City Palate September October 2012

T H E

F L AV O U R

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C A L G A R Y ’ S

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city palate the harvest issue

citypalate.ca

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

NOW AL DENTE

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two more reasons to gather, share, taste.

$5 pizza happy hour mon-fri 3-5pm

open late

ridiculously good food served until: 11pm sun-wed 12am thurs 1am fri+sat

cibocalgary.com - 403.984.4755

supporting local restaurants that support local

Passion for Pork™ Restaurant Week Calgary Monday, October 15 - Sunday, October 21, 2012 Expand your passion for pork by dropping by some of the city’s best restaurants to sample creative pork recipes.

Visit passionforpork.com for details, loads of recipes and videos of chefs making their favourite dishes.

Brought to you by Alberta pork producers.

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

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contents City Palate September October 2012

features

24 n Apple Appreciation

Some of our favourite foodies share their favourite apple recipes to get you in the mood for fall.

28 n Harvesting an Education

How SAIT’s culinary garden helps produce chefs with “agro-literacy” and the raw ingredients for their cooking class adventures.

Karen Anderson

32 n Bones, Fat and Odd Bits

How to make good use of the animal parts we usually ignore... from the woman who wrote the books on them.

Jennifer McLagan

36 n You can BEElieve it

All the buzz about backyard bees.

Holly Quan

40 n

Trucks are Truckin’

Our fun, growing street food scene.

Eloise Wall

44 n Okanagan Crush Pad

A wine-making opportunity for “virtual” wineries.

Jennifer Cockrall-King

50 n 17 Arabian Nights

Tootling the Exotic United Arab Emirates Kathy Richardier

THURSDAY – SUNDAY b 9AM – 5PM 510 77TH AVE SE b CALGARYFARMERSMARKET.CA Cover design by Carol Slezak 1066986_AD_Fall_CityPalate_4.625x11.75.indd 1

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 07/08/12 2012 72:25 PM

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city palate editor Kathy Richardier (kathy@citypalate.ca) publisher Gail Norton (gail@citypalate.ca) magazine design Carol Slezak, Yellow Brick Studios (carol@citypalate.ca) contributing editor Kate Zimmerman contributing writers Karen Anderson Jennifer Cockrall-King Laura Di Lembo Ellen Kelly Jennifer McLagan Jenni Neidhart Holly Quan Karen Ralph Allan Shewchuk Julie Van Rosendaal Eloise Wall contributing photographer Carol Slezak for advertising enquiries, please contact advertising@citypalate.ca account executives Janet Henderson (janet@citypalate.ca) Ellen Kelly (ellen@citypalate.ca) Liz Tompkins (liz@citypalate.ca) prepress/printing CentralWeb distribution Gallant Distribution Systems Inc. The Globe and Mail website management Jane Pratico (jane@citypalate.ca) City Palate is published 6 times per year: January-February, March-April, May-June, July-August, September-October and November-December by City Palate Inc., 722 - 11 Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2R 0E4 Fax 403-262-3322 Subscriptions are available for $35 per year within Canada and $45 per year outside Canada.

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

FINE FOOD, BEER & SPIRITS 17th at 5th Âť NTNL.ca

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012 ACCoUnT

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contents City Palate September October 2012

departments

11 n word of mouth

Notable culinary happenings around town

13 n eat this

What to eat in September and October Ellen Kelly

14 n drink this

Punk wines: wines that defy their category Karen Ralph

16 n get this

Ver y Proud Sponsor of Jessica Zelinka - 2012 Olympian, Heptathlon and 100m Hurdles

Must-have kitchen stuff Karen Anderson

18 n one ingredient

Beets Julie Van Rosendaal

20 n feeding people

WHERE ARE YOU EATING?

Deconstructing kugel Laura Di Lembo

22 n well matched

Made-in-heaven food and wine pairings Jenni Neidhart

56 n stockpot

Stirrings around Calgary

60 n 4 quick ways with...

Plums

Photo credit CE Franklin

62 n back burner... shewchuk on simmer

The plates of wrath Allan Shewchuk

3 locations and growing!

GOURMET TAKE-AWAY | BREAKFAST/BRUNCH | LUNCH | DINNER

CALGARYS PREMIER HEALTHY CATERER Bridgeland Restaurant Market – 903 General Ave NE, 403.265.3474 Calgary Farmers’ Market – 510 77th Ave SE

read us online @ citypalate.ca join us on facebook

Edge School for Athletes

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like us to win monthly prizes!

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bringing you Join Uptown 17th Ave restaurants and retailers for our second annual Uptown Fashion and Food events. Fashion shows every Sunday evening in the months of October and November.

For more details visit uptown17.ca.

tasty collaborations to

uptown

FASHION and FOOD EVERY SUNDAY IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

word of mouth Notable culinary happenings around town

an artist in the kitchen

hold the mustard

Painter Cheryl Peddie has a selection of her “kitchen series” paintings on display at Swirl Fine Art on the main floor of Art Central, Centre St. and 7th Ave. SW. Look for these charming, evocative representations of the warmest, friendliest, most memory-filled room in the home. We love kitchens... who doesn’t love a kitchen! See more of her work at cherylpeddie.ca.

got food on your shirt?

Are you a Bacon Ninja? Do you have a Body by Butter? Are you a member of a Baker Gang? If you’re a food geek, the best way to show it off is with Food on Your Shirt. Born from the madcap brain of Pierre Lamielle, the creator of the cleverly illustrated, award-winning cookbook, Kitchen Scraps, and his partner Candace Bergman, Food on Your Shirt shirts are a new visualicious look at foodie fashion. Explore all the fun designs in the virtual shop, order a bushel and have them delivered lickety split.

Thursdays are Shurtdays featuring a new design with a one-day deal of $10 off before it joins the rest of the shirts at the regular price of $25.

Check it out at foodonyourshirt.com and, when you order, use the promo code, CITYPALATE while this issue is on the stands, until the end of October, and don’t pay for shipping. You wear what you eat – wear it with pride! 

Everybody loves a good dog, and if you head to the Kingsland Farmers’ Market, you’ll find lots of good dogs at Hold the Mustard, brain child of Margaret Nemeth, of next-door Primal Soup Company. Eight dog breeds with loads of fresh, home-made add-ons to choose from. We had a ballpark dog – a pork puppy – big and plump and flavourful, topped with relish and Japanese mayonnaise – just a touch of heat. OMG! Go get a dog – you need a dog. Mustard is at the Millarville Market too.

if you “crave” gluten-free cupcakes A gluten-intolerant foodie, who loves good food and demands that gluten-free foods also taste great, put us on to the new gluten-free cupcakes that Crave Cookies and Cupcakes makes. “They’re to die for,” she says. These are chocolate cupcakes made from Highwood Crossing organic gluten-free flour swirled with colourful buttercream icing. She thinks they’re better, even, than the regular cupcakes.... we don’t know about that! Pretty darn tasty, though.

read these

sugar and butter... yum!

Since you might be harvesting kale from your garden, you’ll want to get this “bible” to learn all the delish dishes you can prepare from this super food. The Book of Kale,

by Sharon Hanna (Harbour Publishing, $26.95, soft cover) starts you off with why this ancient green is a nutritional powerhouse, leads you to how to grow all the different varieties, then provides lots of recipes that will have you eating lots of kale – like Kale with Apples, Leeks and Feta. Yum!

Rocky Mountain Soap Company – makers of great bath and body products that use 100% natural ingredients – now offers apricotscented organic sugar scrub for your bath or shower, and apricot-flavoured lip butter for your... lips. Available in September in the Rocky Mountain Soap Co. outlets at TD Square and Southcentre in Calgary, in Banff, and at the “mother” store in Canmore.

This excellent product is also available at places like Amaranth, Blush Lane, Community Natural, Planet Organic, Sunnyside Market and Heritage Park.

Keep tabs on availability through the web site, rockymountainsoap.com.

Speaking of healthy eating, this looks like a winner: Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats,

by Allyson Kramer (Fair Winds Press, $23.99, soft cover). Oh, man, this book’s recipes are so tasty looking, they’d make anyone happy. Spicy Edamame Coleslaw, for example, with Asian-inspired flavours and coconut cream as the dressing base instead of mayo. Or Walnut Ravioli with Vodka Sauce. And, for dessert, Coconut Rice with Peaches & Rum Raisins. Bring it on, we say.

“like us” on facebook winners Congrats to Colin and June Grant, our June prize winners. They won breakfast or lunch at The Fine Diner in Inglewood. The July winner in the “Name the Cocktail” contest was Ian Grant, who thought our cocktail made of Skyy blood orange-infused vodka, Cointreau and orange bitters should be named Orange You Bitter? He won a bottle of Skyy Blood Orange Vodka – how appropriate is that!

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

Taste the tradition Eau Claire Market On the 2nd level

403-233-7885

Join Nicco and his international staff for exceptional service as they globetrot you through the wine world at Eau Claire Wine Market Specialty spirits and beer also offered

tel 403-262-9463 eauclairewine@shaw.ca

Just inside the Eau Claire Mall southwest entrance across from the Sheraton

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Liquid Geography in Summerland

okanagancrushpad.com We ship our wines across Canada Open June 15 – October 15 Thursday to Sunday, 11:30am – 5:30pm or by appointment, 250.494.4445 12

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

eat this

Ellen Kelly

What to eat in September and October

As the long golden days of summer inevitably begin to fall away, a glorious bounty offers itself as our compensation. Now is the season of comforting hearty meals that invite us to the table with rich aromas and robust flavours. Markets are filled to overflowing with all the long-growing crops that signal the fall harvest. Pre-eminent among them are onions, cabbages and eggplants.

The common onion is anything but common. Earlier in the season we often find sweet onions from Georgia (Vidalia), Washington (Walla Walla) and Hawaii (Maui), but it is the hard-working and most-cultivated golden-skinned bulb onion that is the backbone of the kitchen. A creative way to utilize onions as the main ingredient is a versatile onion jam that can be used as a condiment with roast meats as well as an intriguing addition to soups, sauces, sandwiches and pizzas. Start with 8 or 10 medium onions. Peel away the outer papery layers, trim the root and stem ends, then cut the onions in half from stem to root. Slice them thinly from side to side (rather than from root to stem). It will seem like a lot of onions, but they cook down considerably. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat a combination of butter and olive oil. Pile in the onions and, with tongs, begin to toss and sauté them over medium-high heat. Season the onions with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper, tossing often. Cook the onions until they’re soft and dark golden (a cast iron pan will hasten this process).

Onions have a lot of natural sugar, but add a little honey if you like the jam sweeter. Add a little minced garlic and a few sprigs of fresh thyme, then deglaze the onions with wine, sherry or apple juice, and continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture is jammy. The thyme stems can be removed after cooking. Add a splash of sherry or balsamic vinegar and cook a few minutes longer.

For a different take on BUY: Make sure the onions you buy are firm, free of pizza, spread fresh pita blemishes and have their golden papery skin intact. or naan bread with chèvre TIPS: Never store onions and potatoes together. Onions and onion jam, top with pear will absorb water from the potatoes causing them to slices, toasted pine nuts, and sprout and deteriorate. a sprinkle of ground coriander, DID YOU KNOW? Save the golden papery onion skin then bake at 400°F. for 15 to for stock. Weavers and dyers have used it for centuries to 20 minutes, until the obtain a beautiful golden colour for wool and cotton and cheese is bubbly. it will do the same thing for your stock.

Illustrations by Pierre Lamielle

The eggplant is a singularly beautiful plant with compact growth, slightly fuzzy grey-green leaves and lovely purple flowers. Although there are white-, purple- and streaked violet-hued eggplants in a variety of shapes and sizes, the texture and flavour remain more or less the same. Some are better suited to stuffing or roasting, while others are best for dicing.

Eggplant is a sponge and will happily absorb any flavours it is exposed to. Ratatouille, the classic French vegetable stew made with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic, red peppers and basil, is testimony to this.

Oven roast large oil-tossed cubes of eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, onion and whole cocktail tomatoes until partially cooked and caramelized. Toss everything into a large pot and add minced garlic and a bit of anchovy paste. If more liquid is required, add a small can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Cook until the vegetables, especially the eggplant, are soft and luscious.

Shred some fresh basil and stir in just before serving.

BUY: Purchase eggplants that are firm, shiny and unwrinkled. Buy the freshest eggplants you can find and you won’t need to peel or salt to eliminate bitterness.

TIPS: When you are using eggplant as an ingredient in a ratatouille or other similar preparation, partially cook thick oiled slices on the grill before cubing and adding to the other vegetables. It will absorb less oil.

DID YOU KNOW? The eggplant, a close relative of the tomato, is also a berry, and thus a fruit not a vegetable. But don’t try eating it raw!

Cabbages come from a long and illustrious line of cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale, to name a few. They are easy to grow, provide a good source of greenery when all else is scarce, and they’re good for you. Make a spicy cole slaw with finely shredded green and red cabbage, thinly sliced red onion, seeded and finely minced jalepeño pepper, lots of chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper and a dollop of mayonnaise (or a splash of olive oil, if you prefer). This is very good on fish tacos. Next, try a hearty apple and cabbage soup.

Shred half a large cabbage, chop 3 medium onions and 1 to 2 celery stalks. Peel, core and slice 4 tart apples.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large pan. Toss in all the chopped vegetables and apple slices along with a clove or two of minced garlic and sweat until soft, but not coloured.

Season with salt and pepper, and then add about 6 cups of good chicken or vegetable stock. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until everything is very soft. Put through a food mill or use a hand-held blender to purée. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

BUY: Choose heads that are heavy for their size with crisp, shiny, tightly packed leaves. Cabbages are available all year, but fresh and locally grown heads will be the sweetest and least odiferous.

TIPS: Fermented, cabbage becomes another vegetable entirely – sauerkraut. Sauté onions and drained sauerkraut in melted butter with a little brown sugar and ground coriander for a delightful side with grilled sausages.

DID YOU KNOW? Cabbages, due to centuries of diligent plant breeding, come in a surprising array of shades and shapes: green, red, purple and white; heads that are round, conical and flat; leaves that are smooth and waxy or elegantly ruffled.

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drink this

Karen Ralph

Punk wines: wines that defy their category

I loved dry French rosé the first time I tried it. Fresh, charming and unpretentious, it was nothing like the sweet, lurid pink fizz that we drank as teenagers. Thanks to Calgary’s large, diverse and affordable selection, suddenly everyone was drinking rosé and sparkling wines; they added a touch of glamour to any event and made entertaining look easy. Rosés, proseccos, cavas and a wide variety of crémants deserved their new popularity and were quickly integrated into the mainstream.

My favourite wines were now available everywhere, which should have made me happy, and it did, but the thrill was gone. Like hearing your favourite band being overplayed on the radio, the pink and sparkling wines that had served me so well in the past suddenly seemed safe, boring, and tasteful. It was time for me to really take advantage of our diverse wine market – I wanted to find something exciting and a little dangerous, a wine that swaggered with attitude in ripped T-shirts and studded black leather. Exchanging pearls for piercings, I felt it was time for anarchy.

Back to School...Metrovino Style Offering 20 distinctive wine classes this fall that will educate and inspire your palate. Register at 403.205.3356 or www.metrovino.com/class-registration.

Metrovino...Bringing Wine to Life 722 -11th Avenue S.W. 403-205-3356 • www.metrovino.com

When tasting wine, generally you drink whites first, driest to sweetest, followed by reds, lightest to heaviest, then dessert wines and ports. Not being particularly attentive to rules, I started an evening at home with a glass of the sweet, rich Nierpoort ruby port. It was too heavy. Putting it aside, I stood in front of the open fridge, unable to make a decision, but hoping for inspiration. Three bottles of Paul Zinck Crémant d’Alsace stood at attention, like brave soldiers, next to a Leitz 2009, German Rheingau Riesling Kabinett. Pushing them aside, I found Domaine du Joncier “Le Rosé” 2010 Lirac, Cru des Côtes du Rhône at the back of the fridge. The contents of the tall, narrow Alsace-style flute bottle glowed deep orange and reddish in the fridge light. It looked just right. My lips were still slightly sticky with the plummy port as I poured Lirac “The Rose” into my glass.

The first sip of dry rosé after the sweet port wasn’t something I will soon forget.

My tongue shriveled like a salted slug as it was assaulted by acidic, cold pink wine. Full-bodied, powerful and aggressive, the Joncier rosé seemed to be doing one-armed push-ups on my tongue. It was like a punk rock girl band imagined as a Jolly Rancher candy – surly and hard, black eyeliner, metal studs and pleather, with notes of watermelon and strawberry – an eye-watering, mouth-puckering, post-port shock.

Domaine du Joncier Lirac rosé was an angry, muscular blend of grenache, cinsault and syrah, not a light, feminine sipping wine. Wine is often said to have “legs,” but the Joncier had arms – tattooed prison arms and a bad attitude. It eventually dropped the tough chick facade and revealed a delicate, previously unnoticed dragon-fruit and mineral note. I hadn’t lost my love for rosé, and this one kicked the gate open and took me down a new road. For less than $25, I felt like I got more than I paid for.

A few days later, I was practicing my bass guitar with the freedom that comes from not having any illusions about being talented. I was just having fun. Thinking

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

that wine would make it even more fun, I opened a bottle of Haywire Okanagan Gamay Noir Rosé, 2010. Twisting off the screw cap, I poured some of the deep pink, coral-coloured wine into my glass, getting a whiff of strawberry, raspberry and something tart. Cueing Anarchy in the U.K. on the turntable, I took a swift sip before the song started and almost snorted wine out of my nose. Huge hits of rhubarb, cranberry and septum-piercing acidity made the tart cherry notes lurking in the background seem ladylike. No delicate petal, Haywire was bold, powerful, pink and punk, easily capable of slam-dancing subtler wines right out of the mosh pit. It had as much in common with regular rosé as Wendy O. Williams, late singer for the Plasmatics, had with Catherine Deneuve. The record was still playing and Haywire’s razor-sharp finish lasted until the end of the song. The next day, somewhat the worse for wear, I revisited what was left of the bottle, hoping for some rejuvenation.

It was still feisty with plenty of fruit and acid. Haywire was impressive – a Canadian rosé that could rip off your pearls and stick its tongue down your throat.

I was on a roll. The last two rosé wines had defied tradition and surpassed my expectations. When a friend suggested I try Santadi Tre Torri Sicilian Rosé, 100 percent carignan, because it had “an interesting onion note” I trustingly forked over $18 and headed home with high hopes that faded when I noticed the year on the bottle was 2007. Five-year-old Sicilian rosé was not going to win any awards, but out of curiosity I opened it. The Tre Torri was an angry, orange colour and the sharp aromas of rancid onion and rotten strawberries that caught the back of my throat weren’t encouraging. I tasted it: rotting onions and mouldy, sour strawberries fermented into a nasty concoction that smelled like a boatload of Sicilian fishermen and tasted like garbage juice. To be fair, this was probably due to its advanced age, but it served as a reminder to check the vintage and only buy from trusted wine mongers.

Boyfriend Ribsy had gone to see a band consisting of former members of the Sex Pistols, Blondie, and The Stranglers, and came home with what was left of their backstage booze buffet, which is how Kendall Jackson Proprietors Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, 2010, ended up in our fridge. Despite the fact that a punk band had rejected it, I was optimistic. They were beer drinkers, what did they know about wine? After trying it, I knew that they knew enough. In true punk style, it was very pale, with just a hint of yellow jaundice. A bouquet of stale Old Spice and cat pee on Pine Sol was followed by tongue-tingling, discordant blasts of sour lemon and hints of olive juice for a long, dirty finish. It was more spit than polish, and after the sweaty, stinky, Sicilian rosé and now the terrible and probably flawed white, it was time to drink a wine that would class up the place – something really good.

The problem was that the term “champagne taste on a beer budget” applies to me, and those rare deals that allow me to drink like royalty at a fraction of the price don’t come along often. Luckily, a friend had included me in a group purchase of Sine Qua Non wines, which made them almost affordable. Made by Elaine and Manfred Krankl of Ventura, California, Sine Qua Non – “the essential” – is the very definition of exclusive wine: expensive, highly rated, hard to get and made in small amounts, ensuring its continued desirability and excellent quality. From that order, I received one bottle of The Hoodoo Man and justified drinking way beyond my means as work-related, faithrestoring research. The label on the tall skinny brown bottle was ominous – a black and white drawing of an old man in mid stride, ropy arms behind him. It looked noir graphic novel, circa 1930s dust bowl. The back of the bottle read, in caps:

Liquor Depot presents

Celebrate Alberta’s largest selection of fine wine, premium spirits, quality beer & gourmet food

2012 GRAND TASTING HALL CALGARY Oct. 12 - 13 Stampede Park BMO Centre, Halls D & E | Friday 4 - 10 pm, Saturday 3 - 10 pm Please drink responsibly. Minors are not permitted. @ RockyMountainWineAndFood

@ RockyWineFood

For tickets & festival details visit rockymountainwine.com

Fresh Nuts • New Crop Dried Fruit • Fine Confection • Gourmet Gifts

THERE AIN’T A HORSE THAT CAN’T BE RODE, THERE AIN’T A MAN THAT CAN’T BE THROW’D It seemed like a challenge, and after the Tre Torri garbage juice, I was up for it. I pulled out the cork and released The Hoodoo Man. The blend of chardonnay, roussanne and viognier seemed to be summer itself captured in the honey-coloured, slightly hazy wine. Lemon blossoms, honey, subtle hints of lime and pungent, smoky, burnt orange peel made a beautiful bouquet. Swirling my glass, I took a sip.

