Tomato Food and Drink May-June 2011

Formerly City Palate

The flavour of Edmonton’s food scene | May June 2011 | thetomato.ca

The wine issue Best buy wines: 20 under $20 Ridge Vineyard's Paul Draper Beyond Pinot Grigio, Italy's Collio region

WAITER, THERE’S A DIETITIAN IN MY MENU. Health Check ...now in restaurants!

TM

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Participating restaurants:

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™ The Health Check logo, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta logo, and Finding Answers. For Life. tagline are trademarks of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and are used under license.

editor

Contents

Mary Bailey marybee@shaw.ca

Features

publisher BGP Publishing

copy editor Amanda LeNeve

designer Bossanova Communications Inc.

contributing writers Peter Bailey Richard Harvey Kristine Kowalchuk Judy Schultz Karen Virag Julie Ward

illustration/photography Hester Creek Amanda LeNeve Trevor Schneider, Curtis Comeau Photography Voth Photography

design and prepress Bossanova Communications Inc.

printer Transcontinental

distribution The Globe and Mail For editorial inquires, information, letters, suggestions or ideas, contact The Tomato at 780-431-1802, fax 780-433-0492, or email marybee@shaw.ca.

For advertising information call 780-431-1802.

the tomato is published six times per year: January/February March/April May/June July/August September/October November/December

by BGP Publishing 9833 84 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6E 2G1 780-431-1802 Subscriptions are available for $20 per year.

thetomato.ca

6 12 14 22 28

Rhubarb Not just for stewing anymore | Mary Bailey

Beyond Pinot Grigio Italy’s Collio region | Mary Bailey

The Harvest Richard Harvey takes a busman’s holiday | Richard Harvey

Saffron Hello mellow yellow | Karen Virag

Meeting Paul Draper Julie Ward

Departments

5 8 10 16 18 20 24 30

Dish Gastronomic happenings around town

Drinks 20 under $20

Feeding People How I learned to love dandelions | Kristine Kowalchuk

The Proust Culinary Questionnaire Chef Susur Lee

Beer Guy Rising sun beer | Peter Bailey

Wine Maven Kitchen Sink What’s new and notable

According to Judy The grapple of my eye | Judy Schultz

Cover photo: Richard Harvey captured this image of grape pickers at Château de Beauregard in France’s Mâconnais region.

KeepEdmontonOriginal.com Exercise your power as a consumer thoughtfully.

The Tomato | May June 2011 3

Coming soon!

The Next Issue: Jan Hostyn on communal dining Asado: How to barbecue Buenos Aires style The campaign for aperitivos: bring back the original happy hour!

Now That’s Italian!

Bakery • Deli • Produce Specializing in European Products

DOWNTOWN 10878-95 Street 9-9 Everyday

SOUTHSIDE 5028-104A Street 9-9 Everyday

780-424-4869

780-989-4869

www.italiancentre.ca

Mark Shipway on sherry

gastronomic happenings around town |

dish

it’s artichoke season somewhere cooking with mara and blair

Blair Lebsack and Mara Jernigan.

Feel good about your water

Combine bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and two tablespoons of olive oil in a medium bowl.

Mix together well. Wash the artichokes under cold running water. Cut the stems off, flush with bottom. Cut pointy leaves off the top of the artichokes. Spread leaves of each artichoke out and push bread crumb mixture in between them.

You can flavour the broth with peas, green onions and parsley. Cover and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the artichokes are tender and a leaf is easily pulled out, about 45 minutes. If liquid is evaporating too quickly, add a little more water. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle a little of the liquid over the artichokes and serve. Serves 4.

find in the drawer These colourful, non-stick coated knives with a superior hollow ground cutting edge come in two styles: a paring knife and a santoku. They have a handy matching sheath which means you can keep them safely (both for you and the knife) in a drawer. By Scanpan, at Dansk, 335 Southgate Shopping Centre: paring knife $14; Santoku $16.

looks good, does good Groovy industrial designer Karim Rashid is responsible for the great look of the Bobble, the new BPA-free, recycled plastic water bottle. Not only does it come in six different colours, the carbon filter is good for 150 liters. Replacement filters are only $9.50. At Dansk, 335 Southgate Shopping Centre. Bobble bottle with filter, $13.50.

1 c bread crumbs ½ c grated Pecorino Romano Cheese 2 eggs 1 T parsley, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 6 T olive oil 4 artichokes 2 clove garlic, sliced

In a pot just large enough to fit the artichokes, add the sliced garlic, two tablespoons oil and the artichokes. Drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of oil over the top of the artichokes.

Add water to reach half way up the sides of the artichokes.

sunday supper at the blue chair Harold Wollin of the Blue Chair emailed to say, “Our Sunday dinner is starting to gain momentum. We started simply with roasts and potatoes, but have progressed to creations that my cooks, under the leadership of Karolina Kwaitkowska, learn to use different ethnic cooking styles and techniques to make great dinners.

For instance, this week was a Moroccan theme with free-range bison keftes in lemon lime sauce, eggplant, zucchini and okra tagine with spicy tomato on couscous, with a salad and tea or coffee all in for $20. It’s a lot of fun and a great learning experience for all. We are going to try to keep it approachable and affordable. That’s our way here.” Look for the Sunday specials and musical guests at bluechair.ca. Blue Chair Café 9624 76 Avenue, 780-989-2861.

Trevor Schneider, Curtis Comeau Photography

Chef Mara Jernigan, president of Slow Food Canada, was in Edmonton as part of a countrywide tour to visit different Slow Food chapters.

Edmonton’s chapter organized a friendly cook off with chef and NAIT culinary arts instructor Blair Lebsack. Blair put together a black box of ingredients, relying on greenhouses to fill the gap until fresh field vegetables are ready.

“I popped by Strathcona and picked up some bison tri tip from Larissa Helbig at Thundering Ground. At Gull Valley Greenhouse the tomatoes were spectacular, also some green beans there, two cheeses from Lacombe’s Sylvan Star, some Irving’s dried cured pork and, at Sunrise, daikon sprouts and a pumpkin. Alan Dumonceaux (NAIT baking head) made couche (artisan method of proofing in mats, then baking in a hearth-style oven) with local Red Fife wheat. The mystery ingredient was salted freshwater lingcod liver.

“It was salty and soft-textured, somewhat like an anchovy,” said Blair, “which Mara put to good use in a warm potato salad using some luscious fingerlings.” Visit slowfoodedmonton.ca for the next impromptu food get-together. Cook with Mara: Culinary Boot Camps at Foxglove Farm; farmchefblog.com.

We’re starting to see the beautiful olive green globes in stores now, and yes, they are good for more than gilding — not just edible, they are delicious. We asked the Italian Centre for their spring newsletter’s recipe for Stuffed Artichokes:

our feelings exactly

Looking sharp

Tania from Everything Cheese sent us this happy little video, of Dutch Beemster cows released from the barn for the first time in spring. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikfg6jW6Zbk.

The Tomato | May June 2011 5

Rhubarb:

not just for stewing anymore We all grew up with the backyard rhubarb. There are several alleys in our city that are lined with rhubarb, creating a community rhubarb patch, there for the picking. I tell you this not so you can pull off a midnight raid down the lane; but to demonstrate just how ubiquitous this big-leaved, tropical looking plant is in our northern neighbourhoods.

Everybody has a rhubarb don’t they? I must admit I didn’t really pay attention to mine either, until it wilted with blight last summer. While waiting to see if the plant survived, I’ve had a chance to think about rhubarb. How its tangy citric bite partners so well with vegetables like beets and celery, and citrus fruit. Or, rhubarb martinis anyone? A simple recipe in the NY Times has me determined to keep a jug of syrup in the fridge at all times this summer, for martinis, or to mix with water for a refreshing drink on a hot day. Here are several ways, both sweet and savoury, to enjoy rhubarb. Keep in mind that the leaves are not edible.

Handle with care. Some people are mildly allergic to the edible stems.

Mary Bailey

SAVOURY roasted beet salad with rhubarb, celery and orange This is a variation on the winter salad of fennel and orange, endlessly versatile. Fresh, colourful rhubarb adds a freshness that is a great match for the sweet earthiness of the beets and celery. It looks best if all the pieces of rhubarb, celery and beet are about the same size. The oil in the dressing makes a difference. If you can’t find a fresh and sassy extra virgin olive oil try a local canola oil such as Mighty Treo or Highwood Crossing.

Use sparingly as the flavours are bold, and keep in the fridge — these oils are minimally processed and need protection from heat and light.

8 small, early season beets, cleaned 4 T

extra-virgin olive oil, divided

sea salt

3 c

water

½ c

sugar

4-6 young rhubarb stalks, (about 1 lb) trimmed and cut diagonally into ½-inch-thick slices 3

large oranges

juice and zest of one lemon

6 May June 2011 | The Tomato

2-3 celery stalks, cut like the rhubarb 1

small shallot, minced

1 c coarsely crumbled feta cheese (Bulgarian-style preferred creamier and less salty) 1 bag market greens or fresh lettuces, washed and dried 1 handful parsley, trimmed and rough chopped. Add to salad greens.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss with a drizzle of oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap loosely in foil and roast until tender when pierced with a fork (about one hour). Unwrap. Cool, then peel and cut each into smallish wedges.

While beets are roasting, bring water to a simmer. Add the sugar along with a pinch of salt and stir until sugar dissolves.

Add rhubarb. Simmer over medium heat until just tender but still intact, about 2 minutes (do not overcook or rhubarb will be mushy). Transfer rhubarb to a platter or bowl and cool completely. (This can be done ahead for both beets and rhubarb. Reserve in the refrigerator.)

Zest the peel of one orange (about a ½ t), and reserve in a large bowl for the dressing. Using a sharp knife, place each orange on a cutting board and slice down to remove the peel and bitter white pith. Working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut between membranes to release orange segments into

bowl; then squeeze what’s left in your hand into the bowl as well. Squeeze the bits of peel with pith (there is usually a quite a bit of orange flesh left) to release remaining juices, into the bowl containing the zest. To the zest/juice bowl, add 3 t extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, honey and shallot and whisk until emulsified.

Season. Toss salad greens with about ½ the dressing.

To serve: Arrange greens on six plates.

Place beets, orange sections, rhubarb and celery slices on each plate.

Sprinkle with feta, drizzle with the rest of the dressing and crack black pepper over.

Serves six as a first course.

Rhubarb Compote The sweet/sour flavours work magic with cold meats; ideal with cheeses and fancy crackers; or slather on a round of brie and bake until runny. Adapted from Gourmet Magazine.

3 T

balsamic vinegar *

½ c

sugar

¾ t grated peeled fresh ginger root 2 fresh rhubarb stalks, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-dice

* The Tomato recommends Giusti, stocked at the Italian Centre Shop.

rhubarb and red cabbage with roast salmon, chicken or pork Rhubarb adds a touch of tangy sweetness to classic simmered red cabbage. Serve with roast salmon, chicken or pork.

finely grated orange peel

2 T

sugar

4 t

coriander seeds

2 T

heavy cream

1 T

caraway seeds

2 T

honey

1 T

minced peeled fresh ginger

1/8

3 c 2-inch-long ¼-inch-thick matchstick-size strips rhubarb (from about 2-4 stalks rhubarb) 8 c thinly sliced red cabbage (from about ½ medium head) water

t

salt

½ t finely grated fresh lemon zest Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil muffin cups.

