MEELS' MEALS

It's (kind of) a Benny...

2012-03-07T22:01:00.002-08:00

So picture an eggs benedict. Remove the hollandaise and replace with tomato sauce and cheese. Then remove the english muffin and replace with polenta. Then remove the ham and replace with wilted stinging nettle. At least there's still eggs. I just don't know what else to call it.

Stinging Nettle Benny a la Parmigiana (? any better ideas for a name?)

Ingredients

4 eggs
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup wilted stinging nettle
4 pieces polenta

Directions

I think I need a little bit of background information, for starters. If you've never worked with stinging nettle, remember that you need rubber gloves to handle it, and that you should steam it for 3 minutes to remove the sting. Drain and squeeze out excess moisture. Treat like wilted spinach. For polenta, you can either buy the pre-made logs of it, or you can simply mix cornmeal with water and cook like porridge. Season as you like- I generally add chunks of cheese, fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes, or lemon zest. To make into cakes, press into a container and chill. Cut into manageable pieces and sautee in olive oil.

For this dish, begin by sauteeing the polenta until golden brown on both sides. Poach or fry the eggs until medium-firm. Heat the tomato sauce on the stove or microwave. Assemble the dish as such: polenta cake, wilted nettles, egg, tomato sauce, and cheese. Serve with a side salad (I've used halved bok choy with homemade dressing in the photo).

BC Black Cod

2012-02-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

Black Cod, otherwise known as sablefish or butter fish is a Canadian luxury. It lives wild in the North Pacific Ocean. Farming projects are just beginning, which pose a major threat to live stock, so purchase wild sablefish if you want to support the longevity of this incredible food. For comprehensive information, check out the Canadian Sablefish Association's website.

Certainly, if you are buying line-caught, wild fish, it will be expensive but the flavour and texture of this jewel of the sea is one of the best. Sablefish has quivering, buttery flakes with a very high (healthy) fat content and exquisite taste. It pairs very nicely with sweet, earthy flavours and pinot noir. In this recipe I have crusted small filets with sesame, miso, and sugar, and served atop pureed yams and wilted greens. Since the fish is so rich, you don't need much of it to fill you up.

Sesame-Miso Sablefish

Ingredients:
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 X 4 oz filets of Sablefish
2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp sake
1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp oil or butter
2 cups chopped greens (ie. kale, beet, spinach, stinging nettle, chickweed, dandelion, or bok choy)
Splash of wine or stock

2 medium yams
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup cream
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven (or toaster oven!) to 450*.

Peel and chop the yams into 1-inch cubes. You could substitute yams for any other starchy vegetable such as sunchokes, squash, potato, or parsnip. Roughly chop the garlic clove. Put the yam and garlic into a pot with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer about 15 minutes or until tender.

Next, grind the sesame (I use a coffee or spice grinder, but a mortar and pestle will work too) until fine. Add the miso paste, wine, and sugar and stir to combine. Pat onto the top of the fish filets. Set aside.

Drain off the cooked yams and garlic and return to pot. With a hand mixer or immersion blender, puree the yams and add the cream and butter. If you don't do dairy, substitute coconut cream. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Cover and keep warm on a very low heat until serving.

Bring the vegetable oil to almost smoking in a small, oven-proof pan. Place the fish skin side down in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the fish to sizzle for about 4 minutes. Put the pan of fish into the oven for another 4 minutes. This will cook the fish to a medium-rare, which is the perfect texture. Remove the fish filets from the pan immediately and set aside.

Last, sautee the greens in a bit of oil or butter on high heat, and add the wine or stock. This should only take about 3 minutes.

Plate as such: a layer of pureed yam, a layer of sauteed greens, then the sablefish. If you had some kind of fresh herbs or slaw to top the dish, that would be ideal. Serve with some pinot noir, sake, or beer.

That's-a-Spicy-Meat-a-ball!

2012-02-23T12:45:00.002-08:00

That's a spicy meatball.

I realize that this recipe is featuring two ingredients that are the same as the last recipe I posted. I would like to suggest swapping the arugula for another type of green, steamed kale, or even rice. The chevre, however, I think is an integral part of this dish, unless you've got fried capers or nuts to sub.

