The Tomato July August 2014

Formerly City Palate

Take a bite of your city | July August 2014 | thetomato.ca

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d r a w a A m o n T g i e s Th e D n e h c t i K d o o to F

TKDA

The Tomato Food and Drink Kitchen Design Awards

Plus: For the Love of BBQ A recipe for Indulgence

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k n i r &D

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gelato

(juh-lah-toh)

noun Italian Cookery a rich frozen confection of intense flavour which induces happiness, particulary on hot summer days.

Open until 8 pm Sunday to Wednesday 10 pm Thursday to Saturday

G le nora

10103 - 124 street www.bernardcallebaut.com

780.488.0690

editor Mary Bailey marybee@telus.net

publisher

Contents

BGP Publishing

copy editor

Features

Don Retson

tkda project manager Tanya Hook tanya@thetomato.ca

designer Bossanova Communications Inc.

contributing writers Deepti Babu Peter Bailey Alison Phillips Judy Schultz

illustration/photography Paul McGee Zokah Productions

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printer distribution Greenline Distribution For editorial inquires, information, letters, suggestions or ideas, contact The Tomato at 780-431-1802, fax 780-428-1030, or email marybee@telus.net For advertising information call 780-431-1802.

the tomato is published six times per year:

The Tomato Food and Drink Kitchen Design Awards

12

Lettuce, glorious lettuce!

14

Summer Wine

18

For the Love of BBQ

22

A Recipe for Indulgence

Time to give the rabbit food some respect | Mary Bailey

What do we want to drink in the summer? | Mary Bailey

Porkapalooza BBQ Festival 2014

2014 recipes

Departments

design and prepress Bossanova Communications Inc.

TKDA

5

Dish Gastronomic happenings around town

16

Beer Guy

20

Drink

24

Feeding People

30

Kitchen Sink

34

According to Judy

Alberta brewed | Peter Bailey

Sip this, bite that | Alison Phillips

The foodie gene: can a love of food be genetic? | Deepti Babu

What’s new and notable

Viva Italia! | Judy Schultz

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

Cover image: iStock.

Subscriptions are available for $25 per year.

thetomato.ca

The Tomato | July August 2014 3

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10:24 PM

Perfectly placed to make fine wine and good friends.

R E S TAU R A N T

www.tinhorn.com

gastronomic happenings around town | nature’s bounty

Mark your calendars for St Albert’s Dig In! Horticulinary Festival, October 10 -11 at the Enjoy Centre. The event promises to be a clever interactive experience with hands-on workshops and demos on edible landscaping, baking, meat cutting, jam-making and pickling. Get ready to enter your best pickles or pie in the retro Pickles and Pies contests. Not to be missed: a foraging tour of the Grey Nuns white spruce forest. And, there’ll be beer.

A highlight will certainly be the Alberta Ate Chef Collaborative dinner featuring chefs Blair Lebsack (RGE RD); Julia Kundera (The Glasshouse Bistro); Karine Moulin (Hotel Arts, Calgary); Doreen Prei (Edmonton Petroleum Club); Danielle Job (Holt Renfrew Café); John Riedler (The Raven Bistro, Jasper); Jan Hansen (Heritage Park, Calgary); Brad Lazarenko and Steven Furgiuele (Culina).

Tickets are on sale now at diginstalbert.ca.

Clockwise from left: Blair Lebsack, Colin McFall and Rob Ingram finish plating the beef short ribs with pumpkin puree and roasted beets served at 2013 EALT dinner.

Kevin Kent photo

¡arriba, abajo, al centro, pa‘ dentro!

Coming soon, El Cortez, a real live tequila bar! Yes, one that plans to be certified by the tequlia authenticator from Guadalajara no less, according to co-owner Michael Maxxis, Los Angeles-based (Edmonton-raised) music video director. Cocktail go-to guy Brendan Brewster is creating the El Cortez cocktail program and Alex Sneazewell is the exec chef.

Right: Steve Buzak exec chef, Royal Glenora Club, in the butcher shop at Sunshine Organic Farm.

Royal Glenora Club photo

“Our menu is evolving around Mexican dishes, tortillas and tacos for sure, but it’s based on modern Latin cuisine with influences from Peru and Spain,” said Alex. Scott Dodds, Eli Diamond and Steve Traikovski bring several years of front of house and bar experience to the venture. El Cortez has a very cool look so far and we look forward to enjoying beautiful artisan tequila there. Opening mid-summer. El Cortez, 8230 Gateway Blvd, elcortezcantina.com

Fort Edmonton Park photo

the perfect cutting board according to Kevin (and he should know) “Best cutting board ever,” says Kevin Kent, owner of Knifewear about the new On Our Table boards available at his Whyte Avenue knife shop.

Why does he love them so much? “The boards are made with end grain walnut, durable, sexy, and kind to your knives; not too wide to fit on a kitchen counter, and extra long so there is lots of working area. The top is flat all the way to the edges and the sides are rounded under; you can put your bowl under the lip and move food off the board easily. The back edge of the board is flat, easy to store on its side when not needed.

They are made in St. Albert so the wood is already seasoned to our dry climate.

The perfect board indeed, $265.

When it came time to find a local supplier for the hamburgers on the menu at the Royal Glenora club, exec chef Steve Buzak went to the Horvaths at Sunshine Organic Farm, whom he had met at the City Market Downtown. They raise cattle (including growing their feed) on their ranch near Warburg, then butcher it on site. It’s quite the burger — loaded with brie, tomato chutney, fried onions, double smoked bacon and, Steve says, “all the groceries: lettuce, tomatoes, pickles.”

Michael Maxxis photo

growing good times in st. albert

the right meat makes a great burger EALT photo

The Edmonton and Area Land Trust (EALT) hosts their second annual celebration of local food and the land and its bounty Sunday, September 7, at Tam Anderson’s Prairie Garden & Adventure Farm near Bon Accord.

Nature’s Nourishment, a five-course seasonal exploration of Alberta cuisine with wines to suit, will be created by noted Edmonton chef Blair Lebsack. Chef Lebsack has long championed local foods and the farms that grow it.

Tickets: ealt.ca/naturesnourishment

dish

old time food Chef Jasmin Kobajica has signed on as the culinary director for Fort Edmonton Park, to oversee all food service in the park, including the Park’s in-house catering service and Johnson’s Cafe, Mahogany Bar, Jasper House Bakery, Bill’s Confectionery, Midway Treats and Treasures and Masonic Hall. It’s a bit of a departure for chef Kobajica who spent a decade at the Chateau Lacombe, where he was an early champion of raised-in-Alberta food.

Chef’s Kobajica’s locally-sourced menu offerings are inspired by the park’s mandate to provide a historically relevant experience.

From centre left: a Trinidad pepper, available at the Enjoy Centre; interior wall painting at El Cortez; Chef Jasmin Kobajica of Fort Edmonton Park; and the perfect cutting board.

The Tomato | July August 2014 5

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The Tomato Food and Drink Kitchen Design Awards

What makes a kitchen stand out? What makes a kitchen livable and functional?

What makes a kitchen design timeless?

These were the questions our judges wrestled with as they looked at over 40 spaces to choose the top kitchen in our inaugural Tomato Kitchen Design Awards.

There was something the judges liked about just about every kitchen entered, choice of materials here, colour choices there, but they had to pick kitchens that they felt best expressed how we live today. We asked them to think 60 per cent function and 40 per cent aesthetics. All kitchens were assigned a number and judged blind. The categories included new builds and renovations, as well as kitchens in restaurants, food trucks and institutions.

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It’s obvious this year’s judges are minimalists, preferring clean lines and streamlined spaces, but it wasn’t a big kitchen that was their unanimous choice.

They wanted to see effective use of space, not just space.

It’s also obvious we are proud of our kitchens. We wish to thank all participants who entered telling us how their kitchens came to be, how it solved their unique problem, or expressed their artistic vision. Visit the tomato.ca to see the complete judges criteria.

The 2015 awards open February 2015.

The Judges Darrel Halliwell

Darrell Halliwell is an architect and managing principal for DIALOG’s Edmonton Studio. He is a member of the firm’s leadership team, responsible for strategic direction and management of the firm across Canada.

George Ilagen George Ilagen, a partner at Hasting Illgen Design, is an architect by inclination and training (Beaux-Arts Method, University of Santo Tomas, BS. Arch Class of 1976.) George has designed a myriad of kitchens, ranging from the simple to the sublime. hastingsilagan.ca

Geoff Lilge Geoffrey Lilge is a Canadian designer and the design director for kitchenware manufacturer OurTable. His design work has been published in The New York Times, Wallpaper,* Azure and Food + Wine magazine. onourtable.ca

Michele Roach Michele Roach, principal and co-owner of Wolski Design Group – one of Edmonton’s top interior design firms – is a minimalistdesign pioneer, animal print enthusiast and self-proclaimed “creative problem solver with a soft spot for logistical nightmares”. wolskidesign.com

Karen Visser Karen Visser is the owner and chief designer of Bella Casa Design Centre. Her background is business and marketing; her passion is creating comfortable, yet functional environments, especially residential kitchens. bellacasadcl.com

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Top Kitchen: Rebecca Gagne, Cucina Bella Residential New Build over $300,000 (house value) The unanimous choice for number one— judges loved the functionality of this kitchen; the placement of the appliances and the under-island storage, and how it all worked together in a fairly small footprint.

“This premium project features a fusion of several elements: the cabinetry combination of wood grains and solids in glossy and silk finishes provide the perfect balance of visual interest. The kitchen features geometric patterned glass tiles, integrated touch lighting and professional appliances. The challenge was to find a place for all the appliances; microwave, steam oven, integrated refrigerator, pro-style cooktop and hood, double ovens, under counter beverage fridge, built-in coffee system, dishwasher and freezer drawers. The work triangle in this kitchen is ideal and the finishes create a warm, modern and inviting look.”

— Rebecaa Gagne, Cucina Bella

Runner-up: Les Wold Effect Home Builders Residential New Build over $300,000 (house value) The judges thought this kitchen used the space well, giving it high marks for livability. They loved the attention paid to sustainable materials and design and design features such as the concrete sink. Some of the judges thought the lighting wasn’t well integrated into the design.

“This kitchen was part of a grassroots initiative to demonstrate environmental stewardship using sustainable materials and green building practices.

The result? A seamless combination of elegance and environmental sustainability. The kitchen is part of a functional open-concept floor plan. This arrangement allows it to take advantage of the

cathedral-style ceiling and bank of south-facing windows which saturates the space in natural light.

The sun’s energy is absorbed by the thermal mass of the concrete in the kitchen and throughout the home, then slowly released over time. This free heat from the sun generates over one-third of the heating needs for the home. The kitchen counter tops are as-cast custom concrete, the variegated finish giving the surface a beautiful texture as well as being extremely durable, non-porous with no off-gassing. This kitchen not only contributes to sustainable home-building awareness, it also demonstrates that energy-efficient materials and construction are a smart, feasible and beautiful choice.”

— Les Wold, Effect Home Builders.

Please see TKDA next page

The Tomato | July August 2014 7

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The Tomato Food and Drink Kitchen Design Awards

Honourable mention: Joanna Wong DIY Residential New Build over $300,000 (house value) The judges were in awe of the fabulous heavy-duty appliances and loved the use of colour.

“For years, I had wanted my own kitchen – one that suits the way I entertain, cook and prepare meals. I finally got my wish when we designed and built our home. My kitchen now is bright, open and inviting with lots of counter space. The aisles are wide enough to fit two people working.

Cupboard, drawer and faucet handles are designed for arthritic hands. And my dream appliances: I have a Miele dishwasher – super quiet so you can actually entertain while it’s running, a Sub-Zero fridge which seems to keep vegetables fresh forever, a powerful Capital kitchen fan, a super hot Capital Culinary range where each open burner heats up to 23,000 BTU’s. It has two ovens — a smaller one for dessert and a larger one with a rotisserie big enough for a small turkey.”

