City Palate July August 2018 by City Palate

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summer in the city palate

CITYPALATE.CA

JULY AUGUST 2018

MY CUSTOMERS OFTEN TELL ME THAT THEIR ESPRESSO MACHINE IS THEIR FAVOURITE ITEM IN THEIR KITCHEN.

GATHER

AROUND FOR AN ICY COLD BREW

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table of contents

CITY PALATE JULY AUGUST 2018

FEATU RE S

16 n

ONLY in Calgary

Traditional eateries that have set Calgary apart for ages Shelley Boettcher and Richard White

18 n

How to NOT Screw Up Chicken on the Grill

Never ruin chicken on the grill again Rockin’ Ron Shewchuk

20 n

Calgary’s Best Summer Eats

According to some of its most appreciative palates Erin Lawrence

D EPA RTME NT S

5 n word of mouth

Notable culinary happenings around town

7 n eat this

What to eat in July August Ellen Kelly

Pranzo al fresco.

(PRAN-zo al FRESS-coh) 8 n drink this

Canada’s craft cider boom Dan Clapson

10 n get this

Must have kitchen stuff Wanda Baker

12 n one ingredient

Fresh herbs Julie Van Rosendaal

Explore the art of dining outdoors. Gather family and friends and make some memories. Fresco means ‘fresh’, which is how we approach summer at our shops – with an abundance of delicious, seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Perfect for your backyard barbecue.

14 n the sunday project

I dream of home-made ice cream with Karen Ralph

22 n stockpot

Stirrings around Calgary

24 n 6 quick ways with...

Raspberries Chris Halpin

26 n back burner... shewchuk on simmer

Teenage summertime blues Allan Shewchuk

Cover Artist: Sean Jeffery is an Algonquin College student who entered this cover in City Palate’s annual cover competition for Algonquin students. We thought Sean’s cover fit the July August issue perfectly.

READ US ONLINE AT CITYPALATE.CA

Grocery. Bakery. Deli. Café. EDMONTON Little Italy | Southside | West End CALGARY Willow Park

italiancentre.ca

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

Learn the signs of stroke

city palate publisher/editor Kathy Richardier (kathy@citypalate.ca) magazine design Carol Slezak, Yellow Brick Studios (carol@citypalate.ca) contributing editor Kate Zimmerman

Is it drooping? Can you raise both?

A T D A L H O U S I E S T A T I O N 403.286.5220 www.zestkitchenware.com

U b g rban ru

Real Food Made Easy

Is it slurred or jumbled?

contributors Wanda Baker Shelley Boettcher Dan Clapson Chris Halpin Ellen Kelly Erin Lawrence Karen Ralph Allan Shewchuk Ron Shewchuk Julie Van Rosendaal Richard White contributing photographers Kathy Richardier for advertising enquiries, please contact advertising@citypalate.ca sales manager Ellen Kelly (ellen@citypalate.ca) account executives Debbie Lambert (debbie@citypalate.ca) Penny LeBaron (penny@citypalate.ca) website management Jane Pratico (jane@citypalate.ca)

To call 9-1-1 right away. Act because the quicker you act, the more of the person you save.

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City Palate is published 6 times per year: January-February, March-April, May-June, July-August, September-October and November-December by City Palate Publishing Inc., Suite 419, 919 Centre St. NW, Calgary, AB T2E 2P9 Subscriptions are available for $48 per year within Canada and $68 per year outside Canada. Editorial Enquiries: Please email kathy@citypalate.ca For questions or comments and contest entries, please visit our website

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CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

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word of mouth

NOTABLE CULINARY HAPPENINGS AROUND TOWN IN OU R OPIN ION

Poutine Week’s gravy bowl challenge

Read this Every year the Gravy Bowl event kicks off Poutine Week and this year it took place at Last Best Brewery. Nine teams made up of a chef, a Calgary Stampeder and a local brewery created their very special poutine for a panel of judges. They and lots of other restaurants sell their special poutines throughout the week to sell the most poutines for Mealshare.

Don’t miss this one from our local food people, Karen Anderson and Tilly Sanchez-Turri – Food Artisans of Alberta (TouchWood Editions, paper cover, $25). Look for it at Chapters and The Cookbook Co.

This year’s Gravy Bowl saw a lot of good poutines, and the judges had so much fun tasting them and sipping on the matching beer! This year’s winner was chef/owner Roy Oh of Anju Restaurant with Stampeder Quinn Smith and Banded Peak Brewery with their Pocha Poutine that consisted of gochujang wagyu hot dogs, beer-battered cheese curds, fried egg, oxtail beer gravy, nori (edible seaweed), green onions and kennebec fries. Visit poutinewithpurpose.com/gravybowl for more information.

After driving Alberta from Peace Country in the north to the International Peace Park near Waterton in the south – and everywhere in between – they can tell you there’s a lot of ground to cover. They’ve divided the province into six sections, very similar to what their colleagues in tourism do, so that you can use this book as a companion to their publications to plan your food travel.

Calgary chefs named finalists After a heated competition held at SAIT on May 5, Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship names Trevor Jerram of Trinity Restaurant in London, England – with his Sablefish Bourguignon – and Michael Ellis of Calgary Winter Club – with his Sablefish Duo – as the Calgary finalists. The two young talents will represent Calgary at the National Finals in October, where they compete alongside six other chefs from across the country for the Scholarship’s $10,000 grand prize and title as Canada’s Top Young Chef. As founder David Hawksworth said, “Each of the chefs showcased incredible talent, well beyond their years, and from what we saw and tasted from the two winners, this is certain to be a tight race to the grand prize.” (As long as the chef is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, he/she can compete in the competition. Jerram is a Calgarian currently working in England.)

Grilled pork tenderloin An especially tasty dinner thanks to Lina’s Italian Market. The fresh, local pork tenderloin is always a good size and we marinate it overnight in grainy mustard, Aperol, lime juice and a touch of maple syrup, then on the grill it goes for about 10 minutes a side until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thick part reads about 155°F. Still pink inside and moist and tender, we love it. Then leftovers become sandwiches using rolls from Lazy Loaf & Kettle, because they’re made from the same recipe as the Kettle bread, their signature bread, one of the best breads in the world.

Extra special good mustard Found at Co-op stores is Inglehoffer’s Applewood Smoked Bacon Mustard – you have never tasted a mustard this tasty! You almost eat it out of the container all by itself, but it does wonderful things for sausages, meats, whatever you like your mustard on. Bacon makes everything better!

Calgary Co-op stores are the first and only large retailer to exclusively offer fresh Alberta beef, exclusively stocking and selling fresh Alberta beef, strengthening a long tradition of partnership with Alberta farmers, ranchers and producers, promising only locally produced beef to its members. Visit calgarycoop.com/ albertabeef for more information. And eat lots of good Alberta beef that you’ll definitely find at Co-op stores.

Rare Cut by Great Events Group Rare Cut is the newest division of Great Events Group offering barbecue catering, Stampede catering and mobile grilling. Look for Bad Ass Brisket, slow-smoked brisket, Smothered Meats, such as pulled pork or beef, and a choice of Rare Cut sauces, Smokehouse Ribs, slow smoked baby backs and much more, including salmon, chicken and vegetarian, and all the sides and salads you’d want to go with barbecue, like coleslaw and corn bread and Campfire Beans. “Being a barbecue person who smokes meat, I can say that this would be great food for whatever event you have in mind,” says City Palate's Kathy Richardier. Check it out at greateventsgroup.com and rarecut.ca.

Food Network Canada Chef School Learn how to make great simple recipes by tuning into the Food Network channel and watching some of the country’s great chefs – Lynn Crawford, Mark McEwan, Roger Mooking and Michael Smith, for example – cooking their favourite recipes and sharing must-know tips. Visit foodnetwork.ca/ shows/food-network-canada-chef-school for all the tasty details.

Each area – Northern, Edmonton, Central, Calgary, the Rockies and Southern Alberta – has unique flavours for you to discover. Check this out – Wickaninnish Cookbook: Rustic Elegance on Nature’s Edge – launched on May 29. It showcases the culinary legacy of the Inn since opening in 1996, which includes: the first chef, Rod Butters, now chef/owner RauDZ Regional Table in Kelowna, the first apprentice, chef Mark Filatow, now chef/owner of Waterfront Wines in Kelowna, the first pastry chef, Matthias Conradi, now pastry chef at Villa Eyrie in Victoria. Some of Calgary’s great chefs started there: Duncan Ly, now chef/owner Foreign Concept, who was a dishwasher! Chef Justin Labossiere, now of the National Group, former pastry chef, Matt Wilson, now pastry chef at The Guild, and former chef de cuisine, now chef and instructor Andrew Springett at SAIT. (Appetite by Random House, hardcover, $40.75) Oh, man, amazing flavours in this one that’s a richly colourful and exceptionally varied cookbook of timeless recipes called FEAST Food of the Islamic World by Anissa Helou, a chef, food writer and journalist focusing on the cuisines and culinary heritage of the Middle East, the Mediterranean and North Africa. Yotam Ottolenghi, a cookbook author we’re familiar with, says: “Her range of knowledge and unparalleled authority make her just the kind of cook you want by your side.” (Harper Collins, hardcover, $75)

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

Chef-driven Market Cuisine located inside Bite – Grocer & Eatery 1023 9th ave S.E. Inglewood

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Local. Unique. Convenient. FASHION

FOOD & DRINK

Ginger Laurier

Britannia Wine Merchants

HEMM Active Fashion

Suzette Bistro Britannia Starbucks

HOUSE & HOME

Sunterra Market

Britannia Kitchen & Home

Village Ice Cream

BOOKS

PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Owl’s Nest Bookstore | Owlets

Britannia Dermedics Britannia Hair Company & Esthetics

PETS

Britannia Pharmacy

Optimal Pet Foods

Chinook Optical Britannia Medical Clinic

ELBOW DRIVE & 49 AVEN UE SW O PEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

