City Palate July August 2013

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city palate C E L E B R AT I N G 2 0 D E L I C I O U S Y E A R S 1 9 9 3 – 2 0 1 3

summer in the city palate citypalate.ca

JULY AUGUST 2013

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

So much more than coffee...

Sales, Service and Training

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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T H E F L AV O U R O F C A L G A RY ' S f o o d S C E N E

city palate 1993 – 2013

C E L E B R A T I N G 2 0 D E L I C I O U S Y E A R S w it h 2 0 D E L I C I O U S e v ents City Palate turns 20 years old this year and we want to celebrate Calgary's amazing food culture with the people who support us and read us.

And we want to give back to the community – proceeds from these events will go to Calgary food charities.

We hope you join us over the next year to celebrate this delicious milestone...

Have you entered our photo contest yet?

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We look forward to seeing you at our July/August events!

Date: ENDS July 31st, 2013

Date: Saturday, July 20th, 2013, noon-3 pm

City Palate's 2nd Annual Photo Contest

The Food Truck Flock YYC food trucks are setting up shop in the parking lot behind Metrovino and Calgary is invited! The roster includes Sticky Ricky’s, The Steakout Truck (brought to you by Holy Grill), Cheezy Bizness, Los Chilitos, Perogy Boyz, as well as a selection of delicious, local ice creams. There is no cover charge for this event - just show up and purchase what you would like directly from the trucks.

Foodies that flock together, rock together! Grown-ups can join us inside at The Cookbook Co. Cooks’ Beer & Rosé Garden for a glass of wine or a local craft beer by Village Brewery to pair with their street eats.

Say cheese! This year, in commemoration of our 20th Anniversary, our photo contest stays local and goes creative! – with bonus points going to the photo containing the oldest copy of City Palate!

Submissions via citypalate.ca (See ad page 8)

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Location: The parking lot behind Metrovino, 722 - 11th Ave. SW

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Date: June 2013

Community Garden Sponsorship

The Food in the City Tour A City Palate Urban Tootle with Calgary Food Tours.

Date: Thursday, June 20th, 2013, 7-10 pm

3rd Annual Pig & Pinot Festival 12 chef teams and 7 wine stores dazzled attendees at this delicious fundraising event for Meals on Wheels.

Date: Saturday, August 17th, 2013, 11-2 pm

Kayben Farms Family Brunch After enjoying an exceptional brunch prepared by Top Chef Canada contender Nicole Gomes of Nicole Gourmet Catering, take the kids to visit the play park, corn maze or petting zoo – or enjoy a relaxing stroll around the beautiful grounds. Visit the veggie garden or plant nursery, or indulge in harvesting black currants. Whatever you decide, this charming afternoon is ripe for the picking!

Location: Kayben Farms, Okotoks

City Palate helped sponsor The Mustard Seed’s rooftop garden.

Date: Sunday, June 9th, 2013

Tickets: No cover; drink tickets for the Beer & Rosé Garden available on-site, the day of the event. (See ad page 12)

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Tickets: $65 pp, children $15 ea, @ kaybenfarms.eventbrite.ca (See ad page 40)

Date: Sunday, August 25th, 2013, noon-2 pm

Calgary Opera – Picnic in the Village Calgary Opera presents Opera in the Village, Canada’s first outdoor summer opera festival. As a part of this inaugural event, City Palate presents Picnic in the Village. Reserve a delicious picnic lunch created

by Sidewalk Citizen Bakery and River Café. Enjoy it by the river while listening to roving recitals, then stay on for a matinée performance of The Pirates of Penzance from Calgary Opera.

Date: Saturday, July 27th, 2013

Location: RiverWalk Plaza, East Village

The South by Southwest Tour

Tickets: $30 per picnic lunch, through Calgary Opera 403.262.7286 and calgaryopera.com/arghh (Performance tickets sold separately) (See ad page 44)

A City Palate Farm Tootle with Calgary Food Tours.

sold out !

F o ll o w us o n F ace b o o k a n d c h ec k citypalate . ca f

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Ti c k e t s a r e o n s a l e n o w !

Date: Monday, September 16th, 2013, 5-9 pm

The Really, Really Long Table Dinner 7 restaurants... 5 courses... 240 people... 1 really, really long table. Blink, Catch & The Oyster Bar, Charcut, Divino, Teatro, The Belvedere, The Cellar and Trib Steakhouse will each prepare a course for this remarkable dinner that takes place on a long, tented stretch of Stephen Avenue. Gather your friends, and make some new ones at this unique event that celebrates the culinary side of Calgary.

Location: Stephen Avenue Mall Tickets: $175 pp @ reallylongtabledinner.eventbrite.ca

(See ad page 49)

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Date: Saturday, October 5th, 2013

Culinary Treasure Hunt

"On your mark… get set… go!" Anneke Scholten and Culinary Calgary present The 2nd Annual Culinary Treasure Hunt. Gather your team and start training now.

With at least 45 treasures on the list, you will require endurance, speed and an appetite for adventure. This day of foodie fun wraps up with snacks and drinks, and the crowning of a champion. Sign up now, and may the odds be ever in your flavour!

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Thanksgiving Turkey Tootle sold out !

A City Palate Farm Tootle with Calgary Food Tours, ending with a Thanksgiving Turkey dinner.

Location: Bus leaves The Cookbook Co. Cooks, 10 am sharp Tickets: $125 pp, at The Cookbook Co. Cooks 722 - 11th Ave. SW, ph 403-265-6066, ext. 1

Location: Kick-off at Casel Marché, 2505 - 17th Ave. SW, 9:30 am sharp!

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Date: Saturday, October 6th, 2013

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Tickets: $45 pp @ culinarytreasurehunt.eventbrite.ca

Date: Friday, October 25th, 2013, 6:30-9 pm

Gasthaus on the Glenmore Add a little Oom-Pa-Pa to your October! Alberta’s sausage producers – Old Country Sausage, Valbella Meats, and Olson's High Country Bison – are paired with local craft beer brewers – Village Brewery and Wildrose Brewery – to create the perfect beer and sausage party!

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Date: January February 2014

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CP Culinary Travel Grant

Sharpen your pencils, pour yourself a glass of something tasty and get comfortable. City Palate presents a superbig, super-fun culinary crossword puzzle. When you finish, send it in for your chance to win a delicious prize.

Open to all “back-of-the-house” restaurant cooks – City Palate can help further your culinary education with a travel grant to learn more about the world’s cultures and food. Details will be published in our January February 2014 issue.

Location: January February 2014 issue of City Palate

Location: Submissions via citypalate.ca

Colossal Culinary Crossword

Date: Saturday, February 8th, 2014

Crowbar 2014

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Pop-up party architect Wade Sirois, of Infuse Catering, presents an evening of hand-crafted cocktails and small plates food in a secret location. We could tell you more, but that wouldn’t be much fun, now would it?

Location: Secret – announced 48 hours before Tickets : $90 pp, @ crowbar.eventbrite.ca

Date: Thursday, May 8th, 2014

Chefly Screen Shots

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City Palate partners with Calgary Folk Music Festival and Calgary Underground Film Festival to present a series of short, silent, films featuring Calgary chefs. These films will be projected on a large screen while local musicians play live music, composed specifically for these moving pictures. After the screening, the crowd will enjoy appetizers that merrily reference the food prepared in the films. Food. Film. Music. Fun.

Too many cooks? No such thing – especially when the cooks are your favourite Top Chef Canada participants! Join Nicole Gomes, Chris Shaften, Geoff Rogers, Xavier Lacaze, Connie DeSousa & John Jackson, as they each prepare one course for this “Knock Out” charity dinner. This is going to be one delicious evening!

Tickets: $150 pp @ topchefdinner.eventbrite.ca or The Cookbook Co. Cooks, 722 - 11th Ave. SW, ph 403-265-6066, ext. 1

Tickets: $75 pp @ gasthausontheglenmore.eventbrite.ca

Date: January February 2014

Top Chef Dinner sold out !

Location: The Cookbook Co. Cooks

Location: Glenmore Sailing Club, 8601 - 24th St. SW

and in 2 0 1 4 . . .

Date: Monday, November 18th, 2013, 6:30-9 pm

Date: Monday, January 27th, 2014

Bill to Tail: A Specialty Dinner Avec Noble Farms

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Ever wanted to enjoy eating duck 20 ways with wines to match? Now’s your chance! Darnell Japp, executive chef at Avec Bistro, pays homage to the noble duck and to Noble Duck Farms, by creating a menu of delectable duck dishes paired with a variety of wines from Okanagan Crush Pad. Location: Avec Bistro, #105, 550 - 11th Ave. SW Tickets: $100 pp, @ duckdinner.eventbrite.ca

Date: March 2014 (TBD)

SAIT Kitchen Party

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We will team up with SAIT to create an interactive evening of wine, food and conviviality, tying in with their Culinary Class and Dinner for the Big Taste event in March 2014. Join us for a dinner party where attendees help prepare dinner, then enjoy it with wines supplied and poured by Township 7 Vineyards & Winery.

Location: SAIT Downtown Campus, #226, 230 - 8th Ave. SW Tickets: $150 pp, details to come...

Date: Monday, June 9th, 2014, 6-10 pm

20 for 20 Wrap-up Party

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Location: Festival Hall, 1215 - 10 Ave. SE

City Palate wraps it all up with a sexy summer soirée. Ox & Angela will be transformed into a grand tapas bar, complete with 4 paella stations and a sherry tasting. This night of divine, Mediterranean revelry is the perfect finish to an exciting year.

Tickets: $40 @ cheflyscreenshots.eventbrite.ca

Location: Ox & Angela, 528 - 17 Ave. SW, Tickets: $75 pp, @ citypalatewrapparty.eventbrite.ca

o r up d ates , a n d late b r ea k i n g culi n a r y n e w s !

Illustrations by Pierre Lamielle

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No Pesticides No Herbicides Biological Bug Control Hydroponically Grown

CUCUMBERS TOMATOES PEPPERS LETTUCE BEANS

Blu Seafood Check out our great selection of Fresh Fish, Seafood, Crab Cakes, Salmon Burgers and lots more!

GOOD THINGS COME OUT OF THE BLU 6

JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca CREATIVE

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contents City Palate July August 2013

features

22 n Global Grilling

Are you stuck in the same steak, ‘burger, chicken rut?

Goose your grilling with these new ways with old faves.

Matthew Altizer

26 n Localize your Cocktail

Canada’s micro-distilleries make great booze for your drinks.

Dan Clapson

28 n Handy Summer Eats

Summertime... and the eating is sloppy.

Hand-held food eaten outside.

Pierre Lamielle

30 n The Dance of the Seven Salads

These Moroccan-inspired salads will get your palate spinning.

Matthew Altizer

34 n A Good Pud

The proof of the pudding is in the eating – a guide to sumptuous summer puddings.

Chris Halpin

38 n Your Best Restaurant Meal in Calgary

We asked, you answered – see if you agree.

42 n Eating Houston the Hospitable

This Texas city isn’t just about oil and gas.

Omar Mouallem

Cover Design: Pierre A. Lamielle is the chef behind Food On Your Shirt with Candace Bergman, award winning author of Kitchen Scraps and co-author with Julie Van Rosendaal of Alice Eats: A Wonderland Cookbook, out fall 2013.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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say cheese!

city palate editor Kathy Richardier (kathy@citypalate.ca) publisher Gail Norton (gail@citypalate.ca) magazine design Carol Slezak, Yellow Brick Studios (carol@citypalate.ca) contributing editor Kate Zimmerman contributing writers Matthew Altizer Karen Anderson Dan Clapson Chris Halpin Ellen Kelly Geoff Last Pierre Lamielle Omar Mouallem Allan Shewchuk Don Tse Julie Van Rosendaal contributing photographer Carol Slezak for advertising enquiries, please contact advertising@citypalate.ca

enter city palate’s

account executives Ellen Kelly (ellen@citypalate.ca)

for

photo contest

This year, in commemoration of our 20th Anniversary, our photo contest stays local and goes creative!

We know there are a lot of readers out there who’d like to show off their creative side, so we’re looking forward to some funny, interesting, and crazy photos, featuring you and a copy of City Palate, taken right here in Calgary.

And, just to make it interesting, bonus points will be given to the photo containing the oldest copy of City Palate.

3 fAbULoUs prIzE pACkAgEs ArE Up for grAbs...

Liz Tompkins (liz@citypalate.ca) Janet Henderson (janet@citypalate.ca) prepress/printing CentralWeb distribution Gallant Distribution Systems Inc. The Globe and Mail website management Jane Pratico (jane@citypalate.ca)

A 2 night “romance” package at ISlAnD lAke lODge. Wine and cheese upon arrival.

Spa treatment included.

2 nights accommodation at D’AngelO WInery’S VIneyArD VIeW BeD AnD BreAkFAST in the “Petite Verdot Suite”.

Includes an in-suite continental breakfast.

A 2 night stay for 2 people at your choice of The FAIrmOnT BAnFF SPrIngS The FAIrmOnT JASPer PArk lODge The FAIrmOnT ChATeAu WhISTler.

Includes breakfast and valet parking.

Contest closes July 31st, 2013. The winning photos will be published in our September October 2013 Issue and announced on Facebook and citypalate.ca.

ALL THE JUICY ConTEsT And prIzE dETAILs ArE on oUr wEbsITE Illustration by Pierre Lamielle

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

citypalate.ca

City Palate is published 6 times per year: January-February, March-April, May-June, July-August, September-October and November-December by City Palate Inc., 722 - 11 Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2R 0E4 Fax 403-262-3322 Subscriptions are available for $35 per year within Canada and $45 per year outside Canada.

Editorial Enquiries: Please email kathy@citypalate.ca For questions or comments please contact us via our website:

citypalate.ca

contents City Palate July August 2013

departments

11 n word of mouth

Notable culinary happenings around town

Sp ons o

13 n eat this

r of

in Amateu r Athletics s

6 00 2 ce

What to eat in July and August Ellen Kelly

14 n drink this

What's brewing in Calgary Don Tse

16 n get this

Must-have kitchen stuff Karen Anderson

18 n one ingredient

Chard Julie Van Rosendaal

46 n stockpot

Stirrings around Calgary

Corn

50 n 7 quick ways with...

Sam Effah

National 100m Champion

52 n last meal

Keep it simple and seasonal Geoff Last

54 n back burner... shewchuk on simmer

Aged and confused Allan Shewchuk

read us online @ citypalate.ca follow us on facebook and win monthly prizes!

diNE iN, tAkE-AwAy & CAtEriNG Breakfast Brunch Lunch Dinner

GourmEt Food to Go Bridgeland 903 General Ave NE 403 - 265 - 3474

Calgary Farmers’ Market 510 77th Ave SE 403 - 265 - 3474

www.tmdish.com CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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word of mouth Notable culinary happenings around town

city palate 20 for 20 events Don’t miss these fun summer events celebrating our 20th Anniversary: The Food Truck Flock, July 20, in the parking lot behind Metrovino. See the ad, page 12, for details. Kayben Farms Family Brunch, Kayben Farms, just south of the city, August 17. See ad, page 40. Calgary Opera – Picnic in the Village, RiverWalk Plaza, East Village. See ad, page 44. The Really, Really Long Table Dinner, September 16, Stephen Ave. See ad, page 49.

Have fun! Celebrate with us.

facebook winners Sylvia Johnston won a March facebook prize – two VIP tickets for Vagabond Brewery’s pre-grand opening event. She had to go to the Vagabond Facebook page to like it and like and share its photo. The April winner, Russ Prefontaine, got a $50 gift certificate for Gunther’s Fine Baking by just liking City Palate! (We like to be liked.) The May winner, Louise Marsh, won a bottle of Fonseca Bin 27 Port from Pacific Wine and Spirits after submitting a good recipe for sangria using the port. This is the winning recipe: A Very Berry Sangria. Pour a bottle of Fonseca Bin 27 Port into a pitcher with 1/2 c. each raspberries, pitted cherries, sliced strawberries and blueberries, 1 sliced blood orange, 3 oz. Framboise 2011 from Elephant Island Orchard Wines and 1/2 c. sugar.

Give everything a good stir, cover and refrigerate overnight. Pour in a 1 or 2 L bottle of ginger ale just before serving, add ice and serve.

vino cacao from france Oh my goodness, the French have done it – they’ve infused red and white Bordeaux wine with chocolate, a marriage created by Franck Maupouet, chocolate- maker son of a Bordeaux wine maker. The red is called Noir, the white, Ivoire. We found it at Co-op Wine Spirits Beer. The Noir is a bit like port, the Ivoire a bit like Sauternes – have it with a rich bleu cheese, chocolate cake, cheese cake – you get the drift. Dessert. And since life is short, eat/drink dessert first.

Ox and Angela, Fine Diner, and Mountain Mercato in Canmore. Yeah!

Does a rolling spoon gather moss? jelly modern takes topprize On Food Network Canada’s new show “Donut Showdown,” a $10,000 prize was awarded to the team of pastry chef Grayson Sherman and Jelly co-owner Rosanne Tripathy for the “Bollywood meets Hollywood” variation of Jelly’s famous salted caramel that did the trick in the final showdown. Featuring chile- and cumindusted popcorn and cashews, topped with deep fried carrot curls, the combination clearly caught the imagination of the celebrity judges.

It does not. It gathers music and food.

Julie Van Rosendaal and Elizabeth Chorney-Booth – always a little bit kitchen and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll – have launched a new web site that explores their mutual love of music and food called Rolling Spoon. Look for interviews, recipes, tales of kitchen adventures and hi-jinx every day. Find it at rollingspoon.com and @rollingspoon.

chefly market tours Calgary Food Tours offers Chef Guided Tours of The Calgary Farmers' Market with either chef Pierre Lamielle or chef Judy Wood. Meet 12 Alberta growers, sample their wares and be inspired to cook with their produce. The tour includes a Fratello coffee, samples, lunch, shopping bag, market coupon and gratuities. All this, Saturdays, July 20 and August 10 and 17, 9-11:30 a.m., $60. Tickets: calgaryfoodtours.com.

read these... winner of the 3rd annual calgary poutine crawl is.... downtownfood with its home-cured bacon and mushroom poutine with a spicy kick, created by chef Darren, who also provided a palate cleanser and dessert! Most decadent was Brava Bistro’s scallop and black truffle poutine; most cheesy goodness was Brasserie Kensington’s pork hock, fried kale, duck gravy poutine; most innovative was Teatro’s deconstructed poutine; most authentic was National Beer Hall’s mushroom miso gravy poutine; most unusual was Añejo’s pulled pork nacho poutine. All 70 crawlers visiting six restaurants on two Party Machine Buses had a great time. Mount Royal’s Karen Richards is the creator and organizer of the Poutine Crawl.