— Joanna Wong, homeowner

Winner: Daytona Homes Residential New Build under $300,000 (house value) “The inspiration behind the design of this kitchen was open space and natural light. We wanted to create a space that was both aesthetically pleasing and fully functional. We believe we have achieved this by providing a large amount of counter space while utilizing an island to maintain the openness into the great room and dining area. The double sink in the island provides an area that is both practical for cooking and cleaning and open to natural light from the large window and patio doors. We believe the kitchen is the most important room in the house and when designed properly can become the heart of any home. “ — Sterling Wood, Daytona Homes.

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Winner: Habitat Homes Residential Renovation over $300,000 (house value) The judges loved the clean lines and restrained use of colour allowing the beautiful wood to take centre stage.

“This 1970’s residence was quite dated and inefficient before we got our hands on it. The clients wanted to

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From top: Joanna Wong’s DIY; Habitat Homes and Daytona Homes.

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update the style and appearance of the entire house, with a major focus on the kitchen. The old kitchen was a small traditional U-shape kitchen in which only one person could be working at once. We were able to create a large L-shaped kitchen with a peninsula along with a separate island with eating area specifically designed with the homeowner’s kids in mind. There was also room for a beverage centre, complete with built-in wine storage and beer fridge.

A built-in desk flanks the other side of the entranceway to the kitchen.

Large windows along the rear and side of the house allow light to flood through the entire space. The use of space is very efficient with storage located wherever possible. The Miele dishwasher is faced with the same material as the cabinets as to blend right in, while the other stainless steel appliances stand out.”

— Paul Whincup, designer, Habitat Studio.

Runner up: Daytona Homes Residential Renovation over $300,000 (house value) “Our designers created a kitchen that provided a combination of modern amenities with clean functionality.

Light colours were used to create a fresh spring feel generating an inviting atmosphere perfect for entertaining friends and family. The grey quartz countertops sparkle with the reflection of light through the large dining room window and the impressive multipurpose island offers room for everything from cooking and cleaning to serving drinks and appetizers to guests. This incredible kitchen must truly be seen to be believed!”

“Obviously, the heart and soul of the kitchen is the custom wood-burning grill from Grillworks. We wanted to make this a central element of the restaurant design, including the birchwood that we use to fuel the grill. We wanted guests to be able to see the theatre of the kitchen. The hot zone is out front and is visible to guests. The second zone is the back of kitchen, which includes cold and prep stations as well as a high temperature dishwasher. Because cocktails are such a focus, we didn’t want any chemical sanitizers used on our glassware. Another unique feature is the glass charcuterie cabinet which provides a striking design element at the end of the corridor in our restaurant.”

— Andrew Borley, Woodwork

Runner up: The Local Omnivore Food Truck Commercial New Build under 1000 square metres The judges wanted to get inside this truck for a good look around.

They were impressed with the super efficient use of space.

Please see TKDA next page From top: Daytona Homes runner-up; Woodwork; Local Omnivore Food Truck: Mark Bellows in fur hat, Ryan Brodziak in bandana.

— Sterling Wood, Daytona Homes.

Winner: Woodwork Commercial New Build They had the judges at wood burning grill. It’s hard not to be impressed with this beautiful piece of machinery but the judges were also wowed by the charcuterie room, the efficient line in the back kitchen and the overall look of this space with its seamless integration of kitchen and public space.

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The Tomato Food and Drink Kitchen Design Awards

“We worked to build the most efficient kitchen for the space provided, as it is built in an old Purolator step van, the smallest food truck around.

Economy of motion was top of mind for us, for the flow of the line from cold to the final delivery out the window to the guest. Equipment list: two burners, 18” grill, 30” flattop, 40 lbs deep fryer, warmer, smallest commercial fridge ever; hand-wash sink; two-compartment sink, salad line, and espresso machine. All this in a 6’x10’x6’ space with room for a custom-built exhaust system, storage for 30 gallons freshwater and 30 gallons grey water and an ondemand water heater that would be adequate for a mansion.”

— Ryan Brodziak, Local Omnivore.

Winner: Kim Van Ruskenveld, Design Eye Commercial Renovation under 1000 square metres “My client’s vision was a fun office space their employees would enjoy being in each and every day.

The main floor layout is simple and open with direct access to outdoors for summertime barbeque parties. A large fridge was absolutely necessary for storing staff’s lunches and rather than having a separate water cooler we decided to select a fridge with a water dispenser that could be plumbed in. Adding a gas cooktop was essential for hot lunches and functions, and even more important was the hood fan; we needed to ensure the space was properly vented. There are two dishwashers to keep up with all of the dishes on a daily basis and especially during staff functions. In the break area on the second floor we wanted to create a relaxed layout for staff. Similar to the main floor, we killed two birds with one stone by putting in a fridge Top and middle left: Kim Van Ruskenveld’s commerical kitchen; middle right and bottom: NAIT.

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From top: dining room before, and (bottom two images) after.

with a built-in water dispenser. With a smaller number of staff working on the second floor one dishwasher was more than adequate.”

— Kim Van Ruskenveld, Design Eye

Winner: Dale Burnstad and Associates Institutional Renovation Category Although NAIT’s kitchen was built several years ago, we wanted Tomato readers to see this fabulous kitchen from the inside out.

“For many years a well-known college’s culinary program has trained thousands of aspiring culinary students and has been recognized as an educational leader in that regard. Its success led to demands for increased space and expanded programs which they coped with until 2003. They recognized the need to improve the kitchen infrastructure to current building codes and standards and integrate the latest in new food service technology.

Experienced professionals were contacted to discuss the college’s vision for a complete and major renovation of most of the kitchen including four labs, approximately 650 square meters of space. One of the most significant challenges was a condensed three-month construction period. Advancements in oven technology including steam / convection combi ovens as well as rotating moisture induced bake ovens were integrated into several labs along with induction “hot tops,” raising the new technology bar.

Energy Star heavy-duty gas cooking appliances mounted on casters and connected with flexible gas connectors to improve cleanability were also integrated. The new centre opened on time that September and will provide the educational program for many chefs for years to come.”

Capital Care Dining Room Renovations The Capital Care Foundation carried out a successful fundraising campaign to retrofit the dining rooms in their extended care facilities. While not kitchens, exactly, we wanted to highlight the beautiful results.

“For an institutional dining room to have the ability to bake cinnamon buns or bread right in the dining room is an incredible feature. It not only creates aromas that make the juices start to flow but also provides opportunities for conversation with the staff and residents. This helps create a more homelike atmosphere moving us far from the institutional feel of the traditional hospital.

The second cooking component of our renovated dining rooms is the self-serve kitchen for residents and families. They can make toast and coffee, heat up favourite foods brought from home or make a quick bowl of hot soup to tide one over until meal service. This type of self-serve helps to ensure independence for those who still can.”

— Sherry Schaefer, director of Fundraising, Capital Care Foundation

— Sandra Abello, Dale Burnstad and Associates.

The Tomato | July August 2014 11

Lettuce, glorious lettuce!

Time to give the rabbit food some respect

We’ve come a long way since the days of iceberg and leaf lettuce being the only heads in the lettuce aisle. We’ve come to know and love the Asian mizuma, the gentle French mache, the cos family; rouge d’iver, romaine and little gem, and the bitter Italians cicoria radicchio and dentarella.

Blend peanut butter and water together in a bowl until creamy.

Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk to blend. Check for seasoning, adding more lime juice, fish sauce, or hot sauce to taste. It should be tangy with a bit of heat. Toss with the cabbage, carrot and onion, chill if desired and serve same day.

We’re on a first-name basis with Drunken Woman, Lollo Rossa and Amish deer tongue.

What we know now is that these stunningly beautiful and tasty greens are generally best all by themselves, not laden down with flavoured dressings but dressed only in salt and a good oil, the natural bitterness of arugula or mesclun greens for example, not needing vinegar. The sweeter greens such as mache and butter do love a classic vinaigrette.

Where to find these beauties? In your own backyard garden, in community gardens across the city, from Lactuca and other farmers markets stands, not treated with chlorine so they’ll keep, just given a shake or a quick rinse to get rid of the sand, then chilled.

Once you’ve tried lettuce a few hours from the ground you’ll never go back.

Enjoy your greens with a simple treatment and devote kitchen time to the other salads of summer, with fruit, cheese, fish or chicken.

classic vinaigrette Serve with pristine leaves of all sorts such as oakleaf, cos, butter or drunken woman.

3 T

extra virgin olive oil

1 T

white wine vinegar

sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper to taste Place all in the bottom of a salad bowl and whisk until emulsified, about 30 seconds. Place washed and dried salad leaves in the bowl, toss and serve immediately.

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insalata caprese/ caprese salad grilled romaine Grilling romaine, or any vegetable for that matter, brings on a host of charred flavours while enhancing the sweetness of the vegetable. This salad is an easy and excellent partner to good beef or bison steaks on the grill.

4 strips Irvings Farm or Acme Meats bacon 2 T

canola oil

2 T

fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 T

Worcestershire sauce

2-3 heads romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise, rinsed and dried

Transfer lettuce cut-side up to a serving platter. Season with pepper; drizzle dressing, and toss bacon and cheese over. Serve immediately while still hot.

Serves 4-6.

peanut cabbage slaw with peanut dressing

4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

This slaw lends a south-east Asian flavour to burgers, pork skewers or chicken on the grill.

handful

fresh basil leaves

3-4 T

extra-virgin olive oil

slaw

sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste

6 c thinly sliced cabbage (a mix of green and white looks great)

½ c crumbled (or rough-grated) Parmigiano Reggiano

1 med. carrot cut into thin batons or grated.

Cook bacon, reserving 2 t drippings.

Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. When cool, crumble and reserve.

Transfer the reserved drippings to a bowl. Add oil, lemon juice and Worcestershire; whisk until smooth and fully emulsified. Check for seasoning and reserve.

Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high.

(Or, heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat.) Place romaine halves cut-side down on the grill and cook, turning once, until charred and slightly wilted, about 4 minutes.

Discard any overly burnt outer leaves.

Don’t even think about making this until tomatoes are in high season, dead ripe off the vine. Buy the best fiore de latte (young cows milk mozzarella) you can find and use the fruitiest, tangiest extra virgin olive oil you can get your hands on. When a dish is this simple the ingredients have to be spectacular.

Otherwise, why bother?

1/3

c

thin sliced green onions

peanut dressing 3 T crunchy peanut butter (for the freshest taste, look for brands that are just peanuts and salt) 2 T

warm water

3 T rice or white vinegar (if using white vinegar add ½ t of sugar) 2 T

fresh squeezed lime juice

1 T

minced fresh ginger

drizzle fish sauce (about ½ t) optional 1½ t

(a good shake) Sriracha

1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼ inch thick

sea salt and fresh crack black pepper to taste Alternate and overlap tomato and mozzarella slices on an attractive platter. Tear basil leaves over. Drizzle with oil and season to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

smoked mackerel and potato salad The optometrist said to eat more mackerel, for the omega 3s. (Twice as much per salmon and mackerel is known to be low in possible mercury contamination.) The lady in the cashier’s line at the Italian Centre had a smoked mackerel. I asked her what she was going to do with it. She said; ‘make a potato salad.’ She described making a salad with new potatoes, fresh herbs, chunks of smoked mackerel and cukes in a mustardy dressing.

2 c sml waxy potatoes such as fingerlings, bintje, or banana

1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

juice from 1 lemon, or 4 t champagne vinegar

1 handful fresh mint, chopped

2 T

Dijon mustard

1 sml

shallot, sliced thin

4 t

olive oil

2 T

fresh dill, chopped

1 sml fresh garden cucumber, sliced

fresh-cracked pepper

1 smoked mackerel (approx 12 ounces) broken into bitesize pieces salad greens, washed and spun dried Steam or boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12-15 minutes.

