EAT Magazine 12-04 July|August 2008

FROM THE

THE SUMME R OF ‘08

As I write this it doesn’t seem very much like summer. Some say it’s simply a cooler La Niña year, others that it is the result of global warming Either way it highlights the need for those living next to the northern Pacific Ocean to think more about food security. Buying and eating local has never made more sense. In this issue we explore this theme from several views.

Our two recipe contributors, Nathan Fong and Jennifer Danter, offer two ways to cook local Nathan has created a number of recipes based on the raspberry which is plentiful at this time of year and Jennifer does an alfresco meal filled with ideas on using local ingredients I travel to Alber ta to go behind the scenes on ranches raising grass fed and organic beef and bison I love my red meat (in mod eration) but I don’t want to fur ther contribute to the planet’s demise. Read about what I found. It’s not all doom and gloom.

Back to the ocean, Chris Mason Steans inter views Vancouver fisherman Steve Johansen, who has found a way to fish responsibly and in Victoria, Karen Platt details the effor ts of city farmers to grow produce for urbanites. I hope that by the time you read this it will be more like summer time and you get a chance to get out and enjoy G ary Hynes, Editor

Spin Doctors

Pasture to Plate

The EAT interview

Tofino: Small town, big eats

Editor in Chief G ary Hynes

Vancouver Editor Andrew Morrison, Contributing Editor Carolyn Bateman

Editorial Assistant Katie Zdybel

Local Repor ters

Victoria: Treve Ring

Nanaimo: Su Grimmer

Comox Valley: Hans Peter Meyer

Tofino | Uclulet: Kira Rogers

Vancouver: Andrew Morrison Okanagan: Jennifer Schell Pigott

Contributors Larry Arnold, Degan Bealy, Michelle Bouffard, Jennifer Danter, Pam Durkin, Andrei Fedorov, Jeremy Ferguson, Nathan Fong, Lorraine Forster, Duncan Holmes, Mara Jernigan, Chris Johns, Tracey Kusiewicz, Tara Lee, Andrew Lewis, Ceara Lornie, Sherri Mar tin, Michaela Morris, Andrew Morrison, Julie Pegg, Karen Platt, Kira Rogers, John Schreiner, Shelora Sheldan, John Sherlock, Elizabeth Smyth, Chris Mason Stearns, Michael Tourigny, Sylvia Weinstock, Rebecca Wellman

Ar t Direction G ary Hynes

Publisher Pacific Island Gourmet | EAT ® is a registered trademark

Adver tising:

Lorraine Browne, Paul Kamon, Rick McMorran, Kira Rogers 250 384 9042, adver tise@eatmagazine.ca

All depar tments

Box 5225, Victoria, BC, V8R 6N4, tel. 250 384 9042, fax. 250 384 6915 www.eatmagazine.ca eatjobs.ca

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $35 for one year (plus GST) in Canada

To subscribe, contact EAT Magazine at the number or address above or email subscribe@eatmagazine ca

®

Published since 1998 EAT Magazine is published six times each year. No par t of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher Although every effor t is taken to ensure accuracy, Pacific Island Gourmet Publishing cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur All opinions expressed in the ar ticles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the publisher Pacific Island Gourmet reser ves the right to refuse any adver tisement All rights reser ved

LETTERS

Hi and congratulations on EAT tapas! This is a fantastic little newsletter and you can bet that I'll be looking forward to its appearance in my inbox! Wonderful addition that builds interest and promotes EAT magazine and all it stands for. Excellent work!

C. Ryane

Thank you! Not only do you create a great magazine but now an excellent newsletter too. It is just the right size and it has a nice variety of content. Happy eating, J Chavarie

Picked up the new issue of E AT at Spinnaker's the other day. Like the shor ter format. Easier to take with me and easier to share with others B Montgomery

My wife and I have just returned from a splendid overnighter at Miraloma Resor t, thanks to the prize I won for responding to your sur vey and a special, second thank you, to you for your Haro's recommendation We had a delightful meal there.....beautiful food....and, as some local propaganda sug gested, "they do casual elegance very well"

C Richardson

I just wanted to say "Thankyou" very much for the Sutton Hotel Sunday Brunch we had won in your contest! We went yesterday and it was really wonderful! The food was amaz ing and beautifully presented! Everyone

there was so friendly and helpful. It was a great day!

Colleen Efting and David Griffith

Sure enjoy your new newsletter biweekly J. Stobie

Fabulous latest issue and by far my favorite magazine I keep them in our van so when we need inspiration for dining or dinner it's E AT at my finger tips. Really enjoyed your "Finding A Great Burger" ar ticle and I agree with your choices but I felt you left out the one burger that is a clear notch above those mentioned and that is the fabulous DIVA B U RG E R!! We were in heaven at lunch last month every bite so amazing and I believe it is fashioned after DB Bistro Moderne so at around $38 it is a bargain considering the in gredients and flavour/texture punch it deliv ers!!! Please let me know why it wasn't mentioned? Thank you very much for your time Kristina

Hi Kristina, A very fair point, and I am grateful for the feedback I was trying to keep price points as accessible as possible, so there were many left out Between you and I, I've always thought that once a burger leaves the $5 to $10 territory, it almost ceases to be a burger. But that's just me Once again, thanks for the feedback!

Andrew Morrison, Vancouver Editor | EAT

By Sylvia Weinstock

A FRESH seasonal Tomato salad

IIndulge in the sweet sour squir ty goodness of TOMATOE S Heirloom TOMATOE S are open pollinated, non hybrid varieties over 50 years old. They are grown by local farms in an array of colours, shapes and sizes, with juicy names like Amana Orange, Green Grape, Green Zebra, Brandywine, Red Pear, Pru den's Purple, White Wonder and Persim mon.

Bite size G RAPE TOMATOE S are a rela tively new hybrid of thick skinned beef steak tomatoes and Roma tomato taste Red, orange, and yellow G RAPE TOMA TOE S have a sweeter, more intense flavour than cherry tomatoes

YE LLOW TOMATOE S varieties include: YE LLOW CH E RRY TOMATOE S, YE LLOW B E EFSTEAK TOMATOE S, hear t shaped

YE LLOW OXH EARTS, elongated BA NA NA LEGS, pear shaped YE LLOW B E LLS, CU BA N YE LLOW G RAPE TOMATOE S and PLU M LE MON TOMATOE S.

It’s easy to grow GARLIC in your home garden. Find local GARLIC at Saltspring’s Leisure Lane G arlic Farm and Linda’s G ar lic Farm in Saanich (Linda’s organic GAR LIC is available at the James Bay Market.)

O R EGA NO is a perennial herb with many healing proper ties and culinary ver satility For something completely differ ent, try the recipe for Greek O R EGA NO ice cream at honest food.net.

Each variety of SWE ET ON IONS has its own unique vir tues. Bermudas have a sweet mild flavour with a little pungency. Large, juicy Walla Wallas and Vidalias are especially delicious raw. Mauis are small and very sweet SWE ET ON IONS require special storage because they are high in water and sugar. Cut a leg off a pair of clean, sheer pantyhose Place a sweet ON ION in the foot, tie a knot and repeat with more onions Hang the hose in a cool, dry, well ventilated area Cut above each knot to release each ON ION.

TOMATI LLOS are a purple tinged green fruit nestled in a papery husk. Their flesh has a slightly acidic lemony apple herbal flavour Look for green, firm fruit with dry, snug husks. TOMATI LLOS are used in guacamole, salsa verde and spicy sauces for grilled fish and chicken

The unique piquant, pungent taste of CI L A NTRO livens up any dish CH IVE S add a delicate onion flavour to summer dishes. ITALIA N PARSLEY has flat dark green leaves and an appetizing intense flavour.

Yellow Tomato Salad with Red Grape Tomato Relish and Tomatillo Coulis (Ser ves 4)

GRAPE TOMATO Relish

3 pints (approx 6 cups) RED GRAPE TOMA

TOES, cut in half lengt hwise

2 cloves GARLIC, sliced t hinly

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh OREGANO

Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

2 Tbsp sherr y vinegar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F Toss GRAPE TOMATOES and sliced GARLIC wit h oil in a small roasting pan Sprinkle with OREGANO, salt, and pepper Place pan in t he oven Re duce t em perature to 300 deg rees F Cook TOMATOES about an hour, until they are sof t and slightl y golden Place in a bow l Add vinegar

TOMATILLO Coulis

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 small SWEET ONION , minced 1/2 lb fresh TOMATILLOS, husks removed, rinsed, chopped

3 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp minced CIL ANTRO

1 Tbsp coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper

In a small saucepan, heat olive oil on medium heat Add SWEET ONIONS and sauté until sof t, about 5 minutes Add TOMATILLOS and water Cook for about 10 minutes Puree in a blender, adding more water, if necessar y, for a sauce consistency Strain t hrough a sieve S tir in minced CIL ANTRO Season wit h salt and pepper

TOMATO Salad

2 larg e YELLOW BEEFS TEAK TOMATOES, sliced 1/2 inch t hick Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

2 Tbsp snipped CHIVES

1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf ITALIAN PARSLEY Whole CHIVES for garnish

Place a slice of YELLOW TOMATO on a plate Spr inkle lightly wit h salt and pepper

With a slotted spoon, remove 1/4 of the rel ish from the bowl (leaving vinaigrette liquid in t he bowl) and spread a thin layer of relish on the tomato slice Top with another slice of YEL LOW TOMATO and cover it wit h a layer of relish Drizzle tomato slices wit h 1/4 of t he remaining vinaig re tt e Dr izzle 1/4 of t he TOMATILLO coulis on the plate Sprinkle with snipped CHIVES and PARSLEY. Garnish wit h whole C HIVES Repeat steps to assemble 3 more salads

Grilled Bison Ribeye Steaks ã|à{ Farm Market Salad

Nutritious, flavour rich bison paired with an ear thy summer salad strewn with fresh-picked ingredients.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: About 15 minutes

Makes 4 ser vings

For the salad

Organic salad greens 6 8 cups

Ar tichokes, trimmed, quar tered, cooked and cooled (see Note) 4 small

Fava bean pods, shelled, blanched, and shelled again (see Note) 12

Ripe, medium, tomatoes, cut into wedges 2; or cherry tomatoes, each halved 12

Beets, boiled, cooled, peeled and sliced 4 small

Radishes, each quar tered 6

Mini carrots, tops trimmed and washed well 12-16; or Medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced 1

White wine vinegar 1 1/2 Tbsp

Dijon mustard 2 tsp

Chopped fresh tarragon 1 Tbsp Honey 1 tsp

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Olive oil 4 1/2 Tbsp

Mound the lettuce on a large platter Artfully top with the artichokes, fava beans, tomatoes, beets, radishes and carrots Cover and store the salad in the fridge until needed (can be made a few hours in advance). Place the vinegar, mustard, tarragon, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in the oil. Cover and store the vinaigrette in the fridge until needed.

For the steaks

Bison rib eye steaks 4 (1 1/2 inch thick)

Olive oil 1 1/2 Tbsp

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Warm the steaks at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat your grill to high heat. Brush the steaks with the oil and season with salt and pepper Grill the steaks 30 seconds on each side Lower the heat to medium, and then grill the steaks for 6 7 minutes more, turning them once halfway through the cooking The steaks will be cooked rare to medium rare, ideal for lean bison Set the steaks on dinner plates

Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette Ser ve a generous por tion of the salad alongside each steak.

Note: To prepare the ar tichokes, fill a medium sized pot with cold water Cut a lemon in quar ters and squeeze the juice into the pot. Put the squeezed out pieces of lemon into the pot as well. Trim the stem on one of the ar tichokes. Snap off and discard the lower leaves around the base Trim off the top 1/3 of the ar tichoke Cut the ar tichoke, lengthwise, into quar ters Place in the pot. Repeat with the remaining ar tichokes. Gentle simmer the ar tichokes until tender, about 10 12 minutes. Drain well, cool in ice cold water, and drain well again.

To prepare the fava beans, bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Remove the fava beans from their pods. Add the fava beans to the boiling water and cook 1 minute. Drain well, cool in ice cold water, and drain well again Take a fava bean and, with your thumbnail, break through the shell at the dimpled point and tear a small opening in the skin. Gently squeeze the bean so that the bright green, edible part slips out of that opening. Repeat with the remaining fava beans.

M

THE CONCIERGE’S DESK

JULY

July 5 6

Organic Isl ands Festival and Sustainability Expo

Local, slow, natural, inspiring, hip, the Organic Islands Festival and Sustainability E xpo is a rallying community based event providing a look at who's who in the green community Now in its four th year, this Vancouver Island event at Glendale G arden and Woodland is Canada's largest outdoor ‘green’ festival Over 100 E xhibits, Interactive Displays, Presentations, Natural Food Demos, Enter tainment www organicislands ca

July 6 TLC Conservation Holiday on Madrona Farm in Victoria

This one day inclusive Conser vation Holiday is the perfect choice for those looking for a 'taste' of what our holidays are all about On a diverse 27 acres, Natalie and David Chambers maintain a diverse mix of cultivated fields, open fields, wooded areas and four natural ponds A day of healthy work activities will end with a delicious dinner prepared by farmer David who just also happens to be a chef ex traordinaire! www1 conservancy bc ca/conser vationholidays 250.479.8053

con leche, special tapas menu, flamenco gui tar and live flamenco dancing by Alma de Es pana, manchego cheese & arbequina olives, Spanish wine tasting of course, live bullfight ing. 11 3pm. Ottavio Italian Bakery & Delicatessen 250 592 4080

www ottaviovictoria com

August 23 Taste of Scotl and Whisky Tour David Matthew 250 767 0093 or corbeil matthew@telus net

Feast of Fields

Vancouver Island

Victorian Epicure Vineyard in Nor th Saanich Sunday September 21st

Tickets will go on sale August 1

Lower Mainland

Sunday, September 7th

U BC Farm, Vancouver

Tickets on sale now

July 26 Second Annual Humboldt

Valley Summerfest

The Merchants of Humboldt Valley provide food, fashion, music, ar t and merriment for all 1 5pm 250 383 0288 cafemela@shaw ca

July 26 Sea Cider’s First Birthday

Come raise a glass and celebrate with the Peninsula’s first cidery Everyone is invited to an outdoor B BQ and complimentary cider samples Proceeds from the BBQ will be do nated to Lifecycles, a Victoria non profit that promotes eating locally. 11am 7pm. 2487 Mt. St Michael Rd , Saanichton 250 544 4824

July 26 Sooke Harbour House Wine Tasting Taste some of the amazing wine from the Wine Spectator Grand Award cellar The popular se ries continues with Best of B C Come taste vintage selections some of British Columbia’s finest from the cult like status of Blue Moun tain vineyards, Poplar Grove Winery, Black Hills Estate, Le Vieux Pin, La Frenz and many more. See what is growing in your own back yard! $50 per person Reser vations required 3:30 5pm 250.642.3421.

July 27 Victoria Chaine Des Rostisseurs Garden Party

Sooke’s stellar Markus’ Wharfside Restaurant is the host www chainevictoria com

AUGUST

August 9 Spanish Day at Ottavio

Join Andrew and his team in this annual cele bration of Spain. Jamon serrano tasting, cafe

Sea To Sky Saturday, August 30 Rebagliati Park 4540 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, B C Tickets on sale now www feastoffields com

August 30 3rd Annual Winestock at Morning Bay Vineyard

Pender Island’s annual music fair, with food, music and wine among the vines. This year's headliner will be Spirit of the West with some of our usual friends such as Wyckham Por te ous and Dave Rave. Festivities from noon to dusk Free camping in the vineyard! $25 per person 6621 Harbour Hill Drive, Pender Island 250 629 8351. www.morningbay.ca

SEPTEMBER

Sept 5 7 Alpine Food Festival on Mt. Washington

Come and schmooze with some of BC's finest celebrity chefs while sampling some of the Is land's most beautiful local foods Book ahead and make your culinary experience last all weekend with cooking classes, a local foods marketplace, and a spectacular gala dinner Did we forget to mention the wild blueberry cooking competition? It will make the Iron Chef jealous You won't go home hungry!

Presented by 'Beyond' The Kitchen Door and Sponsored by E AT Magazine. Please visit www mountwashington ca/ for more informa tion on tickets and accomodations

Farmer's Markets Open Around BC

Farmers' Markets are the ultimate Slow Food loving, community building, 100 Mile Diet scavenging, small farm suppor ting e vent Get out on a summer morning to taste the ver y best of fruits and vegetables available Here is where farm ers bring their freshest supplies, where you can taste heirloom tomatoes, just picked greens, and chat with the farmers and bakers about how they grow things I wandered the Moss St Market in Victoria last week and picked up baby brocolli plants as well as tips on why my peas weren't sprouting from one stand, had a great discussion on planting gardens in Victoria's front and backyards with another local farmer, and sampled a killer croissant and coffee and the best damn chocolate cake I've ever had (that was not my mother's) Aside from filling up your basket with im peccable ingredients for a week of great cooking, the market is where you can chat with your neighbours, meet local ar tisans, or just sit down quietly and watch the ver y old, ver y impor tant tradition of community members and visitors mingling among fresh baked bread and jars of preser ves

BC is home to an abundanc y of ver y well run Farmers' Markets each with their own unique features

Meet the ICC chefs Thursdays and Fridays

Where to find a market close to you For a complete list visit www bcfarmersmarket org

Vancouver Granville Island Farmers' Market 15 85 Johnston Street, Granville Island Thursdays 9 6, May October

East Vancouver Farmers Market Victoria Dr and E 15th Ave, Saturdays 9 2, May 13 Octo ber 7

North Shore Farmer's Market

Lonsdale Quay, Nor th Vancouver Saturdays 10 3, Wednesdays 11 5

West Vancouver Farmers' Markets

Dundarave, 24 00 block of Marine Drive, S aturdays and Ambleside, 14 00 block of Bellevue Sundays U BC Farm Market U BC Farm Har vest Hut, 6128 South C ampus Road Saturdays 9 1,

Victoria Moss St. Market Fair field Com munity Centre (outdoors), corner of Fair field and Moss, S aturdays, 10 2, June October

ICC Bastion Square Market

Bastion Square, do wnto wn Victoria, Thursdays and Fridays, star ts at 10

Sooke Country Market Otter Point Rd opposite Eustace Rd , Saturdays 10 2, Esquimalt Community Market

Esquimalt To wn Square, behind the Municipal Hall, Wednesday evenings 5 8

Victoria Pocket Markets

Unique to Victoria these smaller markets are popping up in nooks around the city Refer to

www foodroots ca for e xact open ing and closing dates, as many of these markets are new and e xper imenting with indoor locations that would carry them through the win ter months The following pocket markets will be open all summer:

Nanaimo

Nanaimo North Farmers’ Market Nor th Town Centre Saturdays 10 2, May October

Nanaimo Downtown Farmers’ Market Pioneer Water front Plaza Fridays 10 2, May 2 October 10

Duncan Market in the Square City Square Saturdays 9 2,

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

W ithout ever having heard of the 100 Mile Diet going on in Vancouver, writer Barbara Kingsolver and her family decided they were going to move to the V irginia countr yside and star t growing their own dinner for a calendar year While Smith and McKinnon (of the 100 Mile Diet) lost fif teen pounds getting by on inventive potato dishes for a large par t of the year, Kingsolver and her bread baking husband rear two exceptionally game children on generous acreage in a rural community The Kingsolver clan host par ties, throw feasts, and in general, eat like kings on the bounty of their hard work They raise their own chickens and turkeys, make their own yogur t and mozzarella, roll their own pasta, bake their own bread, and tend a sprawling vegetable garden, fringed by cherr y, pear, and apple trees The writing of the book is as much a family af fair as the commitment to eating local While Kingsolver narrates, her husband’s factual essays on American agricultural realities paint a political backdrop. Daughter Camille of fers an occasional recipe and meal plan, premised with a shor t and snappy essay on life as a teenaged locavore. Third grader Lily, runs her own egg selling business from the family kitchen phone with such drive and sincere love for her hens that I found following her progress as a junior businesswoman one of the most inspiring and enter taining par ts of the book Kingsolver her self, writes with a generous dollop of humour that had me guf fawing aloud more than once If at times she gushes a bit too much pride at her own good deed doing, she is an earnest and well researched cheerleader for families that may want to tr y the grow your own meal plan Overall, I learned a lot about turkey sex, rural Virginia, and tried a couple winning recipes (the blackberr y basil cobbler was weirdly delicious); but more impor tantly, felt uplif ted knowing that a typical family of four sur viving on no extravagant income, but living on a good chunk of land can live in a sustainable, ecological way giving back almost as much to the land as it gives to them K Zdybel

seaside

sunshine & sunsets

Casual coastal cuisine on the best oceanfront patios in the heart of Victoria’s wine country. It’s not a million miles away...it just feels like it.

www.seagrille.ca

BRENTWOOD

Butter, Portugal and High Tea

Better than Butter

Hot on the heels of everything ar tisanal comes whey butter from Quebec’s Fromagerie P’tit Plaisir This creamy, salty, slightly tangy spread made from whey leftover from cheesemak ing is denser than butter and, not surprisingly, almost cheese like If you can get beyond eat ing it right out the tub, it’s heavenly spread over fresh bread accompanied by slices of French breakfast radishes and ham Diet or no diet, don’t miss this wonderful treat I found mine at Ottavio

Postcards from Por tugal

Food produces enduring memories for me: my first Denver omelette one summer as a child; lemon leaves wrapped around a snack of plump raisins on Italy’s Amalfi coast; a made be fore my eyes corn tor tilla cooked over a coal fire and stuffed with fresh squash blossoms and string cheese in Oaxaca; a dish of pork and clams ser ved in a copper cataplana in Por tugal These are my souvenirs of travel I’ve relived the memory of that pork and clam dish in my home kitchen numerous times, but aside from a few trials using salt cod, it has been my only attempt at recreating dishes from that beautiful country Until now

Postcards from Portugal by Tessa Kiros (Whitecap Books) is a delicious travelogue of mem ories and recipes, with exquisite photography throughout. Kiros, an avid traveller and foodie, seeks out the soul food of a country as she did in her previous books Falling Cloudberries and Apples for Jam. Recipes are written like snapshots with reminiscences of the place, time and circumstances surrounding each dish. It inspires you to cook.

Por tuguese cuisine is humble and hear ty fare, and the book takes you from appetizers and soups, to mains, sides and traditional desser ts The mainstay ingredients are easy to acquire and are some of my favourites: citrus, tomatoes, fava beans, bay leaves, garlic and piri piri, that country’s hot chili The chili plays an active roll in the book; shor t ribs slow baked with orange, tomatoes and piri piri is a more ish sweet, hot and sticky meal that has been a big hit at dinner par ties. The chili plays centre stage in a recipe that whips prawns into shape along with a hit of whiskey and fires up a marinade for grilled chicken. The recipes are easy to follow and can quickly be incorporated into your reper toire.