B R I TA N N I A P L A Z A . C O M

eat this

by Ellen Kelly

WHAT TO EAT IN JULY AND AUGUST

Well, finally… summer at long last. It’s pretty much the only time of the year we get anything close to an embarrassment of riches, and we certainly feel the pressure to take advantage of it. But let’s take a step back and remember that a straightforward approach is usually best and the most important consideration, aside from the people sitting around your table, is the quality of your ingredients. Ferret out fresh and seasonal wherever possible, buy locally grown and produced whenever you can, and treat everything simply and with respect. Fresh FIGS are not exactly a local delicacy, but they are a delicacy, nonetheless, and worth watching out for. Since they ripen on the tree, they are extremely fragile and difficult to ship. Their vulnerability and their sweet, soft and juicy flesh, make them fleeting and a bit dear, but worth it for that special salad, appetizer or dessert. Try switching out tomatoes for figs for a delicious and unique take on a caprese salad. Halve or quarter fresh figs and arrange on a pretty plate with top quality buffalo mozzarella or even a lovey Burrata, torn casually and laid among the figs. Dress the salad simply with a generous drizzle of a very good fruity olive oil, flaky sea salt (Maldon) and freshly ground pepper… then garnish with lots of fresh basil and pieces of honeycomb. Top a tangy crème fraiche ice cream with sliced figs sautéed in honey and butter. Remove the stem of about 4-5 figs and then slice each into 3-4 pieces, lengthwise. Put 2-3 T. honey and 2-3 T. water into a small sauté pan. Add the figs when the mixture starts to foam and sauté for 2-3 minutes; any longer and the fruit will start to fall apart. Toss in a small knob of unsalted butter to create a sauce and remove from the heat. Let the figs cool a little before serving. When I find particularly nice MELONS, especially honeydews, I often make jam. Simply peel, seed and chop enough ripe melon to make about 3 lbs. of fruit. Add the juice and zest of 2 small lemons and about 1 T. grated fresh ginger to the fruit in a large preserving kettle. Stir in just under 3 lbs. of white granulated sugar and bring to a boil. Boil until set; this can take 25-30 minutes. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal. I’m not very fond of watermelon on its own, but watermelon juice is something else again. Easy to do, extremely refreshing… a perfect foil for any white spirit like tequila, gin or vodka. Start with a 7-8 lb. watermelon. Peel and cut it into chunks. In batches, quickly purée (pulse) the melon with about 2-3 c. fresh or frozen raspberries. Push vigorously through a strainer; you should end up with about 5-1/2 cups of juice. Sweeten with about 1/4 c. sugar, or to taste, and add the juice of a lime or two. Chill well and then do what you will. Thin with sparking or still water to serve over ice, or try a watermelon prosecco cocktail at your next brunch.

Illustrations by Eden Thompson

BUY: Because the fruit is ripened on the tree, it’s very fragile and must be bought ripe. The fruit should be quite soft and yield to gentle pressure. TIPS: They’re very perishable, so get to them soon after you buy them. Gently washed and dried, they’ll keep wrapped in a bit of paper towel in the fridge for 2-3 days but won’t taste as nice. DID YOU KNOW? Native to Turkey and Northern India, people have been eating figs for millennia. Like so much bounty, figs were brought to Southern California by Spanish missionaries in the 1750s. Although there are hundreds, the most commonly found varieties are the small black Mission, the larger violet-brown Turkey and the larger still green-skinned, white-fleshed Calimyrna.

BUY: Ripe melons should give to a gentle pressure on the blossom end. Canteloupes and muskmelons should smell sweet and spicy. If ripe, the light patch on a watermelon where it sat on the ground while growing should be yellow, not white or green. TIPS: Store melons at room temperature, but always serve well chilled. Serve unadorned, with a squeeze of lime or a splash of muscat wine like Beaumes-de-Venice. Wrap slices in prosciutto if you must, however, for my money, an almost negligent sprinkle of fleur de sel will give you the desired saltiness without the sogginess. DID YOU KNOW? Muskmelons, cantaloupes and honeydew melons are all closely related to cucumbers and taste quite nice together.

EGGPLANT is one of the prettiest fruits or vegetables around; smooth and glossy, in colours ranging from dark purple and pale violet to creamy white, jade green, and even orange. The different shapes are intriguing too – elongated and curved, egg shaped or pear shaped, as large as a big-ish zucchini or small as a teardrop pepper. The flavour and texture vary only slightly and so they are virtually interchangeable. However, the large dark purple eggplants are easy to work with and can be cut into a variety of shapes and sizes for sautéing, grilling and roasting. Grilled summer ratatouille is just as tasty hot or cold and takes half the time to make than the stewed rendition. Grill (or even oven roast) chunky oiled pieces of eggplant, zucchini (green and yellow), bell peppers (red, orange and yellow) and sweet onions. When wellcooked and marked by the grill, toss with chopped fresh tomatoes, a little finely minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, good olive oil, salt and pepper and shredded basil leaves. You could call this a salad and no one would be the wiser.

BUY: Whatever the size or colour, look for firm, plump glossy fruit that’s heavy for its size. TIPS: There is no such thing as appetizing al dente eggplant. If the flesh isn’t silky and savoury (as opposed to tough and astringent), then it isn’t done. Keep cooking. DID YOU KNOW? Eggplant is a member of the nightshade family, closely related to tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes. Once thought to cause insanity, leprosy and cancer, it took the eggplant a while to reach its audience.

Ellen Kelly has written about food, among other culinary pursuits, for years and is a regular contributor to City Palate.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

drink this

by Dan Clapson

CANADA’S CRAFT CIDER BOOM

Move over microbrew beer, there’s a new craft in town. It’s just as sudsy and refreshing, but a little more fruity. Canadian-made craft cider is the latest craze to sweep the country’s libation scene and is currently showing no signs of slowing down. Trendy or not, cider is not new to this world by any stretch of the imagination. Not as ancient as beer – as its most primitive production happened approximately 7,000 years ago – cider production still dates back an impressive 2,100 years or so and, not surprisingly, its creation is credited to the English. Time travel back to present day and you’re hard-pressed to find a country that doesn’t put its own spin on the fermented fruit beverage. Much like how terroir plays an essential part in wine production in different areas of Canada such as the Okanagan, Niagara and Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, growers in different parts of the country rely on the fruits of their orchards to produce unique and quality ciders.

Here are five western Canadian cider makers that you can find at liquor stores in Calgary to quench your summer thirst when the sun is shining and the temperature is high...

Explore Your Happy Place

UNCOMMON CIDER (Calgary, AB)

Stay . Spa . Hike . Bike . Dine . Located just outside of Fernie BC, our 2 restaurants are a must stop for those seeking a special culinary experience. We encourage our chefs to expand their creative flair to make your mountain dining unforgettable. Gaining their education and inspiration from around the world, the culinary team sources international influences and top quality ingredients to create a spectacular dining experience. Check our website for spa specials, guided hiking, packages and other info islandlakelodge.com 1.250.423.3700 Follow: @islandlakelodge #ferniefoodie

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

Though cider maker Brodie Thomas and his co-owners, Andrew Duncan and Tim Houghton, don’t press and ferment their ciders using completely Alberta-grown apples, they are still Alberta’s first craft cidery. Using a mix of B.C. grown apples and some unique ingredients like locally grown hops or haskap berries, Uncommon is able to churn out high quality small-batch ciders. The cidery does not have a space that’s open to the public yet, but is currently in the process of building a tasting room in Calgary’s Barley Belt set to open late summer 2018. Try the Uncommon Apple Haskap Cider – apples have been fermented with the robust haskap berry to offer a finished product that is off-dry and well-rounded. uncommoncider.com

VILLAGE BREWERY CIDER (Calgary, AB) Since being debuted in May, Village’s first apple-y offering has been embraced by local establishments and cider fans alike. It’s unclear whether the celebrated brewer is going to delve deeper into the world of cider production, but for the summer anyway, this off-dry apple cider infused with a touch of Earl Grey tea is an easy drink to enjoy in the sunshine. villagebrewery.com

BROKEN LADDER CIDER (Kelowna, BC)

ROCK CREEK CIDER (Calgary, AB) Produced by local craft beer institution, Big Rock Brewery, this fruity offshoot uses a blend of B.C. grown apples as the base of their four cider varieties. It’s one of the only Canadian-made ciders that is readily available on tap around town, making it much more accessible than other offerings noted here. Try the Rock Creek Strawberry Rhubarb Cider – the addition of rhubarb and strawberry to their standard dry apple cider makes for a sip that starts out with a tart punch, but ends sweetly. It’s like summer in a can. bigrockbeer.com/cider

This clever offshoot of BC Tree Fruits Ltd. (the province’s fruit producer cooperative) offers three types of cider that are all produced using imperfect stone fruit. Different types of apples, peaches and pears that are deemed undesirable by grocers wind up being pressed and fermented at their impressive cidery and tasting room just outside of Kelowna’s downtown core. Try the Broken Ladder Apples and Hops – seeing a cider in a tall can doesn’t always scream “quality,” but don’t be fooled. This hop-infused apple cider is dry and slightly floral and one of the best hopped varieties you’ll find in the province. bctreefruitscider.com

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SEA CIDER FARM AND CIDERHOUSE (Victoria, BC) SCENIC ROAD CIDER CO. (Kelowna, BC) This small-batch cider producer in the Okanagan makes for a charming visit if you find yourself in the valley this summer. Barring that, it’s hard not to be charmed by its especially striking bottle designs that depict summer scenes with a little Dr. Seuss-esque flair. Though it only started producing in 2016, all of Scenic Road’s cider is produced using heirloom apples as trees in the surrounding orchard have been growing fruit for over one hundred years. Try the Scenic Road Razz – a mix of Okanagan-grown apples and Fraser Valley raspberries ferment together for months resulting in a ruby red cider that’s off-dry thanks to the sweet, sun-kissed berries. scenicroadcider.com

Now in its eleventh year of business, Sea Cider has seen a massive amount of success in Western Canada and parts of the United States due to a combination of organically grown fruit and a natural fermentation process. The cidery itself boasts a gorgeous patio and beautiful surroundings. It is here that you can sit, sip and discover the cider roster that ranges from an uber-dry German style to the funky, slightly sweet “Birds and the Bees,” which incorporates lemon bitters and honey into the fermented apple mix. Try the Sea Cider Rumrunner – for a cider that packs a punch, try this unique concoction that sees cider aged in bourbon barrels for six months. Perhaps not perfect for a casual patio sip, this complex cider deserves your full attention. seacider.ca

Dan Clapson is the co-founder of Eat North and The Globe and Mail restaurant critic for the Canadian Prairies. Find him at eatnorth.com and @dansgoodside.

Joannie Rochette

Olympic medallist, figure skating

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CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

get this

by Wanda Baker

MUST HAVE KITCHEN STUFF

Seasoned from the inside out

IT’s here & it’s rare.