Ingredients

Meatballs
1 lb ground red meat (this one's beef, but bison would be nice!)
1 tbsp chili flakes
2 tbsp fresh green herbs
2 tbsp bread crumbs (or rice cracker crumbs, or cornmeal), if desired
1 clove chopped garlic
1/4 cup onion chopped very fine
1 egg
1 tbsp olive oil or stock
Salt and Pepper

Spaghetti Squash
1 small spaghetti squash, halved and de-seeded

Tomato Jam
1 small, very ripe tomato
5 sun-dried tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup red wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh herbs

Bed of greens

Directions: Start by baking the squash in the oven at 400* for 45 minutes. You could make this dish easier by purchasing pre-made meatballs from a reliable butcher or grocer. Otherwise, while the squash is baking, combine the meatball ingredients and shape into large balls (think 3 balls per person).
Remove the squash from the oven and set aside to cool. Next, brown the meatballs in an oven-safe pan and finish in the oven for 10 minutes. Pull the pulp of the squash apart with two forks- it should resemble angel hair pasta.
Remove the meatballs from the pan and drain off most of the fat. Add all the ingredients for the tomato jam except the wine to the pan. Sautee on high heat until the tomato begins to soften (approx 4 minutes) and add the wine, stirring to combine. Allow the wine to simmer down a bit and then return the meatballs to the pan and coat with the sauce.
Prepare the plates as follows: bed of greens, nest of squash, meatballs, tomato jam, and a crumble of goat cheese.

Game Steaks

2012-02-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

This is a venison steak. I had elk steak awhile ago, too. Venison is better, I think.

I think the trick is to cook it very quickly and serve with simple things of equal quality.

I like a salad and a flavourful starch such as turnip, squash, or yam. This recipe calls for all three, and is topped with a nice, gamey cheese from goat's milk. For the jus I used homemade blackberry wine which lent a tangy sweetness which foiled the earth tones of the meat.

Ingredients
Steak:
2 X 6 oz steaks (the ones in the pictures are venison)
1 tbsp each ground salt and pepper
1 tbsp high-burning oil
cast iron pan
Splash of wine

Arugula:
1 cup arugula leaves
Squeeze of lemon
good olive oil
salt and pepper

Ratatouille:
2 cups sliced root vegetables
1/3 cup sliced apple or pear
1/4 cup sliced onion
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper
2 tbsp crumbled chevre

Directions
Start 1 hour ahead with the vegetables: layer them with the root veggies, fruit, and onion. Top with the honey, oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper and bake in the oven at 400* for at least 1 hr. Next, bring the oil in the cast iron to almost smoking. Crust the steaks with the salt and pepper and sear in the pan for 3 minutes each side (yes, I like RARE game). Remove the steaks from the pan and allow to rest, covered, on a side plate. Douse the pan with wine and turn off the heat. Last, toss the arugula in lemon, oil, and salt and pepper.
Plate the meal as such: a collar of ratatouille, sprinkled with fresh thyme and chevre. Drape the steak over the collar, and place a bundle of arugula beside. Pour the wine jus over the top of the steak and serve with a glass of the wine used for cooking.

Green Shakshuka

2012-02-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

This recipe reminds me of the Israeli friends I made in Thailand. It is like a spanakopita version of Israeli shakshuka- eggs fried in a beautiful tomato sauce.

Green Shakshuka

Ingredients

1/3 cup each: chopped kale, broccoli florets, greens (ie. chard, spinach, arugula or other leaf), chopped celery or fennel, and chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp fresh green herbs (sage, parsley, thyme, or whatever you've got around)
2-4 free-range eggs depending on how many per plate (I prefer one egg for myself, most prefer 2 each)

Directions

Start by heating the oil and onion on medium-high heat in an oven-safe pan until translucent. Add the celery, broccoli, kale and greens. Stir to coat and sautee for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and squeeze the 1/2 lemon into it, minding the steam. Add the feta, capers, oregano and herbs. Allow to reach a high heat without stirring, then crack the eggs into it. Put the pan into the oven on broil and bake for appx 3 minutes, or until the top layer of the egg is cooked but the centre is still runny. Serve with bacon or a side of smoked tofu and manna bread (of course, a lovely baguette works very well, too).

2011 is Over

2012-01-09T00:30:00.000-08:00

...More importantly December, 2011 is over. Whenever school is out for the exam period in December, I always trick myself into thinking I am about to get a break when really, the busiest and most challenging month of the year is about to choke my sanity.December is the month when I eat the most food and write the least about it. It is packed full of holiday financial stress along with exams, family gatherings, and possibly a commitment to a mental hospital. Thank goodness it is over.

This year will be one of great change for me. I am taking a step forward in my partnership with Scott and will be graduating (finally!!!!) from UBC in May. The summer promises foraging travels all over Canada, which will bring another chapter to my blog. I am building personal relationships with some incredible and inspiring people. I feel a lot of love right now. The future looks bright.

Out of respect for the bright future and my ennuyeux of heavy, holiday food, here is a recipe for a simple, colourful soup.