For piri piri and other Por tuguese ingredients, Maria’s Deli on Shelbourne provides one stop shopping. Pungent Sao Jorge cheese, chorizo, salt cod, sardines and traditional Por tuguese breads are only a few of the delicacies Maria Perreira provides for her customers And riding on the wave of all things Por tuguese, Casa Nova Baker y has new digs just over the blue bridge in Esquimalt While Kiros provides classic recipes for Pasteis de Nata (caramelized egg custards) and other sweet treats, try the real thing first before attempting to make your own Delicate pastry envelopes creamy baked custard and quickly becomes habit forming. Owners John and Ilda Madeiros’s other sweet specialties include almond tar ts enhanced with either orange or coconut, cornbread, Por tuguese buns and malassadas, a deep fried sugary ball of heaven. The deli side of their shop offers cheeses, sandwiches, soups, bifana (pork cutlet) and the Madeiros family recipe for smoked chorizo. Create some precious new food memories soon

Maria’s Deli, 4080 Shelbourne, 250 477 7823

Casa Nova Bakery, 492 Esquimalt St , 250 385 8242

The Focaccia’s New Clothes

Dressing up focaccia doesn’t just mean rosemary, olive oil and sea salt. While tasty, the popular Italian bread is also a great vehicle for delicate fruits and nut fillings. In the cookbook Italy in Small Bites by Carol Field (William Morrow), raisins team up with pine nuts, and grapes poked into the dough give a new lift to an old standby I enjoyed both recently with thick slices of Montana cheese from David Wood, a semi hard sheep cheese reminiscent of Spanish Montasio Salt Spring Island’s Bread Lady, Heather Campbell, makes a popular cran berry filled version that has a tar t tang, another winner with cheeses

“High” Tea

A refreshing new take on summer cocktails can be had with the addition of tea. A tumbler of iced tea with a twist of lemon can be the ultimate quencher, but one spiked with vodka, gin or rum offers even more of a twist

“I love combining ice tea and liquor,” says Daniela Cubelic, co owner and tea master at Silk Road Tea Definitely not a teetotaller, Cubelic looks at pairing alcohol with tea as a way to “cross train her taste buds ”

“ Tea is a natural mixer,” she explains “It adds a flavour of its own and never clashes Com pared to juices, which lend a sweetness, tea is more refreshing ”

Cubelic is a bold and inventive experimenter and has a wide reper toire. Her mar tinis, san grias and champagne cocktails all incorporate wonderful teas from Silk Road. She even cre ated one of her summer favourites, dubbed the Jade Lantern, for a Chinese New Year dinner. “Jasmine and lime are a sophisticated flavour combination,” she notes. “ The taste is exotic, impresses guests and is very easy on the host,” suggesting it’s not only perfect for the patio but pairs nicely with Asian and barbecued foods She generously shared the recipe along with a super simple slushie for when time is of the essence

TEA POURS

The Jade Lantern (makes 1 litre) Moonlight on the Grove (Silk Road’s loose jasmine green tea) 2 Tbsp Water 2 cups Limeade (made from frozen concentrat ed lime) or freshly squeezed lime juice, 2 cups White rum (or vodka) 6 oz Bring 2 cups water to just before the boil begins Pour water over 2 Tbsp Silk Road Moonlight on the Grove loose tea Steep for 1 3 minutes and t hen s train Pour t ea into a heat proof jug and refrigerate until cold Combine chilled tea wit h c hilled lime juice and whit e r um S tir until well mixed Ser ve over ice in shor t g lass tumblers Garnish with thinly sliced limes or lemons

And One More Thing

Coconut Matcha Tea Slushie (makes 1 litre) Ice 3 cups

Coconut milk 1 cup Water 1/4 cup Sake 3/4 cup Matcha powdered green tea 3 tsp Icing sugar or honey 1 Tbsp

Combine all ing redients in a blender Whiz blender on high until ingredients are well com bined Ser ve in clear shot glasses with a dusting of matcha powdered green tea

1624 Government St , 250 70 4 2688, www silkroadtea com

A recent cooking tip from a fellow foodie has helped my risotto making immensely. Choose a fairly high walled sauté or fry pan rather than a pot next time you make risotto. This in sures even cooking time for the grains and is easier to stir. Perfect. Every time. Thanks, Brian.

Sameparkinglot/Notrailer

Shelora Sheldan samples a sinfully rich butter and sips spiked tea.

by Jeremy Ferguson

Ceviche’s Day

fresher than sushi, hotter than a chili pepper and Anthony Bourdain probably loves it (if he could remember it).

Move over, sushi. In fact, get outta town. Ceviche’s coming at you. Construction is underway on the 11,000 square foot La Mar Cebicheria Peru ana on San Francisco’s Embarcadero A Washington, D C , version is set to open later this year Then San Diego’s Can Van couver be far behind?

Ceviche (pronounce it “seh veech ay”) is raw fish and seafood cured with citrus, which mows down pathogens and makes it safe to eat. It’s also one of the best ways to eat fish, a whole lot more fun than sushi with its icky vinegared rice There’s that firmness in the mouth Oceanic flavours swim across the palate In Peru, it comes spiked with the fire of aji limo, a seductive orange chili pepper, or the milder rocoto Welcome to mouth feel bliss.

Peru, the amazing hothouse that gave the world the tomato, the potato and the chili pepper, claims ceviche as its own. Ceviche is the national dish. The origin of the word calls up half a dozen theories; my prefer ence is to think of it as deriving from the Quechua the ancient Andean language adopted by the Incas as the lingo of the em pire The word siwichi means fresh or ten der fish.

The Incas marinated their fish with chicha, an especially vile sounding corn beer that involved women chewing and spitting the mash into vats to ferment with human saliva After a victory, it was com mon for warriors to get blasted on chicha, which helped them gorge themselves on equally vile roasted guinea pigs Historians attribute the use of citrus to the coming of the Spaniards, who proved viler still.

Lima, the inarguable foodie capital of all South America, boasts 2,000 “cevicherias,” which offer more takes on the national dish than we do on pizza The groundbreaker is the previously mentioned Cebicheria La Mar in the swank Milaflores district

Its owner is G aston Acurio, Peru’s most celebrated chef and culinary ambassador, who, at 40, has 20 restaurants worldwide, 22 cookbooks, a hit TV show and a non profit cooking school. Acurio is the gale force behind the new San Francisco restau rant. By comparison, the Food Channel dar lings move like escargots on Valium

At Lima’s Cebicheria La Mar, Acurio re strains himself to a mere dozen or so vari eties of ceviche, including Dover sole, yellowtail tuna with Japanese accents (Nikkei Peruvian is a sub cuisine based on

historic Japanese immigration), sea bass, black clams, sea urchin, octopus and squid

Roving bad boy Anthony Bourdain must have loved it. Acurio says Bourdain tossed back 13 pisco sours a margarita like meld ing of lime juice, egg white and the potent grape brandy pisco over lunch

Everybody does ceviche a little differently Peruvians usually serve it with sweet potato and toasted corn kernels In Ecuador, it comes with a side of popcorn, of all things Mexicans treat it as a salad with tomato, onions and maybe avocado in a cocktail glass. Cubans and Panamanians favour preparations using scotch bonnets chili peppers; to hell with the smoke detectors. California chefs have been known to mari nate their fish in Spanish bubbly, grapefruit and green mango

Ceviche is a natural for any coastal cul ture, and where better than Vancouver Is land? Islanders may not have Lima’s black clams, but we can equal anything in South America with our halibut and salmon.

Peruvians heap scorn on Mexicans who marinate for an hour or even overnight, de stroying the integrity of the fish The Peru vian aficionado insists the correct marinating time is no longer than it takes to get the dish from counter to table If you’re extra cautious, you may want to let it sit for, say, two minutes.

For halibut, cut your fillets into bite size chunks. Marinate in the juice of a dozen limes key limes are closest to the Peru vian limon spiked with some shallot or red onion and a red chili Add a bit of salt and you’re halfway to heaven

For salmon, my wife takes a slightly dif ferent approach She thinly slices fresh salmon preferably sockeye or spring arranges the fish in a fan or rosette on the plate, then drizzles the marinade lightly over the salmon. It’s that simple. I can’t think of a finer summer dish.

One more thing: Don’t pour out the jus This is what Peruvians call leche de tigre, or tiger’s milk They claim it’s the ultimate rem edy for a hangover, explaining why Lima is almost cleaned out of fish the day after any major fiesta So save the juice and do as they do in Peru: clutching your head and bleating like a goat, fill a glass with leche de tigre, mix in two ounces of pisco or vodka and ...

It’s

Peruvian super-chef Gaston Acurio

Julie Pegg

Paella Party

Paella, one of Spain’s most traditional dishes, epitomizes slow food. A medley of seafood and/or meat and vegetables slowly simmers in a water, rice and saffron bath Once all is mixed, the paella is never stirred, never shaken The Spaniards celebrate and compete with paella at fiestas, family feasts and political gatherings. The winner or “King of the Paella” retains his crown until the next competition, which in some communities occurs only every few years E AT’s Food Matters columnist Julie Pegg was a lucky guest at a paella event in Vancouver last year.

It is July 2007 and outside this inner city cour tyard the pavement sizzles Within the airy space, paellas of varying diameters (most the size of a large wok and some as big as a Chinese banquet table) simmer on open grills. About the floor are scattered folding chairs and red clothed tables that hold small tapas of olives, chorizo and other tasty Spanish tidbits.

For the past three years chef Manuel Otero has been heading up this annual paella com petition, a sor t of Spanish block par ty and the summer social for Vancouver’s close knit Iber ian and Latin American community (I am for tunate enough to be one of the few non Latino invitees ) Contestants, none of them professional chefs, have been manning their stations all morning Guests star t to trickle in about two in the afternoon By three the paellas are well underway And so is the crowd The place buzzes with folks sipping, snacking and chit chat ting in Spanish Glasses of vino bianco or tinto fuel more than a few of us Bottled water and the odd cer veza slake more sensible imbibers’ thirsts. Among the tables and chairs, children play and dar t about. Plenty of juice, nibbles and games keep them happy. This fun and family affair is par t par ty, par t summer celebration and par t debate. (Whose paella is the most authentic? To which victor will go the spoils?) With curiosity and appetite, the crowd ea gerly awaits to savour the various versions of Spain’s signature dish, and the judges’ verdict. I nearly swoon in such close proximity to so many heady, colourful and saffron scented rice concoctions Some boast the pinkest of prawns and the sunniest of lemons Others are generously topped with snails, chicken, rabbit and peas and/or beans Sursprise! Very few contain chorizo A tofu paella garners a good natured scoff from at least one onlooker Whether lone player or par t of a team, each competitor keeps his or her eyes on the (possi ble) prize amid friendly rivalry and noisy banter. (I notice, too, that the paellas are never stirred, unlike risotto, which demands a constant turn of the spoon.)

Finally the paellas are ready and the judges have made their selections. The big thumbs up goes to Mexican furniture impor ter/expor ter Paco Gomez and his 21 member team con sisting of his kids and their friends, Paco’s friends and their kids All are kitted out in traditional paella making garb black pants, white shir ts and scarlet neck scar ves “ The af ternoon is less about a contest [although from where I stand competition appears fierce], but a wonderful excuse for a gathering I tell my sons, Iker and Inaki to bring all their buddies and girlfriends it’s a way to pass on a custom to our sons and grandsons And it is one time of the year when the Spanish and Latin Americans fight with everybody Each of us knows our

paella is the best!” laughs Paco, a confirmed fan of this annual event

The Gomez team’s entry wins my top vote too a fine balance of meat and seafood It avoids ingredient overload, allowing the rice to take centre stage Glistening grains leave a thin crispy crust on the bottom of the pan delicious “It’s all about the saffron and rice,” says Paco’s wife, Erika You must use the best saffron, not overdo it, and the perfect rice Arborio rice (the rice for risotto) works well, but it is not the exact rice to use.” She shows me the brand Paco impor ts and gives me some, but I am sworn to secrecy.

My initial encounter with paella was not in Spain but in the French region of Languedoc several years ago, at the Narbonne market about 90 minutes by rail from the Spanish border. Locals toting large containers queue up for the seafood and saffron laden rice, ready for take away G alicia in the nor thwest corner of Spain is noted for its supreme shellfish and focuses, not surprisingly, on seafood paellas It is this style of paella, with the addition of chicken and sausage (chorizo), that most Nor th Americans consider traditional paella “But anyone who tells you that the original paella contains seafood is just plain wrong” says one of the many paella websites, this one at www lapaella co uk Purists quote Valencia as the bir thplace of the popular rice based dish, which refers to both the broad shallow pan in which it is cooked and the dish itself (the word paella may be from the Latin word patella meaning flat basket).

The Joy of Cooking identifies paella as “not of the seaside but of the [Valencian] huer tas, or market gardens of the interior, and it was also cooked outdoors. True paella Valenciana is made not with seafood at all but with chicken, rabbit, several kinds of beans and sometimes snails ” Indeed, Vancouver’s competition contained more than one traditional preparation But none wins

Authentic paella or not, Gomez’s paella does take the cake However, I’m drawn almost equally to one of the paella Valenciana entries; its medley of snails, rabbit and beans is for me unusual A follow up conversation with Valencian friend Jose Perez reveals a bit more of the local tradition. He tells me Valencians often build an outdoor paella kitchen. Like Paco and team, family and friends all chip in, often on Sundays, to help with making Spain’s signature dish. Finally the huge pan holds cour t in the middle of a round table. Everyone eats from the pan. Etiquette demands that each person car ve a por tion from the huge pan in front of them with their own utensils Then, with a squeeze of lemon, they dig in The practice of commu nal paella eating is dying, however These days most folks prefer their own plates And as with many modern women, Spanish mothers also hold outside the home jobs. These days, too, there are more condo/apar tment dwellers Consequently paella “shops” have sprung up where paella purchasers pay a deposit on a pan filled with the local dish It is not uncommon to see two people walking in the street, each holding a handle of a large, take away paella.

The 2006 paella competition winner was Xavier Bonilla and this year the paella master entered a delight named Fiduea consisting of clams, mussels, scallops and prawns tangled in a swirl of ramen thin noodles. He grins from beneath a jaunty blue beret. “I wanted to present something dif ferent I was recently in Madrid, and Fiduea is the fashion in many restaurants ” This modern riff on paella, invented in the 1960s, tastes terrific For me this novel treat nearly rivals Gomez’s offer ing. CONT ’D ON TH E N E XT PAGE

BOOKS

ANITA

The press has dubbed her the “patron saint of Canadian cuisine”, “the Wonder Woman of Canadian Cui sine”, “Canada’s Culinary Goddess” and less hysterically and more accurately, “the country’s coolest food intellectual.” Anita Stewar t is also one of Canada’s few official gastronomers, with a Masters in G astronomy from the pioneering University of Adelaide.

More than any food writer in this country, the Ontario based author and foodie ac tivist Anita Stewart has trained her personal searchlight on what and why Canadians eat If anyone can release us from the em barrassment of “Canadian” baked skunk, seal flipper pie and poutine, it’s Stewar t, who entered the scene with The Farmers’ Market Cookbook almost 25 years ago and hasn’t paused for so much as a palate cleanser since

Released in April, Anita Stewar t’s Canada is instantly notable for what it’s not: Not a journey out to Canada’s cutting edge Not about Canadian cohesing as a global player It’s the bold Anti Trendy.

This is Anita Stewar t’s Canada. It’s per sonal. It’s about what down to ear th, food loving Canadians the Canadians the author has gotten to know over decades of travel and research love to eat It found the public pulse quickly, jumping to the Globe and Mail’s bestsellers list and linger ing there for two weeks, surely a first for a Canadian cookbook

In an E AT inter view, Stewar t tossed off vintage quotes:

“ This question of defining a Canadian cui sine is nonsense.”

“Par t of my credibility is that nobody de spises me”

“ The butter tar t is quintessential to Canada Foie gras isn’t ”

Probably our first gastro patriot, she sums up: “I want us to have pride, to hon our the producers and researchers who’ve set our tables for so long, to embrace our complex environment, to discover what we have: Do you know we have 71,000 species of things that can be eaten yet to be named?”

Structured by ingredient and peppered with food anthropology, history, essays,

CONT”D F ROM TH E PR EVIOUS PAGE

Seasoned with paprika and cayenne as well as saffron, this pasta paella has a piquant, lemony broth like nothing I’ve tasted but cer tainly look forward to enjoying again

At the end of July, Paella Competition 2008 will take place. I have invited an Hispanic friend to come with me For weeks we have been discussing paella’s diversities the pros

stories and sidebars, this is Stewar t’s mag num opus. Its scope and richness of detail will appeal to foodie scholars. The home chef will find the recipes a bit of a romp: Here at last is the answer to the eternal question, what the hell is a Fat Archie?)

Along the way, fascinations abound: Stewar t salutes the immigrant contribution with recipes from Por tuguese cornbread to sweet and sour lobster Nor are the profes sionals ignored: From BC, Vikram Vij, Mara Jernigan and Michael Allemeier all take a turn. She explains Bentwood box cooking from the First Nations of coastal BC coast as the only method of cooking indigenous to Canada And if you want poutine ar guably the worst indigenous dish in Cana dian history look elsewhere

Stewar t talks much about making things happen in this country. Her goal, she says, is a national food day. As Culinary Ar ts Ad visor to His Excellency Jean Daniel Lafond that’s Monsieur Michaelle Jean she’s just the person to get the ball rolling. But let’s all be right behind her

Anita Stewar t’s Canada is published by HarperCollins List price is $34 95

Buy It: If a comprehensive and loving snapshot of grassroots Canada stirs your soul.

Don’t Buy It: If you want the exciting flavours of the global village kitchen and don’t too much care where they come from.

and cons So far, Khristian and I agree a crispy, bottom crust rules And we both scorn the ad dition of tofu. I am practicing my Spanish. My wine fuelled vocabulary may halt at ole and fe licidades Regardless, total involvement is my aim for this year’s cook off.

Recommended: Paella! Spectacular Rice Dishes from Spain (Henry Holt, 1999)

—by Jeremy Ferguson

goodfor you —by

Ferment It!

Try to imagine German cookery without sauerkraut or Japanese food without miso almost impossible. For millennia, fermented foods such as these have been an integral par t of the culinary reper toire of many cultures. In fact, these traditional foods often define a cuisine.

The process of fermenting food probably first arose out of necessity it was one of the few means of preser ving food for pre industrialized societies Before the introduction of commercial baker’s yeast, for example, Europeans relied on fermented star ters to make bread Now, thanks to an increased interest in ethnic cooking, and modern science’s con firmation of their amazing health benefits, traditionally fermented foods are experiencing a renaissance in Nor th America.

Judith Hanush owner of the Living Foods Educational Health Centre in Langford, is at the forefront of this revival. For the past 15 years, Hanush has been teaching people how to ferment everything from leeks to sprouted almonds. “I teach people how to make deli cious veggie kraut using an incredible variety of vegetables in fact, everything people are har vesting right now in their gardens can be fermented,” she enthuses “Fermenta tion makes the nutrients in these foods much more bioavailable and supplies our intes tines with the good bacteria they need to keep us healthy,” she adds

She should know she began making veggie kraut at the age of seven under the watch ful tutelage of her maternal grandmother Born in Prague, Hanush later trained as a gour met chef in Switzerland, where she garnered numerous awards for her gastronomy. But after reading Dr. Ann Wigmore’s The Wheatgrass Book in 1980, she experienced a pro found shift in her approach to food. “I knew immediately I wanted to follow the living foods path. I never hesitated I went down to the States, studied with Dr. Wigmore and brought her wonderful ideas back to Canada with me and combined them with my gourmet style. With her encouragement, I opened the Living Foods Educational Centre and have been teaching people how to embrace a diet based on whole, living food ever since ”

Today this food alchemist creates a variety of “living” fermented foods such as veggie kraut, fermented nut and seed cheeses, as well as rejuvelac (a nourishing drink made from fermented, sprouted wheat berries) to private clients and select restaurants in Vancouver and Victoria.

And Hanush isn’t the only local entrepreneur with a stake in fermented foods. The folks at Green Cuisine, Victoria’s hallmark vegan restaurant, are now marketing two fermented products to retailers across Canada: their own tempeh (a fermented soybean cake) as well as their version of amazake, a traditional fermented rice drink originally from Japan that they call Amasake But does all this enthusiasm for fermented foods translate into concrete health benefits for those consuming them? According to Jacquie Corrigan, a local textile ar tist and regular client of Hanush’s, it cer tainly does “I was plagued with digestive prob lems for years,” confides Corrigan, “but regular use of rejuvelac and veggie kraut have re ally helped turn things around for me I’ve got more energy, my digestion is fine and I sleep well.”

The proof isn’t just anecdotal. Scientists are also lining up to sing the praises of fer mented foods. A recent study in the International Dairy Journal found that drinking fer mented milk may help reduce hyper tension. Peptides produced in the milk during fermentation seem to inhibit chemicals that constrict blood vessels and increase blood pressure Similarly, scientists have discovered that the Maasai people of Africa, despite eating large quantities of red meat, have very low cholesterol levels due to their regular consumption of fermented milk Research has also shown that daily consumption of miso the fermented soy paste popular in Japan can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 40 percent. And researchers from Michigan State University and the University of New Mexico have recently discovered that a diet rich in sauerkraut can also significantly cut the risk for breast cancer.

Some of the benefits conferred by fermented foods seem to come from a group of phy tochemicals that are created by the process of fermentation itself. And evidence also shows that the fermentation process multiplies the availability of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants naturally present in foods In addition, fermentation neutralizes the “anti nutrients” found in many foods, including the phytic acid in grains and the trypsin in hibitors in soy Why is that impor tant? Because phytic acid combines with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc in the intestinal tract and blocks the absorption of these

Fe rm e nt e d f o o ds h a ve l on g b e e n s t a p l e s o f t ra d it i on a l c u is in e s , a n d now t h a t s c i e nc e h a s c on f ir me d t h e i r benefits, food fermentation is experiencing a renaissance.

Pam Durkin

impor tant minerals, and trypsin makes the protein in soy difficult to digest Fermentation also helps to generate new nutrients, including omega 3 fatty acids, digestive aids and the trace mineral GTF chromium

However, scientists believe the primary health benefit of fermented foods lies in the fact that they are literally teeming with “benevolent bacteria” called probiotics that colonize in our guts and help to synthesize nutrients and keep our immune systems strong. Not surprisingly, Japanese researchers found that subjects who drank fermented milk for three weeks had a significant increase in natural immune cell activity that lasted three weeks after they stopped drinking it.

Clearly, with their cornucopia of beneficial nutrients, fermented foods are a valuable ad junct to a wholesome diet And you don’t need to go overboard to make an impact on your health adding just one or two ser vings of fermented foods daily can give your immune system a significant boost Kefir, amazake, yogur t, tempeh, raw milk feta cheese, and un pasteurized sauerkraut are all superb choices that can easily be incorporated into your ex isting diet. (One caveat the sauerkraut found on store shelves is NOT a traditionally fermented product it has been pasteurized to give it an indefinite shelf life and it contains NO probiotics. You’ll find traditionally fermented sauerkraut in the cooler section.)

If you’re feeling adventurous, you may even want to try fermenting your own foods there are several websites with easy to follow instructions or you can take a class with Judith Hanush For more information on her Living Foods Educational Health Centre, visit www livingfoods ca

Cowichan Valley Lose s Pioneer Winemaker

Dennis Zanatta (1929 2008) first set foot upon the rolling acreage that would become his vineyard in 1959. Arriving from Treviso, Italy, Zanatta could see what others had not; the warm lands of the Cowichan Valley provided the perfect ter roir for growing robust varietals. Originally a dairy farm, Zanatta, by trial and error, slowly conver ted acreage into vines procured from Italy, California and the experimental farm on the Saanich Peninsula. Starting with five acres planted in 1980 to a present day vineyard of over 30 acres, Zanatta was a pioneer vintner on Vancouver Island. Passionate about family, (wife Claudia, son Ivo, daughter Loretta and predeceased by daughter Ileana), farming, the vineyard and his wines, his pride in all aspects of his life was evident when sharing an an ecdote, glass of wine, or a walk though the vineyard He also loved his stones, and along with son Ivo, Matrix Marble & Stone quarries marble from various lo cations on Vancouver Island A gregarious raconteur, his stories always had a purpose. It was to educate the listener on the merits of good wine, careful land husbandry, the value of hard work, the weather and the ways of the vine His in trepid spirit will live on. Daughter Loretta, with credentials from the University of Piacenza in Enology, has taken over the vineyard along with her husband Dennis, by being the first vintner to use his own grapes to make wine on Van couver Island, gave others the conviction that they too could turn the soil to grape growing As such, Vancouver Island now has over thir ty vineyards and produces award winning wines Bravo Dennis! We raise a glass to your memory Alla Salute! Su Grimmer

A New “SPIN” on Farming

Sub-acre farming on city lots may not quite be a revolution yet, but interest in the concept is sprouting up all over.