Blend together all pudding ingredients in a blender until smooth, then divide batter among muffin cups.

½ c

sherry or red wine vinegar

½ c

dry red wine

glazed rhubarb

½

lemon for juice

3½ T

sugar

½ t

cornstarch

Stir mustard seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat until beginning to pop, about 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and reserve. Do the same with the coriander and caraway seeds.

Toast until just starting to become aromatic; be sure not to burn.

Bring orange juice, sugar, water and orange peel to boil in large skillet, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; add toasted seeds and ginger. Simmer until syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add rhubarb and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until rhubarb is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer rhubarb to bowl. Reserve.

Bring syrup in skillet to simmer. Add cabbage, vinegar and wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover and simmer until cabbage is soft and most of liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 45 minutes. Add squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste. Add rhubarb back to bowl and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat.

Serve the cabbage with roasted salmon, chicken or pork. Serves 6.

SWEET ricotta pudding with glazed rhubarb Delicate, tender, creamy — serve warm or at room temperature.

1 c whole-milk ricotta (preferably home made)

4 t

yellow mustard seeds

1¼ c

fresh orange juice

1 whole large egg plus 1 large yolk

1 c

sugar

¼ c

½ c

water

sour cream

Hungry forMore...

½ lb fresh rhubarb stalks (about 2), cut diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a 9- to 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate. Add rhubarb and toss to coat, then spread in one layer.

Bake puddings and rhubarb, side by side, carefully turning rhubarb over once halfway through cooking, until puddings are just set and edges are pale golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove puddings and rhubarb from oven at the same time. Set rhubarb aside and cool puddings for about 5 minutes (puddings will sink slightly).

To serve: divide cooked rhubarb with juices on 6 dessert palates or bowls.

Run a thin knife around edge of each pudding, then invert a platter over pan and invert puddings onto platter.

Transfer puddings to each plate on top of the rhubarb.

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Simmer vinegar with sugar and gingerroot, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in rhubarb and simmer until crisp-tender, about 1 minute, and transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Simmer liquid until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in rhubarb.

Serve compote warm or at room temperature. Makes about 1 c.

2 T

Noodle Maker Restaurant

By Siu To 9653 102 Ave., Edm.

rhubarb syrup Add a glug to sparkling water or wine with a sprig of mint for a cooling summer drink. Serve the leftover rhubarb mass and some syrup with Julie Van Rosendahl’s lemon pudding (recipe follows) or make muffins. Adapted from NY Times.

3-4 lbs rhubarb stalks, trimmed of leaves 1 pod

vanilla, split lengthwise

8-10 c

water

Wash the rhubarb in cold water, trim the ends, and cut into ½-inch pieces (there’s no need to peel them or worry about the fibers, as these simply melt Please see ”Rhubarb” on page 26.

The Tomato | May June 2011 7

It’s as easy as

1-2-3!

1.

The largest selection of Beer in Canada!

The largest selection of Rum in Edmonton!

3.

2.

The largest selection of Scotch on our block!

drinks Best buy wines: 20 under $20 These wines do not sacrifice flavour, individuality or personality for a low price point. Spain remains the go-to country for good value wines, as does Italy, if you’re prepared to look in some lesser-known, or even unfashionable, regions. We also found 100 per cent grown in Canada wines for under $20. Argentina came roaring onto store shelves a few years ago with lots of low priced Malbecs. Now, we’re seeing the better examples inch up over $20, some way up, but the two listed here deliver. There’s something here for every taste. Enjoy them all summer long.

Bubbles & Whites Segura Viudas Brut Reserva (Spain) $15

11819 St. Albert Trail, Edmonton www.sherbrookeliquor.com

no preconceptions.

Sherbrooke_12V.indd 1

10-12-10 7:44 AM

The best way to enjoy our wines is to allow them the opportunity to entice your senses—you are your best wine critic.

The Other Red™ from raspberries.

The Barb™ from rhubarb.

www.barr.ca

780-819-9463

Spain’s Segura Viudas is still one of the best buys in the unsung cava category. Expect a creamy mousse with a fine bubble, tasting of pear, apple and a hint of citrus. Not bone dry, yet still elegant. The price makes it ideal as a mixer as well; for a kir royale, aperol spritz or a mimosa aperitif.

Ruggeri Giall’Oro Prosecco di Valdobbiadene (Valdobiaddene, Italy) 375 mL $16 Sadly, best quality Prosecco doesn’t come under $20. We’re cheating just a bit and suggesting a half bottle, ideal to share with another bubblehead. Enjoy subtle flavours of peach and almond blossom, a crisp texture with an attractive, slightly bitter finish. We like Giall’Oro best with any sort of crostini (anchovies, tuna or roasted red pepper with goat cheese). It’s also a lovely lunch wine, giving the illusion of living the highlife all the while imbibing something harmlessly lower in alcohol.

10235 - 124 Street N.W. Edmonton, AB

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New Harbour Sauvignon Blanc www.dahliasbistro.com (Marlbourough New Zealand) $18 MoNdAy to FridAy 11AM - 8PM SAturdAy 11AM - 5PM

10235 - 124 Street Just N.W. when we thought we Edmonton, AB Sauvblanc, along comes a

had to cry uncle to Kiwi wine that has us running 780.488.7656 back to the category. Clean, yet creamy in the mouth, www.dahliasbistro.com dry with an attractive lime/grapefuity finish and not MoNdAy to FridAy 11AM - 8PM herbaceous or gooseberry-ish. Just the SAturdAy 11AM -aggressively 5PM thing with cool chicken salads and Asian fare.

10235 - 124 Street N.W. Edmonton, AB

780.488.7656 www.dahliasbistro.com MONDAY to FRIDAY 11AM - 8PM SATURDAY 11AM - 5PM

8 May June 2011 | The Tomato

Peter Lehmann Layers White (Barossa Valley, Australia) $15 Loaded with heady aromas of lychee and roses, and flavours of fruit cocktail and muskmelon, yet dry enough to have with dinner. It’s a kick.

Mission Hill Family Reserve Pinot Gris (Okanagan Valley, Canada) $19 Full body combined with rich flavours make this the white wine for red wine lovers. It just sneaks in under $20 — worth every penny.

Drink now with planked salmon or keep for a year or so to allow the colours to deepen and the flavours to burnish with bottle age.

Dr L Riesling (Mosel, Germany) $19 We’re crazy about the fine Mosel wines of the Loosen Winery (not to mention the bright orange cord pants the winemaker is often sporting). They are wines of impressive concentration, elegance and balance, with nervy acidity and zingy length. The entry level Dr L doesn’t disappoint, delivering sweet stone fruit along with a citrusy, slightly dusty minerality. It can take the heat as well, standing up to Doritos, green curries or pad thai.

Lingenfelder Bird Riesling (Phalz, Germany) $18 The little bird is a big favourite in our town, gracing many a wine list. For good reason — off dry, easy drinking, yet well made and refreshing. Have as an aperitif, or with a cheese plate, a spicy fritatta or a bowl of pho.

Marotti Campi Albiano Verdicchio (Le Marche, Italy) $20 Those who venture off the chard/sauvblanc path will be rewarded by Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico from the impeccable Marotti Campi estate. The Albiano bottling is medium bodied, tasting of summer flowers with a whisper of sun-soaked stone. Bone dry, savoury, fresh and fruity. Drink with pleasure with risotto, pastas, salads.

Fabiano Soave Classico Le Coste (Veneto, Italy) $14 Well-regarded Veneto producer Fabiano makes this extremely drinkable Soave (100 per cent Garganega) from vineyards in the hills near Verona. It’s a light-bodied, refreshing drink after work, on the patio, or with a salad after shopping the farmers market.

Domaine de Sancet Cotes de Gascogne Blanc (Gascony, France) $15 An excellent example of the stylish wines coming out of southwest France today. The Dom de Sancet is a cheerful blend of regional grape varieties — Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Gros Manseng, fashioned in a citrusy modern style.

Drink with anything fried such as calamari, potatoes or cheese; or goose liver.

Rosés & Reds Robert Oatley Rose of Sangiovese (NSW, Australia) $20 Aussie wine lovers know the story: Entrepreneurial winemaker (Robert Oatley) builds smallish winery (Rosemount Estates) into a global powerhouse, then sells all and goes back to his roots — in this case the family estate in Mudgee, New South Wales. He’s back with an everyday group of wines called Tik Tok, in addition to Robert Oatley Vineyards. The wines are modern and fruit forward, yes, but not the high alcohol fruit bombs of the last decade. Pick up the Robert Oatley Shiraz for barbecues and the Rose of Sangiovese for fine patio sipping.

Zestos (Madrid, Spain) $16 This 50/50 Tempranillo/Grenache blend was a total lovely surprise — picked it up due to the fun label. (Yes, you can buy wine by label.) Juicy, zesty and refreshing — goes as well with weeknight stirfry as it will with weekend grilling. We found it at Sublime Wines in Sherwood Park. It also has one of the best back labels in the business: informative and approachable. We look forward to trying the white Zestos made from Malvar, a grape native to Madrid area, expected in early summer.

Torres Infinite (Penedes, Spain) $15 This 15 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 85 per cent Tempranillo bottling is graceful with smooth tannins, a hint of earthy minerality, bursting with lush black fruit and finishing long and dry. We are always amazed at the value Torres packs into their wines — people will think you spent a lot more. A strong partner for grilled lamb chops.

Santa Maria la Palma Le Bombarde Cannonau (Sardegna, Italy) $18 We love this wine’s earthy exuberance and approachability. Cannonau is the Sardinian expression of Grenache/ Garnacha (which always blows people’s minds; ’it’s grenache?‘ they say). Yes, it’s Grenache, with all of the bright fruit and pleasing textures and none of the muddiness that can sometimes mar wine made from the Mediterranean variety. Le Bombarde is the ideal barbecue wine for a crowd.

Argento Reserva Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) $20

Tommasi Rompicollo Poggio al Tufo (Tuscany, Italy) $19

Soft tannins coupled with plush, juicy fruit make the Argento a good choice for popcorn or casual drinking down the pub. Current vintage is 13.5 per cent alcohol; not as boozy as some Malbecs, hence, no worries about the second glass.

The Rompicollo offers amazing value as it’s made along the lines of a super Tuscan — 60 per cent Sangiovese and 40 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon. Expect bright cherry fruit, hints of liquorice and smoke with appealing texture and length. Tufo refers to the volcanic soil found in this part of Tuscany.

Fabiano Signature Line Valpolicella Classico Superiore (Veneto, Italy) $17.

Many people consider Amarone their favourite wine, and drink it only on special occasions, forgetting just how tasty and food friendly a good, straightforward everyday Valpolicella can be. This Valp, with the Fabiano signature on the label, is medium bodied, juicy, and very refreshing. Have with pastas, beef and broccoli stir fry, or an Italian Centre sandwich.

Bodegas Colome Amalaya (Salta, Argentina) $18 This Malbec, Cabernet, Syrah and Tannat blend is delicious. Chewy tannins coupled with good acidity form the firm yet supple backbone for its rich black fruit. Have with your best Spring Creek Ranch grilled beef. This is high altitude wine, from the world’s highest altitude winery.