Photo by Keisha Russell.

our greenest restaurants – the most in canada!

LEAF-certified restaurants and other food establishments provide us with socially and environmentally responsible dining choices. Alberta has the most in Canada including River Café, Boxwood, Caffè Beano, SAIT, The Naaco Truck, Purple Pastry Chef, Cheezy Bizness, Community Café, The Coup, Craft Beer Market, Cassis Bistro, J. Webb Wine Merchant, Open Range, Big Fish, Thomsons, Vie Café, Catch, UNA Pizza + Wine,

Two new books to goose your summer grilling: Wicked Good Burgers and Gastro Grilling. Bet you thought you knew grilled burgers. Well, Wicked Good Burgers,

by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart and Andrea Pyenson (Fair Winds Press, $24.99, soft cover) takes you to places you never dreamed burgers could go.

Like the Tortilla-Wrapped New Mexican Chile Burger. And all the trimmings and proper accompaniments to burgers.

A must-have for every home-grilled burger lover.

Ted Reader is Canada’s grilling guru, and his latest effort, Gastro Grilling (Penguin, $29, soft cover) speaks to everything there is to be known about grilling everything there is, especially venturing way out on such limbs as Espresso-Crusted T-Bones with Gorgonzola Cheese, Planked Escargots with Garlic Chive Butter & Brie and Grilled Frog Legs with Frog Sauce. Basic it’s not.

savour

fine foods & kitchenware

Quality. Style. Service.

1331 - 9th Ave SE Calgary, Alberta Tel: 403.532.8222 savourfinefoods.com

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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city palate 1993 – 2013

CELEBRATING 20 DELICIOUS YEARS wITh 20 DELICIOUS EvENTS

Join us for a street food party!

Date: Saturday, July 20th, noon-3 pm

The Food Truck Flock YYC food trucks are setting up shop in the parking lot behind Metrovino and Calgary is invited! The roster includes Sticky Ricky’s, The Steakout Truck (brought to you by Holy Grill), Cheezy Bizness, Los Chilitos, Perogy Boyz, as well as a selection of delicious, local ice creams.

There is no cover charge for this event just show up and purchase what you would like directly from the trucks.

Foodies that flock together, rock together!

Grown-ups can join us inside at The Cookbook Co. Cooks’ Beer & Rosé Garden for a glass of wine or a local craft beer

by Village Brewery to pair with their street eats.

Proudly supporting Canadian growers

Location: The parking lot behind Metrovino, 722 - 11th Ave. SW Tickets: No cover; drink tickets for the Beer & Rosé Garden available on-site, the day of the event. pROCEEDS fROm ThIS EvENT wILL GO TO A CALGARY fOOD ChARITY

Northern Lights Orchard Naramata, B.C.

Country Fresh Farms Medicine Hat, Alberta

Celebrate the season in the sun at Metrovino From patio parties, picnics and barbecues, to fine dining al fresco, we’ll help you create a new list of fair weather favourites to share with friends this summer.

Metrovino...Bringing Wine to Life

722 -11th Avenue SW 403-205-3356 metrovino.com

Paradise Hill Farm Nanton, Alberta

Find their crops in our produce department.

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

eat this

Ellen Kelly

What to eat in July and August

At this time of year, our window of local plenitude is small and, sadly, not open for very long. This means we must take full advantage.

Summer berries epitomize this imperative – their fragility and short season beg for immediate action.

Illustrations by Pierre Lamielle

Raspberries are an incomparable delight eaten warm out of hand, in the middle of laden bushes, in the hot sun. A friend’s mother, Violet Kaun, always made the most of her beloved raspberries – pies, squares and cookies were made year-round for her family using her “Red Gold” raspberry jam. The original recipe came from a little blue book published by Northwestern Utilities in Edmonton, date unknown. Start with 6 c. lightly rinsed, close-packed raspberries in a preserving kettle. Over mediumhigh heat, mash the berries as they come to a slow boil. Cook 2 minutes and add 6 c. warmed sugar; boil 1 minute. Remove from the heat and beat (yes, beat!) for 4 minutes – Violet used a small electric Mixmaster. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

As you can imagine, this can be a messy process. Violet’s daughter, Lorraine, recommends wearing something washable with long sleeves and putting the pan in the sink while beating the jam. I would add a large damp tea towel draped over the whole setup to minimalize the splatter. According to the recipe, the short boiling period results in a brighter flavour and the beating increases the volume. The real treasure is the memory her family shares of picking berries with her every year.

The blueberry is the quintessential North American berry. While not as prevalent here in the south of the province, the Athabasca region is a fine home for these rugged little shrubs. Shortcake is the best way to showcase any fresh berry and blueberry shortcake never disappoints. Start with 4 c. fresh blueberries. Cook 2 c. berries with 1/2 c. sugar, 3 T. lemon juice, 1 t. lemon zest, 1 t. grated fresh ginger and 1-2 T. rum. Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat when thickened. When cool, stir in 2 c. whole blueberries.

(If you have a lemon verbena plant, Alice Waters in Chez Panisse Fruits suggests tearing 1/3 c. leaves into 1 c. whipping cream and refrigerating overnight. Strain and beat the cream with 1/4 c. berry sugar to soft peaks.

Dollop this on any berry shortcake.)

Local strawberries, picked ripe in season, remind us of what strawberries should taste like. Eat them raw with cream, freeze them as a purée to brighten gray winter days and make jam with the rest. Strawberry shortcake is the quintessential summer dessert and should only be made with the best fruit. This favourite scone recipe provides the perfect vehicle for berries and cream. Whisk together 1-1/2 c. flour, 3 t. baking powder, 1/2 t. salt, and 2 T. berry sugar until well blended. Quickly, and with a light hand, mix in 1 c. whipping cream. Scrape the dough onto a floured counter, lightly knead, then pat into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut rounds or triangles, put them on a parchment covered baking sheet, brush with cream and sprinkle with turbinado (raw) sugar. Bake in a preheated 400 F. oven for 11-13 minutes, until golden. Slice strawberries and toss with a little sugar an hour before serving. To assemble, split the scone, spoon lots of berries onto the bottom half, cap jauntily with the top and finish with a generous dollop of whipped cream and one perfect berry. (For a savoury scone, crumble in about 1/2 c. chèvre cheese.)

BUY: Look for bright colour and plumpness rather than size when buying raspberries.

They get mouldy easily, so be attentive when purchasing.

TIPS: The fruit is fragile. It’s best to not rinse raspberries, but if you must, only lightly just before using. Raspberries freeze well. Spread dry berries evenly over a cling film covered baking sheet and freeze. Fill a bag or plastic container and pop back in the freezer. This technique works well for all berries.

DID YOU KNOW? Raspberries are members of the rose family, species Rubus, and native throughout the northern hemisphere from Canada to China. What we think of as a single raspberry is really a cluster of tiny berries called druplets happily huddled together.

BUY: Look for firm berries with dark colour. Avoid any that are wrinkled or hard. Smell – not for ripeness – but to detect any mould or spoilage. Wild blueberries are sometimes available at farmers’ markets and are often available frozen.

TIPS: Blueberries keep well, up to a week in the fridge. Store unwrapped in an open basket so air can circulate. Blueberries don’t mind a good rinsing, then spread them out on a tea towel and gently roll them around to dry them before storing in the fridge.

DID YOU KNOW? As an Alberta prairie girl, I grew up with an ice cream bucket tied around my neck. Saskatoons were our main objective, but occasionally we came across a cache of raspberries or wild strawberries. They rarely made it into the pail. Wild blueberries, found a bit farther north, were a rare treat. Today, picking berries at one of the many u-pick farms all over Alberta satisfies that food-gathering impulse. Call 1-800-661-2642 (or chomparoundalberta.com) for a copy of COME TO OUR FARMS.

BUY: Look for fully ripe, plump, shiny berries. I always feel cheated by the berries on the bottom of those plastic covered containers. Pick your own or buy at farmers’ markets where you can take a good look.

TIPS: Try to use strawberries as soon as you get them home. They’ll keep a day or two in the fridge, but like tomatoes, cold dulls the flavour. Avoid washing, but if you must, do so right before using, then pat them dry with a tea towel.

DID YOU KNOW? The strawberry is a “false fruit.” The true fruits of the strawberry are in fact the “seeds” on the surface. Each tiny achene (what they’re called) is a tiny fruit with a single seed.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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bin905.com Now you can view and purchase our vast selection of wines, spirits and craft beer online and have them delivered anywhere in Alberta! Visit our new website and see why the Globe and Mail called Bin 905 one of the “best places in Canada to find rare wine”.

drink this

Don Tse

What’s brewing in Calgary

Local breweries raise the bar.

When Village Brewing began selling beer in late 2011, it was the first new brewery in Calgary in 15 years. According to Jim Button, Village partner in charge of community affairs, “It’s been pretty chaotic. There’s a demand for good beer – in fact, more than we expected.” So great was the demand that Village was forced to expand its brewing capacity 18 months earlier than planned.

Since that 2011 opening, all of Calgary’s breweries have announced big changes, and a new player has decided to throw another cap into the ring. A general trend of culinary awareness that has beer drinkers ditching bland, mass-market beers has fuelled a North America-wide explosion in craft beer. This, and Calgary’s young, educated and affluent population demanding the best of everything, have combined to create a perfect storm of demand for good beer in the city.

Big Rock Brewery, the oldest sibling of the craft breweries, hired a new Chief Executive Officer who has said the company will return to its roots. CEO Robert Sartor says, “Big Rock’s best years were the ones when we made uncompromisingly good craft beer. In the future, we will not focus on volume. We might actually become a smaller brewery, but we will focus on pleasing and surprising craft beer drinkers.” Big Rock plans to launch 15 new beers this year, all of which will be limited releases.

Meanwhile, Wild Rose Brewery, which has been growing faster than a hop vine, is also returning to its roots. Having outgrown its current location at Currie Barracks, Wild Rose is building a new facility in Foothills Industrial Park, just a stone’s throw from where the brewery began operations in 1996. The new facility will offer up to five times the capacity of its current location.

BIN 905

Distinctive Wines and Spirits

2311-4th Street SW 403.261.1600 / bin905.com

Wild Rose is still planning to keep a taproom at Currie Barracks, though exactly where has yet to be determined. It’s at this taproom that you’ll continue to enjoy the special Brewer’s Taps, weekly limited-production beers that demonstrate Wild Rose’s “wild” side.

Buoyed by the craft beer resurgence in Calgary, Brew Brothers Brewing Company is also growing. Formed in 1995, Brew Brothers has been lying low for the last few years, selling its beer almost exclusively on tap at selected local restaurants, but it’s now selling growlers (1.89-litre glass jugs) of its beer at local liquor retailers. Brew Brothers is also kicking its cask beer program, which includes occasional barrel-aged beers, into high gear. These one-off creations will be available at better beer bars, including Design District Urban Tavern, Craft Beer Market and National Beer Hall.

Brewsters Brewing Company, with five locations in Calgary, has also kicked things up a few notches. This year, Brewsters will shake up its regular line-up of 10 core beers by offering about 50 seasonal or limited-edition beers. That’s a whopping total of 60 different beers – more than one beer per week! This is on top of developing a unique invention dubbed Smooth Hoperator, which adds natural flavours to beers as they’re poured. The Smooth Hoperator, filled with hops, juniper berries or coffee beans, for example, is hooked up to a keg of beer. The beer runs from the keg through the Smooth Hoperator, picking up the flavour of whatever it’s filled with before arriving at the tap in the bar. Hoperator is being used with select Brewsters’ beers at Beer Revolution.

Even Minhas Brewery, which has historically brewed in the United States, is jumping on the local good-beer bandwagon. The brother and sister owners have opened a brewery in Calgary with an attached restaurant and hired a craft-focussed brewer, Dave Neilly, who had previously brewed for Wild Rose and Brewsters.

Finally, Vagabond Brewery is the newest kid on the block. It’s Calgary’s only brewpub since Wildwood Grill & Brewpub closed its doors in 2009. Vagabond’s Lee Borschowa has modelled the brewpub on those that have popped up along the USA’s west coast. “The beer is a little edgy,” says Borschowa.

By “edgy,” he means flavours that “push the envelope” of Calgarians’ expectations. Vagabond will have edgy food to match. Everything, including sauces and breads, will be made in-house. Vagabond is located in the space formerly occupied

by Olives restaurant, near the Stampede grounds.

But the Calgary beer scene seems to know no saturation – there’s another brewing operation in the works. Tool Shed Brewing Company was founded by homebrewing best friends Jeff Orr and Graham Sherman. They plan to bring their ubergeeky, technology-driven, over-the-top approach to life and apply it to brewing the best crafted beers this city has ever seen.

“When we got into home brewing, we knew we were going to take beer further than anyone else,” says Sherman. “We really had no choice but to open a brewery.”

Orr and Sherman will start with a core line-up of three beers available on tap and in cans. Their heady claims about brewing the best beer available will be tested in July, when Tool Shed’s beers are scheduled to hit the shelves.

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

Stampede City Suds The Calgary beer scene is quickly becoming a buffet of sudsy goodness. Local brewers now offer something for every palate, but here are a few of my favourite selections to showcase the diversity of the brewing arts.

Tool Shed Star Cheek – Enigmatic name aside, Star Cheek is a ridiculously hoppy IPA with a wonderfully fruity nose, a slightly bitter flavour, a strong citrus presence, a touch of wood and a hint of spruce. It’s scheduled to hit the shelves in July.

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Big Rock Rosmarinus Aromatic Ale Made with rosemary, this beer is good on its own, but is also an obvious match for meaty dishes. Rosemary and lamb. Need I say more?

Brew Brothers Black Pilsner – This wonderful beer will always hold a special place in my heart. When I started sampling interesting beers more than 15 years ago, this was the first beer that made me go, “Wow!” It’s just as delicious today as it was then.

Wild Rose Brewer’s Taps – This is not one beer, but a line of beers. These are experimental beers brewed in very small batches – a single keg – in Wild Rose’s pilot brewery.

They’re sold only at the brewery’s taproom and once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.

Don Tse has been writing about the Calgary beer scene for more than 10 years.

farm fresh City Central...

Beer-Candied Bacon Adapted from Laura @ Tide & Thyme blog site, tideandthyme.com Use a stout-style beer. The sugary sweetness of the brown sugar glaze is just the right contrast to the hearty bacon.

1 lb. thick-cut, high-quality bacon 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/4 c. + 2 T. stout-style beer

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine the brown sugar and beer in a small bowl, whisking well to form a thin syrup. Set aside.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top and place the pieces of bacon on top of the rack, overlapping if necessary. Put in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove and brush one side of the bacon with the beer syrup. Flip, coat the other side with the syrup. Return to the oven and cook 10 minutes. Remove and repeat the coating process another time or two, until the bacon is crispy and browned, and you’ve used all the glaze.

Cool on the rack about 1 hour before serving – if you can wait that long! Crunch, crunch.

Now bigger, fresher, better thaN ever!

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CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

15

Slow Food CAlgARy pReSenTS

Your new secret ingredient.

get this The 13th AnnuAl

Feast of Fields SundAy, SepTeMbeR 15th 1 - 4 pm In The gARden AT Rouge ReSTAuRAnT 1240 - 8th Ave Se, CAlgARy

flair for flavours Marcus Purtzki’s ice cream comes in vintage-looking clear glass jars packed with formidable flavours suspended in rich egg yolks and cream. Caramelized bananas and hazelnuts is like Bananas Foster. Lemon curd with blueberries has licorice notes. Vanilla bean and salted caramel dances a taste bud ballet. Sicilian pistachios seduce Alberta’s innocent fresh-picked strawberries as the two melt together in your mouth. Eggs and cream are sourced locally from J & M Farms in Lethbridge and Rock Ridge Dairies in Ponoka. Purtzki saw the ice cream as a creative way to use up all the egg yolks not used in his company’s macaron production.

He’s got a frugal flair with flavours.

Made by Marcus Homemade Ice Cream, $4.99/250ml, $6.99/500ml, Janice Beaton Fine Cheese and The Cookbook Co. Cooks

Join us

for a delicious afternoon of grazing, sipping and conviviality in the beautiful, historic garden at Rouge restaurant. Come meet the local people who grow your food and the dynamic, creative chefs who prepare delectable delights with our wonderful Alberta harvest.

Music with Tim Tamashiro.

beer lovers beware: ginger is stealth So goes the story of the new seasonal beer, Ginja Ninja, from Granville Island Brewery. It’s a fresh quencher that kicks thirst’s butt with fruity notes of spicy ginger. It adds a powerful note of interest to grilling with this tangy sauce. Boil 6 bottles of beer down to half volume.

Remove from heat. Add 6 black tea bags, steep 10 minutes and remove.

Simmer the reduction with 3/4 c. diced onion, 28 oz. can tomatoes, 1/4 c. each brown sugar and Dijon mustard, 3 T. Worcestershire and 12 sprigs of thyme until thick.

Remove the thyme. Blend and use as a baste for chicken, pork ribs or salmon fillets. Sneak in an Asian slaw and slay your guests with Ginja Ninja ice cream floats for dessert.

Granville Island Brewing Ginja Ninja, $13/6, Co-op Wine Spirits Beer stores

Calgary’s freshest olive oil and premium balsamic vinegars.

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It’s a seasonal rite of passage to sit in the back yard sucking in the sweet burgundy juices of the season’s first cherries and to joyfully spit the pits. While your life might not always be a bowl full, we have found a cherry product to cherish year round.