Fat, buttery, citrus notes and toasted hazelnut were followed with a long, rich, lime leaf, mineral and apricot finish. It was the perfect combination of balance and intensity – the Rhône via Ventura, California. I was left with a feeling of contentment, lightness and balance, that all was right with the world. Few wines can deliver that sensation. The Hoodoo Man had worked his magic and delivered “the essential.”

It was worth the wait.

The Hoodoo Man unleashed my inner diva and I wanted more. I wanted quality, heft, and attitude with refinement – a white wine big enough for red meat, price point be damned. Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Réserve Sixtine 2010 delivered. Cuvée du Vatican was big and beautiful, from the elegantly embossed, gold printed label to the last savoured drop. Made from the roussanne grape, the wine’s golden hue deepens with age, but I was in a hurry and pulled the cork one recent Friday night. Enticing wafts of apple, wet cement and lime leaf evolved into a spicy bouquet of baked apples and honey as the wine opened up.

The first sip was a revelation. Elegant and full-bodied, its notes of oily pear, honey, mineral-infused apple nectar and balanced acidity were followed by a long delicate finish. This wine was delicious and I wanted more before I had finished what I had, continued on page 54

Pre-order at wholesale prices September 7 - 27 • we ship across Canada! •

From the farm to your community

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

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get this olive grove treasure trove Soffritto is a little Italian deli with delicious house-made fresh pasta and prepared meals for taking home. It’s also an olive oil and balsamic vinegar emporium. Soffritto is a supplier of the Veronica brand of oils, a California company that imports aged balsamic vinegars from Modena, and more than 100 million gallons of extra-virgin olive oil annually from their own grove in Tunisia and from 49 small olive oil mills throughout the Mediterranean. The shelves in Soffritto are laden with rows of attractive 15-litre fustis (stainless steel containers with spigots).

There are 16 olive oils and several 18-year-old balsamic vinegars. Each oil lists the crush date, country of origin, tasting notes, and recipe ideas. You can taste any of the oils and then fill a bottle with your favourite. These are high-quality, single-cultivar, estate-produced extra-virgin olive oils at very reasonable prices.

Is it time for something different?

Shop at J.Webb we’ve got different covered.

Veronica olive oils, $18/375ml, $28/750ml, Soffritto

J.Webb Wine Merchant Glenmore Landing: 90th Ave. and 14th St. SW Casel Marché: 24th St. and 17th Ave. SW

beauty and the board

(45 minute free underground parking)

w w w. j w e b b . n e t

Uncorking delicious since 1985.

Geoff Lilge is an award-winning designer married to award-winning Edmonton chef, Cindy Lazarenko. Lazarenko’s Highlands Kitchen was recently featured on Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here, and Lilge designed all the table tops and charcuterie boards for this cozy neighbourhood eatery. What started as a contribution to his wife’s start up, turned into a fascination for Lilge.

Now that the restaurant has been sold, the life partners have become business partners in a new company, OnOurTable.ca.

Their collection of cutting blocks and charcuterie boards with easy-to-hold oversized handles have a smooth, handpolished natural oil and beeswax finish on gorgeous walnut and maple woods.

They’ve re-invented knife storage units, and make a special-order bread box that will make you wonder why bread boxes disappeared from our counter tops.

Geoff Lilge charcuterie boards, $140 - $150, KIT Interior Objects

preserving the season Our grandmothers knew preserving the garden’s bounty each summer was worth the effort to enhance a winter diet that other-wise consisted of cabbages and root vegetables. A stash of canned tomatoes, peaches, apples, pears, pickled dills, beets, and asparagus boosted mid-winter morale. These days, jars of jams, jellies and home-made salsa are prized gifts. The Fox Run Home Canning Kit has all the right stuff – a wide mouth funnel, lid lifter, jar lifter, jar wrench, and vinyl coated tongs. All you need is some fresh produce, some jars, a canning pot, maybe a little wine and a few good friends, since you should “never can alone.”

Fox Run Home Canning Kit, $17, Kitchen Boutique stores, Cochrane and Canmore

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

Karen Anderson

Must-have kitchen stuff

tony tomato meets nonna pia Tony and Karen Legault are passionate about tomatoes. Their Paradise Hill Farm grows Big Dina beefsteaks for Calgary Co-op, and though 97 percent of the family’s crop is sold there, the other 3 percent are reserved for locals to find at the farm. Last year, City Palate’s Foodie Tootle toured the farm and enjoyed Tony’s tomato salad. Legault shared his recipe and stocks plenty of the secret ingredient, Nonna Pia’s balsamic reduction (made in Whistler, B.C.) at the farm gate store.

Cut 2 large Paradise Hill tomatoes into wedges, finely chop 1 c. basil and 1/2 c. chives and toss all in a bowl with 2 T. Nonna Pia’s balsamic reduction.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Nonna Pia’s Balsamic Reduction, $13/250ml, Paradise Hill Farms, Nanton

carving quest Thanksgiving is coming and Christmas is on its heels. If you’ve resolved to find the perfect knife to carve your feast’s beast, the Takeda AS Sujihiki 270 mm could be the solution. Sujihiki is Japanese for “slicing “ and this is Japanese knife making “high art” by third generation blacksmith Takeda Shosui-San. This knife is a long, slender piece of slicing pleasure that takes and keeps a razor sharp edge longer with corrosion resistance and high heat tolerance. The handle is rosewood with a pakka wood collar, so the knife is as beautiful to look at as it is to use.

Takeda AS Sujihiki 270 mm carving knife, $370, Knifewear

camelina is back on the scene Three Farmers Camelina Oil is made from the ancient grain camelina sativa, grown in southern Saskatchewan. It’s northern climate friendly, drought resistant and prized both for its fresh “taste of spring” flavour, and as a cooking oil with a high smoking point of 450°F. Camelina also delivers the nutritional power package of both omega 3 and 6, along with Vitamin E. You can find out which of the Three Farmers actually grew your bottle of this non-GMO member of the brassica family by entering a special tracking number from the label of each bottle at threefarmers.ca. One of the farmer’s daughters, Elysia Vandenhurk, is a red seal chef who posts tasty recipes on the web site. Her hummus is as fresh and lively as camelina.

Place 1 can drained chickpeas, 1/2 t. cumin, 3 T. lemon juice, and 2 garlic cloves into a blender. Purée while slowly adding 1/2 c. Three Farmers Camelina Oil until smooth. Stir in 1/4 c. chopped basil, a pinch each of salt and pepper and serve in a pretty bowl.

Three Farmers Camelina Oil, $20.79/500ml, Bite Groceteria

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

17

Julie Van Rosendaal

Beets

Recipe photos by Julie Van Rosendaal

the Grape Escape

one ingredient

Wine, Spirits & Beer Festival An event for Co-op members and their guests.

Join us at the Grape Escape brought to you by Co-op Wine Spirits Beer.

You don’t want to miss these informative and entertaining evenings featuring samples from producers of premium wine, spirits and beer.

Tickets are available at all Co-op Wine Spirits Beer locations.

50 per evening, plus gst.

$

Calgary November 16 and 17, 2012 5pm to 9pm BMO Centre Hall D & E, Stampede Park Visit coopwinespiritsbeer.com for more details.

Few foods elicit strong opinions the way beets do. They tend to be either loved or hated. Those who adore them can’t imagine such passionate aversion, and those who hate them can’t understand their appeal. Either way, they carry with them the stigma of the root vegetable – those poor, neglected wallflowers of the produce aisle, most often ignored until the more celebrated greens, tomatoes and summer corn are out of season. For many, root veg are “resorted to” rather than sought out.

In fact, a sweet, earthy beet is worthy of anticipation, and a bunch of beets often comes complete with greenery that can be incorporated into a dish in the same way as kale or chard. Beets grow both round and long, not only in their familiar red-purple, but in shades of yellow and orange. They sometimes even appear in candy cane stripes – the Chioggia variety – their concentric circles revealed only when they’re sliced open.

(Many Alberta beets are transformed into sugar. In the 18th century, sucrose was extracted from sugar beets – an ugly variety, Beta vulgaris – which provided a less expensive sugar for prairie dwellers than cane sugar.)

Most home cooks seem uninspired by the familiar bunches of purple and gold beets. They usually end up roasted and eaten with butter or added to salads – not that there’s anything wrong with that! The fact is, beets make a delicious addition to pasta dishes, they can be roasted alongside a chicken, and they make a wonderful base for tangy chutney.

Because beets are firm without being starchy, they’re ideal for grating raw into slaws and slicing thin for serving as crunchy crudités. They’re delicious sprinkled with lemon, chile flakes and salt. Roasted, they are perfect for stuffing into ravioli with ricotta, grating into muffins and cakes, or stirring into risotto. Although borscht is the most well-known beet-based soup, beets can be added to any number of soups, and you don’t have to call them borscht. Try adding a beet to butternut squash soup (the combination makes a delicious, brilliant red) or turn potato or cauliflower vichyssoise a pale pink with a beet. Raw beet thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler cooks in hot oil in a frying pan to deliciously crispy chips.

In terms of colour, red beets can change the hue of a stew or an assortment of roasted winter veg. To prevent this, choose golden beets or roast the red ones separately, then add them when the dish is nearly complete. If you want to take advantage of beets’ redness, their simmering or braising water can be used to tint eggs, and the leftover brine from pickled beets makes a delicious vinaigrette.

Flavour-wise, beets pair well with citrus, balsamic vinegar, horseradish, cumin, maple, mint, star anise, and most famously, chèvre and feta.

To roast beets – a standard preparation that renders them suitable for anything from grating into a cake to slicing into a salad – simply trim the greens, rub any dirt off, wrap them individually (or in twos or threes if they’re small) in foil, and roast on the oven rack at 350°F for an hour or so. This can be done while you have the oven on for something else – a couple of beets take up hardly any space. Then cool and refrigerate them until needed.

Small to medium-sized beets are terrifically seductive when coated with olive oil and roasted at 375°F., unwrapped, on a cookie sheet until tender. The oil and sugars caramelize the skins a bit. Yum.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

Roasted Beet Hummus Beets turn regular hummus a brilliant Barney purple – beautiful to serve, with a mellowsweet beet flavour. Make it a day ahead and the flavours will have a chance to get to know each other.

1 - 2 large beets, greens trimmed 19 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 large garlic clove, peeled 2 - 3 T. lemon juice (or to taste) 1/4 c. Greek-style plain yogurt 2 T. tahini

Wrap the beets in foil and roast at 350ºF for an hour, or until tender. When they’re cool enough to handle, peel and cut the beet(s) into chunks.

Put all the ingredients, except the olive oil, into the bowl of a food processor and purée, pouring the olive oil slowly through the feed tube, until the hummus is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if you need to. If you think the hummus is too thick, add more olive oil, yogurt or water. Serve the hummus immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 days before serving.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

soothe INSPIRED FRENCH-MODERN Chef’s Table aTTained The four diamond aaa raTinG

1/2 - 1 t. cumin 1/4 t. salt, or to taste 2 - 4 T. olive or canola oil

Red Beet and Beet Greens Risotto Risotto is easier to make than you might think, requiring plenty of stirring, but not constant attention. This brilliant red version also uses the beet greens that wilt into the risotto along with partially melted chunks of chèvre.

1126 Memorial Drive NW | 403.228.4442 reservations | kensingtonriversideinn.com

1 T. olive or canola oil 2 T. butter 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 c. arborio or other risotto rice 4 c. chicken or vegetable stock, at room temperature or warmed

Beet Chutney Adapted from a recipe in Chez Panisse Vegetables. By adjusting the chile content, this can be as spicy or mild as you like. Eat it with Indian-style food and grilled meats or add it to sandwiches. Keeps about a week in the fridge.

4 medium red beets, roasted 2 T. olive oil 1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger 1 or 2 t. finely chopped serrano chiles (or another hot chile, such as jalapeño, that’s not as hot) 1 T. peanut oil 1 t. salt 1/2 t. pepper 1 T. finely chopped cilantro 1-1/2 t. red wine vinegar 1 t. lime juice

When the beets are cool, peel them and cut them into 1/8-inch dice. Combine the beets with the ginger, chile, peanut oil, salt and pepper, cilantro, red wine vinegar and lime juice. Taste the chutney and adjust for seasoning. Serves 4.

1 large beet, roasted, peeled and grated 1 c. chopped or torn beet greens 1/4 - 1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 c. coarsely crumbled chèvre

In a large saucepan or medium pot, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft.

Add the rice and cook, stirring, for a minute, until all the grains of rice are coated with oil.

Add about 1/2 c. stock and cook the rice, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 c. stock and the grated beets and cook the risotto, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding stock in the same manner, stirring often (no need to stir constantly) until the stock is absorbed. Add the beet greens and the parmesan, along with the last addition of stock.

When the mixture is creamy and the rice is tender but not mushy, season it with salt and pepper to taste (keeping in mind that parmesan can be salty), and add the chèvre, stirring gently to just mix the pieces into the risotto. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8. continued on page 55

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

19

Fresh Produce

Antipasti

In-store Bakery

feeding people

Laura Di Lembo

Deconstructing kugel

Do you know about kugel, that traditional Jewish comfort carb, baked in a pan and usually featuring noodles or potatoes? With the first nippy breaths of autumn chilling the air, a kugel offers a warm and cozy addition to the family meal.

Specialty Foods Olive Oils Balsamics Catering

Olives Deli Meats &Cheeses Gift Baskets

Hot &Cold Lunches

Cappuccino Dessert Bar

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In my Ashkenazi Jewish family, we have a kugel for every occasion: apricot and cottage cheese noodle puddings to ring in the New Year on a sweet note, crisp and savoury ones scented with browned onions and grassy dill for the traditional Friday night Sabbath dinner, dense potato kugels that come from the poor shtetls (villages) of eastern Europe to grace our tables today. Kugels are perfect for right now, when the approaching Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, signals a coming together of family and friends over tables laden with ritualistic foods.

The origins of kugel date back to medieval Germany, where Jewish cooks prepared overnight stews of beef and beans called cholent for the Sabbath meal. When a flour and egg batter was added to the pot, it steamed into a rough “kugel,” the German word for ball. Eventually this stalwart baked pudding was prepared in a clay pot above the stew, liberating it from the cholent and allowing it greater versatility. Onions and potatoes made their way into these homey puddings, and soon every type of starchy baked casserole prepared in an eastern European Jewish home was called a kugel.

Joan Nathan, the American Jewish food expert, defines kugels as casseroles traditionally made from noodles or potatoes, though they have gradually morphed into a wide range of new flavour combinations. Shredded carrots are bound with eggs, apples and honey. Egg noodles may be laced with cottage cheese, tart lemon zest and crushed pineapple. Ginger and caramelized pears marry with noodles in a spicy, fruity casserole. Pear and prune bread puddings deliver warm gusts of cinnamon and nutmeg into the kitchen air. You can find subtle fresh corn kugels moistened with home-made broth. There are sautéed cabbage and garlic variations, or hot puddings of roasted apples and walnuts that feature crisp crumb toppings. Cooks make upside-down caramel cranberry iterations, as well as kugels with coconut milk and vanilla beans, maple sugar and orzo. Some kugels feature dried wild mushrooms and generous flecks of chopped onions. Sumptuous, cheesecake-like noodle puddings are counterbalanced with the gentle acidity of fresh plums and nectarines.

When the elders of my Jewish family trickled into Canada, one by one, from Eastern Europe after World War II, they came with virtually nothing in their pockets. Sewn into the lining of my uncle’s heavy coat were two small pieces of gold jewellery he bravely smuggled out of Poland. Stamped onto his soul were memories of traditional kugels that his wife and sister, my aunt and grandmother, ceremoniously recreate for us at family gatherings.

I think of each kugel as having its own personality that matches the mood of the event with which it’s associated. Ladies who lunch love a delicate dairy kugel laden with apples and honey. Friday night Sabbath calls for a traditional kugel, where the simplest of noodle puddings serves as the perfect foil for roast chicken or beef brisket and honey-glazed carrots. A gentle carrot kugel, perfumed with fresh shredded apples and orange peel, stands well beside a light lunch of cottage cheese blintzes and salads. Pair an assertive, peppery mashed potato kugel, where the rich aroma of chicken schmaltz (fat) permeates the pudding, with a pungent pot roast. Some kugels are playful and light-hearted. A whimsical, modern, pineapple and coconut milk kugel could easily go down as dessert after a lavish dinner. Enjoy a kugel perfumed with dill, housing a mass of fresh corn, with a platter of bagels, lox and cream cheese for the quintessential Sunday brunch.

Holiday meals from my childhood always included a family-favourite kugel or two.

My mother’s signature kugel, which was my grandmother’s recipe, is a luscious, creamy casserole of sweet baked noodles, cottage cheese, eggs and lots of fruit – apricots and pineapple – with a buttery crumb topping. We could always count on my aunt to supply the antithesis of this kugel, an Old World statement of simplicity, with shredded potatoes and caramelized onions, crisp, hot and savoury. So memorable and beloved is this kugel that her children, my cousins, spoke of it at her funeral a few years ago.

Good food, good wine, good friends... that’s BoccaVIno! (right next door to Lina’s) All-day Happy Hour every Sunday & Monday 2220 Centre St NE • 403.276.2030 • www.boccavino.com

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

It is no easy task to select kugel recipes to share, though rational thought dictates one sweet kugel and one savoury one to represent the two main subsets of the vast array of options. Another set of factions within the kugel-making world is the dairy-based vs. the non-dairy (pareve) group, which help narrow the choices. I’ve chosen my mother’s rich and silky cottage cheese and apricot noodle pudding, which has been loved for generations, and my aunt’s utterly simple, crisp and minimalist potato kugel with golden onions, remembered fondly by all who have

eaten it. Lastly, for the sheer joy of pure carbohydrate crunch, nothing beats a traditional savoury egg noodle kugel. Serve it as a counterpoint to juicy roasted meat.

The kugels we make, like all traditional home cooking prepared with care, say something personal: This Is Where I Come From, This is Who I Am, This Is What I Love. While the food industry may have a mandate to herald its own emerging trends and impulses, it is also the mandate of home cooks to preserve the beloved recipes of our past. I find it deeply meaningful to honour, today, the satisfying foods of my Jewish ancestors in eastern Europe.

Perfectly placed in the South Okanagan

This year, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls on September 16th and is celebrated for two days, prime conditions for serving these kugels.

Topping: 1-1/2 c. crushed corn flakes 2 T. melted butter 1/2 t. ground cinnamon 1 T. granulated sugar

Lokshin Kugel (Noodle Pudding) From The Pleasures of Your Processor by Norene Gilletz. The word lokshin is the Yiddish word for noodle.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook the noodles until tender, drain well and let them cool. Mix the noodles with the sugar, milk, eggs, salt, vanilla and sour cream. Add the cottage cheese, melted butter, apricots and pineapple. Spread the mixture into a well-greased 9”x12” pan. Mix the corn flakes with the butter, cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole. Bake the kugel for 1 hour at 350°F until deeply golden. Serves 6 to 8. 

P

1 12-oz. package medium-width egg noodles

erfectly placed on rich South Okanagan farmland, Tinhorn Creek overlooks the old gold mining creek that is the winery’s namesake. We are environmental stewards of 150 acres of vineyards: “Diamondback” on the Black Sage Bench, and “Tinhorn Creek” on the Golden Mile Bench.

Both provide us with the fruit to craft the superb, terroir driven wine that we’re known for. Our top tier Oldfield Series represents the finest of each vintage.

1/4 c. canola oil 1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped 5 large eggs 1 t. kosher salt freshly ground pepper to taste

www.tinhorn.com

extra oil for the top of the kugel

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until tender. Drain well and set aside to cool slightly.

Put the canola oil in a 7”x11” glass baking pan.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Put the oiled pan in the hot oven for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and put in the chopped onions.