Tinhorn Creek Varietal Series: Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Cabernet Franc (Okanagan Valley, Canada) $18 The best way to assess the merits of any winery over time is not how good the icon or signature wine can be; it’s what sort of juice are they able to put in the entry level? Consistently, year after year, Tinhorn Creek delivers at all levels of quality. The Tinhorn Creek Varietal series (Chardonnay, Gerwurztraminer, Merlot and Cabernet Franc) are always true to their variety, true to their South Okanagan terroir and easy on the pocketbook. It may be because Tinhorn has some of the oldest vineyards in the south Okanagan; it may be because they are skilled and thoughtful vineyard owners and winemakers; and it may be because they have a commitment to making good wine at all price levels. Take your pick. Available pretty much everywhere, too. Buy by the case, get a discount and you’ll be able to stock up on the excellent 2Bench White for under $20.

Look for these wines in better wine shops. Not all wines in all shops. Prices are approximate.

The Tomato | May June 2011 9

feeding people

| kristine kowalchu

How I learned to love dandelions

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S T O N E C A R E

My friend Ellen gave me a copy of this book, along with an old galvanized metal watering can, shortly after I moved into my own home and announced I was going to plant a garden. While I was already interested in natural gardening, this book — with sections like “14 reasons why you should never, ever, ever use chemicals again” — converted me forevermore. And truthfully, I found my first garden, accomplished entirely organically, to be easy. I used compost from a bin in the backyard and by August, I admit, I had a particularly enviable bean crop.

However, what I hadn’t counted on was the lawn. More specifically: the dandelions. Around the beginning of May, the weeds appeared here and there in both the front and back lawns. Within two weeks, they had taken over; there was now undeniably more dandelion than grass. My dad stated this was a job for Round Up and told me I was crazy to try any other way. I bought a special dandelion digger (a spade with a notch in the tip, perfect for lifting out the rootstem) and set to work.

For some inexplicable reason, I count when I do a repetitive job.

I got up to 800 in the front yard when I sat back on my heels and realized the scope of my task. Piles of weeds lay every few feet, and it occurred to me they probably shouldn’t go into the compost heap or my entire garden, too, would be dandelions next year. Just as I was contemplating my dilemma, an elderly man came strolling down the sidewalk. “Lovely dandelions,” he noted. “Are you planning to eat them?”

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Now, one would assume this thought would have eventually occurred to me all on my own, considering I had bought salad greens at the downtown farmer’s market that very morning. In any case, looking at the weed piles with fresh eyes, I realized these plants

10 May June 2011 | The Tomato

Bothy_8H.indd 1

10/19/09 9:43:47 AM

were lovely, at least equally lovely as those five-dollar ones. These leaves were firm, dark green and fairly humming with health. And they were free. I replied that yes, indeed, I was planning to eat them; then I grabbed a pile and headed for the kitchen and the lettuce spinner.

Over the next few weeks, I tried numerous recipes with my dandelions. It became a bit of a game, and I began to consider those still growing in the lawn as my crop: I made sure to pick only what I needed each day, and left the smallest ones to plump up for later harvest. (Although, in all cases, I heeded the words of The Concise Larousse Gastronomique: “Wild dandelion leaves should be picked before the plant has flowered… when they are small and sweet.”

The same rule applied, I learned, for lawn varieties.) While I’d have to wait another month to pick anything I’d planted in my garden, the dandelions already offered vegetal bounty.

Of course, I made all kinds of salads — dandelion greens with goat-cheese toasts and walnuts; dandelion greens with balsamic dressing, fresh strawberries and feta; dandelion greens niçoise with tuna, boiled new potatoes, baby asparagus and olives — but I also used them in lieu of spinach or herbs in my favorite cooked recipes as well. I mixed my dandelion leaves with capers and garlic for a salsa verde on sole. I chopped up handfuls of them to replace most of the mixed herbs I toss with linguini in a Parmesan cream sauce (the nutmeg in the sauce nicely tempered the dandelions’ peppery taste). I threw them into spring vegetable soup with onions, baby potatoes, zucchini and wild rice.

And I blended whole bunches with almonds, garlic and olive oil for the most cost-effective pesto ever.

Finally, I even fried the dandelion flowers: crisped up in oil and tossed with sea salt, they made the perfect snack to accompany a postgardening beer.

uk

This year, I plan to experiment with a light lasagna of dandelion, grilled zucchini and lemon, and chilled dandelion soup, and dandelion flower ice cream — anyone who has traveled to Mexico and sampled, say, shrimp cocktail ice cream, knows this last idea is not so outlandish. For, I admit that, while my beans are pretty impressive, I seem to be best at growing dandelions.

pasta with creamy dandelion sauce 1 pkg spinach linguini Cook according to package directions.

Combine the first five ingredients in a blender; pulse on a low setting to a coarse mixture. Then, with the blender on a low setting, add the olive oil in a slow stream. Add lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and blend again to just combine.

meanwhile, make sauce: 4 T

butter

1½ c

whipping cream

½ t

salt

pinch

freshly grated nutmeg

fresh-ground four-grain pepper to taste ¼ c

Refrigerate at least half an hour before use. Delicious on baked sole — spoon sauce over cooked fish and top with a sprig of Italian parsley.

Makes approximately 1 c.

Note: Be careful to only eat dandelions that have not been sprayed.

Kristine Kowalchuk is a local writer currently doing her PhD on early modern cookbooks.

She supports a city-wide pesticide and herbicide ban.

GE_2011 Tomato Advert 4.625 x 7_v2-1.pdf

1

11-04-08

3:19 PM

freshly grated Parmesan

1 c dandelion leaves, sliced into a chiffonade ¼ c chopped mixed fresh herbs (thyme and chives are best) Place butter into a large, heavybottomed saucepan; cook on medium heat until lightly browned. Add cream, salt, nutmeg and pepper; bring to a simmer and then reduce to low. Whisk in cheese, dandelions and herbs and return sauce to a light simmer, then remove from heat.

Add cooked pasta to the saucepan, toss gently and return to heat briefly to warm through.

o g o d f o . s 2 0 y e ar Relationships

Serve topped with a little additional grated Parmesan and a few black olives.

Serves four.

dandelion salsa verde

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1½ c

chopped dandelion leaves

½ c

chopped Italian parsley

1 clove

garlic, minced

1 tbsp

(heaping) small capers

½ t

grainy mustard

SOUTH SIDE

1 c

olive oil

zest and juice of one lemon

Market at Summerside 936-91 St.

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

COMMUNITY

While maybe the idea wasn’t entirely my own, I was pleased with the cleverness of all this dandelion eating. It was environmentally responsible, healthy, thrifty and even trendy.

(Although, now that I am doing a PhD thesis on 17th-century cookbooks, I know that eating weeds is certainly nothing new.)

And, most importantly, the recipes tasted good — which even my dad conceded. With each success, I became increasingly enthusiastic.

Imagine if everyone in Edmonton ate their dandelions rather than spraying them. I even suggested that my friend Kerstin introduce “dandelion” to her chocolate flavour lineup. And, since dandelions know no borders, I emailed my friend Nathalie in New York, who owns a gourmet popsicle shop at the Chelsea Market, with the idea that dandelion pops might make for a best-seller amongst NYC locavores.

Neither a chocolate nor popsicle form of dandelion has yet come to be, but I remain convinced both are worth attempting.

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The Tomato | May June 2011 11

the Collio BEYOND PINOT GRIS

WHITE WINE IN

MA RY B A I L E Y P H O TO S : A M A N D A L E NE V E

Donatella, the jaunty red Fiat 500 rental with The Tomato copy editor Amanda LeNeve at the wheel, has no problem negotiating the narrow curvy roads with the heavily wooded slopes of Slovenia in sight just ahead.

A short while ago this border was heavily guarded, with soldiers, guns, dogs and barbed wire. Those whose property straddled the line needed special permits to work their vines. Now, the border is not a border at all, just an abandoned white control booth with a blue and gold EU sign.

We’re in the Collio, a range of undulating hills (collio means hills) dotted with vines and small villages in the north eastern reaches of Italy. It’s also known as Collio Goriziano, one of nine grape growing sub-districts in Friuli, known for expressive white wines. Here, white wines outnumber reds by five to one.

Still, it’s kind of strange. History taught some hard lessons here, there are ghosts. We stop to ask a guy on a tractor for directions, my favourite way to get around.

It’s early spring. The vineyards are dotted with unfurling grape leaves. The work in the vineyards is maintenance, such as replacing posts, and watchful waiting.

12 May June 2011 | The Tomato

Piero Totis of Poggiobello

Roberto Felluga of Marco Felluga

Marco Perco of Roncus

Piero Totis of Azienda Agricola Poggiobello, Colli Orientali “Don Ziraldo is Friulan,” says Piero Totis, using the Canadian wine pioneer as an example of the 200,000 people who left Friuli between the world wars. Friuli’s loss was Canada’s gain with many Friulan settling in the Toronto area, Vancouver and Edmonton.

We’ll visit three producers this weekend, by no means an in-depth exploration of the region, but a snapshot of who’s doing what in the Collio.

Peiro points out where they are replanting on terraced vineyards called ronca. Vines are planted across the slope, as erosion can be a problem here. “We used satellite temperature maps to help find the best places for each variety. This is especially important for Picolit as it is an uneven ripener.”

Piero, Poggiobello’s export director, is taking us to the estate via the big chair at Manzano (the region is known for high quality chair production); the impeccably restored Benedictine Abbey of the Roses (Abbazia di Rosazzo), then stopping for an early morning

espresso and telling us about the bora, the wind that blows in from the southeast.

His knowledge of the region and its history is extensive, as is his knowledge of the vines of Poggiobello. The estate is in Collio Orientali, just to the northwest of the smaller Collio DOC. “Pinot Bianco is not so popular in the market, but it’s very elegant.

Here it grows in a single vineyard

Spring vines in the Collio.

on top of the hill. It’s still young.

Do you know why it’s called pinot?

All the pinot grapes. It’s a British word — the grape cluster looks like a pinecone. From that the French took pineau. Merlot is named after the black bird merlo, that liked to eat the grapes.”

Even in this early stage the vines make a tapestry across the hillside.

“There’s Verduzzo, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pignolo.”

“This is a very good place for Sauvingon Blanc,” says Piero, “like Marlborough and the sud Tirol.

In the past five years we have had excellent wines from two or three different clones. We take several days to harvest each and vinify separately.”

Please see “Collio” on page 26

How bachelors party in Friuli — tasting at Russiz Superiore with Roberto.

The Tomato | May June 2011 13

Richard Harvey

Harvest The Richard Harvey takes a busman’s holiday and experiences honest-to-goodness wine agriculture. “Ça déborde!!!!” was the cry, and in the time lapse, my brain flipped through a Rolodex of the various meanings of the verb déborder.

The viscous, sweet grape juice being pumped into its fermentation vat was shooting out of the overflow tap, cascading down onto the concrete floor. Oh yeah, “overflow,” that’s what it means. The sad prospect of watching some fine future Pouilly-Fuissé go down the drain (rather than my throat), caused me to resolve to be a better, more attentive observer of the winemaking process.