Carmine Jewel sour cherries developed at the University of Saskatchewan have been grown by Cameron McLeod of the Sante Fe Food Company (named for the Sante Fe box cars that roll by just south of McLeod’s cherry orchard) since 1998.

McLeod makes an additive-free saucy product line that celebrates the cherries’ sweet tart profile. Chelish is to relish what Chertney is to chutney and the Rib N Wing sauce has vast utility beyond ribs and wings.

Use it as the base of a duck breast pizza topped with a little gouda.

Dice barbecued bison tenderloin, add some Chertney and serve on wild rice blini for your next posh nosh “chelebration.”

Santa Fe Food Company Chelish, Chertney, Rib N Wing Sauce, $12.95/350ml, Savour Fine Foods

Karen Anderson

Must-have kitchen stuff

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branch out with sticks and twigs The people at Mary’s Organic Crackers have taken age old pretzel stick snacks and made them über healthy by baking them with gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan chia, flax and sesame seeds along with ancient grains of millet, quinoa, brown rice and amaranth. The sea salt, curry or chipotle tomato flavours are fun to munch on summer road trips and they’re also ready to take the plunge as the vehicle of summer dip delivery. Try the curry flavour with this shrimp dip. Blend 1 pkg. cream cheese with 1 T. Worcestershire sauce, 6 T. mayonnaise, 2 T. chile sauce, 1 T. each chopped chives and parsley and 1/2 t. Dijon mustard in a food processor.

Remove to a serving bowl, stir in 8 oz. of small shrimp. These Sticks & Twigs will have your gang rallying around the dip bowl like it was a cozy campfire.

Mary’s Organic Crackers Sticks & Twigs, $5.69/7.5 oz., Community Natural Foods

where there’s smoke… …there’s fire and good flavour. The Spanish love smoky paprika and now the Vañó family of Castillo de Canena have added cold smoked infusions of oak, beech, and birch woods to the Arbequina olives they press for their XXI Century oils collection. Drizzle on steaks as they come off the grill and be rewarded with a complex bite of apples, almonds and caramel toffee. Add a wisp to your home-made baba ghanoush or finish green beans and pimentos with a sprinkle.

Enjoy the smoke without the fire.

XXI Century Oils Smoked Arbequina Olive Oil, $40/250 ml, CRMR at Home

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indian summer Baldev and Bhupinder Gill own Apna Desi Meat Masala in Falconridge. Friends loved Gill’s barbecue masalas (marinating spice mixtures) and word of mouth turned his part-time enterprise into a thriving wholesale, retail and full-on catering business.

Beyond Tandoori chicken, you’ll find mint garlic and murgh maliye chicken (creamy with chiles and fenugreek) along with lamb chops, Tandoori fish, goat keerma and seekh kababs. The shop also does pickled goat and chicken achars. Most of the goat and lamb are sourced from Sun Gold Specialty meats in Innisfail which is Halal certified. Pair the meats with a little naan, yogurt raita, fresh salad and rosé or cold Indian beer. Enjoy a little Indian summer sizzle.

Various masalas, $3.69-9.99/lb, Apna Desi Meat Masala Shop  While you're there, try the house made Faluda – a pretty concoction of ice cream, noodles, seeds and nuts that’s delicious!

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Fresh Produce

Antipasti

In-store Bakery

one ingredient

Julie Van Rosendaal

Chard

Specialty Foods Olive Oils Balsamics Catering

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Visit Lina’s for the real ItaLIan experience.

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

During our sunny but painfully short growing season, chard helps me feel, at least, like the urban gardener I aspire to be; few veggies are as easily planted and harvested in my wee raised backyard garden beds as chard. Chard plants are satisfyingly lush and upright, and just a small handful of spiky seeds provides a never-ending supply of greens throughout July and August (and September, if I play my cards right), regenerating themselves as I pluck the prettiest leaves.

Although chard tends to be categorized with other greens, nutritionally speaking and in the kitchen, it’s actually a relative of the garden beet, its root sacrificed to cultivate a more lavish leaf. In its adoptive family of leafy greens, chard is the middle child, not as sensitive as spinach nor as tough as kale. Equally edible raw and cooked, it can hold its own in a pasta or spanakopita, yet when the heat is on, chard doesn’t need water or stock to coax it into submission.

There are a few common varieties of chard: white- and red-stemmed Swiss and rainbow, with its gorgeous legs in shades ranging from brilliant yellow to magenta, giving each bouquet an aesthetic advantage at the farmers’ market. In some countries, chard stems are prized over their leaves; here, we tend to chop off and compost the former in favour of the latter. This is as unnecessary as tossing out the flavourful stems of cilantro. Chard stems aren’t as woody or stalk-like as those that support kale simply because they’re not a member of the brassica family. Texturally, they’re more like feeble celery. Chop them and get them started in a hot pan first, with the leaves to follow, and all will be well. You can also pickle chard stems, trim them and serve them on a crudité platter, or chop and sauté them with onions, celery and carrot, pushing the limits of a traditional mirepoix in a pot of soup.

As for the leaves, you can toss the earliest sprigs directly into green salads, wispy stems and all. Slice its elders into slaw or cook them any way you’d cook spinach.

If you lack time or inspiration, you need only cook a bunch of chard with plenty of olive oil and garlic. Prep it this way to freeze, or to store more compactly in the fridge as a convenient ingredient to fill omelets, add to pasta or soup, or dip into with a spoon when you need a hit of green.

Its congeniality makes chard not only a perfect candidate for your garden, but the ideal multi-purpose green to keep in good supply in your crisper this summer.

Roasted Chickpeas with Garlic and Chard Once you make this garlicky one-pan dish, it will become a standby – topped with an egg, it makes a quick meal, or serve it alongside roast lamb or grilled chops.

Chickpeas: 1 19 oz. (540 ml) can chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained 1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled 2 shallots or 3 green onions, roughly chopped 2 bay leaves 1/3 c. olive or canola oil

Chard: 2 T. olive or canola oil 1 large bunch Swiss chard, center stems removed and leaves coarsely torn 6 garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 c. vegetable, chicken or beef broth

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a baking dish or cast-iron skillet, combine the chickpeas, garlic, shallots or green onions, bay leaves and oil.

Roast for about 45 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until everything is golden.

If you used a cast-iron skillet, pour the chickpea mixture into a bowl and set the skillet on the stove top. If you used a baking dish, pull out a skillet. Drizzle with oil and when it’s hot but not smoking, sauté the chard and garlic for about 5 minutes, until it’s wilted. Pour the stock overtop, cover and cook for another 10 minutes, until the chard is tender. Remove the lid and drain any excess liquid.

Add the chickpea mixture to the pan, season with salt and pepper, toss around (add a little extra oil if you need to) until heated through, and serve. Serves 4.

Pickled Chard Stems If you find yourself with an abundance of rainbow chard, this is a great way to preserve the stems – the more colourful they are, the better they look packed in jars. Adapted from Gramercy Tavern’s Michael Anthony, by way of localkitchenblog.com.

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ROTATING TAPS OF CRAFT NORTH AMERICAN BEER.

1-2 bunches chard stems 1 c. rice vinegar 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar 1/2 c. water 1/4 c. sugar 2 T. pickling salt 1 T. pickling spices

Trim the ends of the chard stems and slice them into sticks the height of your jar minus 1/2-inch.

Slice larger stems in half, or in thirds, lengthwise, so that each is approximately the same size. Pack them into 3 or 4 hot sterilized jars.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegars, water, sugar, salt and spices and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Pour over the chard stems, leaving 1/2-inch between the liquid and the jar top. Wipe the jar rims, seal them and refrigerate for up to a month.

Makes 3 to 4 jars.

403-265-3665 ★ 8TH AVENUE SW #223 THELIBERTINE.CA

continued on page 20 CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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one ingredient Chard continued from page 19

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Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin This brings traditional scalloped potatoes up a notch. Flavourful sweet potatoes and chard baked with cheese makes a delicious, dense side dish. Adapted from smittenkitchen.com. canola or olive oil, for cooking 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 bunches of Swiss chard, leaves and stems separated and everything cut into 1-inch pieces 2 T. butter 2 T. flour 2 c. milk 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 large dark-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced pinch freshly grated nutmeg salt and pepper 1 c. coarsely grated gruyère, old cheddar or gouda cheese

Heat a drizzle of oil in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat and cook the onions for a few minutes. Add the chard (if you rinse the leaves first, they should have an ideal amount of moisture still clinging to them), sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook until the chard wilts and there’s no moisture left in the pan. Transfer to a bowl.

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Braised Chard with Currants and Feta Sweet currants and salty feta make tasty additions to quickly sautéed chard for an easy side dish when you’re looking for new dinner inspiration. Adapted from Gourmet magazine. canola or olive oil, for cooking 1 T. butter

Add the butter and flour to the skillet and whisk together to make a paste. Whisk in the milk, then add the garlic and bring the mixture to a simmer. Boil for 2 minutes, whisking; season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

1 bunch chard

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread half of the sweet potatoes in the baking dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg, salt, pepper, half of the greens mixture, about half the cheese and half the sauce. Layer with the rest of the potatoes, the rest of the greens, the rest of the sauce, and top it all with the rest of the cheese.

1/3-1/2 c. crumbled feta

Cover the dish with foil and bake the gratin for about 45 minutes, then take the foil off and bake for another 15 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

3 garlic cloves, crushed salt and pepper 3 T. dried currants

Heat a heavy skillet with a drizzle of oil and the butter. Chop the stems of the chard and sauté them for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, chop or crush the garlic and, after about 5 minutes, add it to the pan along with the chard leaves, torn or chopped.

Cook for a minute, then add the currants and about 1/4 c. of water. Cover and cook for a few minutes, until the leaves are tender. Remove the lid and cook the chard until excess moisture evaporates, then remove from the heat and stir in the feta. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Crispy Lamb Pizza with Boursin and Chard Pizza topped with crispy lamb and wilted kale is deliciously different – it’s a white pizza, meaning there’s no tomato sauce. Creamy Boursin makes a unique base that goes very well with the toppings. If you’re not a lamb fan, try swapping with fresh Italian sausage.

Dough: 1 c. lukewarm water 1 pkg. (2 tsp.) active dry yeast 1 t. sugar or honey 2-1/2 - 3 cups flour – all purpose, whole wheat, or any combination of the two (I usually use about 2-3/4 cups) 1 t. salt 1 T. olive oil olive oil, for cooking 1/2 lb. (250 g) ground lamb 2 garlic cloves, crushed salt 1 bunch chard 1 package pepper or herb and garlic Boursin, or soft goat cheese 3-4 c. grated mozzarella

In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast and sugar; set aside for 5 minutes, until it’s foamy. Add 2-1/2 cups of the flour, salt and oil and stir until the dough comes together. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour if it’s too sticky.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat all over. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for an hour, until it doubles in bulk. Meanwhile, cook the lamb in a drizzle of oil in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat until well cooked and starting to turn crispy. Add the garlic and sprinkle with salt during the last few minutes of cooking, then remove the lamb from the pan.

Add another drizzle of oil to the skillet and cook the chard for a few minutes, until it wilts.

When ready to bake the pizza, preheat the oven to 450˚F. Divide the dough in half and roll or press each piece into a 10-inch circle on a heavy baking sheet sprinkled with flour or cornmeal.

Brush the dough with olive oil and crumble Boursin evenly overtop. Top with the cooked lamb and chard, sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Makes 2 pizzas; serves 6.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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Global Grilling Are you stuck in the same steak, ‘burger, chicken rut?

Goose your grilling with these new ways with old faves.

by Matthew Altizer

There are countless reasons why cooking food outdoors over an open flame could have easily gone the way of the dodo bird. In the face of the convenience of gas and electric stoves, cooking food outside should have just disappeared. There is no real reason to build a fire and cook food over it unless you’re camping... but maybe there is. Grilling has stood the test of time. Grilled food has an unmistakable flavour that just can’t be recreated indoors.

My grandfather was known for his kebabs. He would always cook them over a wood fire because he knew that only wood could turn such a simple offering into something complex and delicious. If I had it my way, I would cook all of my food over a wood fire, but more often than not, convenience reigns and I head straight for the propane barbecue. A good way to recreate authentic wood-fired flavour is to throw in some wood chips, rosemary or bay leaves when you start cooking. Just remember to keep a spray bottle handy in case they start to burn or catch fire.

For most of us, grilling usually has thoughts of giant steaks, burgers and chicken legs covered in dry rubs or smothered in barbecue sauce popping into our heads first. As delicious as a juicy hamburger can be, the wide variety of foods that people all over the world grill – like pork belly in Korea and merguez sausage in the streets of Marrakech – can inspire us Kebabs with Harissa, Yogurt to expand our repertoire. The world of and Fresh Herbs grilling is virtually limitless. Here are Metal skewers are well worth the investment – some of my favourite recipes that highthey don’t burn. You can use cubes of beef or light the exotic side of grilling. chicken in place of the lamb. Serve family style with plenty of flatbread. Harissa is a spicy Moroccan chile paste available in specialty stores.

Grilled Trout with Chermoula Chermoula is a North African spice paste that is typically used as a marinade for grilled fish.

The recipe always contains garlic and cilantro, but every chef makes chermoula using different combinations of Moroccan spices.

Chermoula: 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1 t. kosher salt 2 t. cumin, freshly ground 1 c. cilantro, finely chopped 1 t. sweet smoked paprika (available at specialty food stores)

2 lbs. boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch dice

Marinade: 2 T. dry sherry 2 bay leaves, crumbled 1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked 1 pinch allspice 1 t. hot smoked paprika 2 garlic gloves, crushed 2 t. salt

Harissa Sauce:

juice of 1 lemon

4 T. harissa

1 T. sherry vinegar

1 c. tomato purée

2 T. olive oil

2 t. lemon juice salt to taste

Yogurt: 4 small rainbow trout, or 4 6-oz. portions of steelhead trout

1 c. Greek yogurt

Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, grind the garlic with the salt and the cumin.

Add the cilantro and paprika, followed by the lemon juice, sherry vinegar and olive oil. Mix to combine. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

pita bread and fresh herbs – 1/2 c. parsley leaves, 1/4 c. each dill, tarragon leaves and mint leaves – for serving

If you’re using whole trout, make several slashes in the skin of the fish on either side and rub the fish inside and out with half of the marinade. Set the remaining chermoula aside.

If you’re using steelhead fillets, rub each piece well with half of the chermoula and set the remaining chermoula aside.

Let the fish marinate for at least 1/2 hour or for up to 2 hours. Preheat a grill over mediumhigh and cook the fish, flipping once, until it’s almost cooked through. Spread the remaining chermoula on top of the fish and let it cook for a couple more minutes. Gently lift the trout onto a serving platter and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

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1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt

Combine the lamb with the marinade ingredients and let the mixture sit in the fridge for two hours. Meanwhile, in separate serving bowls, combine the ingredients for the harissa and yogurt sauces, season them to taste and set aside. Assemble the herbs on a plate, keeping them separate so people can choose the herbs they want.

Preheat the grill to medium-high, divide the meat among 4 large skewers or 8 small skewers and grill for about 5 minutes, turning once, until lightly charred on the outside but still slightly soft to the touch and cooked to your preferred doneness. Transfer the kebabs to a serving platter and serve piled into pita topped with the yogurt, harissa sauce and fresh herbs on top.

Serves 4. continued on page 24

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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Global Grilling Chicken Wings with Tahini This recipes works equally as well with chicken thighs – just marinate them for a few more hours. The tahini sauce recipe also makes a wonderful salad dressing or a sauce for almost any Middle Eastern dish.

Tahini Sauce: 2 T. tahini paste 3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with salt 1 t. smoked paprika 1 t. ground cumin

continued from page 22

Grilled Game Hens with Rose Petals

Marinated Flank Steak Ssam with Kimchi and Butter Lettuce

Grilled Marinated Rabbit with Walnut Tarator

This recipe combines the delicate flavour of game hens with the heady aroma of rose petals.

It may seem like a strange combination, but it works surprisingly well. Dried rose petals and rose petal jam are available at almost any Middle Eastern grocer or specialty food store. If you cannot find rose petal jam, a good alternative is quince paste thinned with rosewater. You can substitute any small bird – quail, squab, even partridge. Serve the birds as part of a meal or as a course on their own with a simple green salad.

Ssam is the Korean word for “wrapped” and it refers to almost any type of grilled meat that is wrapped with lettuce. A ssam is usually served with a combination of kimchi and other Korean pickles, along with rice and Korean hot sauce.

Letting the meat rest is an important stage in the cooking process, it allows the juices to re-absorb back into the meat. It’s almost impossible to over-rest steak, just make sure to keep the meat warm under a tent of aluminum foil.

The delicate flavour of rabbit lends itself perfectly to the bright bold flavours in this dish.

Rabbit is very lean and can easily be overcooked, so keep in mind that the meat will rise in temperature by a couple of degrees after you cook it. Tarator is a Turkish dipping sauce that has an incredible savoury flavour that goes well with almost any grilled meat.

Marinade:

1 T. olive oil

3 small game hens, backbones cut out with scissors, flattened and cut into two symmetrical pieces

kosher salt and black pepper

Marinade:

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 t. each ground cinnamon and ground cumin

1 t. sesame oil

3 T. rosewater

1 t. black pepper

juice of one lemon

12 chicken wings, rinsed under cold water and patted dry 1 small bunch parsley, chopped 1 lemon, quartered

To make the tahini sauce, mix the tahini with the garlic, paprika and cumin in a large bowl, add the lemon juice and olive oil, whisking until mixed. The tahini might seize up at first, just whisk in a few drops of warm water until the sauce becomes liquid again. Season to taste.

Add the chicken wings to the bowl and toss to coat. Let them marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or 2 hours in the fridge. Preheat a grill over medium-high and grill the chicken wings for 7-10 minutes, or until crispy and slightly charred on the outside. Remove the wings to a platter and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges to drizzle on top. Serves 4.