Stor y by Karen Platt

Steve Aldersmith in his View Royal backyard garlic farm

Once upon a time, even city homes came fully equipped with vegetable gardens. Plots provided families with a year round supply of produce plus much more connection and community, security, variety. Neighbours shared harvests, recipes, growing tips, idle chat about families and life. Today, it is a picture most city dwellers only hear about in stories told by aging aunties wistful for simpler, slower, tastier times gone by These days the lots of city residents are primarily devoted to vast expanses of indigestible lawn, beautiful, but inedible floral displays, asphalt or rusted out VW Westphalias Once, 85 percent of the food on Vancouver Island was grown on the Island; today, it’s less than 10 percent

But recently, along with a general resurgence of interest in fostering and preser ving agri culture as a way of life, a renewed interest in urban agriculture seems to be cropping up all over, in some pretty unlikely places. Take Cuba, forced to rethink food security in the 1990s when the collapse of the Soviet Union cut the country off from oil, chemical fer tiliz ers, pesticides and food impor ts. Yet, this small, impoverished island is now being held up as a cutting edge example of the successful reclamation of urban land for growing organic food and as a model of food security It’s a model being replicated in many cities in the world, including many in Russia, China and throughout Europe, according to Jac Smit, pres ident of Vancouver’s Urban Agriculture Network (www cityfarmer org) Canadians, secure in our impor ted abundance and per versely attached to our expanses of lawn, have been much slower to dig in. But as the barriers to successful rural farming seem to grow higher with every increase in the cost of land and labour, creative solutions are being sought and found by those committed to a sustainable local food culture. Fears about the interruption of our impor ted food supply may spur some to action, but the simple practicality, cheaper cost (yes, cheaper cost), healthy lifestyle and simple satisfac tion obtained from growing and eating organic food produced in our own yards or nearby is enough reason to rethink how and what we eat

And some local residents are not just thinking, they’re taking action In the winter of 2006, Paula Sobie and Mar tin Scaia literally broke ground for City Har vest (www cityhar vest ca), an organic “farm” comprised of multiple lots in the hear t of Victoria’s Capital Re gional District (CRD). The couple, recent graduates of Royal Roads University’s program in Environmental Education and Communication, based their urban agriculture business on Small Plot Intensive farming (SPI N) principles, developed in Saskatoon by Wally Satzewich and G ail Vandersteen. Using yards turned over to them by eager homeowners, Sobie and Scaia created a dozen small organic plots, providing an income for their young family, a sense of pride and some produce for the homeowners who give them their lots to culti vate A welcome by product was the forging of a new and very direct connection between residents, food, their environment and their neighbours It’s an innovative approach to an old way of life and it seems to be working

Less is more SPI N is based upon organic principles applied to what Satzewich calls sub acre farming. He and Vandersteen began farming a single acre plot just outside Saskatoon about 20 years ago. They also maintained a couple of small plots in the city where they grew high value crops like greens and radishes Believing that more land meant more revenue, the couple then purchased 20 acres of prime farmland nor th of Saskatoon, adjacent to the South Saskatchewan River After six years of farming the large rural site, they realized it came with many more challenges than their city gardens, such as deer, bugs, wind and the need for big, diesel equipment It became clear that they could be more productive, and fi nancially successful, farming multiple small urban plots. “It’s hard to grow high value crops like spinach, lettuce or other greens in the country,” said Satzewich. “ There are the envi ronmental challenges and finding the crew to work a big parcel is really difficult too.”

While SPI N farming is not yet a revolution, interest in the concept is sprouting up all over. And when Sobie and Scaia ran across Satzewich and Vandersteen’s S PI N website (www spinfarming com), it struck a chord They had already realized that those hard earned environmental degrees would likely lead to desk jobs that might incorporate elements of their values but wouldn’t allow them to live the full vision they had created one where family, the outdoors, control over their time and being in community were top priorities Through City Har vest, they not only live in harmony with these values, they bring their life long passion for real food to others. “Food is something we have always enjoyed and cel ebrated,” says Sobie. “We come together around food with our family and friends; it is a very meaningful par t of our lives.”

“Moving wasn’t a practical consideration for us,” she continued. “Because of family, we are committed to living in Victoria. And we’ve discovered that farming in the city can be much more practical; we have no big infrastructure problems like irrigation, no big ma chinery, and we’ve chosen proper ties that are in easy range of our home so transpor tation is reduced Also, if we lose a crop from one plot an inevitable risk of farming it’s only a small chunk of our whole operation ”

For those of us concerned with where our food comes from, the one mile (or 10 mile) diet holds even more attraction. “I’m actually eating food from my own postal code,” raved

yummy create something today.

1033 Fort Street, Victoria Tel: (250) 475-2632 www.skanda.ca/yummy

a former employee of Small Potatoes Urban Delivery (SPU D), an original suppor ter and distributor of the produce. It is also causing people to rethink the lawn, as neighbours ob ser ve grass being ploughed under to make way for neat rows of vegetables and herbs And, although the soil preparation may take some getting used to for those of us accus tomed to looking over swaths of uniform green, the end result healthy vegetation and an edible landscape is a vast improvement over Victoria’s inevitably summer time look: parched brown grass

“It didn’t look great to begin with,” said P.J. Fairfield Car ter, one of the Fairfield home owners whose front yard has been given over to City Har vest. “ They had to rototill three times. But it’s been interesting to see the excitement in the neighbourhood; mostly peo ple have been really curious. People stop all the time and many of them say they want to do this too.”

Sobie concurs “In fact,” she told me, “the neighbours star t clapping when the grass gets mowed under and the rows go in ” All this means that City Har vest has had no prob lem finding lots to farm; currently there are more available than the two can handle They now require a 1,000 square foot minimum per lot it reduces travel and makes their work more efficient They also ask for a three year commitment from homeowners “although obviously, things can change,” she says.

A grounding education

Urban farms also provide inspiration and education for busy residents both in terms of experimenting with new foods, understanding what goes into organic gardening and in spiring people to star t their own vegetable plots “Both of us work and we have small chil dren,” says Fairfield Car ter, “so although we love the idea of growing our own food, right now it’s hard to find the time Not only does this let us live more in line with our values, but I’m learning (about growing) all the time I’d like to have my own garden someday I bene fit from watching them and watching what grows; so do the kids. And we’ve had to learn what to do with the food; the things they grow aren’t necessarily things we’re used to. I’ve had to learn what to do with it.”

Living on a rock on a windy cliff side, I can relate, as many of us can, to homeowner Deb bie Yaffee when she says, “I love the idea of gardening, but I don’t do it And I’m not keen about the idea of lawn I love the idea of eating locally and this takes all my guilt out of not growing my own I feel like I’m really contributing It’s purely wonderful ”

SPI N farming is catching on in Vancouver as well Ward Teulon, Vancouver’s City Farm Boy (www cityfarmboy com), began his urban farming business cultivating four city lots in 2007 and has eight in the works this year There is “no shor tage of people wanting to par ticipate,” he says. “ There are hundreds of people wanting me to use their proper ty.”

Both City Har vest and City Farm Boy are keen about the variety of produce they get to grow and are responsive to what clients ask for. Sobie tells me that while growing reliable standards greens, carrots, lettuce mixes, broccoli, garlic is impor tant, one of the fun things about the business is that they can experiment with small amounts of unique pro duce I take a chance and beg her for rapini, a vegetable I have full blown cravings for but find in woefully shor t supply in Victoria She is keen to accommodate my desire Spring suddenly looks even brighter to me as I contemplate my favourite meal, a traditional Ital ian repast of orrecchiete with rapini, garlic, anchovies and olive oil It’s good with conven tional broccoli standing in for the slightly bitter rapini, but it’s heaven made with the real thing.

Teulon distributes his produce at the West End and Riley Park Farmer’s Markets and the WIS E Hall Winter Market in Vancouver. He is also working on a rooftop garden on Seymour Street, in the hear t of downtown. The 1,000 square foot site will grow herbs and produce for local restaurants and condo residents Teulon is committed to encouraging more of us to become backyard gardeners and, in an attempt to simplify the process, he builds and prepares raised beds for people keen to begin growing their own vegetables

After distributing through wholesalers last year, Sobie and Scaia realized that, in order for City Har vest to become a truly viable business, they needed to sell directly to con sumers. This season they hope to have a booth at the Moss Street Market and a box pro gram: customers will receive an emailed list of what’s available on a weekly basis, place an order and pick up their produce each week at an agreed upon time and location. City dwellers interested in receiving a weekly box of fresh, truly local produce can contact City Har vest for information through their website.

A rewarding business

To keep up with the almost instantaneous demand they had for their product last year, City Har vest will be farming 17 private yards in Victoria this season “People are coming out of the woodwork,” says Sobie, echoing Ward Teulon’s experience. “We’ve had incredible in terest and suppor t.” And while, unlike many rural farmers, they are cer tainly making a liv ing through the business of urban agriculture, Sobie warns it’s not as simple as many

people would like to think.

Satzewich claims that it’s possible to gross more than $50,000 from a half acre of land. It sounds encouraging and, by farming standards, it probably is But considering that City Har vest requires its two owners to work full time for a good par t of the year and often 12+ hour days at peak harvest time, the numbers add up to the fact that there has to be rewards other than mere profitability And, of course, there are “Food and growing unite people,” Sobie says “It’s hard to pass a garden without look ing at it. We’re having fun. The kids like to help and their excitement in the baby plants is contagious and delightful. This has been an oppor tunity to create the experience I want for my self and my family, create community and help people to re envision their relationship to food.”

Satzewich sums up the more practical environmental argument for sub acre farming. “Not having any food production is not good for cities; it doesn’t make cities viable or sus tainable We aren’t making use of the resources that are already in place Neighbours lawns contribute grass clippings, homeowners give us compost; we get coffee grounds from Star bucks Cities create much compostable waste If we simply throw it out, there’s no loop being closed it’s hugely wasteful And it doesn’t make sense to water a lawn; why not water veggies instead?”

Mulling over all these discussions, I gaze out over my rocky, windy piece of non arable land. I am actually feeling inspired, both by the idea of suppor ting a business that brings so much goodness in so many forms into my community and to figure out how to grow even a few vegetables on my own. Maybe someday, I’ll have a yard that will be covered in rapini In the meantime, I’ll know there’s a crop with my name on it growing only a couple of kilometres away And, when it’s har vested, I’ll be first in line at the market

Ward Teulon of City Boy Farm in a client’s yard in east Vancouver

V A N C O U V E R RESTAURANT REPORTER

by Andrew Morrison

The soul-soothing interior at Denman's Motomachi Shokudo

HEALTHY RAMEN HOUSE TAKES ON THE WEST END

I've always been a big fan of Denman's Kintaro, the little Japanese ramen shoebox just off Robson. Sitting at the kitchen bar and watching the burn scarred cooks work the bubbling cauldrons of broth and the never ending stream of noodle nests is a test of saliva retention, and the ser vers in their kerchiefs are delightfully swift There are few things I enjoy more than trying to regain my balance after scarfing a full bowl of miso ramen with BBQ pork, sweet corn, and rich pork stock washed down with a couple bottles of Asahi lager So when I heard the owner had opened a new, more health conscious ramen house a block to the nor th, I didn't exactly beat a path to it While Kintaro is famous for its Tokyo style ramen of fatty pork broth, the new place, Motomachi Shokudo, is all about organic chicken stock. My introductory dinner here was a pleasant surprise. The new style doesn't come with an awful deficit in flavour (still a noticeable difference), the por tion sizes are still large, and the noodles still whisper of fresh egg. Few things are this restorative. One ramen option includes a few pinches of charcoal powder, which I'm told is good for cleansing the body of toxins and aiding digestion "I worried it might be too chalky on the palate, but it gave it a pleasant sharpness I wasn't expecting " What ever health benefits it had were canceled out by a double por tion of over sized and thoroughly double dippable gyozas As far as looks are concerned, Motomachi's interior is leaps and bounds more attractive than the cheap and utilitarian look that guests are subjected to up the street at Kintaro. There are a couple small tables and chairs, a shor t and stubby kitchen bar, and a lovely, 10 seat communal table is land that holds a tall stand of golden wheat in its center to allow guests a modicum of privacy while facing off and slurping indecorously. The floors are old hardwood painted a stunning blood red; the chairs are all wooden step stools, the kind once found in public libraries of old; and the walls are gunmetal grey concrete It's a very modern, lofty, and beautiful space, though there is no riveting window into the kitchen (you can see the young tattooed cook toiling in his ball cap with his sleeves rolled up to his shoulders when you walk in, but the seating is so low that he dis appears from view the moment you sit down). The ser vice is a shoot from the same tree: fast and gracious.

THE DETAILS

Menu: If you're there for anything other than ramen, then you're stealing someone else's chair Warning: they don't do take out and there are no doggy bags

Wine Cellar: Sapporo or Asahi beer is the way to go Ser vice: The ser vice is a shoot from the Kintaro tree: fast and gracious

Most Memorable Dish: the miso flavoured ramen with pork and chicken stock

Motomachi

The Ramen Master: Daiji Matsubara with a bowl of miso ramen at Motomachi Shokudo

SOMA BORN AGAIN AS FULL SERVICE RESTAURANT

Soma | 151 East 8th | East Vancouver | 604 630 7502 | SomaVancouver.com

When Soma closed just up from Aurora Bistro on Main Street next to the now defunct Monsoon East West Brasserie, I was not a little disappointed With its quality coffee, tasty baked goods, and free wireless it was an east side office option for bloggers and net surfers who dug the all white decor, lofty ceilings, and deep racks of interesting magazines. But it's back now, and with a kitchen and a liquor license to boot. The brick walls, silver bar stools, huge black chalkboard menu listing cheese, pate, and charcuterie selections are a pretty transparent rip off of G astown's Salt Tasting Room (imitation in this industry is not flattery, it's borderline felonious), but it's less stark and the bar thank goodness is about five times longer Located in the main floor of a very old house on East 8th just off Main, it remains a stone's throw from its previous location, so the locals have picked up where they left off Chef Jeremie Adams, a graduate of the Bin 941 and Lolita's school of small plates, has built a very intriguing menu of hot dishes in his miniature kitchen (slightly bigger than the washrooms), some of them enter ing the realm of the pretty good. I enjoyed a tall puck of rich and not too creamy and peppered pork rillette with pear and slivers of dry baguette and a spinach and feta soup enriched with ricotta to star t, and rejoiced at the dinner special: a lovely wild Spring salmon scented with truffled hibiscus and lightly glazed with blue berry next to a black lentil puree aromatic with orange blossom and a saute of arugula, asparagus, tarragon, and white beans A wonderfully conceived and well executed steal at a mere $20 Desser t saw an ably made sweet pecan and Bour bon tar t scantily dressed with sour cherry syrup and a cinnamon chantilly The wine list is built to pair with the cheeses (Iles aux Grues White Cheddar from Que bec with Chardonnay) and meats (Por tuguese blood sausage with a cold glass of Gewur tztraminer), but wading into the deep and uncommon beer list is more interesting. The ser vice is hamstrung by a lack of bodies working the floor, but formal this place is not. Wait your turn and you won't be disappointed.

THE DETAILS

Menu: A good selection of charcuterie, cheeses, or paté buttressed by imaginative hot plates that change often Lots of specials

Wine Cellar: Not exceptionally lengthy, but versatile and with many by the glass Lots of whiskey

Ser vice: Can prove a battle when busy Staffing should be doubled on busy nights

Most Memorable Dish: A creamed pancetta and fennel soup that waltzed in step with a crisp German Riesling.

Deja Vu at Soma: charcuterie, cheese, and wine (again)

Award-winning

by sister pâtisserie, Sweet Obsession Cakes & Pastries

HIDDEN JAPANESE WORK OF ART: PING'S WOWS ON MAIN

Ping's Cafe | 2702 Main St. | East Vancouver | 604 87 3 2702 | PingsCafe.ca

My brother called me from the opening par ty of Ping's Cafe, a restaurant I'd never heard of It was just around the corner from his house, and the owners were friends of his from the local art community "I don't think they're into publicity," he told me "They want to keep it quiet " From the outside, it didn't look like they would have any trouble One could walk right past without even noticing it They've frosted up the front window save for an inch high strip, and only below in difficult to see white do tiny letters announce that it is indeed "Ping's Cafe Yoshokuya Homestyle Japanese". But don't let the dreary exterior fool you. Inside and beyond grey cur tains it's arguably the prettiest restaurant on the east side. The dining room is pure symmetry, with two grey pleated wool covered banquettes facing eachother sit ting 14 apiece On the ethereally creamy walls are wide, birch framed mirrors that make the room look a little larger, while from above hang dozens upon dozens of cone shaped lights emitting a tranquil glow Next to the five seat dining bar at the back is a huge Rodney Graham canvas said to be wor th in the low six figures (Gra ham is an investor) It's very calculated space, not unlike an ar t installation, yet it's still very functional. And what of the food? We star ted with hot and toothsome pork gyozas, elongated to the size of very fat fingers, as well as karaage fried chicked morsels with a shallow hillock of oroshi ponzu (soy sauce with Japanese bitter orange and grated daikon radish). The "Ping Dog" was a simple, flavourful bratwurst cut up into medallions next to peppered daikon, and the "Ping Fries" come ser ved with mayo and a dusting of "aonori" (little calcium and magnesium rich flakes of green algae) At $22, the "Ping's Dinner" was the most expensive plate on the menu, and a depar ture from the menu's small and sharable streak (most dishes hover between $5 and $15) It included a plump hamburger patty (they play up the Japa phonetics, calling it "hambagoo"), a pair of deep friend pieces of pork tenderloin, two juicy prawns covered in panko and deep fried, a lit tle daub of potato salad next to a small por tion of shredded cabbage and rice. The plates are all vintage, like the kind my grandmother used to ser ve us macaroni and cheese. It's a good trick to wrest the "homestyle" theme away from an ar ty inte rior that speaks nothing of any home I've ever seen. The wine list is minimalist, but the beer selection was surprisingly good with Japanese brews followed up by some more obscure international ones like Belgium's Palm, the Czech Republic's Czech var, and India's Kingfisher (all in the $4 50 to $7 50 range) The food may not be ex ceptional, but it's fairly priced and refreshingly different The real attraction, it goes without saying, is the uniqueness of the interior space It feels as if you're dining in an ar t gallery's group show.

THE DETAILS

Menu: Japanese comfor t food with Nor th American diner genes.

Wine Cellar: Not much of one. Four whites, four reds, one rose, and three sakés, all available by the glass or bottle

Ser vice: Well meaning, familiar, and unapologetically amateurish

Most Memorable Dish: pan fried sablefish with miso teriyaki

Ar ty cool and mama's gyozas meet at hidden Ping's Cafe

TEQUILA KITCHEN ARRIVES IN YALETOWN

Tequila Kitchen | 1043 Mainland | Yaletown | 604 6 81 2120 | TequilaKitchen.ca

This Yaletown Mexican eatery had a false star t at the beginning of last winter. They opened for a brief spell in the old Melriches location and then shut down shor tly afterwards to completely renovate the space and flesh out a proper food concept. They opened again in March, and it took a few visits for me to warm up to it. The interior is pretty drab, like one of those rooms you see on TV in those real estate shows that has been gussied up on the cheap for a quick resell The small patio is shaded by umbrellas emblazoned with Corona branding A bad sign Inside, the walls are painted a rich adobe and the floor is old brown tile Tan coloured and horseshoe shaped banquettes hug one wall, and a mish mash of central tables and chairs face into an open kitchen Exposed cedar beams and old brick painted white remind diners that they are in Yaletown, but the overall feel is more strip mall than fancy pants. The food and drink, thank goodness, is a sight better. A bar at the back ser ves up some very adventurous and well put together tequila con coctions. The Cazadores with muddled raspberries, mint, and sugar ("TK Mojito") is a bright refresher, but aim first for their inventive margarita list Try the jalapeno, cucumber, tequila, and Cointreau version a real palate cleaner Executive chef Juan Gonzales dishes hit some great notes, and they've done well to remove a few items that were met with some early criticisms The concept they landed on, "botanas", a sor t of Mexican tapas, shows real promise, but the dinner menu still focuses too much attention on larger plates that don't gel with the tremendous po tential of the sharable theme. The solution? Stay small. A salsa flight ser ved with baked tostadas and cooling cucumber and jicama wedges or their spicy guacamole made to order make for great star ts, as does the rich and smoky tor tilla soup with avocado and cheese. The "Costillitas Adobadas", deliciously wet and spicy chile glazed pork ribs, are tender winners with plenty of meat, and their sauteed shrimps coated in chipotle and garlic paste light the mouth brilliantly By far the best op tion, however, is their tasting menu, an eight course marathon of fascinating morsels like beef tongue in a sauce of poblano peppers, tomatoes, olives and ca pers and empanadas stuffed with cheese and guava paste topped with tequila and coffee. It's a steal at just $37 per person. The ser vice is harried and mistake prone, clearly not yet on its game, but the imaginative food speaks to lots of po tential.

THE DETAILS

Menu:

Wine Cellar: It's called Tequila Kitchen for a reason Who needs wine? Ser vice: Could use a strobe light to make it look busy

Most Memorable Dish: The tor tilla soup, without a doubt the best I've ever had

Chef Juan Gonzalez introduces Mexico to Yaletown at Tequila Kitchen.

Mmm, chicken wings Nothing reminds me more of crying into my beer during a Canucks game The little featherless appendages are the taste of defeat. But now, thanks to Wingnuts on Vancouver's Main Street, that bitter flavour has overcome its one dimensionality to flourish, chameleon like. The chicken wing specialty store does take out, delivery, and dine in service, sport ing wings in 15 different guises, from Original Hot, Roaring Red Hot, and Serious Hot to Taj Mahal Tandoori, Garlic Par mesan, and my personal favourite: the Smokehouse BBQ The only thing hamstringing the mnemonic departure from the hockey+wings = "recipe for sadness" equation is a big TV for games and a framed Canucks jersey on the wall They shouldn't have (really, they should n't).

A. Morrison

CALGARY TRANSPLANT WOWS

Aura, Laurel Point Inn | 6 80 Montreal St. | 250 414 67 39

Run, don’t walk to Aura at the Laurel Point Inn There’s a new chef in town and he’s very good Chef Brad Horen moved to Victoria from Calgary where he had been executive chef at Catch Seafood Restaurant, a captain with Culinary Team Alberta and a mentor on the Food Network’s Next Great Chef. Horen brought several of his Catch team with him to the hotel.

Aura has been car ved out of the old bar space that hadn’t seen any updates for many years. Designer Rober t Leddingham has built a room that seemlessly matches the award winning ultra modern architecture originally designed in 1989 by Ar thur Erickson It has a light and airy look and at 77 seats it’s not large The rectangular shaped room is laid out to take best advantage of the two walls of windows that overlook the inner harbour look ing nor th to the Empress in the distance Outside there are heaters and a slate floored patio Inside the look is white, black and beige sleek with light boxes that give off the signature ‘aura’ Seating is comprised of backless chairs and uphostered benches.

The dinner menu offers a total of twenty dishes categorized into Small Plates, from The Water and From The Land. Prices star t at $10 for Saffron tor telloni stuffed with goats cheese and basil up to $32 for Grilled rack of lamb & braised shank with Israeli couscous and rosemary brown butter sauce.