A fun start to my first few hours at Château de Beauregard, a family-owned property in France’s Mâconnais area.

I had, at a relatively advanced age of 40-something, asked to be part of the harvest experience, a true busman’s holiday for me, a long-time wine retailer. Run by a smart and inspired owner, Frederic Burrier, the property makes great white Pouilly-Fuissé and some fabulous reds from the villages of Moulin-à-Vent and Fleurie. Far from being the shiny stainless-steel and polished oak n’ brass tasting room phenomena of what one might experience in other wine regions, Beauregard is a traditional Burgundian estate; cramped facilities, cobwebs in the cellar and lots of physical labour to compensate for the lack of fancy modern equipment. The tasting room? More likely a barrel, stood on end, surrounded by vats and winepresses.

What lessons follow are proof of the blood, sweat and tears of real, honest-to-goodness wine agriculture.

14 May June 2011 | The Tomato

Forgetting for the moment the fear of wasting the future wine as noted above, some concerns take on other forms. I quickly realized that I should have started my gypsy-like wine harvest experience when I was about 19 years old, as a day in the vines as a coupeur (snipping the grape clusters off the vines) was hard enough for someone who should do more yoga. The killer was the job of porteur, which is the guy who collects a few dozen kilos of grapes from the pickers in a plastic tub on his or her back, then gets to slog a hundred metres or so to dump that load in a tractor wagon.

Advice: do this when you are young and fit, and, if not, have a personal massage therapist waiting for you at the end of the day.

Having a good command of French and a decent knowledge of the essentials of the winemaking process, I was re-assigned to the cellar crew.

Along with the overflowing vat scenario, I was to experience the practicalities and the magic that all phases of the process contain.

The sweat factor comes early.

As anyone who’s worked a food harvest of any kind can attest, time is not on your side. While the pickers and cellar crew start at the same early hour of the morning, the cellar-dwellers only get to wave to the tired but joyous pickers as the latter head out for the fun and frivolity of cold beers and hot flirtations in the local bar. The pickers work hard, sure, but after dark, they party.

Yet in the time that youthful liaisons are born, the transformation of a thick, sweet slurry of grape juice gradually starts its transformation to delicious, pure, clear wine.

White wine making is a bit less interactive; crush grapes, aid and abet fermentation, watch closely — an over-simplification, of course, but you get my drift. Red wine making is more interactive.

A fermenting vat of red wine sees a natural formation of strata, the solids — grape-skins mainly, called the cap — above the liquid

Wines of the Mâconnais and Beaujolais White Chateau de Fuissé St .Véran (around $25) The local character of softer acidity makes for a pleasant, round texture with ripe golden apple flavours. Good examples of St .Véran are a savvy buyers alternative to Pouilly-Fuissé, as they tend to sell for much less than the latter for very competitive quality.

Château de Beauregard Pouilly-Fuissé Classique (around $30) Composed of Chardonnay that is fermented in both oak cask and stainless steel, so a lovely combination of fruit and an oh-so-slight toast of oak. Just a bit more pleasingly plump than the above, this is classic Maconnais white wine.

Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages (less than $20) A perennial player on the Alberta scene; a great example of Chardonnay for those who wish to taste the grape alone, with no oak influence, snappy and clean.

Red Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages (less than $20) This Burgundy merchant has always championed the cause of making better Beaujolais, and they own some very fine estates in the region. This is a classic example of how well-made Beaujolais can charm, simply by being delicious, digestible, food-friendly and a delight to sip while chatting with friends at a party.

Château de Beauregard Fleurie (around $30) Gamay is the grape here. Juicy, plush, mediumbodied and intensely hedonistic! But don’t be fooled; unlike the flash-in-a-pan, drink it as soon as you can Beaujolais Nouveau, great vintages of Fleurie can age for a decade or more.

Jean-Paul Brun Côte de Brouilly (around $27) Once again Gamay shows its bright flavours, cherry and raspberry fruit, allied with a light pepperiness.

Like Fleurie, Côte de Brouilly is one of the 10 best villages of the northern Beaujolais, and once again, offers more intense personality, yet never forgets to give pleasure.

below. In order to make red wine, forms of re-integrating the solids to the juice are employed. One of these is known in French as pigeage and in English as the pugilistic “punching down”.

This process holds an invisible, potentially deadly threat.

Bending over a vat of happily fermenting red wine, I applied the classic punch-down tool (a rudimentary plunger device) to the heaving surface of grape solids, skins, pulp, and stem.

The work was tantamount to massaging a very tense elephant; the intense effort to recombine solids and juice led to my bending over the top of the vat, perched on a rickety wooden ladder, and I dipped my head over the vat in full massage-mode, hitting the deadly, invisible layer of CO2 gas floating unseen above the cap.

As I pulled my head clear, never has the term sweet air meant so much to me, and I understood somewhat what a trapped miner feels upon gulping in that first lungful of life-giving air. Yes, CO2 is a natural by-product of fermentation but it’s not so good for continuing one’s natural life.

Though having over-simplified the white wine making for brevity’s sake, all winemaking involves a meticulous attention to detail. Not only is one striving to make great quality, the absolute necessity of not messing up your one harvest per year is vital. Like all good chefs, the need for a careful mise-en-place, as well as an omniscient grasp of what’s going on, is required from a talented winemaker. Charged with transferring about-to-befermented Chardonnay juice from vat to oak barrel (the location of same separated by two floors and 50 metres), I was to assure that every hose connection was properly made, and that, when the juice started to flow to barrel, I would then fill the barrels to the right level.

Right level? Not as simple as filling your car, the barrels for this soon-to-be-active, fermenting juice need to be Please see ”Harvest” on page 27

The Tomato | May June 2011 15

the proust culinary questionnaire Chef Susur Lee In the late nineteenth century, French novelist Marcel Proust participated in an exercise, which could be thought of as the Facebook of its era—he answered a questionnaire about himself in a friend’s Confession Album.

Proust’s answers have been published, in one form or another, for more than a century. Many have used the questionnaire for their own devices, the most notable being Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire featuring celebrities. The Tomato now gives it a culinary twist.

Our Proust subject is Chef Susur Lee, restaurateur, author of Susur, A Culinary Life, Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters competitor and NAIT’s 2011 Hokansen Chef in Residence.

Chef Lee’s career has taken him from his start at the Peninsula in Hong Kong to his first Toronto restaurant, Lotus, to restaurants in NYC, Washington DC, and Singapore. He was in Edmonton recently working with the NAIT Culinary Arts students as the Hokansen Chef in Residence.

Hometown?

Hong Kong, but now Toronto is my home. I came to Canada in 1974 and I’m very happy. I feel at home in Canada.

Where would you like to live?

I’d love to have a second home in southeast Asia/Malyasia, on the beach.

What would you be doing if you weren’t cooking?

Seeing a therapist every day!

When I was growing up in Hong Kong I was quite fascinated by tailoring — the construction of the clothes, the precision and technique.

16 May June 2011 | The Tomato

What do you most appreciate in your friends?

What I like in my friends? When I don’t call them, they understand.

They come to the restaurant, they say “hi,” but they know it’s my workplace. The ones who tell me when I’m walking around the room with food on my lips, on my face, now, that’s a good friend.

Your favourite qualities in a dish?

That it tells a story and communicates culture and technique through how it looks, smells and tastes. How it resolves the east/west tension, especially with Asian-style presentation.

A cook?

My favourite cook — my number one kind — has a sense of humour, with that kid’s quality of playfulness, but who can be serious, too.

A wine?

Deliciousness, and the wine has to match my food.

Who would be at your dream dinner table (dead or alive)?

My inspiration was my dad, he would take me out to eat. He introduced me to the possibilities in food. I love eating with my sons. We have a great trust and relationship. There’s always lots of discussion: ‘this is awesome,’ or, ‘this noodle is too thick.’ It’s a different level of gathering when we go out, more fun for me.

Who would cook?

Somebody cook for me? My mother was a terrible cook, that’s why my Dad would take me out. I haven’t tasted her food in many years. It’s a memory. I would like to taste my mother’s cooking again, maybe not as bad as I thought.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

My staff laugh at my strong accent, imitate me, and I always say ”Respect everyone as an adult, be intelligent because I don’t want to have to say ‘fucking moron’.”

Current culinary obsession/ exploration?

I’m always obsessed with an idea.

At first it’s in a fog but it gets clearer until I know exactly what I want to do. I don’t always cook in season; we have so many great dried foods that come from Asia that we can use. But, when I do, for example white asparagus, when it’s in season, how many things can I do with it? It’s exciting.

Best (cooking) thing that ever happened to you?

We went to Thailand as a family when Levi, my first born, was six months old. Levi was a pain in the butt, jet lag, crying, so much work, and with the spicy Thai flavours how would I feed him? I made a mixture of seaweed/brown rice/ fish mush for him to eat. The first day I went down to the kitchen to warm up some of Levi’s food. The ladies were making the curries and spices. It smelled so good. I started a conversation with them.

How do I make that? Show me; can I come back? That experience, what I learned there, in the kitchen with the ladies, took my career from Lotus to Top Chef Masters (lamb Thailandaise with Chiang Mai sausage, green curry sauce).

There is always a cause and effect; everything is connected.

Worst experience?

I was making a tasting menu with an intermezzo, a palate cleanser of icy sorbet. We lost power and, suddenly, everything melted, and it’s on the menu! Hard to recover.

Now, of course, that wouldn’t happen with liquid nitrogen around.

Mentors?

My mother is such a hard-working person. She always said ‘don’t be afraid to work hard.’ My dad taught me about food. They motivated and influenced me.

Favourite casual cheap and cheerful/afterwork food?

Noodles. I call it the foundation.

You must have noodles first, then you can go out with friends for drinks after work. I love dumplings too. My sons found this great Korean/Chinese place with really good dumplings.

Philosophy?

In cooking, you have the thought process, you act on it, you complete it, construct it, then you eat it! It disappears.

My process is thus: I find something I want to do — could be any number of things as long as it’s interesting — then I think, do I have the people? Can I act upon it?

That’s what’s important.

What’s next?

Lee Lounge opened in Toronto recently. You can have a nice cocktail and something to eat, sit back, have a conversation. I have a new project in Shanghai, and we’re shooting photos for the latest book now.

Shop where the chefs shop.

The Tomato’s Annual Award for Exemplary Contribution to Edmonton's Culinary Li 278 Cree Road in Sherwood Park • 780.449-.3710 Open Monday to Thursday 10-5 • Friday to Saturday 9-6

The Tomato’s Annual Award for Exemplary Contribution to Edmonton's Culinary Life

Nominations for the 2010 Frank Award The Tomato’s Frank Award honours the person, place or thing that has most contributed to culinary life in Edmonton in the past year: farmer, rancher, chef, restaurateur, market/grocer, scientist, food or dish.

To nominate your choice for the 2010 Frank Award: Visit the tomato.ca and download the Frank Award Nomination Form

Write a letter to Frank Award 2010 The Tomato, 9833 84 Avenue Edmonton AB T6E 2G1

Nominations close January 31, 2011

The Tomato | May June 2011 17

beer guy

| peter bailey

Rising Sun Beer My family is colluding against me in a reckless coalition.

They want to replace family pizza night with sushi night.