1 T. lemon juice black pepper to taste

Marinade: 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 c. white wine or sherry

2 c. apple juice

3 T. each thyme leaves and parsley leaves

1/2 c. light soy sauce

2 T. olive oil salt and chile flakes to taste 1 large or 2 small rabbits, jointed

Walnut tarator: 1 c. walnuts, toasted

2 16-ounce flank steaks

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Sauce:

Accompaniments:

3 T. rose petal jam

1 c. kimchi

1/2 c. breadcrumbs soaked in 1 c. milk for 5 minutes and then squeezed dry

1 small garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt

2 c. steamed short-grain rice

juice of one lemon

1/2 c. pickled ginger

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. olive oil

1 T. olive oil

2 to 3 heads butter lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed and spun or patted dry

kosher salt to taste

a good squeeze of lemon juice

hot sauce

kosher salt and black pepper

Maldon salt to finish

2 T. roughly chopped pistachios and/or dried rose petals to finish

Mix the marinade ingredients together and rub all over the hens. Place them in a dish and marinate for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. To make the sauce, mix the rose petal jam, garlic and cinnamon together in a bowl, then add the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat a grill over medium-high and cook the birds until slightly charred and just cooked throughout. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving with the sauce and pistachios or rose petals or both. Serves 6.

To make the marinade, combine all marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag, seal and shake to combine. Marinate the steaks for a minimum of 1 and maximum of 24 hours.

Preheat the grill over high heat. Remove the steaks from the marinade. If the steaks are too large to fit on the grill together comfortably, cut them in half with the grain. Grill for 6 to 10 minutes for medium-rare, or for 8 to 12 minutes for medium. When the steaks are done to your liking, remove them to a platter and let them rest for at least 5 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut the steaks into 1/4inch slices against the grain on a slight angle.

Serve the steaks on large cutting boards or platters with the accompaniments. Wrap the meat, rice, kimchi and ginger – sprinkled with hot sauce and Maldon salt – in the lettuce leaves to eat. Serves 4 to 6.

lemon wedges to serve

Place all of the ingredients for the marinade, except salt and chile flakes, in a blender and blend until almost smooth but not quite. Pour the marinade into a large bowl, season to taste with salt and chile flakes and add the rabbit pieces. Marinate the rabbit for at least 2 hours at room temp, or overnight in the fridge.

To make the tarator, place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. You may need to add a few drops of water to make the sauce blend up properly – the tarator should have the consistency of a thin mayonnaise. Place the tarator in a bowl and set aside.

Preheat a grill over medium-high and cook the rabbit until it’s slightly charred on the outside and just cooked on the inside – put the legs and shoulders on first – they will take about 10 minutes per side. When you flip the legs and shoulders over, add the saddle (loin) and cook for 5 minutes per side. Remove the rabbit to a serving platter; let it rest for 5 minutes, covered with foil, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Serve with the tarator on the side for drizzling.

Serves 4. ✤

Matthew Altizer is the catering chef at The Cookbook Co. Cooks.

24

JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

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CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

25

LOCALIZE Your Cocktail Canada’s micro-distilleries

by Dan Clapson

Farm-to-table is not really something we strive for anymore. It’s more of a culinary baseline. We want to know our potato farmers, we want to know our salmon fishermen – hell, we even want to know our cows. After we learned to appreciate the source of the ingredients on our dinner plates, it didn’t take long before we sought a more distinctive drink. The Labatt and Coors products are now – happily – left on the shelves of local liquor stores, in exchange for craft brews like Village Blonde or Wild Rose Velvet Fog. I am A-ok with that.

The cocktail craze that’s swept Canada over the past few years has resulted in a newfound interest in locally produced spirits. From coast to coast, cities are having a torrid love affair with quality crafted cocktails. These days, I don’t just want a gin martini, I want to know which gin the bartender is using, where it came from, and, if the bartender happens to be flirting with me, I may want to know his story, too.

Leading the charge is an ever-growing list of Canadian micro-distilleries. Alcohol producers are working on a small scale and honing their products to appease the evolving palates of thirsty folks.

Christopher Cho, one of western Canada’s top mixologists, has developed cocktails for the restaurants of Canada’s Top Chef Dale MacKay and Vancouver’s Fable Restaurant, and is now the resident barkeep at Charcut. “‘Micro,’ to me, means ‘craft’,” says Cho, who prefers to work with small-batch spirits. “I feel like micro-distillers produce different quality products in terms of infusing different flavours, just like a craft brewery would. It’s local and, to me, that’s just the way I like to do things.“ At Charcut, the bar team uses Aquavitus and Absinthe from Okanagan Spirits, based out of Kelowna, in a variety of signature cocktails. When it comes to personal choice, however, Cho goes a bit further west.

“At home, I use Victoria Gin, from Vancouver Island. They also have a really amazing hemp vodka, which is great in a caesar.” Good to know. We are the birthplace of the caesar, after all!

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

Urban Distilleries also hails from Kelowna. This producer is a favourite with many BC restaurants, with a lineup of award-winning whisky, rum, gin and vodka. The Ontario distillery Sixty-Six Gilead is also gaining popularity across the country with its White Dragon Sh¯och¯u and Loyalist Gin, which contains hints of lavender and cucumber.

This may come as a bit of a surprise, but Saskatchewan is home to two microdistilleries. The first, Lumsden-based operation Last Mountain, began production of its whisky and vodka in 2010. Shortly after, Lucky Bastard Distillers opened up in Saskatoon. Lucky Bastard’s hand-crafted spirits – like Gambit Gin, infused with flavours of chamomile and saskatoon berries – are in high demand at restaurants around town. Its uniquely Saskatchewan Sea Buckthorn Liqueur is notable. It’s a bittersweet spirit made with tart berries found on the sturdy trees used as shelterbelts on farmland across the province.

When it comes to Alberta micro-distillers, though, the movement’s pace slows.

As a matter of fact, it pretty much halts. Due to Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) requirements, a distiller must produce a minimum amount of 250,000 litres to be in operation compared to only 250 litres in Saskatchewan.

This number may be attainable by craft brewers like Village Brewery, but it’s a far greater challenge for a small operation focusing solely on spirits. Just to put this into perspective, this minimum requirement is equivalent to one third of a million standard 750mL liquor bottles, or 4.25 million classic gin martinis per year.

Local liquor store owner and cocktail enthusiast Jesse Willis hopes for a change in AGLC policy. “Alberta has some world-renowned distilleries, like Alberta Premium, but that’s a gigantic distillery,” he says. “The laws are so prohibitive, and that’s the problem.”

Willis believes the policy is under review. “I would hope that there’s enough pressure on the AGLC to open it up. We have everything here. We have people that want to distill, we have great base products, great natural water, grain... so, why not?

Obviously we can’t have people making bathtub gin, but there are other ways to regulate that than slapping this ridiculous minimum production quantity on them.”

Willis co-owns the boutique liquor store Vine Arts on 1st St SW, just down the block from Taste. Willis and his partner, Jeff Jamieson, offer their customers one of the best selections of Canadian micro-distillery products in Calgary. Whether it’s the Pemberton Valley-produced Schramm Gin or Sixty-Six Gilead’s Whole Wheat Vodka,

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make great booze for your drinks. “When we opened, we thought we should have more of those ‘everyday’ liquors like Bacardi and Smirnoff,� explains Willis. “But as soon as our doors opened, what we were selling was the craft, the specialty stuff.�

Some relief of this drought is at hand.

Calgary’s first vodka micro-distillery, Dizzy Bird, is set to open its doors this fall. It will use Canadian wheat and glacier spring water, and will be distilled six times. Here’s hoping that this new spirit will fuel the “hyper-local� vodka martini that cocktail lovers crave.

Ask for these at your fave liquor store, including Calgary Co-op Wine Spirits Beer and Willow Park as well as at Vine Arts. If your fave liquor store doesn’t stock these micro-distilled spirits, maybe it should! ✤

EST. 1995

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Calgary s Best Artisan Soups Sandwiches

the selection in their shop is designed to be a home mixologist’s – or professional bartender’s – dream come true.

In categories like rum and gin, Vine Arts sells 10 specialty small-batch bottles for every one of the standard brands.

To complement small batch gins, like the Spirit Bear Okanagan Gin from Urban Distilleries, Willis suggests trying Porter’s Tonic, a locally-made tonic syrup that, when mixed in equal parts with soda water, adds a blast of citrus and herbaceous flavour.

Primal Soup Company

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Christopher Cho’s Recipe

Rain City Cocktail 2 oz. Victoria Gin 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth 1/4 oz. Amaro Montenegro 2 dashes of orange bitters 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Pour the Victoria gin, sweet vermouth, Amaro Montenegro, orange bitters and Angostura bitters into a glass shaker. Add ice and stir until it’s diluted and chilled. Rim a martini glass with an orange peel and strain the cocktail into the glass. Garnish with a fresh orange peel and serve.

Dan Clapson writes a food blog dansgoodside.com.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

27

HANDY SUMMER EATS

Summertime... and the eating is sloppy.

Hand-held food eaten outside. story and illustration by Pierre Lamielle

Food tastes better when you eat it with your hands.

There is a hand-to-mouth sensory connection when you lift a sloppy, juicy morsel into your face hole. It’s that two-handed, jaw-popping bite into something you’ve been craving.

It’s the first corner bite of a gooey grilled cheese, the soft squishy squeeze of a burger followed by the hot juices running down your arm, the cool shiver of melting ice cream hitting your hand.

So get outside this summer and make a mess on your shirt, your shoes and all over the city with these digitally enhanced hand-held foods.

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

3 best outdoor eating spots Hand-held food is going to make a mess even for the daintiest eater. Find yourself a happy little spot to munch in the “always open” outdoors. No reservations required.

Sunnyside Bluff The Sunnyside bluff along Crescent Road NW is the perfect place to eat anything with your hands. There are plenty of viewunobstructed, well-distributed benches to perch or lie on while you eat. Plus, you can watch the fit folks heaving up and down the wooden staircase while you snarffle your sloppy deliciousness.

The view of the city is unmatched by any view from a restaurant.

Prince’s Island A summertime hub filled with lots of people to watch you spill food on your shirt. Plan on making a day and night of it while you stay late and lovingly linger over a picnic basket while you enjoy Shakespeare in the Park.

Pearce Estate Park and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary The bird sanctuary is a lovely quiet location. Go to the sanctuary and eat at the picnic tables near the entrance, then wander around the park along paths and over bridges while enjoying the tranquility of birds and fish.

Wander around the Pearce Estate Park and check out the Habitat facility and Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery. Find out what fish eat while you enjoy sushi, or wander hither and thither along lush paths by the river.

Hand - picked picnics

S ticky fingers

Eating on the go is fine when you’re summer adventure bound. But if food is your destination then you’ll want to eat something more substantial with lots of finger licking variety.

Sweet treats will leave you with sticky digits. Just remembered to take the wet wipes out of your pocket before you go fumbling for them with jammy hands.

Janice Beaton Fine Foods Grilled Cheese

Jelly Modern Doughnuts

If you’re deft enough to ride your one-speed cruiser bicycle with just one hand, you can pick up a gooey grilled ham and cheese or the “daily whim” sandwich from Janice Beaton Fine Cheese. If you can manage your bike with no hands, you may want to get a cheese plate and ride your cheese wheels over to Mount Royal to flaunt your cheesy hipster cool vibe. jbfinecheese.com, @JBFCandFARM

River Café Picnic Unpacking a picnic is much more fun than packing one. Give River Café one day’s notice to pack your lunch or dinner picnic basket with bright seasonal salads, daily sandwiches, and of course, something sweet to eat. Lazily knock a soccer ball around Prince’s Island Park at lunchtime or tuck into a dinner picnic while you watch Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park.

403-261-7670, river-cafe.com

Sidewalk Citizen Bakery Sandwiches

Even though chef Grayson won big on Food Network’s Donut Throwdown, he’s still working the streets slinging his finger-lickin’ gooey doughnuts with awesome combinations like Mayor Nenshi’s salted caramel or maple bacon. Get hot, sticky sweet from your head to your feet. jellymoderndoughnuts.com/jelly-truck, @JellyModern

Village Ice Cream Hipsters go to Village Ice Cream to stay cool. The ice cream is so freaking creamy and awesome it makes all of us scream. It’s the type of deliciously rich ice cream that could be open from November to January and still have people lining up for a scoop in a blizzard.

The flavour offerings are expanding, but you’ll always find favourites like salted caramel and Phil and Sebastian coffee. villageicecream.com, @Villageicecream

Make me a sandwich! The combined forces of Aviv’s incredible bread and Colin’s flavourful sandwich fillings is nothing short of sandwich-craft. Get one of several daily sandwich offerings à la flavour du jour and a salad that is substantial enough to eat with your hands. If they don’t have the kale salad with pork hock, it’s because I ate it all.

Sidewalkcitizenbakery.com, @AvivFried, @ChefColinM

Gummi Boutique

F inger foods

T h u m bs up for food trucks

Some foods demand to be eaten the moment they land in your hot little hands. These are assorted tasty things that you won’t be able to transport anywhere... but you can try.

Since most food truck food is something juicy and drippy, it’s ideal that you’re already outside. Feel free to slop your tasty street eats all over the ground – just make sure your garbage gets to the trash can and not on the street.

Bon Ton Meat Market Pies

Cheesy Bizness

These pies are highly addictive, with delicious fillings like pork, steak and kidney and chicken pot pie wrapped in perfect flaky pastry. You’ll buy one, but the addictive nature of the pies will make you want to eat six more immediately, so leave the meat shop and go to a remote location like Bowness Park before you eat it and fly into a pie frenzy. bontonmeatmarket.com

Jimmy’s Shawarmas Jimmy’s A & A Deli not only has the best counter banter in the city, it makes the most hugemongous, sloppy and delicious shawarmas anywhere. Order one size down from what you think you could eat and still be ready for a food coma. It’s gushing with so much garlic sauce that you should eat it near a sprinkler. jimmysaanda.com

Le Petit Mousse Crêpes Roll into the Calgary Farmers’ Market to Le Petit Mousse any time of day and it’s the perfect time for a crêpe. Sweet, savoury or somewhere in the middle.

Watch your crêpe being made and filled with whatever tickles your taste buds then take it to go. Get in there with your hands and pick up the hot steamy crêpe to eat at one of the outdoor picnic tables surrounding the market.

Remember when a paper bag full of candy was a complete meal? You could have a gummi burger, an astro pop, bag full of Big League Chew and finish off with some fruity and delicious marshmallow strawberries. gummiboutique.ca, @GummiB_YYC

Hallelujah cheeses! You think you can make a grilled cheese at home? You’ve never made a grilled cheese like the Hot Mess. A spicy, meaty, cheesy slopper with a gooey fried egg. Hot damn, that’s a hot mess.

CheezyBizness.com, @cheezybiz

Alley Burger Alley Burger Mike keeps on trucking with the cult classic Alley Burger, a fatty pork patty with piri piri aioli and cheese curds. The big, beefy Whole Truck Burger delivers with a juicy Spring Creek Ranch beef patty topped however you like it. Dislocate your jaw so you can pile on awesome extras like bacon, cheese curds and a drippy fried egg. Now that’s a burger!

AlleyBurger.ca, @alleyburger

The Naaco Truck The naan and the taco fell in love on a hot summer’s day and produced the Naaco. Wrap both your hands around a warm Bodacious Bhaji with crispy chickpea fritters, smoked cheddar and loaded with lots of saucy goodness. Find a hot summer lover at Naaco and remember, messy eaters make better lovers. thenaacotruck.com, @TheNaacoTruck ✤ Pierre A. Lamielle is the chef behind Food On Your Shirt with Candace Bergman, award winning author of Kitchen Scraps and co-author with Julie Van Rosendaal of Alice Eats: A Wonderland Cookbook, out fall 2013. He loves eating finger sandwiches and getting food on his shirt.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

29

The

7

dance of the

The number seven has significance in many different parts of our lives – whether it’s one of the seven Hindu chakras (energy centres), one of the seven deadly sins or even one of the seven dwarves – we all have our own special attachments to the number seven.

salads

by Matthew Altizer

Seven is an especially important number in Islamic countries like Morocco; it’s not only sacred in Moroccan religions, it’s also an essential number in all Moroccan kitchens. The Moroccans always put seven different vegetables in their vegetable tagines; bokharat is a popular Arabic spice blend that contains seven different spices; there are usually seven different kinds of salad served as appetizers before Moroccan meals.

The thought of so many different salads on the table might make your head spin, but the delicate sweet and savoury flavours all mix together and dance around on your palate like a magic carpet ride. Fruit and vegetables, cumin, cinnamon and orange blossom water – flavours that might not normally go together suddenly make perfect partners.

A good salad dance would be impossible without a bit of balance. The following recipes have been designed so that they can not only be served alone and dance to the beat of their own drums, they can also be served together and boogie down with their closest friends.

Zucchini Salad with Preserved Lemon Preserved lemons impart a delicious flavour to almost anything that they are added to. Make sure to rinse them off well and remove the flesh or they will be too salty. Find them at Middle Eastern grocery stores.

1 lb. baby zucchini, thinly sliced with a mandolin or vegetable peeler 2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with salt 1 t. freshly ground cumin 6 T. olive oil juice of one lemon 1/2 preserved lemon rind, rinsed and thinly sliced kosher salt and pepper to taste small handful of mint leaves

Place the zucchini in a large bowl and toss with the garlic, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice and preserved lemon. Toss well with the salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle the salad with mint leaves and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Potato and Olive Salad You can use whatever olives you want – black or green, pitted or not. Just be sure to tell your guests if they’re not pitted. You can also use baby potatoes cut in half before cooking.

1 lb. potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped 1 c. olives 4 T. olive oil 2 T. white wine vinegar kosher salt and pepper to taste 2 T. chopped chives (and chive flowers if available)

Place the potatoes in a pot and cover them with water. Bring them to a boil over medium-high heat, season the water with salt, and cook until the potatoes are just tender. Drain well and transfer the potatoes to a bowl, adding the olives, olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine and transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve. Serves 4.

Chopped Moroccan Salad This is the most classic of all Moroccan salads. It seems as if every Mediterranean country has its own version of this salad, but the addition of argan oil makes it strictly Moroccan. Argan oil is made from a rare type of almond that only grows in Morocco and can be found in specialty food stores. If you can’t find it, use walnut oil instead. Lebanese cukes are the small ones you find most everywhere.