Horen opens by deliverying warm, little individually baked brioche that buttery, rich and light bread that is almost a pastry setting his culinary bar high From the Small Plates section we order an appetizer of Spring pea risotto and the Sake marinated sablefish With their arrival it becomes clear that Horen is on his game and brings a new style to the city by blending Japanese and European flavours The risotto is bang on, executed a la minute to a creamy al dente and well spiked with little peas, pancetta, oven dried tomatoes and a deeply coloured balsamic sauce But it is the Sablefish that most impressed A large cube of the rich (locally caught) sablefish sits atop a dark cut out round of marinated and braised daikon radish, to the right are just in season spot prawns. A light, ethereal composition with complex flavours and textures. Next we go with a main course Surf N Turf trio of Sukiyaki braised shor t rib, tea smoked scallops and tempura maki roll. Cer tainly original, it works despite its conflicting flavours although the scallops seemed a little off. Equally impressive was the Cinnamon smoked duck breast, sliced near paper thin, rare and moist. Its added flavours were sweet spaghetti squash, caramelized apple and apple cider sauce Desser ts are the work of Nicky Proman who formerly worked at Bear Mount Resor t Proman brings a bit molecular gastronomy to her desser ts by adding various stabilizers and chlorides She ser ves Lemon grass, coconut panna cotta wrapped in mango sheets along side a sesame cookie, candied citrus, dep fried mango ice cream and what looks like a big gobsucker This mysterious hard ball is called a liquid bomb on the menu and we were instructed to pop it whole into our mouths Crushed, it gave up a burst of Campari aperitif The wine list, “a work in progress”, says Manager Stuar t Bruce includes wor thy Island wines such as Zanatta Domasco and the new Dragonfly ‘o5 Merlot/Cab an inky blend loaded with ripe dark berry flavours The ser ving staff (peppered with a few new recruits kept on from the old days) has made the transformation well and the room feels energized. Wor th a visit. G ary Hynes

ELEGANT DIM SUM WITH A VIEW

Pacific Restaurant, Hotel Grand Pacific | 463 Belleville St | 250 380 4458

Another way for your group of friends to share food is at a dim sum. But why sit in a raucous restaurant with plastic tablecloths when instead you can relax in the sumptuous Pacific Restaurant of the Hotel Grand Pacific, gazing out over the Inner Harbour, while gracious ser vers whisk glistening white lids off steaming plates to re veal exquisite and elegant little creations. Desire, longing, craving for the Barbeque Duck Spring Roll has pur sued me every day since I tried it, like languorous memories of a sexy ex boyfriend that materialize, unbidden, on the periphery of one’s mind Barbeque duck is roasted, shredded, marinated in Chinese 5 spice, teased with honey and vinegar, encased in crisp rice wrapper and, as gilding on the lily, presented with a complex birds eye chili coulis I am now on the verge of abandoning my ar ticle altogether and rushing straight down to order five of them I feel very strongly about this: you have not experienced all the best food in Victoria until you have tried these.

The other dim sum options will bring you joy and satiety as well: the wild tiger prawn and wood fungus egg purse; Shanghai bok choy with just the right sparkle of salt, pepper, and garlic; steamed pork dumpling with crisp bites of water chestnut, and more. Each of the seven dim sum dishes is $7.00. To be considered budget, one must take into account the surroundings; this is a way to have a small meal, a bite after a trip to the mu seum, in the most elegant of surroundings, with a romantic view You can savour this experience on weekends from 11:30 to 3:00 Elizabeth Smyth

SIGNATURE STEAK FOR BIG BEEF LOVERS

Vic’s Steakhouse & Bar, Harbour Towers Hotel | 345 Quebec Street | 250-480 6585

Harbour Towers Hotel raised the beef bar in Victoria with the grand opening of Vic’s Steakhouse & Bar on May 2. No other steakhouse in Victoria ser ves the quality cuts that Vic's will be throwing on the Montague grill All their steaks are Sterling Silver; only the top 12 per cent of beef produced in Nor th America receives that rating How ever, all that beef is tempered with plenty of organic produce sourced from local growers, and lots of fresh vegetables and salads. In addition, the wine list is 100 per cent British Columbia. Richard Benson is the restaurant chef and Corey Jessup is the executive chef and F&B Manager www vic ssteakhouse.ca. Treve Ring

SHARING PLATES IN JAMES BAY

Santiago’s Café | 660 Oswego St. at Quebec St. | 250- 388-7 376

Santiago’s in James Bay also provides plenty of oppor tunities for adding sides or mixing and matching meals The structure is this: you can order a large dish to share, just like in a Chinese restaurant. However, if it would be unthinkable for you to share, say, your spicy chipotle mussels, you can order sides of the cubed, creamy papas (potatoes) or the buttery, nutmeg kissed, fried squash, and create a complete meal The spicy chipotle mussels are, to be frank, the hardest dish to share The sauce’s com bination of chipotle, garlic, white wine, and cream create a New Orleans feeling smoky, steamy, jazzy yet the heat of the chipotle does not overpower the integrity of the seafood. Contrasting sweetness can be found in the pollo naranja, or orange chicken, which is blended with soft diced onions, cumin, and cinnamon, and needs only a dash of salt to be a bit more complex The polenta dish is a joy to behold, and is a favourite of vegetarian patrons A wedge of tomato infused polenta, the size of a slice of pizza, is encircled by black beans and doused in a sauce of sun dried tomatoes The biggest flavour punch comes from a blending of all the components: polenta, beans, and sauce tipped with salsa and sour cream all in one big mouthful. Prices range from a side of squash for $2.95 to a top price of $13.95 for mussels, with the median price being about $11.00. Sharing with a group would definitely be the best way to get vari ety and value. Elizabeth Smyth

FUNKY BREAKFAST JOINT ON JOHNSON

Lady Marmalade | 608 Johnson St. at Government St. | 250-381-2872

Lady Marmalade has a funky helter skelter charm and warm ambience with its mismatched chairs, gauzy cur tains, and bright paintings on the wall But there is noth ing helter skelter about the breakfast menu, which offers a consistent quality and even

15 oz Bone In Rib Eye Signature

Sterling Silver Steak with seasonal local organic produce and crisp steak cut fries.

an elegance belied by the casual environ ment Witness the Aged White Cheddar and Spinach Waffles for $10.95. This tower of waffle wedges is draped with bacon and covered with a superior, thick, smoky tomato orange cream sauce. On the side are three grilled tomatoes and a spinach salad tossed with shredded cabbage, sesame seeds, and a sesame oil inflected dressing Equally good is the Benny with Cheddar, Bacon, and Mango for $12 95 The sweetness of the mango and the tang of the aged cheddar are a surprising but happy marriage, and the mango also boosts the pleasant saltiness of the bacon. The enveloping hollandaise sauce has the deep yellow colour that can only come from organic eggs, and the perfect zest of lemon Of overall interest to a budget gourmet are these details about Lady Marmalade First, the big breakfasts are all complete meals, as they come with salads. Second, sides can be substituted and halved without any fuss or extra cost. Finally, fancy teas cost between $2.00 and $2.75. I resent it when my tea or coffee costs half what my meal does! Kudos to Lady Marmalade for keeping that cost rea sonable And the lunch and dinner look just as creative and fairly priced Elizabeth Smyth

C O W I C H A N

SPOON WITH A VIEW

Hammocked between Duncan and Mill Bay, perched on a hill with a 180 degree view of Satellite Channel, Salt Spring Is land and Mount Baker sits the clubhouse for Arbutus Ridge Golf Club. Now be brave. You are not here for 18 holes. Heck, you don’t even know what a putter is But you are hungry You have heard a rumour So step across the threshold, past avid golfers, plaques and awards and the pro shop Walk into the dining room You know the score You are here to eat well, and so you shall. Cory Pelan, E xecutive Chef, will see to that. Pelan, one of the culinary team to open Brent wood Bay Lodge, has moved his kitchen credentials to Satellite, and Cowichan Valley is orbiting around his new menu While the dining room itself is in transi tion (a contemporary new look is slated for 2009), the food has gone through a total eclipse With a kitchen garden just outside one door and local farmers de livering through the other, the food phi losophy is one of “local, regional and seasonal.” Many of Cowichan Valley’s top producers of meats, cheeses, ar tisan breads and fish and vegetables are key suppliers Top marks go to the doubloon sized scallops wrapped in smoked Salt Spring Island tuna or the local rosemary basted baby lamb chops seared to per

fection and served with caramelized shal lot mashed potatoes Food & Beverage Manager, Michael Brown, has crafted a wine list of simplicity and elegance with notable choices from New and Old Worlds, as well as a considerable nod to numerous regional vineyards and vari tals Local suppor t is also evidenced by the ar t on the walls and throughout the building The ser vice is upscale casual and attentive Wor th return visits for lunch or dinner and well wor th the drive during any season. Su Grimmer

Marmalade staffer Keah Rose chows down on Aged white cheddar and spinach waffles with smoky tomato orange cream, scallions, bacon, roasted tomatoes and salad.

Room to Grow

Thrifty Foods’ Tuscany Village Community and Lifestyle Room

Thrifty Foods, Vancouver Island’s homegrown supermarket chain and the largest on the Island, is taking its pledge to suppor t community based projects to the next level The company, which star ted in 1977 with its first location in Victoria’s Fairfield neighbourhood, has a history of com munity fundraising, scholarships, sponsorships and par tnering Now it has opened the doors to its first “Community and Lifestyle Room” at the Tuscany Village location on McKenzie Avenue.

The room will ser ve two functions, as a venue for cooking, nutrition and wellness classes as well as a rent free room where local community groups can convene. The kitchen, equipped with state of the ar t appliances and tools, will host local celebrity chefs. Spring and early summer cooking classes featured Sylvia Main of Victoria’s Fairholme Manor Inn and George Siu of Vancouver’s Memphis Blues Barbeque House A cheese making evening, a visit from a guest sommelier, a Thai Cooking for Beginners class and an evening devoted to midweek meals with local cookbook author Eric Akis rounded out a lineup that Eva Chernoff, Cooking Centre coordinator, describes as a step ping stone between the amateur cook and a culinary school “It all comes down to a passion for cooking,” says Chernoff, who teaches some of the courses herself

Chernoff accumulated cooking experience in restaurants on Salt Spring Island and Vancouver before joining Thrifty’s three years ago. Malcolm Webster, vice president of marketing and com munications, calls the project a way of uniting Thrifty’s food knowledge with its promise to suppor t community groups. Webster sees Thrifty’s as a source of exper tise in the many different depar t ments of food it provides its customers. And that knowledge “coupled with the relationship with restaurants and chefs we have within the area, has given us an oppor tunity to put together a pro gram for the community ” This is Thrifty’s first and only Community and Lifestyle Room, but both Webster and Chernoff hope to see more across Vancouver Island

Upcoming classes are described on the Thrifty’s website at www thriftyfoods com/ourser vices/cknglf html Community groups interested in using the Community and Lifestyle Room can contact Eva Chernoff at 250 483 1222 or 1 866 751 1222. Thrifty Foods Tuscany Village is located at 1626 McKenzie Ave Katie

11 TH ANNUAL VANCOUVER ISLAND FEAST OF FIELDS AT VICTORIAN EPICURE VINEYARD, NORTH SAANICH, BC

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21ST, 1PM-5PM

WWW.FEASTOFFIELDS.COM

Tickets available August 1, please see our website for more details.

TICKETS: $85 for adults, $15 for kids 7-12, free for kids under 7. Special Group Rates.

Zydbel

Thrifty Foods cooking and lifestyle center coordinator Eva Cherneff.

R e b e c c a W e l l m a n

A REWARDING BISTRO UP ISLE

Mar tine’s Bistro | 1754 Beaufor t ave., Comox., | 250-339-1199

The patio and garden at Mar tine’s Bistro in Comox, with their view of Comox Bay and the Beaufor t Range, were welcoming as we came to the front door. But so were the aromas inside We star ted with “his & hers” mar tini’s and a nibble a “Rasp berry Beret” for her, a Tanquery mar tini for him and the Oven Baked Goat Cheese Maybe it was the day, or the company of a dear friend, but it was one of the most enjoyable ways to star t a meal.

For dinner my date’s lamb was “ex cellent: this is how lamb should always be prepared!” Tender, rich flavour under a mustard crust For those who like their beef soft and forgiving, my tenderloin was perfect and with a gorgonzola red wine demi glaze, well what can I say: rare red flesh with ripe blue cheese is it pos sible to have a bad experience?

We asked Christine, one of the owners for a wine recommendation and she sug gested a 2005 Nero d’Avola IT Cusamao (I liked it so much that I ordered a case the following week)

Both meals were presented with that sumptuousness that I’ve come to expect from Chef Marcus’ kitchen Lovely to look at; lovely to sink my teeth into. The veg etables were “perfect” in my guest’s opinion.

1210BROADSTREET,VICTORIA250.388.9906 CarvingSeries

OurCarvingSeriesisdesignedspecifically forcarvingroastsandfowl.Aunique diamondshapedsurfaceholdsthemeatin placewhileyouarecarving.Bothsizes haveangenerousinnerjuicetroughand the20x15hasanouterjuicegroove.This surfaceisdesignedspecificallytofitmost dishwasherstomakethatbigclean-upa littlebiteasier.ThelargeCarvingSeriesis justthethingforslicingThanksgivingturkey oralargeholidayroast.Newfor2008,the smaller15x10isperfectfordeli-style rotisseriechickensandporktenderloin.

G a r y H y n e s

W HAT’S N E W and F R E S H?

The

beverage, and social experience. Muchos gracias to Marcus, Christine, and to our lovely ser ver Loris for making our leisurely dining experience such a treat Hans Peter Meyer HAUTECUISINE

C O M O X

P O R T A L B E R N I

A MEXICAN TAKEOUT ENROUTE

On my way back from Tofino I made a pit stop in Por t Alberni and stumbled up All Mex’d up on the waterfront A welcome addition to this working town, the tiny space offers up authentic style mexican food preapred by chef/owner Judy Walker. Formerly a sous chef at Clayquot Wilderness Resor t, Walker chose to work closer to her home on Sprout Lake I had the big burrito filled with ground bison meat ($7) and refried black beans, cheese, chipolte cream, lettuce and fresh tomato salsa A good chowdown Also on offer are Enchilada, Tacos, Tor tas (huge sandwiches) and Quesadillas. Muy bueno mi amigo.

Victoria’s “Grande Dame” has been ser ving afternoon tea since 1908 when it first opened

At the very first dinner given to honour the opening of the Empress Mumm Champagne was the bubbly of choice.

To celebrate 100 years, the Fairmont Empress Hotel is offering a Centennial Afternoon Tea. Chefs Takashi Ito and D’oyen Christie are preparing special sandwiches and pastries such as Dungeness Crab salad with Lime vinaigrette & Smoked Salmon, toasted Dill brioche and Tri color chocolate toffee pudding cake

Of course, flutes of Mumm NV Brut Cordon Rouge are available.

Until September 26

Call 250.384.8111

Paul Jefferies of the Fairmont Empress Hotel prepares to wield the Champagne beheading sword at a media preview for the special Centennial Afternoon Tea.

PASTURE TO PLATE

GRASS is Greener: Part 2

GARY HYNES

I’m bumping along a wet grass track on the back of an old ATV in search of a herd of Nor th America plains bison. I hang on tight as we thrash through rough, shor t grass, ford creeks and precariously climb steep embankments. Tom Olson, a top Canadian tax lawyer by profession, a bison evangelist by determination, is driving, and it’s his bison we’re off in hot pursuit of. Olson’s ranch, a four square mile patch of rolling Alber ta high prairie south of Pincher Creek and just nor th of the Montana border, al lows the bison to live a semi wild existence There are no power lines to be seen and few trees just open range as it once was before the oil rigs, the wind farms, the beef feedlots and the Caucasian

I have come to stark Alber ta from the softer, lusher coast because I want to visit the capi tal of red meat Most meat consumed in B C comes from Alber ta ranches, and I want to find out, first hand, if the movement to a more sustainable food life has infiltrated this dusty con servative pocket. Among all the grain finished, well marbled protein on the hoof, I have heard there is beef and bison being raised organically and humanely. I have also read The Omni vore’s Dilemma and know that livestock raised naturally on grass is not only healthier to eat, it is also a helleva lot better for the environment (see “Grass Is Greener,” Par t One, May/June Issue)

I have three stops to make The first is Tom Olson’s bison High Country Ranch, then the nearby MX Ranch cattle ranch (par t of the Diamond Willow organic co op), and lastly the ac claimed River Café in Calgary where chef Scott Pohorelic will lead me through a tasting of or ganic and grass fed meat

I ask Olson if he has had many journalists come by. “We had a TV crew from the Discovery Channel back in 1995,” he says, “and the Calgary Sun once did a story on us, but you’re the first food journalist I’ve seen most journalists have only been interested in the eco angle. We have had a few chefs come, though; they really wanted to see the bison up close ”

Traditionally, this high plains area was the wintering ground for thousands upon thousands of bison Come winter, Olson moves many of his 4,000 head from his other ranches (he owns three) to this high altitude area up in the foothills of the Rockies It is the ideal wintering area where warm chinooks melt the snow down to a level that the bison can get at the grass or fescue, as the local grasses are called. In summer, the bison migrate to lower levels and more abundant fresh growing grass. The grasses are the key to raising bison.

Olson is fit and sun weathered. He usually walks his ranch (about six miles) every day. (What better way to keep an eye on the grass?) Every once in a while, Olson spots a patch of grass and we stop to take a closer look. To me it looks like, well, just grass. But to Olson, it is a biosphere containing dozens of grass species that have been supporting life on the prairie for a very long time Like a farmer sur veying his land, Olson is attuned to the grass’s health, its nuances of green and beige, and all the insects and small wildlife (as well as the large at one point we spot a grizzly on the other side of a small valley) that inhabit the grassland

Olson explains, “I see myself as a grass farmer first The bison don’t need brought in food to sur vive. They can live wholly on the grass they find and guess what it’s free it only needs the sun to grow. There’s no call for expensive, oil based fer tilizers or corporate con trolled designer seeds. It’s a symbiotic relationship. The grass nourishes the bison while the bison carries the grass seed to other areas and replenishes the soils with its dung. Our na

Text & Photography by

tive grass is fescue (Festuca saximon Tana), and it is the foundation upon which the whole prairie ecosystem is built Unfor tunately, over the years invasive, non native grasses have taken over They’re not as nourishing, and they crowd out the good native species, turning the prairie into a monoculture. My goal is to return the land to its original state of native grasses.”

By now we’ve been out in the rain and cold searching for his elusive bison for more than two hours, and we’ve seen only one solitary old bull grazing off in the distance Olson knows where they were yester day, but because they move around so much they could be anywhere on the ranch today We ford yet another creek while I hang on tight and try to listen to Olson rattle off facts and stories and debunk myths “We call them bison, not buffalo, which refers to the Asian no hump,” says Olson. There are other myths, too. “Comparisons to cattle are quite in correct. While cattle are essentially lazy and prefer not to move much, bison are quite the opposite. Unlike the sedentary cow, bison are fast, constantly on the move and cover big distances. Bison also have a strong social structure comprised of families ”

As we continue our exploration of the ranch, Olson points out areas where the native grasses have again taken hold He’s proud that he’s been able to accomplish this We head for higher ground to see if we can spot the herd from a knoll Finally, we come up over a rise and there they are a magnificent sight reminiscent of an old Cowboy and In dian Hollywood film, but better. Bulls, cows and calves are strung out along the rise. As we pull close, they look at us, curious but unafraid. They’re huge; some weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. A couple of pro tective bulls star t to meander toward us, and Olson says we’d better back off a bit I take my pictures and we leave

Later that evening we dine on bison tenderloin with a sauce of Auchentoshan single malt, chocolate and local saskatoon berries at the Lamp Post Dining Room in the historic Kilmorey Lodge in Water ton Lakes National Park It is tender like beef but different slightly sweet tasting, quite lean and mildly gamey yet with a clean flavour. I’d call it true. Eaten so close to the source it seems so right in harmony with it surroundings.

The MX Ranch

Not far from where Olson’s bison ranch backs hard up into the Spread Eagle Mountain foothills, Mac Main lives the cowboy dream Not for him the big city with all its rush and polluted big sky. Here he can live a quiet life of contemplation and hard work surrounded by family.

The MX Ranch is par t of Diamond Willow, a group of seven farms that cooperatively market their certified organic beef. Each of the seven fam ilies in the Diamond Willow co op vows to protect local watersheds and wildlife and to sell beef that is free of the industrial cattle rancher’s overflowing medicine cabinet They call their beef pasture raised and grass fed, although Main says the only way it is economically viable is to finish the cattle on grain Main himself will only eat his steaks grass finished He keeps a few cattle back from the cooperative for himself and a few friends. I ask if I could purchase some directly from him and he says good naturedly sure, if the government will allow it.

Main speaks in a deep, slow, deliberate voice that seems archetypi cal of the laconic cowboy. “I have customers who are very conscious of the animal’s well being just before the animal is har vested, and they like it done on the ranch and that’s almost impossible to do because to be federally inspected you have to have a vet standing right there But that’s the ideal situation to be able to har vest the animal quietly, for them not to be stressed getting on a truck There are a lot of things the general consumer should be able to get, but they can’t because of the rules and regulations that are there to protect them from E. coli and other problems.”

We jump in an old truck, and Main takes me on a tour of his large, rambling ranch. We spot numerous groups of cattle, each with plenty of room, fresh air and pastureland Like Olson’s bison, the cattle raised here live in a natural habitat Main rejects the industrial in favour of raising cattle the old way a slow life of tending to cattle grazing on grass

To use a cliché that doesn’t apply to most cattle anymore, they seem like contented cows.

But this region of working ranches is changing. Main isn’t keen on the influx of vacation home buyers and ranch hobbyists from the big city. He wants to see his area stay the way it has been for generations.

Rancher Tom O lson is a man with a mission: he wants to restore the prairie to its orginal state of wild, native grasses and roaming bison herds.

Mac Main on the MX Ranch tending to his pasture-raised cattle.

His own family has been ranching here for over a hundred years.

“ This area here, there’s not a hope that you’re going to cultivate it and turn it into cotton, rice or grain fields. It’s best and most valuable use is turning those grasses into red meat and protein You either do that with this landscape or you cover it with houses It’d be very unfor tunate if the world went that way ”

River Café

Heading back to the city, I take Route 22, the old Cowboy Trail, as it is referred to in the tourist brochures. It follows the Rockies nor th from Pincher Creek all the way up to Ed monton. There’s a steady stream of RVs heading for the playgrounds of the southern foothills. I pass the historic Bar U Ranch, a National Historic Site. Once the largest ranch in the West, its remnants now sit quiet and barren, only its buildings and golden hay bales lying in the sun remind us of its great past. I’m haunted by the images of the past few days, and a little sad that the wide open West has been gobbled up, processed and spit out like a bad piece of jerky

Nearing Calgary and its slick new towers, I’m looking forward to the tasting at the River Café You can’t drive right up to the café and park because the restaurant sits on protected Prince’s Island Park out in the Bow River But it’s a shor t walk from downtown and I’m soon at the front door being greeted by executive chef Scott Pohorelic.