Drain and let cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half or quarters, if desired.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, combine shallot, juice or vinegar and mustard, then whisk in oil until emulsified. Add the dill.

Add cucumber and cooked potatoes to the dressing in the bowl and toss to coat. Season to taste.

To serve: Place greens on four plates, top with potato/cucumber mixture and arrange mackerel on each.

Serves 4.

pork and shrimp noodle salad This is an excellent picnic or boxed lunch salad. Keep chilled and give it a toss before serving to blend flavours.

1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped 2 handsful roasted peanuts (optional)

sea salt

Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water until soft, then drain and put back in the bowl. In a hot wok fry the pork with five spice powder in oil until brown, then add garlic, ginger, prawns and sugar. Stir-fry for another 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir the wok mixture into the noodles.

Add the spring onions, lime juice, fish sauce, chilies, coriander, mint and peanuts to the bowl. Toss well. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and more lime juice if necessary — it should be quite limey. Serve cold with extra herb leaves if desired.

Serves 6 as part of a picnic menu.

chicken salad in a roquefort mayonnaise A good chicken salad transcends time.

This one is elegant, pretty and full of flavour. A word on substitutions; making with anything other than a good blue cheese upsets the balance of the dish. But you could serve a version for a summer lunch—sliced cold chicken with grapes and nuts scattered and dressing napped over. Adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.

4 whole chicken breasts (8 halves) poached and skinned 1 c

diced celery

1½ c

seedless green grapes

1 c

pecan halves, toasted salad leaves (optional)

1 sml

package glass noodles

½ pkg

ground pork (about 200 g)

2 t

five-spice powder

5 T

canola oil

2 cloves

garlic, chopped fine

1 recipe Roquefort mayonnaise (recipe follows)

1 T

grated fresh ginger

6 large

shrimp

2 t

sugar

3-4

spring onions, finely sliced

3 T

fresh lime juice

1 T

fish sauce

2 bird chillies (small red chillies) deseeded and finely sliced

Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks, then combine with celery, grapes and pecans in a large bowl.

Make the mayonnaise. Toss the chicken mixture with the mayonnaise and refrigerate until cold. Serve on mixed salad greens if desired.

Please see “Salad” on page 28

The Tomato | July August 2014 13

Summer Wine

What do we want to drink Wines with flavour and style of course, and wines that don’t drag on the palate. We want the equivalent of a floaty silk scarf, not a heavy wool muffler. We have so many good occasions for bubbles in the summer, but Champagne can seem too serious; better to lighten the mood with affordable cava and prosecco. Reds need to be barbecue-friendly and ready at a moment’s notice for impromptu gatherings. This is not the season for the wines requiring day-long decanting. White wines? Who needs ponderous oak or high alcohol to get in the way of pure flavour, and a good level of breezy acidity is desired to keep things refreshing.

Most of all, summer wines need to be at carefree prices we don’t have to think twice about. Most of the wines suggested hardly break a $20.

Dibon Brut Cava (Penedes, Spain) $14 Made from the classic Spanish cava trio for cava, Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada, giving the wine lovely apple and pear flavours with a bit of brioche, grapefruit zest and stony minerality.

Cava can suffer from a lack of acidity resulting in a flat taste.

Not Dibon, its refreshingly zingy acidity leaves you wanting more. Enjoy by the glass at Bar Bricco.

Vaporetto Prosecco (Veneto, Italy) under $17 Elegantly off-dry, with lowish alcohol of 11 per

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cent. The sweetness suits the wine, as do the attractive fruity and floral aromas and flavours. Drink as an aperitif or with light foods such as the shrimp, pork and glass noodle salad on page 12.

Ruggeri Gold Label Giall d’Oro Prosecco (Valdobbiadene, Italy) $27 The apple blossom and acacia flowers, plus its pleasing texture with some sweetness, creates a delicate Prosecco ideal for keeping at the ready in the fridge door.

Look also for the Ruggeri Giustino B, a vintage Prosecco from selected vineyards within Valdobbiadene, refreshing and delicious.

Hester Creek Trebbiano (Okanagan Valley, Canada) $25 We tried this at the Okanagan winery several years ago and became fans; Italy’s weed of a grape shown some respect in these old vine plantings.

The wine rewards the palate with a lush mouth feel and beautifully balanced tropical fruit aromas and flavours. Drink with cheese puffs or lobster mac and cheese.

El Petit Bonhomme Blanco

Bender Kulina Gewurztraminer

$16

(Pfalz, Germany) $20

This slightly nutty, citrusy (think warm nectarines in the sun), grassy Verdejo possesses excellent body and an attractive bitter note that makes you want to reach for anything grilled —drink this with Rosso Pizzeria’s pizza bianca with rapini. Even more fun, the price makes it lugworthy, as in lugging cases of el Petit to the lake.

Terra Dalter Viognier (Alentejo, Portugal) $17 Viognier is a grape that needs careful love and attention. It can be boring and lacklustre if the temperature gets too hot or if it’s picked too ripe.

Terra d’Alter’s high altitude vineyards of degraded granitic soils are similar to France’s Condrieu region, the home of the grape. Perhaps that is why this wine is such a delicious surprise.

Taut acidity provides the perfect structure for crisp melon and apricot fruit flavours, entirely at home with grilled shrimp or pork sate with mango salsa.

Dry, almost smoky, with crisp, beautifully balanced acidity, and tropical notes (lime and guava) without the heavy baking spice and unctuous lychee that can make some gewurz taste as though a fleet of dreadnoughts are bearing down on your palate. Drink with Thai food, spicy chicken, Asian pork belly.

Cedarcreek 2013 Riesling (Okanagan Valley, Canada) $20 Tasting this Riesling at the VQA show this spring was a treat, the long finish a sign that the fruit has had time to really develop gorgeous flavours, minerals etc., and textures which reverberated for several minutes; didn’t want it to end. It’s a slightly dryer-style Riesling to have with cheeses, roast chicken or trout.

CedarCreek 2013 Block 3 Platinum Riesling (Okanagan Valley, Canada) $25 The lovely acidity, what the Brits call nervosity (the wine practically quivers on your tongue)

in the summer? low alcohol and some residual sugar (14.5 g/l), coupled with gorgeous fruit, lemon/lime, linden flower and minerality create an unforgettable package, ideal for lovers of classically elegant Mosel wines. Leave a few bottles of the Block Three in the cellar in order to enjoy the glories of aged Riesling.

Tinhorn Pinot Gris (Okanagan Valley, Canada) $20 Lees stirring, and allowing 30 per cent of the wine go through malolactic creates some very nice textures and body in this Gris without it tipping into full-on creaminess. Elegant and focused, fresh, with some honeyed spice, melon, grapefruit and floral notes. Drink with pork tenderloin or cedar-planked salmon.

Bender Rosé (Pfalz, Germany) $15 Juicy and fresh, think mouthfuls of justpicked raspberries.

The wine has enough tension to keep it refreshing, and without the sweet candy flavour that some rosé are prone to, will make believers out of the drink-no-pink crew. Made from an unusual blend, for rosé at least, of Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Equally enjoyable before dinner or with a goat cheese salad.

Tinhorn 2Bench red (Okanagan Valley, Canada) $26 Crafted from Tinhorn’s superb Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, with lots of berry and plum flavours and a pleasing undercurrent of tobacco, cedar, herbs, and violets.

Medium-bodied with dense character and just right acidity and the 14.5 per cent alcohol never comes across as hot. The wine is balanced, juicy and delicious, with good structure provided by the ripe tannins, all the better to work with red meat on the grill this summer.

Join us for our Seafood Summer starting July 7 Reserve Your Table Now www.pampasteakhouse.com

El Petit Bonhomme Tinto (Jumilla, Spain) $16 Juicy ripe fruit, just enough tannin to keep it interesting, nice fresh acidity, and a certain swagger, just what we want from Spain these days. This blend of Monastrell, Garnacha and Syrah is the opposite of serious, yet still a well-made wine reflecting excellent fruit handling and winemaking. On hot days, stick in the fridge for 10 minutes to bring out the pretty berry and herb flavours. Ideal with burgers, pizza, flatbreads, ribs, all the summery foods of summer.

available Monday to Thursday for dinner service only

new canadian cuisine

summer menu

All prices are approximate. Vintages may vary. Find these wines at Bin 104, Crestwood Wine shop, Fine Wines by Liquor Select, Unwined, and other fine wine shops. Not all wines in all stores. wildflowerToamtoPatioAd2_6.19.14indd.indd 1

www.wildfloweredmonton.com 10009 - 107 St NW Edmonton, AB T5J 1J1 780.990.1938

6/19/2014 4:16:04 PM

The Tomato | July August 2014 15

hosting mEmorablE EvEnts sinCE 1950

Edmonton PEtrolEum Club Lend your next event the elegance and sophistication only a private club can provide.

Weddings Banquets Membership Opportunities 11110 - 108 Street 780.474.3411

www.edpetroleumclub.com

Shop where the chefs shop.

278 Cree Road in Sherwood Park • 780.449-.3710 Open Monday to Thursday 10-5 • Friday to Saturday 9-6

beer guy | peter bailey Alberta brewed A farmer wins the lottery and is asked, “What are you going to do with your winnings?” He responds, “I’m going to keep farming until the money’s all gone.”

That old joke came to mind when I met Greg Zeschuk, executive director of the newly minted Alberta Small Brewers Association (ASBA). While Zeschuk hasn’t won the lottery, he did retire recently from BioWare, the very successful Edmonton-based video gaming company he cofounded. He shocked the gaming community with his retirement, but even more so with his postBioWare career plans: talking and writing about craft beer.

In addition to his ASBA duties, Zeschuk has created a web show featuring craft brewers called TheBeerDiaries. tv, and writes a beer column for Greg Zeschuk, ASBA executive director.

AskMen.com.

Sharp career turns are nothing new for Zeschuk. He graduated from the University of Alberta with a medical degree in 1992 and practised as a physician while he and his BioWare co-founder, Ray Muzyka, got the company rolling.

Zeschuk is the real-life embodiment of the graduation speech cliché “do what you love.” We tell our kids this but don’t really believe it; Zeschuk lives it. And now he’s bringing this passion to being the pro-bono advocate for Alberta beer.

BioWare’s first office was next door to the Sugarbowl, Edmonton’s pioneer beer shrine, so perhaps craft beer was destiny for Zeschuk.

But like many beer drinkers of a certain age, Zeschuk’s tastes have changed as craft beer has grown.

Big Rock Traditional was his

16 July August 2014 | The Tomato

gateway beer back in U of A days.

It wasn’t until BioWare opened an office in Austin, Texas in 2008 that Zeschuk really got into craft beer, seeing the growth of craft firsthand and getting to know local Austin brewers. He saw the same passion among craft brewers for what they were doing as he had possessed for gaming.

Austin is a city about the same size as Edmonton, yet it has at least 20 breweries. The key is the love of local: “if it’s from Austin they love it. They’ll take it over anything else.” With the ASBA, Zeschuk wants to encourage that love of local beer in Alberta: “We have to excite Albertans about supporting local craft beer.

People don’t know if it’s good or not. The beer is here, and it is good beer.”

Zeschuk explains that BioWare had to compete globally from its base in Edmonton; the competition wasn’t down the street, it was across the globe. The same is true for Alberta craft beer. Alberta beer drinkers have more choice than anywhere else in Canada, with 2,500 beers available. On the plus side, this choice is building an exploratory culture of enthusiastic, knowledgeable beer drinkers.

Zeschuk and the ASBA hope to convince these folks that there’s great beer right here at home.

And there’s no place like home: I asked Zeschuk if after all his travels to amazing places he was tempted to live somewhere else.

“This winter?” he said with a smile, before responding, “I’m from here. I love it here.” Alberta-born, Albertabrewed.

Alberta brewed six pack Alberta beers brewed in Alberta by Alberta breweries owned by Albertans. Alberta Small Brewers Association Director Greg Zeschuk picks six new beers from ASBA members.