What next, sake during the hockey game?

ys Thursda M P 4:30 - 8

Fresh & Local Year Round Sherwood Park’s year-round farmers’ market. Located inside the Salisbury Greenhouse 1 mile south of Wye Road on RR 232. Every Thursday from 4:30 to 8 pm.

The Best in Handmade Featuring over 30 vendors offering the best in food and craft. Check out what your community has to offer!

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Well, why not sake? It’s technically a beer as it is brewed from a grain (rice) rather than grapes. Pour a glass, maybe watch Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi and marvel at the awesomeness of our multicultural city. Perhaps soon we can drink that sake at an Edmonton izakaya bar, the Japanese-style pub that is a hot trend in Vancouver.

Sushi is an example of the laidback “no big deal” multicultural attitude in Edmonton and Alberta.

Our redneck reputation is shot when I’m in a sushi place in somewhere like Hinton, listening to a couple of rough-looking guys just off-shift from the pulp mill: “Dude, try the hamachi. So good.”

That’s why I wasn’t surprised to discover that an Edmontonian is behind the interesting Japanese beers showing up locally. John Soltice began bringing us Japanese microbrew Ji Biru (local beer) in 2009. Like other products, Japanese craft beer is based on the Western model, tweaked with Japanese ingredients like red rice or with local methods like cedar barrel aging. The Japanese dedication to quality carries into beer, with some breweries not allowing their beer to be shipped more than a few kilometres.

18 May June 2011 | The Tomato

A few giant brewers dominate, competing mainly on price. But, to be kind, the mild-tasting lagers of the big brewers do match well with sushi, not overpowering the fish and cooling the wasabi heat.

Live by the sword of price; die by the sword. The big brewers are having difficulties. The economic malaise put an end to the epic after-work drinking by salarymen.

Watching their yen, consumers flocked to happoshu (fizzy liquor) — cheap, low-malt beer made to exploit a tax loophole. Then came Third Beer, a beer-flavoured alcoholic drink with no malt at all, just soy and other ingredients.

Young Japanese consume less alcohol than those in their 40s.

Add in a very low birth rate, little immigration and the oldest population in the world and it is easy to see why Japanese beer sales are in decline.

Then the devastating earthquake and tsunami disasters hit. Most of the big brewers had breweries in the destruction zone, and with many still inoperable, there are worries of summer beer shortages.

Ji Biru to the rescue! Damage was minimal at most Japanese craft breweries and many ramped up production to fill anticipated demand. In the longer term, beyond the disasters, perhaps if young Japanese are drinking less, they may drink better and choose interesting, flavourful kurafuto bia.

While Japanese brewing began in the 1800s, kurafuto bia (craft beer) is a recent innovation because, until 1994, microbreweries were impossible in Japan. Before then, breweries legally had to brew at least two million litres a year.

When this requirement was reduced to 60,000 litres, the craft beer movement began. There are now over 200 microbreweries all over Japan.

Back on this side of the Pacific the brotherhood of beer snapped into action after the quake. John Soltice lived in Japan while at university, married a Japanese woman and has family and friends there, so he wanted to help. He teamed up with local stores to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross by donating money from sales of his most recent shipment of Japanese beer.

This had to be the best fundraiser ever: drinking delicious craft beer for a good cause.

As in Canada, craft beer is a small part of the beer market in Japan — the sixth largest in the world.

As for my family pizza versus sushi dilemma? Perhaps a compromise is called for: sushi pizza.

Rising Sun Six Pack Beer from the big Japanese brewers like Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo can be found everywhere. To find Japanese craft beer, you’ll need to visit specialty shops like deVine Wines, Sherbrooke Liquor or Keg n Cork Liquor.

Baird Beer Rising Sun Pale Ale, Numazu City, Shizuoka Baird Beer was founded in 2001 by American expat Bryan Baird and his Japanese wife Sayuri Baird. Their excellent beers are based on American craft beer styles, but focus on “Japan’s prime aesthetic value — balance.” This American pale ale is indeed balanced, but is hoppy enough to feel right at home across the ocean in the Pacific Northwest.

Ise Kadoya Imperial Smoked Porter, Ise City, Mie Soy sauce maker Ise Kadoya produced beer for a time in the 19th century, supplying foreign ships. In 1997, they began making beer again, keeping the old-style labels on graceful tall bottles. Smoked malt gives this dark black porter woody, smoky notes, but the taste is nicely balanced and not overpowering.

Minoh Aji Stout, Minoh City, Osaka “It’s exceedingly moreish!” claims the label. They just might be right. Minoh Brewery proprietors, sisters Kaori and Mayuko Oshita, have made a black English Stout that is delightfully roasty and smooth, almost creamy, with a taste of coffee, chocolate and a hint of caramel. Gold medal at the 2009 World Beer Awards.

Hitachino Nest Nipponia, Naka City, Ibaraki Kiuchi Brewing is a sake brewer that branched into beer with Hitachino Nest in 1996. Fun fact: in 2000, they expanded with equipment purchased from Edmonton. They’re known for their unique Japanese take on classic styles. Here, they tweak Belgian pale ale using Kaneko Golden, an ancient Japanese barley, and Sorachi Ace, a hop developed in Japan.

Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale, Naka City, Ibaraki Hitachino’s take on English IPA (India Pale Ale) is meant to recreate the taste of the first Japanese beer made in the Edo period (up to 1868). The unique Japanese tweak is aging the beer in cedar barrels. The cedar does give the beer a pronounced woody character, but the citrus hop nose and spicy taste place it in the classic IPA camp.

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale, Naka City, Ibaraki The Belgian strong pale ale style is thrown a Japanese curve by brewing with special red rice. This very unique beer pours a hazy orange-pink colour and is floral and fruity with a bit of malt on the nose. The rice and alcohol (7 per cent) give the beer a sake-like taste, crisp with a sweet edge. Might just be the perfect beverage to accompany sushi pizza!

Salaryman Peter Bailey recommends The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

by David Mitchell.

The Tomato | May June 2011 19

wine maven Hester Creek’s Terrafina Just down the Golden Mile is the spiffy new restaurant at Hester Creek Estate Winery — Terrafina, headed by chef Jeremy Luypen, with 45 seats inside and 24 out on the vine-laden patio. It’s all part of the extensive changes at Hester Creek. General manager Mark Sheridan and head winemaker Rob Summers have developed a new look for the wines and the property by resurrecting vineyards, changing winemaking practices, and updating labels, and they’ve created a superb wine country tourist destination at the same time. Your vacation starts here: guests stay in four luxurious villas, take a cooking class, enjoy an outdoor concert, browse the well-stocked wine shop and relax at Terrafina while tasting Rob Summer’s fresh, lively wines that are true to the terroir of the south Okanagan.

Reservations: 250-469-2211.

Tinhorn Creek’s Miradoro “We wanted a place that was delicious, yet accessible,” says Sandra Oldfield, “somewhere the local golf ladies would come for lunch.”

We say the new Miradoro is a swell place to have lunch after a round of golf.

The joint venture of Vancouver’s Manuel Ferreira (Le Gavroche) and Tinhorn Creek Vineyards’ Sandra and Kenn Oldfield, opened in April. The spectacular wood

Top: Miradoro’s breath-taking patio; Above (left to right) Miradoro’s general manager and sommelier Justin McAuliffe, executive chef Jeff Van Geest, and co-owner Manuel Ferreira. Photo by Voth Photography.

Left: the holiday villas at Hester Creek. Photo courtesy Hester Creek Estate Winery.

20 May June 2011 | The Tomato

and steel structure by Okanagan architect Nick Bevanda and Vancouver design firm Hager & Associates offers sweeping views of the scenic South Okanagan, with seating for 65 indoors and another 65 outside. Self-professed locovore Jeff van Geest leads the kitchen team, promising a cuisine that proudly showcases the region’s local farmers and producers with casual Mediterranean style.

Consider this from the current menu: Moroccan spiced roast lamb with cous cous and carrot purée; chef’s forno roasted chicken with potatoes, bacon and sage; and Neapolitan style pizzas.

Tinhorn has invested considerable time and resources to become Canada’s first zero carbon footprint winery. Their commitment to the environment did not end there: Mirador’s house water is filtered and carbonated on site, and all biodegradable kitchen waste is composted to be used in the vineyards.

Definition of a perfect summer evening: A cool glass of 2Bench White on the patio at sunset, followed by dinner at Miradoro, then outdoors to sit on the grass and listen to music in the Tinhorn amphitheatre. Reservations:

opentable.com/miradoro-attinhorn-creek-winery.

Run, Walk, Sip, The 2nd Annual Half Corked Marathon, May 28/29 The Half Corked takes its inspiration from the inimitable Marathon du Medoc, the original wine country marathon. Half Corked expects 300 participants to make their way over the route, sampling along the way. The spectacular scenery of the Golden Mile and Black Sage bench will compete with South Okanagan wineries for the runners’ attention.

Visit sowasite.com for event details, special rates at the Watermark Beach Resort, and registration. Race package, $75; pre-race carbo-load pasta dinner at the Watermark, $45, winethemed costume and running gear encouraged. The race wraps up with an awards ceremony and lunch, and recognition for both the speediest and best dressed.

Participating wineries include Burrowing Owl, Oliver Twist, Quinta Ferreira, Desert Hills, Rustico Farm & Cellars, Hester Creek Estate Winery and Tinhorn Creek Vineyards.

event calendar wed may 4

sat, may 2

Henry Of Pelham Wine Down Wednesday The Blue Pear, 780-482-7178

Fine Wines by Liquor Select’s Annual Spring Fling 780-481-6868

thu, may 5 Cinco de Maya Tequila Tasting, Aligra Wine & Spirits 780-483-1083

tue, may 10 Crestwood Wine and Conversation, 780-488-7800

wed, may 11 Zenato Winemaker Dinner Hardware Grill 780-423-0969

thu, may 12 - june 9

sun, june 5 Lamont County’s Dine Doors Open Lamont Hall

tue, june 7

wed, june 8 Madison’s Meyer Family Vineyards Winemakers Dinner 780 401-2222

WSET Level One, winecollege.ca

fri, may 13

mon, june 13

Taste of Argentina tixonthesquare.ca 780-420-1757

Indulgence, a Canadian epic of food and wine, Junior League of Edmonton 780 433-9739

Books2Eat Gala Splash!

EPL 780-496-7051

New look & vintage Now available

sat, june 11 Concordia’s Lobster Fest 780-479-9247

sat, may 14

The ModernTaste of Australia

Introductory Wine Course, Bin 104 Fine Wine & Spirits 780-436-8850

fri, june 17-19 The Fairmont Banff Springs Grill Camp fairmont.com/banffsprings

sat may 14 - june 18 French Wine School, winecollege.ca

mark your calendars

fri may 13-14

october 21-23

The Banff Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival rockymountainwine.com/banff.html

The 20th annual International Festival of Wine & Food Fairmont Banff Springs

www.robertoatley.ca

RO Shiraz Tomato Advertisment.indd 1

14/01/2011 9:22:08 AM

The Tomato | May June 2011 21

A man who is stingy with saffron is capable of seducing his own grandmother.

— Norman Douglas —

Saffron — Karen Virag —

Hello, mellow yellow OK, so I don’t really know who Norman Douglas is, nor do I know exactly what that quote means (though having the words “grandmother” and “seducing” in the same sentence makes me nervous).