Pohorelic is one of Alber ta’s top chefs and suppor ters of locally based cuisine. Sprinkled about his menu are ingredients sourced from the surrounding prairie red lentils, flax breads, cold pressed canola oil, wild ramp (leeks) as well as numerous farm and ranch designations. I spot Diamond Willow organic beef tenderloin, which is being ser ved with shor t rib stuffed Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, beets, stinging nettle chimichurri And from Tom Olson there is mushroom dusted High Country Ranch bison striploin with brown beech mushroom and barley “risotto” and spiced green beans

We sit down at a table and two pieces of seared, medium rare beef tenderloin are placed in front of us The first is from Diamond Willow, possibly from Mac Main’s MX Ranch, and is grass fed but grain finished. Diamond Willow’s grain finishing is less intensive than reg ular A A A beef finished in feedlots. Their cattle aren’t fed a ridiculous amount of grain and they eat how much and when they want. The result is an organic piece of meat with mar bling; it’s not like an A A A but more like an A.

The other piece of tenderloin comes from a smaller beef producer Pine Terra Farm is run by the Philips family and is not only cer tified organic, all their beef is grass finished an im por tant distinction for this taste test “It’s not that easy to find suppliers of grass finished beef or bison,” says Pohorelic, “and it’s not that easy to sell in the restaurant either Peo ple aren’t used to it The vast majority of people judge beef solely on its tenderness it’s all about the marbling The flavour, the wholesomeness, doesn’t seem to matter But lately we’re seeing a huge response to Michael Pollan’s book [The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natu ral History of Four Meals]. More and more people are asking about their food where their beef, their chicken comes from and how is it produced.”

We taste and compare the two tenderloins, both cer tified organic, one grain finished, the other grass finished The first difference is that the grain finished steak has a softer tex

Plains bison roam freely on High Countr y Ranch.

ture and a higher fat content. “Probably about seven or eight grams of fat per 100,” says Pohorelic. “ This makes it easier and faster to grill so you get that nice caramelization.”

The grass finished steak, on the other hand, has a deeper and a longer, lingering flavour with no greasy aftertaste It also has an earthier taste “If you cook the meat too well done,” says Pohorelic, “it takes on a liver component Oddly, however, if you do a long slow braise, the gaminess goes away completely ” The results? We both agree that we prefer the grass finished steak and that we don’t miss the extra fattiness that comes from grain. We’re satisfied with having more beef flavour at the expense the char. We talk a bit more about the health benefits of eating grass fed meats and how grass finished beef or bison has better omega 3 than salmon and a cho lesterol lowering effect. “You also don’t need to eat as much,” says Pohorelic, “because it is denser, richer.”

Returning to the coast, I go over what I’ve seen and learned Southern Alber ta is a vast bioregion that has yet to be ruined and as Canadians we should demand that this precious land be kept as it is and protected I’ve been impressed by Tom Olson’s determination to save the plains bison Bison is the perfect meat animal: wild, sustainable and living off the sun and the grass, with incredibly strong immune systems Unlike most cattle, bison stay outside all of their three to four year life, all the while living off the native grasses. I’ve also learned that there are still cowboys in Alber ta, and some of them want to raise cattle the natural way humanely and with care. I appreciate their efforts to bring organics to the cat tle industry.

The final word goes to chef Scott Pohorelic. “Local always trumps organic for us if we can meet the farmer, if we’ve seen what they’re doing Just because it’s organic doesn’t means it’s great, and just because it’s local doesn’t mean it’s great, either You have to have that connection ”

E S O U R C E S

High Countr y Ranch 403.974.3425

Diamond Willow www diamondwillow ca (available at Planet Organic, Capers & Save on Food)

Lamp Post Dining Room at the Kilmorey Lodge in Water ton, 403 859 2334

Pine Terra Farm, 780.967.3012. E mail: pineterrafarm@interbaun.com

River Café, Prince's Island Park, Calgary Ph: 403.233.9125, www.river cafe.com

Hotel Ar ts 119 12th Avenue SW Calgary, Toll free: 1 800 661 9378 www.eatwild.com

Stockman Grass Farmer Magazine www stockmangrassfarmer com

A special thanks to Travel Alber ta for their assistance in putting together this ar ticle. www.travelalber ta.com, 1.800.252.3782

How to cook a steak River Café style

The longer and the slower it takes to cook a steak the better it is but beef also really likes to have its sear. So on the grill we’ll sear the steaks first then pull it off to a cooler spot and cook it as long as and slow as we can

For grass finished steaks it goes double you sear it, then be really gentle Rare is considered 125 130 degrees but I’d pull grass finished off sooner at 115 or 120. And bison we pull at 110.

On a gas grill at home, star t off with the lid down until it is smoking hot We put a little River Rub (fennel, thyme, rosemary and juniper from out our own bushes) on our steaks Quicky sear your steak then remove it With the lid open, turn the gas down to its lowest setting, until it cools down and then put your steak back on.

On

On

If you could spend two hours cooking a steak I think that steak would be incredible

Chef Scott Pohorelic shows us the beef.

the left: cer tified organic tenderloin.

the right: grass finished tenderloin

R

The EAT Interview with fisherman Steve Johansen

Forget

ancouver's 2nd Annual Spot Prawn Fes tival, which was just wrapping up as this issue went to print, was a smashing suc cess, once again introducing thousands of British Columbians to the joys of buy ing seafood directly from the boat The man at the centre of it all was fisherman Steve Johansen In an inter view conducted on his new vessel, Organic Ocean 1 (moored at False Creek’s Fisherman’s Wharf ), which was fre quently interrupted by phone calls from the city’s top chefs, Steve talked to Chris Mason Stearns about these tasty, not so little prawns, the changing state of the coastal fishery, re inventing his business, selling the ocean to table model, and of course, hair metal.

E AT: Where are you from? How did you get star ted as a fisherman?

STEVE JOHANSEN: I grew up on Hornby Island, and one of the only things to do when you grow up on a little island is fish. My Dad was a salmon fisherman until he opened up the marina there. His dad was a fisherman too. When I was 18, I decided I wanted my own boat. It was called the Viola. We fished salmon in the Strait of Georgia, and after that fishery was closed down in the mid nineties, we switched to fishing sockeye and chum up in the Johnstone Strait In the last few years I’ve been getting into spot prawn fishing because we all know where salmon fishery is going it’s too unpredictable

E AT: Your business is direct to the consumer ocean to table. You have a face to face relationship with your customers, whether they are restaurant chefs or people walking down to the wharf to buy off your boat. How differ ent is that?

SJ: It’s much more personal When I’m dealing with a cus tomer myself, they can see the pride we take in what we do. Ninety percent of the time I do the restaurant deliveries my self, and if a chef has a question, I can answer it right there. For chefs that’s very impor tant. The direct relationship guar antees them the highest quality, because if they aren't happy, they can talk to me directly

E AT: Have you gotten any feedback that has changed the way you work?

SJ: Sure. Last year, during the first Spot Prawn Festival, we had a conventional boat which did 7 or 8 knots. I would fish in the morning we go out around 6am but I wasn’t get ting the fresh prawns into restaurant kitchens until 5, 6, 7 o' clock at night Chefs don’t want to see you then! Our new boat, which we just bought a couple months ago, does 35 knots, so now we're getting the fresh prawns to restaurants between 2 and 4 o'clock a big improvement.

EAT: How sustainable is the BC Spot Prawn fisher y?

SJ: It’s one of the most sustainable, best managed fisheries in the world It’s all done by trap, so the ocean floor isn’t dragged By catch is minimal, and what little there is (like crabs or ling cod) isn’t killed they just sit in the trap, hap pily eating prawns. We take them out and they swim away. There's a lot of investment in the industry spot prawn li censes aren’t cheap so no one wants to see the fishery screwed up. It’s probably one of the only fisheries around where if a fisherman thinks an area is slowing down, he’ll phone the Depar tment of Fisheries and say "maybe we should close this area," because they don’t want to screw it up for next year That’s kind of unique

EAT: It seems enlightened.

SJ: Last year I signed up, with my fishing par tner Frank, for a quota system for silverbrite chum, which we fish up in the Johnstone Strait in the fall Instead of fishing a shor t opening with a Derby mentality “pull as many as you can” the

opening is longer. If a fishery is only open for one day, the way the sockeye fishery often is, you’ve got to pull as many fish as possible on that day and worry about them later With a quota system, you have a number of fish to catch (say, 500), but a month to do it The quality of the fish goes up so much The whole industry has to change, from quotas to tak ing care of your product and putting more pride into it Take pink salmon for example which most people think of as can ning salmon they’re absolutely wonderful fish if they’re taken care of. Unfor tunately, for the most par t commercial pink salmon fishing is tens of thousands [caught] at a time, not cleaned for days, and put in a can.

E AT: How do your customers react to the ocean to table connection?

SJ: People crave it. Buying from the producer, going to the farmers market people are getting into it more. It’s an ad venture. So many people come down here sure that they’re getting the best fish. They want to meet the fisherman, put their kid on the boat, get the biggest prawns on the coast, and go home to barbecue ‘em up and have friends over and brag about how they bought them right off the boat Things like that bring it back to being a lot more personal They feel confident having met the person who caught that fish, rather than going home [from the supermarket] with a cellophane wrapped foam tray with a bunch of prawns inside it. People should, no matter where they’re buying whether it’s here at the fisherman’s wharf or at their local market ask ‘What’s fresh? What’s local? What’s in season right now?’ They’ll have the answers for you

People should, no matter w h e r e t h e y ’ r e b u y i n g –w h e t h e r i t ’s h e r e a t t h e f i s h e r m a n ’s w h a r f o r a t t h e i r l o c a l m a r k e t – a s k ‘ W h a t ’s f r e s h ? W h a t ’s l o c a l ? W h a t ’s i n s e a s o n

E AT: What’s new, or on the horizon right now, that consumers should be looking out for?

SJ: Well, there have been no new fish invented [laughs]. But there are some things that are more available that weren’t before A few years ago, 90% of the spot prawn catch was expor ted to Japan So many people to this day have no idea these products are from this market When Rober t Clark [of C Restaurant] and I dreamed up the Spot Prawn Festival, it was because we were trying to figure out what we could do to keep these prawns at home, for everybody not just the fine dining restaurants and overseas buyers, but for every body.

EAT: What’s your favourite way to cook spot prawns?

SJ: In season, they’re so good on their own that we just tail them, drop the tails in boiling water for one minute tops and then peel ‘em and eat ‘em like peanuts. Two pounds of prawns on a plate and a big stack of napkins and you just go hard.

EAT: How many other fishermen are adapting to changing times by switching to other products, like you? Is that the key for fishermen in the younger generation?

SJ: Well, I mentioned I got into fishing when I was 18. That was with a few friends of mine. We’re all in our early 40s now, but we’re still some of the youngest guys fishing on the coast It makes sense Who are you going to pass the torch to? Not your kids There’s no future in the salmon fishery until things get straightened out, so you have to move on Guys are either diversifying to stay in it, or getting out completely About six years ago, we star ted to make the shift to fishing prawns, at the same time the movement towards eating locally and sup por ting local producers was gaining ground, and we found a whole new market.

EAT: What has to happen to encourage a future generation of fishermen to get into the business?

SJ: There has to be a future. Lots of fishermen I know are cashing out their licenses in the federal buy back program and getting out of the business completely.

EAT: But you’ve figured out a way to make it work. You seem optimistic.

SJ: Par t of being a fisherman is optimism if you have no op timism, you’re not going to catch anything [laughs]. There has to be a more secure future in the industry. It’s also very ex pensive. Take halibut fishing for example. It’s a quota fish ery, but buying quota is around $35 40 per pound, so if you want 10,000 pounds of quota you’re looking at over $350,000 just for the right to go catch that fish Not many 18 year olds can afford that We have two kids and we’re not passing the torch to them Nine times out of ten that’s the story on this dock It’s a problem all over the world: who is going to grow the food, catch the food we eat in the next 20 years?

E AT: What about the smaller model, like yourself, selling direct to the consumer. Is that more viable for the future?

SJ: I think so We catch smaller amounts but we command a premium price, because the quality is much better And it works for us, but for others you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, you know? A lot of guys who have been fishing for ever, they don’t want to change. They want to go fish, get paid, and call it a year. Marketing isn’t for everybody. But local fish is in demand right now, with people wanting to get back to the basics Like fishing, the guard is changing in the culinary world too A lot of these chefs are in their mid twen ties They’ve been brought up to be green, to be responsi ble To us older guys, it’s all new They’re a lot more passionate about it They have a million questions They call me when I’m out on the boat, ‘any bycatch today?’ It really plays into what we’re all about. And if they have any ques tions, they can ask, and I’m not going to BS them. Chefs want to talk to their guests about their suppliers because there’s a story there, and they’re proud to ser ve these products.

EAT: What music do you listen to when you’re fishing?

SJ: Metal. We listen to a lot of hair music. We call it “ The House of Hair” when we’re out fishing. We’ve got AC/DC going all the time, and Bon Jovi. Van Halen, too. The Scorpi ons are big prawn fishing music. On a lot of days, the theme song out there is The Zoo by The Scorpions. Because it's a zoo out there

Steve’s new boat, the Organic Ocean 1, docks at Fisherman’s Wharf at Granville Island, and sells direct to customers most days star ting around 1:30pm More information is available at OrganicOcean com or by calling (604) 862 7192

right now?’

The Quest for an Honest Taco

Until a few years ago, British Columbia had never made much of a home for the simple taco Instead, we filled our rock hard Old El Paso shells with ground hamburger beef seasoned with store bought powder with layers of sour cream, grated cheddar, and tomato on top a culinary anomaly that took its cues from the only Mexican fast food chains that made it this far north But the times, thank goodness, are changing For starters, we can now boast plenty of palatable local twists, from the "tacones" at Red Fish Blue Fish in Victoria's inner harbour to the varied versions available at Davie's fun filled Lolita's (with their neon pink pickled onions and mango salsas). There has emerged a completely new style that leans on Mexico for inspiration (soft tortillas five inches in diameter) without giving in completely to its simplicity But while there have been good moves away from the old gringo standards, what I've found to be more exciting (and decidedly less expensive) has been the arrival of Mexican restaurateurs who haven't run from their heritage to please our Taco T ime palates No one embraces the traditional taco more than the Cortes de Castrejon family at Victoria Drive's Doña Cata Mexican Foods. Theirs are the real deal, recipes lost to time. My wife and I take our kids there as often as we can, filling ourselves to the brink of obscenity for around $20 The tacos come in little baskets lined with red and white checked wax paper The tortillas can be loaded up with a variety of meats, from seasoned sausage "Longaniza" and simple chicken to "al pastor" rotisserie pork (so very juicy and sweetened with a pineapple dice) and tender, beefy "bisteck" The default toppings are a fine chop of white onion and a messy chiffonade of cilantro simple, to be sure, but a great taco isn't something that should be complicated For add ons, they line up 10 deep bowls of sauces at a self serve counter arranged from freaky hot to mild cool green tomato salsa, chili de arbol, chipotle, rajas con limon, and so on each a "choose you own adventure" No orange cheddar No sour cream No mariachi bands or inflatable palm trees Gracias A Morrison

Dona Cata is located at 538 Victoria Drive in East Vancouver (604-436-2232)

T r a c e y K u s i e w i c z

Muy bueno: Longaniza tacos at East Vancouver's Dona Cata are the real deal.

A Very Season O

ne of the best things about summer on the West Coast is the abundance of berries we har vest, from the shor t sea soned, scarlet hued strawber ries to ebony blackberries and deep purple blueberries. But of all of these, the delicate raspberry is far and away my favourite, not only because of its intense flavour, which no other berry can match, but for its versatility in the kitchen.

They turn up everywhere, as salad ingredients as well as in vinegars used to dress them, meats such as duck and lamb and on just about every dessert menu, usually in com pany with chocolate (although the best way to eat truly fresh raspberries is quite plain, with cream and perhaps a hint of sugar). Not only do they taste great, but raspberries are a great source of vitamin C and have only 30 calories in a half cup of berries.

This simple “caneberry” has been in existence as a food source and medicinal plant for at least 10,000 years and was cultivated by the Romans as early as the 4th century for use as a medicine rather than as a food

In the 16th century, raspberries star ted to appear in home gardens in Europe as the wild berry plants were brought in from the forests. During this time, the use of the raspberry continued to be used mainly as a medicinal plant, and it wasn’t until the late 19th century in Nor th America that raspberries were being mainly cultivated commercially for their fruit.

Today, B C is the largest raspberry producer in Canada, producing more than 17 tons annually, with only 3 percent of the crop sold as fresh berries. The remaining is processed into jams, jellies, drinks, canned and frozen products. The Fraser Valley grows about 98 percent of the har vest while the Interior and Vancouver Island make up the remainder.

Worldwide some 200 raspberry varieties are grown, but only 10 different varieties are grown in B.C. The peak of the local season star ts at the beginning of July and usually runs for at least a month, but some bumper years have seen raspberries gracing the market stalls until mid September. RECIPES ON FOLLOWING PAGES

TE XT by Nathan Fong PHOTOS by John Sherlock

Sp i n a c h Ra s p b e r r y S a l a d w i t h Roasted Hazelnuts

This is B.C. at its best with local spinach, raspberries, hazel nuts and goat’s cheese I love the sweetness of the rasp berries contrasted with the tar tness of the vinaigrette and the rich goat’s cheese Ser ves 4

1/4 to 1/3 cup hazelnuts

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 Tbsp each chopped fresh parsley, tarragon, chives and basil

1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 small shallot, minced 1/4 cup canola oil

8 cups baby spinach

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 oranges, peeled, membranes removed, segmented 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 2 inch juli enne

8 oz fresh goat’s cheese

Heat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts on a cookie sheet for 5 to 7 minutes, then chop coarsely Whisk together vine gar, honey, herbs, garlic and shallot Slowly whisk in oil Season with salt and pepper and set aside In a bowl, toss spinach with 2 Tbsp vinaigrette Season with salt and pep per. Toss with hazelnuts and remaining ingredients and ser ve

Maple and Red Raspberr y Pancakes with Maple Raspberr y Syrup

These simple pancakes are adapted from a recipe by award winning New York chef Michel Nischan, who was the executive chef of the W Hotel New York and the famed restaurant Hear tbeat Pure maple syrup is infused with fresh raspberries and orange zest to give a nice twist ac companying warm raspberry pancakes The infused syrup is also a wonderful glaze for chicken and pork by whisking in a bit of Dijon mustard Ser ves 2 to 3

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 cinnamon stick

2 Tbsp grated orange zest

1 cup pure maple syrup

2/3 cup raspberries

2 to 3 oranges

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup homogenized or 2 percent milk

1 lg egg, well beaten

2 tsp grapeseed oil

3/4 cup raspberries

To make the syrup, combine the orange juice and cinna mon stick in a small saucepan over medium heat and sim mer for 7 to 8 minutes or until reduced to half a cup Add the orange zest and maple syrup and stir to mix. Add the raspberries and mash gently to release the juices Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve. Cover and set aside

To make the pancakes, grate the zest of 2 oranges; set aside Cut the oranges in half and squeeze juice to make

half a cup. If necessary, use the third orange. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt Add the orange zest, milk, orange juice and egg. Stir the batter until combined but still lumpy (if you overbeat the batter until it’s smooth, you will have tough pancakes).

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat When hot, lightly oil the pan by moistening a sheet of paper towel with the oil and rubbing it over the surface of the pan or griddle Ladle the batter into the pan using a generous 1/4 cup for each pancake and spacing the pancakes about 1 inch apar t Scatter a few raspberries over each pancake and cook for about 1 minute or until the tops of the pan cakes bubble Turn and cook for about 30 seconds longer, gently pushing on the pancakes to cook the berries. Ser ve immediately with the warm syrup

Raspberr y Duck

This is a classic pairing: sweet raspberries infused with vinegar and shallots and the richness of a crisp skinned duck breast. Match with a full bodied Pinot Noir. Ser ves 6 to 8

4 boneless duck breasts with skin, 3/4 pound each Salt and pepper to season

6 Tbsp raspberry vinegar (or substitute balsamic)

1 shallot, finely minced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup red wine

2 Tbsp red currant jelly or raspberry jam (melted and strained)

2 to 3 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter

2 to 3 handfuls fresh raspberries

Arugula

Score the fat side of the duck breasts with a knife. Season the duck breasts well on both sides with salt and pepper Heat a large skillet. (Remove fat with low heat method if necessary )

Low heat method: If the fat on the duck is very thick, put the pan on gentle heat and lay the duck fat side down Gen tly melt the fat off, pouring away excess as it goes. This is called “rendering” the fat, and it won’t take more than 10 minutes total. You don’t want the fat to disappear com pletely because it makes the most delicious crisp crust So, just cook off as much as you think you need to. Then, raise the heat in the pan to proceed with actual cooking

Sauté the meat until cooked to your liking, 7 to 10 min utes on the fat side, then about another 3 to 5 minutes on the other Remove to a car ving board and let rest

Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, scraping up the pan juices Boil to reduce to about a tablespoon, about a minute. Whisk in the shallot, garlic, tomato paste and wine. Boil to reduce by half, about 5 minutes Whisk in the jelly Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a piece at a time to make a glossy sauce Season Toss in the fresh berries, reser ving a few for garnish.

Thinly slice the breasts and arrange on a platter on a bed of arugula. Spoon over the raspberry sauce and ser ve.

Rhubarb Raspberr y Oat Squares

Traditionally rhubarb and strawberries have always been paired together, but this desser t is a showcase for rhubarb and raspberries The bright red tart filling is baked between layers of crunchy, buttery brown sugar crumb mixture rem iniscent of butterscotch and is topped with a raspberry in

fused whipped cream. Sinsational! Makes 8 ser vings.

1 lb (4 cups) rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1 Tbsp framboise or 1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 lb unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup old fashioned or quick cooking (not instant) rolled oats

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Raspberries for topping

Combine the rhubarb in a mixing bowl with the sugar; cover and let stand for several hours, until the sugar is dissolved and the rhubarb has released its liquid This can be pre pared the night before and refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 325ºF and adjust oven rack to the middle of the oven.

Drain the rhubarb well in a strainer set over a large bowl Measure juices and add enough water if necessary to make 1 cup Place the liquid in a saucepan and stir in cornstarch and salt until dissolved. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and boils When it be comes translucent, reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking for 1 minute longer Remove from heat and stir in the rhubarb, raspberries, framboise or almond extract Set aside

Stir the melted butter with the cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the oats, brown sugar and flour and stir well to mois ten the dry ingredients. Press 2 cups of the crumbs into the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch square baking pan Spoon the rhubarb mixture over the crust and sprinkle evenly with the remaining crumb mixture Pat the crumbs gently to compact slightly.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the topping is well browned. Cool on a wire rack until warm or at room temperature

Whip the whipping cream, vanilla and the sugar until softly thickened Mash the 1/2 cup raspberries with a fork just to break them up a bit and add to the cream Continue whipping until the cream is thick and holds its shape To ser ve, cut the desser t into 9 squares and top each with a dollop of the raspberry cream. G arnish with extra raspberries

B u t t e r m i l k Pa n n a C o t t a w i t h Rose-scented Raspberries

I’ve always been a fan of panna cotta, the light, silky Italian custard that is ser ved cold I had this sublime desser t at the wonderful Bill’s in Sydney, Australia, several years ago and was intrigued with the fragrant garnish of fresh rasp berries scented with a hint of rose water. Today it’s still one of my favourite summer desser ts Ser ves 6

3 tsp gelatin

1/2 cup half and half cream

7 oz sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

4 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup whipping cream, lightly whipped 8 oz fresh raspberries, rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp icing sugar

3/4 tsp rose water

Sprinkle the gelatin over 2 Tbsp of water in a small bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, gently warm the cream, sugar and vanilla bean in a saucepan until the sugar has dis solved and then remove from the heat Add the gelatin to the saucepan, stirring until dissolved. Leave to cool for 10 min utes Remove vanilla bean Stir in the but termilk, then fold in the whipped cream. Pour into six 7 oz ramekins and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

When ready to ser ve, place half the rasp berries in a glass bowl and crush with a fork Stir in the icing sugar and taste for sweetness. Fold in the remaining raspber ries and the rose water Chill until ready to ser ve. Top each ramekin with a spoonful of the raspberry mixture

R a s p b e r r y - A l m o n d Financiers

A financier is a light teacake similar to a sponge cake and often made with almond flour or ground almonds. These butter rich almond financiers with their golden glow and tender crust are made with brilliant red berries Paired with a raspberry sorbet, this makes a nice light summer desser t The small cakes should be eaten the day they are made and are best served slightly warm. Makes about 21.