PICANHA

BURGER the first in YYC

Harness the cooking power of solid salt while cooking your chicken from the inside out with the Himalayan Salt Cone Poultry Roaster. Made of pure Himalayan salt, this roasting method, similar to your typical beer can chicken, imparts depth of flavour and is said to cook the chicken faster than a traditional chicken roaster. We tested this method by grilling two birds one right after the other, and found the gourmet salt cone retains its heat while on the grill and the finished product is moist, juicy, wellseasoned chicken. Easy to use, simply preheat the cone, add your whole bird and either bake or grill. Lightly wash once cooled and re-use up to ten times. Himalayan Salt Cone Poultry Roaster with Holder, Barbecues Galore, $18.99

Conversation piece They say the right platter can be a stunning conversation piece and stunning addition to any table setting. The Crate & Barrel Harborside Oval Platter is a beautiful piece to add to your collection. Each white ceramic platter is hand-painted from Portugal featuring alternating squares of tiny fish to create an ocean-inspired checkerboard. Fill this platter with crab, lobster and shrimp, or arrange tarts, appetizers, snacks or even a leg of lamb for those non-seafood fans. If preparing seafood, the stainless steel Blue Seafood Accessories with their summery blue accents on the handles give seaside flair to each piece. This collection includes seafood shears, crackers, forks and an oyster knife. Harborside Oval Platter and Blue Seafood Accessories, Crate & Barrel, $4.95-$44.95

Cedar baked brie When summer arrives so do tailgate parties, back yard barbecues and the smoky smells of grills wafting through our neighbourhoods, city parks and even campsites. We’ve grilled brie before, but never in a Cedar Brie Baker. Grilling with fragrant cedar boards produces moist food, with subtle flavours from the cedar's essential oils. Submerge and soak the MASTER Chef Cedar Brie Baker for up to an hour before using, then heat on your barbecue until the plank begins to smoke and crackle. Add the brie and as it smokes away the cheese will be infused with a sweet, woodsy flavour. Kick it up a notch by adding a layer of fresh herbs between the plank and brie before cooking. Also works with fish, poultry or vegetables. MASTER Chef Cedar Brie Baker, Canadian Tire, $9.99

(403) 454-2550 136 2nd STREET SW info@minassteakhouse.com www.minassteakhouse.coM 10

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

#EATATMINAS

Better with butter Preserved lemons are a North African and South Asian staple typically made using lemons and sea salt. Once the preservation process is complete they can last up to one year in your refrigerator. The Cookbook Co. has taken fragrant lemons, combined with thyme, lemon zest, salt and butter to create an infused preserved lemon & herb butter. The great thing about infused butters is you can use them several ways. We suggest you add a dollop to grilled steak, burgers, lamb chops or fish. Any kind of grilled, roasted or cooked vegetables will benefit from flavoured butter. Add pep to your sandwiches or mix into your baking. Keep this butter cold and it will last for a couple of months or freeze it if you are going away. Preserved Lemon & Herb Butter, The Cookbook Co. Cooks, $17.95

For those who like it hot Making hot sauce from scratch just got easier with The Homemade Hot Sauce Kit. Those who love heat in their food get to play Mad Scientist while blending their own hot sauce variations. Included in this kit is The Forager’s Blend consisting of guajillo, chipotle, and pequin peppers, resulting in a red-hot sauce with notes of red berries, wood smoke and earthy tones. A second yellow hot sauce creation comes from The Grove Blend, which includes piri piri, Anaheim, and habanero peppers. Enjoy hues of citrus, green herbs and cut grass with this sauce. Hot sauces can be used to top your favourite foods, from breakfast to dinner. We love this as a gift idea or even better, date night. Just add tortilla chips. The Homemade Hot Sauce Kit, The Livery Shop, $50

Guilt-free ice cream Halo Top Ice Cream landed in Canada in the Spring with the promise of less sugar, fewer calories and more protein than your usual pint, yet still delivering on flavour. This best-selling American ice cream with messages on their pints like “Stop When You Hit The Bottom” or “I’m Cold, Lets Spoon” dethroned both Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs in 2017. It has been highly anticipated here in Canada due to its promise of 80-100 calories per 125ml serving. While it may not satisfy the pure ice cream enthusiasts who crave a creamy spoonful, it does offer up low-sugar options, unique flavours (like birthday cake and candy bar) and a healthy alternative to fill those summer time snack cravings. Our family test team tried out the Sea Salt Caramel flavour and gave it four thumbs up on flavour.

Soirée | Celebration | Shindig

Halo Top Ice Cream, Calgary Co-op, Save-On-Foods, Real Canadian Superstore $7-7.50

No matter the occasion, our all-butter, made-from-scratch pie is the perfect way to put a smile on your guests’ faces. The pie’s the limit.

Wanda Baker is a Calgary food writer and author of bakersbeans.ca who writes about life, adventures and food.

8 Spruce Centre SW | 403 452-3960 | 1081 2nd Ave NW | 403 287-8544

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

one ingredient It’s patio time!

• Bread baked fresh daily, including kettle bread for BLTs • Muffins, croissants, scones, cinnamon buns, amazing desserts • Great gluten-free fare including scones, muffins, desserts • All-day breakfast and personalized cake orders • Fully licensed indoors and outdoors • Large and small capacity catering #8 Parkdale Cres NW • 403.270.7810 • lazyloafandkettle.com

the ultimate in refined living

Premier 40+ Resort Style Community Located on Calgary’s Picturesque Fish Creek Park Wine Cellar | Movie Theatre | Games Room Fitness Centre | Swimming Pool | Bowling Alley Woodworking Shop & Much More

0-3771

Immediate Possession Available

2330 Fish Creek Blvd S.W. Calgary, Alberta www.sanderson-ridge.ca Phone: 403-460-3771

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

by Julie Van Rosendaal

FRESH HERBS

Even those of us who lack gardening skills, or the back yard necessary to accommodate raised beds, are able to nurture a gratifyingly lush display of fresh herbs on our decks or window sills. If you can avoid the hail, flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, tarragon, chives, dill, sage, rosemary and thyme will grow happily in small or large containers indoors or out with minimal tending. Fresh mint is so prolific it can easily take over your yard or garden beds (which is likely what prompted the invention of mojitos), but basil must be coddled – too hot, too cold, too much water or not enough and it will pack it in, so it’s best to use it up on pizzas and in pesto before its leaves begin to curl. Bundles of fresh herbs have largely replaced the tiny glass jars on the shelf of my childhood. Filled with dusty, Oscar-the-Grouch coloured oregano, Italian seasoning and herbes de provence, you’d have to crush the dry leaves between your fingers to coax out a faint whiff of the herb you wanted your dinner to be flavoured with. But rarely do we go for a pinch these days; fresh herbs have become major players rather than mere seasonings, added by the roughly chopped handful for maximum freshness and flavour, particularly in bold South American and Middle Eastern dishes. If you’re buying instead of growing them, store hardy herbs by laying them out on a damp paper towel and rolling them up jelly roll-style, then sliding the roll into the plastic bag they came home in to extend their fridge life. More fragile herbs, like basil and mint, can be stored upright in a glass of water, like a bouquet; some people cover them with a plastic bag in the fridge. There are exceptions, of course – sprigs of rosemary and thyme could easily overwhelm a dish, and are often added by the small branch to flavour a pot of stew or a braise before being plucked out at serving time. (Alternatively, pull the leaves from their stem, and in the case of rosemary, chop it rough or fine.) And dried herbs are still perfectly acceptable, particularly if you dry them yourself – unless you successfully cook your way through an entire bunch (or summer harvest), you’ll need to. Fortunately, it’s easy: lay branches of rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage or other fresh herbs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and slide it into the oven at its lowest setting for an hour or two. Turn the oven off and leave it inside to dry as it cools. Rub the herbs off their branches and store in small airtight containers to rub between your fingers into whatever you’re making that could use a little lift.

Gremolata

Cilantro Crema

During the summer, a quick gremolata should be in heavy rotation; all you need is lemon, garlic, parsley and olive oil, and a means to mash it all together. The stuff is brilliant to have a jar of in the fridge, and once you get hooked on it, you’ll find plenty of uses for it – drizzled on anything from steak to fish, brushed on corn on the cob, tossed with potato salad, even mopped up with bread. Feel free to add other fresh herbs along with the parsley to change the flavour profile.

Molcajete Authentic Mexican in the Crossroads Market makes a brilliant spring green and perfectly smooth “salsa” out of cilantro, garlic and lime that’s one of the best things to eat in the city. I attempted to recreate it at home, but can’t seem to call it salsa – I call mine crema. It’s brilliant on grilled chicken and fish, to dip veggies or with good-quality tortilla chips. (Molcajete has those, too.)

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, crushed

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

juice of 2 limes

1-2 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley, roughly or finely chopped

big pinch salt

a glug or two of good olive oil

Stir, whiz (in the bowl of a food processor) or mash everything together with a mortar and pestle, adding enough olive oil to create a loose sauce; store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. (The gremolata will improve in flavour after a day or two.)

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped (stems too) 1/2 c. sour cream (not low fat or fat free) 1/4 c. mayonnaise 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Combine everything in the bowl of a food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until perfectly smooth. Taste and adjust the flavours, adding more salt, lime, mayo or sour cream if needed. Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

Persian Frittata I came across this kuku sabzi (Persian Frittata) on Bon Appétit (they have a great video of it) and was drawn in by its deep, lush greenness. There are just enough eggs to bind loads of fresh dill, cilantro and parsley together, and the whole thing is served in wedges. I made a smaller version, with a few different flavouring options. olive or canola oil, for cooking 1 medium onion or 4-5 green onions, finely chopped 3 large eggs 1/2 t. each, baking powder, coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 t. cumin and/or cardamom (optional) 1/4 t. ground turmeric (optional) 1 c. packed, finely chopped cilantro (discard any tough stems) 1 c. packed, finely chopped dill (discard any tough stems) 1 c. packed, finely chopped parsley (discard any tough stems)

Heat a drizzle of oil in a heavy 8-inch skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft but not browned. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the baking powder, salt, pepper, cumin, cardamom and turmeric. Stir in the onion mixture and all the fresh herbs.

Alberta Trout Chả Cá Lã Vọng  This brilliant recipe comes from Jinhee Lee at Foreign Concept; it’s a traditional Vietnamese street food dish she fell in love with while traveling across the country. Trout and whitefish work well here: the turmeric-yogurt marinade is simple, and can be done ahead along with the nuoc cham sauce. With store-bought shrimp crackers, it can all be ready ahead of time, the fish quickly cooked with handfuls of fresh dill (or try swapping cilantro) whenever you’re ready for it. Trout: 2 lbs. Alberta rainbow trout fillets, skin on 1 c. yogurt 1 T. turmeric rice flour, for coating 3 T. vegetable oil, for frying 2 T. butter 1 T. chopped garlic 1 bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped 1 bunch green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Nuoc Cham Sauce (Vietnamese dipping sauce): 1/2 c. fish sauce 1 c. sugar

To serve: rice vermicelli, cooked per package instructions shrimp crackers chopped peanuts (optional) lime wedges

Cut the trout fillets into 3-inch pieces. Stir together the yogurt and turmeric, add the trout and toss to coat. Marinate for at least an hour, or preferably overnight. Heat a large skillet over high heat and add the oil. Dredge the fillets with rice flour and place skin side down in the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and golden. Flip the fish over, add the butter, garlic, dill and green onions to the pan. Baste the fish in the butter and continue to cook for about a minute. Transfer the fish to a plate and pour the butter and herbs from the pan over the fish. Prepare the nuoc cham sauce: bring the fish sauce, sugar, water and garlic to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add the chopped chile and the lime juice. Chill before serving. Arrange the noodles on a plate and top with the fish fillets, dill and green onions. Serve with shrimp crackers, peanuts and nuoc cham sauce. Serves 5.