What I do know is that the spice it mentions — saffron — with its unique bitter but pleasant honey-like flavour — is an indispensable ingredient in curries, many seafood dishes, Spanish paella, risotto Milanese and bouillabaisse, and is a lovely addition to custards and desserts made with milk and rice, or sometimes vermicelli. It is also the most expensive in the world, so being stingy with it isn’t really that unreasonable.

Adultery is a sin So what exactly is this outrageously pricey substance that inspires odd aphorisms? Saffron (the name is derived from an Arabic word meaning “yellow”) is made from the dried stigmas of a species of

22 May June 2011 | The Tomato

crocus (the Crocus sativus, to be precise) that originated in Asia Minor but has been cultivated in the Mediterranean area for thousands of years. The ancient Assyrians used it for medicinal purposes, and the Greeks and Romans scented their bathwater with it. Until the Middle Ages, it played an important role in magic, medicine and cooking, and up until the Renaissance was used as a perfume and dye.

There was even a war fought over saffron — in the 14th century, the Black Death dramatically increased the demand for saffronbased medicine. The theft of a shipload of the stuff sparked the Saffron War, which lasted only 14 weeks, but ushered in an era of rampant saffron piracy. In Germany, unscrupulous traders sometimes mixed it with cheap lookalikes like turmeric or even marigold petals, which prompted the government to impose the socalled Safranschou Code, under which saffron adulterers were fined, imprisoned and executed.

Apparently, in 1444, one poor sod was roasted over a fire of his own adulterated saffron.

Saffron came to the Americas with members of the Schwenkfelder Church, adherents of a Protestant sect escaping persecution. By the mid-1700s, the Pennsylvania Dutch were growing it throughout the eastern part of Pennsylvania, but taste for saffron had spread, and the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean were buying copious amounts of American saffron.

Other crops eventually supplanted saffron, and today the main saffron-producing countries are Turkey, Morocco, Greece, Iran, India and Spain.

take out a bank loan to cook with saffron; you can buy it in places like the Italian Centre in small one-use packets for a few bucks. It comes in two forms: rust-coloured dried strands and powder. If you buy the strands, make sure that they are dry, and brittle and have no light patches — such patches indicate an imposter such as turmeric or safflower, which is sometimes called “bastard saffron.”

Treat saffron like a lady To use dried saffron, put a pinch of it in a bowl containing a bit of warm water or milk and wait until the colour of the liquid is a uniform rich yellow. Add the coloured liquid to the dish towards the end of the cooking cycle. You do not need to soak powdered saffron; just add it directly to the dish, again toward the end of the cooking cycle. Treat saffron as you would any delicate flower and don’t ever put it in hot fat. And use it sparingly — too much saffron can impart a medicinal flavour to food. Store saffron wrapped in its wax paper or plastic package in an airtight container away from light.

Back to granny My Flemish grandmother used to make a delectable saffrony rice dessert called Saffron rice à la néerlandaise. To make it, blanch ¾ cup short-grain white rice for a couple of minutes, rinse it and drain it. Heat 4¼ cups of whole milk to the boiling point, add the rice and ½ teaspoon of salt, and cook for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat, add a large pinch of powdered saffron (or a small bit of liquid infused with saffron), mix well and pour into small individual bowls. Allow to cool, then sprinkle with brown sugar.

As for its high price, consider this: it takes around 240,000 dried stigmas from around 80,000 flowers to produce one pound (0.45 kg) of pure saffron, and an experienced worker will take about 12 days to gather that many stigmas. By the time saffron ends up in stores, its cost has spiralled to between $600 and $2,000 per pound.

A final warning about granny There is a good reason why saffron has been used for thousands of years. Don’t be afraid to start cooking with this lovely spice.

What’s the worst that can happen, anyway? No wars are going to break out. Nobody is going to roast you over an open fire either (as long as you keep your hands off my granny, that is).

Beware of imposters Fortunately, you do not have to

Karen Virag is an Edmonton writer who is never stingy with saffron.

The Tomato | May June 2011 23

kitchen sink

| what’s new and notable

restaurant buzz Madison’s (10053 Jasper Avenue, 780401-2222) hosts a Winemaker Dinner Wednesday, June 8 with Edmonton native Jak Meyer of Okanagan Falls’ Meyer Family Vineyards. Four courses paired with four wines, limited seating, $80 per person. Call to book. Madison’s new patio opens soon, weather and construction depending.

Prairie Bistro at the Enjoy Centre (780-651-7361, 101 Riel Drive, St. Albert, prairiebistro.ca) opened April 18, in a beautiful setting overlooking Big Lake.

Julianna Mimande (Bacon) leads the culinary team including NAIT-trained Shaun Hicks, Nic Tooke, formerly of Divine Wines, and master baker Gabor Dobos. Expect a selection of casual soups, sandwiches, paninis, fabulous baking during the day for now, with a somewhat more elaborate menu also featuring regional producers such as Four Whistle Farms and Irving’s Farm Fresh in the evening.

Hardware Grill is thrilled to announce that Alberto Zenato, owner and winemaker of Italian wine producer Zenato, will visit the restaurant for a winemaker dinner. Chef/owner Larry Stewart will prepare a five course Venetian-inspired dinner to pair with five Zenato wines, including the 2006 Amarone Classico and the 100 per cent Corvina Cresasso IGT. Wednesday, May 11, 6:30pm, $125 per person, including tax and gratuity.

Call 780-423-0969 for tickets.

product news France’s favourite aperitif, Lillet Blanc (750 mL, $15.95), is now available at The Wine Cellar (12421 102 Avenue, 780-4889463). Lillet is based on the white wine of Bordeaux and tastes of grapefruit and orange, both sweet and bitter — surprisingly refreshing.

Secret Sweets (14910 45 Avenue, 780479-3387) now stocks Brix, the chocolate designed for imbibing with wine in milk, medium and extra dark. As well, along with their own homey baking, Secret Sweets now carries gourmet biscotti and gluten free Italian cookies. Custom orders available.

24 May June 2011 | The Tomato

Italian Centre Shops (10878 95 Street, 780-424-4869, 5028 104A Street, 780-9894869) now carry Edmonton-made Garlic’s Purity Plus Caesar Salad dressing and dip, 475 mL, $7.98.

Everything Cheese (14912 45 Avenue, 780-757-8532) features several personal chefs and good cooks using their excellent artisan cheeses on Saturdays in May: Elaine Wilson makes Chorizo, Manchego and roast poblano pupusas; Patricia Bullock builds a variety of amuse bouches and tapas; Kathyrn Joel tosses a salad with Bleu d'Elizabeth from Quebec; and Valerie Lugonja dishes a mellow Ottawa Valley five year old Canadian cheddar apricot soup. For dates and times visit everythingcheese.ca.

Cally's Teas is closing temporarily to make way for expanded Treestone Bakery. Cally's will continue to make lovely tea blends for restaurants. Need tea? Call 780 436-5038 or cally09@telus.

Sylvan Star Cheese brings home the medals again, at the Dairy Farmers of Canada’s Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, for their Herb and Garlic Gouda. Sylvan Star cheeses are now available at the Italian Centre, or visit Sylvan’s web site at sylvanstarcheesefarm.ca.

Another cool kitchen widget at Dansk (335 Southgate Shopping Centre 780-434-4013).

The Cupcake Corer removes the middle of the cupcake, so you can fill it up with whipped cream, some sort of filling (think meaty chili spilling out of a corn bread cupcake) or better yet: raspberries soaked in Grand Marnier. Cupcake corer $4.

Italian Centre Shops (10878 95 Street, 780-424-4869, 5028 104A Street, 780-9894869) are having their first-ever White Sale. Items vary by location, are priced individually, and are available while quantities last. We’ll be looking for red race car espresso cups; what about you?

Zocalo (10826 95 Street, 780-428-0754) has an easy way to plant fresh oregano, cilantro, rosemary and thyme, pot and all. The culinary herbs come in a grain husk pot that you can plant directly into the ground. Within three weeks of being planted, the pot degrades and becomes part of the soil. A selection in a planter would make an excellent balcony or porch kitchen garden. Culinary herb pots: $4.

wine tastings, happenings, and events Bin 104 Fine Wine & Spirits (5454 Calgary Trail South, 780-436-8850) offers a six week introductory wine course beginning Tuesday, June 7, 7pm, $175. Visit bin104. com to book.

Fine Wines by Liquor Select’s (8924 149 Street, 780-481-6868) annual Spring Fling is on Saturday, May 28 from 2-5pm. Taste from a selection of dozens of wines along with great beers and spirits.

There may be a few seats left for the Henry Of Pelham Wine Down Wednesday at The Blue Pear, May 4 at 6:30pm. Join Niagara’s Paul Speck of Henry of Pelham and Sibling Rivalry Wines for small plates and Canadian grapes, $95 includes tax and gratuiity. Call 780-482-7178 for reservations.

Taste the latest wines from Dona Paula, Enrique Foster, and Luigi Bosca among others at A Taste of Argentina, a sensation for the senses. Taste over 150 wines, enjoy the silent and live auction and listen to live music. Friday, May 13, The Sutton Place Hotel, 10235 101 Street, 7pm. Tickets are available for $65, plus service through tixonthesquare.ca, 780-420-1757. Visit edmontonjazz.com for more details.

The 2011 Books2Eat Gala, Splash! will be held Saturday, May 14, at the Lois Hole Library in support of the new Clareview Library. Organisers challenge chefs and cake designers to create edible books inspired by tales of all things water-based.

Call 780-496-7051 for tickets.

Join Alison Phillips of Aligra Wine & Spirits, on a whisky lover’s dream trip including 10 private distillery visits.

Whisky Coast of Scotland Tour, September 14 – 24 from $3,945, ama.ab.ca/travel.

Want to become king of the grill? Join chef Joe Davidson of the hit TV show BBQ Pitmasters at The Fairmont Banff Springs Grill Camp June 17-19 and take home new skills, tips and tricks direct from a pro. The package includes two nights accommodation, welcome reception with chef Davidson, the hands-on Grill Camp, welcome gift and daily breakfast. Book at fairmont.com/banffsprings.

Here’s an idea for a get together with your gal pals: book a night making soup for Win House at Sunterra Commerce Place with the Soup Sisters. The fee of $50 covers ingredients, kitchen staff support, pre-soup making appetizers and a meal of soup, salad with bread while your Win House soup is simmering, along with a couple of glasses of wine.

Visit soupsisters.org to learn how to participate.

Celebrate Mexico's most famous beverage. Aligra (Entrance 58, WEM 780-483-1083) presents the Cinco de Maya Tequila Tasting, Thursday May 5, 7-9 pm, $59. Visit aligrawineandspirits.com to book.

Learn to cook with chef Vinod Lohtia: The Philosophy of Indian Cuisine May 10; Making Curry, June 8; Tandoori: Grilling the Indian Way, June 22. Call 780-4849332 or visit chefvino.webs.com to book.

The City Arts Centre offers a variety of classes in various ethnic cuisines, styles of cooking, cake decorating basics and technique at three locations: 10934-84 Avenue; Terwillegar Rec Centre, 2051 Leger Road; Jasper Place Annex, 9200 163 Street. To register call 311, or book online at edmonton.ca/cityarts.

