For the Love of Poutine

Iwas first introduced to poutine as a youth while March Break skiing in Quebec. How could I resist a heaping plate of French fries, mixed with cheese curds and drenched in gravy? I was skiing at Mount Saint Anne, which atop its summit has a spectacular ski lodge that makes spectacular poutine. No skimping on the gravy, nor the cheese curds, their hardy poutine kept me skiing all afternoon. How could I go back to plain fries? From then on I’d order poutine whenever I could, at ski lodges and restaurants alike.

Legend (the internet) has it that poutine originated in Warwick, Quebec, a region famous for its “squeaky” cheese curds, which were a popular side dish. Many restaurants in the area purport to have invented poutine. The strongest claim is from Le Café Ideal, where in 1957 a patron apparently asked to have cheese curds mixed with their fries. Upon mixing in the cheese curds, Restauranteur Fernand Lachance exclaimed, “ça va faire une maudite poutine!” “It will make a damn mess!” “Poutine” is Quebecois slang for “mess” or “messy.” Deliciously messy indeed, the combination spread throughout Warwick. Restaurants were finding that the cheese curds weren’t melting, and the fries weren’t staying hot. Until a chef soon decided to drench both in hot brown gravy. An instant hit, “poutine” as we know it was born. According to Quebecois poutine connoisseurs, you have to hear the squeak of the curds for it to be real.

By the late 1960s, this gravy drenched dish was popularized across Quebec, especially in dairy regions where fresh cheese curds have a short shelf life. By the 80s poutine had infiltrated Ontario, and by the 1990s became a fast food staple across Canada. Today it’s found in fine restaurants, and is sold by Canadians around the world: from beaches in Thailand, to the U.S., to Europe, to Africa. Poutine has become world famous, and arguably Canada’s National Dish.

Gravy is traditionally made out of the leftover juices from cooking meat, especially beef. As a kid, I loved it. Potatoes, turkey, green beans, everything tasted better covered in gravy. Years later when my vegetarian family of five wanted to try poutine, I was challenged. Hand cut fries were an easy go-to. Fresh cheese curds could be found. But how do you make gravy without using a meat base? In my vegetarian cook book I could only find a recipe for miso mushroom gravy, sweeter and more chunky than brown gravy. I’d learned along my cooking adventures that you could thicken a soup or sauce by adding a little cold water mixed with flour. Rather than using miso and mushrooms, I boiled vegetable soup bouillon in water, and added butter, thyme, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast. I slowly poured in cold water mixed with flour, and simmered until it thickened to create a delicious gravy. It worked beautifully on poutine and other dishes. For later poutines, if I couldn’t find or didn’t have cheese curds, I’d substitute with chunks of mozzarella. Not the same, but still yummy.

In the past couple of years, I’m

Ingredients delighted to have found a local provider of fresh squeaky cheese curds: the Cowichan Creamery on Howie Road. They have a convenient cheese vending machine (taking cash or card), with an appealing selection of cheeses, including bags of fresh cheese curds ($7 each). The search for cheese curds in the Cowichan Valley is over. Now I can create an authentic vegetarian poutine with cheese from happy, well cared for cows, while supporting a local business. When you want a warm, hardy, Canadian classic this season, try home-made poutine.

Homefries Poutine

Courtesy Lucas Goris, Cobble Hill

6-8 organic potatoes

1 package Cowichan Station Creamery Cheese Curds

Oil for baking

Salt to taste

Gravy (see recipe below for vegetarian gravy)

Method

1. Make hand cut fries. Wash a bunch of potatoes, peel off any bruises, keep the rest of the skin on. Cut lengthwise to desired thickness (thicker will take longer to bake). Toss lightly with oil and salt, spread out on a cookie sheet, and bake in the oven at 400F until crispy (flipping halfway if desired for even crispness).

2. While the fries are baking in the oven make your gravy: vegetarian or otherwise, as long as it’s thick with good flavour.

3. Once the fries are crisp, transfer them to a casserole dish and evenly mix in cheese curds. Then generously coat it all in hot gravy. Optional: put your poutine casserole in the oven for a minute or two, until the curds are just melted.

4. Serve and enjoy.

Vegetarian Gravy

In a small saucepan combine and heat ingredients until boiling:

1 Tbsp vegetable soup bouillon (I use “Better than Bouillon”)

1 cup hot water

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp thyme

1Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1/2 tsp salt (or salt to taste)

Whisk the following in a measuring cup until well combined:

1 cup of cold water

4 Tbsp of all purpose flour

Mixture should look like milk.

* If gluten free substitute with 4 Tbsp corn starch and gravy will be more jelly like gravy, rather than creamy

Gently pour the cold water mixture into the boiling boullion water mixture. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened and slow boiling. Remove and serve.

Spring Break Fun

ThisSpring Break we would like to welcome families to come join in 2 fun free opportunities, that we are hosting at our lovely new location in Cobble Hill.

Family Yoga and Crafts: March 15th 9:30am-10:30am; Come in and wake up with some good body stretches. Then we will get a little messy with some fun seasonal crafts together, while meeting new friends.