Heat another drizzle of oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Pour in the egg and herb mixture, smooth the top, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the bottom is just set. Uncover and slide under the broiler, watching carefully for about a minute, until the top is set. Slide out or invert onto a plate to serve. Serves 8. 

Chocolate Mint Gelato  One of my favourite things to do with fresh herbs, particularly unique ones like chocolate mint or lemon thyme, is to steep them in cream before making ice cream or panna cotta. When you have a lot of mint, chocolate-mint ice cream is a great idea. 3-5 sprigs fresh mint 1-1/2 c. water 1/2 c. heavy (whipping) cream 1 c. sugar 3/4 c. cocoa 2-4 oz dark (70% cocoa) chocolate, chopped

On a chopping board, bruise the fresh mint with the back of a knife, or squish it with your fingers to release more flavour. Put it into a medium saucepan with the water and cream, bring to a simmer, then set aside to steep for half an hour or so. Pull out the mint or strain it through a fine sieve. In the same saucepan, stir together the sugar and cocoa, whisk in the water-cream-mint mixture and set it over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes, add the chocolate and take it off the heat. Let it sit for a minute or two, then stir until smooth. Cool completely and refrigerate until well chilled. Pour the cold mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Makes about 1 L.

1-1/2 c. water 1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 Thai chile pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

Julie Van Rosendaal is a cookbook author and blogs at dinnerwithjulie.com

2 T. lime juice

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

the sunday project

Cool it down

I DREAM OF HOME-MADE ICE CREAM

After six months of snow, you’d think we’d have enough of the cold, but not if it comes in the form of ice cream. We love ice cream and are adventurous with flavours and styles; if it’s sweet, cold and creamy, we want it all year round. Making your own ice cream is fairly easy and like anything home made, it just tastes better. Growing up on a farm, we had cows, chickens, beehives and a garden. That meant we had everything to make ice cream. Most of our cows were tall black and white Holsteins but we had one Jersey named Victoria. Small, tidy, dark brown and tan like a deer, she was as sweet and gentle as the others were ill tempered and aggressive. Jersey cows produce more cream than milk and by mid-summer hers was exceptionally thick and sweet from the grasses and flowers consumed in her free-range foraging. Likewise our chickens had yolks that were startlingly orange. My city-dwelling uncle almost fainted when he saw the hens scratching and pecking grain out of fresh steaming cow pies, but it was the flax and various cow-digested grains that gave them their vivid colour and excellent flavour.

Since 2011 we've worked hard to bring a wide variety of quality coffee, tea and kitchen equipment for baristas, restaurants and the aficionado at home. Visit us for honest advice and hands-on experience brewing at your very best. Mention this ad and receive 10% off cold brew coffee gear in store. #1–4005 9TH STREET SE, CALGARY SHOWROOM MON-FRI 9-5 SAT 10-4

with Karen Ralph

(403) 457-9844 or shop online at eightouncecoffee.ca

You can use any berry, fruit, spice, herb or edible flower to flavour your ice cream but we usually used strawberry or raspberry because they were plentiful. This recipe can be made with or without an ice-cream maker.

Raspberry and Vanilla Ice Cream I’ve always used fresh berries, but you could use frozen. 1-1/3 c. milk (by accident I’ve used 10% cream and it was delicious) 2-2/3 c. heavy cream 1/2 vanilla bean split lengthwise 8 egg yolks 1-1/4 c. sugar or honey

If you are splitting the recipe into raspberry and vanilla, use 1 cup of raspberries; if using the entire recipe for one flavour, 2 cups raspberries; or if just vanilla, no additional add-ins. This recipe doesn’t work as well if it boils so watch your temperature and the pot. You will need a wooden spoon, a mixing bowl, heavy saucepan, whisk or handheld mixer, fairly fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and freezer-safe bowls. tu

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Stir together the cream, milk and vanilla bean in the heavy saucepan, and bring to almost a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

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Remove the cream mixture from the heat and take out the vanilla bean.

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CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

Separate the eggs and whisk the egg yolks together with 1 cup of sugar or honey until it’s smooth and sugar is dissolved. Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg mixture and then whisk eggs back into the cream. Put the creamy egg mixture back on the burner and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken. This might take ten minutes, but don’t turn up the heat and don’t let it boil. Strain through a sieve or cloth into a bowl. Cool at room temp, then chill thoroughly, about an hour, in the freezer. If using an ice cream maker you can add the fruit and follow the instructions on the machine. If continuing by hand, split the mixture in half if making two flavours and mix it like you mean it. The idea is to break up any ice crystals that might be forming. At this point stir in the sweetened raspberries, and put back in the freezer for about an hour. Remove and stir again to break up any ice crystals and ensure a smooth consistency. If it’s smooth, it’s ready to eat, if not, stir it one more time. This has no preservatives and it tastes best eaten right away in a cone, on cake, on a plate with a little fresh fruit, or right out of the bowl.

1. Eggs and sugar.

2. Heating cream, milk, vanilla beans.

3. Eggs, sugar, milk and cream combined, vanilla bean removed.

4. Straining the hot mixture.

5. Stirring after an hour in the freezer.

6. Stirred ice cream with raspberries added.

7. Vanilla ice cream with raspberry topping.

8. Raspberry ice cream with raspberry topping.

Karen Ralph is a regular City Palate contributor. Photos by Karen Ralph.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

ONLY in Calgary by Shelley Boettcher and Richard White

When Everyday Tourist Richard White emailed food and wine writer Shelley Boettcher to ask for a list of her favourite local eateries, it opened a conversation about Calgary’s must-try restaurants and extraordinary dishes. There are the obvious things that others have written about, such as ginger beef (invented in Calgary) and the Caesar cocktail, also a local creation. But there are traditional eateries that have set Calgary apart for ages.

Here are 10 classic places we tell non-Calgarians about – and take them there to eat whenever they’re in town.

BLACKFOOT TRUCKSTOP is an authentic truck stop, so be prepared to dine with a cast of characters. Come for the food (typical diner menu) but stay for the pies. Founded in 1956, this place is world-famous for its skyhigh (8 inches of meringue) flapper pie, but the banana cream and lemon meringue are fab, too. Kids will love the model train that circles overhead. 1840 - 9th AVENUE SE_blackfootdiner.ca BOTTLESCREW BILL’S PUB/BUZZARD’S RESTAURANT AND BAR has been serving beer from around the world since 1985, and now there’s a big list of local brews, too. During the Calgary Stampede, however, Shelley takes fearless out-of-town family members looking for something they’ll never get at home – prairie oysters, only available at the Testicle Festival. 140 - 10th AVENUE SW_bottlescrewbill.com CAESAR’S STEAK HOUSE AND LOUNGE was founded in 1972 and is still family-owned. When you’re in need of some good Alberta beef, and you can’t be bothered to cook it yourself, this is the place to go. The steak is just as good as it was way back when, but, thanks to Alberta’s privatized liquor imports, the wine list is considerably better. 512 - 4th AVENUE SW (the original location) or #110, 10816 MACLEOD TRAIL SE_caesarssteakhouse.com

CHICKEN ON THE WAY has been serving chicken that’s crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside at its flagship Kensington location since 1958, but the corn fritters and handmade fries are musts, too. 1443 KENSINGTON ROAD NW_chickenonthewaycalgary.ca

NICK’S STEAKHOUSE AND PIZZA opened in 1979, and when you walk in, you’ll wonder if anything has changed since then. (The answer: Very little.) This is the place to go for celebratory pizza after a Calgary Stampeders win, or to mark the end of a term at the University of Calgary. It’s mobbed every Mother’s Day and Friday and Saturday nights, too. 2430 CROWCHILD TRAIL NW_nickssteakandpizza.com

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

PETERS’ DRIVE-IN has been serving up great milkshakes since 1964. Today, this popular drive-through offers more than 25 flavours. Some are traditional; some (licorice-lime, toasted marshmallow), not so much. All the milkshakes are famous for being so thick, your cheeks hurt by the time you finish one. 219 - 16th AVENUE NE_petersdrivein.com PULCINELLA serves up authentic Napoletana pizzas, as chef Domenic Tudda is one of only a handful of North Americans who are certified by Italy’s Associazione Pizzaioli Napolitani. It’s kind-of like having the blessing of the Pope. Pulcinella offers more than 15 pizzas with names like Nduja Sausage, Crudo and Quattro Stagioni. We haven’t had one we didn’t like. 1147 KENSINGTON CRESCENT NW_pulcinella.ca THE SHIP & ANCHOR PUB’s patio is the place to be on a sunny chinook afternoon in February, or any time during the summer. And if it’s raining? Head inside to watch soccer or live music, while enjoying a pint of Big Rock Trad and some hand-cut fries and mayo. Minors welcome until 7 p.m. 534 - 17th AVENUE SW_shipandanchor.com

SPOLUMBO’S was founded by three former CFL football players in 1991 and it’s famous for its sandwiches – cutlet parmigiana is very popular. But Richard’s favourite is the savoury meatball sandwich. Bring an extra shirt, as eating here can get very messy. 13 - 9th AVENUE SE_spolumbos.com

10.

TEA TRADER is worth the climb up the stairs, as you’re transported from the new world to the old world. At any given time, Tea Trader has 100 to 160 teas in stock, imported directly from India, China, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. Try Richard’s favourite lapsang souchong, or pick up SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) to make kombucha. 1228A - 9th AVENUE SE_teatrader.com

10.

