery in a national park. Jasper has grown better year by year, in both their beer and cuisine. Rockhopper is their flagship, a hoppy pale ale, perfect accompaniment to your tall tales of running the shutes off Knob chair at Marmot.

Arrowhead Black Jack Irish Stout, Invermere Dining at Golden’s Whitetooth Bistro on New Year’s Eve, I was pleased to see the Columbia Valley now has a craft brewery of its own. Panorama and Kicking Horse resorts can share.

Opened in 2012 in Invermere, across from Kicking Horse Coffee, Arrowhead is off to a good start with this delicious Guinness-style stout with coffee and chocolate tones.

Peter Bailey still carries his beer up the hill in a 30-year-old backpack. He tweets as @Libarbarian.

The Tomato | March April 2014 15

drink | anne desbrisay The best beer in the valley: Ashton Brewing Company Next time you find yourself thirsty in the Nation’s Capital you might think about a pretty little drive southwest of the city.

It’ll take you about a half hour to get to Beckwith Township on the Jock River, and there you’ll find a half dozen superior options for wetting your whistle at the Old Mill at Ashton Country Pub and Brewery. They boast the best steak and kidney pies in the Valley. And they do full-on Sunday roast beef dinners, but mostly this is food to go with the gold medal-awarded beer brewed in the basement of a haunted grist mill.

Have you ever made a recipe that didn’t turn out? Tried one that doesn’t work? Has missing ingredients? Is missing a method?

That happens to us all the time! Which is why we develop our own recipes for each issue, and test the recipes sent to us by chefs and contributors. Now you can join in the fun.

Learn the best techniques plus culinary tips and tricks with The Tomato editor Mary Bailey, chef Brad Smoliak and special guests.

Participate in hands-on prep and cooking, enjoy wine tasting, and lots of prizes and give-aways.

Don’t miss the next Test Kitchen: Thursday, March 27 | 7pm $125 person | eventbrite.ca to book Questions? hello@thetomato.ca Sponsored by

16 March April 2014 | The Tomato

The Hodgins family of Ashton, Ontario are well known publicans, in the business of drawing ale and frying fish for 38 years. Art Hodgins, former architect and current Father Christmas lookalike, purchased his first pub in 1975. Over the years he’s birthed, bought, and revitalized derelict pubs up and down the Ottawa Valley and in Old Ottawa South.

But this last acquisition — The Old Mill at Ashton — houses the Hodgins’ family’s first stab at making beer. Together with his three sons and with longtime brewery man Lorne Hart acting as consultant, Art started with an amber ale in 2011 and it went from there.

Today, the Ashton Brewing Company (ABC) produces six brands plus a rotating seasonal brew.

Its system is modelled on the old English style of open vat brewing and relies on Ringwood, a topfermenting yeast that’s fast and aggressive and the system tends to produce brighter, clearer beers with greater flavour character.

Which was precisely what Ottawa chef Jamie Stunt of Oz Kafé on Elgin Street was looking for in a beer. He was familiar with the ABC. He served some of their beers at Oz, cases delivered by his old elementary school chum Quinn, eldest of the brothers Hodgins. So when Stunt was invited to compete at the 2012 Gold Medal Plates, and knew he needed to pair his dish with a fluid, he headed to Ashton.

His plan was to go where no other Ottawa chef had gone before in the history of GMP culinary competition. His dish was going to be matched not with a Canadian wine, but with a beer. And not with any old beer. He wanted a special brew to meet a special beast. And here’s where things get a little wilder: Stunt was working with yak. Tibetan yak from Rosemary Kralik’s Tiraislin Farm in the Lanark Highlands.

Stunt’s buddy Quinn, together with ABC’s brewmaster Eric Dubuc,

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were tasked to help him come up with a light refreshing beer, designed to match some of the Asian flavours on the plate. The spent grains from the brewing would also factor in the dish. The guys were fooling around with ABC’s lighter Session Ale, adding lemongrass and Kaffir lime. Stunt kept bringing over elements of the dish he was building to the Ashton brewery, and Quinn was constantly delivering samples back to Oz. As the competition plate evolved, so did the beer.

The stunt worked well for all involved, and Jamie, a 28-year-old, self-trained chef from a quirky little restaurant called Oz, found himself standing tallest on the Ottawa Gold Medal Plates’ podium, holding high and triumphant a growler of Ashton Brewing Company beer.

The GMP rulebook says you must stick with your booze of choice for the national level of the competition, when winning chefs from cities across the country gather in Kelowna for the big weekend cookoff. And so the Ashton Brewing Company brought Jamie’s beer — now further enhanced with green tea and ginger — to the Canadian Culinary Championships last February. On the final night of the competition, the queue at the ABC’s booth was longest as guests were keen to sample the beer that meets a yak head on.

Stunt ended up back on the podium in Kelowna with a second place finish and the Ashton Brewing Company was suddenly a little Ottawa Valley craft brewery with big national exposure.

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Eat & drink... together.

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“It gave us confidence,” Quinn Hodgins tells me. “This was just the end of our first year of brewing and to get this kind of shot in the arm was just great.”

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780.760.2228

You will find the Ashton Brewing Company tucked beneath the Old Mill at Ashton. Built into the bank of the Jock River, the squat building was once a grist mill, but it had been operating as a pub for some 30 years when the Hodgins family bought it.

A haunted pub, according to local yore, but apparently not enough to deter the spirits of the Quinn family. They saw the potential for making their own brand of beer in that basement space, and with Lorne Hart (of the now closed Hart Brewery of Carleton Place) acting as advisor, they went from long-time publicans to brand new brewers. And the Ashton Brewing Company, still in its infancy, can today dust a gold and silver medal on the mantle.

Anne DesBrisay is Ottawa’s Gold Medal Plates judge, and a national Canadian Culinary Championship judge. Photos courtes Ashton Brewing Company website.

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The Tomato | March April 2014 17

in season | mary bailey The Tomato Test Kitchen Brunch Our Easter menu incorporated a local ham, seasonal veg and make-ahead dishes.

Sherbrooke was Doing Beer Before Beer was Cool

We chose Easter Brunch as the theme for the inaugural Tomato Test Kitchen for several reasons.

One: it’s generally a family meal, perhaps not as tradition-laden as Christmas, but there are usually family favourites on the table, meaning the hosts may not have to make everything, but can choose to focus on a few good things.

Two: you can serve ham. A really good ham is a thing of beauty but can wear out its welcome in a hurry unless devoured by a crowd.

We chose a quarter bone-in ham from Irving’s Farm Fresh. After feeding two classes there were still slices for sandwiches and a bone for soup. Three: dessert can be a chocolate bunny.

Recipes for the frittata, nalysnyky, and Brussels sprouts courtesy Brad Smoliak Cooks. Serves 6-8

frittata

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Authentic Italian flavors with a modern twist.