Alley Kat Scona Gold, Edmonton Alley Kat owner Neil Herbst is a great choice as the first chair of ASBA. Recently Alley Kat retired their Charlie Flint Lager in favour of a delicious golden Kölsch. Zeschuk calls it ‘a fabulous beer’ that compares well with those he tried in Köln, Germany.

Bonus: Scona Gold is gluten-reduced!

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS AT

THREEBOARS.CA

Ribstone Lone Bison IPA, Edgerton On a recent episode of The Beer Diaries, a Texas brewer claimed that craft breweries are judged by the quality of their IPA. If so, Ribstone is the real deal, producing a big, hoppy, west coast-style American IPA in the middle of the dry Alberta prairie. Even better: Lone Bison will be available in cans this summer.

Hog’s Head A Clockwort Orange Wheat Ale, St. Albert “Our Beer. Our Province. Drink Local.” With that statement on every beer carton, there’s little doubt where Hog’s Head stands.

Known for their hop-forward beer, here Hog’s Head steps outside the hop zone with a friendly, quaffable witbier flavoured with orange zest and blood oranges, perfect company on a summer patio.

Sherbrooke was Doing Beer Before Beer was Cool

Big Rock Purple Gas, Calgary At first, Big Rock doesn’t seem to fit in an association for small brewers. But, big as Big Rock is, it still shares much with its Alberta siblings, including a renewed devotion to seasonal and limited production beers. “Big Rock has taken a hard left turn back to craft,” says Zeschuk. Purple Gas is a clever nod to Alberta’s farming heritage, a light summer wheat ale flavoured with Saskatoon berries and agave.

Wild Rose Natural Born Keller, Calgary

11819 St Albert Trail 780.455.4556 www.sherbrookeliquor.com

Eat and drink in French

Bistro

A hybrid of styles, Natural Born Keller is part California common, part kellerbier and part bock – and all good. It combines the crisp crackle of a lager with the fullness and depth of an ale. A unique beer destined for a summer deck near you.

Grizzly Paw Rundlestone Session Ale, Canmore Zeschuk raves about Grizzly Paw’s new 20,000 square foot production brewery, calling it ‘spectacular.’ The facility not only allows Grizzly Paw to keep up with demand, but to experiment with seasonals and one-offs. Rundlestone hops on the hot session ale trend with this very drinkable English pale ale with an American hop edge.

Peter Bailey will keep librarianing until the money is all gone.

He tweets as @Libarbarian.

themarcrestaurant @themarcedmonton www.themarc.ca #100 9940-106 St. 780.429.2828

The Tomato | July August 2014 17

For the Love of BBQ Porkapalooza BBQ Festival 2014

Zokah Productions photo

Southern smoke met big Alberta sky at Porkapalooza, Edmonton’s first southern barbecue championship, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) with 29 teams from three provinces on the hunt for $10,000 in prize money.

The competition zone looks like a regular picnic area, families, trailers, kids on bikes, with one key difference: the abundance of cooking gear — deck-sized barbecues, Weber grills, Big Green Eggs, pellet stoves and elaborate, specially-designed smokers.

After turn-in, local health rules forbid a come-one come-all sampling. Enter local food trucks and vendors.

“We prepped 375 sandwiches for Saturday,” said Chris Delaney from Big City Sandwich. “By 7pm we didn’t have a single French fry left.

camaraderie between teams, the absolutely perfect weather, the atmosphere in bucolic Hawrelak Park.

Smokehouse BBQ smoked and sold over 700 pounds of ribs during Porkapalooza. Alberta Pork sampled tasty pulled pork and there were tacos, bacon-wrapped chicken, sandwiches, burgers, poutine, popcorn and panini on offer.

“It was our first big event,” said Jay Favell about his truck called Moose on the Run. “We made pork burger sliders and a panini loaded with pork roast and Italian meats with marinara sauce.”

It was Smokehouse BBQ’s first time competing (as well as having a smoker and two trucks onsite in the food vendor section.) “The BBQ on the Bow guys were phenomenal, everybody wanted to help. It was all pretty impressive,” said owner Terry Sept.

There was something irresistible about the weekend too, the

Teams are accustomed to the hurry up and wait of competition, but to the casual observer, there is not a lot of visible activity. That is, until turn-in time — then it’s controlled chaos as every team attempts to get their perfectly cooked meat to the judges on time.

All for the love of barbecue.

Zokah Productions photo

The love of barbecue was thwarted by the lack of barbecue to eat. The teams are here to compete, the racks and briskets, chicken and ribs all prepared to find the perfect specimen to turn in to the judges, not feed the hungry hordes drawn by the irresistible smell of smoking meats.

Above: Rob and Jacy Reinhardt (Prairie Smoke & Spice), Danielle Dimovski (Diva Q), Brian and Corinne Misko (House of Q).

18 July August 2014 | The Tomato

Porkapalooza

Winners Top 8 Overall 1 Prairie Smoke & Spice (Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan) 2 House of Q (Vancouver) 3 Bordertown BBQ (Lloydminster) 4 Gettin’ Sauced BBQ (Lethbridge) 5 SmellaQue (Calgary) 6 3 Tons of Fun (Beaumont) 7 Rocky Mountain Smokers (Calgary) 8 Smokehouse BBQ Inc. (Edmonton)

Pork Ribs 1 Trent’s Smokin BBQ 2 Prairie Smoke & Spice 3 House of Q 4 The Grill Geek (Edmonton) 5 Bear B Que (Outlook, Saskatchewan) 6 Bordertown BBQ 7 Rocky Mountain Smokers 8 Gettin' Sauced BBQ

Pork 1 Prairie Smoke & Spice 2 Smokin Aces (Edmonton) 3 SmellaQue 4 House of Q 5 Alberta Bones BBQ (Ft Saskatchewan) 6 Smokehouse BBQ Inc. 7 Rocky Mountain Smokers 8 Bordertown BBQ

Pork Burger 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Prairie Smoke & Spice Bordertown BBQ The Grill Geek Smokapalooza (Calgary) House of Q Gettin’ Sauced BBQ Old Baja Boys (Calgary) Smokin' Poles (Calgary)

Pork Tenderloin 1 Prairie Smoke & Spice 2 Alberta bones BBQ 3 Rocky Mountain Smokers 4 Eggmonton Stogie Smokers 5 Smokehouse BBQ Inc. 6 Smokapalooza 7 Gettin’ Sauced BBQ 8 R8 ur Rack BBQ (Sherwood Park) From top: Canadian Smokers (Ryan Muma, Dan Selk, Levi Selk, Cameron Martin and team captain Dean Kelly); Pampa’s Brazilian grill; Canadian Smokers’ custom smoker built by Ryan and Dean; Porky Fatstacks (Ryan Pelzel, son Brecken, Kerem Kozak, Jesse Bajnok); event organizers Darcy Fitzgerald (Alberta Pork), Bernie Kenny (Calgary’s BBQ on the Bow), Merl Whitebook (KCBS Head Judge) and Rob Reinhardt (competitor); the Smokehouse BBQ truck. Paul McGree photos.

The Tomato | July August 2014 19

drink

| alison phillips

Sip this, bite that 9 restaurants... 5 courses... 280 people...

1 really, really long table.

Catch & the Oyster Bar, Trib Steakhouse, The Belvedere, Teatro, Divino, Blink, Charcut, Home Tasting Room, and the Bank & Baron will each prepare a dish for this remarkable dinner, with wine pairings by The Cellar.

A long stretch of downtown Stephen Avenue will be our venue.

Gather your friends, and make some new ones at this unique event that celebrates the culinary side of Calgary.

Tickets: $200pp available now at reallylongtabledinner.eventbrite.ca For hotel packages including your seat at the table, go to VisitCalgary.com

join us!

Monday, September 8th, 5-9 pm

city palate’s 2nd annual

Really, Really Long Table Dinner

Years ago, if you drank red wine with meat and white wine with fish and chicken, you were considered highly evolved. Now we’ve moved on. What is fascinating me these days is considering spirits with food, in particular, tequila.

Tequila?

For many of us, shooting tequila was a rite of passage during our misspent youth. Remember being 18 or 20 years old, on a hot summer night out with friends or partying in an over-crowded, noisy bar on that first spring break trip to Cancun? We’d lick the salt, down the Cuervo, and suck the lime, until things got rather blurry.

Seemed like fun at the time. The next day was a different matter, as we languished in a dark room with a big, fat head, writhing and repeating over and over; ‘Never again will I drink tequila.’

“Tequila treats you the same way you treat it,” says Steve Calabro, bartender at Rick Bayless’ Red O restaurant in Los Angeles.

“If you aggressively slam it back, it will get mad and return the favour.”

The Truth About Tequila Like many things we did in our youth, we didn’t always know the facts. In the case of tequila, you may be missing out on one of the greatest beverages you can enjoy.

Fact: The tequilas we were shooting (still shooting?) were not 100 per cent blue agave, the agave tequilana plant from which premium tequilas are made. The cheaper tequilas of our youth were likely mixtos, which are a mixture of agave liquor and distilled grain alcohol, with sugar and caramel colouring added.

Fact: Licking salt and chasing the shot with a squeeze of lime is completely unnecessary with good, 100 per cent blue agave tequila.

Fact: There is no worm in tequila.

Not even all mezcal (tequila’s sister spirit produced in Oaxaca) has a preserved picudo larvae or maguey worm in the bottle.

20 July August 2014 | The Tomato

Really good tequila, made from 100 per cent blue agave plants grown and distilled in Jalisco state, is one of the most pure and natural spirits one can drink. It has the ability to stimulate the appetite before a meal and settle your stomach after one. It’s even reputed to lower cholesterol when enjoyed in moderation.

On the Tequila Trail Recently, on a trip to Mexico, I decided to delve into the whole tequila thing more deeply rather than simply wasting away in Margaritaville at the swim-up bar in our resort. We rented a car in Puerto Vallarta and headed off on the switch-back mountain roads into the Los Altos Mountains and the origin of tequila, the city of Tequila itself.

Driving around the town of Tequila feels like a visit to an old-world winery town somewhere in Europe. Settled in the 1600s, the red volcanic soils surrounding Tequila are perfect for growing the blue agave plants. We visited the Herradura distillery, a gracious hacienda dating from the mid1800s which played a role in 1920’s rebellion, hiding faithful Christians who were being pursued by Mexican soldiers.

Following a comprehensive private tour of the Hacienda property, we were treated to a delightful luncheon under a canopy of shady trees. My respect for tequila increased as the afternoon wore on.

Like good wines, tequilas are produced with much care and attention. Every agave plant is harvested by hand. The highland plantations of the area produce sweeter flavours and those sourced from lowland farms have a distinctly earthier flavour. The jimador (a farmer who is expert in blue agave cultivation) is one of the most important people in the whole process. With knowledge passed down from generation to generation, the jimador identifies when the agave is ripe, which happens when the plant is between

8 and 12 years old. (The ripeness is key to high-quality tequila, similar in the way that ripe fruit is key to making high-quality wine.) The primary tool of the jimador is the coa, a flat-bladed knife at the end of a long pole that resembles a hoe. The coa is used first to remove the flower from the agave, which causes the central piña (looks like a pineapple) to swell. Later, the piña is harvested and taken to large ovens to bake slowly, breaking down complex starches into simple sugars. The baked piñas are either shredded or mashed under a large stone wheel called a tahona (the process is automated at most distilleries). The bagazo, pulp fibre, left behind is collected and reused as compost or animal feed, but can be burnt as fuel or processed into paper. In the 1800s, it was used as mattress and pillow stuffing. Some producers add a small amount of bagazo back into the fermentation for a stronger agave flavour.

The extracted agave juice is poured into stainless steel vats for several days to ferment, resulting in the mosto, or wort, which has a low alcohol content. Yeasts unique to Herradura aid the fermentation process. The wort is distilled once to produce what is called ordinario, and a second distillation produces clear blanco, or silver, tequila. Some producers distill a third time, but connoisseurs consider this third distillation a mistake as it removes too much flavour from the tequila.