AND KEEP EATING... Our top five contenders for the next-generation legends, local eateries and what to eat when we have out-of-town guests: CANNIBALE — This tiny cocktail bar-restaurant-barbershop lets you get a shave and a cocktail simultaneously. We can’t make it out the door without at least one Hanky Panky pre-prohibition cocktail. THE CHOCOLATE LAB — We love the names of the chocolates just as much as the taste. If you’re only eating one, don’t miss the Scotch on the Rocks, 12-year-old scotch with dark chocolate and a layer of pop rocks. JELLY MODERN DOUGHNUTS — Shelley prefers the crème brulee; Richard loves the maple-bacon. Either way, you may want to schedule a workout when you’re done eating one of these big, rich beauties. MADE BY MARCUS — The lemon curd with blueberry ice cream is always a favourite at dinner parties, but so is the salted caramel. Try something new, too; the team here regularly introduces unusual new flavour combinations. SIDEWALK CITIZEN — The cheese sticks. Oh, those cheese sticks. Warm them up a bit, and serve them with a glass of fruity red wine, and you have a dinner for champions. ✤

Shelley Boettcher is a local food, wine and booze writer; find out more about her at drinkwithme.com or on Twitter @shelley_wine. Richard White, also known as the Everyday Tourist, loves to be a “flâneur,” strolling the city in search of off-the-beaten-path places to eat, drink and browse. Follow him on Twitter @everydaytourist. CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

How to NOT Screw Up Chicken on the Gril story and photos by grill-master Rockin’ Ron Shewchuk

It hurts my heart to think about the millions of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are ruined on backyard grills every day. I mourn for the hapless spouses and children who have to choke down the dry, mealy protein while disingenuously praising the proud cook, who will continue to badly barbecue birds for the rest of his or her grilling career. I’m here to change all that, for humanity’s sake. Read on, and never ruin chicken on the grill again. Let’s start with the most important thing: for perfect grilled chicken, cook to the right internal temperature, not to an exact time. If you don’t already have one, get yourself a good instant-read thermometer. A cheap old-fashioned one costs about 15 bucks, or you can drop a bill-and-a-half on the super-fancy, super-fast Thermapen. The idea is to carefully monitor the internal temperature of your chicken, at the thickest part, and take it off the grill when it gets to a little bit shy of 160°F, which is the minimum temperature needed to maintain food safety. (The temp will rise a bit as you let the meat rest.)

Chicken breasts at the right temp to eat.

Unless, like me, you enjoy chicken heart kebabs, there are four choices for grilling chicken. Here are the best techniques for each: THE BREAST First of all, say it out loud: “boneless, skinless chicken breasts.” Rhymes with “soulless, joyless food for guests.” Chicken breast meat has almost no fat. As we all know, fat equals flavour. If you’re going to grill chicken breasts, there are two ways to go: Bone-in, skin-on will give you more flavour, and the mass of the bone will help prevent over-cooking. The key to grilling this cut is to keep the temperature of your grill low, to allow gentle, more even cooking. Cook it over high heat and the narrow end will overcook before the thick part is ready, and the skin will drip fat and cause flare-ups. If you insist on going boneless and skinless, this little trick will get you to the best result: flatten the breasts to about 3/4-inch thickness by putting them between two sheets of plastic and pounding them with a rubber hammer or meat mallet. Pound gently for better control. Once they’re flat like a schnitzel, you can treat them with a quick rub or marinade, lay them on a hot grill for a minute or two per side, and you’ve got evenly cooked, perfectly juicy chicken every time. Make more than you need; they’re great for sammies the next day.

Chicken thighs on skewers.

THIGHS This is my fave cut, and because they’ve got more fat and connective tissue, they’re more forgiving and therefore harder to overcook. The bone-in, skin-on variety turns out better with slower, lower-temperature cooking. It’s easy to turn up the heat and crisp up the skin at the last minute. I also love boneless skinless thighs, which grill up best when skewered. I like to go with a teriyaki marinade or a shawarma-style dry rub. TIP: use two parallel skewers for each kebab. This allows for much easier turning and faster cooking, because you don’t have to cram the pieces too close together. WINGS I love cooking up a big mess o’ wings on the grill, but if you start with raw wings, there’s a good chance you’ll get annoying flare-ups because of the high skin-to-meat ratio. Here’s what I do in my old age. Put all the wings into a big pot of cold water and bring them up to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, turn it down to simmer the wings for maybe five minutes, just so they’re cooked through. Drain, pat dry, and then coat them with a dry rub, or just salt and pepper, and a drizzling of oil. Throw them on a medium grill and cook, turning often, until they’re perfectly crispy. Finish with a light or heavy glaze of your favourite barbecue sauce, or toss with a mixture of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, a melted pat of butter and a splash of white vinegar for perfect Buffalo-style wings.

Saucy chicken wings.

THE WHOLE BIRD The secret here, folks, is to brine your chicken. Soaking a chicken in brine before cooking does two things. It adds flavour, and because the salt in the brine draws moisture out of the bird, it firms up the flesh, making it perfectly succulent. The basic brine recipe is simple. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of salt and 3/4 cup of sugar with 2 cups of water. Heat until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved in the water. Add the salt and sugar water to 14 more cups of cold water. That’s your basic brine.

Add a couple of bay leaves, some cloves, peppercorns, a couple of peeled and coarsely chopped onions, herbs, a bit of soy sauce – whatever else you want to give the chicken some flavour that matches how you’re going to cook it. Place your raw whole chicken in the brine and refrigerate it for two hours. Remove the chicken, rinse it with cold water, pat it dry and it’s ready for you to rub it and grill it. I like to put a whole chicken on a rotisserie with a pan of water underneath to catch the drippings, or sit it on one of those beer can chicken holders. I love adding some cherry wood or hickory to the charcoal or placing a couple of chunks under the cooking grate of a gas grill for extra flavour. TIP: I recommend an organic or Halal chicken – better treated, better fed, better chicken.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

Whole chicken roasting over taters.

Okay. Now you’ve got the techniques. Here are three of my favourite chicken recipes. Enjoy!

Southwestern-style Chicken Wings You can also do this recipe with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Super easy, and super delish. 2 lbs. chicken wings, tips removed

For the grilling rub (Makes about 1 cup): 4 T. kosher salt 1 t. ground pepper 2 T. ground toasted cumin seeds 1 T. ground oregano 2 T. granulated onion 1 T. granulated garlic 2 T. ancho chile powder 1 t. ground chipotles (if you can’t find this, substitute cayenne)

Chicken Shawarma

Skewered Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

My lovely wife Kate and I have become devoted fans of Israeli-British chef Yotam Ottolenghi. The rub for this dish is based on his recipe for lamb shawarma. Serve the chicken with pitas, tahini, baba ganoush, fresh mint and grill- roasted plum tomatoes. olive oil

This is just delicious. You can use bottled teriyaki sauce, but for many years I’ve made batches of homemade, based on Trevor Hooper’s excellent recipe from a great cookbook from 30 years ago called Raku, also the name of a fantastic restaurant he founded in Vancouver. This dish is delicious served simply on a bed of steamed rice with some grilled or sautéed veggies like broccoli or baby bok choy.

For the rub:

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 t. black peppercorns

12 bamboo skewers, pre-soaked in cold water for an hour or two

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

5 cloves

Cherry, oak or hickory wood as a flavouring agent

1 t. cardamom pods 1 t. fennel seeds

For home-made teriyaki sauce (Makes about 8 cups):

1 T. cumin seeds 1 star anise half a cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

1 t. dried parsley

1/2 t. fenugreek seeds (optional)

neutral-flavoured oil, like canola or corn oil

1/2 of a whole nutmeg, grated

Par-boil the chicken wings (see technique above). Drain them, pat dry, and coat with the rub. Drizzle the rubbed wings with some oil, just enough so they look wet and shiny. Preheat your grill for mediumhigh direct cooking. Toss the wings onto the cooking grate and cook, turning often, until the wings are charred and crispy. Transfer to a platter and serve.

1/2 t. ground ginger

1-1/2 c. sake 1-1/2 c. mirin 2 c. brown sugar 4 c. Japanese soy sauce 1/2 c. tamari soy sauce

1 T. sweet paprika 1 T. Maldon sea salt or 1 T. fleur de sel

For garnish: 1 T. sumac (optional; available at specialty stores) chopped fresh parsley, mint or cilantro chopped white onion

Combine the first eight ingredients and dry-roast them by gently tossing them about in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat until they start to give off a wonderful fragrance. Be careful not to burn them. Let them cool and grind them to a fine powder in a spice grinder or coffee mill. Add the nutmeg, ground ginger, paprika and sea salt and mix thoroughly. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness of about 3/4-inch. Coat the chicken breasts with the rub and drizzle them with olive oil 'til they’re just barely wet with the oil. Let them sit while you preheat your grill for medium-high direct cooking. Place the chicken breasts on the cooking grate, cover the grill, and cook for about a minute or two on each side, until the meat is firm to the touch and you have some nice char marks and the internal temperature of the thickest part reads 160°F. Remove from the grill and let rest, loosely tented in foil, for three or four minutes. Slice them up, garnish with fresh herbs, chopped onion and a sprinkle of sumac, and serve with your favourite accompaniments. Serves 8, or 4 with some nice leftovers for lunch wraps the next day.

1 small onion, chopped 1 shallot, chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped 2-inch piece fresh ginger, chopped 1 orange, skin on, chopped 1 small pear, chopped 1 small leek, split, washed thoroughly and chopped

For garnish: chopped green onion, toasted sesame seeds teriyaki sauce

Make the teriyaki sauce, which you can do weeks in advance: Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a low boil. Cook it until it’s reduced by about 20 percent. Cool it, strain it into a large jar or bottle, and refrigerate it. It stores indefinitely in the fridge. Prepare the chicken thighs: Marinate the thighs in two cups of the teriyaki sauce for no more than two hours. Pre-heat your grill for medium-high direct cooking. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Using two skewers per kebab, thread the thighs onto the skewers, being careful not to pack them too tightly. When the grill is hot, place the skewered thighs on the cooking grate and cover the grill. Cook the kebabs, turning often and basting with some extra teriyaki sauce, until they’ve got some nice charring and the internal temperature reads 160°F. Remove the skewers from the grill. To serve, lay a skewer on a bed of rice with some grilled veg on the side, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion, and have some teriyaki available for drizzling on the meat and rice. ✤

Ron Shewchuk is the author of Barbecue Secrets DELUXE! and chief cook of Rockin’ Ronnie’s Butt Shredders competition barbecue team, which has won lots of prizes over the years, including the Canadian National BBQ Championship. He’s good. Your chicken and family will love you if you follow his directions for grilling!