6 oz (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup ground almonds

1 2/3 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup (5 or 6) egg whites

8 oz fresh raspberries, rinsed and drained

21 1 3/4 by 3 1/2 inch financier molds or similar silicon mold

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. With a pastry brush, and using a bit of the melted but ter, thoroughly butter the molds. Arrange the molds side by side, but not touching on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer to re solidify the butter

In a large mixing bowl, combine the al monds, sugar, flour, and salt Mix to blend Add the egg whites and mix until thor oughly blended Add the remaining melted butter and mix until thoroughly blended. The mixture will be fairly thin and pourable.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling

almost to the rim Place the baking sheet in the centre of the oven. Bake until the financiers just begin to rise, about 7 min utes. Remove from the oven and carefully arrange four raspberries in a single row down the centre of each. Reduce the heat to 400ºF and return the financiers to the oven and bake until they are a light, deli cate brown and are beginning to firm up, about another 7 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the financiers rest in the oven until firm, about 7 minutes

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the financiers cool in the molds for 10 minutes. Unmold.

Fresh Raspberr y Sorbet

I love the crisp, cold, sensuously smooth texture and flavour of a good sorbet. After a memorable meal, there is nothing better than a simple “boule” of a fresh fruit sorbet When in season, I like to freeze fresh raspberries so that I can have the taste of summer throughout our dreary and sometimes endless winters. Makes 6 to 8 ser vings, or half a litre

6 to 8 Tbsp sugar

2/3 cups water

1 pound (about 4 cups) fresh raspberries, rinsed and drained

1 Tbsp lemon juice

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water, bring to a boil, stirring to dis solve the sugar Set aside to cool down to room temperature.

In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries. Add the cooled sugar syrup and lemon juice Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove the seeds Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufac turer’s instructions

Fresh Raspberr y Sauce

When fresh raspberries are in season, pre pare some batches of this wonderful sauce and freeze for the coming winter months It is a great accompaniment for any chocolate desser t and will spruce up a dull desser t plate Makes about 2 cups

1 pound fresh or frozen raspberries

1 Tbsp icing sugar

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a food processor or blender, combine the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice and puree. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl to re move the seeds. Transfer to an air tight container and seal tightly The sauce can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 months

Quench

thirst

revive your system with delicious iced tea. Fresh, organic teas are bursting with antioxidants that help you feel rejuvenated.

Visit silkroadtea.com for iced tea recipe ideas that are sure to be your cup of tea!

www.silkroadtea.com 1624 Government St. Victoria Chinatown

Tiger Blue, Peach & Prosciutto Wraps

This is really more an idea than an actual recipe a quick and easy help yourself appy. The peppery bite from Okanogan’s Tiger Blue cheese is mellowed by the sweet peach and salty prosciutto.

Local fresh and juicy peaches 3 to 4 Prosciutto 8 to 10 slices, cut into strips

Tiger Blue cheese 125 g* Fresh mint 1 bunch

Cut peaches in half and discard pits. Slice halves into thick wedges. Spread a dollop of cheese on peach slices and top with a mint leaf, then wrap with a strip of prosciutto Pop in your mouth and enjoy!

*In Victoria, Tiger Blue is available at Ottavio Italian Bakery & Delicatessen, and Charelli’s. In Vancouver, look for it at Les Amis du Fromage and Oyama Sausage Company.

Spiked Blackcurrant Lemonade

Blend up classic summer lemonade using both lemons and tar t juicy black currants Markets abound with berries or visit a “you pick” berry farm and stock up If you can’t find local blackcurrants use blackberries or marion berries instead. Makes 6 cups (no alcohol)

Lemons 3

Local blackcurrants or blackberries 4 cups

Granulated sugar 1 cup

Ice-cold water 1 cup

Chilled soda water 2 cans

Vodka or gin 2/3 cup (optional)

Cassis 1/4 cup (optional)

Squeeze juice from lemons and pour into a blender. Add berries, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Blend until puréed. Taste and blend in remaining sugar, if you want it sweeter

Strain berry mixture through a sieve, then pour into a large pitcher Stir in 2 cans soda water, vodka and cassis If making ahead, refrigerate overnight.

To find pick your berry farms go to www.pickyourown.org/canadabc.htm

Far Left: Fried Chicken the perfect summer dish Left: A neighbour drops by and enjoys a glass of lemonade.

Right: Guests help themselves to a casual appy spread

Summer Garden Ratatouille

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Cold fried chicken is, hands down, the best picnic fare The secret is all in the seasoning frying is the easy par t! To keep its flavour, cold chicken needs a generous hand when dealing out the spices before cooking.

Makes 16 chicken drumettets

Buttermilk 2 cups Tabasco 3 tbsp

Chicken drumettes 16 Garlic and onion powder 1 tbsp each Sweet smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and salt 1 tsp each

All purpose flour 1 cup

Vegetable oil

In a large wide bowl, stir buttermilk with Tabasco Add chicken and turn to coat Make sure chicken is submerged in liquid. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Drain chicken and discard liquid. Sprinkle with season ings and rub in, then dredge with flour.

Heat about 2 to 3 inches of oil in a large, wide, deep saucepan over medium high heat to 350F If you don’t have a deep fry thermometer, test for readiness by adding a drop of water to oil If it sizzles you’ll know the oil is hot enough

Working in batches, carefully add a few drumettes (first shake off excess flour) but don’t crowd pan. Fry until deep golden, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Reduce heat if chicken star ts to darken too much before it’s cooked through. Re peat with remaining chicken. Let drain on paper bags to soak up excess oil Chicken can be ser ved warm or cover and refrigerate overnight and ser ve cold

Puffed Sweet Cherr y Tar t

This is a cross between cherry cheesecake and a flaky tar t. Underlying flavours of almond and fennel liven up a rich cheesy filling crowned with summer’s ruby jewels Ser ves 8

Frozen puff pastr y 397 g pkg, thawed

Little Qualicum fromage frais (natural) or organic cream cheese, at room temperature 250 g Granulated sugar 1/3 cup

Fennel seeds, crushed* 1 tsp

Ground ginger and cinnamon 1/2 tsp each Egg 1 Almond extract 1/4 tsp

Pitted local cherries 4 cups

Position oven rack in lowest par t of oven. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll pas try into a 16X12 rectangle Brush edges with a little milk or egg wash Fold edges over to form a 1 inch border along edges Place on parchment Brush border with more milk or egg wash and sprinkle with pinches of granulated sugar

Beat cheese until smooth, then beat in sugar, fennel, ginger and cinnamon. Beat in egg and almond extract. Spoon filling over pastry and spread to edges of pastry border. Top with cherries. Bake for 20 minutes, then re duce temperature to 350F. Continue baking until edges are deep golden and filling is set, about 10 more minutes Fill ing will puff during baking but fall and even out once it cools Ser ve warm or room temperature Best eaten same day it’s made G arnish with toasted sliced almonds and torn mint, if you wish

*Measure out 1 tsp fennel seeds Toast in a dry frying pan, if you wish, then crush using a mor tar and pestle.

travels - eat like a local

1. Gimme Shelter: macadamia nut encrusted halibut with tomato confit and roasted red pepper vinaigrette at the always lively and consistent Shelter. 2.Chef Andrew Springett, formerly of the Wickaninnish and now of Ucluelet's soon to arrive Black Rock Oceanfront Resor t, reintroduces himself to the public at the Tofino Food & Wine Festival. 3. Locals and visitors gather in the Botanical Gardens for the 6th annual Tofino Food & Wine Festival, also known as "the stumble in the jungle". 4. The lunch rush: recently moved from a purple catering truck in the bush to a glass and steel box in town, Sobo proprietors Ar tie and Lisa Ahier haven't skipped a beat. More impor tantly, neither has their food.

Dining at the end of the world

by Andrew Morrison

Though I grew up on Vancouver Island, it was n’t until I moved to Vancouver that I first vis ited what my travelling companion called the belly button of Clayoquot Sound I fell in love with Tofino right away, but like most virgin visitors, the town itself didn’t fig ure in my affections It was the endless sweeps of shimmer ing grey sand nearby that got me They easily made English Bay, Spanish Banks and Willows Beach look like messy sand traps in a child’s backyard mini putt. Truly, I was bumfuzzled the first time I looked out to sea on Long Beach and consid ered the size of the void that confronted me. It put the zap on my head.

Hooked on that trip without a struggle, I now return several times each year with my little family There’s whale watching and bear watching and the enormity of the Pacific Rim Na tional Park to explore, but the beaches remain the most mag netic draw We now spend more than two weeks out of the summer there, mostly in our old Volkswagen Westfalia at Bella Pacifica campground on Mackenzie Beach. We’re care ful to book several months ahead so as to claim the best beachfront spots (stalls 4 through 14) and bookend our days with the rising and setting of the sun that is, if and when it appears (the average annual rainfall is more than10 feet) In winter, or what the clever marketers refer to as “storm sea son,” we divide our visits between the Long Beach Lodge on secluded Cox Bay (where finding sand dollars keeps our boys busy) and the famed Wickaninnish Inn, perched pic turesquely on Chesterman Beach’s nor thern tip. But regard less of the when we go and the where we stay, the question we most often ask ourselves is where shall we eat?

If anything has made us come to appreciate the postal code of Tofino proper (more so than the motley crew of its in habitants), it has been the food they serve The village shares many of the characteristics of most other small towns in British Columbia secrets are few, crime is low and visitors are most welcome But what truly sets it apart is its seasonal, transient limitations People from far afield drift in and out like flighty zephyrs plucked from Kerouac. A lot of them come to work in the restaurants, cafés and hotels to afford a surf ing fetish, and many arrive simply to tune out from the white noise of modern life. Indeed, with a population under 2,000 ballooning as high as 30,000 per day in the summer months, it’s like few other small towns in the world

The award winning Sobo fronts any exposition on Tofino’s food scene Celebrators of local and seasonal ingredients, owners Lisa and Ar thur Ahier recently transplanted their restaurant from its iconic purple catering truck days in the Botanical Gardens a kilometre out of town to a modern build ing of concrete, steel and glass just off the main drag (the truck is now in their front yard). The best meal I had any where in 2007 was at Sobo (super fresh halibut with fiery

by Gar y Hynes and Rebecca Wellman

spot prawns and beer so cold it froze my brain), so naturally I had a few reser vations about the move Happily, I’ve since found there was no need to fret The large, open concept room manages a surprising coziness, especially in the evenings when the line up begins to die down Though I miss the Tolkienesque feel (I’d half expect the elves of Rivendell to serenade us from the trees as we dined), the food hasn’t missed a beat. The cooking is still refreshingly innovative, ar tfully balancing a wealth of flavours and cuisines. The serv ice, as it has always been, remains whipsmar t and agile, and the local leaning wine list fits like a seasoned gardening glove The music, if you’ll excuse a segue into a field more subjective than food, is extraordinarily good, from roll an other one reggae to Neil Young and the Stones

British Columbian summer scene from a par ty the likes of G andalf would never want to leave

Beyond Sobo, I’m a sucker for Shelter, arguably the most popular restaurant in town Nicknamed “The Shelter Club” by many locals because it has the financial backing of Cactus Club CEO Richard Jaffray (a keen surfer and Tofino week ender), it offers up very consistent, hard to mess up dishes at reasonable prices in an atmosphere heavy on the west coast surf aesthetic (albeit of a kind that includes several huge flat screen televisions). Their lunch only Parmesan crusted bacon and chicken burger stood out on my last way through (with killer onion rings for intestinal punctuation), as did the tightly wrought local side stripe prawn spring rolls with their ginger and cilantro spiked chili sauce for dipping The ser vice at this wood beamed beauty is friendly and ca sual, especially so at the bar, where many Tofitians let their hair down at night. On one recent trip, as I munched away on chicken wings soaked in a Szechuan chili glaze, I was flanked on one side by a depressed fisherman in his cups (“It’s over,” he complained to me, referring to Tofino’s fishing community, “and there’s nothing we can do about it!”) and a local sculp tor/realtor (only in Tofino!) who spoke at length unprompted on the 16th century fall of Tenochtitlan, the storied capital of the A ztec Empire On my other side were two young surfers visiting from England Well into their umpteenth pints of lager, they giggled like a pair of ver vet monkeys and or dered more. Our bar tender, a chatty Aussie chap with an eyebrow ring and a penchant for profanity, was the least of the enter tainment available.

And should we require our Botanical G ardens fix, we book a June trip (as we’ve done for the past two years) to coincide with the absolutely magical Tofino Food & Wine Festival, without a doubt the most enjoyable weekend on my excep tionally strenuous “work” calendar The various wine dinners are great, but it’s the outdoor tasting in the gardens that cap tures the flowers in the hair, happy living ethos of this rain forest dead end. It also has the best nickname of any wine festival I’ve heard: “ The Stumble in the Jungle.” Imagine 500 flowing dresses, straw hats and faces beaming with person ality flitting from stall to stall tasting, sipping, chatting, laughing and stomping on grapes It’s a quintessentially

For something considerably more formal there’s the Upstairs Dining & Lounge, a year old room on the second floor of the Schooner Restaurant (a charming old place that ser ves a mean breakfast) We went a few months after they opened and found it forgettable I recall passable small plate fare at big plate prices in a room that suggested little of its location. In par ticular, I remember something remotely re sembling a pasta that was completely devoid of life and a ser ver who thought we were savage, camping degenerates (which we almost cer tainly were). All modern and airy with linen and starched staff, it reminded me of the dozens of mid dling Vancouver restaurants that somehow get by without a soul

For a top drawer dinner still within the hamlet’s limits, Raincoast Café is a solid option This was one of the first restaurants dressed up by Vancouver designers David Nico lay and Rob Edmonds (Glowbal, Metro, Sanafir, The Cascade, et cetera). The connection? David’s brother is Larry Nicolay, Raincoast’s co proprietor. Their work is Spar tan but warmly evocative with a colour palette of brown green grey match ing what the eye has seen all day while out adventuring The menu is anchored in locally sourced ingredients like fresh oysters, wild Chinook, spot prawns and mussels The flavour

Photos

profiles, however, are 85 percent pan Asian and 15 percent better than you could possibly hope to be available here at the end of the world (pad Thai, nasi goreng and roghan josh with masala cauliflower do strong performances).

Those looking for straight up sushi won’t be disappointed by the thoroughly charming Tough City Sushi nearby The old boned dining room, on the main floor of the waterfront Tough City Inn (built with 45,000 bricks recycled from old Vancouver buildings), boasts huge model airplanes hanging from the ceiling and gleaming floors that actually once graced a rac quetball cour t. Quality sashimi and nigiri can be had in abun dance, and it’s far from crushingly expensive (the 18 piece maki platter is $18.75). Sushi fan or not, a visit here to see the wild decor is a must Mornings are a different animal Hungry visitors just wak ing up hover mostly around the high street’s Breakers, a bakehouse and organic coffee pit stop with locals only in difference infecting their service Thank goodness their cook ies and sandwiches are so fresh and delicious, perfect for beach picnics and walkabouts, otherwise I’d sooner go across the street to Caffé Vincente (named after Admiral Vincente Tofiño, the seagoing car tographer who inspired later Spanish explorers to christen Tofino Inlet with his name in 1792) The picnic tables outside and the overstuffed arm chairs within give it a genuinely homey feel, and the fast In ternet access makes everything taste superb, especially the mayo overloaded egg and ham croissant sandwiches that could quite possibly clog a millimetre of ar tery per bite (“the breakfast of champion apathetes,” a friend once called them).

For lunch, I’ve been impressed by the Wildside, brand new to a highway side strip mall on the way into town and within

easy walking distance of Bella Pacifica and the Wickaninnish Inn. The former executive chef of Shelter a jolly fellow with a ponytail and a good laugh named Jesse Blake star ted it up last winter. It’s a walk up to the kitchen window opera tion with locally sourced tempura battered fish and chips and fat bison burgers filling the road weary under shaded canopies of reclaimed driftwood Nearby, a master car ver goes to work on a cedar, and a pair of long boarders disap pear into the surf shop to get their trucks tightened It’s very much a solid echo of the old Sobo in the gardens, complete with gravel parking lot and a clientele that strikes a poetic balance between the perennially stoned and the just arrived from Stuttgar t without a clue.

By no means is that a complete list There are, of course, the hotel dining rooms at The Wick and Long Beach Lodge, but they’ve had some trouble holding chefs down for the last year, and they’re both too expensive to run the risk of an out lier meal, especially with so many other menus to exhaust in town (I’ll revisit them again for EAT next year)

Sadly, the hotels aren’t alone in their staffing troubles. If all of the restaurants I’ve mentioned above have a single thing in common, it’s their constant fight to seduce, train and retain staff. After the summer months, business slows to a comparative trickle and the town begins its slow retraction back to its original tiny self to lie in wait until April when the hiring begins anew and in desperate earnest “It is like the tide, always changing,” Ar thur Ahier of Sobo says “It is a very transient town ”

He’s right, of course, but the permanent pandemic hasn’t stopped this small collection of chefs and restaurateurs from scratching out plenty of excellence considering how the tri als of the restaurant business that are common in any city

are amplified here. The problems exclusive to this par ticu larly tricky and hyper seasonal business environment make what they can accomplish with food, drink, atmosphere and service year round all the more impressive. Rife with vagaries and pitfalls from water shor tages to an almost crippling lack of affordable staff accommodations it’s hard to meas ure how far Tofino has come in recent years when reminded of how amazing it is that it has come anywhere at all

A casual affair: exhibitors and visitors traipse under a canopy of green, sipping and sampling the stuff of BC wineries, breweries, restaurants, fishermen, and farmers as they go at the 6th annual Tofino Food & Wine Festival.

The ‘N aimo’ Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach

Final Approach Restaurant [# 3 1000 Ravensbourne Lane, Qualicum Beach, Tel: 250 752 8966] is one of those quirky spots you’d only fall upon if lost or a friend told you Consider me your friend Do not rely on the address or any kind of signage to help you find this place because you won’t Located inside the miniscule one gate one baggage claim airpor t at Qualicum Beach, “the airpor t restaurant” is unique First, your view is the tarmac, which has a cer tain whirling propeller charm and secondly, the décor; think New Orleans Mardi Gras meets La Cage aux Folles. However, it works. Owned by Lawrence Duckett and Richard Dolen, the food is good, damn good Better yet, ever y dish comes with a stand up comedy routine delivered in def t swoops of hilarity by the owners and wait staf f Although Chef Lawrence trained at a number of high end restaurants in Zurich and has family roots from Deep South Louisiana, the food is not countr y or eth nically specific Instead it is consistently well prepared simple bistro food A great sand wich laden high, richly flavoured soups, a tasty burger, inventive salads, tangy dressings, and a steak or a piece of fish that is per fectly done and properly flavoured. The wine list leaves a lot to be desired, but drink enough Sawmill Creek and you’ll get over yourself The

desser ts deser ve a review all their own with the sticky tof fee cake making its way to the top of the Glycemic Index of yum!

Pawel Biegun, par t owner of The Nanaimo Sausage House [3018 Ross Road, Nanaimo, Tel: 250 751 0555] tells of learning to make smoked sausages from his grandmother in Poland As children they were taught the “old world recipes” in her countr y kitchen She would then send them to the roof to secure a metal smoking box over the chimney, thus having the fire in the hear th ser ve as the smoker for the meats above Along with business par tners Catherine Clarke and Lidie Jurkiewicz, this triumvirate produces truly exceptional hand made ar tisan, old world smoked meats and fresh sausage No liquid smoke found here Instead, they use alder, cherr y and apple in their in house smoking process Meats are procured from notable farmers such as Dirk Keller and Birgit Graf of Sloping Hill Farm in Qualicum Beach, who has developed a loyal restaurateur following for his Happy Island Heritage Pigs No fill, natural casings and organic where possible, sausages are also made from bison, turkey, chicken and lamb Their fresh sausages are delectably imaginative in cluding the Moroccan beef made with dates, wine, almonds and cumin or the Nor th African which uses pork, lamb, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes and cilantro Of note too is their lean prosciutto It is smoked and aged for over six months prior to being sliced razor thin It strokes the tongue with a savor y, dolce sweetness that begs for Cambenzola, Chianti and a summer picnic.

Give us this day our True Grain Bread & Mill [Cowichan Bay Village, Tel: 250 746 7664]

Nanaimo Harbour

and praise these folks for an almost religious experience when eating their naturally leav ened of ferings Owned by Jonathan Knight, and managed by Bruce and Leslie Stewar t, the baker y uses a traditional grist mill from Austria which pulverizes the grains between two natural stones The flour produced retains its inherent integrity, which translates into ex ceptional bread Using cer tified organic ingredients and heritage grains such as Red Fife from Tom Henr y’s farm in Metchosin, as well as spelt, kamut, oats, flax and myriad local fruits and seeds, all the breads are hand craf ted under the knead to know super vision of Jenn Dixon, Head Baker They are hands down some of the best breads you will have the pleasure of sinking your teeth into They need nothing not butter, not olive oil just your undivided attention and the gif t of being able to hum while you chew

There is ho hum falafel and then there is Ilan Goldenblatt’s fabo falafel at The Thirsty Camel Café [14 V ictoria Crescent, Nanaimo, Tel: 250 753 9313] Ilan is as colour ful as his food This Montreal born, kibbutz raised Israeli Canadian is fresh obsessed Ever ything made in house is small batch preparation for optimal freshness. Soups are chunky and ro bust and you can recognize ever ything in the bowl His spice mixes are blended and ground on prem Even the lemonade is made from hand squeezed lemons and sweetened with honey But back to the falafel They are green Why you ask? Cilantro and lots of it Thumb nail sized nuggets flash fried in pristine changed daily oil, ser ved with good tahini and hotter than the sur face of the sun Definitely wor th burning the roof of your mouth Su Grimmer

Parksville

Comox-Valley and-environs

It’s summer Af ter a long, cool spring the living should be easy. Lunch, dinner, or drinks should be enjoyed on one of the many wonder ful restaurant patios in our par t of the Is land Tops on my list of places to be/things to do include: mar garitas in the garden at T ita’s Mexican Restaurant [536 6th Street, Cour tenay 250 334 8033], una vasso de vino with a view of Comox Bay and the Beaufor t Range on the sun drenched patio at Mar tine’s Bistro [1754 Beaufor t Ave, Comox (250) 339 1199], or a (specially priced) TGIF mar tini on the busy Clif fe Ave perch outside Fluid Bar & Grill [1175 Clif fe Ave, Cour tenay 250 338 1500] or maybe a caipirihña at Avenue (see below)

It’s also been a bit of shuf fle the deck in the Comox Valley’s restaurant scene Chef Troy Fogarty has lef t Crown Isle’s Silverado Steakhouse for the Kingfisher Inn & Spa [4330 Island Highway, Cour tenay 1 800 663 7929] He’s taking the place of one of my longtime faves, Chef Ronald St Pierre, who in his turn has taken the location of Fili’s Bottega and turned it into Locals [368 8th Street, Courtenay, www.localscomoxvalley.com]. The focus of Chef Ronald’s new venture is “food from the hear t of the Island” and is just “ a stones throw from down town ”No word as yet who will be filling Chef Troy’s shoes at Crown Isle

Up at Mount Washington Alpine Resor t, the food and bever age folks are doing there best to bring people up to enjoy the beauty of Raven Lodge and the stupendous views with several summer time events. Their 9th Annual Beer fest kicks of f on Fri day, July 11. The 10th Annual Alpine W ine Festival runs from Au gust 8 9, and includes a wine pairing dinner from 6 to 9 pm at Raven Lodge The 1st Annual Alpine Culinar y Food Festival (co sponsored by EAT Magazine and Beyond the Kitchen Door) takes place over 3 packed days from Sept 5 7 These are popular events For tickets or more info call 1 888 231 1499 or go to www mount washington ca

In Cumberland, The Great Escape [2744 Dunsmuir Street, www greatescape cumberland com, 250 336 8831] is open for lunch all summer New on the menu for the summer is grilled wild salmon coated with cilantro coconut chutney over our a re freshing mango salad

In Comox, I’ve been waiting and watching to see how Avenue Bistro [2064 Comox Avenue 250 890 9200] fills its promise as sister restaurant to one of my Cour tenay fave’s, Atlas Café [250 6th Street, Cour tenay 250.338.9838]. A couple of recent visits (and reports from reliable sources) confirm that: a) they still ser ve one of the best caipirihñas in the Valley (a VERY good reason to visit on a hot summer evening); b) they’re ser ving great tasting food; c) the place is getting busy; d) it’s time to visit Comox (and Avenue) more of ten

A couple of other good reasons to make the trip over to Comox include Thyme on the Ocean [1832 Comox Ave, Comox (250) 339 5570] and W ild Flour Organic Baker y [9am to 7pm Tues Sat 221 Church Street, 250 890 0017] I recently had a stunning lunch at TotO, confirming my impression that this venue is set ting standards for others in the region At W ild Flour, dough diva Carol and her staf f at W ild Flour continue to deepen my appreci ation of a variety of locally grown, organic grains They’re taking some time off (July 1 15) but will be back with an expanded wood fired pizza menu and the “return of our much loved” fair trade, organic chocolate truf fles

Across the bay in Cour tenay, Cakebread Ar tisan Baker y (368 Fif th St, Cour tenay, 250 338 8211) welcomes Kathr yn Herring, formerly of La Collina Baker y and Mo:Le Restaurant in V ictoria,

as Cakebread's new cake decorator At presstime, the baker y (and Ms Herring) were celebrating the return of Summer and local berries with their peach and blackberr y "Summer Gateau" dou ble decker mousse cake

As well as of fering a never ending list of courses and tastings (and co sponsoring the 1st Annual Alpine Culinar y Food Festival at Mount Washington), the folk s at Beyond the Kitchen Door [274B 5th St, 250 338 4404] also stock wonder ful things on their gourmet shelves The list is extensive, but what caught my eye was a local product: Estevan Tuna Company, located in Comox Valley has finally canned their premium quality, troll caught B C Albacore tuna Hand filleted, hand packed, the only ingredient is pure albacore tuna “its getting rave reviews from our cus tomers!”