The tequila is either bottled as blanco or is aged in wooden barrels, where it develops a mellower flavour and amber colour.

When aged in barrels for up to a minimum of two months, tequila takes on a light amber colour from the wood, and is called reposado.

Longer than a year in barrels results in a mellow aged spirit called anejo. Extra anejos are produced by some distillers and these are aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels.

Silver or blanco tequilas are clean and crisp, somewhat citrusy with the flavour of the agave. With

age, they become smoother, with more complex flavours enhanced by wood. The length of aging and degree of charring on the barrel determines the final taste profile.

Some aged tequilas have distinctly caramel, subtle chocolate, and smoky notes, comparable to fine Cognacs.

Because you can love your knife.

Tequila with Food So, how does one pair it with food, you ask?

Tequilas are not limited to pairing only with Mexican foods. Blanco pairs very well with a first course that includes salads and fresh fish.

Ceviche—raw fish and seafood cured in citrus juices and spice — is particularly good, but shrimp or crab with a lemony lime dressing or a mango pineapple salsa would work very well. Don’t be afraid to add a few chilies and some garlic too!

Reposados are a versatile spirit.

Enjoy them with pork, chicken, seafood or beef recipes. I enjoyed a reposado with a mixed seafood plate — grilled salmon, cooked mussels, and a slightly charred grouper. I also like it with spicy pork stew or smoky barbequed ribs.

Anejo tequila requires no food to be enjoyed. However, they are amazing sipped with a crème brule or crème caramel, cheesecake or even nutty dessert with chocolate.

I dare you. At your next dinner party, why not serve a selection of three different styles of tequila with your meal? Start with corn chips, guacamole and salsa and serve margaritas or palomas. Graduate to neat tequila paired with some of the foods suggested. It will definitely get the conversation going and create a taste adventure at your dinner party.

Paloma Build over ice in a highball glass; 1.5 oz silver or reposado tequila, sparkling grapefruit juice and a generous squeeze of lime.

Alison Phillips is the co-owner of Aligra Wines & Spirits.

10816 - 82Ave. Edmonton 587-521-2034

The Tomato | July August 2014 21

Indulgence, a Canadian epic of food and wine introduces local food producers to Edmonton chefs, who showcase their dishes with estate wines from B.C. and Ontario. It’s a night that celebrates our gastronomic community, where guests enjoy delicious food and drink, and chefs establish working relationships with regional cheesemakers, farmers and ranchers.

Indulgence also raises money for two excellent causes: The Junior League of Edmonton’s children’s programs and the Indulgence Slow Food Edmonton Bursary at NAIT for culinary students.

Enjoy these recipes from some of Edmonton’s top chefs using great local products.

The Marc, Fairwinds Farm and Joie Farm Winery Chef: Bryan Cruz

red beet and goat milk ice cream with chevre parfait, parsley oil and orange-hazelnut crumb Salad or dessert? Why not both. Chef Cruz makes clever use of Nobleford’s Fairwind Farm’s goat milk and yogurt.

red beet and goat milk ice cream 2 lbs

red beets

4 c

Fairwinds Farm goat milk

8

egg yolks

¾ c

sugar

¼ t

vanilla paste

Juice and strain red beets. Over medium heat, reduce beet juice to a nice syrup consistency, about a ¼ cup.

Over high heat, scald goat milk and combine with beet reduction.

22 July August 2014 | The Tomato

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla paste until smooth and sugar is dissolved. Temper the egg mixture with the goat milk, transfer to a double-boiler and stir until mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon. Cool down mixture in an ice bath or let cool in fridge overnight.

lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

1 litre extra virgin olive oil, preferably Tuscan

2 T

In a vita-mix, process parsley and oil until fully combined. Add acid component to taste, and season with salt and pepper.

1 t white truffle oil (tartufi bianca) *

Churn in an ice cream maker as per manufacturer’s instructions.

kosher salt, black pepper

6 oz

unsalted butter, cubed

6 oz

hazelnuts, skinned

To serve: On a chilled plate, arrange all ingredients as you see fit, finishing the parfait with a light touch of fennel pollen and garnishing with some mildflavored micro-greens such as mache or mizuna. Serves 6-8.

6 oz

flour

Pair with Joie Farm 2013 Rose.

ice-cold water as needed

zest of one orange

Pinch of salt

orange-hazelnut crumb

In a food processor, combine hazelnuts, flour, zest, and butter and pulse to pea-sized lumps. Mix in water just enough to combine, do not overmix. Roll into a 1-inch thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap, chill for 2 hours. In a baking sheet lined with parchment/ sil-pat, crumble the disc into pea-sized pieces and bake in a 350ºF oven for ½ hour, turning the baking sheet halfway, until golden brown.

organic chevre parfait 1 kg Fairwinds Farm organic chevre 500 g Fairwinds Farm strawberry goat yogurt Strain yogurt through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds (optional). * Consistency can be adjusted by adding more or less yogurt prior to mixing.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix both ingredients at medium speed until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a container and chill to set overnight.

parsley oil ½ c

flat-leaf parsley

½ c

extra-virgin olive oil

Culina, The Cheesiry and Tantalus Winery Chef: Brad Lazarenko

tuscan potato, asparagus and cheesiry pecorino salad Rhonda Headon makes pecorino, an Italian-style sheep cheese on her farm near Kitskoty. The cheeses are seasonally available, a creamy frescostyle, as well as two aged cheeses, at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, occasionally at the 104 Street City Market Downtown, Paddy’s Cheese and The Cavern.

3 lb steamed or boiled baby yellow potatoes (thinly sliced) 1 bunch asparagus (blanched for 1 minute and thinly sliced into 2cm pieces).

1 c

truffle aioli

1c grated Cheesiry pecorino plus more for garnish

Truffle Aioli

2 eggs

Dijon mustard

2 t

black pepper

juice of 1 lemon

1 t

salt

2 cloves

garlic

Put the egg in a blender and slowly pour in oil until emulsified. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Makes 1 litre of aioli.

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for at least two weeks.

To serve: fold in aioli with potatoes, asparagus and cheese (do not refrigerate). Serve immediately with more grated pecorino and garnish with pea shoots or arugula. Serves 4-6. * White truffle oil is available at the Italian Centre Shops.

Pair with Tantalus Riesling.

Pampa Brazilian Steak House, Tangle Ridge Lamb, Black Hills Estate Winery Chef: Archiemedes Cailao

grilled lamb with smoked eggplant and onion, poached cucumber, pickled mustard seeds and pomegranate gastrique Shayne and Vicky Horn raise sheep at their ranch near Thorsby. Find Tangle Ridge lamb at tangleridgeranch.ca.

While there, follow the link to the lovely video about guardian dogs.

grilled lamb 2 boneless lamb loin, sliced in 3oz portion or 15 lamb chops, about 3/4-inch thick 1 c

plain yogurt

4 cloves

garlic, crushed

1 T

fresh rosemary leaves

1 t

fresh mint leaves

pinch cayenne pepper

coarse sea salt

4 T

extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade add the garlic, rosemary, mint, cayenne, and salt. Pulse until combined. Pour in olive oil and yogurt until well blended. Pour the marinade on lamb and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and allow the pieces of lamb to come to room temperature; it will take about 20 minutes.

Heat the grill over medium heat until almost smoking, add the lamb and sear for about 2 minutes. Flip the lamb over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare and 3 1/2 minutes for medium.

smoked eggplant and onion 2 lrg.

eggplant

1 med.

size onion

2 T

olive oil

coarse sea salt

ground black pepper

Peel and cut eggplant into ¼ inch thick round slices. Peel the onion and slice into quarters. Place eggplant and onion on racks, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place in pre-heated smoker for 30 minutes. About 15 minutes before the smoking period is finished, heat grill to medium high, and oil the grates.

Transfer eggplant and onion to the grill. You could also finish the eggplant and onion in the smoker, or under a broiler, roast it in an oven, or sauté on top of the stove. Grill the vegetables until tender; about 5 minutes per side.

When done, let cool and slice into julienne. Transfer to a large bowl and coat lightly with olive oil.

cucumber 1 lrg.

cucumber, cut into batons

1 t

fresh mint leaves

pinch salt

Put a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover the cucumber batons. Bring to a boil. Add the cucumber batons, reduce the heat so the water bubbles gently (cover partly) and cook until just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove, plunge into ice water (or at least cold running water). When cool, drain and put in a bowl and sprinkle with fresh chopped mint leaves.

pickled mustard seeds (make a week ahead) 1 c

yellow mustard seeds

1 c

rice wine vinegar

¾ c

water

¾ c

mirin

½ c

sugar

Combine all ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Cook until the seeds are plump and tender (about an hour). If too much liquid evaporates add just enough water to cover the seeds. Cool and store covered in the refrigerator. Let it pickle for about a week to develop the flavor.

pomegranate gastrique 3 T

sugar

2 T

red wine vinegar

1 c

pomegranate juice

2 c

beef stock

1 T

butter, at room temperature

chef-driven urban rustic cuisine. prime downtown experience. awesome patio. join us for craft cocktails and sharable plates, outdoors on the patio, and indoors for lunch, dinner and late night. tavern1903.com

780.424.0152 for hours and reservations

9802 jasper ave.

Tavern 1903 and Hardware Grill are locally owned and operated, and located a short stroll apart on Jasper Ave East.

Caramelize the sugar in a saucepan to a light golden brown. Stir in vinegar and pomegranate juice. Boil for 5 minutes to thicken. Stir in stock and return to a boil. Let reduce and thicken until you have about ¾ cup sauce in the pan. Stir in butter and season to taste. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

To serve: Place 2 tablespoons of smoked eggplant and onion on a plate. Topped with the lamb and 1/2 teaspoon of pickled mustard seeds.

Arrange 2 cucumber batons beside the lamb and drizzle with pomegranate gastrique. Garnish with micro greens if desired.

Serves 6-8.

Pair with Black Hills Estate Syrah.

780.458.4777 • info@unwined.biz www.unwined.biz • 2, 512 St. Albert Trail Please see “Indulgence” on page 26

The Tomato | July August 2014 23

feeding people

| deepti babu

The foodie gene: can a love of food be genetic?

As a genetic counsellor, a main part of my job is to study family histories. I’m responsible for looking at them with a highly specific lens, trying to determine whether the traits I see establish a pattern that might solve the medical puzzle put before us.

So when I started noticing a curious pattern of traits in my own family, I began collecting facts and came up with a theory to explain them. You see, my maternal family contains five generations of foodies.

And I’m now convinced that a foodie gene exists in my family.

By the way, let’s get this over with – I will be using the word foodie repeatedly. That word seems to raise the blood pressure of some.

I’m not exactly sure why, but maybe it is too simple or cute a word to explain a passion for food that is more serious. Truly, I have yet to find a better alternative.

To me, foodies are those that always have thoughts of food simmering in the backs (and happily, the fronts) of their minds.

When a foodie’s head is cleared of

24 July August 2014 | The Tomato

all requirements, he or she returns to thoughts of food. And I don’t think a foodie has to like cooking or be a good cook. Instead, he or she might enjoy reading about food, taking photographs of it, studying it… the baseline passion for food is the same, but how one expresses it varies. Lindsay Finnie-Carvalho, a foodie gene carrier who teaches Nourish Me cooking classes for children and adults in St. Albert, offered this: “A foodie is somebody who makes the enjoyment of food a priority.”

Beautifully put, so let’s go with that.

Whew, that’s settled, let’s move on.

I’ve had my foodie gene theory for a while. In 2005 I met with author Judy Schultz about this idea. She wrote an article about my mom and I after we had spent a July day salivating at the City Farmers’ Market. My mom recounted being raised with her foodie grandmother and mother, but not actually learning how to cook until she immigrated to the U.S. Since then, she’s never looked back. Dinners growing up in the Babu family were an experience, requiring a minimum of five plates. And the prep and post-mortem analyses were all part of it. My brother and I both have the foodie gene, and we come by it naturally.