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

Calgary’s Best Summer Eats ACCORDING TO SOME OF ITS MOST APPRECIATIVE PALATES by Erin Lawrence

There are some foods that just scream summer: watermelon, corn on the cob, barbecued meats and ice-cream spring immediately to mind. Midway food is always popular in July, when creative Stampede vendors roll out their latest bug-topped breads, or candy confections, dipped in candy, wrapped in more candy. These days more complex flavours and creative pairings abound, and though Calgary may be short on lovable weather sometimes (who remembers this past winter? Ugh!), its citizens are long on ideas for tasty summer eats. What are the things people really crave? We asked some well-known Calgarians what their picks are for the best that Calgary has to offer for summer food. “Taiko Taco! It’s one of the few trucks I’ll line up for when I see it at an event. The dreamy pork belly taco on the soft bao bun shell combined with the Asian fusion flavours and crispy veggies makes for a brilliant summer combination I can’t ever refuse. Add in the mango shrimp “lucky fries” and you’ve got yourself a wonderful taste of summer!” Neil Zeller, photographer and social media darling “I love grilling anything over charcoal. It’s the most primal of all cooking methods and still the tastiest, I think. Also, every July, I always look forward to Saskatchewan chanterelles. They are the best in the world. Small, dry, perfect buttons. They are amazing with fresh halibut, which is always in season over the summer.” Chef Michael Allemeier, culinary educator at SAIT and master chef “Easily my favourite summer food is to grab a poke bowl from Po-Ke and take it over to a bench overlooking the Bow River downtown. If you’ve never had a poke bowl before, poke bowls are basically the perfect union of sushi and a classic rice and veggie dish, without breaking the bank. My go-to combo is deep red ahi tuna, with jalapeño peppers, cucumber, green onion, lettuce and red cabbage, mixed with Po-Ke’s ponzu sauce.” Chris Ratzlaff, photographer, storm chaser, and the guy who went viral making a frozen bubble “My boyfriend and I discovered it a couple summers ago and now, every time we go, it feels like summer all over again! Cowtown Beef Shack in McKenzie Towne is casual, it’s simple and what they do, they do really well. I always get the beef dip, which is fresh roasted beef, fresh onion, fresh bread and super yummy ‘au jus.’ Just make sure you get it with the horseradish and the chipotle mayo.” Angela Valiant, announcer, X92.9 “I love when Taber corn season comes around. There’s nothing like it; it’s so sweet and crisp and bursting with flavour. It’s so good you can slice it off the cob and eat it raw in salads, which is the perfect side for my other summer favourite – there is nothing like a big plate of BBQ MEATS at the middle of an outdoor feast. Basically, if it has the word ribs in it, it’s National Talky League approved!” Roger Kingkade, co-host, National Talky League podcast “Summer is the time when it won’t kill you to stand outside restaurants to wait in lineups for brunch. Basking in the sun for 30 minutes or so and then having the smoked meat hash at Red’s in the Beltline? Sounds like a lazy summer weekend to me.” Jason Markusoff, Calgary-based writer for Maclean’s magazine “My favourite summer thing to make is homemade pineapple cucumber salsa, but since I’m not inviting everyone over for salsa and chips, I’ll say I love those mini donut popsicles from Family Freezed.” Dave Ware, co-host, National Talky League podcast “I love going to La Tiendona Market. It’s a great spot to grab Latin-style foods; they make wicked good empanadas, plus they have real Mexican Coke. Sitting outside in the sun and biting into a fresh Latin pastry filled with tender meat, and washing it down with Mexican Coke (made with cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup) is pure summer enjoyment. I also love to ride my motorbike out to Turner Valley quite a bit for Moto Burrito. Bob Sumner, Instagram foodie & CTV news assignment editor

There are so many other summery food picks, I have to get a word in edgewise. Buying handmade sandwiches from Peppino in Kensington and taking them down to the river for a picnic is a great weekend or afternoon outing. This year I’ve decided I must get my hands on the rolled ice cream from Sweet Tooth Calgary. The roasted rhubarb parfait is also on my musthave list this summer, spooned up outdoors on the Alloy restaurant patio, one of the chicest in the city. I recently discovered what might be the most decadent dark chocolate ice cream on earth, the dairy-free dark chocolate from Fiasco Gelato, available at Co-op stores. It tastes like dark chocolate squares are melting in your mouth, and even though it’s made with coconut milk, you can’t taste that. Take it outside and sit under the stars and nibble it right from the container. It’s pure chocolate enjoyment. Another recent find that has been going on all my grilled meats and veggies this season is something called Obè sauce. It’s a Nigerian vegetable sauce that can be used as a sauce, a marinade or a dip, since it’s fully cooked. It’s got a powerfully rich taste that I’ve never known before. It tastes like sweet, tangy, and spicy all got together and threw a party in your mouth, then invited cayenne, paprika and garlic. You can pick it up by the jar at Co-op stores and from DeChosen African Market. Summer doesn’t last long, but fortunately these favourites endure, and you can find many of them yearround. Think we missed an amazing summer food? Let me know on Twitter @ErinLYYC so I can start sampling now for next summer’s Best Eats list. ✤

Erin Lawrence is a Calgary TV producer, journalist, and freelance writer who loves food in the summer, fall, winter and spring. Find her online at ErinLYYC.com or on Twitter & Instagram @ErinLYYC.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

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STIRRINGS AROUND CALGARY

RESTAURANT RAMBLINGS n Book your Stampede party at the Deane House, one of Calgary’s best venues because it’s steps away from Stampede Park, East Village and in Inglewood. Check it out at deanehouse.com and call event manager Kelly at 403-264-0595. The Sunday Summer Jazz Series takes place in the Deane’s garden for live jazz and brunch on Sundays all summer long. Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., live music 12 noon-3 p.m. A great way to spend a beautiful, sunny, Sunday with good food and good music! n The Sukiyaki House is presenting a third Kaiseki event, a summer celebration dinner, on July 28. If it’s anything like the Winter Kaiseki we attended, you won’t want to miss it. Chef Koji creates eight courses, all paired with unique sake and tea, designed to honour the summer season. Also in attendance will be the delightful Yasuhiro Washiyama from Sake Gami and the lovely Michiko Ono from Matsu Kaze Tea. Make your reservations at info@sukiyakihouse.com. n NOtaBLE, one of the city’s favourite restaurants, has introduced NOtaBLE Hour, which features drink and food specials that let people escape the hustle-and-bustle of downtown but still enjoy after-work leisure before heading home. Offered every Tuesday to Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., NOtaBLE Hour offers $8 drinks, including the Moscow Mule, Grilled Grapefruit Swizzle, a pint of Village Brewery ‘No Bull’ beer or a glass of wine. Also, NOtaBLE Hour offers a chicken dinner for two for $30, featuring half a wood-fired rotisserie Happy Chicken with a NOtaBLE signature salad and bottomless fries on the side.

n The Winkin Owl Pub & Grill at the end of Bow Bottom Trail, just before Fish Creek Park, serves the best fish on a plate of chips on a Friday night when you can even order more fish if you need more fish and it won’t cost you any more. All good, fun place, good food, nice people, good prices, Friday Fish/ Chips, go eat some! Good live music, too! (We call this place Winkin’ Blinkin’ and Nod) n Grizzly Paw Brewing Co. in Canmore has opened a new restaurant called Tank 310, located on the third floor of the majestic timber frame brewery on 310 Old Canmore Road. And the brewery is full of big, bright, shiny tanks. Still a craft beer destination, rotating seasonal favourites, plus small-batch sodas brewed in-house that are great on their own or well integrated into the signature cocktail program. The approachable menu pairs well with Grizzly’s great beer – enjoy a pint and the “Only Burger” while watching the team in all stages of the brewing process, you may lend a hand and be part of the craft beer movement. n Happy Hour is back at Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, and nothing says summer like the return of HH at one of Banff’s best outdoor patios, located just off Tunnel Mountain Drive. Sunday to Friday, 3-5 p.m., guests

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

can enjoy Alberta craft beers, glasses of prosecco or an Aperol spritz for just $6 each. And to go with the drinks, choose from a variety of new summer menu items, including elk carpaccio, tuna poke, boar tenderloin and ricotta gnocchi, perfect for indulging in signature Rocky Mountain cuisine. n Vero Bistro Moderne, in Kensington, invites you to enjoy its Pasta Night Thursdays. A Pasta Platter Special for two, $89 a couple, that features a variety of cicchetti – Italian-style tapas – to start, a pasta platter consisting of 3 pastas to share. Reservations are required: opentable.com/vero-bistro-moderne or call 403-283-8988. n It used to be the Delta Lodge at Kananaskis, it’s now the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, an Autograph Collection hotel, recently transformed by a $36 million renovation, and celebrating its new executive chef, Eric Beaupré. Eric brings 24 years of experience with him and has a clear vision of how he’s going to elevate the culinary experience of Kananaskis Country. Visit lodgeatkananaskis.com for more information. n Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria celebrates the season of social with a fresh spring and summer menu – new seasonal dishes, cocktails and proprietary beer and wine at all locations. AND, Vino Wednesdays offers bottles of wine at 50% off. Visit famoso.ca for all the tasty details. n Plant-based cuisine is more popular than ever, yet little has been said about how to properly match wines with vegetableforward dishes. Just like with proteins, vegetables have flavour nuances that can be complemented by the right wine match. Farmer Tom Gore and his namesake wine label has partnered with chef J.P. Pedhirney, head chef at Bridgette Bar, to go “back to the roots” and create two plant-based recipes that pair perfectly with the bold flavours of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Good pairing clues: Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 with roasted red beets, dark summer cherries, farro, pistachio and dukkah. Sauvignon Blanc 2015 with butternut squash, saffron, tarragon, pumpkin seeds and urfa biber pepper (dried Turkish chile pepper). n Vin Room’s Mission, West and YYC airport patios invite you and your woofers to a dog-friendly tasting menu available every day of the week all summer long! A complimentary custom canine dining experience includes custom dog furniture and beds, hydration bars and cleanup stations. There’s also a three-course tasting menu starting with an amuse-bouche made with rye flour, free-range beef liver, pumpkin, flax seed and eggs, then ends with a “Pupsicle” dessert made with free-range chicken, carrots, sweet potato, ginger and apple cider supplemented with dog biscuits and a rotating selection of bottled “Pawsecco.” For more information, visit vinroom.com. n Stay cool at Alforno this summer with soft serve ice cream! Chill out with a cup of fresh and rotating flavours that you enjoy on the patio or on a stroll along the river. Stay in the know @AlfornoYYC. n Two new happy hours at Two Penny Chinese: #1, Bao Down Happy Hour in the Tea House featuring the first hour, from 6 p.m., and the last hour of service, 11 p.m.