Red Curry Kabocha Squash Soup

1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup each of chopped: celery, carrot, yam, cauliflower
1 cup kabocha squash, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp oil
4 cups veggie stock or water
2 tbsp red curry paste
1 can coconut cream

Mixed sprouts, mixed greens, and yogurt to garnish (about 1/2 cup each)

Serves 4 as a meal, 6 as a side

Directions

Sautee onions and garlic in oil until translucent. Add all the chopped veggies, ginger, and curry paste. Stir to coat and bring to a sizzle. Add the stock or water and simmer about 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Blend half the soup if desired, then add the coconut cream. Serve with a generous dollop of yogurt, a handful of greens, and a pinch of sprouts. Do not eat with turkey and stuffing. They just don't go well together.

Fall Vegetable Chips (Raw!)

2011-11-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

My dehydrator lives on the floor underneath my kitchen table. I feel guilty- I very rarely use it, and when I do I forget to put it back in its appropriate home in the cellar. But honestly, it has been sitting out because my friend has been telling me she is going to borrow it to make beet chips. This entire time that I've been waiting for her to pick it up, I had a big bunch of beets, squash, kale and sunchokes from my garden. One day, I finally made the connection after fretting over how to use up my cornucopia of garden produce- duh, I can make veggie chips. So, while Mr. Dehydrator is waiting for my friend to pick him up, he is happily crisping up my plethora of phytonutrients.

Veggie Chips

Ingredients
2 large beets
1 smal kabocha (buttercup) squash
1 bunch kale
4 large sunchokes

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fleur de sel

Directions:

This recipe calls for a food dehydrator. If you don't have one, I'm sure you could use an oven at a very low temperature, but I haven't tried that yet.

Slice all of your vegetables as thinly as possible and break the kale into chip-sized pieces. You could use a mandolin, but I just used a really sharp knife. Toss the sliced veggies in the water, vinegar and oil. Allow to marinate 10 minutes.

Place your veggies on the trays of your dehydrator and sprinkle with the fleur de sel. Leave your dehydrator on overnight (at least 8 hours). If you sliced the veggies on the thicker side they might need up to 12 hours. The texture should be as crunchy (if not more) as deep-fried potato chips.

Because these chips are dehydrated, they are super filling, so don't eat too many at once or you will get a tummy ache (speaking from experience). Also, you might not be able to fit all of the sliced veg into one dehydrator batch. Just keep the undried portion in the fridge until the first batch is done.

Feminism is Sexy

2011-11-06T15:07:00.001-08:00

Check this out, it is awesome.

http://feministryangosling.tumblr.com/

Let's catch up soon over a cup of tea, shall we? Till then, I will be reading comedy from the Restoration Period. Yeehaw.

Almond-crusted, Stuffed Shaggy Manes

2011-10-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

This year's mushroom season has been scrawny due to the lack of precipitation. All of my favourite patches aren't even patchy with fungus. I suppose the lack of rain isn't so bad though, because I'm already drowning in readings so don't really have time to commit to a lot of hunting.

That being said, I did some major multitasking yesterday- went to school, worked on a paper, and as I walked toward the Student Union Building something very magical happened:

Shaggy manes! Many of them were slightly past prime, but since the patches (yes there were several!!) were so large, I was able to haul over 5 pounds of mushrooms.

These guys are the type that spoil very quickly so you've got to cook them the day you pick them unless harvested in the button stage. We cleaned 10 of them, stuffed them with fig goat cheese, and coated them in an almond crust. With a little bit of lemon and salt they were heaven in my mouth.

Stuffed Shag

Ingredients
10 shaggy mane mushrooms
1 small log fig goat cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup toasted almonds
1/3 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp oil or butter (earth balance works too)

Directions
Clean all the grit from the mushrooms- this may require peeling them. Remove the stem which you may reserve for mushroom stock or just throw in the compost.

Grind the almonds very fine (I use a coffee grinder) and combine with the cornmeal.

Put a very small amount of goat cheese deep inside each cap- say 1 tsp or so. If you put too much it melts out the end and the flavour is overpowering. Dredge the caps, one-by-one, in the egg and then the ground almonds and cornmeal.

Fry the mushrooms in the oil or butter at a fairly high heat until golden brown on all sides. Serve with lemon wedges and salt. These are pretty rich, so a side salad bodes well to finish the dish.

2011-10-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Do you ever tire of the foodie foppery surrounding home cooking; the pretensions; anal-retensions; and identity-extensions in a simple plate of food? For all you gourmands out there, or rather, you lushes, here is a refresher for your palate.

Mushroom Season is Upon Us!