I’ve heard some good things about what Chef Steve Dodd and company are doing at Bisque [14th and Clif fe Ave , Cour tenay 250 334 8564 Tues Sat) Billing itself as ser ving “continental cuisine with a West Coast flair” the menu features local seafoods, braised lamb, AAA steaks, roast pork and “for those with big meat appetites, a mixed grill sampling both lamb and bison ” Lunch is casual, dinner is more formal. Reser vations are suggested.

Looking for a place to stay in Cour tenay that’s just a shor t walk to many of these and other great places to eat and to the shopping in the Island’s most beautiful boutique downtown?

Check out Maureen Crowder’s vacation home rental options (re cently added Chocolate Cottage) at www blueberr ycottage ca FMI call 250 338 0438 or 250 338 3113 by Hans Peter Meyer

Vancouver G

ranted, the pace of restaurant openings remained tepid over the Spring and into the first few weeks of summer, but at the time of writing there are plenty on the horizon that look to impress Among the most anticipated are two Italian restaurants, La Quercia and Cibo The former is coming to us cour tesy of two former kitchen soldiers from Park side and La Buca. Lucas Symes and Adam Pegg, as well as Pegg’s wife Karin Lazzaris, have taken over the Masa a la Car te space in the Point Grey area They hope to open their upscale trattoria (La Quercia means "The Oak Tree" in the vernacular) by the time this goes to print in late June Since Adam Pegg was one of the first Canadians to graduate from the Master of Italian Cooking pro gramme at Slow Food’s school in Jesi, Italy, we can expect a meas ure of quality that will up the restaurant rep of the West 4th's western extreme (currently a bit of a desert) The latter, Cibo (Ital ian for "food"), is the much anticipated restaurant going into the Moda Hotel Umbilically connected to Uva W ine Bar (positively reviewed in our May/June issue), Cibo will be an intimate room with lof ty ceilings, fireplace, and the managerial talents of Se bastien le Gof f, the GM of Lumiere and Feenie's before Rob Fee nie's much ballyhooed exit The curtain should go up on it in early July.

Around the same time, the new Irish Heather should drawing its first pint of the black stuf f in Gastown The move across the street will see a much more modern space designed by Evoke, the people behind such lookers as Sanafir, Glowbal, and The Cas cade Room (the latter noted on Conde Nast's 2008 "Hot List") To run the kitchen (and elevate the food), owner Sean Heather has hired Colleen McClean, formerly the executive chef of Rare Also in Gastown, Revel has finally opened (reviewed in this issue). The revamped and ver y brickish room with the global menu was set back many months by a city strike and investment trouble, but it has hit the ground running

On the east side, Main Street has gained in the comfor t food

depar tment with the arrival of the Lower Mainland's third Bur goo (a soup and stew joint with locations in Nor th Vancouver and Kitsilano), not far from the thoroughly charming Ping's Cafe (also reviewed in this issue) On West 4th, the second location of Pinky's Steakhouse is still under construction in the 1800 block , while the Glowbal Group's Trattoria Italian Kitchen just across the street should be enjoying their first week of business when this issue hits the streets A second location of PHAT (Pretty Hot And Tasty), the awesome Yaletown deli with the killer Montreal Smoked Meat sandwiches), is also headed to the same block Owner W illiam Kaminsky confirms he has taken over the old Cheesecake 101 spot, with plans to gut, refit, and then open by July 1st Downtown, a new hotel will soon be going under construction in the 600 block of Seymour. The new ParaYso project still does n't have a name, but they've hired on a former local restaura teur to develop the concept Sean Sher wood, the ex owner of Kitsilano's Fiction W ine Bar (which is now the disappointing New Bohemian), has come out of retirement to take the job All the talk so far is of a West Coast theme with a roof top bar and lounge (the hotel is not going to open until af ter the 2010 Olympics, but you heard it hear first). In other staf fing notes, Mike Mitchell has lef t his GM position at Metro restaurant (at the time of writing we're hearing he might end up at FigMint) As for significant clo sures, there weren't many of note Robson's Seventy Two is no more The testosterone driven spor ts bar (with plasma screens in ever y booth!) is just the third of the 100+ restaurants that opened in 2007 to go under In Yaletown, Bardot is also finished and Capone's was shut twice (!) by the city for sanitar y violations (it is now widely rumoured to be for sale). Lastly, there's a new Van couver food/restaurant blog that's ver y much worth checking out It's a group effort called ButterOnTheEndive ca It's led by a young cook named Owen Lightly, formerly of West and Gastropod, and now at Marc Andre Choquette's Voya restaurant in the Loden Hotel Andrew Morrison

Okanag ablog

Okanagan summer time is now world renowned. Be sides the incredible expansion of our booming wine industr y that now of fer s winer y accommodation, five star dining experiences as well as musical and dramatic en ter tainment options, the general food scene here is attracting world class chefs and developers alike Also in the works is our brand new bridge that will be open to ser vice our summer guests as well as the work in progress Kelowna airpor t expansion that will be facilitating direct International flights Kelowna to Paris anyone?

Neighbourhood bistros seem to be popping up all over the Val ley, bringing us that cozy countr y feel yet of fering big city cui sine In Kelowna, Fi Bistro, formerly Madhina’s, located in the cute Tutt Street Square area, is as close to having a personal chef experience as you can get Chef and Proprietor Derek Thompson, who also of fers a catering ser vice through his Divine Propor tions arm of the business, of fers an eclectic menu in a charming small space W ith menu items ranging from curries to their take on fish and chips (ser ved the pretty way) Derek loves to accommo date his clientele Give him a call if you are coming in with a group, tell him your likes and dislikes and let him take charge and plan a personalized menu ser ved family style Fi Bistro: 250 868 3389

The Vanilla Pod in Summerland is another charming little hot spot Nestled into the historic main street of this lovely town, own er s Paul and Sheila Jones, are pleased to of fer up an interna tionally inspired menu, including their much talked about sushi pizza, as well as a well thought out wine list “ The best wines

from the best wineries” are on the list, as well as some Interna tional favorites Paul also keeps a secret stash in his private wine cellar to appease the most sophistical oenophile The Vanilla Pod: 250 494 8222

Penticton is raving about their newest love: Amante Bistro “Amante” which means lover in both Italian and Mexican is named for the romance between owners, Rose and Abul Adame Abul, who is also the well seasoned Chef, honed his skills through sous chef fing his way through some of our province’s best known restaurants like Vancouver’s CinCin, Circolo, Bis Moreno and most recently, Oliver’s Burrowing Owl Winer y restaurant The cuisine fo cusses on local, seasonal fare however, some dishes feature a twist coming from either the Mexican or Italian side of the fam ily! They of fer up a fabulous wine list and special to weekends, they choose to open interesting, and perhaps rare bottles from local or other boutique wineries to ser ve by the glass a chance for guests to experiment without investing in a whole bottle Amante Bistro: 250 493 1961

Kelowna welcomes another cute little cafe in the trendy Ar ts and Culture District Truf fles Chocolate Cafe, which features you guessed it chocolate! They also of fer lunch items like panini's, wraps, and soups on the menu A lovely place to recharge your batteries before continuing with your ar t walk 2 1282 Ellis Street 50 448 8783 Jennifer Schell

The Garden City V ictoria

NEW BEGINNINGS

Bear Mountain Resor t has been amassing some of the best wine talent in V ictoria to create a stunning, showpiece wine cellar. The cellar opened on June 14 with a private dinner The working show cellar contains 12,500 bottles in total, with the wine housed behind glass in a tempera ture and humidity controlled area, allowing guests to walk through and view There is a private exclusive dining table, and an area for tasting and wine education, of fered by appointment for individuals, groups or guests wishing to dine at the resor t and choose their wine earlier in the day Pre dinner tasting and bot tle selection and assistance are of fered, and for braver souls, you can par take in sabering of champagne in the cellar as well Stu ar t Brown is the Chief Sommelier, hand selling the wines in the resort’s outlets (Master's Lounge, Copper Rock Grill, Panache, and Jack's Place) and taking care of the wine education provided to the staf f He is also in charge of maintaining the ser vice stan dards and stocking the cellar Janis Reimche is the Wine Director, overseeing budgeting and purchase decisions. Both International Sommelier Guild diploma graduates are available as sommelier for private groups www bearmountain ca

The Coast V ictoria Harbourside Hotel & Marina has a new Ex ecutive Chef Dennis Novotny will oversee all F&B operations at the harbour front proper ty, including their flagship Blue Crab Bar & Grill Novotny completed his formal training at the Culinar y In stitute of Prague, Czech Republic and apprenticed at the Grand Palace Hotel in the hear t of Prague. Af ter working through the kitchens of Europe, he landed in Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel kitchen Initially, while learning English, his co workers there had to use signals so he would know what to prepare: flapping arms for chicken, palms of hands together, wiggling, for fish, a flexed fore arm for beef Af ter nearly a decade there he relocated to Vic toria, working at Harbour Towers Hotel and Royal Colwood Golf Club www bluecrab ca

Jason Mallof f is the new chef at the Bistro at Saturna Island Family Estate Winer y Mallof f, previously worked in Vancouver at

Wild Rice and Monsoon, and most recently was the executive chef at Palalago in Cultus Lake Watch for him to use many local Is lands ingredients in his bistro fare 8 Quarr y Trail 250 539 3521 www saturnavineyards com

AWARDS & RECOGNITION & FUNDRAISING

The West Shore Chamber of Commerce has named Smoken Bones Cookshack chef and owner Ken Hueston as B C Young Entrepre neur of the Year The award honours an entrepreneur under age 40 who excels in business, exemplifies leader ship and demon strates exceptional vision that contributes to business success The 34 year old Hueston has brought his Langford restaurant enor mous success in the two shor t years it’s been open, becoming a much talked about Vancouver Island dining destination through his commitment to using quality local ingredients, and the men torship he gives apprentice chefs training on the job at Smoken Bones “I think it’s great to be recognized for a success built on local food,” said Hue ston “ You can make money and make a dif ference” Hueston strongly believes in sustainable food practices As Island Chefs’ Collaborative president, he suppor ts local food production and of ten presents his restaurant as a model when he speaks on the topic of food sustainability at conferences across the countr y Last fall Smoken Bones was celebrated as the 12th best new restaurant in Canada for 2007 in En Route magazine Last year, Hueston was named Entrepreneur of the Year in the West Shore Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards of Excellence And Sea Cider was also recognized by their local chamber, claiming the Best New Business categor y at the Cr ystal Awards hosted by the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce To win the award, Sea Cider demonstrated excellence in all aspects of their business, such as significant growth, outstanding ser vice and quality production Kristen Jordan, owner of Sea Cider says “ our team has been working ver y hard over the last year and we are delighted that our ef for ts have gained such meaningful recogni tion”. Sea Cider is a Saanich’ first ciderhouse, and is also a cer ti fied organic farm. 544 4824. www.seacider.ca.

ISL AND BOOZE NEWS

Ken Winchester, of Winchester Cellars, along with par tners Br yan Murray, and Lana and Jon Popham, have released V ictoria Gin, BC's first handcraf ted premium gin The unique recipe blends ten organic and wild botanicals, from juniper berries to rose petals The result is a complex spirit that balances the characteristic ever green flavour of juniper with notes of citrus, floral, and spice. Vic toria Gin is distilled in small batches in a gleaming handmade wood fired copper pot still Noted international drinks writer and spirits judge Jim Murray hailed it as “ a stunner breathtaking!”

The gin is packaged in heavy French flint bottles, recalling gin’s reputation as a medicinal spirit, and the label features a haunt ing por trait of Queen V ictoria in her radiant youth An 11th in gredient is known only to the Distiller (I hear it’s love!)

W inchester Cellars is the first licensed Distiller y on Vancouver Is land It is located at Barking Dog V ineyard, the first cer tified or ganic vineyard on Vancouver Island V ictoria Gin is the fir st release of an exciting new par tnership between W inchester, Mur ray and the Pophams, under the umbrella of Barking Dog Spirits Watch for upcoming releases from Barking Dog, including gin, vodka, brandy, and single malt whisky V ictoria Gin is available exclusively through the Fairmont Empress Hotel, The Strath Spirit Merchants, and direct from the Tasting Room at W inchester Cel lars It retails for $49 00

And af ter much blood, sweat, trailers and red tape, Cook Street V illage W ines is now open !! Finally www bcwineguys com

TOFINO W

ith the success of the 6th Annual Tofino Food and W ine Festival, I proudly felt a strong and sincere sense of community not only within my own, but the island, gulf islands and Okanagan Valley The food and wine scene in BC is cer tainly thriving and while the industr y is challenged by way of labour shor tage, it is the passion of those individuals who do work in it, whether it is chef, ser ver, grower, pur veyor or representative of an amazing product, food or wine, that continues to drive this industr y for ward and for thcoming Firstly, let’s congratulate one of our talented locals, Executive Chef Margot Bodchon, for completing her Certified Chef de Cuisine designation I recently learned that of the 1000 Canadian CCC chefs, only 4% are women, and send kudos to Chef Bodchon for joining this 4% You can find Bodchon’s menu at the Calm Waters Dining Room at the T in Wis Resort on Mackenzie Beach, where she has been working since 2003 1 800 661 9995

One of our local secrets is talented baker and proprietor of 600 Hundred Degrees Bread and Baker y, Julie Lomenda Lomenda has a passion for rustic style breads and bakes from her wood fired brick oven at home Trained by oven building guru and author of ‘ The Bread Builders’, Alan Scott of Point Reyes, Cal ifornia, Lomenda uses a levain style star ter for her breads, a nat ural fermentation process with flour and water She uses organic flours and sources the best ingredients for her products which can be found at 4th Street Natural Market, SoBo and currently my favourite place to meet friends and family, the Tofino Public Mar ket in the V illage Green on Saturdays, from 10am 2pm. (Grab a cof fee from one of our local cafes and head to the market for one of Lomenda’s fabulous Calebaut chocolate cinnies!!)

Clayoquot Orca Lodge welcomes a new chef to their team at the Chuckling Oyster Dennis Bond recently came to the West Coast from the Steak House at Sun Peaks Lodge near Kamloops, BC His experience star ts with the Pacific Vocational Culinar y Pro gram in Burnaby, BC with an apprenticeship at Vancouver’s Hyak Cooking School He has spent time working at various restaurants in Vancouver including Café Django, Ju Ju Café, The Landing, Mescalero’s, The Mansion and Crockadile He will be focusing on fresh, local and organic island and BC products, focusing on ‘Slow’ sustainable sources and Ocean W ise products Open to both lo cals and guests of the lodge, the dining room and lounge of fer something for ever yone For more info go to www c orca com

For guests of The W ickaninnish Inn, Crab Cookouts on the Beach are back for the summer, west coast style This charming and intimate beach dinner features locally caught Dungeness crab cooked in lightly salted water with a hint of lemon over an open fire pit, ser ved on the beach This year, the crab dinner will be of fered in an open seating style Reser vations are required, but once made, guests can wonder down to Chesterman Beach at their leisure, between 5:30PM and 8:00 PM. Cookouts are of fered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the summer. Cost is $50 per person and includes unlimited crab, salads and delec table desser ts The Buf fet Brunch created by Pointe Restaurant Chef Nick Nutting will be of fered from 10am 2pm, and the cost is $40 for adults, $25 for children This is open to guests not stay ing at the Inn 1 800 333 4604

Another great Salmon BBQ is of fered on Friday and Saturday nights at the Trilogy Café in the Tofino Botanical Gardens Buf fet style set in the enchanting rainforest, the cost is $30 for adults and $17 50 for children There will also be live music in the café af ter 9pm (there is a separate cost for this) This is one of my favourite places in town for a great cup of Creekmore Cof fee (Coombs, BC), in a ver y peaceful location, and is also home the

your calendar for Sunday August 28th, at dusk, in the Tofino Botanical Gardens Suppor ted by the Raincoast Education Society, lantern making workshops are held at the Raincoast Interpretive Centre, Word’s End Booksellers and the Clayoquot Field Station Workshop schedules can be found at tofinotime.com. The festival star ts at 6 30pm and includes many other highlights including face painting, puppet shows, bubble shows, children’s music and much more Like the Tofino Food and W ine Festival, this is a care

725

Sam Maltby has joined Shelter Restaurant as Maitre d’ The expanded dinner menu features more local ingredients including Douglas Brooker’s Medicine Farm Shelter is also working on get ting Green Table cer tification and Oceanwise designation We’ve built a great kitchen and front of house team over the winter and we are excited about the summer. Reser vations can be made at 250 725 3353 or go to www shelterrestaurant com

T h e c h e f, t h e b a k e r a n d t h e f a r

In an attempt to combat rising food costs, I grew a garden this year The yield is small but sufficient for our family of two, and the satisfaction of pulling fresh carrots and greens out of the ground is priceless On some days, we almost maintain the no mile diet Many chef restaurateurs, who fix an eagle eye on food costs, are echoing concerns about our food systems, sustainability and food miles and are adding “farmer” to their list of responsibil ities

In Shawnigan Lake, close to the fer tile beating hear t of the Cowichan Valley, chef Brad Boisver t is co owner of Amusé Bistro. His cozy 20 seat bistro with an extra 25 seats on the sunny back patio is surrounded by four gardens he maintains with his wife Leah Bel lerive and a handful of restaurant staff “When buying produce, the prices fluctuate a lot,” says Boisver t. “But growing our own food, it’s a lot easier to keep costs in check. We hover around 29 32 percent, sometimes it’s even cheaper ”

In the height of summer, 45 percent of his produce is gleaned from the restaurant’s gar dens, including a crop of quinoa, which Boisver t uses for a pilaf on the menu. The rest, in cluding meats, seafood, eggs, cheese, wine, cider and craft brews tallying in at 85 percent of his total ingredients is gleaned from within 35 miles of his location. Outstanding!

The restaurant’s bread is supplied by kindred spirit Jonathan Knight of True Grain Bread & Mill in Cowichan Bay “We need to have locally produced grain if we are to have any real local food security,” says ar tisan baker Knight, who is also concerned with the rising cost of wheat Knight was approached by Metchosin farmer and author Tom Henr y about grow ing a trial crop of heritage Red Fife wheat, which Henry did last year The bakery purchased the half ton of wheat and created a popular weekly batch of 30 mile bread. (He had Henry clock the distance between the field and the bakery ) The bread was a naturally leavened hear th baked loaf made from 100 percent whole wheat freshly milled on site just before use. The results of this limited har vest might still be around for summer, but Knight will be baking even closer to home this fall The baker and the farmer have joined forces to grow 15 acres of Red Fife wheat just up the hill from the bakery at Sungold Meadows Farm. If all goes well, this heroic feat will not only create a five mile bread but will go towards supply ing the bakery with their yearly wheat requirements

If you can’t grow a garden, suppor t your local farms, hug a farmer and suppor t these local champions making a difference Shelora Sheldan

Amusé Bistro, 1753 Shawnigan Mill Bay Rd , 250 743 3667, www amusebistro com True Grain, Cowichan Bay Village, 250 746 7664, www.truegrain.ca

wines for great

by Larr y Arnold

everyday drinking

THE WINES

Marilyn Wines Cuvee Three Blonde de Noirs 04 California $48 00 55 00

With its coquettish image of Marilyn Munroe wrapped in a tight little strapless number peering from the label, the package is as alluring as the contents. After a brief struggle with the cork I found this methode Champenoise sparkler soft and very fruity with a wonderful creamy texture and perky acidity

Perrier Jouet Grand Brut Champagne NV France $60.00-65.00

Bubble is a wonderful thing! As they say “you can have too much champagne, but never enough!” PJ is light gold in colour with tiny but persistent bubbles and a toasty brioche character. Seamless and su perbly balanced with sweet apple and cit rus flavours, good length and a crisp elegant finish

Red Rooster Gewurztraminer VQA Okana gan Res 07 BC $20.00-23.00

Off dry but nicely balanced with an exotic floral, citrus and lychee nut bouquet that fills the glass and lingers on the palate Fresh and lively with a long spicy finish

Prospect Unoaked Chardonnay VQA Okanagan 06 BC $17 00 20 00

This juicy little chardonnay from the south Okanagan is simple, clean and absolutely delicious! Restrained and elegant with ripe apple, citrus and mineral flavours, hold the toast.

Matua Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 06 New Zealand $19.00 22.00

Super fresh with ripe melon, citrus and apple flavours and a racy, refreshing finish Sauvignon Blanc, pure and simple Chateau de la Galiniere Cotes de Provence 07 France $17.00-19.00

Good French rose is dry! They are also the perfect patio sippers on a hot summer day, but the vibrant fruit flavours often hide a powerful alcoholic punch lying hidden within. So consider yourself warned and

proceed with caution! Simply delicious with lovely berry flavours, a refreshingly dry fin ish and a deceptive14% alcohol. Goes down easy anytime of the day.