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Making a frittata takes the guesswork out of eggs at brunch. You can serve it in the pan right out of the oven, or let it sit on the table to be eaten warm, or serve it cold the next day. You can vary the cheese depending on what you have, but always use a good quality cheese, not industrial orange cheddar — it makes a difference. We used the Cheesiry’s pecorino, a softer, less dry version of the Italian Pecorino Romano. If that’s not available use Parmigiano Reggiano, a good aged cheddar, Oka, or Sylvan Star Gouda. ½ c

grated Cheesiry Pecorino

1 T

chopped parsley

1½ t

kosher salt

chopped fresh oregano

8

eggs, beaten

freshly ground black pepper

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18 March April 2014 | The Tomato

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the cheese, parsley, oregano, and eggs. Season with salt and black pepper. Set egg mixture aside. Heat the oil in a 10” non-stick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining salt, onions, and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft, about 20 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and stir to distribute the onions and potatoes evenly. Scatter the peppers over the top, dollop the ricotta over the mixture. Bake until lightly browned and the centre is set, about 15 minutes. Run a rubber spatula around the edges of the frittata to loosen it.

Slide the frittata onto a serving plate or serve directly from the pan.

nalysnyky Crepes are a tasty and versatile dish to serve at brunch, and with planning, easy to do. You can make ahead, freeze (with layers of parchment of paper between and well-wrapped in plastic) then pull out that morning to fill. Pop in the oven and serve when you are ready. We made a classic Ukrainian dish, nalysnyky (flour crepes filled with a dill/cottage cheese filling and finished with cream) in class to make sure that everyone got the technique down pat.

And they did — within moments, restaurant quality crepes were being flipped and turned out of pans.

Variation: Buckwheat or chick pea crepes. They are harder to make as the dough is more delicate to work with (it has no gluten) but these flours are high in fiber and other good things, worth it if you are up for the crepe challenge.

crepes 2 eggs 1 c whole milk ½ t salt

3 T

extra-virgin olive oil

½

onion, thinly sliced

½ c a.p. flour

6 sml

potatoes, sliced

½ c

sliced roasted bell pepper

¾ c

ricotta

Beat egg until light and fluffy. Add milk, mix well. Slowly add the flour mixed with salt and whisk until well

combined and smooth, with no lumps.

Heat a small fry pan over medium heat, coat well with butter, and drizzle a ladle of the batter in the pan. Tilt to evenly distribute. Turn when light brown and firm to the touch. Set aside on parchment paper.

filling 2 c

dry cottage cheese

1 egg ½ c cream fraiche or sour cream sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 t

chopped dill

Mix until well combined.

Fill with about 2 T of filling per crepe, wrap snugly, and place in a buttered casserole or on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle whipping cream over top and bake in 350ºF preheated oven until hot.

brussels sprouts with crispy bacon 2 lb

Brussels sprouts, quartered

1T

canola oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ pkg bacon* Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place Brussels sprouts and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss to combine, place on parchment and bake for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, fry the bacon until almost crispy, drain, then crumble. When the sprouts are soft and starting to brown, toss with the bacon and put back in the oven for 3 minutes to meld flavours.

Variation: toss with toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese. * Acme Meats, Irving’s Farm Fresh and Budapest Deli all stock delicious bacon.

fennel, beet and orange winter salad The bright flavours and colours of a composed winter salad enliven a brunch menu, adding citrusy fresh notes to contrast the richer dishes. To prepare

beets: Older winter beets benefit from being boiled rather than steamed or baked as you might a young summer beet. Wash, cut off the really gnarly bits on the end but save the skinning until they are fully cooked. Boil until soft, pour cold water over, and let sit until the beets are cool enough to touch. The skins will slip off and the bits that don’t you can shave off with a knife. Start this early, the beets are fine to sit in water but they need time to cook and cool.

Skin in a deep sink to keep the beet juice contained and don’t wear white.

To prepare oranges: Wash large heavy navel oranges, then cut off one end so they will sit up straight on a cutting board. Starting at the top with a sharp knife, and using your knife vertically, cut the skin off in a downwards direction getting all the white pith. Save the slices of peel to use for juice later. You will be left with a skinned orange with a cap of skin on top. Use this as your handle as you trim any bits of pith off the orange.

Slice into rounds or quarters if you wish.

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2-3 med red beets 2-3 navel oranges

juice of 1 lemon

½ fennel bulb, sliced or shaved into thin slices ¼ red onion, (about 1/3 cup) optional fruity extra-virgin olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Slice or quarter prepared beets and oranges and arrange on a serving dish or wide shallow bowl. Scatter over fennel and onion if using.

Make a vinaigrette with the oil, reserved orange juice, lemon juice and black pepper using the ratio of 3 t oil to 1 t acid. Right before serving, drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette and finish with a large flake sea salt such as Maldon salt.

Variations: Don’t like citrus? Toss beets with toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese. Don’t like beets? Grapefruit and fennel are a refreshing combo.

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The Tomato | March April 2014 19

Celebrating Persian New Year •

Growing wheatgrass (Sabzeh) is but one small part of the Persian New Year celebration Norooz, (new day), which takes place on the first day of spring and marks the beginning of the Persian calendar year.

Every day I would inspect how high the grass had grown, an Advent calendar of sorts, counting down the days to Norooz when my mother would ask me to wrap a beautiful red silky ribbon around the base of the now five-inch-tall grass. The sabzeh is the centrepiece of a splendid table setting, around which we’d gather hours before the new year to eat, visit, read poetry and welcome the new year together.

For over three thousand years, Persians have embraced such rituals to celebrate the spring equinox — the moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator and night and day are equal for the first time since the fall equinox in September. This year, that exact moment will be on March 20, at 10:57am.

Looking outside my icicle-encrusted window that first year in Canada, it was wistfully clear to me that spring in Edmonton would not arrive for another couple of months, but in Tehran the grass is bright green by mid-March. The sweet fragrance of pastel-hued hyacinths fill the air, delicate white jasmine flowers greet you with their perfume, and grand cherry

20 March April 2014 | The Tomato

Tina Faiz •

One snowy afternoon in early March, I came home after school itching to check up on the plate of soaking wheat germ in the kitchen.

I was 13 at the time, and we had arrived in Canada from Iran only six months earlier. It was dreadfully grey outside, but on that humble glass pie plate I could see spring sprouting with each tiny green blade of wheatgrass. blossoms line neighbourhood boulevards — all childhood memories of new years past, forever imprinted on my senses.

It’s as if nature itself is urging us to celebrate as it awakens from its winter slumber. There is a deep sense of hope and optimism for the new year when it’s so inextricably linked to nature’s own cycle of renewal that, each year, I question why the rest of the world celebrates on December 31.

In keeping with this spirit of renewal, it’s also customary for Persians to clean their homes, wear new clothing and settle past disputes for a truly fresh start to the new year. Growing up, my brothers and I particularly loved the tradition of receiving Eid-y, crisp new bills that relatives gave us as gifts, similar to cash-filled red envelopes bestowed on Chinese New Year. It’s a festive time of the year, decorating, cooking, baking and entertaining visitors over a two-week period.

An elaborate ceremonial table called sofreh (spread) is decorated with candles, fresh flowers, goldfish, painted eggs, a mirror and an orange — all ancient Zoroastrian symbols of hope, enlightenment and prosperity.

Also set on the table is a book of wisdom, typically Hafez poetry, or the Quran if you’re Muslim, and seven symbolic elements that begin with the letter ‘s’ in Persian, each serving a distinct role in bringing good things for the year ahead.

Centre stage is the wheatgrass (sabzeh), which represents rebirth; garlic (seer), symbolizes medicine; sumac (somagh), reflects the colour of sunrise and the victory of light and goodness over dark; vinegar (serkeh) is for patience and longevity; coins (sekeh), to bring wealth and prosperity; apples (seeb) represents beauty and health; and the sweet, dried fruit of the lotus tree (senjed) symbolizes love.