1 c. cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced 2 Lebanese cucumbers quartered lengthwise and cut into cubes 2 T. Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped 1 T. argan oil 3 T. olive oil juice of one lemon kosher salt and pepper to taste

Combine the tomatoes, onion and cucumber in a bowl. Add the parsley, argan oil, olive oil, lemon juice and toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

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continued on page 32

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The

7

dance of the

continued from page 30

salads

Cabbage, Walnut and Sultana Salad

Radish Salad with Orange Blossom Water

This salad comes together very quickly and is packed with wonderful complex flavours. Ras el hanout is a classic Moroccan spice mix that is always different depending on the person who made it. It can have anywhere from 35 to 80 different spices – find it at Silk Road Spice Merchant in Inglewood and the Calgary Farmers’ Market.

When little bunches of multicoloured radishes are available, this is the perfect dish to highlight their beautiful colours. You can substitute grated carrot for the radishes. Orange blossom water has a delicate floral flavour that works equally well in both sweet and savoury dishes.

1 medium or 2 small heads Savoy or Napa cabbage

3 bunches of radishes, trimmed 1 T. orange juice 1 t. orange blossom water

1 c. walnuts, toasted

1 T. roughly chopped Italian parsley

2 T. sultana raisins

1/2 T. roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

4 T. olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. grapeseed oil

1/4 t. ras el hanout

1 T. olive oil

kosher salt and pepper to taste

kosher salt and pepper

Slice the cabbage so that you have some pieces that are finely chopped, and some pieces that are coarse. Place the cabbage in a large bowl and add the walnuts, crushing them lightly into the bowl with your hands. Add the raisins, followed by the olive oil and vinegar, then sprinkle in the ras el hanout. Toss the salad together, check for seasoning. Let the salad sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, cut the radishes into very thin slices. Place them in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Serves 4.

Eggplant Salad with Pomegranate and Tomatoes Beet Salad with Pistachio Dressing This salad is equally delicious with cooked beets that have been sliced into wedges or raw beets that have been very thinly sliced using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler.

Dressing:

Choose lighter eggplants over heavier ones because they have fewer seeds and won’t be as bitter. Pomegranate molasses, a thick syrup made from reduced pomegranate juice, is available at Middle Eastern grocers and specialty food stores.

Dressing: 1/3 c. pomegranate molasses

1 c. pistachios, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt

2 T. finely chopped parsley

4 T. olive oil

1 t. finely chopped mint

salt and pepper to taste

1 t. lemon juice

Salad:

1/2 t. sugar

3 medium eggplants

7 T. olive oil

2 T. tahini

1/2 t. lemon zest

1 c. ripe cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

4 T. water 1/2 t. orange blossom water (at Middle Eastern

groceries and specialty stores)

2 green onions, thinly sliced on an angle 1 handful mint leaves

1 small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, stems removed

For the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together, season to taste and set aside. Grill the eggplants over a hot barbecue or on the flame of a gas grill until the skin is charred and crisp.

If neither option is available, prick the eggplants with a fork and place them in a very hot oven (450°F) for 45-60 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Finely chop the pistachios or pulse them in a food processor until crushed. Transfer the pistachios to a bowl and whisk together with all of the other dressing ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. Dress the beets with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Spread the beets over a serving platter and spoon the pistachio dressing over them, sprinkle with parsley and serve. Serves 4.

When the eggplants are cool enough to touch, cut off the tops and peel away the skin using a small paring knife. Chop the flesh roughly, then place it in a large mixing bowl and mix until almost smooth. Add the tahini and dressing to taste and adjust for seasoning. You may not need to use all of the dressing. Spread the eggplant onto a serving platter and top with the tomatoes, green onions and mint. Serves 4. ✤

kosher salt and black pepper

Salad: 1/2 lb. beets, peeled and very thinly sliced 2 T. lemon juice 2 T. olive oil

Matthew Altizer is the catering chef at The Cookbook Co. Cooks.

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

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33

A Good Pud

The proof of the pudding is in the eating – a guide to sumptuous summer puddings.

by Chris Halpin

Puddings come in many forms. Baked puddings and steamed puddings are cake-like and I think of them as fall and winter fare. There are composed puddings, like the British trifle or the Italian tiramisu, which have English Summer Pudding When I think of layers of cake, fruit and custard. with Ginger Crème summer puddings, I think Canadians tend to think of of puddings that come together This a fun little pudding to make. When you first look at the with minimal fuss and celebrate puddings as custards and ingredients, you can’t be blamed for thinking, “Fruit in a bread cup? the delicious freshness of summer Hmmmm!” But when the pudding sets for the correct amount of time, mousses – these are fruits and berries. Some are warm and you should no longer be aware of the bread. Rather, it should have comforting, others are cool and frothy. the puddings of my the texture of compressed berries that magically stay in a tight little What they all have in common is that childhood and shape. Leave it to the Brits to use bread with fruit to devise such an they’re simple to make and are elegant pudding. The ginger crème is a great alternative to a custard have warm visually appealing, while tasting sauce, which is traditionally what would be served with this memories more complex than they dessert. The trick to this sauce is to get the cream boiling actually are. for me. as fast as you can, without having it boil over.

Pudding 2 c. fresh raspberries 2 c. fresh blackberries 2 c. fresh black cherries pitted and quartered 1 c. sugar 1/2 t. vanilla 26 slices of white sandwich bread (day old is best)

Ginger Crème 4 c. whipping cream 1 c. sugar 1/2 t. dry ginger

Put the berries, cherries, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and lightly crush the berries with a wooden spoon, stirring until the sugar is well mixed in. Set aside and stir from time to time to help extract the juices from the fruit. The more juice you have, the better the pudding will be.

Allow the berries to sit for at least an hour – the longer the better.

Have 8 single-serving ramekins and plastic wrap ready. Using one of the ramekins as a measurement guide, cut 16 bread rounds and set them aside. Remove the crusts from 10 slices of bread and cut each slice lengthwise on the longest side, into two strips. (You’ll have some extra bread for the side, just in case you need a little piece to close a gap in the bread.)

Line each ramekin with enough plastic wrap so there’s enough excess wrap hanging over the sides to seal the top of the pudding. Press the wrap snugly into the bottom and up the sides. Put one of the bread disks on the bottom of each ramekin and line the sides with bread strips, so the sides are completely lined with bread.

Spoon the berry mixture and some of the juice into each ramekin to nearly fill it. Place another disk of bread on top and press down so the top disk of bread is sitting even with, or just below, the top of the ramekin. Spoon some more juice over the bread and wrap the ramekin tightly with the excess plastic wrap.

Repeat with each ramekin, then place them all on a tray. Before putting them in the fridge, place another tray on top of the ramekins and weigh it down with some heavy things from your fridge. Let the puddings set in the fridge for 24 hours and up to 3 days before serving.

To make the ginger crème: put the ingredients in a large, heavy pot over high heat. Stir the cream until the sugar is dissolved and bring it to a rolling boil. Boil, stirring, until the cream is reduced by about half. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.

To serve, unwrap each ramekin so that the top of each pudding is exposed. Turn each upside down onto a plate and gently remove the ramekins and plastic from the puddings. Spoon the ginger crème over top and serve. Serves 8.

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Baked Saskatoon Berry Custard This recipe is great with any kind of berry, red currants and cherries. This is my go-to recipe when I haul a flat of berries home from the farmers’ market. It’s low fuss and makes good leftovers for breakfast. I like saskatoons because I think they’re a berry that’s best cooked and they look beautiful in the custard.

1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. flour a pinch of salt 1 c. half-and-half cream or whole milk 2 eggs 1/2 t. vanilla 1 t. butter 2 c. saskatoon berries

Pre-heat the oven to 325°F. Put the sugar, flour and salt into a bowl and mix well. Set aside. Put the cream, eggs and vanilla into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Allow the custard to sit for 5 minutes, then give it another 20-second blend.

Lightly butter a 9” glass or ceramic pie plate or a shallow casserole dish and add the saskatoon berries. Pour the custard over the berries. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the centre is all but set. To test this, lightly jiggle the dish and when only the very centre, about the size of a loonie, moves, it’s ready to come out.

Place the custard on a cooling rack and allow it to cool slowly, at room temp, for a finer texture. When cool, serve with a sprinkle of sugar or serve completely chilled. Serve leftovers for breakfast with table cream poured over them... mmmmmm. Serves 8.

continued on page 36 JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

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CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

35

A Good Pud

Apricot Almond Meringue

continued from page 34

This pudding is very straightforward and is as much a treat for the eye as it is for the palate. Apricots from the Okanagan are a personal summertime favourite, but you can use any soft fruit, such as plums or raspberries.

For individual serving containers, besides ramekins, try using different types of glasses, china coffee/tea cups, even little jam and jelly canning jars. Use whatever you can find that’s small enough for a single serving, will look pretty and will add a little “theatre” to your pudding.

With most of these recipes, use whatever fruit catches your eye at the farmers’ market that’s perfectly fresh.

1/2 c. icing sugar 1/2 t. dried ginger a pinch of allspice 12 fresh Okanagan apricots pitted and cut into thin slices 1/2 c. icing sugar 1 t. cream of tartar 12 egg whites 1/2 t. almond extract

White Chocolate Panna Cotta Blackberry Compote Panna cotta is a wonderful pudding from northern Italy that is similar to a crème brûlée, but so much less finicky. It’s quick to make but needs at least six hours to fully set before serving. When it comes to fresh summer berries, I think the less that’s done to them, the better. This compote is just sugar, berries and a little vanilla. A very small amount of vanilla with berries helps brighten their flavour, the same way that salt works for savoury foods. The acid in the sugar draws the juices from the berries to make a beautiful jewelcoloured syrup.

3 c. half-and-half cream 1 c. chopped white chocolate 2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4-1/2 t.)

1/4 c. cold water 1-1/2 c. fresh blackberries 1/4 c. icing sugar 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Put the cream into a medium pot over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Remove it from the heat and stir in the white chocolate, stirring until all the chocolate is melted and thoroughly mixed in.

Put the cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water. Allow it to soften – this will take 2-3 minutes. When the gelatin is soft, mix it with the water until fully dissolved. Stir the gelatin into the chocolate cream mixture and continue to stir for 2-3 minutes to ensure it’s completely mixed in.

Spoon the panna cotta into 8 martini glasses or champagne flutes. Leave room at the top for the compote, which is added just before serving. Arrange the glasses on a tray and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to set, about 6 hours.

To make the compote, put the blackberries, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and stir gently until the sugar is mixed in. Place in the refrigerator and stir from time to time until the sugar has dissolved and there’s a lovely syrup. When you’re ready to serve the panna cotta, arrange each glass on a little plate and spoon the compote over top. Serves 8.

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

Dark Chocolate and Greengage Plum Soufflé

1/2 c. sliced blanched almonds

I love soufflés. They’re so cakey-pudding-y and are simple to make, but most people think they’re difficult. The thing about soufflés is that, when you remove them from the oven, you must eat them almost immediately. What I do to avoid a last minute panic is to make the custard about an hour or two before the guests arrive. About half an hour before dinner, I beat the egg whites and fold them into the custard.

I assemble the soufflés in the ramekins and place them on a baking tray – they can sit like that for another 30 to 45 minutes before going into the oven.

Pre-heat the oven to 300°F. Mix the sugar, ginger and allspice in a bowl. Add the apricots and stir gently until the fruit is evenly coated, then set aside.

6 greengage plums, pitted and thinly sliced

Arrange 8 china coffee/tea cups on a baking tray and divide the apricot mixture equally among the cups. Spoon a generous dollop of the meringue on top, then sprinkle with the sliced almonds and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the peaks of the meringue and almonds are a golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature garnished with a dusting of icing sugar. Serves 8. ✤

1/2 c. sugar 1/2 t. vanilla 1 c. chopped dark bitter-sweet chocolate 1/2 c. whipping cream 8 egg whites

icing sugar for garnish

Put the icing sugar and cream of tartar into a small bowl and whisk well.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites into soft peaks with a large balloon whisk. Beat in the almond extract, then sprinkle in half the sugar mixture and beat until fully incorporated.

Sprinkle in the remaining sugar and beat to stiff peaks.

4. egg yolks 1/2 c. sugar 2 T. butter sugar for coating the ramekins icing sugar for dusting

Mix the plums, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and set aside.

Put the chocolate and cream into a stainless steel bowl.

In a medium-sized pot, bring about 3 inches of water to a rolling boil. Place the chocolate/cream mixture on top of the pot of boiling water and reduce the heat to simmer. Allow the chocolate to almost completely melt before stirring, then stir until the chocolate and cream are completely blended and smooth. Set aside to cool a bit.

Put the egg whites in a bowl and set aside.

Put the yolks into a small bowl with the sugar and beat until smooth. Stir the egg yolks and sugar into the chocolate just until fully incorporated. (At this point you can hold the custard until you’re ready to finish the soufflé.)

Lightly coat the inside of 8 ramekins with butter, then dust the butter with sugar. (The sugar acts as a ladder for the custard to climb up.) Arrange the ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside until you’re ready to assemble the dessert.

To finish the soufflé, about 30 to 45 minutes before baking, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into the custard. Spoon some of the plum slices and the syrup into each ramekin and then spoon the custard over the fruit, to just under the top of the ramekin.

Pre-heat the oven to 375° F. Fifteen minutes before you want to serve dessert, place the soufflés in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place each ramekin on a dessert plate. Dust each soufflé with icing sugar and serve immediately. Serves 8.

Chris Halpin has been teaching people how to make urban food fast and fun for 16 years and is the owner of Manna Catering Services, 403-616-8008, email@mannaonline.com.

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Your best restaurant meal in Calgary...

Calgary has such a smokin’ hot restaurant scene these days, so we asked people to tell us where they had their best restaurant meal and why it was so good. We were interested to read about all the different kinds of “best meals” people have had.

Laura Di Lembo

My favourite restaurant meal in Calgary is at Pho Binh Minh. This is a humble little family-run Vietnamese pho shop that rises above the plethora of many other similar shops in the city. Seventeen years ago I arrived here from Montreal and really missed ethnic food. Hearing that Calgary did Vietnamese food well, I began my quest for a perfect bowl of pho and landed at Pho Binh Minh first. Impressive!

Great pho is all about the quality of the broth – the balance of the right aromatics, the clean taste, the rich and almost sweet flavour. Check. Then, it’s all about the add-ins – lean and tender slivers of raw beef that cook instantly in your bowl. No sinew, no fat, just meaty excellence. Indeed! The rice noodles must be firm yet supple, a gentle tangle to unravel with your chopsticks. Oh yeah. Freshness of herbs, a squeeze of lime and impeccable bean sprouts are essential. Yup. I had struck gold on my first attempt. In the years that followed this excellent initiation, I have eaten pho at many other spots in town and nobody, nobody does it better than Pho Binh Minh. What the place lacks in ambience, it makes up for in flavour.

This is no-nonsense, family-friendly, inexpensive, casual comfort food done absolutely right every time, my number one choice for a guaranteed great meal in Calgary again and again and again. (4710 - 17th Ave. SE)

Colin and Marilyn Grant Our favourite meal outing is breakfast. We try new places all the time. Now, we find ourselves going to The Fine Diner in Inglewood as often as all others combined.

Everything we’ve ordered off the menu is perfect, portions leave you satiated and the flavours are memorable. We like the “Inferno Benny” – nobody does bennies as well as Fine Diner. Not only is it the best food, the service is friendly, prompt and polite. Rob, the chef/owner, wanders through bringing his friendly smile and jovial demeanor to his patrons. The location and diner are places of comfort and have a slow pace – just the way we like to start the day. (1420 - 9th Ave. SE)

Morgan K.

Michelle Mason 

One night a few weeks ago at Charcut Roast House, chefs Connie and John prepared bison shank. It was huge, and the meat just fell off the bone and was absolutely luscious. In a huge cast-iron pot the shank arrived resting on top of an abundance of creamy polenta. Chef Connie presented the Beast and took a smaller shank that she had roasted and proceeded to scoop the marrow out of the bone and stir it into the polenta. This meal brought out the cave woman in me, as you can see! (899 Centre St. SW)

Tiffany LaFleur

I like to consider myself a foodie. Fortunately, I work as a registered dietitian so I can talk food all day. When it comes to eating out, I have discovered so many places to get great tastes in Calgary. Many are beautifully designed and very trendy, with creative cocktails served as you wait in the lounge for an ever-popular table. My favourite meal does not come from one of these places though. It’s not about decor or ambiance, it’s about the consistently incredible rice vermicelli bowls. If you have not been to Oriental Phoenix for Vietnamese, you must go and get either #19 (bún with barbecued pork – an old family recipe – and crispy spring rolls on rice vermicelli) or #21 (bún with wok-fried lemongrass beef on rice vermicelli). I have been going to this restaurant since I was young, with my family, and it was a little place in a strip mall south of Glenmore Trail. My Dad knew the owner who told us he sent profits back to his family in Vietnam. Now there are two locations. I go regularly with my girlfriends to fulfill our craving for “O.P.” (104 - 58th Ave. SE; 401 - 9th Ave. SW)

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

The most delicious breakfast ever – except at Grandma’s! – at Red’s Diner. The hollandaise sauce is rich and delicious. And the potatoes are super scrumptious.

(1415 - 4th St. SW) Also, on the best drinks front, love the fantastic wine menu at Sky 360 (top of the Calgary Tower).

Keri Adams Hands down, my best meal was at Cassis Bistro. I went with four girlfriends for our book club meeting a while back. The service was fantastic. We all tried each other’s meals and all five were incredible! Fresh, creative, delicious. I could... and will... eat there over and over again!

I can’t remember the details of what everyone had, but I know I had halibut. It was cooked to perfection. Light and flaky and so very tasty. The veg were cooked just right… tender-crisp, with loads of flavour. One of my friends had lamb.

Normally, I’m not so fond of lamb, but had my halibut not been so incredibly delicious I would have wished I’d ordered the lamb instead.