Venturi Schulze Rosato di Collina V. Island 06 BC $23.00 26.00

With summer threatening to appear any month now, perhaps today is the time for those with an open mind to put their money where their palate is and try a seriously de licious, island rose This dry, full bodied pinot noir rose from the heart of Cobble Hill, has a subtle coppery onion skin hue, a blockbuster fruit driven nose that shows no restraint, an attractive oily texture, great acid structure and ripe fruit flavours that will surprise and amaze you. What more can I say.

Twisted Tree Syrah 2006 BC $25.00 28.00

Located in Osoyoos, Twisted Tree is a new winery to keep an eye on! The syrah is big and concentrated, with dense layers of ripe cherry, raspberry and black pepper flavours nicely integrated with spicy French and American oak Full bodied and expansive with a rasp of gentle tannins in the finish, sounds good; tastes terrific.

Robin Ridge Similkameen Gamay 06 BC $16.00 18.00

This is one big fruit bomb! Soft and lush, with a silky texture and gobs of sweet, juicy cherry and raspberry flavours that just get better and better with every sip Soft, sim ple and easy to like

Bodegas Gascon Circus Malbec 06 Argentina $13.00-16.00

Only a few shor t years ago the Argentine was considered the sleeping giant of the wine industry With its industry in chaos, producing old style oxidized wines for an in discriminate domestic market; Argentina was an impor ter of cheap plonk to satisfy the thirsty masses at home. This can no longer be considered the case. This potent malbec is inky black with lots of ripe juicy fruit flavours, substantial depth and a struc ture somewhat surprising for a wine at this humble price point! Very impressive

By Christopher Pollon

Three ales into a highly anticipated night of sampling the best of impor ted American craft brews, and the same nasty after taste one par t bitter, two par ts skunk bit through the back of my tongue Much to my sadness, what I had hoped would be a column about the best American craft impor ts available in BC had suddenly become a tale of woe

It was a Saturday night, and the sheer oppor tunity cost of the situation was bringing our little par ty down the money we spent on these six large, skunky bottles of microbrew was the money we could have spent on six large, perfectly delightful bottles of microbrew.

Beer is best consumed as fresh as possible, and in the case of buying cer tain impor ts, my best advice is buyer beware Not to say you will have the same experience, and the good news is that more and more American micros showing up in BC Liquor Stores and especially private stores But I hope you have better luck than I do

I had gone shopping earlier that day, buying what I expected to be the subjects of my next column which I tentatively entitled “the American Invasion” including the brightest names in Pacific Nor thwest craft brews. There were selections from Rogue Brewing (Oregon), Pike Brewing(Seattle), Anchor (San Francisco), even a single bottle of Brooklyn Brewing’s highly touted Hefeweizen.

All beers are highly rated on Rate.beer.com, a website I peruse from time to time to discover what great beers are being made and quaffed outside BC. What’s more, these names, without exception, have become par t of the mythology of craft brewing in America, a country that has single handedly sparked a world renaissance and revived and recreated such styles as por ter, stout and I PA

I had tried Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale a few weeks earlier, when I saw it on the shelf (for the first time) at a BC Liquor outlet near my home in East Vancouver; I was floored by how good this German style maibock was and resolved to sample more. Between the government and private stores, I was able to find many of the beers that until recently I had only been able to read about online.

But alas. The mass impor t of American craft beers is in its infancy here, and it shows: of all the bottles we tasted, only one actually had a “best before” date on the bottle, and in my giddiness, I failed to notice it read “May 2007 ” This was not the first time this had happened over the past year either, where an undated bottle of American craft brew was opened to find the contents clearly too old

I needed answers, so I consulted Christopher Bonnallie, a veteran brewer at Storm Brewer y in East Vancouver, and currently an employee at one of Vancouver’s most beer friendly private liquor stores. He did not necessarily blame the American brewers, or even their shipping logistics for the problems.

“ The question is, how long has a bottle been sitting in a BC Liquor Distribution Branch storage area before it gets to the shelf? Not only is freshness key, but these beers must also be out of the light and away from heat, and that might not happen ” If I learned anything from this experience, it is to buy local and suppor t the many up and coming beer revolutionaries here in BC (Not always, but generally!) Fur ther to the point, the freshest beer you will likely ever buy will be from a brewpub where the beer is made in the same building (Not to mention the brewmasters, in my experience, are often eager to talk about their beer.) Barring that, Bonnallie says hoppy beer styles like I PA are often your best bet if you suspect the beer has travelled a long way (or sat for a while, dust on the bot tle is a good indicator), due to the natural preser vative qualities in hops. “An I PA will last six months,” says Bonnallie.

This advice I can speak to first hand: the only beer that did not disappoint that night was Rogue’s Imperial I PA, which is so turbo hopped that it makes Matt Phillips Amnesiac I PA (brewed in Esquimalt) seem downright wimpy And it was a good thing too at over $15 a bottle retail (before tax), I would have returned that one to the store

Barbecue Imbibing

Keep the 1982 Mouton in the cellar. Backyard barbecue wines are easygoing, unpretentious and ready for fun.

By Michaela Morris and Michelle Bouffard

Shor ts and sandals, fresh local strawberries and peaches, volleyball and bocce all speak unmistakably of summer The scent of the first barbecue of the season promises all of these and more during the long, warm days ahead. Aroused by the intoxicating aromas of grilled meat, you’ve cleaned off the barbecue, replenished the gas and replace your rusted tongs Now you are ready to enjoy weeks of simple cooking and outdoor dining This means less dishes to wash and relaxing evenings in the backyard with friends, neighbours and family But wait; we forgot one cru cial ingredient The wine!

Barbecuing has matured beyond the burger, and while grilling choices are endless so are appropriate wine matches. The only guideline: wine should suit the barbecue atmos phere, i.e., uncomplicated and easygoing. Don’t waste your money on expensive bottles that could distract or vie for at tention Barbecuing and pretension do not mix This is not the time to pull out your 1982 Mouton Instead, head to your local wine shop and pick up something you haven’t tried be fore It’s the ideal oppor tunity to experiment

The Classic BBQ

While the warm weather calls for lighter reds, you may sim ply prefer them big and bold, regardless of the temperature A classic barbecue of steak or hamburgers provides the per fect setting to enjoy these monsters All that barbecue sauce could kill a more delicate wine. Forward, fruity wines like Zin fandel and Aussie reds, on the other hand, can compete at the same level and end up being a harmonious match. The Ring.bolt Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) from Australia is the quintessential barbecue wine Of the same ilk is Primitivo from southern Italy’s Puglia region, which plays well with sweet and spicy ribs One of our recent favourite finds is the Feudi di San Gregorio Ognissole ($25)

Michaela’s July bir thday is celebrated religiously with a feast of grilled sausages in the company of good friends and copious amounts of wine. Something French is sure to figure into the mix. The Languedoc region offers plenty of barbe cue friendly wines. In par ticular, the Grange Philippe, Costa Santene ($20) will suit a special occasion, especially when lamb sausages are on the menu If this is just too highbrow, there is absolutely nothing wrong with throwing some hot dogs on the barbie and cracking open a bottle of Citra Mon tepulciano d’Abruzzo (1 litre, $9 49) We finally revisited this old staple and were more than pleasantly surprised Bring on the ketchup and relish!

A classic barbecue goes hand in hand with a camping trip. All that fresh air brings out our carnivorous instincts. Luckily, it’s so easy to bring along hamburger patties and thick

steaks. Make the wine just as simple and stick to screwcaps. You don’t need to worry about packing a corkscrew and your precious ration of wine will be safe from cork taint. As more and more producers jump on the screwcap bandwagon, we are blessed with a wide selection

E xtreme campers who spend their days kayaking or ca noeing to their next resting spot cer tainly don’t want heavy glass bottles rolling around the bottom of the boat Tetra Paks are a practical solution Once considered plonk, boxed wine has evolved, and today the Tetra Pak is being touted as an environmentally friendly choice. Comparing those cur rently available, we didn’t demand complexity but insisted on the wine being palatable and correctly made. The Red Lips Merlot (1 litre, $13.99) triumphed in the red category while the Sono Vino Pinot Grigio Chardonnay (1 litre, $13 99) was the clear leader of the whites Either would be good company by a fire after a long day of paddling

West Coast BBQ

Fresh local salmon will cer tainly find its way onto most British Columbian barbecues, especially if you are enter taining guests from out of town Whether you are cooking the fish whole or just grilling the steaks, you have plenty of wine options Sip on a rosé, savour a richer white or enjoy a light red like a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Depending on our mood, and we have many, we may opt for the Marqués de Cáceres Rosé ($15), the Villa Wolf Pinot Gris ($17) or the Babich Pinot Noir from New Zealand ($19).

Sardines are often overlooked but are absolutely delicious grilled and drizzled with olive oil and lemon Wash them down with a bottle of Por tugal’s highly underrated Vinho Verde, like the G azela ($10), or be adventurous and try a tangy Fino or Manzanilla sherry Gonzalez Byass’ El Rocio Manzanilla (375 mL, $13) is easy to polish off before digging into the reds when the night cools down.

Shellfish have a natural place on the grill, yet we often for get them when we are firing up the barbecue. Picture spend ing the day raiding the ocean then returning to the beach to barbecue your edible treasures If you are having oysters or mussels nude, chasten them with something pure and clean like the limpid wines of Chablis We recommend the William Fèvre Petit Chablis ($26) The more inhibited might want to dress their bivalves up with cheese and breadcrumbs to make them decent. In this case, select a fuller yet vibrant white such as the Tamellini Soave ($27) or Villa Chiopris Pinot Grigio ($17), both from Italy. Grilled spicy prawns are a treat with intense wines like Riesling. Equally pungent, the Anakena Viognier ($16) would make a smar t match. If you are in celebration mode, crab is the only way to go Its ulti mate par tner is Chardonnay

Vegetarian BBQ

Grilled vegetables are the obvious barbecue side dish but also provide a delicious vegetarian meal for your non meat eating friends Vegetarians often get the shor t end of the stick during barbecue season, but the grill can offer a ban quet for non carnivores. Zucchini, peppers, corn on the cob and eggplant are popular grilling fare, but beets, fennel, Walla Walla onions and even bok choy can also be cooked to perfection For those who want a burger but not the meat, a juicy por tobello mushroom topped with pesto and cheese is a tasty substitute On the communal grill, beware of cross contamination from steak juice or sausage grease (although these will make the vegetables taste even better and may tempt vegetarians to visit the dark side again)

Grilled vegetables call for high acid whites. When green vegetables feature heavily, go with a Sauvignon Blanc, like the Veramonte from Chile ($12) or Shaw & Smith from Aus tralia ($30) depending on your budget. If mushrooms and eggplant play the main role, you can get away with some thing richer but still crisp like a B C Pinot Gris Wild Goose ($19) has become a local darling

For Adventurous Grill Masters

While the ar t of barbecuing is all about simplicity, it also encourages innovative and creative cooking Imagine that the barbecue was your only cooking tool (There could be much worse things in life ) You would soon tire of hamburg ers and grilled salmon and be dying to cook a meal that in volved more than just flipping your protein. Wouldn’t you miss pizza? Easy! Just turn the heat up high, sprinkle the dough with fresh tomatoes, arugula, basil and buffalo milk mozzarella and put it on the grill. And what about Mexican food? Chop up some chicken, toss it on the grill and heat up the tor tillas right next to it Barbecued fajitas beg for rosé

Desser t is a must when you’re enter taining What a shame to go inside if the evening is balmy Instead, make your grill work over time and impress your guests Tropical fruits stand up to the barbecue, especially pineapple, bananas and pa paya. For a truly decadent finale, pour some chocolate over grilled bananas and ser ve with ice cream and chilled tawny por t. Your guests and your belly will thank you.

Quite simply, you can barbecue anything, anytime of the year Of course the sizzling summer weather is par ticularly inspiring Our idea of heaven is sitting in the warm evening sun after a taxing round of bocce with a glass of rosé to quench our thirst As the charcoal heats up slowly and the steaks marinade, we’ll be contemplating which wine to open next.

T a s t i n g N o t e s

White

2007 Veramonte, Sauvignon Blanc, $11.99, Chile #602649

Lively, pungent and pleasantly herbaceous Non carnivores take note, this wine loves vegetables (Screwcap)

2005 Langhorne Crossing, Chardonnay Riesling Verdelho, $12.99, Australia #330779 Crisp and citrusy. Serve chilled on a hot day for some much needed refreshment. (Screw cap)

2006 Anakena, Single Vineyard, Viognier, $15.95, Chile #329789

A great example of Viognier at an affordable price! Floral, peachy and pretty, it remains refreshing and light on its feet

2006 Villa Wolf, Pinot Gris, Pfalz, $16.97, Germany #6940

An exciting discovery that is all too easy to drink Pear, mineral and leesy aromas Great balance of richness, acidity and a touch of sweetness with a long finish. (Screwcap)

2006 Villa Chiopris, Pinot Grigio, Friuli DOC, $16.99, Italy #51919

Stands out in the sea of Pinot Grigios on the market. Characterful and thirst quenching with just a slight spritz Food friendly and equally easy to drink on it own

Rosé

2006 Marqués de Cáceres, Rosado, Rioja DOCa, $14 99, Spain #51919

It just wouldn’t be summer without rosé. Dry and juicy, the Marqués de Cáceres satiates our craving for pink year after year. (Screwcap)

Red

2001 Pergolas, Crianza, Old Vines Tempranillo, Valdepeñas DO, $10.90, Spain #616011

Proudly Spanish in character, this will appeal to the Old World palate Dry and structured yet possesses plenty of charm and personality Great bang for the buck

2002 Bodegas Ados, Trío, $10 99, Spain #494765

A much more modern offering blending Syrah, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. For those who like an oakier style of wine, your money will be well spent.

2006 Cremaschi Furlotti, Cabernet Sauvignon, $11.95, Chile #847640

For the money, this kicks ass! Full bodied, huge blackcurrant, ripe fruit framed by serious tannin Overwhelmingly good value

2007 Concha Y Toro, Casillero del Diablo, Carmenère Reser va, $14.00, Chile #153270 Ripe, modern and full bodied with a long, chocolatey finish This is a crowd pleaser

2007 Bodega Casa del 23 Beviam, Cabernet Sauvignon, $14.75, Argentina, #81638

Delicious Cab at a great price. Ser ved alongside a succulent steak, it will taste even better.

2007 Undurraga, Reser va, Pinot Noir, $15.99, Chile #761205

Beautiful Pinot Noir character with bright red cherry aromas and flavours Simple and well made You’ll be hard pressed to find a better Pinot at this price

2005 Carm, Douro DO, $17.00, Por tugal, #648782

A polite and polished Por tuguese wine championing indigenous grape varieties Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca. Will work well with whatever red meat you are grilling.

2006 Ring.bolt, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, $19.99, Australia #606624

Bold and friendly, not unlike the Aussies. Highly recommended for a traditional barbecue of steak or hamburgers

2005 Grange Philippe, Costa Santene, Coteaux du Languedoc AOC, $19.99, France #98913

Philippe Salasc has seduced us once again with this Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre blend A sexy nose of violets, ear th and roasted herbs gives way to a lush and savoury palate. Buy a backup bottle in case your guests drink it all.

2005 Domaine des Nugues, Beaujolais Villages AOC, $24.99, France #531091

Absolutely delectable and bursting with freshness. We are suckers for good Beaujolais but admit that this would be even better if it were a few dollars cheaper What the hell! Splurge on some salmon as well and just enjoy

2005 Louis Jadot, Couvent des Jacobins, Bourgogne AOC, $26.99, France #341875

Great purity of fruit with a refreshing palate that stimulates the appetite Traditionalists seeking Pinot Noir at a good price should be more than satisfied. It will even lend some elegance to your barbecue.

LifeCyclesFruitTreeProducts

Theseproductsaremadefromproduce devotedlyharvestedbyvolunteersof LifeCycles'FruitTreeProject.Since1998 over150,000lbsofnutritiousfood -whichwouldhavegonetowaste-has beenredistributedamonghomeowners, volunteers,foodbanksand communityorganizations. Proceedsfromproduct salesallowthecharitable projecttocontinue. Thankyou! www.lifecyclesproject.ca

PearBrandy

Vinegar Chutney QuincePaste

HardCider Gelatoand Sorbetto

Five Great Restaurants We'd Never Heard Of

by Degan Beley (with an introduction by Andrew Morrison)

One of our food scene's most unsung strengths is its ever increasing share of the blogosphere Literally dozens upon dozens of local "food blogs" have emerged in the last year alone, ranging from the daily ramblings of underpaid restaurant workers to the home cooking adventures of single mothers. Not all of them are good, of course, but in separating the wheat from the chaff it quickly becomes clear that some are doing the traditional food media a great service Many are introducing us to ingredients, cooking methods, new products, and restaurants that would otherwise never make so much as a blip on our radar screens, and the best ones keep us riveted during the introduction. They say the most entertaining and informative blogs are those that focus on one thing and one thing only Such is the case with Degan Beley's "Ethnic Eats" Clean and easy to read, her new website zeros in on Vancouver's wealth of ethnic restaurants, the ones that don't market themselves to the masses (and the press) or spend gazillions on staff uniforms, design consultants, and all the other ancillary distractions from the plate in front of us. For this issue, we challenged her to recommend five great finds that have never been on our scopes before, and true to her chosen beat she came through for us after a few days of prowling AM

Degan Beley on Le Do Vietnamese Restaurant | "There’s something about a good bowl of pho rare and well done beef flank, tendon, tripe and beef balls with noodles in soup that just doesn’t seem to happen downtown. You have to travel a bit for quality, and Le Do Vietnamese Restaurant, a little hole in the wall way out on the east side, is definitely wor th traveling for The Pho Tai Bo Vien with its fragrant broth filled up with vermicelli noodles, green onion, thin strips of rare beef flank and beef balls has become a staple for me ($5 95 for a small bowl, $6 50 for large) Fresh basil, lime, bean sprouts and chilies natu rally arrive on the side to be added as you see fit With so few ingredients, the quality of the meats and the broth are paramount. At Le Do both are done very well. The meat is fresh, not too greasy or oily, and the broth is nice and clear. For a side, the spring rolls ($5.25 for 3) here are as good as any I’ve had in Vancouver The room is tidy and the ser vice is on the perfunctory side, efficient and polite all that’s needed while you’re tucking into a meaty mouthful of pho " | 2292 East Hastings | East Vancouver | 604 253 3508

DB on Cafe Kathmandu | "In the crown of ethnic restau rants on Commercial Drive there are many gems, but this is one of the most oft overlooked jewel. Tucked away at the far south end of the Drive, it's a little out of the way and to tally under marketed two reasons why this spot is not bet ter known The ser vice is exemplary, the dishes intriguing, and the atmosphere warm and inviting For those unfamil iar with Nepalese cuisine, it's flavourful but very basic fare influenced by Indian, Chinese and Tibetan cooking The spice mixtures include coriander, chilies, fenugreek and ginger, often backing up spicy heat with piquant flavour. Dishes are available in small, medium, and large combo plates, so it's easy to get a sampling of diverse tastes. The prices are right, too, ranging from $7 to $15. An easy fa vorite is the Bhatmaas: crunchy toasted soybeans fried with spices and ser ved cold with onion, fresh green pepper and cilantro It comes with a side of Chiuraa rice that has been beaten and toasted to be sprinkled liberally on top Bhutuwaa is another must your choice of goat, chicken or tofu marinated and pan fried Order it as spicy as you like " | 2779 Commercial Drive | East Vancouver | 604 879 9909

DB on Yopo Café | "If the chefs at Yopo have a business on the side, I’m betting it’s in closet organizers. How else to explain the hundred plus dishes produced so quickly from a kitchen the size of a freight elevator? But even though I’ve sampled many of their specialties and found them above par, I’m not interested in ninety percent of their in gredients I come for the tofu and the tofu alone Spicy Salt

Tofu ($7.25) should be written on the menu in neon, but in stead it inconspicuously parachutes in with the vegetable dishes Deep fried cubes of tofu crunchy, golden and glis tening in a slight sheen of oil are then tossed with spices, onion, chilies and, of course, salt The balance of flavour and oil is perfect, so that it's simultaneously light and spicy, fried and salty. Beautiful. If tofu isn’t your thing (you should still try it anyways), other favorites include the B.B.Q Pork Won Ton Soup ($5.50), the Ma Po Tofu on Rice (with pork for $7.25), and the Singapore Style Fried Vermi celli ($8.45). There are only 20 seats in the room and it’s a popular spot with the Yaletown lunch crowd, so take out is a good option (or go early to avoid crushing disappoint ment) "

| 1122 Homer Street | Downtown | Tel: 604 609 9676

DB on Al Watan Tandoori | "It shouldn’t be hard to find a good Channa Masala in Vancouver's Little India, but with out a recommendation most diners seem to end up at the massive buffet at All India Sweets, the culinary keystone that sits like a monolith at the gates of the "Fraserhood". Al Watan Tandoori is a cozier and just as tasty option a few blocks away, and nevermind that you've never heard of it Specialty dishes range from Haleem ($6 99), a dish of shredded beef and lentils in curry gravy topped with fresh green pepper and ginger; to Brain Masala ($7 99) for the more adventurous The Haleem is a medium spicy dish with a rather gooey consistency to it that the sharp sting of gin ger cuts through and compliments. More common Indian fare such as Lamb Korma, Butter Chicken and Beef Vin daloo are also on the menu and appear to be ordered more frequently. The Channa Masala is consistently good, and with enough excess sauce to scoop up in a few pockets of naan (cer tainly of a size to leave you fully sated) The threadbare grey carpeting and bare walls don’t make for the most inviting dining in experience, but friendly staff make up for the lack of décor and are always happy to pack up orders to go as well "

| 6084 Fraser Street | East Vancouver | 604 324 6378

DB on Dai Tung Dim Sum | "Asser tiveness will get you everywhere at Dai Tung, and not because the ser vice is bad (it is in fact excellent for such a busy lunch spot) Rather, it's because fighting your way through the door to the hostess desk in order to claim a number and then trying to listen for said number as tables are called out in seemingly random order (sometimes in English but mostly in Chinese) can be a bit of an ordeal for the average Anglophone. I would go so far as to say it's a "weeding out" process for the uninitiated. But once you're seated and the first car t pulls up to the table piled high with steaming dim sum bas kets, it's clear that Dai Tung is wor th the wait. Traditional plates of paper thin Har Gow dumplings and savory pork Siu Mai appear alongside specialty dishes such as spicy fried squid and braised eggplant stuffed with shrimp paste Ser vice is fast and furious, and at a little more than $2 per dish, it's easy to sample one of everything until you're obliged to force yourself away from the table. For ty dollars regularly fills me plus two of my closest friends. Go early, be inexorable, and bring cash because that's all they take. And if the wait at the door proves too daunting, be brave and ask to share a table."

| 108-1050 Kingsway | East Vancouver | 604-872-2268

Visit Degan's site and keep track of her restaurant adventures at VancouverEthnicEats wordpress com

Tracey Kusiewicz

Thrifty Foods Tuscany Village proudly presents, the Cooking and Lifestyle Centre, our new modern cooking and teaching facility located in our beautiful Thrifty Foods Tuscany Village store.

You can learn how to create delicious dishes through instruction, demonstration and hands-on practice with other culinary enthusiasts.

• Cooking classes for all skill levels

• Knowledge classes (such as knife skills)

• Renowned Chefs

• Wellness Seminars

• Team Building

• And much, much more!

Have an interesting course idea? Interested in flaunting your culinary skills? We’d love to hear from you!

For further information, call Eva, our Cooking and Lifestyle Centre Coordinator, at (250) 483-1222 or 1-866-751-1222