The Dandelion Cafe

Mom’s the Word:

BY KEANE STRAUB I PHOTOS BY DONG KIM

BEHIND EVERY GOOD CHEF, there are sources of inspiration. On the surface, it may be travels to exotic places, trendy new ingredients, or a hole in the market begging to be filled with amazing flavours. Go back a little further, and you’ll find more often than not, the desire to cook was sparked during formative years.

Every spark needs to be fanned to full flame, just like every budding chef needs to be nurtured. For May, we asked four Alberta chefs to go back to the beginning and tell us about the people that first inspired them to follow their passion: their mothers, and in some cases, grandmothers. From being subject to questionable dishes, to teaching basic techniques, to pouring love into everything they create, here’s to moms and maternal figures, and everything these amazing people do to shape and mould the future.

Edmonton-based butcher and educator, Elyse Chatterton, was born in Lancashire in the UK, where her family owns a dairy farm. Growing up, she watched her tea. It’s only fitting that she shares a recipe mother and grandmother use their skills for biscuits that has been passed down and knowledge to feed both family and through generations. “Make these biscuits guests. “My grandmother had a kitchen for yourself, your family and your friends,” superpower of being able to feed any says Chatterton. “They will be requested number of guests by simply cooking a pan again and again, I promise. They are super of potatoes! To this day I have no idea how simple but deliver on taste and buttery she did that.” texture every single time.”

Being part of a farming family taught Chatterton to enjoy food in all of its stages, from growing and producing, to cooking, and of course, eating and sharing. “My family’s food motto is, ‘Never undercater’. Farming families like to feed people and surround themselves with delicious, homemade food that they lovingly share with everyone who comes to visit.”

On the farm, Chatterton’s favourite time of day was 3 pm, which meant homemade cake and biscuits devoured with cups of Granny Makinson’s Sugar Cakes

(Seeded Goosnargh Biscuits)

Makes about 30 biscuits

3 1/3 cups (450 g) all-purpose flour 1 1/3 cups (340 g) unsalted butter ½ cup (115 g) sugar 1 tsp caraway seeds Pinch of salt Sugar for sprinkling 1. Preheat the oven to 280º F 2. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and rub the mixture with your fingers until it all comes together. 3. Roll out the dough to approximately 1 cm thick. Cut into rounds and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. 4. Bake low and slow until the biscuits are pale but dry - 45 minutes. The secret to a perfect Goosnargh Biscuit is to keep them as pale as possible. 5. Remove from the oven and generously sprinkle with sugar and cool on a wire rack. 6. Store in an airtight container.

Alejandro Buzzalino’s career path has been a decade-long adventure that took him around the globe from Calgary to Montreal, London, Honk Kong, Japan, Australia, and back to Calgary, where he’s currently the Chef de Cuisine at Vendome Café.

While settled geographically, in terms of cooking, he says “I am far from finishing my learning journey.” It’s one that started when he was a child, and was encouraged by his mother, Ana. He credits her with keeping him grounded while he was making career moves, and says, “She is the big, creative driving force in my life.”

Like any new chef, there were several misfires at the beginning. Ana stepped in, sharing simple recipes from the Best of Bridge series. “I think it was as much self-preservation as it was trying to teach the skills,” Buzzalino says. “She had to eat some questionable meals before I started to understand how to follow recipes.”

Coq au Vin is one dish in particular that reminds him of learning to cook with his mother. A simple, delicious, and comforting dish, Buzzalino says the most important ingredient is patience. “If you can teach yourself to enjoy the time it takes to make things correctly, you will greatly improve your cooking game.” Coq Au Vin

Serves 2- 4

Filling:

1/3 cup (80 mL) canola oil 1.4 kg chicken thighs, bone in, skin on 300 g bacon, cubed 250 g cremini mushrooms, quartered 1 head of garlic, peeled whole cloves 250 g pearl onions, peeled 3 Tbs (45 mL) of Alberta Premium Rye 2 Tbs flour 2 Tbs fresh thyme, finely chopped 1¼ cup (300 mL) red wine (Burgundy if you have it!) 2–3 cups (500-750 mL) chicken stock 2 bay leaves To taste salt and pepper 2. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, warm canola oil over medium heat. Add chicken thighs making sure to not overcrowd the pan. Cook until browned. Remove and place in an oven-proof dish. 3. To the same pan add bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and it begins to brown. Drain, and set aside with chicken. Reserve bacon fat for next step. 4. To the same pan add in mushrooms, garlic and onions and 2-3 Tbs of bacon fat. Cook on medium heat until caramelized, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan. 5. Carefully deglaze pan with whiskey. Reduce all the way to ‘au-sec’, where the bottom of the pan contains no more liquid. 6. Add 2 Tbs of reserved bacon fat, flour, and thyme, and stir continuously to create a roux. Cook on medium-low heat until the flour begins to brown and you can smell it roasting, then deglaze with red wine, stirring to incorporate, and reduce by half. At this point, add chicken stock, bring to boil, and add bay leaves. Pour boiling liquid over chicken and bacon in an oven-safe braising tray. Cover with foil and braise in oven for 1–1.5 hours until the chicken is pull-apart tender.