Join Gail Hall on a culinary tour of the South Okanagan, September 16-18, and October 13-18 visit Quebec’s Eastern Townships. For prices, itinerary and registration info, visit seasonedsolutions.ca.

Sunterra Market Cooking Classes offer an international cooking experience. Classes include cocktails, recipes, and a buffetstyle meal of 4-5 recipes. Classes are held at the Commerce Place location, 201-10150 Jasper Avenue.

Call 780-426-3807 to book.

There may still be tickets for the Banff Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival, May 13-14. Visit rockymountainwine.com to book.

Slow Food Edmonton presents Indulgence, a Canadian epic of food and wine, Monday, June 13.

New this year is an earlier start time, 6:30pm, to give everyone more time to sample the excellent pairings of local food producers, top Edmonton chefs and awardwinning Canadian wine. In the past decade the event has raised more than $200,000 for the Junior League of Edmonton’s food related programs. Among the offerings are dishes made with local rabbit, organic canola oil, barley, natural beef and duck prepared by Edmonton’s top chefs from The Marc, Red Ox Inn, Niche, L2 Grill, Lux and 12 others.

For the full list of participants visit the Indulgence web site: indulgenceedmonton.ca. Get your tickets ($50) soon as the event is always a sell out. Call the Junior League office, 780-433-9739.

Matahari

A PA N - A S I A N D I N I N G E X P E R I E N C E

Dining, Takeout, Catering & Special Events 10108B – 124 Street • 452-8262

Ample free parking at rear with rear entrance available.

Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday, hours vary.

Here’s a don’t miss party: Concordia’s Lobster Fest Scholarship fundraiser June 11, from 2-6pm with Captain Tractor.

Tix are in advance only, call 780479-9247, $60 includes lobster, sides and two beers.

Lamont County invites you to be part of Dine Doors Open, Sunday, June 5, 5:30-8pm. in the Lamont Hall. Chefs Ryan Ruiz from Four Points by Sheraton, Puneet Kumar from Lakeview Inns & Suites, Dave Ouimet, from Maple Tree Grill, and Ronaldo Malinao will be cooking on site, featuring county sausage (Stawnichy, German, and glutenfree), Smoky Valley Goat cheese and one local market gardener/baker’s squash soup and squash bread.

It’s all part of Lamont County's 6th Annual Doors Open church tour weekend held June 4 and 5 throughout the county.

Mark the calendar for Century Hospitality Group’s Top Chef finale May 28 at Lux. Tix $60, visit chgtopchef.wordpress.website for details.

New and/or interesting food and drink related news for The Kitchen Sink can be faxed to 780-433-0492.

The Tomato | May June 2011 25

rhubarb continued from page 7

down). Place the fruit in a 6 to 8-quart pot and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover, stirring occasionally. When all the chunks have broken down into a uniform soup — 20 minutes or so — remove from the heat. Uncover and allow to cool. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, ladle into a fine-mesh strainer over a spouted collecting bowl (you may have to do this in batches). The pulp will become a mass, so stirring it in the strainer with a wooden spoon will allow it to drain better. Once it’s drained, put the pulp and the syrup into separate containers and refrigerate immediately.

colio continued from page 13

Back at the winery we taste several wines from both Poggiobello and the sister estate Torre Rozazza.

“Friulano is a big bunch and a consistent ripener, 25 per cent of our harvest,” says Piero. It’s also delicious, tasting of stone fruit and wildflowers, refreshing, with good mouth feel and a long finish.

The Ribolla Gialla is another grape native to Friuli. It grows as a big bunch of bright yellow grapes, and is known for high acidity and long aging potential. Poggiobello’s is beautifully structured, with zesty aromas of green apple, peach and spicy florals.

The Poggiobello Ribolla Gialla and Friulano are available in Alberta.

Roberto Felluga of Russiz Superiore, Capriva del Friuli Roberto Felluga’s roots are deep in the Collio, reaching back to the republic of Venice and the AustroHungarian empire. Now, the family wine business has three branches: Livio Fellugo’s large estate in Friuli, and Robert’s sister Patrizia is the president of the Collio consorzio. Fitting, considering that their father Marco is called the father of the Collio, spearheading the formation of the DOC. Robert’s winery Marco Felluga has vineyards in four villages of the Collio DOC: Farra, San Floriano,

26 May June 2011 | The Tomato

Makes 2-plus liters of syrup and 2 pounds of pulp. Will keep for a week refrigerated.

1½ c

buttermilk

1 c

sugar, divided

4

large eggs, separated

julie’s lemon buttermilk pudding cake

1/3

“Lemon pudding cake and frozen pineapple mousse were my Grandma’s staple desserts”, says Julie Van Rosendahl, dinnerwithjulie.com. “This version uses buttermilk and has a more souffle-like texture than many versions that are made with boiling water poured over top.” Adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine. Serve with the rhubarb pulp and a drizzle of syrup.

Note: If you think the buttermilk will be too tangy in flavour, make with milk.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, ½ cup of the sugar, the egg yolks, lemon juice, flour and butter until smooth. In a clean glass or stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; continue beating, gradually adding the remaining ½ cup sugar, until the mixture is thick and glossy and holds stiff peaks. Gently fold the whites into

Remove the cake from the water bath and cool for at least half an hour if you want to serve it warm, or cool it completely and then chill in the refrigerator before serving. Serve in shallow bowls with a spoon with rhubarb pulp and syrup. Serves 9.

Oslavia and Cormòns, plus the Russiz Superiore, clustered around the cellar in the heart of the Collio near Capriva del Friuli. This is where we meet Roberto Felluga and colleague Martina Camuffo on a sunny Saturday. We join a group of wine lovers, a bachelor party from Vincenza. They go off with Martina while we join Roberto for a walk in the vines.

a unique terroir, our soil, our microclimate, that is the most important thing. Quantity is not important, quality is.”

“The quality is best achieved in the vineyard, in the cellar the important thing is to do no harm, only to help only show the personality of the wine.”

He’s a thoughtful man, deeply connected to the region and the vines. He talks about wine growing and his work with the University of Torino. “We make small experiments, in pruning let’s say, we are always learning; he says.

Contrary to some organic methods that allow the use of copper sulphates, Robert says, “We don’t use copper. First of all, it’s a heavy metal and we don’t want it in our soil, our water. Also we found that it slows down photosynthesis as it stays on the leaves. Grapes ripen more slowly, not good for us in the Collio. We prefer not to grow by ideology,“ he says.

Back in the tasting room, the conversation is lively. Martina pours while the group talks about the market, wine trends and what is a French grape and what’s not.

“Cabernet and merlot are auctono (indigenous) here. It’s a genetic mutation of rootstock,” says Robert.

The final arbiter of quality? “It’s terroir,” Robert says. “We have

c

fresh lemon juice

¼ c

flour

¼ c

butter, melted, or canola oil

pinch salt

Marco Perco of Roncus, Capriva del Friuli “This is my cru,” says Marco Perco, gesturing to a small plot of vines. “Not that one,” dismissing another on the other side of the road. Marco’s posts are pieces of tree, not pre-treated wood; the wildflowers and grass looks lush, the vines more robust, less spindly.

“The grasses change monthly throughout the season,” he says.

He points to some fully leafed out vines; “that’s Ribolla Gialla”, then points to the Malvasia which has barely started to show green. He knows these vines intimately. “This is typical Fruilano soil,” he says, while trying to extract a flaky stone from a small ridge. “Ponca, not calcareous — you must chop it up.”

His grandfather grew “grapes, vegetables, milk. Now, only wine” It was 15 years ago when he started farming differently, practicing what he calls rustic agriculture — pretty much in the way of the grandfather. He doesn’t apply any water, preferring to plant according to the microclimat diverso, with no fertilizers. Any treatments used are simple and low impact. Wines are made with hand-picked, fully ripe fruit, using the ambient yeasts, not cultured, and fermentations are spontaneous.

the buttermilk mixture and scrape into an 8”x8” or 9”x9” pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Set the pan into a larger pan — 9”x13” works well — and pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come halfway up the sides of the inner pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the cake is puffed and golden and the top is springy to the touch.

More delicious ways to eat rhubarb at thetomato.ca.

Marco talks, ably translated by his assistant Michaela Gregorig, while walking quickly up and down the slope, reaching down to pick up bits of rock, pointing to a justbudding-out leaf, frowning at some disturbance in the ground. “It’s the cinghiale,’ says Michela. “It’s not so bad that they eat grapes but they make such a mess, uprooting vines, pulling out posts, they trash the vineyard!” Marco goes on to explain that because his vineyards are surrounded by forest, they take the brunt of the night attacks of the roving wild pigs who make their home in the woods. He laughs and shakes his head when I ask if he can shoot them. “My friend’s mother has a really good recipe for polenta with artichokes and cingiale,” Michaela volunteers.

(Note to self: ask for that recipe).

When milling about vineyards with Italians, it’s not long before the talk turns to food.

Number one in a series of articles on the Collio. Find tasting notes, and visitor information online at thetomato.ca Mary Bailey is a W.S.E.T. wine educator and ISG certified sommelier.

partially filled, Goldilocks-style, just right. Is there a meter to tell you when to stop? Your ear.

Attuned to the sound a barrel makes when it is perfectly filled.

The worried race, up and down cellar stairs, quickly reduced the impact that the rich and abundant Burgundian cuisine had on my notany-longer-boyish figure.

Ah, this latter aspect represents some of the best aspects of harvest time. Hard working, tired, stressed and cranky people gather around the casse-croûte.

These morning snacks are for the cold, sleepy, tired workers. Crusty bread, salami, lard (aka cold pork belly, that is so, so good) cheese, chocolate, and small, cold bottles of beer are the casse-croûte of legend. Never had cold pork belly and a beer at 8:30am? As your coffee at 6am now seems a long time ago, you probably won’t hesitate to indulge and you will certainly never see French cuisine as effete or snob again.

The manic pace of the harvest is followed by a period of slow settling into the evolution of a wine. The French use the same verb to describe raising wines as they apply to kids: élever. Just as critical as a well-executed harvest, this relatively quiet period of a wine’s life is one of observation, interaction and stewardship. Great

Winemaking, in its purest form, is the work of artisans.

Yes, science plays its role, and artistic creativity and commercial necessity have their roles as well.

Yet it’s the profound human effort, the work, the risk, which becomes part of the personality of the wine that we ultimately taste.

While the harvest is a brief autumn romance, the love affair goes on, as wines are nurtured towards their finest expression — of nature, of a year, of a place, and of the people who add their personality and talents to the splash in your glass.

Even if you never work a harvest in your life, you can taste the life and lives that are bound up in what can never, ever, be a mere glass of wine. It’s a taste of life.

Calgary wine merchant/Metrovino owner Richard Harvey drinks wine in two languages.

need tortas? call 780-431-1802 we’re at the downtown farmers market on selected dates in july/august only

104Th CiTy MArkeT DOwnTOwn On 104

CiTy MArkeT DOwnTOwn On 104Th CiTy MArkeT DOwnTOwn On 104Th CiTy MArkeT DOwnTOwn On

From page 15

advice for winemakers comes from Douglas Adam’s book, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: “Don’t panic!” As the winemaker raises the wines, both red and white wines will go through moody, difficult and even frightening stages (see the connection to the kids?) but patience, experience and thoughtful consideration seems to win the day. The quiet time of working with a wine during the course of its élevage lasts months, perhaps years, before we will be able to ease a cork out of bottle, impatient, curious creatures that we are.