on school nights, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, when spirits and sodas, feature beer and sake are on special for $5. During this time, the bao buns are also on for $2.50 each. #2 Two Penny has rolled out Cold Tea Happy Hour from 2-5 p.m. daily. Sneaky teapots with $7 feature beer and cocktails, and $10 rosé wine are all part of it as are the new snack towers where you can build your own with rotating $5 bar snacks and finger foods. Visit @twopennychinese for regular happy hour menu details. The Tea House has Sweet Tea Sundays with Zilford’s Fried Chicken, cold beer and sweet tea from 6 p.m. And when you attend the new Bao Down Happy Hour, you can roll right into Tea House Comedy Night. AND Two Penny has teamed up with Sugarwater Bar to host the Tea Garden cocktail bar pop-up in East Village Junction from noon to 8 p.m. every Friday over the summer. Live entertainment, too. Visit twopenny.ca for details. n Pizza for the People! Cibo Centre St. is now open, a little sister to Cibo 17th Ave, go check it out for good pizza – affordable and appetizing brunch, lunch and dinner menus with fresh weekend features. It’s at 2220 Centre St. NE, 403-276-2030. DRINKS DOCKET

n The three historic Port houses belonging to The Fladgate Partnership – Croft, Fonseca and Taylor Fladgate – have declared the 2016 vintage. Fladgate Partnership’s Adrian Bridge described the 2016 vintage ports: “The keynotes of 2016 are purity and refinement. The Vintage Ports of the three houses are stylistically distinct but all display elegance and poise, a wonderful purity of fruit and tannins of great quality.” The 2016 Vintage Ports from Croft, Fonseca and Taylor Fladgate will be shipped later in the year and should be available in most markets by the autumn. n Summer drinking is often light drinking, and SoCIAL LITE Vodka offers spiked sparkling water, including two new flavours for the Alberta market – Unsweetened Spiked Iced Tea and Grapefruit Pomelo. SoCIAL LITE Vodka is the first-ever and original unsweetened craft cocktail made in Canada, each flavour is naturally refreshing and guilt-free. Made with no sugar and no sweetener, it’s a blend of premium Canadian vodka, soda and 100% natural flavours, gluten-free and a whole 80 calories. Find it throughout the city, or visit sociallitevodka.com/find-us to find where to get it near where you live. n MadJack is the tastiest iced tea you’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking and suits summer’s weather better than many other drinks. It’s called MadJack Hard Flavoured Iced Tea because it’s 5% alcohol – made with malt liquor – though it’s not a big-deal alcohol drink, just a very crisp, tasty one. We love it and you will, too. Find it all over the city, specifically at The Liquor Depot.

n Monte Creek Ranch Winery, in BC’s Thompson Valley, one of four new BC wine regions, makes good wine. You’ll want to drink it! n A perfect summer drink – Leinenkugel’s Lemon Shandy, craft weiss beer with lemon, can’t beat it for refreshment. Perfectly tart and tasty it will cool down your hot summer days. Find it at liquor stores that sell beer. Because it is a beer, even though it’s shot with lemon juice. And, Grizzly Paw Brewing also makes a Lemon Shandy. n Drinks dude, Stephen Murdoch, advises that when you’re looking to impress at your summer dinner party, Fiona at Lakeview Wine Co. in Niagara-on-the-Lake, suggests great tips on combining wines with seasonal dishes, such as: Perch & Chips: Grill some perch fillets with salt, pepper and lemon juice, and serve with fresh-cut fries or potato wedges and a glass of aromatic pinot grigio. Margherita Pizza: Summer weather is perfect for bringing your homemade pizza outside to the grill or wood-fired oven, and using some of your fresh basil to top it off. Pizza pairs well with most red wines, but a full bodied, peppery cabernet franc is a top choice. BBQ: Barbecue and red wine are a match made in heaven. Any meaty barbecue fare pairs well with medium to full-bodied red wines. For more info, visit lakeviewwineco.com. COOKING CLASSES n Announcing the #YYC Summer 2018 Culinary Nutrition Workshop Series, hosted by two Culinary Nutrition Experts at the Community Kitchen Program of Calgary. These fun and educational half-day sessions take place on July 14th and August 18th and feature whole food, plant-based cooking. All recipes will be gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free. For further details and registration visit jessicapecush.com/events. n SAIT’s downtown Culinary Campus: Thrill of the Grill, July 12 or August 16; Date Night, July 20 or August 10; Curry, August 17; Canning, August 18. The Tastemarket by SAIT: Date Night at The Tastemarket, July 27 or August 24. Visit culinarycampus.ca for details and more courses. n Cuisine et Château cooking classes, July and August: Hands-on classes: Best of Brunch, July 1; A Wok through Asia, July 5/ August 9; Table for Two, July 6/August 4; A Taste of Spain, July 7/August 23; Elements of Summer (Grilling Curing Smoking Marinating), July 8/August 26; From New Delhi, July 13/August 24; Simply Italian, July 14/August 3 & 25; Cheese Making, July 15/August 16; Easy Thai, July 19/August 17; Cocina Mexicana, July 20/August 18; A Twist on Sushi, July 21/August 19; Moroccan Flair, July 27; Spanish Tapas, July 28/August 11; Made in France, August 2; Around the Med, August 10. Culinary Tours: professional chefs take you to the Périgord region of France for an all-inclusive luxury gastronomic experience

n The Cookbook Co. Cooks: World Kitchen, Summertime in the City, Couples Class, July 7/14/21/28, September 14/15; Fermentation Workshop, September 15; Quick Pickles & Canning Workshop, September 15; Pie and Pastry Making Workshop, September 16; Thai Classics, September 16; Handmade Stuffed Pasta, September 19; Girls’ Night Out, Cocktails & Hors D’Oeuvres, September 20. Chef and cookbook author, Pierre Lamielle, holds a week-long kids’ camp for ages 12+, July 16-20, and a week-long kids’ camp for ages 8-11, July 23-27. To register for cooking classes, call 403-265-6066, ext. 1. Visit cookbookcooks.com for class information and lots more classes. n Ollia Macarons & Tea: Classes July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7, 14, 21, 28. All macarons classes – make and take and eat! Visit byollia.com for details, or phone 403457-9775, located at 810C - 16th Ave. SW. GENERAL STIRRINGS n Heritage Park invites you to a Prince House Garden Party Dinner, July 20 or August 17, that features an Edwardian-era inspired party that features tours of the Prince House, croquet on the front lawn, live music, hors d’oeuvres and sparkling wine followed by dinner of great food that includes wine pairings. Tickets $89.95. Visit HeritagePark.ca or phone 403-268-8500 for tickets and information. n July 5, August 2, September 6, Heritage Park invites you to a walking tour of its heirloom gardens, followed by a fourcourse dinner with wine pairings in the Selkirk Grille Gallery Room that celebrates western Canada’s history, including bannock, roasted pork loin and creamed Taber corn. Tickets are $79.95 at HeritagePark.ca or 403268-8500.

n Calgary’s largest outdoor inner-city farmers market – the Farmers & Makers Market at cSPACE – has opened on the grounds of cSPACE King Edward arts hub in a local food, arts and culture smashup with something for everyone! Saturdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. through October 6 with more than 50 of Calgary’s best local and ultra-local farm, food and artisan vendors joining cSPACE’s thriving community of artists, makers, galleries and arts organizations to present an entirely new Farmers Market experience focused on “feeding communities and culture.” Visit farmersmakersmarket.ca for more information. The south lawn of cSPACE King Edward, 1721 - 29th Ave. SW. n Noble Gardens, CSA farm from Nobleford, Alberta, has been providing Community Shared Agriculture (Farm) Shares to Calgarians since 2010. Moving away from the rigid “you gotta be there and take what you get,” Noble has teamed up with Harvie, a web portal that allows them to offer a share that is fully customizable, open to vacation holds and has a pay-as-you-go option. Visit noblegardenscsa.com for all the details about how friendly this CSA program is with Mr. Harvie.

n World-renowned Japanese knife makers are visiting Canada this summer, and our very own Kevin Kent, the Knifewear dude, is hosting them. They will be doing blacksmithing and knife sharpening demonstrations – think Forged in Fire, but live! You will be able to smell the coal fire, hear the sounds and see the sparks, July 15 in Calgary. It’s a rare chance to meet the makers of Masakage and Ironclad knives! These knives are available at all Knifewear stores and on knifewear.com. n Brewery & The Beast is back and it’s always fun – August 19, 1-4:15 p.m. at Fort Calgary. Besides tasty beer, it features the delicious creations from more than 50 of Calgary’s talented chefs and recognized restaurants: Bridgette Bar, Calcutta Cricket Club, Shokunin, Pigeonhole and Model Milk, Two Penny Chinese, The Guild, Anju, Teatro Group, Charbar, Yellow Door Bistro, Raw Bar, Oxbow, Native Tongues Taqueria and many more. And brews from Phillips Brewing & Malting Co, Left Field Cider Co., domestic and international wines, Rosso Coffee Roasters and Wild Tea Kombucha, too. And live music from The Electric Timber Company. It’s strictly an 18+ event and requires guests to bring two pieces of identification. Get tickets at breweryandthebeast.com/tickets. n Uber Eats Calgary has released the trends showcasing the foods and dishes that delight the city’s taste buds. Uber Eats has delivered more than 20 different cuisines to eaters across the city and has discovered that different neighbourhoods have different food cravings: Beltline likes pad thai and green curry, Bridgeland likes butter chicken and pizza, Downtown likes pho and Jamaican bowls, East Village likes ice cream and cakes, Inglewood likes candy and lemonade, Kensington likes shawarma and pad thai, and Victoria Park likes pizza and pies. n Kensington has re-branded its evolution of the popular Harry Potter festival, Diagon Alley, to the newly named Fantasy Faire in Kensington. Stakeholders involved wanted it changed to be more inclusive so that all of Calgary’s fantasy groups can participate on Sunday, July 29 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. for a full day of fantasy, including entertainment, games, live music, magic, wizards, witchcraft and so much more! Look for Alien Alley, Lorefolk Lane and participants are still encouraged to dress up in Harry Potter-themed costumes or any other fantasy-themed characters they are inspired by. visitkensington.com. n We discovered a package of good backpacking food made by OMEALS in Florida. We were wandering around North Vancouver in the area of the Lonsdale Quay, when we wandered into a store called Highwater Tackle Ltd. and discovered the OMEALS food packages. Don’t weigh a thing, so backpacking convenient for sure. We brought the Southwest Chicken one home and tried it. There’s a white heating pad inside with a package of fully cooked food and utensils. The cool thing is that you open the package, make sure the heating pad is on the bottom, food package on top of it, then pour in about 4 oz. of ANY liquid, whatever’s handy – we took cold tap water. The heating pad heats the liquid very hot and it cooks your food and steam comes out the steam slit at the top of the package and you have fully cooked, tasty food in about five minutes. Open the food bag and eat! We shared ours and it’s mostly to feed one person, but you can take lots because they’re so light and there are lots of

different foods like Creole Chicken, Lentils with Beef, Pasta Fagioli, Cheese Tortellini in Tomato Sauce, vegetarian food and breakfast food. Visit omeals.com to learn all the details and you can order a free sample, too. n Barilla Ready Pasta is a new and convenient way to elevate “dining el desko” – it’s microwaveable and fully-cooked pasta that is ready to eat in 60 seconds. We tried some and discovered it’s cooked better if microwaved for 90 seconds rather than 60. It’s available in penne, elbows and rotini, and benefits from having some sauce drizzled over the cooked pasta. Easy to do, tasty to eat. Find it at Real Canadian Superstore and Sobey’s, and maybe at Co-op stores and Safeway. n A Texas company called The Salad Spice Company has launched a healthy alternative to salad dressings. It was invented by a woman with diabetes who was looking for ways to enhance the taste of vegetables that make not only salads taste good but meats, too. The single-serve packages come in a variety of flavours. Purchase online at thesaladspiceco.com where you can also learn everything you want to know about these salad spices.

n On July 1, Le Creuset launches a limited edition of sorbet-coloured mugs, mini bowls, mini cocottes, ramekins, ice cream bowls and square dishes. The sorbet colours are the perfect combination of a retro-favoured past and all that is cool and fashionable today. Check them out at Le Creuset in Chinook Centre or your fave kitchen supply store.