Jenny Kang, executive chef and co-owner of Calgary’s Orchard, grew up on a farm in South Korea with five siblings. There was never a shortage of chores to help with, and Kang’s favourite of those was helping her mother, Han, cook. “My mom always made me feel appreciated, and always encouraged me to get better in the kitchen,” says Kang.

From Han, she learned to cook with her heart, and to appreciate the food that came from their land. “When we were young, my mom would always make sure we treated produce from our farm with care and love. This love translated to the final product and what I would serve to my family and my guests.”

Han also taught her how to julienne vegetables, a skill put to use when preparing the traditional Korean dish, Japchae. Once a royal dish dating back to the 17th century, Japchae is something Kang’s large family would always eat on special occasions. It’s also the dish Kang honed her julienne skills on, and it holds a special place in her heart.

“When I would make Japchae for my family, I focused so hard on cutting the vegetables perfectly, and always looked forward to this dish so I could improve my skills.”

Japchae

Serves 4

200g glass noodles (sweet potato starch noodles) ¼ cup (60 mL) soy sauce 1/3 cup (80 g) brown sugar 2 Tbs (30 mL) canola oil, divided

1 medium red onion, julienned 1 medium carrot, julienned 1 bell pepper, julienned 150 g fresh spinach 1 cup sliced mushrooms (chef recommends shiitake, shimeji, or button) 200 g thinly sliced chicken, beef, or pork shoulder 1 ½ Tbs sesame oil To taste salt and pepper 1 Tbs sesame seeds 1. Soak noodles in cold water for at least 30 minutes. Drain before use. 2. Quick marinate the meat with ½ tbs soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar for at least 30 minutes 3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. 4. Heat a large pan on medium heat and add 1 Tbs canola oil. Sweat onions and carrots until soft, and add peppers. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat, then add spinach and cook for an additional minute. Season with salt. Once cooked, remove vegetables from pan and set aside in a large bowl to cool. 5. Add remaining canola oil to pan and add mushrooms, cooking on medium high heat until soft. Add meat and sauté until cooked. Remove from pan and add to bowl containing cooked vegetables. 6. Add noodles to boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Once cooked, drain and add to bowl with meat and vegetables. 7. Mix remaining soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil together, pour over contents of bowl, and toss to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle sesame seeds overtop.

Growing up on a farm meant Chef Jiju Paul learned the importance of using fresh ingredients from local farmers, a practice which he adheres to in his work as executive chef at Edmonton’s Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. “I try to keep my cooking style simple to allow the ingredients to have the main focus in each dish, and to respect their natural flavours,” he explains.

As a child, Chef Jiju recalls arriving home from school to find homecooked meals prepared by his mother, Annamma. “It was her way of welcoming us home and letting us know she was thinking about us.” Annamma taught her son how to limit food waste and respect the hard work that went into producing each ingredient. “I learned a lot about complementary flavours and the importance of tasting throughout the creation of a dish from my mother’s carefree cooking style,” he says.

For Chef Jiju, the kale and lentil fritter bowl represents his childhood and the way his mother loved to cook, while the colourful produce reminds him of the landscape of the family farm in Munnar, southern India. He adds, “This dish allows for easy adaptation so that you can let your creativity guide you to add ingredients that you have on hand and flavours that you enjoy.”

Kale & Lentil Fritter Bowl

Serves 4

1 cup split chickpeas or red lentils 1 cup fresh kale, thinly sliced 1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced 1 sprig curry leaves, thinly sliced ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder ¼ tsp ground turmeric To taste salt 2 cups (500 mL) oil for deep frying (chef recommends vegetable, grape seed, or canola)

1. Rinse chickpeas thoroughly and soak for 4-5 hours or more. Drain completely – if any water remains, the fritters will fall apart while cooking. 2. Add chickpeas to a food processor and grind into coarse paste (do not over process). 3. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until incorporated. 4. With wet hands, roll out lime-sized portions and flatten with your palms to shape into small patties about 2 cm thick. 5. Add frying oil to a deep, heavybottomed frying pan and heat on medium. Once the oil is hot, add fritters in small batches and deep fry until they are golden brown on both sides. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.

Yogurt Dip

1 cup (250 mL) plain yogurt ½ tsp ground cumin seeds ¼ tsp Kashmiri chili powder 1 tsp chopped cilantro 1 tsp sugar To taste salt

Place all ingredients in bowl and stir. Refrigerate until served.

Keane Straub has travelled from Tofino to Charlottetown, sampling the different flavours Canada offers. The passion people have for their craft and culture inspires Keane to tell their stories.