Toss the onions in the hot oil and spread them evenly in the baking pan. Return the pan to the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown. Watch the onions carefully so that they do not burn.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with the salt and pepper.

Be generous with the pepper, as it adds a distinctive bite to the simple kugel. Combine the noodles with the egg mixture and the browned onions in the baking pan and spread the mixture evenly. Sprinkle a little bit of extra oil over the top of the kugel and bake it, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until crisp and golden. Freezes well.

Serves 8.

Sweet Apricot Kugel 1 12-oz. package medium-width egg noodles 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1 c. milk 2 large eggs 1 t. kosher salt

These recipes are on our website

2 t. vanilla extract 1 c. sour cream 1/2 lb. small curd cottage cheese 1/2 c. melted butter 1 c. dried apricots, cut into quarters

Savoury Potato Kugel You may use a round or oval baking pan if you prefer. Whatever pan you use, ensure that the potato mixture is no more than 3/4” thick, to guarantee lots of surface crunch on both the bottom and top of the kugel. Crunch is a key appeal factor in this kugel.

6 medium potatoes, peeled 1 medium yellow onion, peeled 3 large eggs 1/2 c. matzo meal or bread crumbs 1/2 t. potato or corn starch 1-1/2 t. kosher salt liberal amounts of freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 T. canola oil 1 T. extra oil for drizzling on top

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9”x11” baking pan with a flavourless oil such as canola.

Set aside. Grate the potatoes and onion either in a food processor or by hand. Place the mixture into a large strainer and drain, squeezing out excess water by pressing the mixture down with your hands. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Stir in the potato and onion mixture, the matzo meal, potato or corn starch, salt, pepper and oil. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and drizzle extra oil over the top.

Bake the kugel for 1 hour, or until golden and crisp. Serves 6 to 8.

Laura Di Lembo would happily eat a different kugel du jour every day of her life.

1 14-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

21

well matched In Downtown Calgary

R E S TA U R A N T & L O U N G E

Sweet Corn and Smoked Chile Soup with Crème Fraîche Nothing is better than sweet corn in season. This soup is deceptively light with a dollop of rich crème fraîche to pull it all together, allowing the delicate flavours and textures to come to life. The chipotle in adobo provides a smoky sexiness that rounds out the sweetness of the corn.

6 cobs of corn 1 T. olive oil 1 red onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 sprig of tarragon 1/4 t. ground allspice 1 T. butter 1 t. chipotle in adobo, minced 2 c. vegetable stock salt and pepper to taste 2 T. crème fraîche

Cut the kernels from the corn cobs with a small sharp knife in a downward motion. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and slowly fry the onion and garlic with the tarragon and allspice until the onion and garlic are soft. Add the corn kernels, butter and chipotle in adobo, and cook on low heat for a few minutes until the corn begins to soften.

Add the stock and cook until the corn is soft, then gently mash it with a fork while it cooks.

Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche and a sprinkle of cilantro. Serves 4.

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

French Inspired & Locally Grown.

For Those with Higher Standards

Pair this dish with:

Woodstock Grenache Rosé 2009 (Australia) $19

Lunch: Monday – Friday 11:30am – 2:00pm Dinner: Monday – Saturday 4:30pm – close Closed Sundays

403 265 9595 • 107 Eighth Avenue SW www.thebelvedere.ca

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

This is a fantastic match for dishes that are spicy or smoky. The intense raspberry and cherry components complement spices well. The wine is medium bodied with a savoury mid-palate and off-dry finish.

JoieFarm Riesling 2010 (Canada) $33 The acidity in this wine and the pleasant honeysuckle notes complement spicy food well. The wine offers delicate stone fruit aromas and green apple notes. It is deliciously dry and mineral on the finish.

Jenni Neidhart

An event for Co-op members and their guests.

November 3, 2012

Made-in-heaven food and wine pairings

Creamy Zucchini, Lemon, and Pea Pasta with Crispy Pancetta This simple pasta dish showcases the grassy sweetness of fresh summer peas and delicate tenderness of summer zucchini at its peak. The egg yolks lend a buttery richness to the sauce. Make sure to finish with a generous dusting of parmesan.

1 lb spaghetti 2 T. olive oil 1 c. fresh peas 100 g. pancetta, diced 2 medium to small zucchini, sliced 2 garlic cloves 2 egg yolks 1 c. crème fraîche 1 T. lemon zest 1 T. lemon juice 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for finishing salt and pepper to taste

Pair this dish with:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until the pasta is tender.

Add the fresh peas and cook for 1 minute, until the peas are just cooked. Drain the peas and spaghetti in a colander.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat, then add the diced pancetta and zucchini. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the zucchini is golden and tender and the pancetta has crisped. Crush the garlic and stir it into the zucchini and pancetta and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic is softened. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Join us for a spectacular

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, crème fraîche, lemon zest, lemon juice and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

tasting that features a

Put the pasta and peas in the frypan with the zucchini and pancetta mixture over medium heat. Stir in the egg yolk mixture and cook until everything is combined and creamy. Serve immediately with the extra parmesan. Serves 4.

and cognacs from around

dazzling array of whiskies the world, a Glencairn whisky glass and buffet dinner.

For tickets, please call 403-299-5345 ext. 460 or

Michele Chiarlo Gavi 2010 (Italy) $20 This wine pairs well with dishes offering zesty components. It offers delicate apricot aromas with mild hints of peaches and pears. The acidity is fresh and the finish is clean and mineral.

email wsevents@calgarycoop.com

Lazy S at Stampede park $

100 for general admission

Carlin de Paolo Arneis 2010 (Italy) $33 A pretty wine for a pretty dish. This wine is nothing short of beautiful – the aromas are savoury but bright, with flavours of stone fruits. It offers balanced acidity with delicate mango and pear notes.

125 for VIP admission which

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includes a guided tasting with experts, unique products to sample and early entry.

5-9pm general admission 4-9pm VIP admission

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

23

Apple Appreciation Each fall in our harvest issue, we tackle some of our favourite foodies for some of their favourite recipes. We love apples – who doesn’t love a good apple? So this year it’s all about apples. Life is short, eat dessert first...

Calvados Tarte Tatin Geoff Last, Bin 905 Distinctive Wines and Spirits: Tarte tatin was created at the Hotel Tatin in 1860 by the owner’s daughter, Stéphanie Tatin, when she accidently turned an apple tart upside-down onto a baking sheet and decided to bake it anyway. The results were so good that it became a staple of the hotel. I use a tatin pan, but a cast-iron frying pan works almost as well. This recipe calls for a traditional pie crust, but you can also use puff pastry.

The only tricky part – other than inverting the tart when it’s done – is in the caramelizing of the apples. You want them just on the edge of burning (a few blackened spots is ideal). I can usually smell them when they just start to burn but it’s a good idea to take a peek under the apples with a wooden spatula close to the end. The butter and sugar should be dark and sticky and the apples should also be very dark, almost to the point of becoming burnt.

Apples:

Pastry:

1 stick (1/4 lb.) butter, cut into small pieces

1 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar 1/2 t. cinnamon 9 apples – tart, crisp varieties work best – cored, peeled and quartered 1/4 c. calvados (French apple brandy)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the butter pieces evenly in a 9- to 10-inch tatin or cast-iron pan and sprinkle the sugar evenly over top of the butter.

Place the apple pieces on their sides on top of the butter and sugar, in a tight ring around the outside rim of the pan.

Pack them as tightly as possible since they will shrink considerably during cooking. Form a second ring inside the first ring. You should have about a 4-inch circle remaining in the middle; pack this area with the remaining pieces of apple and fill any large gaps with any remaining wedges. Dust the apples with the cinnamon. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle the calvados evenly over the apples (be very careful – the hot pan could ignite the calvados. I wear an oven mitt when I do this) and continue to cook the apples on the stove over medium-high heat for about another 20 minutes, until the butter/sugar caramelizes and the apples are dark brown underneath, lifting one or two of them gently from time to time to check. Remove from the heat and allow to cool while you make the pastry.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

1/2 t. salt 1 T. sugar 5 T. cold butter, cut into small pieces 1 T. shortening 4 T. ice water

Preheat the oven to 375°F. about a half hour before completing the tart. Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a chilled mixing bowl or food processor bowl. Add the butter and shortening and work them into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. A pastry blender (or food processor) works best. As with any pie crust, work quickly, keeping the ingredients as cool as possible and not overworking the dough. This is the key to keeping a pie crust light and flaky (I like to use a food processor and I put the bowl and blade in the freezer for 10 minutes before using). Add the ice water and work the dough with a wooden spoon just until it comes together.

Form the dough into a hockey puck-shaped disc and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Roll it out into a 12” circle on a floured board and drape it over the apples, tucking the excess dough between the outer layer of the apples and the pan. Bake in the middle of the oven until the crust becomes lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Cover the tart with a serving platter that is slightly larger than your baking dish. In one quick movement, invert the tatin onto the serving platter. Lift the pan immediately; the apples should come away cleanly from the pan but a few may stick. Just peel them off the pan and put them back into place. The tart should be served warm with a dollop of whipped cream or high quality vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8.

Flemish Apple Pudding with Maple Cream Sauce Jennifer Norfolk, Brûlée Patisserie: This recipe is simple, quite humble really, but so good. It’s like having upside down cake with a layer of custard baked on top. It should be served warm.

Apple Cobbler

Sautéed Fennel and Apple

Ian Kennedy, chef de cuisine, Selkirk Grille at Heritage Park: Check out Apple Daze at Heritage Park where this dessert will be featured on the Selkirk menu, September 15 and 16. Also, there will be apple cooking demonstrations using recipes from the 1880s and 1910. Fun!

This is a fall and winter staple of City Palate publisher and editor Kathy Richardier. It’s dead easy. Depending on the number of people you’re feeding, get a couple of your favourite eating apples – ones that are a little tangy, even all the way to tart Granny Smith would do – and a couple of fennel bulbs.

Core the apples, but don’t peel them, and trim the frond ends off the fennel bulbs, but don’t core them.

Pudding:

1 c. brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 t. allspice

1/4 c. canola oil

1 T. cinnamon

6 T. milk

6 apples, cored, peeled and sliced

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then cut in the butter. Slowly mix in the milk, but stop before it turns into a dough.

The crust mixture should be somewhat dry.

Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and loosely spread the crust mixture into the pan.

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. apple juice

Topping:

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 c. water

2/3 c. flour

3/4 - 1 c. self-rising flour (1 c. all-purpose flour combined with 1-1/2 t. baking powder and 1/2 t. salt)

2 T. corn starch

1 c. brown sugar

Mix sugar, allspice and cinnamon. Toss with the apples, then add the apple juice. Let apples macerate for 45 minutes, then drain off the juice and reserve. Whisk the water and corn starch together and reserve.

1-1/2 c. rolled oats

Crust:

To assemble: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bring the apple juices to a boil and whisk in the water and cornstarch mixture. Cook, whisking, until thickened. Mix the thickened juice with the apple slices, then layer the slices on the crust. Spread the topping evenly over the apples. Bake the cobbler for 45 minutes, then serve it warm with vanilla gelato. Serves 6.

3 large, tart apples of your choosing, cored, peeled and thinly sliced 1 t. lemon zest 1/2 t. ground cinnamon 1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Apples:

1-1/2 c. flour

Glaze:

1/2 t. salt

1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 T. baking powder

5 T. sugar

1 T. sugar

1 large egg

1/4 c. cold butter, diced

Maple Cream Sauce:

scant 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. butter, melted 1 T. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and reserve.

1 c. medium-dark maple syrup 1/2 c. whipping cream 1 T. unsalted butter

Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and oil the sides with non-stick spray and some softened butter. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat together the eggs, canola oil, milk and sugar.

Add the vanilla and just enough of the flour to make a batter that has the consistency of whipping cream (you may only need 3/4 cup of the flour mixture to achieve this texture). Pour into the prepared pan. Arrange the apple slices on top of the batter in concentric circles. Sprinkle the apple with the lemon zest and spices. Bake until the batter is set, about 20 minutes.

Make the glaze while the pudding is baking. Whisk together the butter, sugar and egg until well combined. Once the pudding has set, pour the glaze mixture evenly over the apple slices. Bake the pudding and glaze for 15 to 20 minutes more, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow the pudding to cool a bit before removing the sides of the pan. Serve the pudding warm, in wedges, drizzled with the maple cream sauce, recipe below. Serves 6.

Maple Cream Sauce: Combine the syrup, whipping cream and butter, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn down the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes.

If you have leftover sauce, use it to bribe someone into making you blueberry waffles for breakfast.

Cut the apples and fennel into halves or quarters, then slice them thick. Sprinkle them with lemon juice if they have to sit a bit. Melt butter in a large sauté pan, add a splash of olive oil, and when hot, add a sprinkling of brown sugar and stir while the sugar melts a bit. Then add the fennel slices. Sauté over medium-high heat until they soften a bit and get caramelized a bit around the edges. Add the apple slices and cook until softened a bit and caramelized a bit around the edges. You want the fennel and apple to be tender, but not mushy. When the apples and fennel are nicely caramelized, drizzle them with a bit of maple syrup and give them a good squeeze of lemon juice.

A sprinkle of salt and a grind of pepper won’t hurt. Serve with a meaty dish. Or not.

Rustic Apple Almond Galette with Caramel Sauce Judy Wood, Meez Galette:

Crumble:

Candy Apple Onions

1/2 lb. puff pastry

1/2 c. rolled oats

5 T. butter

1/4 c. almonds, lightly toasted and chopped

From Pierre Lamielle’s cheeky, clever cookbook, Kitchen Scraps. This is what he serves with buffalo burgers. You can serve it with any burgers, or any meaty dish at all.

4 apples, cored, peeled and sliced 1 lemon, juice and zest 2 T. sugar

Roll the pastry into a circle 1/8-inch-thick and place it on a baking sheet. Using a fork, poke the bottom of the pastry leaving a 1-1/2- to 2-inch border. Place it in the fridge or freezer.

In a fry pan, melt 4 T. butter and add the apples, lemon juice and zest, and 1 T. sugar.

Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden.

Place the apples in the centre of the pastry and fold up the outside edges over the apples. Brush the folded over pastry with the remaining butter, melted, and sprinkle with sugar. Set aside and make the crumble.

Caramel Sauce:

1/4 t. cinnamon 2 T. brown sugar 1 T. flour 3 T. soft butter 1/2 c. crystallized ginger, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix together the oats, almonds, cinnamon, sugar, flour and butter. If you’re using it, add the ginger. Mix together well. Spread the crumble on top of the apples and bake the galette for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temp drizzled generously with caramel sauce – recipe below – and a side of good vanilla ice cream or gelato.

Serves 8.

Put 1-1/3 c. sugar in a heavy saucepan with 3/4 c. water and bring to a low boil. Cook the mixture, stirring, until the sugar is golden. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully whisk in 1/2 c. whipping cream. Stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens a bit and makes a sauce. Allow the sauce to cool and serve at room temp drizzled over slices of galette.

Heat a frying pan over mediumlow and add 2 T. vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add 1 chopped red onion and cook it about 30 minutes, until it gets some colour and caramelizes.

Add 1 diced Granny Smith apple and cook until all the sugars start to get brown and sticky delicious. Season with salt and pepper and stir in 1 T. maple syrup and 1 t. apple cider vinegar. Cook for another minute. Transfer the sweet oniony-apple mess to a bowl for easy spooning.

continued on page 26 CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

25

Apple Appreciation

continued from page 25

Apple Cider Chicken Wade Sirois, Infuse Catering and Forage, Farm to Fork, Food to Go 1 small fresh chicken (about 4 lbs.) cut up flour for dusting chicken (optional) 4 T. olive oil 1/2 medium onion, sliced 2 leeks, white part, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 tart apples, peeled and shredded 1 c. apple cider (non-alcoholic) 1 c. whipping cream 1 c. chicken stock 2 t. ground black pepper salt to taste

Grilled Apples From the Atco Blue Flame Kitchen cookbook, From the Grill, Our 100 Favourites. These are delicious served with pork.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the chicken with the flour and shake off any excess.

Heat the oil in a deep fry pan and brown the chicken pieces over high heat on all sides.

They don’t need to be cooked fully, just nicely browned. Remove the chicken from the pan when it’s browned and set aside.

2/3 c. orange juice

In the same fry pan, add the onions, leeks, and garlic and sauté until caramelized. Add the apple and sauté for another minute. Add the apple cider and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits. Add the cream, chicken stock, and pepper and bring to a boil. Put the chicken in the pan and spoon the sauce over it. Cover the pan with a lid or parchment and foil and put it in the oven.

1/8 t. salt

Bake the chicken for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake it for an additional 30 minutes. Season with salt before serving. Serve the chicken with green lentils, rice, or creamy mashed potatoes. Serves 4 to 6.

Apple and Couscous Salad

2 T. oil 2 T. honey 1 t. vanilla 1/2 t. each cinnamon and ground ginger 1/4 t. freshly ground pepper 3 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples

To prepare the marinade, combine all ingredients except the apples in a heavy Ziploc plastic bag and set aside.

Using an apple corer, remove and discard the cores from the apples. Cut the apples crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick rounds. Add the apples to the marinade and squeeze the bag to coat the apples with marinade. Seal the bag and let stand for 30 minutes. Remove the apples from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the apples over medium heat on your grill until golden brown and tender, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serves 4 to 6.

Lisa Cheah, Community Natural Foods 2 c. couscous 2 c. chicken stock 2 medium-sized crisp apples (Fuji or Ambrosia) 2 c. fresh spinach (cleaned, stems off) 1/2 c. each chopped parsley, sliced toasted almonds, julienned red onion fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Put the couscous into a bowl. Bring the chicken stock to a boil and pour it over the couscous. Stir and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes until the couscous is fluffy and “cooked.” Refrigerate to cool. Core the apples and cut them into 1-inch pieces. When the couscous has cooled, toss it with the apples, spinach, parsley, almonds and onion in a large salad bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients except for the oil.

Slowly add the oil while whisking to emulsify the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and crumble the goat feta overtop. Serves 4 to 6.

1/2 c. Fairwinds goat feta

Mulligatawny Soup Kyle Groves, Catch and The Oyster Bar: This soup is best if it’s prepared, then cooled and refrigerated a couple of days so the flavours can get really well acquainted.

1 c. chopped onion 4 stalks celery, chopped 2 carrot, diced

Dressing:

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 T. Brassica traditional grainy mustard

1/2 c. butter

2 T. fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

3 t. curry powder (you can get beautiful curry from Silk Road in Inglewood, or the Calgary Farmers’ Market)

3 T. apple cider vinegar

2 cinnamon sticks (whole)

juice of half a lemon

3 T. all-purpose flour

2 t. maple syrup

8 c. chicken stock (hot)

1/2 t. fresh ground pepper

1/4 c. jasmine rice

1/2 c. Highwood Crossing Cold Pressed Canola Oil

1 c. coconut milk 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes 1 apple, cored and chopped (I prefer Fuji or Braeburn) 1/2 c. organic apple juice

Apple, Kale and Sun Seed Slaw

salt and pepper to taste

Valerie Andrews, apple appreciator, cooking class instructor, caterer

Sauté onion, celery, carrot and garlic in the butter in a large pot until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender. Add the curry spice and cook until the fragrance is released. Add the cinnamon sticks.

2 tart firm apples, skins on, cored and julienned 1 small fennel bulb, julienned 4 small carrots, julienned 1 small bunch of fresh kale, stemmed and cut into thin strips (chiffonade) 1/3 c. sunflower seeds, toasted sea salt and pepper 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil 2 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1 T. runny honey 1 heaping T. poppy seeds

26

A mandoline makes it really easty to julienne the carrots, fennel and apple.

To chiffonade the kale, remove the stems and layer the leaves one on top of the other. Roll into a cigarette shape and slice as thinly as possible.

In a large bowl, combine the kale, fennel, carrots and a generous pinch of sea salt. Mix with your hands, gently rubbing the salt into the kale, carrot, fennel mixture. This will wilt the ingredients a little bit.

Let the salad sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients. In a small frying pan over medium heat, dry-toast the sunflower seeds until they smell nutty and aromatic. Set aside. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and honey to make the dressing.

Add the julienned apple, sunflower seeds and poppy seeds to the carrot, fennel and kale mixture. Toss everything with the dressing. Check seasoning and finish with a healthy grind of black pepper. Serves 4 generously.

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

Add the flour, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock in 3 stages, whisking very well to prevent any lumps from forming. Bring to a boil with each stock addition, then after the final addition, reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the jasmine rice and coconut milk. Cook the soup until the rice is almost tender. Keep in mind the rice will help to thicken the soup.