Everything that hit the table was mouth watering! There was not a single item that was amiss. One of us had a fresh spring salad. It had a lot of creative touches – like fiddleheads – that made it really stand out from most salads.

Another had the steak frites, which was perfectly juicy, tender and delicious. The fries were fresh, hot and crisp… and enjoyed by everyone around the table. And the cocktails… we had an assortment of bright, fun, sparkling cocktails.

The thing that really stands out in my mind about our Cassis meal – since it was my first time there and I didn’t know what to expect – was the freshness and flavours of the food. Everything was prepared to perfection, delivered with a smile, and every bite was a tasty treat. (2505 - 17th Ave. SW, in Casel Marché) continued on page 40

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Mark Up! Local L ocal mega-retailer Mark’s makes a move into the world of fashion & we take a look behind the brand

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MARCH 2011

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city palate 1993 – 2013

Your best restaurant meal in Calgary... continued from page 38

Mona Poon from Edmonton CELEBRATING 20 DELICIOUS YEARS wITh 20 DELICIOUS EvENTS

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Date: Saturday, August 17th, 11-2 pm

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pROCEEDS fROm ThIS EvENT wILL GO TO A CALGARY fOOD ChARITY

My fiancé and I drove to Calgary on a Thursday evening after work. It happened to be Valentine’s Day, so he had made dinner plans at Home Tasting Room on Stephen Ave. This was one of our favourite restaurants in Calgary, as we stumbled upon it unexpectedly last summer after a long hike in the mountains. He chose this restaurant based on our last experience and what a good choice! The Valentine’s Day dinner was one of the best meals we’ve ever had. My fiancé and I dine out fairly often, and more often than not, we’re disappointed with the quality and taste of the food and the price tag that comes with it. We can both say that Home Tasting Room has exceeded our expectations both times we were there.

For our Valentine’s dinner, we chose two different prix fixe menus so we could taste all the different dishes. We started off with a light amuse bouche to whet our appetites. For the appetizers, I had the caramelized Poplar Bluff French onion soup, while my fiancé had the Alberta beef tartare with a horseradish aioli. My soup was absolutely delicious, the onions sweet and the flavour well balanced. The tartare was really good, the beef very fresh.

For our mains, I got the Quebec duck leg confit with Poplar Bluff potatoes and broccolini. Again, this dish was wonderful. The duck was cooked perfectly – the meat moist and the skin light and crispy. The potatoes were crushed with their skins on, buttery and crispy all at the same time. My fiancé got the seared Pacific scallops with a leek and cauliflower fricassee, topped with a lobster cream reduction and mustard greens. It was funny, because he’s not a lobster fan, but the way this was cooked, he absolutely loved it and devoured every bit! Not to mention that the executive chef was former Top Chef Canada competitor, Xavier Lacaze. We were thrilled that he actually cooked our meals!

For dessert, I chose the white chocolate mousse with a raspberry compote and macadamia nut brittle. Oh. My. Gosh. The brittle was something I’d never had before – crunchy and buttery with lots of macadamia nuts. I couldn’t get enough of this! My fiancé chose the dark chocolate fondue strawberries with cocoa shortbread sticks and home-made marshmallows. Mmmmmm.

Overall, our food was executed perfectly – full of flavour and everything well balanced. (110 - 8th Ave. SW) After our meal, we drove back to the hotel where we were staying – the beautiful Kensington Riverside Inn. We checked in and dropped off our luggage, when I saw a trail of rose petals on the floor! We followed the trail, then he took my hand and got down on one knee and proposed! I had to catch my breath and needed to sit down because I was still full from that wonderful dinner. I said “yes!”

(1126 Memorial Dr. NW)

Lynne Kover

Collins English Dictionary defines Best as 1. the superlative of good and, 2. most excellent of a particular group, category, etc. It also describes a celebration with two of my best friends at Alloy restaurant.

It was the best: •

to walk into a pretty setting like none I had been in before

•

to have service that was attentive, informative and made the right suggestions

•

red wine (our server’s suggestion) to complement the evening’s meal

•

to start with an array of deliciously salty and glistening olives, subtly seasoned smooth hummus and warm chewy pita bread... yum

•

roasted beet and goat cheese salad

•

that Alloy took one of the tastiest cuts of beef – short ribs – braised in red wine and created ribs that were juicy and succulent

•

to have sides that were seasonal and well prepared – the deep fried dragon tongue beans were particularly interesting and tasty

•

strawberry pavlova ever – a crisp yet tender exterior, with a soft inside set atop a pool of strawberries with bright floral flavour and a gorgeous colour

•

to take our time,enjoy the company, the surroundings, the progression of the meal and a fine dining experience

(220 - 42nd Ave. SE) ✤

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

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CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

41

Eating Houston the Hospitable This Texas city isn’t just about oil and gas.

by Omar Mouallem HOUSTON, Texas – Underbelly chef Chris Shepherd gestures for me to follow him to the open kitchen. We cross the dining room, past its 180 seats, glass-encased charcuterie locker, tables showcasing his amazing culinary range – from Korean-inspired salads to silky beet panna cotta – and stop at the steel counter, where the cooks and a few patrons await us.

“We have a tradition at the end of the night,” says the chef, and hands each participating staff and customer an upside down beer can. Its label has a busty blonde cowgirl riding a missile but, more noticeably, it’s been punctured near the bottom. He quickly jabs a receipt on a spike, mutters “blackened tuna collar” to a passing server, hands her the dish, and nods at us.

We put the can to our lips and pull the tabs. In three seconds, Shepherd’s beer has been emptied into the former defensive lineman’s body and tossed into a bus pan.

The others follow, and after 10 seconds, mine’s the last one in. “I haven’t been beaten yet,” says Shepherd. This is a one-beer ritual at Underbelly, but no one would frown if the chef celebrated tonight by shotgunning another. After all, six hours earlier he was getting wrapped in measuring tape for a custom shirt to wear to the 2013 James Beard Foundation Awards. It’s his first nomination, meriting his first piece from Hamilton Shirts, a 130-year-old institution and one of the few distinct symbols of Houston.

Each of the five great cities in Texas is renowned for something different: San Antonio for its Hispanic culture, Dallas for its glitz, Fort Worth for its cowboys and Austin for its arts scene. But Houston? Its connections to NASA and oil and gas aside, the biggest city in the state lacks the cultural associations of its siblings. If Shepherd and a tight circle of bar and restaurant owners have their way, however, Houston will start to conjure images of unforgettable food and drink.

There’s good evidence it’s already happening. Two of the five finalists in James Beard’s Southwest category hailed from here. And when the New York Times put out its 2013 list of Places to Go in the world, Houston came in at number seven, largely because of restaurants like Underbelly and Uchi, a Japanese bistro imported from Austin that’s not unlike an out-of-body experience.

The push to this culinary frontier hasn’t been easy. When Houston’s city council tried to impose laws increasing parking spots, which would have eviscerated niche venues in aging neighbourhoods, Shepherd and other small business owners united and won.

They celebrated by opening OKRA Charity Saloon in the city’s placid downtown to both strengthen the community and prove a point: Houston is done with big-box chains.

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continued on page 44

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Eating Houston the Hospitable

city palate

continued from page 42

1993 – 2013

Across from a gorgeously refurbished landmark, Hotel Icon, OKRA isn’t just the hottest downtown bar. It’s a nonprofit organization.

CELEBRATING 20 DELICIOUS YEARS wITh 20 DELICIOUS EvENTS

Join us for a pitch-perfect picnic!

Date: Sunday, August 25th, noon-2 pm

“Once all the lights and the back stock is paid for, once I pay for that –” says manager Mike Criss, pointing to my pint,” – and for the person who served it to you, the profit goes to charity.” Indeed, my slightly bitter and fruity Buffalo Bayou 1836 came with a ticket to drop into one of four ballot boxes representing new charities each month, from literacy centres to women’s shelters. Every four weeks, they’re tallied up and one charity wins the month’s profits.

Calgary Opera – Picnic in the Village

Criss moved here three years ago and immediately noticed Houston’s generous nature. “I’ve never been in a city where so many people want to get involved together.

I’m from L.A. Man, nobody there wants to help your bar be better than their bar.”

Calgary Opera presents Opera in the Village, Canada’s first outdoor summer opera festival.

As a part of this inaugural event, City Palate presents Picnic in the Village.

Reserve a delicious picnic lunch created

by Sidewalk Citizen Bakery and River Café. Enjoy it by the river while listening to roving recitals, then stay on for a matinée performance of The Pirates of Penzance from Calgary Opera.

Indeed, at Oxheart restaurant, the server gives me a menu of recommended restaurants. Justin Yu, Oxheart’s 28-year-old owner and chef, and one of OKRA’s co-founders, says there’s a barn-raising culture among them. It came into effect over the last few years, as many of the people who represented Houston’s decades-long brain drain started returning to the economically thriving city, including Yu. After cooking in Copenhagen, he opened this 31-seater in a part of town where sidewalks seem to be collapsing.

When it comes to placing your order, jokes Oxheart sommelier Justin Vann, “I just want you to know that it‘s our way or the highway, but if you turn the tables over to us, we’re going to make it interesting.” He didn’t have to tell me that; it crosses my mind the moment I pull up to the chef’s table and observe the cooks who, like lab workers, painstakingly lift chrysanthemum petals with tweezers to assemble my salad.

Location: RiverWalk Plaza, East Village

The whole Oxheart experience is a dare – a dare to come to this part of town, pick one of the chef’s three tasting menus, eat zealously seasonal food, only use a steak knife once per meal and try by-catch fish, like brotula, that few chefs would touch.

Tickets: $30 per picnic lunch, through Calgary Opera 403.262.7286 and calgaropera.com/arghh

All of Yu’s fish come from the Gulf of Mexico and, specifically, from P.J. Stoops, the Saturday fish-monger at Revival Market. This is another recently established gem, and it manages to stuff a grocery store, deli, espresso bar, butchery and restaurant in a space that Safeway would deem insufficient for its bread aisle. The only uniform here is a funky hat, but none sticks out like the red fedora donned by the woman selling fresh-baked kolache, a ricotta-filled pastry.

(Performance tickets sold separately)

No surprise, Revival is owned by two more OKRA collaborators, farmer Morgan Weber and chef Ryan Pera. The other co-founder is cocktail master Bobby Heugel of Anvil Bar & Refuge, where I’m headed tonight. But first, Chris Shepherd and his wife Rocio Gonzalez are taking me on a field trip to the part of Houston they love most.

Within a minute of them picking me up from Revival, we’re on one of the three freeways that loop through and around Houston. Pumping Bun B, the city’s most famous rapper (and Underbelly enthusiast), on the speakers, the Nebraska-born and Oklahomaraised chef is obviously proud to live here. But he admits there are drawbacks – most of them symptoms of being one of the most sprawling cities in America.

“If you want to see the diversity of the city, get off the freeway,” Shepherd says. I see what he means when, after exiting past a Denny’s, we’re thrust into a six-mile stretch of Chinatown. These restaurants are nothing like the nouveau establishments for which Houston is becoming known, but they deserve equal acknowledgement.

After a short lunch at Hong Kong Dim Sum, named the eighth best Chinese restaurant in America by ChineseMenu.com, he takes me to Crawfish & Noodles, which has the distinction of being a Vietnamese/Louisiana restaurant so popular it just moved into a new space to double its size.

NEW AT OUR SOUTH STORE: Chorizo and beef quesadillas, Carnitas, pastor, Asada, Chorizo tacos, Cuban sandwiches... and much more!

Authentic ingredients for all your Mexican recipes – check us out at one of our three locations, or online at unimarket.ca South Calgary 128 - 50th Avenue SE 403-255-4479

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North Calgary 2405 Edmonton Trail NE 403-984-3373

JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

Red Deer 5317 50th Avenue 403-309-4479

I’m a newbie, and I need my hosts to show me how to eat crawfish. Shepherd is glad to oblige. He takes it by the head, pinches it, twists it and sucks out the meat and the garlicky juice from the tail, a move that’s easier said than done. I try and get nothing but air, but I improve to the point where, eventually, everything tastes like spicy crawfish – even my water.

We make a quick stop at a Chinese supermarket so Shepherd can pick up barbecued duck for his staff meal and one for Oxheart’s, too. He drops me off at Revival and gives me the same handshake and hug he gives members of the OKRA family.

Now I’m definitely feelin’ the love. ✤ Edmonton-based writer and rapper Omar Mouallem has contributed to enRoute, Westworld Alberta and up! He is the Edmonton Public Library’s 2013 writer-in-residence.

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stockpot Stirrings around Calgary a very good thing n Grow Calgary, an initiative to provide fresh produce to local low-income families, has officially taken root. The project is not only Canada’s largest urban agricultural farm, but also one of the leading food justice programs in all of North America.

The volunteer-run project aims to grow 100,000 lbs. of produce to be donated to Calgarians who might not otherwise have access to local, fresh food, via the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank. The Concorde Group is a corporate sponsor to help raise funds and volunteer engagement, with Justin Leboe the Chef Ambassador. Visit growcalgary.ca, facebook.com/GrowCalgary, Twitter: @growcalgary.

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The new Symons Valley Ranch is Calgary’s gathering place for those who appreciate all things local.

From produce, to baking, to special events—it’s all here.

restaurant ramblings n We expect great things from this – a new restaurant headed up by Top Chef Canada contender Xavier Lacaze in partnership with Brad Taylor and Darren Lexa, called BRIGGS Kitchen and Bar on 10th Ave. SW, the former Cannery Row location.

The menu will be based on new cooking techniques devised by using imported Spanish ovens to deliver Lacaze’s food at a great value in a casual atmosphere. Open now at 317 - 10th Ave. SW.

14555 Symons Valley Road NW Five minutes north of Stoney Trail, off Exit 50 symonsvalleyranch.com F I N E F O O D 1 M A R K E T 1 G A R D E N S 1 FA R M S T O R E 1 S P E C I A L E V E N T S

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fine wine?

n Summer’s here at last, time to eat on the patio – a three-course lunch at Vin Room Mission and Vin Room West for $25 per person, available Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Vin Room also offers Sunday dinner done differently. Enjoy a three-course familystyle tapas dinner for $35 per person every Sunday evening, available at both locations. Pair your dinner with bubbles at 20% off all evening. Start your week off right – no cooking, no dishes to wash!

Details at vinroom.com.

Think again.

Over 250 sensational wines for less than $20 Hundreds of organic and sustainable wines Great food and wine pairing advice Fun and informative weekly tastings

making wine fun

www.jwebb.net Glenmore Landing: 90th Ave. and 14th St. SW

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

n If you’ve never been to a PaSu Farm South African BBQ, you’re in for a flavour treat and a lot of good eating. On Saturday nights the restaurant opens at 6 p.m. for cocktails and refreshments. Guests can sit outside or take a walk in the gardens.

Supper is served at 7 p.m., consisting of barbecued chicken, sirloin steak, lamb ribs and homemade South African boerewors (sausage). In addition: salads, corn bread, African chili and dessert, all served buffet-style. A veritable feast for $45 every Saturday throughout the summer until the end of September, weather permitting.

Check pasu.com for dates.

|

Casel Marché: 24th St. and 17th Ave. SW

n Vacay.ca is a respected source of information about the best places to see, sleep and eat in Canada and the originator of the annual Canada’s 50 Best Restaurants.

On the 2013 list of the 50 top restaurants, Calgary scooped eight spots, more than any other city in Canada except for Toronto. Woooo-hoooo! We are sooooo good, but we already know that. Good to get the word out to the rest of the world. CHARCUT ranked ahead of the other Calgary restaurants, placing 5th overall, while owner, chef Connie DeSousa won the Vacay.ca award for

Best Female Chef in the nation! Way to go Connie – we already knew that!

Also ranking on The List are Model Milk, Rouge, Muse, River Café, Q Haute Cuisine, Teatro and Cucina. Good show Calgary! n MARKET’s patio is open at 718 - 17th Ave. SW. It faces south, so you get all the sun and warmth, plus there’s an awning.

And bring Mr. Woofers – there’s a railing to tie him to and MARKET has dog treats and water available for the Pampered Pooch.

MARKET now serves lunch daily and hosts Stampede parties, customizable for full animal barbecue roasts on the patio. Fun! check marketcalgary.ca for all the details. n Smoke’s Poutinerie brings the traditional Quebec poutine to you with a twist! Smoke’s offers more than 30 different types of poutine, including Nacho Grande, Philly Cheese Steak and Bacon Cheeseburger. Also, keep your eye out for offerings like Steak Fajita Poutine with flat iron steak, sour cream, caramelized onions, red peppers and salsa. Visit smokespoutinerie.com, located at 18th Avenue SW, just east of 4th Street. n Yay! The daughter of Mohammed Guelli, chef and owner of Jo Jo Bistro on 17th Ave. SW then Marda Loop for many years, is at the helm of her own restaurant in Britannia Plaza, Ratatouille Bistro, 829 49th Ave. SW. Nabila Guelli learned the biz at her father’s knee, so to speak, and we are most interested to see what she has to cook up by way of classic French bistro fare. Also, find some Moroccan tajines and couscous dishes from her days of working with her father at the Moroccan resort where he has four restaurants. n Yay again. A nuevo Latino restaurant we’ve been anticipating has opened – Sabroso, at 1504 - 16th Ave. SW. If you loved the long-gone Mescalero, you’ll find a rendition of it at Sabroso, fashioned by Mescalero-maestro Witold Twardowski.

And look for a great menu drawing from the traditional cuisines of Central and South America, but updated with global influences. Plus tapas, Cuban sandwiches and grilled dishes, like beef with chimichurri. Sabroso means delicious – you decide! The owners have also opened Cubanos Sandwich Bar at 610 - 1st St. SW in the corner of the Grand Theatre that used to be part of Ubu. Fully packed Cuban sandwiches. Delicious! n Summer Taste & Dine events at FARM and Janice Beaton Fine Cheese are July 10th and August 14th. Call 403-229-0900 for details. JBFC has house-made terrines, fresh produce from Hotchkiss, the best olives and an array of house-made dips/spreads to round out your simple summer dining. Finish your meal with deliciously different Made by Marcus ice creams. n Gaga Pizzeria, 1236 - 12 Ave. SW, has been open for just over a year and this family business is gaining a loyal following.

