I harvested the last couple delicate and still tiny zucchinis from my mom’s garden and they star in this super easy salad.
SPICY MAYO
Stuff about food and food-related stuff
Wild Boar Hocks
Braised Boar Hocks
Seduced by these exotic-sounding chunks of meat at the Farmer’s Market, I scoured the interweb for a suitable recipe. In the absence of any solid leads, I decided to try a variation on my previous braising projects.
Creamy chicken and mushroom stew
Craving a warm and homey meal on a cool drizzly day, I reminisced fondly of Sister Germaine’s now infamous chicken recipe. The recipe has been lost but retains a mythical place in my food memory. I remember there was milk and poultry seasoning and baking involved… In the absence of the proper recipe, I put together a creamy chicken stew with shitake mushrooms and garden vegetables. A batch of biscuits upped the ante and sparked a three day feeding frenzy!
Plums
It’s kind of nice that someone a number of generations ago had the interest/foresight to plant ornamental trees that produce fruit. Living in a challenging climate like Saskatoon, I often forget it’s even possible to grow fruit here (other than those ubiquitous, fibrous blue berries that share our namesake). With a sweet, generous intent that belies his cantankerous exterior, the Chief Curator brought plums collected from the tree in his back yard to share with the staff. These super sweet little buggars were delicious straight up and I bogarded a handful to make an equally delicious crisp.
Tale of two tarts
I have just booked a flight to Nice, France with the objective of meeting and cooking with Canadian-born, French food critic Rosa Jackson. In anticipation of my trip, I’ve been seeking out French influenced recipes, including a classic lemon tart.
In my search for the perfect lemon tart recipe (other than our family’s Purity Cookbook stand by) I came across a Rosa Jackson recipe in Gourmet magazine. I also came across an enticing recipe on LemonTart.ca. As I read further, I discovered the author was a student of Rosa’s! Ah Ha! A bake off it will be – student vs. teacher.
Pickeral
Now that my mom has retired, she has all kinds of time to attend to “leisurely” pursuits like planting a garden and tending herb pots. I picked up a giant bag of lovely basil this weekend and made a pesto. I swapped pistachio’s for pine nuts and dressed a bit of pickeral done on the bbq. Grilled green onions are the bomb. Thanks, Jodi, for making it pretty!
Cultivate
The City of Saskatoon, the Farmer’s Market, and Ideas Inc. should be commended for their work on the new market site. The former dumpy industrial area has been transformed into an attractive and active community space. They seem to operate with good intentions, supporting many innovative new ventures. Good on you.
Cultivate, a “pop up” restaurant, is the latest enterprise to launch in the Farmer’s Market space. Four nights weekly, Chef Moe Mathieu and his team of culinary students set up a temporary kitchen after regular market hours, and put out a selection of bistro-esque dishes showcasing product sourced from the various market vendors. Details »
Museo news!
My favourite destination for a cup of high-end joe is endeavoring to take their coffee game to the next level. Museo has added roasting to their repertoire and should be roasting their own beans by the fall. Owner/barista Jimmy Oneschuk is hammering out the details for their roasting operation and will continue to serve coffee (with care) at the Mendel Art Gallery.
Things I Liked About Vancouver
1-2: This German deli was awesome. I asked them if they got a lot of new customers asking for apple strudel after Inglorious Bastards came out.
3: Granville Island Public Market
4: Dim Sum, a yummy crepe with cream and mango
5-6: Beard Papa’s famous cream puffs
7: Cafe Crepe
8-9: Tako Yaki restaurant in Richmond
10: Churros down by English Bay
old fashioned way for an old fashioned drink