Family Gardening and Games: March 21st 1:00-2:00; Come join us to get ready for the growing season! The group will come together to sow seeds, dig in the dirt, and explore some of the herbs and vegetables that can grow in our own backyards. Afterwards there will be open group play with a variety of board and card games available indoors.

Please note these will be family events; caregivers are expected to attend alongside their children. Tea and coffee will be offered. It is very important you RSVP if you hope to attend one of our groups.

Please respond to admin@ sharpeot.com

Occupational therapy is a type of health care that helps to solve the problems that interfere with a person’s ability to do the things that are important to them –everyday things. For children this involve supporting feeding, dressing, executive functions, fine motor, visual perceptual, coordination or sensory-based concerns, using an approach based in play.

Sharpe Occupational Therapy Services Inc provides pediatric occupational therapy in the Cowichan Valley. We prioritize direct intervention services with children and youth over other related alternatives. We believe in a multi-disciplinary, team approach. We work closely with educators and other health care professionals, in the best interest of the child. It takes a whole village to raise a child. We collaborate with Speech Language Therapists, Registered Clinical Counsellors and Behaviour Consultants to provide interdisciplinary services to children ages 2-19 years. We are always excited to add more child and youth practitioners to our team. (if you are an OT, PT, or SLP passionate about working in pediatrics contact admin@sharpeot.com for current opportunties) We also offer internship positions to candidates of occupational therapy programs (students who plan to apply to an OT program in the near future) and are excited to promote the profession! We host student placements for OT students from universities across Canada, in order to share what we know about working with the pediatric population.

Our group programs are individually designed for children with a certain profile and need, to ensure the group is well formed and set up for success. The children must be ‘group ready’ such that being part of a group will be a positive experience for all the children involved.

Monday – Friday

8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Cost: $180 I Code: 52367

Art Portfolio Camp

MARCH 20 - 24

AGES 10 - 14

Aspiring artists will explore different mediums with guest artists from CVAC including fibre art, collage, painting, sketching and large group projects and designs.

Register through the reccowichan.ca website

CVAC ARTS CAMP AGES 10-14

Aspiring artists will explore different mediums with guest artists including fibre art, collage, painting, sketching and large group projects and designs.

Monday – Friday | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Cost: $180 Code: 52367

CVAC is presenting this through CVRD this time so you can register through the reccowichan.ca website

Explore The Murals of Chemainus

TheChemainus Murals Program was initiated in 1982 to drive economic activity in the town when the forestry industry faltered in the late 1970s. Starting with five murals in 1982, the program has grown to 61 murals and 10 sculptures created by artists from Vancouver Island, across Canada and around the world including Great Britain, Europe, Africa, Asia and the United States. The murals and sculptures are managed by the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society, a non profit registered charity that maintains, restores and adds new murals to the world famous outdoor art gallery.

The Historical series depict scenes from the forestry and mining industries and reflects the history of the First Nations people and settlers who built the community. The Emily Carr series honour world renowned Vancouver Island artist Emily Carr in five murals which include ten of her paintings. The Community series include nature and interactive murals for the viewers to experience. The sculptures located around town reflect the skills of artists using wood, marble and bronze to form their creations.

This open air art gallery is a wonderful place for families to explore and learn about the history of the Chemainus Valley. The best way to experience the murals is to pick up an Official Mural Guide at the Visitor Centre in Waterwheel Square. It includes a brief description of all the murals and sculptures as well as a map showing the location of each work of art.

The guide only costs $5.00 and supports the Murals Society’s efforts to maintain, restore, and add new murals to the program.

Six murals and sculptures have been added to the outdoor art gallery since 2021 so come see the newest additions.

Fun activities to engage in while experiencing the murals;

• Follow the yellow footsteps around the downtown area, then through Waterwheel Park to more murals in Old Town.

• Walk the labyrinth in Waterwheel Park. The distance from the start to the centre and back is half a kilometre!

• View the 3D (tromp l’oeil) EC1 Emily Carr mural on the side of the Chemainus Theatre. Look at it from across the street and it appears you could walk up the steps into the gallery.

• Find the hidden raccoon in mural #3, Steam Train on Bridge Over Chemainus River or the face in the clouds in EC5, By the Bay – Inspired by Emily Carr.

• Watch mural #3 come alive using a new technology, augmented reality. All you need is a smart phone with a QR code reader and Facebook or Instagram. Follow the instructions on the plaque next to the mural and watch the engine thunder across the bridge over Chemainus River.

• Walk slowly from one side to the other in front of mural #10, Company Store and watch the lines in the ceiling and the floor boards follow you. Notice that the hanging mannequins will keep an eye on you as you walk by!,

• If you are musically inclined, play a few tunes on the piano built into mural C6,

In Tune With Nature located in front of the Chemainus Public Market.

• Locate the Sea Captain sculpture at the corner of Laurel Lane and Willow Street. Hint: He can see the harbour from his vantage point.

Enjoy a few hours or a day exploring and experiencing the art and murals in Chemaius, an activity for the whole family. It’s free, fun, educational and outdoors in the fresh air!

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