Symbolism also extends to the Norooz menu, which features plenty of herbs, the green colour emphasizing nature’s revival.

Always present is roasted or pan-fried fish served with herbed rice and glorious pan-crust Tah-dig (instructions follow) an herb frittata, and an herby bean and noodle soup called Ash-e reshteh, eaten to help unravel life’s knotty problems, represented by the long noodles. Soup,

commonly called ash, is more than a course in Persian food; it plays a symbolic role in social traditions, often conveying sentiments of charity, community and well wishes. In fact, the word cook is ash-paz in Farsi, which literally means soup maker, and kitchen is ash-paz khaneh or the soup maker’s room. Most are made with pulses, grains and fruits, with little meat, and are hearty enough to be a complete meal in a bowl.

Herb-dominant holiday menu aside, Persian cuisine is a vast and rich tapestry of exotic flavours, woven like an intricate Persian rug over three millennia of imperial conquest and surrender. As the Persian Empire reached at various centuries from Egypt and Greece to Russia and India, its cuisine has maintained its unique characteristics: exotically seasoned, highly fragrant with a distinctly sweet-and-sour flavour, thanks to lavish use of barberries (think a tart currant), verjuice, pomegranate molasses, dried limes and sumac.

Alluring scents of rose water, cardamom and saffron infuse many Iranian dishes.

Braised lamb, beef and poultry dishes called Khoresh are often paired with nuts and fruits native to Iran, such as pistachios, pomegranates, sour cherries, mulberries, peaches and plums. It’s served with saffron rice and sides of spiced yogurts, pickles of all sorts and fresh naan.

Persian cuisine is unlike Indian, Arab, Turkish or Greek food, though it has contributed to each of those culinary traditions and beyond, through trade routes. Persian khoresh became tagine in Morocco; saffron rice polo and meat became paella in Spain; preserved quinces and bitter oranges became English marmalades, while Persian kebabs have become the ubiquitous meat-on-a-stick in many cultures and Persian flatbread baked in a tandoor became the beloved Indian naan.

Chances are that as you’re reading this, it’s still snowy outside and spring feels like an eternity away. Why not grow some wheatgrass, set the table, and cook a Persian feast to celebrate nature’s rebirth — and before you know it, spring will be here.

sabzi polo ba mahi (pan-fried fish with herbed saffron rice) Fish with herbed saffron rice is a classic, symbolic dish every Iranian

family makes for Persian new year. The herbed rice represents rebirth, and the fish symbolizes life. I’ve eaten it every year as long as I can remember, and though some families roast a whole fish, my grandmother’s method (below) of simply coating fish fillets in an egg wash and pan-frying until crispy is the most delicious way of preparing fresh whitefish from Iran’s Caspian Sea. It’s light, delicately flavoured, and tastes like spring in your mouth. Squeeze a Seville orange on the fish right before serving. Noosh-e Jan! (bon appétit!)

rice (tah-dig) It might seem like more work, but this three-step process (long rinse, short boiling time, then steaming in shape of a pyramid) not only results in perfectly cooked rice, it also creates a crispy, buttery golden crust called tah-dig (bottom of pot) that my family fights over every time.

3 c

basmati rice

½ c

chives or scallions, chopped

2 c

fresh dill, chopped

2½ c

parsley, coarsely chopped

2 c

fresh coriander, chopped

3 cloves

garlic, peeled and crushed

¾ c

clarified butter ghee, or oil

2 T

plain yogurt

1 t ground saffron, dissolved in 4 T hot water Wash and rinse the rice in warm water, 3-5 times. Soak the rice in 8 cups water, with 2 tablespoons salt for at least 2 hours.

In a large bowl, combine chopped herbs and crushed garlic.

Bring 8 cups water and 2 T salt to a boil in a large, non-stick pot. Pour the washed and drained rice into the pot, and boil briskly for 6 to 10 minutes, gently stirring a couple of times to ensure none sticks to the bottom of the pot.

Bite a few grains. If the rice feels soft and al-dente, it’s ready. Drain it in a large fine-mesh colander, and rinse with lukewarm water.

In the same pot, heat butter and 2 T water.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine two ladles of rice, the yogurt and one drop of saffron water. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the buttered pot to create a golden crust.

Place two more ladles of rice in the pot. Top with one ladle of herb-andgarlic mixture. Repeat, alternating layers of rice and herbs, into the shape of a pyramid. The shape allows the rice to steam properly and expand.

Cover, and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Pour remaining melted butter and half the remaining saffron water and another ½ cup hot water over the pyramid.

seeds and angelica powder, if you can find it. Depending on the brand of pomegranate molasses* you choose, it may be more sweet or sour, so you'll need to adjust this recipe to get the right sweet-and-sour balance that suits your palate. This is my father's recipe, and he insists on tasting and adjusting it at least a dozen times as he cooks, Please see “Persian New Year” on page 31.

Place a clean tea towel over the pot and cover firmly with its lid, to prevent steam from escaping. Cook for 45 minutes longer over low heat.

fish 1 lg white-fleshed fish, about 3 pounds, cut into 6 fillets (or buy 6 fillets of basa or halibut) ¼ t each salt, black pepper, turmeric, chili powder 2

eggs, lightly beaten

juice of 2 bitter (Seville) oranges, or 2 limes to spritz on the fish Wash and pat dry fish.

Lightly beat the eggs in a shallow bowl, along with the spices.

Pan fry fish on both sides in 3-4 T oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat, until crispy on the outside, and tender inside, about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness; add more oil if necessary.

To serve, place the fish over a large platter of herbed rice, drizzle rice with remaining saffron water, and sprinkle fish with the orange or lime juice.

Serves 6.

fesenjan (pomegranate and walnut sauce) A quintessentially Persian dish, the sweet-and-sour flavour of fesenjan comes from the glorious combination of rich, ground walnuts and tangy pomegranate molasses. The meat and sauce are cooked separately and combined a little before serving, and variations can include seared duck breasts, poached chicken or my mother's preferred combination, tiny lamb meatballs. Serve with aromatic, light-as-air saffron basmati rice and garnish with fresh pomegranate

The Tomato | March April 2014 21

Mary Jane Cooking with

Jonathan Hiltz

Over the last few decades, marijuana has been called everything from the devil’s weed to the best thing on earth. With recreational pot available for purchase legally in Colorado and soon to be on sale in Washington, many people believe this is the beginning of the end of prohibition for this long-suffering plant.

The continuing green rush down South and the well-known love affair Canadians have with pot has given rise to a surprising new industry: gourmet cannabis cuisine.

Much of this new ganja gastronomy is happening in recently opened restaurants within the legal and almost-legal States. One such gourmet eatery making headlines for its weed and food pairings is Denver’s own Hapa Sushi. Their menu offers marijuana-enhanced selections such as Pakalolo Shrimp with Pakistani Kush, Honey Miso Salmon with Sour OG and Katsu Curry with Blue Dream.

For the lightweights who are not used to the magical ingredients, Hapa Sushi claims that their dining room is ”ergonomically designed to reduce paranoia.“ Then there’s California, which was the first State to legalize medical cannabis in 1996. They are expecting a vote in November 2014 to allow recreational pot sales

22 March April 2014 | The Tomato

just like Colorado and Washington.