Pizza selections are fun! Signora Gaga is topped with mozza, spinach, olives, prosciutto, bocconcini and figs. The 8-inch size is just $8. Whole wheat or white organic flour crusts are cooked thin and

crispy with no skimping on the toppings.

Everything is homemade, including the soups, sandwiches – on home-made bread – and salads.

wine & beer wanderings n For summertime wine, we love the new releases from Tinhorn Creek Winery: all 2012 wines, we’re drinking Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, and from the exceptional Oldfield Series, the 2Bench White blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier, semillon and muscat and the 2Bench Rosé, made from cabernet franc from the Diamondback Vineyard. Look for Tinhorn in your fave wine shop. n One of our fave wineries – JoieFarm on the Naramata Bench, made an outstanding showing at the prestigious 2013 Riverside International Wine Competition in Temecula, California. The 2012 Rosé took the Sweepstakes Rosé Wine, the best rosé in the show! The 2011 Gamay and 2011 PTG were names Best in Class and awarded gold medals. Not only that – many other JoieFarm wines scooped silver and bronze medals. JoieFarm also won gold for its “En Famille” 2011 Reserve Chardonnay (to be released in September) at the UK’s Decanter World Wine Awards. JoieFarm also scooped two silvers and four bronzes. Good show, owners/wine makers Michael Dinn and Heidi Noble. n South By Southwest Wine Imports has been launched in Calgary by a group of families that are leaders in different industries; Cam and Mandy MacCorquodale, formerly of the Murrietas Group, The MacIntyre family, owners of Lake Breeze Vineyards, Brad Pascal and Cassie Campbell-Pascal of Hockey Canada, The McQuaker family, of the cardiology community, The Tell Family, leaders in youth basketball, The Loria family, of Dundee Capital Markets. SBSW brings world-class wines to the Alberta market. Visit sbswwineimports.com. n West Springs has a new boutique wine store, VR Wine, from the founder of Vin Room, Phoebe Fung. VR Wine specializes in artisan beer, spirits and wine. Earn Aeroplan miles – VR Wine is the only wine store in Canada to offer Aeroplan miles with purchases. Visit vr-wine.com. n Hot tip for summer cooling: Ginja Ninja ginger beer from Granville Island Brewing makes a super summer sipper mixed about half and half with Belvoir Lime & Lemongrass Cordial. Ginger, lime and lemongrass – what’s not to like? n Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars’ tasting room, 2385 Allendale Rd., Okanagan Falls, is now open to the public. No appointment required to sample some of the best wines out of the Okanagan. Time for a road trip to the wineries of the Okanagan, wouldn’t you say?

And Blue Mountain can organize private tours and special tastings. Visit bluemountainwinery.com for details. n At Craft Beer Market: July 1, Canada Day Craft Beerfest, with 15 Canadian breweries. Partial proceeds to Kids’ Cancer Care Foundation; July 8, Big Rock Brewmaster’s Dinner with a 4-course meal paired with beer; cask beers every Tuesday at 4 p.m. from local breweries – get there early!

n Look for Beerfest award-winning Tin Man beer – Rivet, an Irish red ale, Alloy, an American IPA, 3 Gear, a robust porter, and Circuit, a Bohemian pilsner – at your fave beer dispenser. n Tour the Napa Valley wineries and eat in the area’s best restaurants, October 27 to November 1, hosted by Bin 905’s Geoff Last and The Cookbook Co.’s Gail Norton. For all the tasty details, visit cookbookcooks.com. n West Coast Wines triumph in The Great Canadian Wine Match. East-west coast rivalries in the first people’s choice awards for Canadian wines settle (and celebrate) their differences with a coastto-coast toast. Thousands of Canadians voted for the 279 wines nominated in The Great Canadian Wine Match at nataliemaclean.com/canadian-wines. Unlike traditional competitions judged by experts, The Great Canadian Wine Match allowed wine lovers to choose their favourite pairings via social media and real-time, online voting.

Best Wine with Cheese: Quails’ Gate Late Harvest Optima, Okanagan Valley

Hand-Made Stuffed Pasta, Play with Your Food Molecular Gastronomy, On the Bone – Braise Roast Grill, Girls’ Night Out Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres, Thai Classics, Cupcake Couture, Off the Menu of Xavier Lacaze’s New Restaurant Briggs Restaurant & Bar, Italian/French Farmhouse Menus, Your Mexican Pantry... and lots more. Visit cookbookcooks.com.

general stirrings n And the winners are: to celebrate its 50th Anniversary, The Italian Supermarket offered a draw to win gift certificates of $1,000, $500 and $250.

Lots of entries were submitted and lots of people were happy to walk off with prizes of $25 and $50, but these were the big, excited winners – Cheryl Vince, $1,000; Leonard Wood, $500 and Tina DiNapoli, $250. Good show all! And it was a good party, too, with cake and lots of people. n Don’t miss Taste of Calgary, August 15-18 at the Eau Claire Festival Plaza.

Great line-up of restaurants, music and other interesting happenings you can investigate at tasteofcalgary.com/news.htm.

The festival supports the Boys and Girls Club of Calgary, the Calgary Chinese Community Services Association and the Saracens Rugby Club. Go, eat, enjoy, support a good event. n The Inglewood and Ramsay Farmers’ Market is open 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday until October 1. Located at the Ramsay Community Association, 1136 - 8th St. SE, it offers top quality goods from unique vendors, including farm fresh eggs, meat, produce, salad greens, artisan breads, gluten-free goods, fruit, local honey, soups and live entertainment, plus special monthly markets with free seminars and more. Visit myyycmarket.com for current information. n The Grassroots Northland Farmers’ Market, Calgary’s largest and longest-running outdoor market, runs every Tuesday from 3:30 - 7 p.m. at the Northland

continued on page 48

Best Wine with Dessert: Black Sage Vineyard Pipe, Okanagan Valley Best Wine with Seafood: Domaine De Grand Pré L’Acadie Blanc, Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia Best Wine with Pizza: Norman Hardie County Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County, Ontario Best Wine with Beef: Luckett Vineyards Phone Box Red, Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia Best Wine with Chicken: Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Chardonnay, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario BC wines also finished in the top three for Canada’s Best Wines to pair with seafood, chicken, pizza and beef. A full list of the 2013 winners and nominated wines is available at nataliemaclean.com/ canadian-wines.

cooking classes n Join The Compleat Cook for specialized, small group cooking classes featuring great Calgary chefs. The fall schedule includes: Autumn Harvest Soups, Homemade Pizza, 7 Spices for Everyday, A Chocolate Holiday, Flavours of India (Butter Chicken, Parathas, Seafood Curry), Greek Feasts, Friday Night Date Nights and Knife Skills. The full schedule is at compleatcook.ca or 403-253-4831. n At Cuisine et Château’s Interactive Culinary Centre: Kids and Youth Cooking Camps for ages 8 up to 21, all summer; pre-professional program; hands-on cooking classes; four-course dinner events: Sophisticated Rodeo Grub July 12, Taste of Quebec with guest chef Martin Boucher, July 18... and much more. Visit cuisineandchateau.com or call 403-764-2665. n SAIT cooking classes: in July and August, Vietnamese, canning, soups and stocks, knife skills and advanced knife skills, roasting, barbecue and grilling, sushi. For class location and registration, visit culinarycampus.ca or call 403-774-4694 for all the tasty details. n At The Cookbook Co. Cooks: starting September – A Night Out Couples Cooking Classes, Bread Making Workshop,

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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Stockpot continued from page 47 Village Mall parking lot until the end of September. An Alberta Approved Farmers’ Market, it adheres to rigorous standards of practice and quality with 45 full-time vendors and up to 66 vendors weekly offering a variety of fresh fruit and veg, meats, plants, soups, baked goods, honey, wine, pizza, breads, and crafts.

kensingtonriversideinn.com 403.228.4442

n Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association farmers’ market is open 3 to 7 p.m. Look for new programs, like the Kids Food and Garden Leadership program, Community Food Events and the Community Garden and Orchard Program, and Community Food Program Network, connecting community associations and other organizations to share in learning and food-related program development.

Of course, the usual great array of vendors offering fruit and veg, meat, plants, soups, baked goods, honey, wine, pizza, breads and crafts. The market runs Wednesdays until October 2. Visit farmersmarket.hillhurstsunnyside.org. n The new Crossroads Farmers’ Market patio is open! Get yourself some good food at the new vendors you’ll find in the newly expanded market – and old ones too – take it to the patio and enjoy the sunshine of summer. n Tinyplots will help make your produce gardening in Calgary’s erratic climate easier by guiding you through gardening week by week. Check the web site tinyplots.com for lots of helpful information on gardening in Calgary, including workshops and events such as harvesting and making horseradish and how to build a pallet garden. The Tinyplots team – brothers Jordan and Justin Brown, with friend Benny Lin – will host a community produce exchange in August to show the viability of “community-based produce markets.”

yellowdoorbistro.ca 403.206.9585

n Flare Down is an all-natural, 100% foodsafe spray that quickly and safely neutralizes outdoor barbecue grill grease flare-ups that can burn food or cause injury to people nearby. Flare Down is the only product on the market that can stop a grease flare-up and keep food from burning without toxic chemicals or ruining the flavour of the food.

For use on any grill – gas or charcoal. Flare Down is completely non-toxic, does not leave any taste or odor on the food. See it at gratechef.com, buy it at Walmart.

in Canada, is the largest Latin Arts cultural festival in western Canada. A three-day festival that celebrates music, dance, culinary delights and artisans representing 22 Latin nations. You’ll find food vendors and artisans offering authentic South and Central American cuisine, art and products.

Prince’s Island Park. Visit expolatino.ca for all the sassy details. n Celebrate the BBQ and picnic season with Springbank Cheese Co. Visit one of the four locations for a taste of the perfect cheese to top your burger of choice. You’ll find fun melting cheeses great for the grill and an incredible variety of fresh cheeses for your summer salads. On Saturdays, sample seasonal delights from around the world. Sign up for a monthly newsletter or visit springbankcheese.ca. n At Barbecues Galore, you can find a barbecue that’s perfect for Stampede breakfasts at a great price. New all-griddle barbecue, The Chuckwagon, has a 36” griddle, perfect for flat-surface cooking outside with four individually controlled 15,000 BTU burners. The electronic ignition safely lights each burner, it’s easy to move around and the cook top is made of thick, durable steel with a raised edge that keeps all your food where you want it.

Check it out at barbecuesgalore.ca. n After seven years of operating Café Koi, owner Philip Wong has sold his interest in the restaurant and has rejoined locally owned Amaranth Whole Foods Market in Arbour Lake as general manager. Coincidentally, Philip was the first employee at the original Amaranth location 18 years ago! He is working on bringing a new concept to the store featuring natural wellness products, local vendors and organic produce. n Culinary & Wine Tour of AlsaceGermany-Austria, October 5-18, with tourmeister Peter Blattmann. Visit World Heritage Roman monuments in Trier, Germany’s oldest city. Take part in hands-on cooking classes with celebrity chefs, taste the world’s most acclaimed rieslings and unique grüner veltliners, Cruise scenic rivers lined with the world’s steepest vineyards, indulge in the world-renowned pastries, concerts and operas of Vienna.

Visit gourmet-experience.com, call 1-403-2305375 or e-mail blattman@telusplanet.net.

n Cuisine et Château French Culinary Journey of 2014, May 25 to 31. Tours are n Don’t miss Expo Latino, August 23 to a one-week, all-inclusive luxury experi25, that highlights Latin culture and cuisine ence in the heart of Périgord, France. An GrizzlyPaw_CityPalate1/8pg_Layout 1 13-06-06 10:13 AM Page 1

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

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unforgettable trip that combines cooking classes, visits to local producers and wineries, cycling and fantastic food while staying in a 17th century château. For details about upcoming tour information sessions go to cuisineandchateau.com. n Culinary tours with seasoned foodie tourmeister Gail Hall, Seasoned Solutions: Gull Lake, Alberta, August 17 and 18; Vietnam, March 1 to 16, 2014; Piedmont and Burgundy, October 2014, including the option of attending Slow Food’s Terra Madre in Turin, Italy. Visit seasonedsolutions.ca for details. n Have Your Dessert And Eat It Too! Screamin Brothers Dairy- and GlutenFree Frozen Treats are free of the 10 most common food allergens. Take-home and single-serving containers as well as novelty bars in eight yummy flavours are available at specialty stores throughout Calgary. Locations and information screaminbrothers.ca, 403-715-2333. n Calgary’s food has never looked so good! Professional photographer Shallon Cunningham specializes in food photography and making the best plates in the city come alive in photos. Salt Food Photography works closely with chefs, restaurant owners, local food providers and ad agencies to capture images that inspire the taste buds. Interested in seeing the portfolio of work? Visit saltfoodphoto.com or call Shallon Cunningham, 403-998-1447. n The REAP Business Association presents Food for Thought, September 22, 12:30-3:30 p.m. The annual harvest celebration connects consumers, producers, retailers and chefs for sampling, live music, learning and conversation, at the Chinese Cultural Centre, 197 - 1st St. SW. Tickets: Adults $30, children $15 at foodforthought4.eventbrite.com. Be Local Dinner, September 27, 6-9 p.m., a fourcourse dinner to celebrate the best of the harvest, part of National Organic Week, at The Cookbook Co. Cooks, 722 - 11th Ave. SW, $75 at eventbrite.com. n Great fun things happening at Heritage Park this summer: Canada/ Dominion Day, July 1, with lots of family fun; Music in the Plaza, Wednesday evenings, July 10 to August 28; Captain’s Cruises, Thursday evenings, July 18 to August 29, with hors d’oeuvres and a jazz band; Heritage Day, August 5, with lots of family fun; Hay Shaker Days, August 24/25, celebrating our rich agriculture heritage; Labour Day, September 2, Strathcona Mounted Troop’s Musical Ride; Harvest Sale, September 7/8, the best deals on fruits and veg. Details at heritagepark.ca. n Meez Fast Home Cuisine has a new line of gluten-free pizzas to add to the selection of gluten-free gourmet.

From soups and salads to meats and side dishes, Meez has you covered!

Choose from the popular Spicy Curry Chicken Noodle Soup made with vermicelli, fresh snap peas, and chicken, Roasted Vegetable Soup, creamy Curried Yam Coconut Soup, and many more.

For something that will feed your whole family: Orange Soy Glazed Ribs are perfect for the BBQ. Try the Buttermilk and Chive Marinated Chicken or Mustard and Basil Roast Chicken. Drop by the retail locations in Willow Park Village or Lakeview Plaza and stock up on fresh and frozen healthy, gourmet meals.

n Good things from Bernard Callebaut Chocolates: The Dark Habanero Bar joins Milk Habanero Bar introduced last year to commemorate the Stampede Centennial – chocolatey and spicy, yum.

Sea salt caramel chocolates: fleur de sel, Hawaiian sea salt raspberry caramel and Thai ginger, mmmmmmm. Summer fruit chocolates with fresh fruit purées and crème fraîche: blood orange, passion fruit, coconut, mango, saskatoons. Molded Stampede chocolates, of course. Toonie Gelato Fridays are back at Cococo. Take a free factory tour – fun for the whole family.

Schedule online at bernardcallebaut.com. n Beginning July 8, Sirocco Golf Club will offer industry specials – discounted greens fees, carts and food and beverage features. Tee times will be available Mondays July 8, 15, 22 or 29. Visit sirocco.ca for more information. Ibby’s Lounge and the Siraia dining room are also wide open for the season, Thursday through Sunday or Sunday Brunch. Reserve at 403.984.1392. n Get your summer picnic basket at River Café and watch the late afternoon shadows on the banks of the Bow – a fresh baguette chicken sandwich, garden greens, local cheese, candied salmon, vibrant salad and decadent sweets.

Available through September, details and menus at river-cafe.com. n Fifty Shades of Chicken, A Parody in a Cookbook, by “FL Fowler” (Clarkson Potter, $22.99, hard cover) is one of the funnest cookbooks ever. A young free-range chicken is initiated into good cookin’ at the hands of a mysterious,

domineering cook. Young chick tells every recipe’s story with photograph illustrations – oh, my goodness! The best part is that the recipes are really good, and with appropriate names, such as Extra-Virgin Breasts, Cream-Slicked Chick, Cock au Vin, Dripping Thighs, Chicken Under the Covers – you get the drift. A fun and much better read and much more satisfying than Fifty Shades of Grey.

We were sad to learn that we lost a prominent member of the Italian food community and a City Palate supporter, Frank Lecce, owner of A Touch of Italy in Bridgeland, a charming and well-stocked gourmet food and culinary shop.

And a charming man – we will miss his ready smile when we stop by to say hello.

CakeS in vogue

PREGO’S cucina italiana lunch • dinner • before theatre • after theatre

You dream it, we bake it!

Taste the tradition

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403-233-7885 120-13 Ave SW | 403.290.1161 cakesinvogue.com

city palate 1993 – 2013

CELEBRATING 20 DELICIOUS YEARS wITh 20 DELICIOUS EvENTS

Join us for the longest long table dinner Calgary has ever seen!

Date: Monday, September 16th, 5-9 pm

The Really, Really Long Table Dinner 7 restaurants... 5 courses... 240 people... 1 really, really long table.

Blink, Catch & The Oyster Bar, Charcut, Divino, Teatro, The Belvedere, The Cellar and Trib Steakhouse will each prepare a course for this remarkable dinner that takes place on a long, tented stretch of Stephen Avenue.

Gather your friends, and make some new ones at this unique event that celebrates the culinary side of Calgary.

Location: Stephen Avenue Mall Tickets: $175 pp @ reallylongtabledinner.eventbrite.ca pROCEEDS fROm ThIS EvENT wILL GO TO A CALGARY fOOD ChARITY

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

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Join us in Napa Valley

7 quick ways with Corn

for some exclusive wining

and exceptional dining!