Add the chicken breast cubes and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Bring the soup to a boil again and add the apples, apple juice, salt and pepper. Simmer until the apples are slightly tender. Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

27

Harvesting an Education How SAIT’s culinary garden helps produce chefs with “agro-literacy” and the raw ingredients for their cooking class adventures.

by Karen Anderson, photos by Andrew Hewson

The year is 2005. In the documentary, Jamie’s School Dinners, Jamie Oliver is in a classroom in a northern U.K. coal-mining town holding up zucchini, leeks and other vegetables to a room full of dumbfounded six-year-olds.

Not one child in that classroom can name the vegetables. The children’s hands waved madly in recognition, however, when the class is shown the logos of several fast food brands.

Oliver has made it his life’s mission to help people reconnect with real, healthy, unprocessed food, calling this effort a Food Revolution. Countless other food enthusiasts are taking up the cause.

During the same period that Oliver’s documentary was causing a sensation, Calgary chef Andrew Hewson began working as an instructor at SAIT Polytechnic’s School of Hospitality and Tourism. It didn’t take long before Hewson noticed that even culinary students, who had decided to commit their lives to food, were unable to identify some of the most basic raw foods they worked with. This was a surprise to a long-time gardener like Hewson. He reasoned that to truly understand cooking, which he defines as the act of turning raw ingredients into flavourful works of art on the plate, the students needed to connect with their supplies by actually growing them.

Hewson wanted them to graduate with insight into how the quality of the ingredients affects the success of the final dish. The idea for a culinary garden at SAIT was born.

Hewson took his vision to dean Tom Bornhorst in 2007, and by the fall of 2009 construction had begun on the Jackson Henuset Memorial Culinary Garden (Jackson, who died at age 2 in 2009, was the grandson of Wayne Henuset, owner of Willow Park Wines & Spirits). Faculty and students have rallied around the garden and its goals. Nicknamed “Jackson’s garden,” it’s situated in a microclimate that’s ideal for growing. The garden’s 4200 sq. ft. are snuggled up against the

28

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

south-facing brick wall of the John Ware building that houses the Highwood Dining Room where the culinary students practice what they learn. A wooden fence drapes the shoulders of its other three sides for protection from vandalism, and the tall walls of the four nearest buildings form a courtyard to contain warmth and to shield the garden from Calgary’s notorious winds.

Students and faculty plant and harvest the garden in the spring and fall, and a part-time gardener – a horticulture student from Olds College – tends it during summer break. (The summer harvest is used for the summer cooking camps that SAIT runs as part of its summer camp programs.) Inside the fence are neat brick-lined gravel paths, raised beds and trellises. A raised potting bench doubles as a lecture theatre. An outdoor oven is ready for an impromptu pizza class, where students can pick the toppings and pop them on, like an artist applying the final brush stroke of his masterpiece.

When I visited in early June, the team was transplanting vegetables started indoors and sowing seeds of faster-growing plants directly into the soil. Hewson showed me “hills” where 12 kinds of potatoes would spring up, and the southfacing wall where transplants of tomatoes were strategically placed. I saw the thick green shoots of garlic bulbs planted the previous fall, and the slimmer, greener shoots of spring onions.

The east-facing walls and raised beds held raspberry canes, elderberry bushes and espaliered fruit trees. Rhubarb looked strong and bountiful. Perennial herbs were making their fragrant presence known. Peas and beans were growing on trellises, strawberry plants were peeking out of the straw nests that had insulated them through the winter. Cucumbers, corn and fragile squash plants looked like they might need a do-over, but Hewson thought they would toughen up and grow right. Kale, spinach, cabbages, and broccoli would last into the fall semester for this year’s crop of students to use in their cooking.

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Students are charged with the task of menu planning based on what they harvest from Jackson’s garden. They also learn about recycling and composting and can join the school’s garden club, where they learn gardening skills, such as starting seedlings, transplanting, and when and how to harvest. The garden club has already sprouted one of Canada’s few Slow Food International Youth Groups.

Calgary’s SAIT-initiated group is open to anyone under 30. It holds pot-luck suppers, screens films and has a Facebook page to keep its members up to date on food issues. Information and membership forms may be found at slowfoodyouthcalgary.com or by contacting leader Stephanie Kolk at stephaniekolk.ca.

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Although, the faculty had a vision for a culinary garden from the outset, their learning objectives evolved after the garden was built. In 2010, Hewson travelled the world learning “best practices” to bring back to Calgary. His explorations led the faculty to coin the term “culinary agro-literacy” to describe the food-related socio-political issues related to food that their graduates must be prepared to navigate. The subjects of seasonality, growing conditions, climate change, food safety, food miles and carbon footprint have been added to the curriculum to provide students with the knowledge they’ll need to become leaders of change in their industry. SAIT’s culinary grads will be well prepared to address the triple bottom line of sustainability – economic, social and environmental.

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In true “if you build it they will come” style, the culinary program at SAIT has a considerable wait-list, so the school is expanding to a downtown campus to accommodate this growth.

Serving delicious food has always been de rigueur at SAIT. Now, students and faculty create that food with a deeper understanding and respect for what it takes to produce it. This harvest season, with each vegetable, herb and fruit students pick from SAIT’s culinary garden, they harvest a little more education.

Garden harvest dish: the garnish for a beet consommé – Fairwind’s goat cheese ravioli with red and golden beet confit, beet “caviar” and garden herbs. continued on page 31

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Harvesting an Education continued from page 29

Here are a couple of chef Hewson’s favourite recipes, which he’ll teach his students this fall...

Nasturtium and Pernod Butter Hewson says this is a great secret weapon to use when cooking seafood. He takes halibut or salmon off the grill, places a chunk of this butter on top and lets it melt for a presentation that tastes as beautiful as it looks.

Field and Forest Foraging with SAIT Chefs photos by Karen Anderson On June 9, I had the pleasure of joining a dozen SAIT chefs on their annual foraging field trip with Julie Walker of Full Circle Adventures. We found many tender young greens as we explored the fields and forests of the nearby foothills. Much to the delight of the chefs, we hit a jackpot bounty of morel mushrooms. It was a fun field and forest foraging fiesta that yielded a dinner of morels and fireweed shoots à la crème cooked by chef Simon Dunn.

Walker’s company specializes in sharing information about local plants and traditions that connect humans with the land. For a full schedule of upcoming events, visit full-circle-adventures.com. ✤

1 small shallot, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature 8 nasturtium leaves, cut into thin strips 6 nasturtium flowers, roughly chopped 1/2 t. Pernod salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Sweat the shallots and garlic in a small pan over medium heat with a bit of butter just to soften them, then set them aside to cool.

Soften the rest of the butter in a mixing bowl; add the nasturtium leaves and flowers, cooled shallots and garlic, Pernod, salt and pepper. Mix everything together well, then roll the butter into logs, about 1/2-inch by 2 inches long, using waxed paper. Store in the fridge or freezer until ready to use, then slice off individual discs however thick you want them.

Charmoula Hewson uses up late season parsley and cilantro by making larger batches of this and freezing it in ice cube trays to use throughout the winter.

1 c. Italian parsley, roughly chopped 1 c. cilantro, roughly chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1-1/2 t. paprika 1/2 t. ground cumin 2 T. lemon juice 1/4 c. olive oil 1/2 t. each salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and purée. Use the charmoula as a marinade for chicken, pork or flank steak. Marinate the meat for at least 3 hours.

Karen Anderson owns Calgary Food Tours and happily grows herbs, tomatoes and asparagus in her kitchen garden.

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

31

Bones,

Fat

and

Odd Bits

How to make good use of the animal parts we usually ignore... from the woman who wrote the books on them.

by Jennifer McLagan

Bones, fat and odd bits don’t often appear in cookbooks today. It’s all boneless pieces of meat, and fat is only mentioned when it’s not there – no fat, low fat and fat free. As for odd bits – heart, liver, kidneys, brains and tongue – they’re nowhere to be found.

However, it’s just these sidelined ingredients that I champion in my books. Why do I tackle such unloved foods? Yes, I’m a contrarian, but I also believe each one is valuable and important, as well as essential to good, delicious, healthy cooking.

Let’s start where I began, with bones. Why should you bother with them? Well, the connection between flesh and bone is primordial and fundamental, we are all familiar with the expression, “the nearer the bone the sweeter the meat,” and it’s true. Bones play an integral part in many dishes, adding taste, texture and succulence; think of osso buco, rack of lamb, whole grilled fish, and beef ribs. Yet today we see bones as too much trouble and demand everything be pre-cut and pre-packaged. Every time you buy a boneless piece of meat you’ve paid for the bones too, so why not take advantage of them?

Chicken soup is a simple example of the value of bones. With only a chicken, a few vegetables, and water, you can make a rich, nourishing broth that gels as it cools. As well as adding taste, the chicken’s bones add body and substance to the soup. So, even if you’re seduced by a boneless cut, resist and buy your meat on the bone. If your recipe requires a boneless cut, buy the meat on the bone and ask your butcher to bone it for you. Take those bones home and add them to a stew, or make stock.

A basic building block of cooking, stock is simple to make and results are far superior to anything you can buy. All you need are bones, some vegetables, water and seasonings. Yes, it takes time, but stock cooks itself. Bones don’t play only a supporting role in the kitchen, there’s a dish where they star – roasted marrow bones. What is there to eat?

Well beef shin bones are full of rich marrow. Scooping that soft, warm marrow onto crisp toast and topping it with a sprinkling of salt is a satisfying, sensual pleasure that’s hard to rival. Let’s bring back the visceral appeal of food by cooking with – and eating – bones.

What is that marrow exactly? It’s luscious beef fat, which leads me to my next prized ingredient – fat. Not any type of fat, but quality animal fat from naturally raised animals. Before you grab your heart in horror, consider the following. Fat is an excellent source of energy that humans have enjoyed since the beginning of time. Yet, today we are continually told that fat is bad for us. It’s just not true.

Fat is vital for our health. It helps our body absorb nutrients like calcium and fatsoluble vitamins, while our brain and hormones rely on fat to function. Fat supports our immune system, protects our liver, regulates our digestive system, and promotes good skin and healthy hair. Fat and protein are found together in naturally raised animals, because it’s the fat that helps us digest the protein. So fat is not only essential for our health, it also makes perfect sense to eat a wellmarbled steak, or a roast chicken with crispy skin.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

In the kitchen, fat keeps our food succulent and gives it flavour. Meat without fat has no taste, and many aromas and flavours are only soluble in fat, so fat adds and carries taste. Fat is also an excellent cooking medium, stopping our food from sticking, making it appetizingly brown, while adding caramelized flavours and a crisp texture. Animal fats are the best choice for this role because, unlike vegetable oils, they are low in polyunsaturated fatty acids. This means they don’t oxidize easily when heated or exposed to light, and oxidized fat is bad for our health.

Best of all, fat just tastes good. Its molecules are big, round and smooth, so they feel luscious in our mouth – think of the pleasurable sensation of butter melting on your tongue. So relax, butter that bread and enjoy the crisp fat on your chop.

“Ahhhhhh…” you say, almost convinced, reaching for the butter dish, “but doesn’t fat make you fat?” No! Fat digests slowly leaving you feeling sated and less likely to snack between meals. Eat the right fat and you’ll probably lose weight. After more than 30 years of reducing our intake of animal fats we are not any thinner or healthier, just the opposite. The reason is obvious – we replaced satisfying fat and protein in our diet with starches, sugar and vegetable oil. We fatten animals for slaughter by feeding them grains and we get fat the same way.

Now that I’ve convinced you to buy your meat with bones and fat, I want you to look beyond those marbled T-bone steaks and fat-enveloped lamb legs. I want you to consider the rest of the animal.

My latest book focuses on under-appreciated animal parts, the odd bits.

This term covers everything from tongues to tails, cheeks to shanks, brains to bellies. For generations we enjoyed these cuts, most other cultures still do. However, here in North America, industrialized farming has made the prime cuts so cheap, so we’ve all but forgotten that there is more to the animal than steaks and chops. I’m not suggesting that we should eat more meat, just every part of those animals we kill. Not only does this make economic sense, it is the morally responsible position.

To quote Mr. Nose-to-Tail, Fergus Henderson (an English chef), “once you knock an animal on the head, it is only polite to eat all of it.”

The rest of the animal is full of delicious, versatile cuts that can be incorporated into any number of dishes. The problem is that most cooks today have no idea what they are, let alone how to buy, prepare, and cook them. The good news is that many of the odd bits are as easy to cook as the ubiquitous boneless chicken breast, and a whole lot tastier. Your first step to eating the whole animal is to find a good butcher. Odd bits are rarely found in the supermarket, plus your butcher can guarantee their quality and provenance. For the apprehensive cook, a good place to begin is with cheap, versatile beef heart. Grind it and add it to your burger or meatloaf recipe, you’ll discover it adds a wonderful depth of flavour. Try it on a skewer quickly grilled, or slowly braised in stew. If you are more adventurous you can even eat it raw as tartare. Heart is just the beginning, braised beef cheeks with their melting texture and bold flavour will convince anyone that cooking the whole animal is worthwhile. While cuts like testicles and brains are more challenging, chicken liver pâté or braised lamb shanks are not so odd at all. continued on page 34

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33

Bones, Fat and Odd Bits continued from page 32

Bones, fat and odd bits were once part of everyone’s diet, let’s put them back in ours. Bones, fat and odd bits recipes...

Roasted Marrow Bones photo by Rob Fiocca Serve the bones French style, with only fleur de sel, or the English style with fleur de sel and parsley salad. Use good rustic bread for the toast. And plan ahead, as the bones must be soaked for 12 to 24 hours to remove any traces of blood.

8 veal or beef marrow bones, each about 3 inches long coarse sea salt 8 slices rustic bread, toasted

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fleur de sel alone or with Parsley Salad (recipe below)

Place the bones in a bowl of ice water to cover, add 2 T. salt and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, changing the water four to six times and adding 2 T. salt to the water each time.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Drain the bones and pat dry. Stand them up in a roasting pan and roast for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the marrow has puffed slightly and is warm in the centre. To test, insert a metal skewer into the centre of the marrow and touch it to your wrist to see if it’s warm. There should be no resistance when the skewer is inserted, and a little of the marrow should have melted and started to leak from the bones. Serve the bones hot with the toast and fleur de sel, with or without parsley salad. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Parsley Salad Parsley mixed with the pale green leaves from celery hearts and peppery wild arugula cuts through the richness of the marrow. If the leaves are big, tear them into smaller pieces.

Dress the salad just before serving, and be sparing with the salt because of the fleur de sel that will top the marrow.

3 c. mixed flat-leaf parsley, celery leaves and arugula leaves 1 T. finely chopped shallot 2 t. capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed and chopped 2 t. fresh lemon juice sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Rinse the leaves and spin or pat dry. Place them in a salad bowl with the shallot and capers.

Season the lemon juice lightly with salt and generously with pepper, then whisk in the olive oil. Pour over the leaves, toss and serve with marrow bones, if desired.

Homemade Butter photo (page 32) by Leigh Beisch The simple act of making butter will give you an insight into the magical transformation of cream into butter and show you just how good fresh butter can taste. Whipping cream with 35 percent butterfat will work, but if you can get cream with a higher fat content, it will produce a richer butter. (Vital Green Farms makes whipping cream that’s 52 percent butterfat. Find it at the Calgary Farmers’ Market.)

2 c. good-quality high-fat whipping cream 1/2 t. fine sea salt (optional)

Pour the cream into a bowl of a stand mixer and let it warm up to about 60°F. Using the whisk attachment, whip the cream on medium-low speed. The cream will thicken, become stiff, and then start to break down. After 7 to 15 minutes, depending on the cream, it will separate into a milky liquid and globules of fat, and the latter will collect on the whisk. Stop whisking.

Remove the pieces of butter from the whisk and place them in a fine-mesh sieve. Strain the liquid from the bowl through the sieve. This liquid is true buttermilk, and you can drink it.

Rinse the pieces of butter under cold running water until the water runs clear. This rinses off the remaining whey, which could turn the butter rancid.

Using your hands, squeeze the butter hard to remove the excess water. Place it on a work surface and knead it with your hands and a dough scraper to remove any remaining water.

If you prefer salted butter, work the salt into the soft butter with your hands. Using your hands, shape the butter as you like, wrap it well, and refrigerate. The butter will keep for up to a week. Makes about 3/4 cup.

34

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

Peruvian Heart Kebabs photo by Leigh Beisch Anticuchos – small skewers of grilled meat – are a popular street food in Lima. The authentic ones are chunks of beef heart in a spicy marinade. Once you try heart like this, you’ll be ready for heart in any of its permutations. For this preparation, it’s important to cook the heart only to rare or medium-rare and no more. Plan ahead, as the heart has to marinate for 24 hours.

13 oz. trimmed beef heart 1 t. cumin seed 1 t. coarse sea salt 1/2 t. black peppercorns 2 serrano chiles, stems removed 1 clove garlic, germ removed 3 T. red wine vinegar 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Chicken Liver Crostini Chicken liver, with its mild flavour, is a good way to introduce people to this odd bit. Crostini are a popular snack with drinks in Italy, and also make a good starter served with a salad. The liver mixture can be made ahead but bring it to room temperature before proceeding. You can also pack this mixture into a dish and serve as a spread with crackers.

3 T. duck fat or unsalted butter 1 shallot, finely chopped 2 sprigs rosemary

Cut the heart into 3/4-inch cubes and place in a bowl. Toast the cumin seed in a small frying pan until fragrant, about 1 minute. Place in a spice grinder with the salt and peppercorns, and grind.

Add the chiles and garlic and grind again, then transfer the mixture to a small bowl and whisk in the vinegar and olive oil. Pour the mixture over the heart pieces in the bowl and toss to coat, then cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

20 slices baguette

1/2 c. plus 1 T. sugar

olive oil

1 t. sea salt

1 garlic clove

3/4 t. each ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves

Pour the vermouth into the pan and return it to the heat. Bring the vermouth to a boil and, using a wooden spoon, stir to deglaze the pan and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.

Boil the vermouth until reduced by half. Add 1/2 t. salt and the vinegar, stir, and pour over the livers. Pulse the food processor to chop the liver mixture into a coarse paste, check the seasoning, and transfer to a bowl.

Preheat the broiler to high. Brush the baguette slices with a little olive oil and toast them. Cut the garlic in half and rub the toasted bread on one side with the garlic, then top with a spoonful of liver mixture and serve. Makes about 1 c., enough for 20 crostini.

Introducing:

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1-1/4 c. flour

In a frying pan over medium-low heat, melt the fat. Add the shallot and rosemary and cook gently for about 5 minutes, or until the shallot is softened but not coloured. Meanwhile, pat the livers dry and season them with salt and pepper. Add them to the pan and cook, stirring, until the livers are just pink in the centre, about 3 minutes per side. Cut a liver in half to check.

Remove the pan from the heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the livers and shallot mixture to a food processor, discarding the rosemary sprigs. Add the capers.

www.HeritagePark.ca

Bacon Fat Spice Cookies

1 t. red wine vinegar

1 T. small capers, rinsed and dried

1900 Heritage Drive SW Calgary

Cravings’ Fall Menu

2 T. dry vermouth

coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Open daily for lunch. Open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner.

Reservations Recommended • 403.268.8607

Preheat the grill to high. Thread the heart pieces onto 8 to 10 wooden or metal skewers and grill over high heat for about 4 minutes total, turning once. Makes 8-10 skewers.

There are many different types of spice cookies from northern Europe, most of them made with butter. I was intrigued, however, by the idea of using bacon fat rather than butter. The smoky, salty taste of bacon matches well with the ginger and cinnamon: think of a glazed ham in cookie form.

7 oz. chicken livers, trimmed

casually elegant. uniquely vintage. distinctly canadian.

1/2 c. bacon fat (from about 1 lb. of bacon) 2 T. molasses 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, 1/2 c. of the sugar, the salt, and the spices in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the bacon fat, molasses, and egg and pulse until the mixture forms a soft dough.

Take level tablespoons of the dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Using a fork, flatten the balls slightly, and sprinkle them with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake the cookies until they begin to brown around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes 20-24 cookies.✤ Jennifer McLagan is the author of three best-selling cookbooks: Bones, Fat and Odd Bits.

She will be teaching two cooking classes at The Cookbook Co. Cooks in September.

All recipes reprinted with permission from Bones © 2005 William Morrow, Fat © 2008 McClelland & Stewart and Odd Bits © 2011 HarperCollins Canada.

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner www.cravingsmarketrestaurant.com 7207 Fairmount Dr SE | 403-252-2083 Just 2 minutes from Chinook Mall

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

35

You can All the buzz about backyard bees.

lieve it A newBEE keeper...