Right now it’s available to those with a medical marijuana card, but in the tinsel-town state you can obtain a card for everything from a sprained wrist to trouble sleeping.

With your card in hand you can head down to the Elemental Wellness Center in San Jose, a medical marijuana collective, and try everything from Auntie Delores’s Cheese Crackers or Shaman Healer’s Mini Pecan Pies, to pot-infused beef jerky. In California, pot dispensaries in some areas outnumber Starbucks, so gourmet cuisine is sure to follow.

Here in Canada, pot lovers stare longingly at the US developments, but the lack of legal regulation has not stopped the evolution of marijuana-friendly eateries, cannabis cafes and vapour lounges.

These establishments do not sell pot, but welcome the cannabis enthusiast to toke away in peace and enjoy their food and drinks.

Toronto, for example, has seven lounges; the newest one is a gourmet grilled cheese restaurant called Get Melted. Located in the Gay Village (around Church and Wellesley Streets in the east end of the city) Get Melted is a gooey slice of heaven for the cannabis enthusiast, boasting nine delicious sandwiches on the menu. There is no pot in the food and you need to

bring your own, but simply sitting in the lounge for longer than 10 minutes might just do the trick.

If you are interested in this new trend but still shy of trying it in public, there is a treasure trove of recipes online that you can enjoy, as long as you find the secret ingredient.

The key to cooking with marijuana is understanding that THC is fat soluble. THC is the active ingredient in pot that makes you laugh at the cat for no reason at all and makes The Bachelor actually enjoyable to watch.

Many of the recipes call for cannabutter, which is marijuanainfused butter. Once you have that, you can essentially cook any recipe that requires butter or cream and use marijuana-laced ingredients to turn your muffin into an evening rather than just a passing snack.

To make cannabutter, you will need an ounce of cannabis and a pound of butter. Grind the cannabis into a fine powder using a coffee grinder (remove coffee remnants first).

Then, in a saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat. Stir in the cannabis powder. Once the mixture starts coming together, reduce the heat to low and leave it for at least 30 minutes. Check to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Then put the liquid cannabutter through a strainer or cheesecloth

into a bowl and let it harden in the fridge. You can then use it for toast, in eggs, muffins, cakes, any recipe that requires butter or oil as a base. Heck, you could baste the Thanksgiving turkey with it and never have another holiday family argument again.

A quick note, the amount of weed you use in the butter will determine how powerful it is, so if you don’t want your mother-in-law to meld with the couch for five hours after she eats your special scones, use less. Some people use as little as one-quarter of an ounce per pound of butter, but regular cannabis users will want the full shebang.

Other recipes (found online at thestonerscookbook.com or marijuana.com) include garlic and herb mashed potatoes, and wakeand-bake breakfast sandwiches.

Of course, keep any and all pot products and edibles away from the kids.

Either way, whether you choose to try it at home or book a flight to the Colorado Rockies, cannabis cuisine is an experience that offers up a whole new dimension of gastronomy, one that will put you in a whole new dimension.

Journalist and TV producer Jonathan Hiltz felt it was high time someone covered the cannabis cuisine beat. He agreed to do so kicking and screaming (more like lobbying and volunteering).

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“Y’all” goes “Eh” when Southern BBQ comes north

Porkapalooza BBQ Festival

The low and slow of the meatiest festival in Edmonton.

June 13-15 More than $10,000 in prize money.

Enter a team or sign up to become a certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judge.

To find out more about smoking up the city including location and volunteer opportunities, visit porkapalooza.ca

Brought to you by: Passion for Pork, Alberta Pork and The Tomato

the proust culinary questionnaire Shane Chartrand, executive chef, Sage In the late nineteenth century, French novelist Marcel Proust participated in an exercise which could be thought of as the Facebook of its era — he answered a questionnaire about himself in a friend’s Confession Album.

Proust’s answers have been published, in one form or another, for more than a century. Many have used the questionnaire for their own devices, the most notable being Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire featuring celebrities. The Tomato now gives it a culinary twist.

We love his humour, his candour and energy and point of view, his professional skills in the kitchen, his joy. Shane Chartrand has podiumed at Gold Medal Plates and he’s inspired cooks to hone their skills and use their imaginations.

After stints at several Edmonton restaurants (tellingly, he leaves them in better shape than when he arrived, the mark of a true professional) Shane is back at Sage where he apprenticed several years ago. He is crafting a truly indigenous menu from wild and farmed ingredients inspired by his heritage.

Hometown?

Penhold, Alberta Years cooking?

At least 20.

Where would you like to live?

Anywhere in the mountains is a dream for me — mountains close to a big city.

Your favourite food and drink?

Right now? Petit Syrah to drink, and the food that inspires me is creative, awesome and interesting.

What would you be doing if you weren’t cooking?

Visual art, painting.

What do you most appreciate in your friends?

My friends are always there for me. We pick up the same conversation no matter how long it’s been.

Your favourite qualities in a dish?

Imagination.

24 March April 2014 | The Tomato

A cook?

Somebody who is excited and willing to listen; someone willing to put some time into it, do some research. Read.

A wine?

Structure for sure, flavour, it doesn’t have to be old.

Who would be at your dream dinner table (dead or alive)?

My parents, chefs Ferran Adria, Joel Robuchon, and Aaron Bear Robe. My friends.

Who would cook?

My friends, my apprentices, people I have cooked with.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Oh my goodness, awesome.

Current culinary obsession/exploration?

I’m studying a couple of restaurants. One is New York’s 11 Madison Park. I’m trying to understand how they did things differently — their call system, their kitchen brigade, everything.

Another is the Keriwa Café* in Toronto. It’s run by Aaron Bear Robe, an aboriginal guy from Calgary. I don’t know any other aboriginal chef who has done as well as he has.

Meaningful/crazy cooking experience?

The most meaning culinary experience I’ve had has to be last year; we killed and broke down an entire buffalo in the middle of sacred ground on the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, near Lac la Biche.

Then I drove back up and cooked a buffalo feast at the school.

Best (cooking) thing that ever happened to you?

Here’s an example. I’ve cooked for Keith Urban and other celebrities, but the best was doing a cooking class for the CNIB. I had to teach nine blind people how to cook a dinner. I taught them how to make paella. I had to set the table up so everyone’s salt was to the left; the mise en place all exactly the same. I started to clean and cut the onions and peppers, and the students said; “Don’t do that. We can prepare our own onions and peppers.”

They were so resourceful and fun.

Mentors?

My Dad is a massive mentor to me. He taught me how to hunt and fish, we went to the mountains on a survival trip when I was 16 years old, he helped me get through school. There’s people I look up to and perhaps some people I’m a bit jealous of, their skills with wine and food, but there’s no other mentor but my Dad. Favourite casual cheap and cheerful/afterwork food?

Easy stuff to make, like spaghetti, pretty much always at home as no place is open at the end of the shift. I like going for sushi, feels good, healthy.

Philosophy?

I tell my guys all the time: work hard. I don’t mean blood sweat and tears. I mean think, use your imagination in how you operate in the kitchen, in life and about what goes on the plate.

I try to hire the chemistry and the imagination.

What’s next?