In 2005 I only had four generations of foodies in my family because my kids weren’t born yet, but observing them has cemented this idea for me. I suspected the foodie gene in my sons early on — by the age of three. Ari, our eldest, applies his curiosity to food. He wants to know exactly how something is prepared and tastes subtle notes in food. He’ll be a great food critic because it seems his sense of taste is keen; he notices if I’ve made a subtle change to a recipe (something I often do) or adjusted a dish.

Ezra began cooking with me shortly after he could stand by himself. By age three his favourite TV show was Bake with Anna Olson, and he pored over cookbooks for weeks in advance to research his fourth birthday cake. He finally settled on a dark chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.

My family is not unique. I first met foodie Kristine Kowalchuk at the 2013 Food Matters event at LitFest.

She presented her English Ph.D. dissertation, for which she studied 17th century Englishwomen’s household recipe books. After listening to her, my foodie gene radar was firing non-stop. Who else but a foodie would dedicate her graduate thesis to this subject?

My radar didn’t let me down.

Kristine spoke of her mother’s family as having generations of foodies and storytellers. She spoke about how, after a long school bus ride home in rural Alberta, she would sprint to her front door when she knew her grandmother was visiting. Why?

Because she knew her mother and grandmother would be making their family’s German-Russian doughnuts, which they call krebble (the exact spelling is a mystery).

“They were all you could smell.

They’d come out of this vat of hot oil, and then we’d put them in a plastic bag and shake them with icing sugar, making almost a powdery glaze. And they’d still be warm. You’d wash it down with a glass of milk. Just delicious.”

And like a true foodie, Kristine has been collecting her family’s recipes and preserving them for future generations.

Turns out Lindsay Finnie-Carvalho can trace the foodie gene in four generations of her family. She and I riffed on my theory because she has a degree in molecular biology and genetics.

As a young child, she’d look at cookbooks like they were children’s picture books. In her early teens, she wowed her grandparents by independently making crème caramel, inverted ramekin and all.

As she recalls, “I was so proud of myself. I still get such a sense of fulfillment watching others enjoy what I create.”

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She now sees signs of this in her culinary-minded children.

She’s looking forward to a family vacation she has planned to the Okanagan. But is it any surprise that she’s scheduled the trip for the height of peach season, her favourite food?

As I learn more about the genetics of taste and smell, I really feel like I’m on to something with my idea.

Sure, the environment plays a part.

But families out there are like my own. For every story here there must be others, and I’m determined to find them.

Deepti Babu often weaves culinary themes into her genetic counselling sessions, which she explores further in her blog at deeptibabu.com.

The Tomato | July August 2014 25

indulgence Continued from page 23

Belgravia Hub, Sundog Organic Farm and Summerhill Winery Chef: Sarah Masters-Phillips

coming

soon mill creek

rhubarb compote with vanilla bean panna cotta James and Jenny Berkenbosch own and operate Sundog Organics in the Sturgeon River valley near Gibbons, where they grow top-notch organic vegetables. Chef Masters-Phillips uses their early season rhubarb to make a tangy compote to top creamy pannacotta.

rhubarb compote

By Dr. Catherine Chan and Dr. Rhonda Bell A Mediterranean Diet for the Prairies Menus, Recipes, Tips for Healthy Eating

www.pureprairie.ca www.facebook.com/pureprairie

1¾ lb rhubarb, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into ¾-inch pieces (about 6 cups) 1 c

sugar

Add remaining milk and the sugar and place on medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar and gelatin dissolve. Do not let mixture boil. Remove from heat and gently stir in cream. Cut vanilla bean pod open and using a knife, scrape out the seeds. Add to liquid and stir.

Divide mixture evenly between the 6 ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and panna cotta is set, at least 6 hours or overnight. (Panna cotta is set when you shake ramekin and it jiggles, but remains intact.)

To serve, remove ramekins from fridge for 15 minutes, Run a small paring knife under hot water, dry knife and run around the edge of the ramekin.

Invert and unmold ramekin onto a small serving plate. Top with rhubarb compote and serve. Serves 6.

1 piece (1 inch) fresh peeled ginger, finely grated

Pair with Summerhill Cipes Brut.

Stir together rhubarb and sugar in a large saucepan (off heat) and let stand until rhubarb releases some liquid, about 10 minutes.

Daravara Pub, Irvings Farm Fresh, Stoneboat Vineyards

Bring rhubarb mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, simmer, stirring occasionally until rhubarb has broken down but some whole pieces remain, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place ginger in a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl. Press down firmly with a spoon until juices are released (to yield about 1 teaspoon). Discard solids. Stir ginger juice into rhubarb mixture. Can be frozen up to 3 months or held in refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Makes about 4 -5 cups of compote.

pannacotta 1-2 T unsalted butter (for greasing ramekins)

Chef: Shane Loiselle

irving’s farm pork jowl bacon and black bean ragu with cornmeal masa cakes Nicola and Alan Irving have built a successful business marketing highquality Berkshire pork and their own delicious hams, bacon, pork belly, and sausage directly to restaurants, online and at their stands in the Old Strathcona and City Market 104 Street farmers markets.

masa cake 1 c

yellow corn meal

whole milk

½ c

flour

4 t unflavoured powdered gelatin (2 packets Knox gelatin)

½ c

corn masa

¼ c

bacon grease

¾-1 c

warm water (110 degrees)

½ c

3 T

fresh oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1½ c

sugar

1½ c heavy cream (whipping) 1 pod

26 July August 2014 | The Tomato

Lightly grease 6¾ cup ramekins with butter. Pour 1/3 of the milk into a saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin.

Let sit until gelatin softens and swells, about 3 minutes..

vanilla bean

Whisk together masa, flour, corn meal, oregano and salt in a medium bowl.

Cut in cold bacon grease. Add water, ¼ cup at a time, stirring after each addition until mixture holds together.

Scoop about a ¼ cup of corn dough, then use your hands to shape patties about 1/3 inch thick. Repeat with remaining mixture.

Working in batches of 4, fry patties, turning once, until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. If pan becomes dry, add 2 tablespoons oil or bacon grease. Keep warm for up to 30 minutes.

black bean ragu ½ c cubed bacon or pork jowl

Toast Fine Catering, Sylvan Star Cheese, Mount Boucherie Estate Winery Chef: Spencer Thompson

ramp agnolotti, cauliflower and sylvan star gouda fonduta with pickled ramps and cheese crisp The delicious handcrafted Sylvan Star cheeses are available at the Italian Centre, or stop in at their farm store near Lacombe on your next trip to Calgary.

450 g

dried black beans

½ c

diced jalapeno

pickled ramps

1 c

oven-roasted corn

9-10 c

water

½ lb fresh ramps, reserve green tops for the pasta dough.

1 large

onion, finely diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 1 T

ground cumin

1 t

fresh oregano

2 t

smoked paprika

2 t

salt

2 T

fresh lime juice

In a large pot over lowish heat render bacon, removing the grease as it cooks. Then add onion, jalapenos, corn, and garlic. Cook on low for about 10-15 minutes. Combine everything except the lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat until the beans are tender.

Once the beans are tender remove the lid and simmer uncovered until the mixture starts to reduce and thicken. Stir the pot every once in a while, scooping the beans up from the bottom of the pot.

This takes about 2-3 hours to get the thickness you are looking for, but bear in mind they will thicken a bit more as they cool. Once the beans are done cooking and are nice and thick, stir in lime juice and adjust the seasonings.

Serves 4-7

Pair with Stoneboat Pinot Gris.

1½ c

red wine vinegar

1 c

sugar

½ c

water

Clean ramp bulbs by removing tail, and rinse under cold water. Place vinegar, sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add ramp bulbs, cook until al dente, then reserve in a container to finish cooking and cool off. Refrigerate and reserve as garnish.

cheese crisp garnish 1/3

c grated Sylvan Star Old Grizzly Gouda

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Sprinkle small mounds of Gouda onto the sheet, leaving space for it to spread out as each garnish melts.

Bake until light golden brown, cool down and reserve as a garnish.

pasta dough

green ramp tops

1 T

milk

1+½ t

olive oil

Blanch the ramp greens in boiling water until bright green and tender.

Chill in ice water. Squeeze excess water out of the greens.

Put milk, olive oil and blanched greens in a blender and purée until smooth.

1+¾ c

flour

4 large

egg yolks

1 large

egg Please see “Indulgence” next page

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The Tomato | July August 2014 27

indulgence Continued from page 27

Place flour on a clean counter or in large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Place eggs and ramp purée in the centre and incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry with your fingers. Once the dough has come together, knead for about five minutes to develop the gluten. Add a small amount of flour if the dough is too sticky. Once dough is the appropriate texture wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour before using it. Or, make the day before as it will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

gouda and potato filling 6 med.

Yukon gold potatoes

1 c Sylvan star old grizzly Gouda, grated ¾ c

buttermilk

salt and pepper to taste

Peel potatoes, place in pot of cold water, bring to a boil and cook until very tender, as you would for mashed potatoes.

Purée the potato through a potato ricer for the best result, otherwise mash as one would for mashed potatoes. Add Gouda, stir until incorporated. Stir in buttermilk and season. Place mixture inside of a piping bag with a large tip and reserve until it’s time to make the pasta.

to pepare the agnolotti pasta dough flour for dusting

egg wash 2 eggs

to cut out each individual agnolotti.

There are tons of helpful videos you can watch on youtube to see the method I'm talking about. It's a beautiful, efficient method to produce dozens of agnolotti in a short span of time. Reserve.

Hamilton grilling sausage at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, or visit their meat counter at Blush Lane Organic Market.

caramelized pearl onion smashed potato

cauliflower fonduta

1 Sunworks Farm whole chicken

1 head ½ c

cauliflower heavy (whipping) cream

½ c grated medium Sylvan Star Gouda

salt and pepper to taste

Cut cauliflower into quarters, remove and discard the tough interior. Cut cauliflower florets into medium sized pieces. Steam until tender.

Place cheese and heavy cream in a pot, allow to melt over low heat. Place cheese mixture in a blender with the cauliflower and purée. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add a few drops of olive oil to the water, then cook agnolotti for 3-4 minutes. A good indicator of doneness is to watch for them to float, wait about 30 seconds then remove them from the water gently with a slotted spoon.

To serve: Spoon a bit of fonduta onto the plate (reheating the sauce if necessary) place agnolotti on top, garnish with pickled ramps and cheese crisps. I like to microplane a bit of purple cauliflower over the dish for colour, but chopped chives or micro greens will also do nicely. Serves 6-8

Pair with Mount Boucherie Pinot Noir.

whisked, and a brush

Dust a clean surface with flour. Run the pasta dough through the pasta machine, as for ravioli, but leave the sheets slightly thicker..

Pipe the filling in the middle of pasta strip and egg wash the top of the dough. Pull the bottom layer of dough towards you, up and over the filling to seal the top of the dough. Be sure to press out all the air. To shape the agnolotti, start at one end and place your thumb and forefinger together and pinch along the filling at 1-1.5 inch increments. Run a crimped pastry wheel along the top edge of the pasta dough, separating the strip of filled pockets from the remainder of the pasta sheet. Use the pastry wheel

28 July August 2014 | The Tomato

Madison’s Grill, Sunworks Farm, van Westen Vineyards Chef: Charla Padilla

pulled sunworks farm coq au vin with caramelized pearl onion, smashed potato and grilled garlic and rosemary sausage We’re big fans of the organic poultry of Sunworks Farm near Armena.