By Holly Quan

Let’s start with Tom and Jennifer Foss, the dinner guests who pollinated this story idea. (Sorry, I’ll stop now. Really.)

The revolution is humming right along. Bet you didn’t even know that Calgary is a hive of beekeeping activity.

The city is abuzz with enthusiasm for this honey of a hobby that’s also sweet for your local environment.

The Fosses’ bee obsession started with a visit to Jen’s uncle in Squamish, B.C. Now in his 80s, her Uncle Phil is a veteran beekeeper with 40 years’ experience. He keeps some 50 hives in the mountains surrounding his home town, but it was the five backyard hives that piqued Tom Foss’s interest. He thought it looked like a unique and interesting hobby, a cool thing to do.

OK, enough with the puns – I promise.

Allan Shewchuck’s “Back Burner” column in City Palate’s May June issue mentioned a dinner guest who had brought him a jar of home-raised honey as a gift. That got us thinking about the whole backyard bee thing and just how popular it’s become.

“I was hooked,” he says. “When we got back to Calgary, Jen signed me up for a course called Backyard Beekeeping, through a local organization founded by Eliese Watson.”

Flip to Watson, an energetic young woman who has had a lifelong interest in bees. She launched the organization Apiaries and Bees for Community (A.B.C.), offering courses and information to help people get started in beekeeping. Little did she know that beekeeping would blossom in the city within just a couple of years. It’s hard to know exactly how many Calgarians keep backyard hives, but consider that since 2010, Watson has helped install about 150 hives throughout the city. She estimates that there are 500 urban beekeepers among us. People swarm to her introductory beekeeping classes, which regularly sell out.

Back to the Fosses’ yard in southwest Calgary. (Their yard is slightly larger than a regular-sized city lot. Any size yard will do for bee keeping.) After taking the A.B.C. course, Tom Foss ordered two hives and looked for a supplier of bees. He found experienced beekeeper Tony Lalonde in Clavet, Saskatchewan, and ordered two nucs – a nuc is like a tiny portable hive, basically a box full of bees, including a queen.

When the bees arrived, Foss donned his bee suit and got Uncle Phil on the phone to talk him through the process of installing the insects in their new homes. If you work slowly and gently, and use bee smoke to calm the bees, generally they don’t sting. Eliese Watson works with just a hood over her head – no gloves, no bee suit. Ditto Uncle Phil.

Author Holly Quan (left, in full bee suit) and beekeeper Tom Foss do a hive inspection. Foss has withdrawn one of 10 frames from inside the hive, where the bees are making honeycomb and filling the chambers with honey.

“I thought it was going to be difficult and dangerous but it’s actually fun,” Foss says. In fact, he claims there’s really no downside. “It’s not expensive, it’s not hard. Yes, you get stung, that goes with the territory. But it’s exciting to see your bees flying around the area, enjoying everyone’s flowers and, of course, producing honey.”

Foss explains that positioning the hives in your yard is important.

Bees like morning sun and a nearby source of water. And you don’t want the hive pointed toward obstructions like your kid’s swing set or your neighbour’s barbecue.

What about those neighbours – what do they think of this hobby?

“I don’t think they’re aware we have bee hives,” Foss says.

“The bees just go about their business and don’t bother anyone, including our two dogs.” Foss also has a large outdoor kitchen and seating area, but the bees are no problemo. Bees don’t bother people – they’re not aggressive unless the hive is being attacked.

Harvest time...

Beekeeper Tom Foss inspects one of his newer hives. The “super,” the lid of the hive, is already loaded with honey-filled comb.

36

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

OK, let’s get to the heart of the matter: honey. For the first of two harvests last summer, Uncle Phil was there in person to show his protégés the ropes. Together they removed the hives’ lids (the lid is called a “super”) and puffed in smoke, which calms the bees.

Then they withdrew frame after frame of honeycomb loaded with honey. “Wow, what a feeling. I was so impressed,” Foss recalls.

“In the beekeeping course they told me not to expect much for at least two years until the hive gets established.” continued on page 38

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37

You can

lieve it

continued from page 36

Next, the frames went into the garage for a date with the honey extractor.

When frames come out of the hive, the honey is trapped by beeswax caps on each individual chamber of the comb.

The beekeeper scrapes the honey-filled comb from the frame into the extractor, which separates honey from the waxy comb. A filter removes wax, pollen and other impurities from the honey, which is then poured into jars.

“There is no way to stay clean during this operation. You get pretty sticky,” Foss says. “But it’s worth the effort.

From our two hives last summer we got about 250 jars of honey.”

Over the winter, bees cluster together, eating and vibrating their wings just enough to maintain warmth inside the hive, even if it’s extremely cold outside. Foss wrapped insulation around his hives and occasionally gave the bees chunks of Uncle Phil’s winter bee food, but mostly the hives were dormant. In the spring he removed the protective insulation and the bees got back to work. Foss added three new hives this year.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

Make a beeline for A.B.C. The organization offers courses, resources, mentoring and assistance for all things apiarian. Founder Eliese Watson didn’t set out to build a life in bees – but, accidentally or not, she’s become the local authority on urban beekeeping.

She’s brought expert beekeepers to the city for lectures and demonstrations, and she’s traveled around North America herself to gain a better understanding of the art and science of bee husbandry. Through it all, she’s helped people establish networks and collaborate, building community one beehive at a time, and she’s always there if your bees swarm and you don’t know what to do about it. “I call Eliese a lot,” Foss says.

The bottom line: small investment, big reward. Foss says his hives and bees cost about $400. Add the suit plus some odds and ends, and his total was under $600. You can share a honey extractor with other beekeepers, or you can spend another $300 to $400 if you want your own. So, for an initial investment of $1,000 or less, you get a whole lotta fun and a lifetime supply of honey. Sweet!

Bee buzz ● One queen lays between 1,000 to 2,000 eggs daily, up to a million in her lifetime. ● An individual bee makes about a quarter teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. ● Foss’s hives each contain about 70,000 bees. ● Bees fly up to six miles from the hive in search of nectar. ● At the height of the summer, Foss estimates that his bees make about one pound of honey every day. They keep some and give the rest away. ● What’s so great about honey? It’s an antioxidant that also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Its natural sugars are great for quick energy.

Consuming honey can also help boost immunity.

Resources ● A.B.C., also called Backyard Beekeeping, offers a basic beekeeping course and practical information for sourcing hives, equipment and bees. Its website also has links to a newsletter, photos, videos and other beekeeping groups. backyardbees.ca ● More help and information is available from the Calgary Beekeepers Association, calgarybeekeepers.com or the Canadian Honey Council, honeycouncil.ca ● Foss bought his first bees from Tony Lalonde in Clavet, Saskatchewan. tonylalondesales.ca ● Another great source for honey, bees, hives, clothing and equipment is Bee Maid, operated by Alberta honey producers. beemaidbeestore.com ● A trip to Chinook Honey Company near Okotoks is a lovely way to spend a weekend afternoon. You can see bees in action, learn about bees and keeping them, and purchase bee products from honey to beeswax candles to mead. chinookhoney.com

After helping Tom Foss do a hive inspection in June, Holly Quan was treated to one of nature’s sublime treats: sweet, warm, liquid honey fresh from the hive. And she didn’t even get stung (Tom did) – but she was in full bee suit. Holly says, “Thank you, Tom. Thank you, bees.”

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

39

Get your card today! © 2012 Calgary Public Library 1202-077

Everything Garret’s into.

our fun, growing street food scene

by Eloise Wall

Since the inception of the city’s pilot program last August, food trucks are popping up on our streets like mushrooms after a rain. Is this a sign that Cowtown is developing a true food truck culture? Calgary food truckers say it is and our city’s street food scene will soon rival any in North America.

“No Roll Zones” such as Kensington, Inglewood, 17th Avenue S.W. and 4th Street S.W., are enforced. When we asked what the vendors thought of having areas of the city off-limits, Margie Hope, co-owner of Blam!Wich, summed up what we’d heard over and over again from the vendors. “We don’t want to compete with restaurants on the Red Mile. And taking two parking spots away from a Kensington retailer doesn’t make sense. Parking in that area is already difficult.”

Their menus are small, inventive and diverse, moveable feasts of high-end cuisine at street-level prices. The trucks are works of art, offering the thrill of the hunt for your favourite street eats and the promise of a vibrant, fun atmosphere.

Food truckers strive for an open dialogue and collaboration with city business owners. A positive effect of their presence is possible, too – the Marda Loop site brings people into the neighbourhood and local merchants benefit.

Several owners credit a forward-thinking city administration and Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s Cut Red Tape initiative as the catalysts for their success. Thanks to this non-bureaucratic approach, we could see as many as 30 trucks on the road this fall.

When it comes to advertising, food truckers use social media to spread the word on their locations, tweeting their whereabouts each morning. Whenever possible, they participate in events around the city.

The challenges of building relationships with various business revitalization zones, finding parking spots in prime locations and dealing with unexpected mechanical difficulties haven’t slowed down these metropreneurs.

The vehicles are highly visible, decorated in keeping with the company’s brand.

The Alley Burger truck, for example, features the work of local graffiti artist David Brunning. Blam!Wich is decked out with pop art lettering. The Mighty Skillet truck, whose Marvel Comic-style graphics were done by a local tattoo artist, features a superhero wielding his massive skillet like a weapon.

But Calgary’s cold winters can be a trial for any business that depends on foot traffic.

So we wondered whether the rolling cooks and their wheels would be heading off to the garage when Calgarians hunker down during those awful cold spells.

All the truckers we interviewed had factored in frigid temperatures and snowy days when building their business plans. While some will be shuttering their windows if the coming winter proves colder than last year’s mild one, not all intend to put on their brakes. They may take advantage of their down time for a much needed rest or to refit or upgrade their trucks. Others will focus on catering or special events and private functions. Those intending to bundle up and keep on truckin’ will modify their menus to include more seasonal fare. From the sounds of it, street food enthusiasts will not be disappointed over the winter months.

Apart from the weather, for food truckers, it’s all about location, location, location.

If you’re a street vendor, you want high visibility and lots of pedestrians. Memorial Park Library, just east of 4th Street on 12th Avenue SW, and RiverWalk, in the East Village are two favoured culinary hot spots. Customers take advantage of the parks, which host a mini food festival every time the truckers pull up.

The only adverse comment we’ve heard from patrons so far was a complaint about wait times. This isn’t necessarily the fastest food in the world. But John Jackson of Alley Burger calls a food truck queue a social experience, noting that the lineup helps create the vibe. You’re not meant to stand quietly but rather to interact with others in the line, talk about your food truck experiences and discuss what you plan to order. Meeting people from all walks of life is a big part of the culture.

The food truck explosion is not surprising. As one California reviewer said of the movement, food is taking the place in culture that rock and roll took thirty years ago. The street has always influenced fashion and culture and it’s now putting its stamp on food.

To find a particular truck, you can go to Twitter or Facebook and enter its name. There’s also an app available for free from the iTunes store, Street Food Calgary App. It maps all the trucks and lets you know if they’re open for business. continued on page 42

40

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

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41

Trucks are Truckin’

continued from page 40

At this writing, these are who are truckin’ the streets:

AGLIO E OLIO

True Italian fare with home-made pasta and sauces served up restaurant style.

ALLEY BURGER

Try the original Alley Burger, roasted pork garlic sausage with

cheese curds and piri piri aioli. This truck is run by the owners of CHARCUT and the food is in keeping with their urban rustic cuisine.

not your daddy’s burger joint

AVATARA PIZZA Gluten-free, lactose-free, dairy-free pizza on the go.

BLAM!WICH Inventive sandwiches with fresh local ingredients, also offering

gluten-free fare. A popular choice is Bat Outta Hell: meatloaf presented on an open-faced sandwich with garlic mayo. All sandwiches served on bread baked daily by Kruse’s Bakery.

BRAIZEN

Slow-braised meats, soups, stews and hand-held favourites like

wraps and kabobs.

CARNE

www.blackbettybwb.com 606-1st Street SW 403.265.4230

An immobile food “truck” brought to you by Teatro, located on Olympic

Plaza, serving rotisserie-cooked “street meat for the masses.”

“You’ll always know where we are,” might be the Carne motto.

CHEEZY BIZNESS

Oozy, gooey, gourmet sandwiches and subs, in the best comfort

food tradition.

CRANKY CHEF

Gourmet French food served up by a chef that a food reviewer called

cranky – for sure, but in a funny way.

CURB SIDE GRILL Burgers, poutine and sausages.

FIASCO GELATO Artisanal gelato, hand-crafted in small batches with seasonal

fresh fruit.

THE FOOD FIGHTER Serving veal, chicken and eggplant parmesan sandwiches.

FRIES & DOLLS Gluten-free gourmet fries, sausages and wieners – with gluten-free

buns available – offered up in an eye-catching hot pink truck.

H-APPY TRUCK Indonesian food with an array of appetizers.

HOLY CREPE Crêpes filled with concoctions featuring flavours and spices from

around the world.

JELLY MODERN DOUGHNUTS Doughnutmobile. Need we say more?

JOJO’S BBQ Truly succulent southern-style BBQ. Pulled pork, smoked brisket,

sloppy joes and ribs, plus all the traditional sides.

LOS COMPADRES

On a mission to deliver a piece of Mexico to every resident in

Calgary, these cooks offer a wide variety of Mexican fare.

MIGHTY SKILLET

Calgary’s original brunch truck, offering YYC some seriously creative

eats on the go.

THE NAACO TRUCK The first Calgary food truck to serve Indian curbside eats.

NATHAN’S TRUCK Grilled hot dogs and salty little potatoes.

NOODLE BUS Calgary’s first Asian food truck. Serving what you’ve come to know

and love about Vietnamese food.

PEROGY BOYZ

“Chef Mitsumo... he is the best sushi chef in the city.

I love the food at UBU...9 out of 10” John Gilchrist - CBC Radio

Calgary’s first gourmet mobile food truck, serving Eastern European inspired street food.

PIMENTO’S

Authentic Italian pizza, a curbside taste of Italy served up by

Chef Mario.

PURPLE PASTRY CHEF Calgary’s first mobile cupcakes and sweets, hand- decorated and baked fresh daily with seasonal ingredients.

RED WAGON DINER

Specializing in authentic Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, wraps

and a smoked meat hash.

ROCKING TACO Bringing on the heat with authentic and inspired tacos.

SOUP IN A BUN Home-made soups served in a hollowed-out sourdough bun.

SHOGUN TEPPANYAKI GRILL Marinated beef, chicken or shrimp served up Japanese style.

SNOBERRY Calgary’s newest cold treat hits the streets. It’s a refreshing, light

and fluffy mountain of ice ribbons.

STEAK OUT TRUCK

LUNCH • DINNER • EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS THEATRE JUNCTION GRAND THEATRE 608-1ST. SW • 403-265-6440 WWW.UBULOUNGE.COM 42

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

Calgary’s first steak sandwich food truck, from the creators of

Holy Grill.

VASILI’S

Gourmet Greek. Try the Twisted Pig – tender pork on a pita with

tzatziki sauce, feta and fresh vegetables.

YYC SHAWARMA Meats cooked on a spit Middle Eastern-style and served up in a wrap. ✤

Eloise Wall is a Calgary freelance and fiction writer. She can be found at consummatecopywriter.com.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

43

The one thing that all city-hardened folks seem to notice in the Okanagan is that everyone is so damn nice. The guy who scans and bags your groceries at Safeway is nice. The woman who slings coffee all day is nice. Even the airline workers at the airports are nice.

But what about the ego-driven personalities in the Okanagan’s competitive wine industry? Aren’t those maverick wine makers always at each other’s throats?

Don’t they make snarky remarks about everybody else’s wines?

Okanagan Crush Pad

You guessed it... on the whole, they’re nice too. They lend one another equipment in a pinch. They consult on vexing vineyard problems. They allow start-up wineries to make a vintage or two on their crush pads while cash and equipment are tight. It’s enough to make one long for a whiff of drama from time to time.

With that thought in mind, I was perversely delighted to hustle over to Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland this summer, a month before it threw its doors open to the public. The opening of this custom-crush winery was the most controversial happening on the Okanagan wine scene since screw caps on VQA bottles.

For some, custom crushing was a practice that existed in such wine-producing regions as France, Washington State and California, whose time had finally come in the Okanagan. Others – its vocal detractors – were gnashing their teeth about how it would open the door to citified dabblers or here-today-gone-tomorrow labels that had no real investment in the B.C. wine industry. If it was, indeed, the beginning of the end, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I was also looking forward to tasting the house brands of Okanagan Crush Pad, plus Haywire and Bartier Scholefield wines, among others.

I met with Christine Colleta, who splits her time between her successful PR and marketing firm in Vancouver and the newly opened Okanagan Crush Pad that she built with her husband Steve Lornie.

She explained that they hadn’t set out to create a controversy, or even a winery, back in 2005 when they purchased a 10-acre apple orchard in Summerland and turned it over to pinot gris grapes in 2007. They were motivated by a desire to get their hands dirty and grow grapes for someone else to turn into wine. But one day, wine maker Michael Bartier rode his bicycle past Colleta’s vineyard as she was tending to her grapes.

by Jennifer Cockrall-King

“What are you going to do with your grapes?” Bartier asked.

“I’m going to sell them,” replied Colleta.

“Don’t. You should make wine.”

“I don’t know how to make wine.”

“I think I know someone who does,” Bartier yelled as he rode away.

At the same time, another B.C. wine expert, David Scholefield “had been yapping at me about the need for a custom-crush facility in the Okanagan,” recalls Colleta.

Colleta and Lornie decided that they could start a winery with a twist. Okanagan Crush Pad had the two-acre minimum vineyard to satisfy the provincial requirements for a land-based winery license, but they could also provide à la carte vineyard management, wine consulting, wine making, marketing and even sales service to allow others to make and sell wine from “virtual” wineries.

The OCP team, from L to R: Steve Lornie, Alberto Antonini, Christine Colleta, David Scholefield, and Michael Bartier.

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The couple assembled a team – Michael Bartier, head wine maker, David Scholefield, wine advisor and crush pad spokesperson, Italian wine maker Alberto Antonini, a consultant, and Julian Scholefield, operations manager – to figure out how they could allow people to enter the commercial wine-making-and-selling game when they otherwise could or would not. Would-be vintners could start with small case lots – not the minimum 500 cases required for an independent winery license – and without the crippling upfront investment in their own vineyards required for a land-based winery license, or the mountains of paperwork required to operate a non-land-based commercial winery. Okanagan Crush Pad opened its doors to potential clients last year. continued on page 46

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The idea was that OCP would fill a yawning gap in Okanagan wine culture. It would serve as an incubator for wine-making talent in the valley – people who didn’t have the capital to invest in land, vines and equipment and wait the five years it takes to realize a return on investment. (There’s another custom-crush facility in Okanagan Falls but, for some reason, it has remained under the radar.)

The sizeable investment required to open a winery in B.C.has driven more than one ambitious young wine maker away. Kenji Hodgson was assistant wine maker at JoieFarm Winery, but went to France in 2009 so he and his wife could make wine with some of the most influential wine makers in the world. Decent grape-growing land in B.C., costing between $100,000 and $150,000 per acre, was way beyond the budget of the thirty-something Hodgsons. Vineyards in Anjou, France, with vines in full production, can be purchased for between $5,000 and $8,000 per acre.

Hodgson purchased more than eight acres, and he hasn’t looked back.

Bradley Cooper, wine maker at Township 7, has been similarly stymied by land prices in the Okanagan. But he was able to cut a deal with Township 7’s owner to establish a brand – Black Cloud – which he makes under the winery’s license but controls completely. “I’m in the fifth vintage of Black Cloud, and still waiting for a partner to show,” he says. Cooper isn’t surprised that a custom-crush winery (or two) has sprung up. “It’s not a matter of people trying to circumvent the system.

There’s just no other alternative to the million-dollar winery. We have a system right now that inhibits innovators and game-changers.” He believes that an incubator like Okanagan Crush Pad is one solution to stagnation.

Not surprisingly, Colleta and Lornie’s $5.4 million (“and counting”) investment, which includes six enormous state-of-the-art concrete egg-shaped fermentation tanks, has had no trouble attracting clients. In its first year of custom-crush services, OCP attracted nine. One client made 350 cases, the biggest producer made 2,500. Everyone involved in the operation quickly realized how sharing the cost of equipment is one efficiency that definitely makes sense.

Okanagan Crush Pad has launched some unlikely wine makers. It sponsors a 100case batch for the Vancouver Playhouse International Sommelier of the Year, with proceeds to the B.C. Children’s Hospital. Vancouver-based wine writer and sommelier, Kurtis Kolt, launched his sémillion, called Kurtis, this summer. Kolt admits that he still doesn’t know all the costs involved in this fully sponsored project, but he sees a custom-crush facility as having a democratizing effect. “Now, wine making is not just something for the wealthy.”