At Sage we are creating a progressive indigneous menu using influences from Plains Cree, Mountain Cree, Huron and the Iroquois; and ingredients from right across the country; mushrooms, whitefish, perch, sardines, sweet grass braids, squash blossoms, spearmint, hay, lavender, cattail, honey, rutabaga, popcorn, hemp seeds. I’ve always wanted to do an indigenous menu.

It’s just as exciting as anything can be. * Keriwa Café (number four on EnRoute’s Best New Restaraunts 2012) closed last October after damage sustained in Toronto’s July floods. Bear Robe is now working on other projects.

nk i r D d&

w A n g i s e D n e h Kitc o

Fo o t a om T e h T

The Tomato Food & Drink

Kitchen Design Awards For almost two decades The Tomato food & drink has explored Edmonton’s food culture — our chefs, home cooks, farmers, food producers and restaurants. Regardless of trends and new developments, one thing remains the same— the kitchen is still the heart of the home.

We searched for a meaningful way to celebrate our kitchens; to find the best in kitchen design and function. What did we come up with?

The Tomato Kitchen Design Awards (TKDA).

Designers, architects, builders, developers, individuals, restaurant owners, institutions, families and contractors are invited to submit their completed kitchen designs in residential, commercial and institutional categories, along with special awards for the green, tech-saavy, and outdoor kitchens for the inaugural Tomato Kitchen Design Awards (TKDA).

Winners will need to be more than pretty. Our panel of judges are looking for kitchens that work— highly functional spaces that utilize every square inch, creating a functional cooking machine. And, the judges are looking for design and construction that moves the conversation forward — towards a more design, socially and environmentally conscious world.

Submissions open:

Deadline:

Friday, March 14

Friday, April 25 2014

Full eligibility and submission package at

thetomato.ca The Tomato | March April 2014 25

cold-pressed canola oil cake Tracy Zizek, Café de Ville Tracy served the cake with a lavenderscented honey drizzle; it’s equally delicious eaten by itself.

1 c

2014

sugar

2 eggs 500g (container) low fat Greek yogurt

zest of two oranges

¾ cold pressed Mighty Trio canola oil

how versatile our home-grown canola oil can be. Sure, you can fry with it, but make a pound cake? Yes you can.

We love the robust flavours of the cold pressed canola oils, the culinary equivalent of high-quality extra virgin olive oils, made by small producers such as the Marshalls at Highwood Crossing in southern Alberta, or Mighty Trio near Redwater. Their oils are deep golden in colour, with a sweet and nutty taste. High in omega-3, low in saturated fat, heart-healthy and palatefriendly indeed.

At the recent Taking it to Heart, a food and fashion benefit for Alberta Heart and Stroke sponsored by Alberta Canola, delicious and heart-healthy dishes were created by a roster of established and up-and-coming female chefs; Jasmin Laderoute, MKT; Sarah Masters-Phillips, Belgravia Hub; Joelle Sparvier, Public House; the Edmonton Petroleum Club’s Doreen Prei, Tracy Zizek, Café de Ville; along with special guest Liana Robberecht, the executive chef of the Calgary Petroleum Club.

26 March April 2014 | The Tomato

portions fresh trout

Season the trout portions with salt, fresh lemon juice and cold pressed canola oil. Place trout in sous vide bag and add 50 ml vegetable stock. Sous vide cook trout at 66 C for 9 minutes.

After cooking place the bag in an ice bath.

scallop carpaccio Slice fresh scallops very thin and marinate in white Japanese soy sauce and fresh chives finely cut.

baking powder

watercress herb purée

3 c

all purpose flour

1 bunch

Makes 2 loaf pans.

healthier than our beloved butter. What we may not know is just

3 oz

2 t

Place sugar, eggs, orange zest, and yogurt in a bowl. Whisk together.

Slowly add oil and continue to whisk until oil is completely emulsified into the mixture. In a separate bowl mix flour and baking powder. Fold mixture into wet ingredients until just mixed.

Batter will appear to be lumpy.

Split batter into two lined loaf pans.

Bake at 325ºF until a toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean. Serve in slices.

We know that vegetable oils such as canola and olive oil are heart

trout

taking it to heart trout with scallop carpaccio, watercress herb purée and orange emulsion Doreen Prei Edmonton Petroleum Club.

This delicious first course fish dish recipe has plenty of steps, yet, is not actually overly complicated to put together. Pristine seafood is key, check Fin’s for super fresh trout and scallops.

Chef Prie served the dish with drops of frozen smoked oil, a clever play on flavour and texture, but hard to do without professional equipment. We have included chef’s sous vide method for the trout as many people now have home sous vide machines; poaching until just cooked (that’s what we did) also works.

watercress

½ bunch cilantro ½ bunch parsley 30 gr

Parmesan

salt ½

lemon juiced

Same amount cold pressed canola oil and extra virgin olive oil, approximately 1-2 T each. Blend everything together and reserve.

roasted fennel Slice fennel very thin. Sauté fennel on very high heat in cold pressed canola oil and season with fresh lemon juice.

orange canola emulsion 5

oranges freshly squeezed

1

lemon freshly squeezed

cold pressed canola oil

salt Purée the canola gently in with the juices until it starts to thicken up a little. Let it sit for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

To serve: Place a dollop of emulsion on the plate and follow with trout, scallop and strips of fennel.

Drizzle the bright green herb sauce around the edges.

Find more recipes at canolainfo.org/recipes/recipes.

Photo of Tracy Zizek’s canola oil poundcake

by Timeless Edge Photography.

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June 9, 2014 6:30pm to 9:00pm Tickets $75 Indulge in an evening of fine VQA wines and prairie cuisine presented by Slow Food Edmonton.

Tickets on sale May 1, 2014 from The Junior League of Edmonton

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wine maven 2007 medrano estate malbec,

navarro lopez

Mendoza Argentina. Inexpensive Malbec from Argentina can suffer from heavy tasting, jammy fruit and a lack of freshness. How novel to taste one that is bright and fresh yet well priced. The Medrano has ripe fruit and warm spice in spades balanced by fresh acidity and ripe silky tannins, rounded off by a bit of French oak aging. More than drinkable with lamb skewers or beef tataki. $17ish.

makes delicious, affordable wines. One of the most popular Spanish wines in the market, Pergolas Old Vines Tempranillo Crianza (2010 do Valdepenas) has a new label. It’s popular for the right reason — a great taste/value ratio. We love its fresh red fruit with sweet cedary and leather notes, and the mellow, medium-bodied juiciness in the mouth. We especially like that the alcohol is under control at 13 per cent, meaning you can easily have another glass. $15ish.

berta amaretto Who doesn’t have a half empty bottle of Amaretto in the cupboard from the time you thought you’d make blueberry teas after dinner?

Welcome to Berta, an entirely different creature — not too hot or sweet with subtle, elegant and complex flavours of almond, maraschino cherry and citrus. $60ish.

Another example is the Rojo Tempranillo from the Tierra de Castillo region—good structure and acidity surrounding ripe red and black fruit with flavours of juicy plums, fresh herbs, and a bit of fresh tobacco leaf. Rojo Tempranillo 2011 $17ish.

a boutique canadian company stickhandled by Edmonton native Ilarion Shulakewych has entered the ultra premium vodka category with High Stick Vodka.

Yup, vodka in a glass hockey stick. The sprit, made by Urban Distilleries in Kelowna, is distilled from grain and filtered 18 times for silky smoothness.