Any given Saturday you’ll find Ron

1 lb

Yukon gold potato, cooked

2 c

pearl onion

coq au vin

¼ c

butter

1 c

¼ c

whipping cream

¼ c

sour cream

salt and pepper

double smoked bacon cubed

1 med yellow onion cut in a large dice 2 med

carrots cut in a large dice

2 ribs

celery cut in a large dice

1 t

dry thyme

2

bay leaves

2 c crimini mushrooms quartered 2 cloves

garlic, minced

1 btl Van Westen Vineyards Voluptuous Red 1 L

chicken stock

1 T cornstarch Slurry (1 T cornstarch mixed with 1T water 2 T

butter cubed

salt and pepper

Place pearl onions on a roasting pan and place in 400ºF oven. Bake until soft and roasted. Add onions to the hot Yukon Potatoes and the remaining ingredients and smash with potato masher.

Season to taste.

To serve, place mashed potatoes on the plate and place chicken stew over along with pieces of the grilled sausage. Serves 8-10.

Pair with Van Westen Voluptuous Red.

1 pkg Sunworks Farm Garlic Rosemary Sausage, grilled whole and sliced on bias Preheat oven to 350°F. Sauté bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.

Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl.

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper.

Sear off chicken in bacon fat. Remove chicken from the skillet and place in baking pan.

Add mushrooms, onions, carrots and celery to skillet; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; toss 10 seconds. Add wine, chicken broth, bacon and herbs. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Boil 10 minutes. Add to chicken in pan. Cover with foil and place in oven until cooked.

Once cooked, remove braising liquid from pan and put into pot. Bring sauce to a boil and thicken with cornstarch slurry. Cook until sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Start pulling the chicken meat off the bone. Arrange chicken on platter; stir juices from pie dish into sauce and spoon over chicken.

salad Continued from page 13

roquefort mayonnaise 2

egg yolks

1 T

dijon mustard

2 T

sherry vinegar

1½ c

canola oil

1 c

crumbled Roquefort

sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper Process egg yolks, mustard and vinegar in a blender for about 30 seconds. With the machine running, pour the oil in a thin steady stream to emulsify. When thick and smooth pulse-in (of fold in by hand) the Roquefort and process until combined but still a bit chunky. Season to taste.

Keep chilled.

Serves 6-8 Continued next page.

beet and plum salad with cheesiry fresca

grilled vegetable salad

This is a salad for mid-summer, when the first small tender beets are showing up at the farmers’ markets and fresh juicy BC plums are in abundance. It’s also a salad that will reward the use of premium balsamico, the traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena DOP, the stuff that comes in the groovy glass bottle designed by Guigiaro, the epic car designer of the century, and costs the earth (but you only need a drizzle).

In mid-summer, when the Italian Centre starts to fill with the heady aromas of field peppers, it’s time to take advantage of the bounty and grill peppers. When you get bored of peppers on their own (if that’s even possible) add in some other vegetables, herbs, a shake of hot sauce or some maple syrup. There is no real recipe, just a suggestion of what might work well with each other. Choose what looks good from the market or your garden, as few vegetables don’t benefit from a turn over open fire, (except maybe peas and beans; shell, then toss in raw for a textural and colour surprise). A few tips: remember to keep the vegetables that take longer to cook, onion and potatoes for example, in bite-sized pieces; small whole tomatoes work better than large sliced tomatoes; and you can freeze grilled vegetables to bring the memory of summer days to the depths of winter.

2-3 small to medium red beets trimmed, scrubbed, skins on 2 fresh ripe red or black plums, pitted and cut into wedges ½ c Cheesiry Fresca (if don’t have, use goat cheese or fresh ricotta) 1 T balsamico DOP or 3 T balsamic reduction (recipe follows) 2-3 T

extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper ¼ c

fresh basil leaves

2-3 sweet red yellow or orange peppers cut in large bitesized pieces 2

zucchini, sliced

Steam beets until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 20 minutes.

Let cool, then remove skins and cut into wedges about the same size as the plums.

1 c

pattypan squash, halved

balsamic reduction

1 head garlic, peeled and broken in cloves

1 c

balsamic vinegar

1 T

honey

1

bay leaf

Pour the balsamic vinegar into a heavy bottomed saucepan and place over moderate heat. Stir in the honey, bay leaf and bring to a low boil. Lower heat to simmer and allow the mixture to reduce slowly. After about a half hour, the mixture will have reduced to about half its original volume. Watching closely, allow it to reduce to 1/3 original volume, then take off the heat, fish out the bay leaf, cool and use immediately.

Keep any portions not used for about two weeks in the fridge; it will thicken, but microwaving restores drizzleability.

To serve: arrange beets and plums on a large plate. Drizzle balsamic over, scatter cheese on the plums and beets (otherwise the cheese will turn pink).

Drizzle oil over. Season with salt and pepper, top with torn basil leaves, and serve immediately.

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1 red onion, sliced, or cut in 1/8 quarters 1 pkg

whole small tomatoes

1 c small new potatoes (optional) 1 sprig fresh thyme (leaves only, minced)

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1 T chopped fresh rosemary

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2-3 T canola or extra virgin olive oil

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fresh squeezed lemon juice

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sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper 1 handful fresh mint chopped (optional) In bowl, toss vegetables herbs, oil and lemon juice. Place in a grill pan and grill over medium-high heat; close lid and cook, turning once, for 12 to 14 minutes or until tender. Check seasoning, adding more herbs, salt and pepper and lemon juice if needed.

Serve hot or cold on salad greens.

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Serves 4.

The Tomato | July August 2014 29

kitchen sink | what’s new and notable restaurant ramblings La Ronde is the place to be Tuesday July 1 for the Light the Bridge celebration. The regular menu, plus a special prix fixe menu and the Tieless Tuesday celebration with live jazz and half price bottles of wine are available while you watch the dramatic light up from the best vantage spot in the city. Executive chef Stephen Chung launches summer lunch and dinner menus for La Ronde July 4. Join @ChateauLacombe and @La Ronde on twitter and Facebook for their summer scavenger hunt with weekly prizes and a grand prize draw on September 15; and look for their pop-up lemonade stand in Churchill Square throughout the summer, Chateau Lacombe, 10111 Bellamy Hill, 780-428-6611, chateaulacombe.com.

The Glass Monkey (5842 111 Street, 780760-2228, theglassmonkey.ca) has taken away the short-of-funds excuse for not going out on a weeknight by offering budget-friendly specials — all wines under $40 are half price on Mondays; wings are half price on Wednesdays, and on Wednesday and Thursdays a pint of draught beer is $2 off between 3:30 and 5:30. Enjoy it all on their relaxed 24-seat patio, six days a week, closed Tuesdays.

We’re looking forward to the opening of Rostizado (rostizado.com) the new project in the Mercer Warehouse by the Tres Carnales dudes, especially because one of our favourite cooks, Jesse Chalmers, will be behind the stoves. Jesse, brother of Ben (corso 32) has had a long-standing interest, let’s say love affair, with the diverse cuisine of Mexico. Now he’ll get to explore them and we’ll get to enjoy the results. Opening mid-summer-ish.

Gold Medal Plates 2012 champion chef Nathin Bye is opening a new resto in the Murrieta’s space on Whyte Avenue in the Varscona Hotel. The plan is lunch and dinner, with seating for 150-180 spread over the dining room, lounge, private dining room and a patio. Joao Machado is the manager; the kitchen team is headed by chef de cuisine Greg Myshynuik; junior sous Fayth Alaeddine, Euna Lee, Alex Weir, Ronnie Tuckey, Leland Faulder and Tim Androschuk. “The look is northern European, says Nathin, “Norway/Sweden minimalistic, bleached barn board, light woods, wood and stone. “I’m defining our cuisine as food for foodies. We’re going

30 July August 2014 | The Tomato

to have some fun, with some artistic molecular stuff and down to earth cooking as well. We don’t want to go way over the top. Lots of plates to share, flatbreads, kicked-up bar food, pork cheek, bison, hangar steak, arctic char, and vegetable tastings. We’ve hired a mixologist from Victoria, Janice Bochon, who is creating some amazing craft cocktails.” The name should be announced soon, and opening date is planned for early fall.

Rge Rd’s Farm Dinner Series is now filling up: Prairie Gardens on July 6, July 20, and August 24; Nature’s Green Acres, August 2; and a Riverbend Gardens dinner is TBA. To book, visit rgerd.ca, 10643 123 Street, 780-447-4577.

wine tasting happenings and events Craving bubbles? Look no further.

The Wine Room (10525 Jasper Avenue 780-756-7666, thewineroom.ca) is now using the unique Perlage system which keeps sparkling wines at peak drinking after opening. Bubbles ranging from San Venanzio Prosecco Valdobbiadene Brut, California’s Thomas George Pinot Noir Brut Rosé, Agusti Torello Mata Kripta Gran Reserva Cava, and from Champagne, Pommery Brut Royal and Krug Grande Cuvee are now available by the glass.

Woo hoo!

Don’t miss the High Street Summer Block Party July 6, from 10am-4pm on 102 Avenue and 125 Street. Enjoy food trucks, shopping, music and fun.

Gear up for a creative Taste of Edmonton, July 17-26, with things to eat that are much more enticing than the chocolate-dipped strawberries and deep-fried whatever of previous events. To celebrates its 30th anniversary, Taste has added terrific new programs — culinary happenings, tours, tastings, how-to demos, evening pop ups with some of Edmonton’s most interesting chefs, plus lots of adventures in the Sip ‘n Savour area. Check out these culinary adventures: BBQ Pork Monday, July 21, with Andrew Cowan from Hundred Bar Kitchen; A Taste of the Market, Saturday, July 19 and Saturday, July 26 with Get Cooking’s Kathryn Joel; A Taste of the Brewery; and these pop up restos: Tuesday,

July 22: Flavours of Italy with Massimo’s chef Keomi Francheschi; Thursday, July 24: Bacon and Bourbon with Café De Ville’s Tracy Zizek. Lot’s more! Visit tasteofedm.ca for the complete schedule and to buy tickets for special events.

Love to forage in the river valley for saskatoons? How about planting some bushes? Join permaculturalist Dustin Bajer on July 19 to plant a food forest in the river valley, which is a self-sufficient perennial planting of food-producing trees and shrubs. The City of Edmonton has ambitious goals to double the urban forest, and it’s also serious about naturalization, so is providing more than a thousand native edible plants such as saskatoons, cranberries, gooseberries, hazelnuts and pin-cherries for the event. Bring a shovel and a friend. Details and directions at eventbrite.com.

On Wednesday, July 9 there is a Spanish Wine Dinner at Madison’s Grill (Union Bank Inn, 10053 Jasper Avenue, 780-4012222, unionbankinn.com/site/madisons_ grill). Reception, 6pm, dinner, 7pm; tickets $100/person inc tax and grat, call 780-4012222 for reservations.

Enjoy Winesday at Sherbrooke (sherbrookeliquor.ca, 11819 St. Albert Trail, 780 455-4556) every Wednesday from 4pm-7pm; see the full schedule at sherbrookeliquor.com.

Free drop-in wine tastings with sommelier Richard Repchuk on Friday from 3pm7pm and Saturday from 1pm-5pm at Campbell Park Liquor (3 Curial Dr, St Albert, 780-419-3444).

Enjoy A Trip Through Europe wine evening at Crestwood Fine Wines, Wednesday, August 27, 7pm, $30/person, call 780-488-7800 to book.

Taste Eldorado Rum’s spiced, 5-, 12-, 15and 21-yr-old rums at a tasting hosted by the Rum Howler, Chip Dykstra, on July 16 at Unwined Fine Wine, Spirits and Ales, #2, 512 St. Albert Trail, St. Albert, 780458-4777, unwined.biz) The tasting begins at 7:30, tickets $25/person, call 780-4584777 for reservations.

Please see “Kitchen Sink” on page 32

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kitchen sink Continued from page 30

product news Kitchen by Brad will be at the City Farmers’ Market on 104 Street, Saturday July 26. Summer cooking classes: July 8, July 26 Spanish Cooking; July 12, July 15 Market Cooking, with products from the City Market 104 Street.