City Market Downtown on 104th Edmonton’s Original Farmers’ Market Open Saturdays 9am - 3pm On 104th Street, north of Jasper Avenue

www.city-market.ca

Open-air farmers’ market featuring fresh local produce, jewelry, fashions, home décor, prepared foods, artworks and more. Open May 21 to Thanksgiving weekend.

CiTy MArkeT DOwnTOwn On 104Th ST

Harvest

The Tomato | May June 2011 27

MEETING

PAUL DRAPER — J U L I E WA R D —

I don’t usually get car sick, but this is something else. “I hope I’ll able to taste the wine,” I pray as we as wind our way up the road to 2,600 feet above sea level. My ears pop for the tenth time as we dodge oncoming traffic and road works.

celebrated his 40th vintage with Ridge Vineyards. He was first recognized when his wine placed fifth overall in the Judgement of Paris in 1976 (think Bottleshock the movie). Not bad for a guy with no formal wine training. He is a philosophy grad who learned winemaking by doing it in Chile and France and reading manuals.

“We have to retrain anyone who arrives with an oeneology degree,” he says. “We tell them to forget what they’ve learned in school and make wine with their souls.”

We’re on our way to Montebello Ridge in northern California’s Santa Cruz, the site of Ridge Vineyard’s first property.

We finally turn in the drive. You can almost touch the clouds up here on the mountain and it’s cooler than Napa and Sonoma, but there are still signs warning of rattlesnakes. It’s early October and the harvest will not begin at this elevation for a few more weeks.

Paul Draper is living history. He is an iconic winemaker who changed the face of California wine. His Zinfandels are the benchmark and the Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Montebello Claret (rhymes with parrot), is a legend. He tells us how he is pressured internationally to raise the prices of his wines.

“I won’t do it. I want the people who first supported Ridge and the Montebello to be able to continue to buy and enjoy our wines.”

Standing on the crush pad waiting for our tour to begin, gazing down over the ridge to Silicon Valley, the San Andreas fault, wilderness and terraced vineyards below, I’m startled out of my reverie when my boss, Steven, exclaims: “That’s Paul Draper!” repeating several times, excited and almost disbelieving.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience!”

Julie Ward

At a very youthful 74, winemaker and CEO, Paul Draper is laid back, warm and generous. He is considered one of the most important wine makers in the world and is renowned by critics globally. He is so articulate and thoughtful about this special place, completely removed from the commercialism of the wine business. Paul Draper recently Paul Draper demostrates his hands-on technique.

28 May June 2011 | The Tomato

Paul proudly motions to his new customized crusher near the edge of the mountain, “Finally, it’s here,” he says, “banks just don’t get it.” Paul goes on to describe what makes Ridge Vineyards so special: his philosophy of natural winemaking — “we’re getting certified organic, but we’ve been doing it like this forever.” The vines — bush vines up to 130 years old; low yields — less than two tonnes per acre, avoiding overripe fruit and high alcohol to achieve

elegance; harvesting, vinifying, aging and blind-tasting parcels separately; “not every part of the vineyard grows the same. We allow for natural primary and secondary (malolactic) fermentation and use air dried American Oak barrels.”

We move through the winery as Paul happily points out renovations and special machinery developed just for Ridge. The thick wooden floors beneath us are shiny from wear. (The winery was first built in 1892.)

We take the staircase down into the barrel cellar, three stories built into the side of the limestone mountain, thankful I’m not wearing heels. The fault line is close, and though the 1989 earthquake moved Paul’s house and created mass destruction, the cellar was unaffected. It is dark and light at the same time.

Black mould, which is normal in older European cellars, covers the wooden beams and stone arches that support the earth above us, the temperature falls as we descend. The barrels are stacked high, stretching into the darkness.

Paul hops up onto the barrels to provide us with samples. He grins mischievously “I’m just showing off, got a new hip last month,” as he pats his leg while dipping the wine thief into the barrel.

We taste several of Ridge’s wines: Zinfandels and Cabernets with 10-year differences, 1997 to 2007.

I am surprised, amazed even,

at the freshness of the older Zinfandels — they taste so fresh, any hint of green long since gone, yet full of life and youthful vivid fruit. The wine is like velvet, allencompassing and elegant. No overly jammy Zinfandels here, these are polished fine wines. Paul has always been a proponent of aging zin and I am now a believer.

I have another sip of the 1997, mourning all the zin I’ve drank prematurely.

Our day comes to an end. As we make our way down the hairpin turns, I think about this special place. I have been lucky enough to sell Ridge for almost 10 years and have read so much about the old bush vines and legend that is Paul Draper. Now, having crunched the gravel beneath my feet and shaken the icon’s hand, the magic of Ridge Vineyards is truly real.

Henry buys his glasses at Women With Vision ...

... that’s why he gets all the hot chicks!

Ridge Wines are available in fine wine shops.

Limited quantities of 2006 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon $135-$145 and 2008 Santa Cruz Chardonnay $42-$46 are available each year.

10515 - 109 Street 780.423.3937 womenwithvision@telus.net

2008 Geyserville Zinfandel and Lytton Springs Zinfandel available $42-$48.

2008 East Bench Zinfandel and Three Valleys available $29-$34.

Wine professional Julie Ward now likes her zin at least 10 years old.

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NATURALLY SOUTH OKANAGAN tinhorn.com

The Tomato | May June 2011 29

according to judy truffled mac ’n cheese with baby lobster, shiitake mushrooms and white truffle oil — a true original!

The grapple of my eye Came home from our New Zealand sandbar to a bare cupboard, so I went provisioning.

I headed straight for apples, my favourite homegrown fruit. New Zealand apples are good, but ours are better.

Plain: not our strong suit Lunch served Monday through Friday 11:30 am – 2 pm Dinner served Monday through Saturday from 5 pm Bring a friend to lunch!

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The first ones I found were Fujis, four of them, snugged up together in a fancy plastic case.

“Oboy, apples,” I muttered to nobody in particular.

“Not really,” said a voice. “They look like apples, but they’re grapples.”

He was a tall guy in a green apron, and he pronounced it GRAY-pul.

“Looks like an apple, tastes like a grape,” said my informant. “They soak it in grape juice.”

“For how long?”

97 Street & Jasper Avenue | Reservations 780.423.0969 or hardwaregrill.com

“Until it tastes like a grape!”

“But why?” I pleaded.

Green Apron Guy shrugged. He had no idea. He was busy arranging a display of orange and purple vegetables that looked vaguely familiar; like cauliflower.

By the time I got home I had a headache. What the heck is a grapple, pronounced gray-pul, and why do we need one? Were we not content with the fruit Eve kindly shared with Adam (and lived to regret, poor girl)?

So, I googled the grapple. Seems that back in 2002, a fruit person in the state of Washington developed it as a way to get kids to eat apples.

Make them taste like grapes.

Brilliant.

Am I living in a bubble? We don’t have enough to worry about (wars, pestilence, nuclear meltdowns), we have to tinker with an apple and make it taste like something it isn’t?

Did the kids love grapples? Not so much that you’d notice. And while the fruit guy in Washington was busy turning apples into grapes, grapes themselves are now less… grapey.

It started when we bred the seeds out of table grapes, and were left

30 May June 2011 | The Tomato

| judy schultz

with sugar and water but very little characteristic grape flavour.

Ditto watermelon, recently downsized to fit the average fridge.

While becoming seedless, it also lost a lot of the old crunch, juice, colour, flavor and much of its natural sweetness.

Meanwhile, does anybody remember the square watermelon?

One hundred bucks a pop. Square melons sold briskly in Tokyo and possibly Calgary for a single season, never to be seen again.

Also sadly true: during the purging of old apple varieties that went on for ages so distributors would have fewer varieties cluttering their ledgers, apples began to taste less appley. Small wonder if kids didn’t eat them.

So we’ve been blessed with the grapple; one among many fruity experiments, the notable success being the nectarine. But how long has it been since you hungered for a peacharine, a pluot, a plumcot or an aprium? (One quarter plum, three quarters apricot, and apparently it tastes like an orange.)

All this reminds me of the tasteslike-chicken routine. You know the one. Every time we’re expected to eat something we’d rather feed to the cat, some genius announces that it tastes like chicken.

So, if we want something that tastes like chicken, let’s just buy one and roast it. Butter, salt, pepper. Into the oven, 325 until a drumstick can be wiggled freely. That’s chicken. Yum. I’ve yet to meet a food scientist creative enough to successfully reinvent a roast chicken. Or an apple.

So back to the grapple. Please, what’s next? How about an apple that tastes like, well, an apple? The flavour could be, uh, appley!

Heaven knows, I’m not against progress. I’m just not crazy about gimmicks. If we really need a square potato or a carrot that tastes like a strawberry, go for it. But let’s be careful what we wish for.

Judy Schultz is a food and travel writer based in Alberta and New Zealand.

June 13, 2011 • 6:30 – 9:00 pm • $50

A celebration of regional gastronomy

Join Edmonton’s top-notch chefs, local farmers and producers as they prepare succulent dishes to complement Canada’s best estate and VQA wines.

• Silent auction • Aligra Wine & Spirits on-site wine shop • Lazy River Quintet Producers

Restaurants

Wineries/Breweries

Alberta Rabbit Producers Amberlane Farm (elk) Belle Valley Farms (alpaca) Berry Ridge Orchard (Saskatoon berries) Doef’s Greenhouses Fairwinds Farm (goat cheese) Four Whistle Farms (duck) Full Course Strategies Greens Eggs and Ham (guinea fowl) Hog Wild Specialties Inspired Market Gardens Irving’s Farm Fresh (Berkshire pork) Mighty Treo Organics (canola oil) Morinville Greenhouses Nature’s Green Acres (nouveau beef) The Newget Kompany Progressive Foods Inc.(barley) Spring Creek Ranch (beef) Tangle Ridge Ranch (lamb) The Cheesiry/O Sol’ Meatos

4404 Restaurant 4th & Vine Winebar & Bistro LUX Steakhouse + Bar Culina d’Lish Urban Kitchen & Winebar Hundred Bar + Kitchen Jack’s Grill L2 Grill Lit Italian Wine Bar Madison’s Grill NAIT Niche Restaurant & Bistro Bar Red Ox Inn Café de Ville (Sherwood Park) The Marc The Next Act TZiN Wine & Tapas Wild Tangerine

Alley Kat Brewing Company Averill Creek Vineyard Black Hills Estate Winery Blasted Church Vineyards Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Church and State Wines Desert Hills Winery Domaine Pinnacle Ex Nihilo Vineyards Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery Joie Farms Kettle Valley Winery Little Straw Vineyards Mt Boucherie Estate Winery Peller Estates Quails Gate Estate Winery Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Vineland Estates Winery

Fruit Wineries Fruit Salad Organic Winery & Meadery

Presented by Slow Food Edmonton Tickets $50 available from The Junior League of Edmonton: 780.433.9739 • indulgenceedmonton.ca

Indulge in an evening of fine Canadian wines and prairie cuisine