It’s beautiful, but does it fit in the liquor cabinet? Find in a safe place in better liquor stores.

roberto voerzio dolcetto Dolcetto, meaning little sweet one, could be described as the younger cousin to Nebbiolo — lighter, juicier, certainly not as serious or ageworthy, but delicious nonetheless.

Those enamoured by the effortless charm of the grape will absolutely adore the Veorzio bottling. Enjoy with pasta at corso 32.

28 March April 2014 | The Tomato

anna, the flagship wine of cava producer Codornui, has a new dress; an elegant wrap of white for the Brut, a 70/30 per cent Chardonnay/Parellada cuvee, and pale pink for the Rosé, a blend of 70 per cent Pinot Noir and 30 per cent Chardonnay. The Brut, fresh and delicate has a fine bubble, lovely flavours of tropical fruit and citrus and a whisper of sweetness. The Rosé has fresh strawberry and cream aromas and flavours, and, being dryer and more robust, suitable for dinner. Expect to see these best-dressed bottles at showers and weddings this season.

hosting mEmorablE EvEnts sinCE 1950

chartreuse celebrates its 250 year anniversary this year in a happy way — with a resurgence in popularity due to the burgeoning cocktail culture. How people drink Chartreuse may be new but the distillation is the same as in 1764; macerated and infused herbs, spices, flowers, honey and roots. The exact recipe is of course a secret — only two monks know, the Father Superior of the Carthusian order and the master distiller. Over 100 counties import Chartreuse, the original green being the most popular and 80 per cent of production. Green $30 ish, Yellow, $28ish.

“Mixoligists love working with Chartreuse because it’s not just for one specific cocktail— it’s so complex and nuanced in flavour they can use it in so many ways,” says export director Philippe Rochez. His favourite way to drink Chartreuse? ”I do like a Chartreuse Mohito but my favourite way to drink it remains on the rocks, it creates a nice moment at the end of the day.”

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Once Alvear’s 2011 Pedro Ximenez de Anada hit 100 points on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100, it started to disappear from shelves where it had once languished, being thought of as too sweet, or not trendy enough. Now that this PX has been eagerly snapped up by trophy hunters, let’s hope that wine lovers are more willing to pay attention to the category and the other fine wines Alvear’s makes in Montilla Morales from the Pedro Ximenez grape — tasting of bottled sunshine, figs, chocolate and treacle.

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The Tomato | March April 2014 29

2014

Canadian Culinary Championships On the podium from left: Silver medalist Duncan Ly, Lorenzo Loseto, gold and Danny St Pierre, bronze. Brian Chambers photo.

Inset photo: the gold winning dish, Andrew Morrison photo.

As we leave unusually frigid Kelowna after the Canadian Culinary Championships (CCC), I’m thinking about two Canadian sisters, Chloe and Justine Dufour-Lapointe, making Olympic history as they bopped through the bumps as if on springs to gold and silver medals in ladies moguls. I’m thinking about the competitors at the Culinary Championships, the culmination of Gold Medal Plates competitions across the country; about three happy chefs and their crews who finished with medals, and the chefs who didn’t. I’m feeling their discouragement.

I’m sad the home team didn’t place; I know they are deeply disappointed.

How fitting that Kelowna is the Culinary Championships’ home, its rightful home, in the best food and wine country we possess, and how special that in 2014, CCC took place on an Olympic weekend. How sweet it was to see thank you videos and tweets from athletes who had benefitted from funds raised by Gold Medal Plates.

30 March April 2014 | The Tomato

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Lorenzo Loseto George Restaurant Toronto, Ontario Our favourite chefs are storytellers. Some regale us with tales from the kitchen on the Food Network; others, like Lorenzo Loseto, save their stories for the plate. Just east of Toronto's Eaton Centre, George Restaurant could have been successful but unremarkable without Loseto at the stoves: the converted loft space is pretty, the chairs are comfy, the wine list is deep. But Loseto is the rare chef who cares as much about his fruits and vegetables as he does about his proteins, and gives each ingredient its proper due on the plate. To wit, his gold-medal dish at this year's competition. The description appeared childishly simple: ahi tuna with carrot and pear. Loseto wrapped the seared tuna in a net of crisp potato, then scattered the plate with the heirloom carrots and pear cut into brunoise. Their pickling juices were tempered by dollops of carrot butter created by molecular sleight of hand, and all was finished with a pixie dust of pistachio and fennel pollen. The ingredients were deep winter, but the colours and flavours were as vibrant as a summer's day.

Duncan Ly Hotel Arts Calgary, Alberta When asked where their key competition would come from at the Canadian Culinary Championships, chefs pointed to the focused young man from Calgary’s Hotel Arts – Duncan Ly. Having competed at the CCC before (2010), Ly had the advantage of experience. But more than that, he had a solid team in sous chefs Jinhee Lee and Quinn Staples.

“Too bad,” says chef Butters, his tongue planted firmly in cheek.

“Duncan was my best dish washer.”

Danny St Pierre Auguste, Sherbrooke, Quebec A beloved chef on the Quebec scene, Danny St Pierre is a cooking show host, a radio personality, cookbook author and chef-owner of the terrific, high-end bistro Auguste, located in the city of Sherbrooke.

A self-proclaimed wine geek, St Pierre nailed the competition's wine-pairing challenge, presenting a dish of trout tartare with a purée of parsnips served with a grapefruit jelly and parsnip chips.

The chef then tackled the black box challenge, preparing one dish made with trout filets cooked à l'unilatéral (on one side) set on a parsnip hash with cherry sauce.

The next dish, roasted chicken with potatoes, onions and honey-butterand-ginger-enhanced roasting juices was even more impressive as he used the entire chicken to create his dish. Though St Pierre had won the first two challenges, alas, the Quebec chef disappointed with his final dish, a warm beef tongue salad with beets, cranberry-clove jelly and radishes. Paired with a rustic Quebec red wine from the house of Carone, his final dish left some judges wanting. In the end, St Pierre locked in a third place finish, marking his happiness atop the podium with his signature Cheshire-cat grin.

Sasha Chapman, Toronto senior judge

John Gilchrist, Calgary senior judge

Lesley Chesterman, Montreal senior judge

Ly oversees three restaurants for Hotel Arts and the Kensington Riverside Inn – Yellow Door, Chef’s Table and Raw Bar by Duncan Ly. Together with Lee and Staples, Ly created lovely dishes, including a pig’s ear-layered gala dish and a light, Vietnamese-influenced tuna wrap paired with the mystery wine Laughing Stock’s Blind Trust.

Ly’s early days as a dishwasher at the Wickaninish Inn under chef Rod Butters soon grew into an apprenticeship followed by a few years working with Michael Noble.

And now a well-deserved silver medal at the CCC.

persian new year Continued from page 21

which why his version always turns out perfectly balanced, both savoury and sweet-sour.

2 c

(500 g) ground walnuts

4-5 T pomegranate molasses water

juice of half a lemon

sugar, to taste

salt, to taste

fresh pomegranate seeds, angelica powder*, saffron water (optional garnish)

perfumed almond sweets every Norooz for that reason, and to this day I love how they are made to look like fresh white mulberries (imagine a creamcoloured blackberry). Persians drink a lot of cardamom-flavoured tea, and it's customary to take your tea black and with a small hit of something sweet, such as saffron candy, dates, dried mulberries, or a sugar cube. For me, this is the perfect, not-too-sweet treat to take with afternoon tea. Noosh e-jan!