Book at kitchenbybrad.ca.

On July 1 The Pantree (220 Lakeland Dr, Sherwood Park, 780-464-4631, thepantree.ca) offers a Saturday cooking demo with Brenda Poffenroth of Browne, distributor for the exquisite Emile Henry cookware. She’ll be teaching the best ways to use their pizza stones and tarte tatin dishes.

Also at the Pantree and in stock for summer, get your retro vibe on with charming paper straws from Greenmunch in assorted barbershop stripes, $4.95/25pack.

Lots of delish summery things to eat and drink at The Cavern (10169 104 Street, 780-455-1336, thecavern.ca): house-made organic pink lemonade, Limoncello berry sangria, rosé cava, and several delectable seasonal cheeses. We love the berry cheesecake verrine, a layered French-style cheesecake served in a cocktail glass with seasonal berry toppings, made by Cavern’s owner Tricia Bell — the perfect match for bubbles, a crisp white or rosé, and according to Tricia, a truly guilt-free indulgence.

This summer, plan to go east. East of Edmonton that is. Gail Hall’s culinary tour of the Wainwright area may be sold out, but you can still enjoy several rural gastronomic events in counties east of Edmonton created by the Go East Regional Tourism Organization: • July 17: Taste of Wainwright • A ugust 8-10: Experience the Bounty in Beaver County.

Experience over 40 happenings including a bison BBQ in Tofield; the Ryley tailgate market and rooster plop; beer gardens and baby back ribs, and the Beaver County Official Bounty Wrap-

32 July August 2014 | The Tomato

up BBQ. The Viking Museum has a pancake breakfast, a BBQ by the Viking Fire Department, and a downtown Summer Market at the hall. Holden hosts a Piche oven demonstration at the Holden Museum, and the incredibly tasty annual pig roast at the Holden Legion. Taste honey at Beary Berry Honey, visit the animals at the award-winning Sunrise Farm, or visit Camp Lake Park produce market.

• A ugust 9: Elk Island Bison Fest: Conservation, Culture and Cuisine • A ugust 23-24: Babas and Borshch aims to make Andrew, Alberta the Borshch capital of the world. Enjoy borshch making demonstrations, the Borshch-Off (Travel Alberta’s Anastasia Martin-Stillwell is one of the judges this year). Along with beet soup, expect a full immersion in Ukrainian culture.

That, of course, means delicious Ukrainian food. Stick around for the zabava, which is, according to the urban dictionary.com, a huge Ukrainian party with dancing and lots of drinking.

(Isn’t that every Saturday night?) Joe Synyshyn of Chosyn Catering is providing the feast.

helen zachoda’s 2013 winning borshch

4 3 large 1 c 1 c 2 1 c 1 c 3 c 1 n 1 T

Broth from ham bone potatoes, cubed beets, cubed chopped celery yellow beans carrots, chopped stewed tomatoes beans in tomato sauce cabbage, shredded tomato soup soup base

1 pkg

onion soup base

Put broth, 3 cups water and the above ingredients into a pot. Simmer for one hour or until veggies are cooked. Add vinegar, sweet cream, salt and pepper to taste. Can also be served with sour cream.

• A ug 23-24: Camrose Prairie Fun Days • A ugust 23-24: Revel in a taste of rural living during Alberta Open Farm Days. This is the second year for the province-wide open invitation to visit the farms that grow our food. Included are Tangle Ridge Ranch near Thorsby, Barr Farm near Sherwood Park; the Cheesiry near Kiskoty; Prairie Gardens near Bon Accord; Horse Hill Berry Farm; and Irvings Farm Fresh near Round Hill. There are also a number of reserved ticket culinary happenings such as dinner at Prairie Gardens with Blair Lebsack and the Rge Rd crew. More details to come at albertafarmdays.com.

• September 7: The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village Harvest of the Past & Harvest

Food Festival is on Sunday, September 7, this year from 9am - 5pm. The popular closing event for the Village includes making kapusta (sour cabbage) a threshing bee, harvesting and grinding wheat (the village grows the historic and rare Red fife wheat), a canning bee, and of course heaps of Ukrainian food from vendors and concession stands. For the most up to date info, visit goeastRTO.com or eateastofedmonton.com • O ctober 25: Spend the day with Royal Chef Darren McGrady in Vermilion. Cooking class, afternoon tea, behind-thescenes stories, Champagne and caviar. Tickets and reservations TheGoodLifeInstitute.ca Send new and/or interesting food and drink related news for The Kitchen Sink to thetomato.ca.

event calendar sunday, july 6

august 8-10

Rge Rd’s Farm Dinner at Prairie Gardens, 780-447-4577

Experience the Bounty in Beaver County, eateastofedmonton.ca

wednesday, july 9

august 23-24

Spanish Wine Dinner at Madison’s Grill, 780-401-2222

Babas & Borshch Ukrainian Festival eateastofedmonton.ca

wednesday, july 16

aug 23-24

Eldorado Rum Tasting, Unwined Fine Wine, Spirits and Ales, 780-458-4777

Alberta Open Farm Days albertafarmdays.com

thursday, july 17

sunday, august 24

Taste of Wainwright eateastofedmonton.ca

Rge Rd’s Farm Dinner at Prairie Gardens, 780-447-4577

july 17-26

wednesday, august 27

Taste of Edmonton, tasteofedm.ca

A Trip Through Europe, Crestwood Fine Wines, 780-488-7800

sunday, july 20 Rge Rd’s Farm Dinner at Prairie Gardens, 780-447-4577

saturday, august 2 Rge Rd’s Farm Dinner at Nature’s Green Acres, 780-447-4577

august 9 Elk Island Bison Fest: Conservation, Culture and Cuisine eateastofedmonton.ca

mark your calendar sunday september 7 EALT Nature’s Nourishment Dinner with chef Blair Lebsack at Prairie Gardens, ealt.ca

sunday september 7 Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village Harvest of the Past & Harvest Food Festival,eateastofedmonton.ca

hardware grill est. 1996

EAT EAST OF EDMONTON CULINARY TRAILS & EVENTS www.eateastofedmonton.com Helping to grow emerging and existing culinary events, enhancing and promoting producers, and connecting events/tours in our region.

JULY 17-20: AUG 8-10: AUG 9: AUG 23-24: AUG 23-24: SEPT 7: OCT 4: OCT 21: OCT 25: OCT 26:

TASTE OF WAINWRIGHT and GAIL HALL CULINARY TOUR EXPERIENCE THE BOUNTY IN BEAVER COUNTY ELK ISLAND BISON FESTIVAL CONSERVATION, CULTURE, AND CUISINE BABAS & BORSHCH UKRAINIAN FESTIVAL/Alberta Farm Days CAMROSE PRAIRIE FUN DAYS and Alberta Farm Days UKRAINIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE VILLAGE TASTE OF HERITAGE FOOD FEST SMOKY LAKE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL LLOYDMINSTER HARVEST FEASTIVAL VERMILION – THE ROYAL CHEF presented by The Good Life Institute BATTLE RIVER RAILWAY/HEISLER OCTOBERFEST SAUSAGE SUPPER

hardware grill est. 1996

hardware grill hardware grill est. 1996

est. 1996

A partnership between:

GO EAST RTO Regional Tourism Organization

GoEastRTO.com

AlbertaCulinary.com

seasonal prairie cuisine • the evolution of tradition www.hardwaregrill.com / 780.423.0969 / 9698 Jasper Ave also visit our newest downtown restaurant: tavern 1903 at alberta hotel

according to judy | judy schultz

you know you want more...

Viva Italia!

As the July/August deadline approached, so did the big FIFA World Cup game, the one that mattered: England vs. Italy, June 14.

On that sunny afternoon, Little Italy was running full tilt.

Hundreds of Italians, and those who only wish they were Italian, showed up for the big game, and for the celebration of another event, equally significant: the 55th anniversary of the Italian Centre Shop.

The party took over the street, the alley, the park across the road.

Food sizzled, music blared. It was pandemonium. Traffic on the Via Italia (aka 95th St) was a shambles until one good man took over and cheerfully unsnarled pedestrian traffic from vehicular.

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Frank Spinelli, the guy who started it all back in the early Fifties, would have loved it.

That’s when a young Frank Spinelli arrived in Edmonton from the small Neapolitan town of San Pietro al Tanagro.

Broke but eager, he worked hard, weathered the bad times, eventually prospered, and became the patriarch of Little Italy. Through it all, he never forgot how it felt to be the new kid in town, no money, no job, “And nobody will advance you a dime.”

Spinelli was a generous man, and his motto at the Italian Centre Shop, “Eat today, pay tomorrow,” became a godsend to newcomers, Italian and otherwise. Many had no jobs and spoke little English; many had children to feed.

That’s when Spinelli began stocking groceries some of us might have called exotic, the spices, the condiments, the beans, rice, oils from faraway places not necessarily Italian.

November

13 -17

relishfilmfest.org • @RelishFestyeg • #relishfoodonfilm 34 July August 2014 | The Tomato

By the Sixties, when the local Italian soccer team began whupping their local opponents, it was Spinelli who bought the uniforms, fed the boys after the games and paid for the team to go on the road, to the provincials.

Food was always centre stage, and

back in the Day, Spinelli liked to cook for his friends. No surprise then that on this special day – the 55th anniversary of his shop, the big FIFA soccer match, and the day before Father’s Day – his daughter, Teresa, celebrated his memory in typical Spinelli style.

“We love you, we’ll feed you — we’re Italian.”

A giant Parmesan cheese was cracked in the deli. There was a pizzabuilding demo. One of the highlights: a messy, slurpy, spaghetti-eating contest pitted a couple of shooins against some rank amateurs, but it was a young woman, Krystal Trussert, who outslurped them all.

It couldn’t have been a sweeter day.

In Giovanni Caboto Park, little kids kicked soccer balls, clutched their AMA teddy bears, ran over their parents, splashed in the fountains, curled up on blankets, fell asleep.

Some of them climbed on the lifesized statue of the Patriarch of Little Italy. Many pictures were taken by doting parents Gradually the blue-shirted soccer fans drifted into the park, more blankets were spread, and by four o’clock all eyes were on the giant screen. At the end of the first half it was one-all, England vs. Italy.

Five minutes into the second half, Italian striker super Mario Balotelli bounced the ball off his head. No concussion worries there, it barely ruffled his fancy Mohawk-do.

Balotelli’s goal pulled Italy into the lead, which they held through the next 40 tense moments while defeating England.

The crowd went crazy. As in all the best soccer matches, there was a lot of hugging and jumping. Tears were shed, drinks were spilled, throats went raw from cheering.

The spirit of the big guy whose statue sits in the park, a winning hand of scoppa cards in his hand, was there for it all. The food, the soccer, the jubilation, the families, just the way he liked it. He would have had a great time.

Judy Schultz is a food and travel writer who divides her time between Canada & New Zealand.

THANK YOU!

Rob & Jacy Reinhardt (Prairie Smoke & Spice), Danielle Dimovski (Diva Q) and Brian & Corinne Misko (House of Q).

The Porkapalooza BBQ Festival was a big hit because you, your family and friends all came out to have fun and enjoy some great food in the park.

Congratulations to the Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Grand Champion: ‘Prairie Smoke and Spice and Reserve Champion House of Q’ Teams.

Alberta Pork thanks all partners, sponsors, supporters and smoke loving volunteers for helping us make the first Porkapalooza BBQ Festival a success.

We look forward to seeing you all next year for a bigger and better Porkapalooza.

Le Creuset Stainless Steel Cookware

Barb’s Kitchen Centre 9766 – 51 Avenue NW 780-437-3134

Bella Casa 9646 – 142 Street NW 780-437-4190

The Pan Tree Sherwood Park 550 – 220 Lakeland Drive 780-464-4631

Zenari’s 10180 101 St NW #135 780-423-5409

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