Eating fresh local produce and micro greens is easier than ever!

n Art and Soul of Food and Fibre. Join seasoned tour guide, Wendy Lees, on August 25th for a day trip to two of Alberta’s gems – Custom Woolen Mills and Dancing Goats Farm. Travelling by school bus, stopping first to visit Custom Woolen Mills, a 35-year-old family-operated mill which uses turn-of-the-century machinery to produce quality wool and exotic fibres. After this, enjoy a picnic lunch featuring delicious Alberta-made food, including cheeses from Dancing Goats. Tickets are available through Eventbrite. Contact Wendy at 403-880-3001 for more information. n With summer here, Delicacies Jewelry offers your favourite foodie indulgences, such as mementos for the crab boil, clambake or barbecue lover in your life, sterling silver ingredient pendants or bracelets in a wide range of ingredients, such as corn, crab, pineapples and much more. Visit #whatsyouringredient? At DelicaciesJewelry.com.

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6 quick ways with...

by Chris Halpin

RASPBERRIES

I love raspberries! The thing that I like so much about raspberries is how easily they move from savoury to sweet. One of my favourite things to do in the summer is eat them right from the canes, no bending, just easy pickings. So, neighbours, beware! Raspberry and Hendricks Gin The raspberry pulls out the most wonderful tones of this particular gin and it is so refreshing. Half fill a rocks glass with ice, add 3 raspberries, 1 oz. Hendricks gin, and top off with soda. With the end of a teaspoon give it 3 gentle stirs, being careful to not crush the raspberries. Serves 1; repeat as desired.

Raspberry Mascarpone Omelette

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I have always been a fan of sweet omelettes, I find them comforting and a little decadent at the same time. In a bowl, put 1/2 c. softened mascarpone, 1/2 t. vanilla and 1 T. icing sugar. Mix well. In a microwavable bowl, put 3/4 c. raspberry jam, cover and gently warm, maybe 20 seconds. In another bowl, put 4 eggs, 1/4 c. milk, 1 t. sugar, whisk to fully incorporate. Place a medium size skillet over medium heat and add 1 T. butter. When the butter has melted and is foaming, add half of the egg mixture and allow it to cook until the egg on the topside has started to set, before adding the filling. With a teaspoon drop a bit of the mascarpone in a line down the centre, use about half of this. Do the same with the warmed jam, but save some to garnish with later. Then add 6 or so fresh raspberries. Fold the 2 sides over the centre and turn out onto a plate. Repeat this again with the remaining ingredients. When both omelettes are plated, dust with icing sugar. Spoon some of the remaining jam across the centre and then garnish with some fresh raspberries to finish. Serves 2.

Raspberry, Caramelized Onion and Raclette Cheese Quesadilla This is a fresh twist on an old favourite; this trio of flavours meld and pop in such a delightful way. In a pan over medium heat, put 2 T. butter and let it melt, then add 2 medium onions, finely sliced, 1/2 t. chile flakes and 1 t. salt. Sauté the onions until they are a golden caramel colour, about 10 minutes. Add 2 T. raspberry vinegar, sauté a minute more and set aside to cool. Grate 1 c. of raclette and have 1 c. fresh raspberries at the ready. When the onions have cooled, arrange two 10-inch tortillas on a work surface and sprinkle each with 1/4 c. of cheese. Then make a layer of onions, evenly arrange the raspberries on top of this, then the remaining cheese. Place another tortilla on top of each and press down gently. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and allow it to get hot – no oil is needed. Place one of the quesadillas in the pan and toast until golden and a little charred, turn over and toast the other side. Remove this one from the pan and do the same with the other. Cut each into 6 wedges and arrange on a platter. Serves 2.

Raspberry Caper Tapenade over Pan-Seared Perch Keeping it fresh and simple is what summer and fish is all about, in my books. Into a bowl, put 1 pint basket of fresh raspberries, 4 basil leaves, chopped, 2 T. capers, 2 garlic cloves, finely minced, 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 c. olive oil, zest and juice of 1 lemon. Mix well, gently crush the raspberries a bit to make it a little saucy, and set aside for later. In a pie plate, put 1 c. cornstarch, 1 t. each salt and pepper, mix well. Dredge to evenly coat 4 perch fillets in the cornstarch mixture. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and allow the pan to get hot before adding 1/2 c. canola oil, or bacon fat is heaven if you have it. When the oil is shimmering, fry the perch on each side until crispy. Arrange on plates, spoon some of the tapenade over each and garnish the four plates with 6 basil leaves, finely sliced. Serves 4.

Raspberry Balsamic Glaze Ribs A neighbour recently demonstrated to me that you don’t have to pre-boil ribs or do any fussing, really at all. I have been converted! These are quick ribs! To make the glaze, put in a pot 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 t. ground coriander, 1 t. ground ginger, 1 T. worcestershire sauce, 2 garlic cloves, minced, and place over high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then from time to time. Bring to a rolling boil and boil about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add 1 c. fresh raspberries, stir and continue to cook until the berries have broken down and the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. With the ribs, you can choose to either roast them in the oven or grill them on the barbecue. Preheat the oven to 450ºF., arrange 2 rib racks on a baking pan and liberally salt and pepper each on the topside. Place in the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning them in 10-minute intervals, until well browned and crispy. Remove from the oven and make a thick coating of glaze on the topside, return to the oven for 5 more minutes. When the glaze is bubbling, remove them from the oven and cut each rack into 2 bone portions to serve. Serves 4.

Raspberry Coulis over Ice Cream Raspberry coulis continues to be a staple as a dessert sauce, making pretty much any dessert more beautiful and delicious. The thing that amazes me is how many people go out and buy it! It’s a snap to make and keeps in the fridge for at least 6 weeks. Into a pot put 1 c. sugar, 1/2 c. water, 2 c. fresh or frozen raspberries and place over medium-high heat. With a wooden spoon stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a rolling boil. Continue boiling for 4 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve to remove the seeds and pulp. Serve either warm or chilled. Serve over anything from ice cream to cake. Makes 3 cups.

Chris Halpin has been teaching Calgarians to make fast, fun urban food since 1997 and is the owner of Manna Catering Service. mannaonline.com. Recipe photos by Chris Halpin.

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CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

back burner

Allan Shewchuk

SHEWCHUK ON SIMMER

TEENAGE SUMMERTIME BLUES

There is no more romanticized season than summer. Shakespeare had his Midsummer Night’s Dream. Gershwin wrote the libretto of Porgy and Bess around “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” Sinatra lost his love to the summer wind. Nat King Cole crooned about the lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer. And even Mungo Jerry extolled us to “shush right up and touch the sky” when summertime came. But, these are the breezy and boozy summers of adulthood. Of grown-up vacations and drinks on the deck. For one unlucky generation, summer is a hellish, hot, torturous time to be endured until school starts again. These are the summers of teenagers who have to survive the worst right of passage in life: the summer job. At first, you may think I’m exaggerating. But, think it through: one day you are a pre-teen running barefoot through a sprinkler in the mid-day sun. There’s Kool-Aid in the fridge and popsicles in the freezer. The Dickie-Dee ice cream truck shows up now and then blaring “Turkey in the Straw” from the cheap speakers, which command all the kids from the neighbourhood to gather and get sticky together. There is no work, only hot dogs and corn on the cob and endless nights with no bedtime. And watermelon. And fireworks. And bonfires. Oh, and did I mention no work? It all changes in a heartbeat once you are a teen. Suddenly parents whisper about cutting off allowances. There is crazy talk about getting up before noon and of having a bedtime in July. Mom and Dad are planning the summer road trip while you are being frog-marched down to Hire A Student to find a job for two months. And, while your parents are away you are expected to stay at Grandma’s where there are prison-like rules and all the bedrooms smell like mothballs and stale hard peppermints. Outrageous! What happened to the Kool-Aid and the popsicles? What happened to summertime and the livin’ is easy? The summer job – that’s what happened. Why is the teenage summer job such a living hell? Because cruel adults save all of the worst jobs to be done all year until the summer when the poor, temporary, minimum wage student shows up. So if there’s a septic tank full of sewage that needs to be drained and scrubbed by hand, no regular employee is going to go near it. It will wait for the hottest week of the year in early July for the unwary 14-year-old to arrive to be greeted by “Here’s your Hazmat suit, goggles, noseplugs and rubber gloves, kid. Have a nice summer!” Gales of laughter and high fives ensue from all the other adult workers, and the poor teenager spends eight weeks in a pit reliving that horrific scene from The Shawshank Redemption involving the prison break by swimming through a sewage pipe. And food business summer jobs are even more inhumane. I have a good friend who was traumatized in the '70s when his parents got him a job at The Red Grille, which was the restaurant in the old Kmart stores. Seriously – who went to Kmart as a dining destination? My friend says the food was so bad that in the morning they would put out a steam tray full of beef in tomato sauce with a little sign that said “Swiss Steak,” and by afternoon, when the tray contents turned brown, they would just change the sign to say “Salisbury Steak.” The horror! But the real horror was that the manager of the Red Grille had waited all year for my friend to show up as the summer help so that he would perform the annual changing of the grease trap. Apparently, the smell was so intense that not even a rat would’ve gone near the thing. The grease had congealed to the consistency of tar and not even steel wool worked on getting the metal clean. When my pal got home his family made him throw his clothes in the backyard fire pit and even after a month of intense showering, he still smelled like a giant stale french fry. But he needed the summer job and so he did the dirty work and suffered through it. Another teenager thrown under the bus. So to all you teenagers reading this article, take note: if in any summer, the job you are offered involves anything approaching the phrase “Attention Kmart shoppers,” run as fast as you can. Allan Shewchuk is a lawyer, food writer and sought-after Italian food and wine guru. He currently has kitchens in both Calgary and Florence, Italy, but will drink wine pretty much anywhere.

CITYPALATE.ca JULY AUGUST 2018

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Pheasant and Bread Pudding Sliders by Chef Sean Cutler

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