Adapted from New Food for Life Persian Cookbook by Najmieh Batmangheli.

1½-2½ c

ground almonds

Grind whole walnuts to a coarse crumb in a food processor.

1 t

ground cardamom

1 c

confectioner's sugar

Toast the ground walnuts in a large stockpot on low-medium heat, until golden, about 5-10 minutes. Watch it closely as it can easily burn.

2 T

rose water *

1 T

orange-flower water *

2 T

slivered pistachios

granular sugar for coating

Add 1 c water to the walnuts and bring to a simmer. As it thickens, add another cup of water, stirring often, every 10-15 minutes, and continue to simmer on low-medium heat. Repeat adding water, akin to gradually adding stock to risotto, until the walnuts have cooked fully, and a layer of walnut oil forms in the pot, about 2-3 hours.

Mix 1½ c ground almonds, cardamom, and confectioners sugar in a mixing bowl. Slowly blend in the rose water and orange-flower water, stirring constantly to make a soft dough. Add more ground almonds if necessary so that the dough does not stick to your hands.

Add 3 T pomegranate paste, lemon juice and 1 T sugar. Season to taste.

Taste and adjust the balance of sweet and sour to your liking. Some Persians prefer it more sour than sweet.

Take a heaping teaspoonful of dough and form into 1-inch cone-shaped white mulberries. Roll each in sugar to coat and insert a sliver of pistachio as the stem of the mulberry.

Add the cooked chicken, lamb meatballs or duck to the sauce.

Arrange on a serving platter and cover tightly with plastic wrap to keep from drying. Store in an airtight container.

Right before serving, add saffron water and stir in gently.

Garnish with angelica powder if using, and pomegranate seeds.

Serve with steamed saffron rice.

Serves 6-8

toot (almond sweets made to look like white mulberries) My mother was the most generous, hospitable hostess I knew, and her repertoire of complicated dishes and baking seemed never-ending. But amidst her showy desserts and fanciful entrees, she loved to serve miniaturesized treats that were elegant and refined in their taste and presentation.

She made these no-bake, delicately

Tina Faiz, co-owner of Big Pixel Creative, loves to ask questions, and she loves to eat.

She's contemplating a graphic novel about tah-dig. It's that good!

* Find rose and orange-flower water, pomegranate molasses and basmati rice at middle-eastern specialty food shops like Omonia Foods, King of Dates, and the Italian Centre Shops. natolia Food Market: 15920 Stony A Plain Road, 587-521-4005 I talian Centre Shops: 10878 95 Street, 780-424-4869, 5028 104A Street, 780-989-4869, 17010 90 Avenue, 780-454-4869 ing of Dates (formerly Mini Super K Pars): 9312 34 Avenue, 780 481-2974 monia Foods: 10605 101 Street, O 780-426-6210 The Tomato | March April 2014 31

kitchen sink | what’s new and notable wine tastings happenings & events Icelandic chef Hákon Már Örvarsson joins chef Shonn Oborowsky for a collaboration, the Taste of Iceland dinners at Characters Fine Dining (10257 105 Street) March 5-8. Curious? So are we, call 780-421-4100 for resos.

Beer lovers! Don’t miss The Rock of Ales dinner Sunday, March 25 at The Marc (9940 106 Street, 780-429-2828, themarc.ca) with Quebec’s fine Le Trou du Diable Brewery, Canadian Brewery of the Year, featuring head brew master Andre Trudel.

Chef Bryan Cruz has paired the beers with dishes such as seared scallops with lemongrass, and confit of pork belly.

Y’all goes eh when Southern BBQ comes north at the Porkapalooza BBQ Festival June 13-15. Visit porkapalooza.ca for info about team sign-ups and volunteering.

More than $10,000 in prize money!

Accidental Sommelier wine tastings are $25 and begin at 7:30pm at Unwined Fine Wine, Spirits and Ales (#2, 512 St. Albert Trail, 780-458-4777, unwined.biz). Tuesday, March 18, Beware the Wines of March; April 15, April in Paris.

Aligra Wines & Spirits (#1423, Phase III, West Edmonton Mall, 780-483-1083, aligrawineandspirits.com) upcoming tastings: Ole! Spanish Wine, March 11; Taste the Best of British Columbia at the Edmonton Petroleum Club, April 29. The second annual Tequilafest presents tequila master Eric Lorenz at the Edmonton Petroleum Club on May 2. Call Aligra for the most up to date ticket info.

The Rockin’ Highliners. Tickets, $125 at hotchefs.ca, support the High School Culinary Challenge and the Edmonton Community Foundation.

Brava! One of Canada’s, no scratch that, North America’s best chefs, Lynn Crawford, is NAIT’s Hokanson Chef in Residence, March 10-14.

If you’re interested in wildlife/habitat conservation, sustainable food production and good ranching practices, don’t miss the Alberta Fish and Game Association’s Conservation Caravan when it rolls into town Monday, March 24. Tickets: eventbrite.ca/e/conservation-caravan.

Knifewear, chefs’ favourite place to buy Japanese knives, is now open at 10818 82 Avenue.

Visit eatalberta.ca to book tickets for the Eat Alberta conference Saturday, April 26.

It’s workshop-style with a mix of tastings, presentations and demos highlighting Alberta foods and producers.

Mark the date for HOST, Edmonton’s first hospitality conference May 22-24, for culinary professionals and home kitchen masters, featuring Kevin Brauch, Christine Cushing and Marc Murphy.

Tickets at hostedmonton.com.

Experience Indulgence a Canadian epic of food and wine Monday, June 9; fabulous food/wine pairings from the city’s top chefs, food producers, Canadian wineries and craft breweries. The event introduces farmers to chefs and raises money for The Junior League of Edmonton and the NAIT Indulgence/Slow Food Edmonton student bursary. Tickets May 1, indulgenceedmonton.ca.

Seasoned Solutions has several culinary tours planned: Kitskoty, June 20-21; Medicine Hat, August 16-17; and Piedmont/Burgundy, October 11-22. Trips in 2015 include Peru and Portugal. Visit seasonedsolutions.ca for information.

Patios aren’t just for summer? No! Celebrate the end of winter at the Farewell to Winter Patio Party, March-14-16.

Visit Café Bicylcette, the Hotel Mac or Café Tiramisu and check out all the other locations at winterinedmonton.com.

Keep your eyes peeled for the inaugural Relish Film Fest in early November, at Metro Cinema and select restaurants.

Don’t miss Hot Chefs, Cool Beats, Saturday, March 29. This year’s event rocks to a Hollywood theme with Little Village Food Truck; Century Hospitality, Nomiya, Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse, Duchess Bake Shop, Transcend Coffee, Drift, Très Carnales, Elm Café, Filistix, Bistecca Italian Steakhouse and the Shaw, and cocktails by Chuck Elves of Three Boars, and entertainment including

La Ronde in the Chateau Lacombe (10111 Bellamy Hill, 780-428-6611) is now open for lunch. Experience their contemporary menu with spectacular views, Tuesday–Friday, 11am-2pm.

32 March April 2014 | The Tomato

restaurant buzz

Corso (10345 Jasper Avenue, 780-421-4622) is closed February 17- March 2, but Bar Bricco two doors down should be open by then. We can’t wait!