Colleta has the background of decades in the B.C. wine industry to see past the barbs of the Crush Pad naysayers.

“I think it was Bill Eggert of Fairview Cellars who reminded me that it took 15 years for the B.C. wine industry to agree that VQA bottles could use screw caps,” Colleta says, as she pours the first of many tastings of Okanagan Crush Pad’s roster of wines. “In the meantime, I’m just going to carry on.”

With a little more than 14,000 cases produced so far, Okanagan Crush Pad’s production is a drop in the bucket, unlikely to be the death knell of the land-based winery, the bread-and-butter of B.C.’s wine industry. But maybe it’s just what the region needs to climb up to the level of global wine-making cultures. The Okanagan, with its stratospheric land prices and relatively small global production, is never going to compete on prices. It has to compete on quality, the outcome of the vision of its vineyard owners and wine makers.

As we taste our way through the whites, rosés and reds of Crush Pad labels Haywire, Bartier Scholefield, Bartier Bros. and a few custom brands made for clients, I can’t help thinking that perhaps OCP should consider creating a new label and naming it Controversy. It would likely be good for business. Visit okanagancrushpad.com for lots of details about this most interesting operation.

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Look for these Crush Pad labels. Prices are approximate.

EVENT

Haywire Switchback Vineyard Pinot Gris 2011 $23 Crisp acidity, juicy apricot and citrus flavours with a chalky, limestone taste and a flinty finish.

CALENDAR

A Taste of What’s at Co-op: Tasting Events $25 and Under

Haywire Secrest Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 $27 Velvety pomegranate flavours with the structure to pair with Mediterraneanstyle foods heavy on tomatoes and olive oil.

Friday Night Delights Big Reds – You Be the Judge Food Truck Pairings Wine and Chocolate

Haywire Gamay Noir Rosé 2010 $19 A dry, delicate 100 percent gamay noir rosé with a balance of fruit (Rainier cherries) and acidity (lemons and grapefruit), making it a good patio wine that also stands up to food.

Sinfully Savoury Doughnuts 90+ Wines Wine Basics

Bartier Bros. The Cowboy 2010 $23 A 50/50 combo of crisp sauvignon blanc and aromatic schonberger grapes.

Friday Night Delights – Favourite Snack Foods and Pairings Sweet or savoury, which do you prefer? Are you a ripple chips kind of person or a chocolate chip cookie fan? We are going to have a blast pairing traditional snack foods with a variety of wines and beers.

Beddington: September 14 & October 26, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person You Be The Judge – This is Going to Be Fun Ever wonder what it would be like to be a wine judge? Well, here’s your chance. During this fun class you’ll have the opportunity to taste and review a blind flight of big reds from all over the world, and with different price ranges, to see how they stack up against each other. Help decide which wine comes out victorious.

Beddington: September 28, Oakridge: October 19, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

Bartier Bros. The Goal 2010 $30 A leathery mix of merlot, cab franc and syrah that screams out for a grilled rib-eye.

$25 and Under – Value Wines to Know for Fall Our sommelier team shares some of the best picks for under $25 this fall. You will leave this class with a newfound respect for our favourite wines that won’t break the bank.

Oakridge: September 20, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

Bartier Bros. Chardonnay 2011 $23 An unoaked chardonnay with hints of desert sage and tarragon.

An Evening with Alley Burger – Food Truck Pairing We’re excited to team up with Calgary’s favourite burger food truck, Alley Burger, for an evening combining their delicious menu with our favourite beverage picks. This is an evening sure to delight anyone who loves a great burger, bevvies and fun. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Beddington: September 22, 7pm - 9pm • $50 per person

Bartier Scholefield White 2010 $19 A dry, refreshing table wine blend of pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, pinot blanc and chardonnay, full of citrus and peachy aromas.

The Ultimate Wine and Chocolate Experience – A Mouth-Watering, Decadent Evening Always a tasting room favourite! This fall, we are showcasing Calgary’s own Epiphanie Chocolates. Expect an evening of delicious mouth-watering combinations of chocolates filled with only the freshest of ingredients and carefully chosen wine pairings from our own sommelier team. If you’re a chocolate fan you won’t want to miss this evening.

Crowfoot: September 29, 7pm - 9pm • $35 per person Jelly Modern Doughnuts – Sinfully Savoury They’re back! We’re delighted to be teaming up again for another decadently delicious evening with Calgary’s own Jelly Modern Doughnuts. This time we will be enjoying specially created savoury styles, so come and be prepared for your taste buds to be singing WOW! Crowfoot: October 12, 7pm - 9pm • $35 per person

Bartier Scholefield Red 2008 $20 A versatile red with juicy fruit flavours and soft, silky tannins, equally happy as a red sipper or paired with food.

Okanagan Crush Pad is big on bag-in-box options for its customers and ships direct to consumers from the winery. It sells the Bartier Scholefield White 2010 as Haywire Crush Pad White (3L / $54), Haywire Gamay Noir Rosé 2010 as Haywire Crush Pad Rosé (3L / $52), and Bartier Scholefield Red 2008 as Haywire Crush Pad Red (3L / $54) in B.C. Look for these wines on tap in restaurants, thanks to successful pilot projects of kegs of Okanagan Crush Pad wines now popping up in Vancouver and the Okanagan. ✤

continued on page 48

90+ Wines How does an evening of finesse, complexity and elegance sound to you? Come discover how wines achieve a rating of 90 points or higher by the likes of wine critic Robert Parker and Wine Spectator magazine. This is a class where you will be the judge and decide for yourself if the wines are deserving of their ratings. Score cards ready?

Oakridge: October 27, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person Wine Basics – Four-Evening Course Our new four-evening Wine 101 course has been professionally created by our own in-house sommelier team to help build your level of wine confidence and knowledge. As much as this course covers the basics of wine, you will find nothing basic about it, as we cover a vast array of topics and wine styles in every class. For more information and a more detailed description of each week’s programming, please visit our website.

Oakridge: October 2, 9, 16, 23, 6:30pm - 9pm • $150 per person (workbook included)

Tasting

Thursdays

Visit our Tasting Centres on Thursdays from 4pm - 7pm to see which wine, spirits or beer we are highlighting for the week.

Visit coopwinespiritsbeer.com for more details.

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

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Okanagan Crush Pad continued from page 47

Feather Boas, Acrobats, and Wine Release Parties, Oh My! Black Hills Estate Winery president Glenn Fawcett knows a good thing when he sees it. This Calgarian-transplant in the South Okanagan has translated the concept behind the Big Rock Eddies, a short film commercial competition, to wine country. With the help of several other wineries from up and down the valley, the Vinos have grown from a handful of submissions and about 100 people attending the screening and competition in 2009 to a glammed-up crowd of 400 people wanting to see the best of the 60 commercials entered in 2012.

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The 3rd Annual Vinos, held June 8 at Spirit Ridge Resort in Osoyoos, B.C., was done right: a red carpet, television cameras, Entertainment Tonight Canada celeb emcee Erin Cebula, Day-Glo feather boas for all guests, future-punk acrobat dancers, live music, elegant nibbles… and wine, wine and more wine all night long. At the event, Black Hills launched its new Cellar Hand label that evening to a very thirsty crowd.

The next day, Black Hills hosted a Nota Bene release party, and, on Sunday, the gloomy skies parted and shafts of sun lit up the ribbon cutting for the Black Hills Wine Experience Centre, the winery’s brand new $1 million tasting room.

The Vinos weekend in the South Okanagan in early June raised $10,500 for local kids’ charities and has become the party that kicks off the summer wine season in the Okanagan. Keep that in mind for 2013, when the Vinos weekend will start on Friday, June 14 and will include the Nota Bene release party.

Black Hills wines can be found at Willow Park, Highlander and Crowfoot liquor stores.

The winning Vinos can be appreciated online at youtube.com/BlackHillsWinery.

Drinking wine? There’s an app for that.

Are you still using your smartphone to make phone calls? We’ve found another use for those iPhones and Androids, especially as you head to Okanagan wine country this fall.

The best of the free touring and tasting apps is the Kelowna Wine Trails app with maps of all five Kelowna wine trails, winery info, tasting notes and a way to customize your own wine route. The “My Wine Cellar” lets you snap photos of your fave wine labels, enter their bar codes and thumb in your personal tasting notes. tourismkelowna.com/en/do/wine/wine-trails-app Okanagan Wine Festivals’ app helps you navigate the growing number of winery events and festival happenings in the valley. It includes winery listings with hours of operation and contact info, accommodations, restaurants and a basic tasting notes function. thewinefestivals.com

Ahora abra amigos info@anejo.ca

Canadian wine writer Natalie McLean’s app is bursting with content, including Okanagan wines and wineries. Find reviews, add your own tasting notes, browse the glossary, even look up recipes and pairings to complement your purchase. nataliemaclean.com/mobileapp ✤

#2, 2116 – 4th Street SW www.anejo.ca | @anejoyyc Jennifer Cockrall-King is an Okanaganite by summer and an Edmontonian by winter. She is the author of Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution.

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OUT it’s

Leftovers? Good luck. With fall-off-the-bone tender spiral-cut Sunterra Farms Ham, gravy-sopping brioche buns, sweet and savoury yams, lemon-pepper broccolini and Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie, don’t be surprised when seconds turn into thirds and “I couldn’t possibly” into “Just another bite.”With Sunterra as your holiday headquarters, filling up friends and family is a cinch.

Finding someone to wash the dishes? Not so much. sunterramarket.com

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

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17

Nights

Tootling the Exotic United Arab Emirates

by Kathy Richardier, photos by Doug Proctor

It’s a long haul from Calgary to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), even if there’s only one stop and you’re travelling KLM, an airline that wines and dines you incessantly.

The reason for my UAE trip was that daughter Chloé was teaching at the Canadian International School in Abu Dhabi, and if my friend Doug and I were ever going to visit this exotic desert land, this was the time. March was the perfect month – warm and dry, rather than hellishly hot and humid as the weather is in the late spring through fall.

Downtown Abu Dhabi

Though “humid desert” seems like an oxymoron, this small, triangle-shaped country is bordered by water on two of its three sides – the Arabian Gulf (formerly the Persian Gulf) and the Gulf of Oman. The UAE butts up against Saudi Arabia to the south and Oman to the east, and bits of Oman insinuate themselves into the UAE in the northeast. The extreme heat – high 30s to high 40s Celsius – sucks moisture out of the two Gulfs, and Chloé claims the humidity in early summer to early fall is oppressive.

Summer homes of the wealthy in the Hajar Mountains

Summer humidity might be a good thing in this desert landscape. The UAE is the largest consumer, per capita, of fresh water in the world. It takes a lot of water to transform a desert into lush, green cities – like Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with lawns that need mowing, bushes that need trimming and flower beds that need tending, year ‘round. Everywhere that you see green, you see networks of narrow, black hoses. Whoever makes the hoses that the UAE threads from green area to green area all over the country must be a gazillionaire.

Doug and I are landscape junkies – we love the variety of the world’s deserts. The UAE was fascinating for us, from the mountainous desert landscape of the north – the Hajar mountains, littered with the exotically designed summer homes of the rich Emiratis – to the Empty Quarter, or Rub’ al Khali (a much more romantic name) in the south, of bare-assed undulating dunes varying in colour from pink to salmon to red. This is the largest sand desert in the world, encompassing most of Saudi Arabia and areas of Oman and Yemen. We explored its dunes from the comfort of the Liwa Hotel in the Liwa Oasis, also known as the Fertile Crescent. The oasis, which sits at the top of the Empty Quarter at the south end of the UAE, is home to 39 villages. Date farming underpins the local economy.

While in Liwa, Doug and Chloé climbed the Moreeb Dune (Tel Moreeb, or “scary mountain”), located in the desert 25 km. south of the hotel. At about 600 ft., it’s one of the highest sand hills in the world. This was done in the sun, in the heat, at noon, on burning sand. Normally, people challenge themselves on this dune early in the morning or in the evening. As Noel Coward wrote: “mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun.” Doug is descended from Englishmen.

Chloé had no excuse.

Our feast at Awtar

The world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Hamad the camel

But long before we got to The Dune, we acquainted ourselves with our Abu Dhabi neighbourhood, then explored Dubai – Las Vegas on steroids.

Sharjah’s Central Souk

Day 3: Recovery Days one and two were spent mostly in transit. On the morning of day three, our sleep was broken by the neighbourhood mosque’s 5:30 a.m. call to prayer, something we got used to, and even anticipated.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE. It’s modern and spread out, with seemingly endless numbers of suburban communities, called “cities,” such as Kahlifa City B, the location of Chloé’s apartment. In fact, there’s a Kahlifa City A as well as a Kahlifa City C. The city’s architecture is noteworthy – a mix of cleanly modern downtown high rises and the likes of the traditionally styled but new Emirates Palace Hotel, probably the most ostentatiously gorgeous building on earth.

The Emirates Palace is downtown by the marina, home not only to fancy-dancy boats, but to the Marina Shopping Mall. Shopping malls, on a scale way beyond anything familiar to most North Americans, are one of the defining elements of both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Dubai Mall is the world’s largest in total area. It includes an Olympic-size skating rink, an aquarium – one of the largest in the world (of course) where you can dive with sharks and rays, with a walk-through tunnel – an underwater zoo, and 1,200 stores. The next largest mall in Dubai, the Mall of

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BBQ Donut, Dhubai

the Emirates, is home to a ski hill made with real snow where the locals escape the summer heat – we supposed – skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing.

At the end of Day 3, we found ourselves having tea at Café Santé – all about healthy eating – on the pretty public beach that stretches along Abu’s downtown waterfront, called the corniche. Chloé took us to a restaurant she and her fellow teachers patronize. Awtar is a cheerful Lebanese place where we feasted on a monster mixed grill platter of beef, lamb and chicken kabobs, lamb chops, grilled whole tomatoes, peppers and red onions, and all the fixin’s, including flatbread folded around grilled halloumi cheese.

The bill was $50 CDN, and there was enough food for dinner the next night, but we drank no alcohol. In this Muslim country, booze isn’t served in restaurants unless they’re part of a hotel. We didn’t mind, since one of the indigenous drinks served everywhere is a fresh concoction called lemon-mint. Almost better than alcohol, it’s made with lemons, fresh mint, water and sugar whirred together so that it tastes like mint-infused lemonade. (We thought a couple of shots of gin, vodka or silver tequila wouldn’t have hurt it.)

On our way back to Chloé’s place, stopped at a light, we had a “conversation” with Hamad the camel, perched in the back end of a Toyota truck. Hamad was a dromedary, a single-humped camel. Dromedaries are an Arabian camel bred for racing and riding. Camel races in the UAE are as popular as horse races are here.

Day 4: Abu Dhabi The 5:30 a.m. call to prayer woke us briefly. Chloé was off to work, so we headed out to explore the city. Chloé knew an agreeable taxi dude who picked us up on many occasions at her place, dropped us where we wanted to go, fetched us later, and delivered us back to Chloé’s apartment. We found taxis the best way to get around because the fares, by Calgary standards, are very cheap.

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We spent time hanging around Etihad Plaza, a large apartment complex that Etihad Airlines – Abu Dhabi’s airline – provides for its employees. It includes restaurants, a gym and spa, a large, western-style supermarket and a well-stocked liquor store. We noted that, while men and women dressed in traditional Muslim garb, western women, who don’t have to conform to Muslim dress codes, wore pants more often than skirts. We even noted a couple of young women in tight short shorts. This was what we found in Dubai too. We learned that, in the cities, westerners can dress pretty much as they do at home.

Day 5: Dubai and the BBQ Donut Dubai is an hour’s drive north of Abu Dhabi, up the Arabian Gulf coastline on a long straight stretch of eight-lane highway with a speed limit of 140 kph, but you can legally push it to 160. We had a date in Dubai at 4 p.m. with two of Chloé’s friends to charcoal-grill food on a BBQ Donut in Dubai Creek, a small river that runs through the city. The Donuts are moored at the Golf and Yacht Club , the food you pre-order is waiting, the Weber kettle barbecue is filled with hot coals, you take off, float around the creek, cook and eat. Fun. I cooked over hot coals on a hot day – whew! – while Captain Doug steered us to places we shouldn’t have been, so that a float plane nearly landed on us. We had a wonderful time. There was enough food for about six more people: fish filets, rib-eye steaks, skewered shrimp, chicken breasts, baked potatoes, vegetable skewers, salads, appetizers and desserts. Leftovers went back to our hotel suite and continued to feed us.

That evening, we explored the aforementioned Dubai Mall, and watched the lighted musical fountain display next to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

This sky-piercing needle houses a hotel, restaurants, a nightclub, a spa, shops and apartments. The story is that all 800 apartments in the Burj (which means “tower” in Arabic) sold within eight hours of going on sale.

Day 6: Dubai Doug and I were glad we didn’t have to drive in the insanity that is city traffic – people drive fast and close, and dodge from lane to lane. We tootled off to Jumeira Beach Park, a pretty public beach where no cameras are allowed, then wandered around the old city and its souks (markets) along Dubai Creek.

Later we treated ourselves to a Bateaux Dubai dinner cruise on Dubai Creek.

Before we even started our four-course meal on this glass-enclosed boat, we were served amuse bouches, followed by cups of spinach artichoke soup. Then the feast began. The food is influenced by the world’s cuisines and is a class act: variations on duck with kumquat chutney, eggplant three ways, rack of lamb with a vegetable mille feuille, barramundi, grilled paneer with a vegetable masala, bitter chocolate fondant with roasted almond ice cream and caramel. The chef is French and knows his way around the kitchen.

The dinner cruise was such a treat – the opposite end of Dubai dining from the BBQ Donut – and a chance for us to get duded up and present ourselves as a class act equal to the dinner. Chloé had explained that the urban locals love to preen for their night outings. continued on page 52

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17

Arabian Nights

continued from page 51

Day 7: Sharjah Souk and Hatta Sharjah is a small city, connected to, but separate from, Dubai. Its main attraction is a huge Central Souk, inlaid with beautiful blue tiles, which we explored. Most of the many kiosks sold gold and silver jewelry, rugs and fabrics. After a pleasant hour or two, it was off to our next destination, the old fort town of Hatta, about halfway between Dubai and the Gulf of Oman in the Hajar mountains.

En route, we passed through five different desert landscapes – flat and scrubby, duned and golden, red sand, low, scrubby hills, then the mountain desert of the Hajars. Camels munching thorny acacia bushes were our companions. We fell in love with the wild camels and donkeys. They were everywhere.

Our destination, the Hatta Fort Hotel, is a beautiful oasis resort with more landscaped green lawns, flower beds, bushes and two pools. We were thrilled with our accommodation – rustic yet luxurious, and costing about $125 CDN a night. On Sunday, we explored the town of Kalba and the city of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman. In Kalba, we discovered that what Chloé had told us about KFC in the UAE was true – it’s better than what we get here, and the locals love it. We found the chicken crispier and crunchier. Next door was a small mosque – where KFC eaters go to repent, we imagined.

We ate very well at the hotel from international menus. The upscale Al Jeera restaurant featured rich, elegant curries, and our fellow diners appeared to be from all over the world.

Day 10: Back to Abu Dhabi On the way back to Abu, we passed Dubai Logistics City that touts itself as “the world’s first truly integrated logistics platform, part of Dubai World Central Free Zone” – meaning no corporate tax, no personal income tax, no customs duties, and lots of other business-friendly goodies. Free Zones abound in the UAE. Day 11: Marina Mall A day at the mall delivered clothing purchases and lunch at Hatam Iranian Restaurant, where we shared a mixed seafood grill. The restaurant kitchens in this country know how to use a grill, and the mixed grills – found everywhere – are the way to eat. They always come with lots of sides – fresh pitas, mint, arugula, sweet pepper strips, carrot, cuke, walnuts, olives and feta.

That night, Chloé whisked us to Jabal al Noor restaurant for “drive-by” grilled chicken with biryani rice and lemon-mint. You pull up to the restaurant, honk, the owner runs out with a menu, you order, and then you play dodge-em with the cars of other customers while you wait. The owner brings food, you pay, drive home, eat. There are always leftovers.

Day 12: Tajine Chloé’s fellow teachers – Moroccan Rabir and his Kelowna-born wife Theresa – treated us to a gorgeous home-made chicken tajine with onions, olives, saffron and fried potatoes, all browned and crisp, which we scooped with our fingers, dabbing baguette into the sauce.