October 27th to November 1st, 2013

Hosted by Geoff Last (Bin 905) and Gail Norton (The Cookbook Co. Cooks) You’ll get the chance to visit wineries that never open their doors to the public, enjoy winery tours and tastings, dine in the area’s best restaurants, and learn enough at Gail and Geoff’s cooking classes to wow your friends when you get home. Next time you visit Napa, you’ll be the insider. Until October, though, you’ll be California dreamin’. $2800 includes accommodation in a spectacular private guesthouse overlooking a vineyard complete with swimming pool, hot tub and other enticing amenities, all food and wine and transportation within the week.

For more details, please email gail@cookbookcook.com or visit our Culinary Escapes page at

1. Corn and Green Beans

cookbookcooks.com

As simple as it gets, from Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Vegetables. Slice corn kernels off the cob with a sharp knife. Top and tail some slender green beans. Add the beans to a pot of boiling water; after a minute or two, when they are just about cooked, add the corn. After another minute or two, drain the veg and put them in a bowl with a little butter, salt, pepper and some chopped parsley or basil.

for all things culinary...

2. Warm Potato, Corn and Bacon Salad

A SPECIALTY KITCHEN & FOOD STORE

Cook lots of bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. While the bacon is cooking, cut baby new potatoes (don’t peel them) into large chunks and put them in boiling salted water to cook for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and dump into a bowl. Add corn kernels cut from cobs and briefly blanched, or canned corn, plus chopped red bell pepper. Toss with your fave vinaigrette, then add the bacon, crumbled into large pieces, and toss again just before serving.

A CATERING COMPANY

3. Corn Relish

A COOKING SCHOOL

From As Fresh as it Gets, recipes from the Tomato Fresh Food Café. In a medium pot, combine 1 c. fresh or canned corn kernels, 1/4 c. each diced celery, diced red bell pepper and diced onion, 2/3 c. vinegar, 2 T. sugar, 2-1/2 t. corn starch, 1 t. grated or minced fresh ginger, 1 t. Dijon mustard and 1/2 t. turmeric. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes, or until the relish thickens a bit.

Cool and serve with your grilled meats and fishes. Makes about 1-1/2 c.

CULINARY ESCAPES

Visit our website for our delicious 2013 cooking class schedule, and shop our new online store!

THE COOKBOOK CO. COOKS

722-11th Avenue SW Phone 403-265-6066, ext. #1

cookbookcooks.com

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“Sex is good,” said Garrison Keillor, best known for A Prairie Home Companion, “but not as good as fresh sweet corn.”

Though we might not entirely agree with him, we get it because we love fresh sweet corn, and the season for our local Taber bounty should begin about the end of August. Meanwhile, there’s nothing wrong with canned corn. We favour it over frozen corn that seems to lose its crispness when cooked. We’ve been known to open a can of corn, sit down with a spoon, and devour the corn to the last kernel. Corn... it’s good food.

JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

4. Ted Reader’s Grilled Corn Cobs From his new book, Gastro Grilling. Peel the husk partway down corn cobs and remove as much silk as possible. Fold up the husks to cover the exposed cobs. Soak in warm water for 1 - 2 hours to allow the corn to soak up moisture that will create steam to help with the cooking. Grill the corn in the husk for 20 - 30 minutes, turning frequently, until the husk is charred and the corn kernels are tender. Peel the charred husks off the cobs and serve the corn immediately with butter and salt.

5. Ellen Kelly’s Corn Cakes Ellen is a chef and writes the “eat this” column for City Palate. This recipe is from Mark Miller’s Coyote Cafe. Whisk together 3/4 c. flour, 1/2 c. coarse cornmeal, 1/2 t. baking powder, 1 t. each salt and sugar. In a large bowl, whisk together 1-1/4 c. buttermilk, 2 T. melted butter and 1 beaten egg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until well mixed. Fold 1/2 c. puréed and 1/2 c. whole corn kernels into the batter along with 2 thinly sliced green onions. Add some buttermilk if the batter seems to need a bit of thinning. Spoon the batter into a non-stick pan over medium heat to form 3” cakes. Cook until golden, about 2 - 3 minutes each side. Makes about 18 to 20 cakes. Eat with your fave protein and a green salad, or eat slathered with butter and maple syrup for breakfast, bacon on the side.

6. Corn & Mushroom Chowder For when we have our inevitable cool weather in the middle of summer. From Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats by Allyson Kramer. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté 8 oz. cremini or button mushrooms, sliced, with 2 minced garlic cloves in 1 T. olive oil until soft. Season lightly with salt. Dump into a stockpot and add 1 small chopped red onion, 3 diced large, unpeeled yellow-skinned potatoes, 3 peeled and shredded carrots and 8 c. water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in 12 oz. fresh or canned corn. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in 1 c. full-fat coconut milk and a slurry of 2 T. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 c. cold water. Simmer until slightly thickened, add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot with crusty bread. Serves 6-8.

7. Corny Polenta This is so easy it’s scary. Make polenta using instant polenta, because it’s quicketyquick. Bring 4 c. of water to a boil with some salt and olive oil. Pull the pot off the heat, sprinkle in 1 c. instant polenta and whisk like crazy. Turn the heat down to low, put the pot back on the burner and keep whisking. The polenta will cook in about 5-ish minutes. When cooked, add a dollop of butter, if you like, and/or some grated cheese, then add a 12-oz. can of corn, including the juices. Stir well and eat with your fave protein and a green salad.

Makes lots.

And just for fun, try this not-for-kids cupcake recipe this summer...

Steam Whistle Beer (or Local Brew) Cup Cakes Adapted from Chef Gerry Crewe’s Cooking with Beer; Favourites of Newfoundland & Labrador.

2 c. brown sugar 1 c. butter 2 eggs 1 c. chopped nuts 2 c. chopped dates 1 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. allspice

the beer. Combine the beer mixture with the creamed mixture and stir until well blended.

Bake in muffin tins for approximately 20 minutes, a large Bundt pan for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. When the cake is cool, ice with the cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with the shredded coconut.

1/2 t. ground cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 c. all-purpose flour

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

2 t. baking soda

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 t. salt

2 c. sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 c. Steam Whistle Pilsner (or, obviously, a local brew)

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan or line muffin tins with paper muffin cups. Cream sugar and butter. Stir in eggs, nuts, dates and spices. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, and then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Add food colouring for special occasions, if you like (red for Valentine's; green for St Paddy’s). Store any leftovers in the fridge. ✤

. . . o ! i c t i h a c p s è e l so tr

Contemporary FrenCh Bistro #105, 550-11th ave. sW 587.352.0964

aveCBistro.Com

aveC Bistro

@aveCBistro

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

51

last meal When I think back to some of my standbys that never fail to impress, this meatball recipe – which I have adapted from an old Chez Panisse recipe – rates near the top. The original recipe calls for fresh artichokes which, while excellent, are labour intensive, since you only want to use the hearts, and they are not always easy to find. When you can find baby artichokes, however, it does kick things up a notch and they are less work than the large globe variety. The original recipe also calls for ground veal – which is my preference – but not everyone is comfortable with the baby cow thing and other meats work almost as well. It’s a homey, comforting dish that suits any season. The starter is a simple platter of cured beef – bresaola – that’s delicious and looks impressive. The apple cake is a recent discovery that I adapted from a 13-year-old recipe I dug out of an old Bon Appetite. The original called for pears, but they need to be ripe (but not overripe), which can be tough to find throughout the year. Hence, the apple substitute. It’s a moist, caramelized affair that’s delicious and easy.

Bresaola with Arugula and Parmesan Bresaola is an air-cured, salted beef that has been aged two or three months until it becomes firm and dark red in colour. It is made from top (inside) round, and is lean and delicious. It originated in Valtellina, a valley in the Alps of Italy’s Lombardy region, and goes very well with dry aged cheeses such as parmesan. I came across a version that I found at The Cookbook Co. that’s made from bison and is excellent.

anniversaries barbeques

birthdays private barbeques parties

privateweddings partiesanniversaries

1/2 lb. bresaola (typically comes very thinly sliced) 1 small wedge Parmigiano Reggiano 2 c. fresh arugula, large stems discarded high quality olive oil Maldon salt Distribute the bresaola slices evenly over a large platter. Scatter the arugula over top and use a sharp potato peeler to cut large curls of parmesan from the wedge, placing the curls over top of the arugula. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and a little Maldon salt. Serves 4.

weddings

beques parties are always better poolside

1/2 c. olive oil 2 lbs. ground meat (veal, beef, pork or a combination of your choices)

birthdays

1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs 1/4 t. crushed chiles 3 eggs

2 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley salt and pepper

Hotel Blackfoot’s poolside patio is the best place in Calgary to unwind and have fun. Kick back with a drink after work, enjoy lunch poolside, or come down on the weekend to soak up the sun.

1-1/2 c. jarred artichoke hearts, drained (2 small jars or 1 large) 2 c. cherry tomatoes 1 c. pitted large green olives (I usually use the spiced ones)

For reservations call 403.212.1728

2 T. coarsely chopped fresh sage

Visit hotelblackfoot.com for booking functions and hotel packages.

Please visit our website for closures due to private functions.

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272-20933 Generic Poolside Functions Ad-v1.indd F I L E N1 A M E S

A R E JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca DATE:

9 May 2013

juice of 2 lemons 1/2 c. chicken stock Live in the moment

F O R

I like to serve a good sparkling wine with this. Bellavista, which also hails from Lombardy, is an excellent choice, or you could go for bottle of Raventós i Blanc Cava ($30), a sparkling rosé produced in the traditional method.

The high acidity and vibrant fruit the wine offers offsets the saltiness of the cured meat and parmesan cheese, creating a nice balance between the two.

meatballs

Meatballs with Artichokes, Green Olives and Sage 3 large onions, diced

birthdays

Wine recommendation:

I N T E R N A L

Garnish: grated parmesan cheese and flat-leaf parsley

U S E

File Name 272-20933 - City Palate - Summer in the City Issue-v1 Publication City Palate Insertion July/August, 2013

2:30 PM O2013-05-10 N LY

Preheat oven to 350°F. Warm 1/4 c. olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions, cooking over low heat for a half hour until they start to turn golden and caramelize (but not browned).

While the onions are cooking, make the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, breadcrumbs, chiles, eggs and parsley, and season liberally with salt and pepper. When the onions are just about done, scoop a rough 1/3 c. of them out and add to the ground meat mixture. Combine well with your hands and form about 16 large golf ball-sized meatballs. Flatten them slightly, then warm the remaining 1/4 c. of oil in a large skillet and brown the meatballs on both sides over medium heat (in two batches so you don’t crowd them), about 5 min. per side.

Transfer the remaining onions to a roasting pan, spreading them out to form a bed for the meatballs.

Place the meatballs in the roasting pan, distributing them evenly. Toss the artichokes, tomatoes, olives, sage and lemon juice together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and distribute the vegetables over and around the meatballs. Add the chicken stock to the pan, cover with foil and roast one hour. Serve with pappardelle or other long pasta noodles, which have been tossed with butter and parmesan cheese. I like to place the noodles on a large platter and then ladle the meatball vegetable mixture over top (make sure you get all the juices) and serve family style. I usually garnish the dish with some fresh grated parmesan and flat-leaf parsley. Serves 4.

Geoff Last

Keep it simple and seasonal

Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake For the apples: 6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter 3/4 c. (packed) golden brown sugar 1/4 t. cinnamon 1 t. white or raw sugar 2-1/4 pounds (about 5) tart/sweet apples, such as Gala, peeled, cored and quartered (plus one peeled apple for grating into the batter) Cake: 1-1/3 c. all-purpose flour 2/3 c. sugar 3 T. minced crystallized ginger 1 t. ground cinnamon 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 3 large eggs 1/2 c. olive oil 1 t. grated fresh ginger 1 t. vanilla extract 1 t. grated orange zest 1 c. grated peeled apple (about 1 large)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a heavy 10” diameter ovenproof skillet (with 2” high sides) over low heat. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange the apples, rounded side down, in two circles, one inside the other, filling in the centre with a large piece of apple, using the trimmings to fill any large holes. Dust the apples with 1/4 t. of cinnamon and 1 tsp. of sugar. Place the skillet in the oven for 30 minutes to soften and caramelize the apples. If you use pears you can skip this step unless they are hard and under-ripe.

Remove the apples from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes while you make the cake batter. Leave the oven on at 350°F. Whisk the flour, sugar, crystallized ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl to blend.

Whisk the eggs, oil, fresh ginger, vanilla and orange zest in a large bowl to blend. Mix in the grated apple, then mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.

Carefully pour the batter over the apples in the skillet. The batter is thick and a bit tricky to spread; a spatula works best. Bake the cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool the cake on a rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the skillet sides to loosen.

Place a plate on the skillet over the cake. Invert the cake onto the plate. Cut the cake into wedges and serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. Serves 10.

. t e e w s s i r e m Sum Drink it up!

cherry tomatoes

artichokes green olives

onion sage lemon

NEW! Frutti di Bosco Iced Rooibos

Wine recommendation: My first choice wine for this dish would be a sangiovese wine from Chianti. Fèlsina 2009 Chianti Classico ($32) is excellent and proved to be an ideal match. The wine offers classic notes of smoky cherry fruit backed by vibrant acidity and silky tannins.

www.goodearthcafes.com

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

53

back burner

Allan Shewchuk

S he w chu k on si m m er

Aged and confused

A maelstrom of outrage recently ripped through the Canadian food world surrounding dining out and the new “hipster” genre of restaurants. You know the joints I mean – they don’t take reservations, they play music at deafening volumes, the furniture is funky but uncomfortable, the chef is self-trained and covered in sleeve tattoos and the menu is all about house-made charcuterie, quick pickled vegetables or snout to tail cuts of meat. The controversy about this new culinary world arose on a radio panel on CBC Radio One’s The Current, where youngish food writer Chris Nuttall-Smith declared that the biggest “casualty” of this new wave of restaurants was people over 50.

Lunch | Dinner | Late Night 1919 4th Street SW | candelalounge.com | @CandelaCalgary

According to him, these people just don’t belong in restaurants. They appear confused and disoriented about the menu and what’s going on around them. He felt the sight of their grey hair at trendy tables was off-putting. The message was clear: people over 50 should either stay home, or go to much stuffier places.

I must say that since I’m in my early 50s, I was gob-smacked at these comments.

I’m not a bad customer. I don’t drool or wear Depends. I tip. So it got me thinking that if I am unwelcome, who, exactly, do restaurateurs want in their seats?

I might be able to understand dissuading seniors well over 65 from coming.

They’re from an era where they expect things to be the same-old same-old.

Restaurants, for them, used to be a treat, and nicer ones were steeped in French tradition, which meant fancy sauces and fussy service, not in-house prosciutto and waitresses with multiple piercings. When that generation chose less casual dining in its prime, it was for the veal cutlets in gravy with watery corn. I doubt the well over 65s could digest a charcuterie platter now without a side order of corn or needing a gastroenterologist to intervene.

NOW OPEN FOR BIZZZZ-NESS! FeAtuRing tRAnsCenD CoFFee, FiAsCo gelAto AnD CHeF insPiReD DAily CReAtions.

412 Pine Creek Rd, De Winton AB...at Heritage Pointe. 403 256-0618

I recently observed a large group of seniors out for brunch and they could be summed up in one word: impatient. They wanted prompt changes to every menu item, barged into the kitchen to pour their own coffee, and all of them wanted their bills at once and right now. Oh, and no one left a tip. I can forgive all of this out of respect for my elders, and the fact that some of these people fought wars for my liberty, but I concede that Nuttall-Smith does have a point about that end of the age spectrum.

I think he’s dead wrong, however, if he thinks it’s better hanging out in restaurants with the “new generation” of kids in their late teens or 20s, even though they are the hippest people around. Sure, they’re not confused by the commotion or the loud music, but that’s because they don’t actually talk. They order their food and then sit together in silence, heads bowed in what’s known as “The Blackberry Prayer.” All of them are checking their texts and are probably texting each other rather than just conversing. I find that the most off-putting thing about going anywhere these days.

Like seniors, the younger hipsters are also new to the current dining scene, but for them it’s because they’re just learning and are probably earning money for the first time. So they order the pinot grigio because it’s a starter wine for the young, and it’s also usually the cheapest drink on the menu. I have to ask, then, since many restos admit they make almost all their profit on wine, why they wouldn’t welcome me and my refined palate and multiple gold cards instead of a table of young, hip girls who split one salad, a half litre of plonk and leave no tip?

Dinner | Private Events

That brings us to the 30- to 50-year-old crowd, which has always been the “sweet spot” restaurants aim for. For the most part, these are the mobile, beautiful people restaurant owners want bellying up to their tables. That Nuttall-Smith wants to be with these people is a no-brainer, but he needs to be reminded that nowadays 50 is the new 30 and we are a pretty hip group to hang with, too, because we have more life experience, which gives us grey hair, and grey hair in that context is damn sexy. I could wish him ill for his harsh comments, but when he’s in his 50s, I predict that not only will he have off-putting grey hair, but he’ll be unable to hear from all those years of loud music in hip restaurants so he’ll have to text just to communicate. So, fittingly, he’ll be the “double-double” of off-putting. Enjoy your meal, Mr. Nuttall-Smith…

Allan Shewchuk is a lawyer by day, and an Italian ”chef,” wine taster and food writer by night. Sometimes he tastes wine before nightfall.

#404 1851 Sirocco Drive Southwest (403) 217-9699 www.levilla.ca

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JULY AUGUST 2013 CITYPALATE.ca

Taste local quality.

Alberta produces some of the best pork in the world. We have the perfect conditions for production — excellent local barley for feed and the perfect climate.

In Japan and dozens of other countries, our pork is preferred because of its high quality, great taste and texture. Here at home, our chefs love using pork to ‘taste local quality,’ and because it’s so versatile.

Find Alberta Pork at Sunterra Market, and get great recipes at passionforpork.com

Brought to you by Alberta pork producers.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2013

55

LeCreuset.ca

DINNERWARE

THE PERFECT COMPLEMENT TO ANY KITCHEN Le Creuset – Chinook Centre 6455 Macleod Trail SW 403-262-1128

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Zest Kitchenware 131 – 5005 Dalhousie Dr NW 403-286-5220