District Coffee Company Café & Bakery opens early March (10011 109 Street, next to Allegro restaurant). Not only will District have the Nate Box/Elm Café savoir faire, it will offer Phil & Sebastian coffee from Calgary. There is talk of a summer patio.

Ryan Arcand’s Iconoclast Koffie Huis (11807B 105 Avenue, iconoclastcoffee.com) opens in March with an espresso bar and bean-to-bar chocolate making by Sjoukje Bouma’s Pinto Chocolate. The additional 150-seat event space will be catered by Culina’s Brad Lazarenko and Revel Events.

Sue Kiernan and chef Shane Loiselle have opened Daravara (10713 124 Street, 587520-4980). Expect toothsome pub food with a Cajun twist — barbecued pork belly with black-eyed peas, hush puppies, of course, and hearty brunch dishes.

We’re thrilled about the April opening of Farrow, the new sandwich shop by the Three Boars’ dudes right next door (8422 109 Street). Expect daily sandwiches and coffee by Laine Cherkewick and Justin Benson, described as big time sandwich and coffee nerds. There may be pop-ups before opening — we can’t wait.

cooking classes The next Tomato Test Kitchen is Thursday, March 23 with Tomato editor Mary Bailey, chef Brad Smoliak, and special guests. The evening is a hands-on preparation and cooking class with wine, prizes and giveaways, tickets $125/pp at eventbrite.ca.

Spring line up at Seasoned Solutions Cooking Classes: Saturday March 29, Portugal; Saturday April 26, Vietnam and Cambodia, $175 plus GST. Visit seasonedsolutions.ca for information.

Send new and/or interesting food and drink related news for The Kitchen Sink to thetomato.ca.

Because you can love your knife.

“I bought last week.”

Western Canada Realty Company, ca 1913. City of Edmonton Archives EB-23-58

Edmonton’s oldest, newest downtown restaurant now open.

9802 jasper avenue 780.424-0152 email@tavern1903.com www.tavern1903.com also visit our original downtown restaurant: hardware grill.

10053 Jasper Avenue

@UnionBankInn

780-401-2222

www.unionbankinn.com Reserve Online

10816 - 82Ave. Edmonton 587-521-2034

Please join us at one of Edmonton’s premier social and fundraising events.

SHAW CONFERENCE CENTRE

SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014 Featuring Monaco inspired French Mediterranean cuisine.

TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS GO TO:

MacEwan.ca/Madhatters Tickets $500 each • $5,000 per table of 10 A portion of your ticket purchase is eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

Inquiries can be directed to: communityrelations@macewan.ca

or phone: 780.497.5111 #macewanumadhat facebook.com/macewanuniversity

Don your most creative hats & fascinators for a Monte Carlo themed evening of fun & food.

Hope to see you there!

All proceeds raised help support MacEwan University students as they pursue their academic and career aspirations.

MONTE CARLO hardware grill est. 1996

hardware grill est. 1996

hardware grill hardware grill est. 1996

est. 1996

according to judy | judy schultz Pies for all Comes our antipodean autumn and these islands, both South and North, are awash in food and wine events. Anything goes: wild food, craft beers, seafood, fritters.

Pies.

The pies in question aren’t big and sweet, as in Canada. They’re usually small and meaty, as in nursery rhymes. (Four-and-twenty blackbirds, remember?)

In this country, pies have inspired entire cookbooks. Bakers’ reputations rise and fall on the perfection of their pies. Kiwis use a vast selection of fillings, ostrich, oyster, chicken, beef, lamb, what-have-you, and pies are sold everywhere, from pie shops, bakeries and pubs to fast food joints. In service stations, pies — the perfect roadfood — bask in a perpetual glow of infrared warmth.

Figures vary slightly by source, but New Zealanders, of which there are roughly 4.5 million, consumed around 75 million pies in 2013, worth a hefty $140 million to the economy.

Never slow to grab an opportunity, in October 2013 McDonald’s heralded the return of the beloved Georgie Pie. Long-haul truckers, known as truckies, did handstands.

So did tourists on wheels and working moms who could slap a Georgie on a plate with a spoonful of peas and call it dinner.

True, there have been some adjustments. By tradition, individual pies are usually round or oval; McDonald’s are square.

seasonal prairie cuisine • the evolution of tradition www.hardwaregrill.com / 780.423.0969 / 9698 Jasper Ave also visit our newest downtown restaurant: tavern 1903 at alberta hotel

34 March April 2014 | The Tomato

Then there’s the pastry itself.

“Should be shortcrust on the bottom, puff pastry on top, light

and fluffy,” sniffs a local pie baker.

But no, this is a firm crust, top and bottom, nothing light or fluffy about it.

Filled with coarsely chopped beef and cheese, my pie is served absolutely screamin’ hot. “Blow on it!” says the woman who passes it across the counter in exchange for $4.50 NZ. Now comes the biggie, the national Supreme Pie Competition, food extravaganza of the fall/winter season.

In 2013, 505 professional bakers entered 4,522 pies in the annual contest, hoping to win the coveted title of Supreme Piemaker and go home with the glory and $1,000 grand prize.

Flavour variations were legion, everything from a puha and scrumpy pie (watercress and cider) to lamb rump and beetroot.

But in the meat category, 634 were mince (think burger) and cheese, and 682 were chopped steak and cheese.

Here on the Pacific Rim, the New Zealand meat pie has gone international with a deep bow to its Asian neighbours. Two winners in this symbolic Kiwi bake-off were the Japan You Bakery in one category, and individual bakers Tan Trang and Nap Ly in two others.

Still, there’s a certain down-home feeling about a hand-held meat pie, a kind of national loyalty.

“Our pies are a little slice of Kiwi pride,” says one pie company, “honest to goodness!”

“There’s this bloke who buys a meat pie and six beers,” hoots the MC at a bake-off. “Calls it a sevencourse banquet!”

Judy Schultz is a writer who divides her time between Alberta and New Zealand’s North Island. She loves pie.

Patios

aren’t just for summer!

Help celebrate the official end of winter with Edmonton’s First Annual

Farewell to Winter

Patio Party Visit your favourite patio, or check out new ones.

Have brunch. Sip a coffee. Enjoy dinner. Go dancing.

Whether you enjoy basking in the sun, or savouring the nighttime glow wrapped in a blanket, there’s a patio ready to help you bid winter a hearty farewell.

March 14 – 16, 2014 Where will you celebrate the last weekend of winter?

Let us know @WinterCityYEG Founding Patio Party Partners: • • • • • •

Café Tiramisu The Carrot Arts Coffeehouse Urban Green Café The Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar Café Bicyclette The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald

Keep checking for more locations: www.edmonton.ca/wintercitystrategy www.winterinedmonton.com /WinterCityEdmonton @WinterCityYEG

facebook.com/LeCreusetCanada

UNCOMPROMISED PERFORMANCE FOR HOME COOKS AND CHEFS ALIKE SINCE 1925

Barb’s Kitchen Centre 9766 – 51 Avenue NW 780-437-3134

Bella Casa 9646 – 142 Street 780-437-4190

Hillaby’s Tools for Cooks The Enjoy Centre 101 Riel Drive, St-Albert 780-651-7373

Cookware | Bakeware | Dinnerware | Accessories

The Pan Tree 550 – 220 Lakeland Drive 780-464-4631

Zenari’s 10180 – 101 Street NW 780-423-5409