Days 13/14: Sabhka and Liwa Off to the green crescent perched atop the Empty Quarter on our UAE map. But first, we took a detour to geologist Doug’s “salt flats” – sabhka – on a peninsula jutting into the Arabian Gulf with a boat launch, sandy beaches and a mangrove forest. We wandered around collecting shells, but when we wanted to leave, we discovered that we were locked in because the boat yard dude had answered the call to afternoon prayers at the nearby mosque. After about half an hour, he returned and we escaped.

Taking the “scenic” route to Liwa, we ended up getting lost in a gigantic natural gas project – ADNOC Habshan – akin in size to Alberta’s oil sands, but littered with pipelines in a tic-tac-toe pattern across and under miles of desert sand. Trying to find our way to the right road, we ended up at “Checkpoint Charlie,” manned by three dudes outfitted in serious army gear and massive machine guns. Fortunately, they asked questions first, and we escaped back to the main drag.

The Liwa Hotel, surrounded by pools, gardens and play grounds, is perched high upon a sand dune, with red dunes stretched into infinity (almost), practically outside the back door. It’s a pretty place, with a touch of luxury that’s very affordable (about $125 CDN a night), including a breakfast buffet. Too many shrieking children were running around, but they left the next day.

Saturday was the day of the dune, the hot, red, high Moreeb Dune at the northern end of the Empty Quarter. It was certainly empty at the height of the day’s heat, except for the mad daughter and the Englishman.

Later, beer and margaritas by the pool lubricated our dusty gullets. Then we dined on good curries, pizza and a camel wrap. Camel meat is like any other unfamiliar meat – cook it right and it tastes good. Date cheesecakes sent us off to bed.

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Day 15: Home to Abu Driving north from the Fertile Crescent back to Abu Dhabi, Chloe’s little Yaris was buffeted about by a full-on sandstorm. It was a little scary. Once we reached the Gulf shoreline and headed east, the sand let up, but not the wind.

We soothed our sandstorm-rattled selves with drinks and good food at the American-styled Stars & Bars Sports Bar at the Yas Island Marina. Yas Island is where everything happens in Abu – for example, Madonna gave two concerts there in sweaty June (Chloé’s words). Every celeb worth his or her salt has appeared on Yas Island.

Day 16: R & R A day of rest and research – some facts about the UAE that might interest you: •

In 1971, the UAE was born as the British pulled out of what was then the Persian Gulf. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan united the seven emirates that year.

•

Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates, encompassing more than 85 percent of the UAE.

•

Abu Dhabi means “land of the gazelle” and was so named because there was an abundance of wildlife on the original islands settled by the Bedouin that now comprise the city.

•

Jones the Grocer is an Australian food hot-spot grocery and café that Chloé and her friends love.

It might also be the only licensed free-standing restaurant in Abu Dhabi.

Chloé whisked us off to Thidkar Refreshment, a tiny place of three tables, an endless menu of sandwiches, and several curious men. We chowed down on chicken and mutton shawarmas, chicken paratha and falafel, accompanied by refreshing lemon mint. Once again we were reminded of how tasty the food is in this desert land.

Day 17: Abu Dhabi Souk - Dinner in Dubai Abu Dhabi’s Central Souk is a modern market, but traditional in tone, with real local “stuff” and not a designer dress, pair of shoes or glasses in sight. One shop was packed with locally made, jewel-coloured candies, tea, coffee, herbs and spices. Another was a repository of locally made soaps, honey and candles.

This souk is where you’ll find the kinds of gifts to take to the folks back home. In this neighbourhood, jewelry stores are plentiful, where you can buy everyone’s favourite souvenir, their name in Arabic, fashioned into a silver teardrop shape.

Doug and I repaired to the rooftop of the souk to Roul’s Coffee and Bites – a sheesha bar where we breathed in the fragrant sheesha (tobacco smoked through a hookah) others were smoking while refreshing ourselves with watermelon drinks.

Late in the afternoon, Chloé’s little Yaris tootled us north to Dubai again to visit one of the UAE’s most renowned restaurants, Pierchic, a French-influenced seafood place next door to the architecturally famous Burj Al Arab, both located at the end of long piers jutting into the Gulf. The Burj – sitting on its own “island” – is one of Dubai’s world-renowned bits of architecture, like the Burj Khalifa. It’s a hotel that’s shaped like a fully filled jib sail, and is so lavish and exclusive that it awarded itself seven Michelin “stars” – the world’s only “seven-star” hotel. You can’t even go into the hotel unless you’re a guest or have a meal reservation.

The award-winning Pierchic was about perfect in setting, service and food. It’s expensive, with its mains in the $40 to $60 range, but our food was faultless: pan-fried haibut with Wagyu short rib ravioli and salsify, sea bass with braised savoy cabbage and sweet corn purée, black tiger prawns with garlic mashed and baby veg with beurre noisette, and Belgian endive stuffed with truffled celeriac purée on polenta. For dessert, six textures of grand cru chocolate – crispy, iced, ganache, mousse, cake and jelly!

Well worth the splurge, dinner includes an amuse bouche and sorbet palate cleanser between courses. You can experience this renowned restaurant more affordably at lunch, when Pierchic offers a four-course seafood menu for about $35.

Day 18: Home again... home again...jiggety-jig Day 18 ended at 11 p.m. at the Abu Dhabi airport waiting to take a 1 a.m. flight to Amsterdam. Doug and I realized we’d really miss this most interesting country, but agreed that we do like rain in our lives, now and then. ✤

Join us The Cookbook Co. welcomes Rob Feenie – one of Canada’s most recognized and celebrated chefs!

Join us for a drink and a bite as we celebrate the launch of his 4th cookbook...

Rob Feenie first wowed diners with his innovative menus at the award-winning Lumière restaurant and Feenie’s in Vancouver. Today, he continues to create award-winning family-style recipes for Cactus Club restaurants.

Looking for something New and Vibrant for your Veggies?

Vibrant is a versatile unrefined whole oil that nutritiously enhances the taste of vegetables. Produced from pure, fresh Alberta-grown Canola seed, without harsh processing or additives, Vibrant Oil retains its natural yellow colour, flavour and healthy compounds. With half the saturated fat and 10 times the Omega 3s of Olive Oil, Vibrant is Canada’s healthier alternative!

This beautifully illustrated and inspirational collection of casual classic recipes is sure to become a staple in your kitchen.

Sold at Sunterra Markets and Calgary Co-op stores!

Rob Feenie’s Casual ClassiCs

For more info and recipes:

Book Launch Party Tuesday, september 25th, from 6–7 pm at:

www.vibrantoil.com

The Cookbook Co. Cooks 722 - 11th avenue sW 403-265-6066, ext 1 $50, inCludes a Copy oF The book...

caLL to register now!

In 2005 Chef Feenie became the first Canadian to win Iron Chef America by defeating Chef Masaharu Morimoto. He also starred on New Classics with Chef Rob Feenie on Food Network Canada for five seasons. Chef Feenie has published three cookbooks: Rob Feenie Cooks at Lumière, Lumière Light, and Feenie’s.

CANADIAN SUNSHINE IN A BOTTLE! Salad Dressing • Bread Dip • Marinade • Light Frying Oil

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

53

drink this Punk wines: drinking wines that defy their category continued from page 15 eyeing Ribsy’s glass and the remainder in the bottle. It would have been perfect with the dry-aged steak that Ribsy grilled, but we finished the wine before dinner was started.

Blowing the budget on a special bottle once in a while is a treat, and at $70 a bottle, Cuvée du Vatican wasn’t going to be in my glass again anytime soon. At more than $100, The Hoodoo Man wouldn’t be gracing my table either. I like to drink in quantity and wanted a similarly big hedonistic wine at a quarter of the price. Château de Nages Costières de Nîmes 2010, for $24, was the answer.

Similar in style to the Cuvée du Vatican, the blend of old-vine roussanne, viognier and grenache blanc gave Château de Nages balanced notes of melon, marzipan and apricot with a steely backbone and sharp, fresh finish. Edgy, interesting and affordable, it was confidence-inspiring.

For most of the last year we had been drinking white, pink and sparkling wines with red meats. For less then $40, I came home with two 2009 Old World red wines: a bottle of Domaine de Beaurenard Côtes du Rhône and Cusumano Syrah from Sicily to serve with braised lamb shanks. The ruby red Domaine de Beaurenard was a medium-bodied, earthy and fruity Rhône blend of grenache, syrah, mourvèdre and cinsault. Cusumano was unusual because syrah isn’t usually grown in Sicily. Blackish purple, it looked, smelled, and tasted like crushed dark fruit with a hint of smoke. Both wines were effortlessly perfect with the rosemary and red wine-braised lamb. The best part was that red wine with red meat required no explanation – it was simple, satisfying and, after our year of drinking pink, it was normal enough to be weird.

There was a time in Calgary when it was hard to find a sparkling or pink wine that didn’t have a duck on the label or a handle on the bottle. Those days are long gone, and it’s never been easier to experiment with new styles, countries and varietals.

Be brave, update your choices and get to know your own palate. There will be times when you might be disappointed, but the times when you discover something new will make up for it. It’s part of the journey. Pour a little rebellion into your glass with blend-bending, style-switching wines that are mindful of the past but not held back by it. Keep in mind what writer Kingsley Amis said: “Drink often, in quantity and not always well.”

More punks: (Prices are approximate) Kourtaki Retsina of Attica 2009, $12 Pine-flavoured madness. We drank it because it was really cheap. It’s still well priced, but better quality. Say what you will, nothing pairs with the strong Mediterranean flavours of garlic, olives, feta, and lamb like a delicious, chilled bottle of Greek retsina.

sizzle SEARINGLY CREATIVE TASTING MENU & WINE PAIrINGS

Baby Duck Canadian Champagne, $15 Everyone has a Baby Duck story. They all end in tears. For less than $15 you can buy enough of it to submerge a turkey, so brine to your heart’s content.

Sine Qua Non, California, $100 + For the wine and for the labels: delicious, hard-to-find, sought-after wines with labels depicting graphic novel-style visions of darkness. Beautiful and disturbing.

Rocca Chianti “fiasco” 2009, Italy, $22 Unlike the fiery raw chianti of yesteryear, here the rough edges have been smoothed. Pair with spaghetti and meatballs for a retro evening. The empty bottles still make rustic candle holders.

Il Feuduccio Cerasuolo Rosé, 2009, Italy, $20 A powerful, orange-coloured wine that channels old-school Italian screen goddesses, particularly a voluptuous, misbehaving Sophia Loren.

Karen Ralph, who worked in a wine store for 10 years, is now Red Wine Tongue “pop-up” (of the moment) celebrations and wine adventures. Email redwinetongue@gmail.com.

119 12th Avenue SW | 403.206.9565 reservations | hotelarts.ca

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

one ingredient Beets continued from page 19

Spiced Pickled Beets Pickled beets are a Very Good Thing to make in the fall so you can dip into them over the winter. I don’t use measurements – just suggestions – because you can pickle as many beets as you like. The brine is made from equal parts white vinegar and sugar, so it’s easy to mix up as much as you need. Whole spices are put into each jar, so those numbers will depend on the number of jars you make.

When you see Chocolate Beet Cake with Cream Cheese Drizzle

white sugar (about 2 c.)

Grated beets behave like carrots or zucchini in this dense chocolate cake, lending a subtly earthy flavour as well as moisture. When you roast a batch of beets, toss in a few extra to use in chocolate cake.

coarse pickling salt

2 c. all-purpose flour

whole allspice berries

1 c. sugar

cinnamon sticks

3/4 c. cocoa

whole cloves

2 t. baking powder

small beets, as many as you want to pickle (about 10-12) white vinegar (about 2 c.)

Roast the beets, or boil them whole in a large pot of water for half an hour, or until they are tender. Let them cool, then peel them and slice off any tough stem ends.

Keep the beets whole or slice them or cut them into chunks into your clean, hot jars – I run the jars through the dishwasher to sterilize them and get them good and hot. Put a cinnamon stick (or half a stick, if they’re long), a couple of allspice berries and a few cloves into each jar.

Sprinkle 1/2 t. pickling salt into each jar.

On the stove, heat equal parts of white vinegar and sugar to dissolve the sugar completely and get the mixture nice and hot. Pour over the beets, leaving about 1/2-inch of headspace between the beets and liquid and the top of the jar. Seal according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

These recipes are on our website

wHere foodies love to dr ink

1 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 1 c. buttermilk or plain yogurt, thinned a bit with milk 1/2 c. canola or other vegetable oil 1/2 c. packed brown sugar 3 large eggs

a bike this summer you will think

00

607 11th Ave S.W. 403.233.2433 realpubfood.com

2 t. vanilla 1 large or 2 medium beets, roasted and peeled

Cream Cheese Drizzle: 1/2 8 oz. pkg. spreadable cream cheese 1 c. icing sugar 1 - 2 T. milk, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Coarsely grate the beets using the large-holed side of a box grater.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the grated beets, and stir just until combined. Pour the batter into a well-greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour, until the top is cracked and springy to the touch. Let the cake cool for about 20 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

To make the cream cheese drizzle, whisk together the cream cheese, icing sugar and milk, adding a little extra milk or sugar as needed to achieve a pourable consistency.

Drizzle over the cooled cake. (If you want to make cupcakes, pour the batter into 12 paperlined muffin cups and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until springy to the touch.) Serves 16.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

55

stockpot Stirrings around Calgary

call for bucket list submissions

Back to school special...

Get your kids eating whole grain right from the beginning of the school year.

This coupon is valid until Sept 30/2012 at the Northland Dr. NW location only



Buy 2 loaves, get 1 free!

129, 4820 Northland Drive NW • Tel: 403.282.6455 www.prairiemillbread.com

n Seems that the world is going to end... again! This year it’s scheduled to end on December 21. If you have a wish list of things to do before you “kick the bucket” and it includes something of a foodie nature – send it to us and we might add it to our City Palate bucket list that we’ll publish in the November December issue. For example, a fellow we know said that he’d like to have the foie gras doubledown he had at Joe Beef (a restaurant in Montreal) last year... it was that good.

What’s on your foodie bucket list? Send it to kathy@citypalate.ca by September 21st. Maybe you’ll make the list!

restaurant ramblings n Opening in early September, Bar C, another Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts restaurant, will focus on sharing/tasting plates highlighting the bison and elk from the company’s Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch, as well as a variety of seafood and beef dishes.

The atmosphere will be fun and casual, featuring a hand- crafted bar and TVs for watching sporting events. Located beside the CRMR’s Cilantro, at 340 17th Ave. SW. Check it out at bar-c.ca.

“A fresh atmosphere and taut prose make this novella an enjoyable read.”

- Kirkus

n Carino is the new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by AKA, 709 Edmonton Tr. NE. Owner Toshi Karino has more than a decade of experience in the wine industry, beginning in Japan, where he was also a sushi chef. Most recently, he was Teatro’s wine director.

Executive chef Kazu Kawashima is also a Teatro alum. Carino marries Japanese cuisine with Italian and French influences, that allows for wine pairings. Weekend brunch includes traditional brunch fare along with Japanese choices. n Avec Bistro hosts Camille Zanette, from the champagne house of Devaux, for a dinner paired with exquisite sparkling wines on November 7th. You will be welcomed with canapés, followed by four courses created by chef Darnell Japp.

Only 40 seats are available at $175 per person (including tax and gratuities). Please contact Avec Bistro at 587-352-0964 for your reservation before it’s too late!

In this suspense novella, a master chef will stop at nothing to prevent a deadly illness from threatening his family.

Pick uP The check for jusT $2.99 eBook available on amazon.com, BN.com and in the iBookstore.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

the check ad.indd 1

n JoJo’s Café at Kayben Farms might serve the freshest lunch and dinner you can get, short of eating right out of the garden. Chefs harvest veg from the on-farm vegetable garden that’ll hit your plate the same day. From the outdoor patio you can watch them bake your pizza in a wood-fired oven and top it off with fresh arugula cut from planters surrounding the oven. Just 10 minutes south of the city, it’s worth the drive for lunch or a leisurely dinner. Hours and menu at kayben.com. n CRAFT Beer Market celebrates the spirit of Oktoberfest September 10 to October 7 offering German-inspired fare

12-08-01 2:53 PM

to go along with frosty steins! Chef Paul McGreevy has cooked up new fare for the fall menu. Try some of his creations, which are all handcrafted in-house using fresh local ingredients. Check craftbeermarket.ca for upcoming Brewmaster’s Dinner series dates and to order tickets for the four-course dinner and beer pairings. Check the web site for all events. n Check out the Inn on Lake Bonavista Chef’s Signature Features that highlight tastes of Alberta, game, and seas, shores and streams entrées... always Canadian and distinctive. Don’t miss weekend brunch, Wine Down Wednesdays, pairing five wines with five courses, and the romantic Thursday Nite Date night. Book holiday and Christmas parties through Tanya @ 403-271-6711, ext. 3. n After five successful years as the chef proprietor of the Baker Creek Bistro, chef Shelley Robinson is moving on to the Canadian Mountain Holidays’ heli-ski operations as the chef at Gothics Lodge in the Columbia Mountains in B.C., with full access to the deep snow pack of the Selkirk and Monashee Ranges. Check the web site for more information on Gothics Lodge: canadianmountainholidays.com/heli-skiing/. n Dobson’s Restaurant & Bar says that 98 percent of its menu can be done gluten free. Everything is house made, from scratch, using local, organic and ethical food choices. Don’t miss all you can eat crab on the last Sunday of every month! Book now for holiday parties and catering. Located on MacLeod Tr S., visit dobsonscalgary.com, 403.252.0511. n Don’t miss the 2nd Annual Kitchen Party at Janice Beaton Fine Cheese and FARM, November 7, featuring cheese and FARM hors d’oeuvres served with wine. Tickets at 403-229-0900. FARM is listed in Dine Alberta because the restaurant uses at least 70 percent Alberta products (dinealberta.ca). FARM welcomes Pete Goldberg, with the restaurant for a year, as exec chef. Originally from the southern U.S., he will add deep-south-inspired dishes to the menu.

Look for Made by Marcus – Macarons for Foodies at JBFC and FARM.

wine wanderings n On October 12 and 13, wine and food lovers are invited to indulge at the 15th annual Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival, in the Stampede Park BMO Centre. The Festival will feature a wide array of world-class wine, premium spirits, import and micro-brewed beer, and an assortment of local culinary creations in a fun atmosphere. Get your tickets now at rockymountainwine.com. n Look for these tasty Mission Hill Family Estate wines at your fave wine store: elegant, balanced Reserve wines – 2010 Pinot Gris that’s crisp, clean and aromatic with flavours of green melon, grapefruit and lime, hints of biscuit and spice; 2011 Riesling with a mineral character and flavours of green apple and

lime for yummy acidity. Balanced, fruitforward Five Vineyards wines – 2011 Pinot Blanc, with ripe fruit and refreshing acidity; 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, showing vibrant grapefruit, kiwi and gooseberry; 2011 Pinot Grigio, ripe and refreshing, a good pairing for Asian food or creamy pasta dishes; 2010 Pinot Noir, with a medium-bodied palate of red berry fruit, spice notes and vibrant acidity.

Foundation, September 29; 9-Week Intermediate, starting October 23; 15-Week Advanced starting September 12; 6-Day Advanced starting October 20. For details, visit finevintageltd.com/ wine-courses/Calgary.

n Hark! The return of the Vintage Keeper! After a re-tooling, re-forming and re-imagining, the most popular freestanding wine cellar is back, available in black and mahogany in 220- and 500bottle units. The “knock-down” units are easily assembled, but assembly service is available. Available exclusively at Koolspace Wine Cellars, 3447 - 12th St. NE, koolspace.ca.

n Look for these wines, distributed by Constellation Brands, at your fave wine store. 2010 Barossa Valley E Minor Shiraz with sweet, spicy fruit and a full body, oozing tannins. Two from California: cool, crisp 2010 White Revolution, a white blend with 76% pinot grigio, and big, bold 2010 Red Revolution, with juicy red fruit flavours. Two from Hardy’s Stamp “collection”: 2011 shiraz/cabernet sauvignon with ripe berry fruits and oak, and 2011 riesling/gewürztraminer, aromatic and lively. Two from Baron Philippe de Rothschild: 2010 Pinot Noir, with fresh fruit and well-integrated tannins, and 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, with intense white fruit flavours and an acidulated finish. Primal Roots 2010 Red Blend – merlot, syrah and zinfandel – from California, with rich flavours of raspberries and chocolate. Two from New Zealand: Kim Crawford 2011 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, with pineapple, passionfruit, stonefruit and a herbaceous hint, fresh and zesty, and The People’s Pinot Noir, 2010, Crafted in Central Otago, with a rich, velvety palate, ripe dark berries and smooth tannins.

n Fine Vintage Ltd. WSET courses: Fine Vintage Ltd., winner of the Riedel Trophy for WSET Educator of the Year 2011, offers these fall courses – 4-Week Foundation starting September 25; 1-Day

n At Metrovino: September 12, Wine Basics; September 13, Sherry, Baby; September 19, Grenache-a-Go-Go; September 26, Italian Table Wines; September 27, Tour du Monde Pinot Noir;

n Tastings at J. Webb Wine Merchant, Glenmore Landing location: September 6, The Grateful Red: California’s best; September 13, World Cup’s Iconic Wines from 8 countries; September 20, It’s a Cab Cab Cab World; October 11, Harvest Moon: Wines with Fall Foods; October 18, Top Secret; October 24/25, Spirits in the Night; November 1, Spanish Fly; November 8, North vs. South Classic Italian Battle; November 15, Kentucky Fried Tasting; November 22, Champagne Wishes. Tickets at 403-253-9463, jwebb.net, C157, 1600 - 90th Ave. SW.

October 3, Politely Canadian; October 4, Special Buyers’ Tasting; October 10, Jura Not Going to Believe This; October 16, Big Ole Whites; October 18, Organic/ Biodynamic WTF; October 24, The Beautiful South (Italian Style); October 25, Grand Cru Riesling; October 30, The Piedmontese Tasting Room; November 1, Magical Mystery Tour (Blind Tasting); November 6, Château de Beauregard; November 7, A Spanish Profile. Classes include light appetizers. Details and registration wine@metrovino.com or 403-205-3356. n Join The Home Vintner’s Paul and Ron as they guide you through the making of a wine and beer kit from start to finish. Paul has 37 years experience in vintning and brewing, thus ensuring the novice is successful on the first attempt.

New methodologies are shared, so even seasoned wine and beer makers take away a wealth of knowledge from this class – a great way to get started on this fun hobby. Excellent quality wine and microbrewery-style beer is achievable.

Check the Events Calendar at: thehomevintner.com then phone or email info@thehomevintner.com to register. n Look for these wines from the Organic Wine Connection. Domaine du Bourdieu Rosé 2010, Bourdeaux, France: buttery menthol notes with raspberry and vanilla, slightly peppery.

Organica Shiraz 2010, Languedoc, France: a rich wine filled with black currant and red fruit, soft spices. Finca Cayanta, Reserve Bonarda 2009, Mendoza, Argentina: well-balanced, with

sweet, velvety tannins. Go to organicwineconnection.com for where to find these wines. n At Crowfoot Wine & Spirits: September 7, Experience the Wines of South Africa (free event, RSVP needed); September 12, Syrah vs. Shiraz; September 14, VodkaFest; September 18, The World of Chardonnay; September 21, All About Portugal; September 22, Ladies’ Night Sips ‘n’ Bites; October 1, Wine & Choklat; October 5, Oktoberfest; October 18, Whiskeyfest; October 20, Afternoon Wine & Cheese; October 23, What’s That Smell?; October 25, South African Wine & Food; October 31, Wicked Wines. Register at crowfootliquor. com/events or call 403-296-2200. n Inglewood Wine & Beer Market, 1139 - 9th Ave. SE, now serves re-usable growlers, Canada’s original beer bottle, 1.89 L. Choose your tap at the market, Fill ‘n’ Go!

cooking classes n At Sunterra Market, Keynote: raise your stein and say “danke schoen” for a special Oktoberfest cooking class on September 28 at the Sunterra Keynote COMMUNITYtable (200 - 12th Ave S.E.).

Includes cocktails, recipes, tasting and a buffet-style meal for $49.99. For a complete cooking class calendar, visit sunterramarket.com. n At The Cookbook Co. Cooks: Bread Making; A Night Out: Couples Class;

continued on page 58

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

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n Calgarian Steve Williams has written a novella entitled “The Check.” The plot concerns chef Carlo Zaratti who is on the cusp of greatness. He and his wife, Mali, own “Z,” a breakout restaurant getting rave reviews from patrons and critics. They are also

Stay in Style Keep your hair style current and look good every day.

redohair.ca

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

ReDo is offering a special package ReDo for first is offering a special package for first

n Calgary’s first Culinary Treasure Hunt takes place October 13, when

ReDo can help.

n The Jelly Modern Doughnuts food truck has hit the streets and can be found most week days on Stephen Avenue mall downtown. You can also book the doughnut truck for your own private event. Doughnuts + parties... they just go together!

n Betty Lou’s Organic Powdered Peanut Butter and Chocolate Peanut Butter are not going to turn on those who are addicted to peanut butter – half the pleasure of peanut butter is the texture and mouthfeel of the real thing.

Water mixed with powdered peanut butter just doesn’t cut it for us. But those concerned about fat content and gluten, might find these just perfect. They taste fine, and they’re a great addition to a smoothie – lots of protein, no gluten, low fat. Order it online at bettylousinc.com.

PLACES PLACES TO BE TO BE AFTER WORK? AFTER WORK?

LATER TODAY? LATER TODAY? BIG MEETING BIG MEETING

Finished Finished

a workout? a workout?

n University students can apply for the Start from Scratch cooking program on the web site startfromscratch.ca – deadline is September 14 at 5 p.m.

Classes begin September 25 at the Calgary Co-op Downtown Marketplace.

Blogger Dan Clapson, dansgoodside.com, started this program that helps students learn how to feed themselves better than eating KD. Check the web site for the course outline.

n New Oxley Garlic, Naturally! is harvested, cured and ready for your culinary creations. This large, full-flavoured hardneck garlic, “Music,” thrives in the soils of the historic New Oxley Ranche, west of Claresholm along the banks of Willow Creek. Available at Calgary Co-op stores.

ReDo can help.

n Franca’s Perfect Gifts, with the most charming Franca Flaviano at the helm, offers cooking classes for team building which include a four-course meal.

You can also book a private function – Franca’s is fully licensed – and you don’t want to miss the popular Saturday night family-style dinner. Franca specializes in unique gift baskets with products exclusively from Italy for corporate and personal clients. Visit perfectgifts.ca for all the details. 100, 3811 Edmonton Tr. NE, 403-277-0766.

n Amaranth Whole Foods is re-running some of its most popular presentations.

For dates, times and venues on topics like Going Gluten Free, Arthritis, BrainFood, and Road Bumps to Weight Loss, visit facebook or amaranthfoods.ca.

Amaranth Health & Wellness on 130 Ave. SE hosts Customer Appreciation Days on the first and third Wednesday of every month, offering 20% off on regularly priced supplements and body care.

We will quickly and expertly refresh We your will quickly hair and expertly refresh your hair back to its pre-workout style. Now back youto wonʼt its pre-workout style. Now you wonʼt have the excuse of meetings, client have visits the or excuse after of meetings, client visits or after work functions getting in the waywork of being functions active.getting in the way of being active.

n City Palate, The Cookbook Co. Cooks and Metrovino will host two “long-table” dinners, September 11 and November 6, 6:30 p.m. Get to know your dining neighbours around one long table while eating good food and drinking good wine. Tickets ($95) at The Cookbook Co., 403-265-6066, ext 1. “Long Table Dinner,” at 724 -11th Ave. SW, next door to The Cookbook Co. Cooks.

You fit a lot of activities into the average You fit aworkday lot of activities into the average workday - early morning workouts, lunchtime - early yoga, morning boot workouts, lunchtime yoga, boot camps, riverside runs- weʼd like to camps, help riverside runs- weʼd like to help you continue those activities without you continue those activities without them affecting your work. them affecting your work.

general stirrings

n Meez Fast Home Cuisine has a selection of fresh and frozen meals, like chicken, broccoli and rice bake, and fusilli lasagna. Stop by one of their two Calgary locations and check out our gourmet international local grocery items, like Mrs. Bridges chutneys and mustards and the delicious San Marzano tomatoes. Visit meezcuisine.com.

NO MORE EXCUSES. NO MORE EXCUSES.

Tuesday Night Feasts; Ultimate Risotto Making Workshop; Thai Classics; Reggae, Jerk BBQ & Beer; Gnocchi Making; Cookie Craft; Rob Feenie’s Casual Classics Cookbook Launch, September 6; Off the Menu of Model Milk; Recipes from a Top Chef Canada Top Chef, Xavier Lacaze; All-Day Pie & Pastry Making Workshop; Hammered & Stuffed, Quinoa & Power Grains... and much more. Check cookbookcooks.com for the full schedule.

you’ll compete against Calgary’s foodies.

The winner will be crowned Culinary Cowboy/Cowgirl and win great prizes.

You’ll be challenged with a list of destinations, you’ll perform the fun things you’re asked to do, and take pictures to earn points. The team with the most points wins! This fun event starts at 9 a.m. with a launch party at Casel Marché, 17th Ave. and 24th St. SW. Register now at culinarycalgary.ca. The cost is $20 per team, and proceeds go to Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids.

Let us redoLet you. us redo you.

stockpot continued from page 57

expecting their first child. Their lives take a dark turn when Mali is diagnosed with a terminal illness. As his world begins to crumble, Carlo is distraught until their obstetrician offers a glimmer of hope – there is one patient who has survived the disease, thanks to an expensive regimen of treatment. With the restaurant still in debt, Carlo must find a way to raise almost $5 million. A wealthy and unscrupulous restaurant patron refers Carlo to a mystery man – a “fixer” who can solve almost any problem. But the mystery man has an agenda of his own, and Carlo is thrown into a pressure cooker of emotional intensity. Find it for $2.99 on Amazon in the Kindle store, on BN.com and from Apple in the iBookstore. n Keep an eye out for Sunterra Market’s free cheese guide, due on market shelves in October. The guide will offer flavour profiles, recipe ideas, pairing suggestions and charcuterie combos.

To kick things off, each month Sunterra will highlight, discount and sample a favourite cheese, called The Big Cheese, starting with Pave d’Affinois Le Secret in September and Emmi Cave Aged Gruyère in October. n In olive growing countries like Spain, Italy and Greece, you can visit a mill and taste fresh oil straight from the fusti – the stainless steel vat where it’s stored.

Blue Door Oil & Vinegar brings this old world concept to Calgary. Blue Door has more than 50 fresh extra-virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars – all for you to taste! Mix oils with vinegars or try them on their own, and when you find what you like, you can get it bottled and corked to take home. Blue Door sells the freshest olive oil produced to the highest standards and beautifully balanced, naturally flavoured, aged balsamic vinegars.

West 85th - 8561 - 8A Ave. SW, bluedoorcalgary.com.

n Looking for local food in grocery stores and restaurants? Check out the Localize Project, a service that shines the spotlight on local food, connecting you to products that support your local economy. Learn more at localizeyourfood.com and on Twitter: @LocalizeProject. n Agriculture for Life hosts Harvest Gala fundraiser on November 3 to boost support for youth-focused school programs aimed at improving farm safety and creating an enriched understanding of the positive contribution of agriculture in Alberta. This year’s Harvest Gala, at the Calgary Stampede BMO Centre, features a fusion of urban and rural styles, including locally produced foods, the sights and sounds of Alberta artists, a silent auction, and a unique community market where friends can connect. Tickets are $250 each or $2,000 for a table of eight.

Special ticket discounts are available for registered not-for-profit organizations, agricultural post-secondary students, clubs and associations. Visit agricultureforlife.ca to purchase tickets online, or call toll-free 1-877-682-2153 to purchase your tickets through 4-H Alberta.

Ooooops! In the July August issue, in the Hog Wild in Canmore story, wrong opening hours were given for Valbella Gourmet Foods in Canmore. Valbella opens at 8 a.m., Monday through Friday, and at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Closed on Sunday.

Vancouver’s Premier Culinary Centre at the entrance to Granville Island

open late!

Professional Culinary Arts • Professional Baking & Pastry Arts • 1-Year Dual Diploma Program • WSET wine programs

picachef.com 1-800-416-4040

n Don’t miss the 1st Annual Sundown Chow Down, September 7, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Calgary Farmers’ Market, hosted by the market and ATB Financial.

There will be 12 food trucks joining the market vendors for a celebration of great local food and entertainment, including a food truck alley. You can also win a block party with your favourite food truck! Fun! A team of celeb foodie judges will decide which food trucks and market vendors serve up the best dishes. Don’t miss it! n Gather up your little ghosts and ghouls for the return of Ghouls’ Night Out at Heritage Park, October 25 to 28, 6 to 9 p.m. Ghouls’ Night Out is perfect for families with little ghouls aged three to nine, who are looking for a fun, safe night out. Evening activities include a Halloween dance, spooky stories, creepy craft making, plus much more! Take a stroll, if you dare, through Tinkerman’s Toy Shop of Horrors, play creepy games at the Carnivale, and join the Mad Hatter for a wonderfully weird tea party. Cheer on Medieval Knights, test your broom flying skills at the Skyscrapers Flying Academy and discover what happens in the Potion’s Dungeon when you mix a Soaring Spell with a Sanity Spoonful.

Dress up and come celebrate a safe and spooky Halloween. Visit HeritagePark.ca for more information.

736 17th ave sw cliveburger.com

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

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4 quick ways with Plums

The fun thing about plums is that they come in different colours – green, yellow, red, purple, blue – so that you can combine them in your cooking to make a dish look more interesting, or more fun, or at least more colourful. Plums are used widely, to make jam and desserts, to combine with meats in savoury dishes, and to make plum wine in China, plum brandy in Eastern Europe, and plum “cider” in England. We like plums because they’re easy to eat and easy to cook with.

Interestingly, however, plum recipes aren’t so easy to find.

These Here are a couple to get you started.

1. Fruit Crisp

recipes are on our website

Adapted from a recipe in chef Michael Smith’s book, The Best of Chef at Home.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss 2 to 3 lbs. of your favourite fruit – plums, or a combination of plums and other fave fruit, de-stoned and cut into chunks – with 1 t. ground cinnamon and spread it into a 9- x 13-inch baking pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1 c. flour, 1 c. brown or white sugar and 1 t. nutmeg.

Drizzle in 1/2 c. melted butter and stir until well blended with the dry ingredients.

Scatter the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake the crisp until the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges, the fruit is tender and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve with good vanilla ice cream. Serves 6 to 8.

2. Grilled Fruit with Honey Mint Sauce From the ATCO Gas Blue Flame Kitchen’s book From the Grill, Our 100 Favourites.

Federally Inspected and HACCP Certified

Celebrating 35 years

Come in and shop our delicious Franco’s Brand of fine cheeses or view us on-line to learn more about our domestic and imported varieties from around the world.

To prepare the sauce, whisk together 1-1/2 c. plain yogurt, 3 T. honey, 3 T. slivered fresh mint, 2 T. lime juice and 1 t. vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Combine 4 sliced plums, 4 sliced nectarines, 2 T. butter, melted, and 1 T. sugar. Place the fruit in an oiled grill wok – a square or round flatbottomed perforated metal basket ideal for grilling small pieces of food – and grill over medium heat on your barbecue, stirring frequently, until the fruit is heated through and lightly glazed. Serve warm with sauce. Serves 6.

3. Plum Quince Compote From Simple Treasures, a collection of recipes of Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts.

You can find quinces at the markets in the fall. You can’t eat them raw, but they cook like a damn! This compote would be particularly luscious with grilled meats, or your Sunday pork or beef roast or roast chick. Place into a saucepan: 2 peeled, cored and diced quinces, 3 sliced plums, 1 T. minced ginger, 1 finely diced red onion, 2 T. brown sugar, 1/2 c. rice wine vinegar, 3 pieces of star anise and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated, remove the star anise and serve at room temp.

4. Fruit ‘n’ Booze From The Best of Bridge Cookbooks’ The Best of the Best and More.

Alberta Cheese Company Ltd. 8420 – 26 Street SE, Calgary, AB Canada T2C 1C7 P: 403•279•4353 F: 403•279•4795 E: info@AlbertaCheese.com

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We are a local family owned Manufacturer & Distributor of Fine Cheese.

AlbertaCheese.com

CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

This calls for melon and blueberries, but we think some different coloured plums, chopped, and substituted for the blueberries would be divine! Scoop 1 cantaloupe, 1 honeydew melon and 1/4 small watermelon into balls and add 1 to 2 c. chopped plums. Chill. Make the sauce by mixing 2/3 c. sugar with 1/3 c. water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add 1 t. lime zest and let mixture cool to room temp. Stir in 6 T. lime juice and 1/2 c. light rum and pour over the fruit. Chill several hours. Serves 6 to 8.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

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Indulge your culinary curiousity

back burner

Allan Shewchuk

Shewchuk on simmer

The plates of wrath

The other Saturday morning I had to run a bunch of errands before hitting the gym, so I decided, for efficiency, that I would just plunk a ball cap on my head and wouldn’t shower or clean up until after I worked out.

Book an apron!

Join us for a cooking class this fall...

Calgary’s best chefs have prepared delicious new classes for this exciting new fall season.

Our September-November 2012 cooking class schedule is on our website now!

And going out in public looking like a mess reminds me of some restaurant meals I’ve had – not because of the patrons or the servers, but because of the plates that are occasionally set before me. When I get a schmozzle of unappetizing food heaped on a plate, I wonder if the chef actually had a look at what went out to the customer, or whether the dish got the “sweatpants and ball cap” treatment in the back and not a soul paid attention to how the food looked before it hit the table.

for all things culinary THE COOKBOOK CO. COOKS 722-11th AVENUE SW PH 403-265-6066, ext. 1

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A Long Table Dinner

A fabulous, seasonal 5-course meal, served family-style, prepared by the chefs at The Cookbook Co. Cooks., with wine pairings by the sommeliers at Metrovino.

September 11th & November 6th at 6:30 p.m., at 724 -11th Avenue SW – next door to The Cookbook Co. and Metrovino Tickets $95, available at The Cookbook Co., 403-265-6066, ext 1.

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CITYPALATE.ca SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2012

Off I went, unshaven and in baggy sweatpants, and wouldn’t you just know it? I bumped into every living person I knew in town. The shame of being spotted by business associates, judges and (of course) an old girlfriend was enough to make me want to leave town at sunset and never show my face again. They all wanted to stop and chat, and I noticed their eyes darting up and down checking out my slovenly figure. I kept thinking that I must have looked like one of those people on the “People of Walmart” web site that pop up in emails and make you cringe.

What was I thinking going out like that? Murphy’s Law dictates that it would be a virtual certainty that I’d get spotted by everyone and leave a repulsive image of me in their minds, never to be forgotten. Come to think of it, I haven’t had a dinner invitation since.

To me, plating food is as important as balancing its flavours, and is so easy to execute well, with a little forethought, that I don’t understand how a plate can exit a kitchen looking inedible. It’s a sin, whether it happens at a greasy spoon or at a three-star resto, and it turns me off like the sight of someone bending over in baggy sweats and showing a little too much body parts.

Plating has come a long way. When I was a kid, no one really cared about how a plate was composed. Often, dishes were monochromatic, with maybe a sprig of parsley thrown on slapdash at the end for a splodge of colour. Then, suddenly, squeeze bottles became the rage and plates started to look like Jackson Pollock paintings. The whole drizzle fad got so out of hand that sometimes four or five different liquids would be squirted onto the plate, to the point where it looked like Walt Disney had gotten in on the act. The next trend had chefs getting vertical with their food, stacking protein on towers of side dishes and sticking rosemary branches into mashed potatoes so you could lose an eye if you weren’t careful when you started to eat. Vertical food went so wild that servers carrying precarious plates had to be trained by Cirque du Soleil so they could make it to the table without having a wreck.

The pendulum has now swung back and the new trend is to serve food “family style,” with each element of the meal coming in a big, steaming bowl so that diners can fill their own plates at the table. Personally, I don’t like this new phase of plating because really talented chefs were getting so clever with their culinary designs that I couldn’t wait to see what my order would look like when it arrived. I love it when there’s lots of oohing and aahing when beautiful plates make their entrance to the dining room and everyone in the place is rubbernecking to see what you ordered.

Family-style dining takes the “food envy” out of those restaurant meals where you used to be able to hear people whisper “I wish I had ordered that!” as your plate sailed past them. Oh, how superior I feel when it turns out I’ve chosen the bestlooking thing on the menu. You have to take life’s little victories where you find them, pathetic as that may sound when you’re talking about a plate of food.

Until restaurants shift to the next trend, I guess I’ll have to get my plating thrills at home. I love the creativity of assembling a killer-looking plate for my guests using exotic garnishes like red Hawaiian sea salt or drizzles of 50-year-old balsamic as they sit in my open kitchen and gasp. I just hope the gasp isn’t because I’ve bent over to get the plates out of the warm oven while wearing my low-riding baggy sweatpants. Attention Walmart shoppers, indeed…

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

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OPENING THIS FALL yellow door

Downtown | 119 12th Avenue SW 403.266.4611

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