2011-09-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

Agaricus Augustus

I am torn between rain and shine during these late summer days. On one hand, the rain is only inevitable because Vancouver is situated in what is supposed to be a rainforest. The rain is what makes this city such a lovely green, and causes most mushrooms to come to fruit. On the other hand, warm weather is so nice! And my tomatoes (the ones that bothered to fruit) haven't all ripened, so I still need Mr. Sun to hang around for awhile. In any case, it is September, and mushroom season is upon us. Although we may be experiencing some unprecedented warmth, I am going to give some mushroom collecting tips for the late-summer/early fall varieties such as the Almond Portobello (Agaricus Augustus).

Agaricus Augustus is my favourite mushroom variety to pick because it grows gregariously, it is commonly humongous, and it tastes like a sweet almond version of a portobello (seriously delicious). However, in order to fully appreciate the wonder of this agaricus, please be sure to choose mushrooms that have lighter gills because they are younger and will last longer. These two caps in the photo above are actually the same type of mushroom in different stages. The cap on the left still has its veil mostly attached and the spores haven't begun to drop, so the gills are a whitish pink. Upon maturity, the spores turn darker pink until they reach a chocolate brown colour and are dispersed into the air and on the ground.

Also, be sure to collect mushrooms that do not have bug-eaten stems. If the stem is gnarly, brown, or full of holes, there will very likely be maggots throughout the cap. A couple worms are okay if you are drying the mushrooms, but nasty to deal with if you want to eat the shrooms fresh or sauteed, or if there are too many. When you slice the cap it should look pristine and white. Occasionally there will be some yellowish discolouration or an oxidized darkening. So, it is OK if there are a few holes here and there, but if the holes are riddled with worms or are turning brown, discard these parts of the mushroom, or the entire thing if you are squeamish.

I picked the mushrooms in this particular series of photos last week in my special spot. I hope you have a chance to take a gander now that the Gods are crying fungi into erection. (tee hee)

Zucchini Lasagna Birthday!

2011-09-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

On my birthday, I was told I wasn't allowed to cook. This was very depressing. If my birthday is supposed to be my 'special day' where I get to do whatever I want, it should definitely include cooking, and it eventually did after much persuasion. This year, we hosted about 30 people at the Apple House for dinner. It was potluck-ish, with people bringing food if they were able. I made a huge pasta-free zucchini lasagna and vegan ricotta-stuffed squash with watercress and pecan salad. Other people brought stuffed figs, homemade levain bread, cupcakes with lemon-cream cheese frosting, eggplant lasagna, sugar-free/gluten-free torte, pepper jelly with crackers, potato salad, cobb salad with dijon-caper dressing, fruit crumble, 5-layer dip, and so much more.

The lasagna was very tasty but a lot of work. If you're going to make it, be sure you've got an entire afternoon or prepare the zucchini "noodles" the day before.

Noodle-Free Zucchini Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:
4 large zucchini squashes
4 cups tomato sauce (you can make your own, but that's up to you)
1 cup red wine
1 small can tomato paste
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
500 grams ricotta
1 large bunch of chard
1 egg
2 green onions
Salt and Pepper
500 grams mozzarella, grated

Peeling off strips of zucchini

DIRECTIONS:

Leave the pulpy innards for
the tomato sauce

1) Making the zucchini "noodles"

With either a mandolin or peeler, create long, thin, broad strips of squash, excluding the pulpy innards which are too moist. They should look similar to lasagna noodles. Chop up the excess pulp and add to the tomato sauce. Once you have used all the zucchini, salt the strips and place in a colander in a bowl. This will draw out excess moisture so the lasagna will set properly. Set aside to drain for at least 1 hour or over night. Pat dry before assembling in the lasagna.

2) Next, make the ricotta filling

Wilt the chard by steaming or microwaving and remove the stem. Chop the stem up fine and add to the tomato sauce. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the chard greens and julienne or fine chop. Add to the ricotta along with 1/4 cup of the grated mozzarella, 1 egg, green onion, and a dash of salt and pepper. It would be wise to strain the ricotta the day before so that it is less moist, however if you add the egg, it should be firm enough after it cooks.

Red Russian Garlic
From the Garden!

3) Add gusto to the sauce

Most of the time I find store-bought sauce rather bland. I like to sautee some garlic in olive oil, deglaze with a bunch of red wine, and then add the tomato sauce and paste to make it more flavourful. For this recipe, we also have some leftover zucchini pulp and chard stems to add more body and flavour to the sauce. If you want, you can also add sausage, finely chopped vegetables, or ground meat for a richer lasagna.

4) Assemble the lasagna

In a large baking dish (I prefer rectangular, glass dishes), put down a layer of tomato sauce. Next, place the dried zucchini strips like a lattice across the surface of the dish. I like to do at least two layers of zucchini since it is rather thin and will hold more like noodles the stronger that you make the layer. Cover with more tomato sauce and 1/3 cup of mozzarella. Add another layer of zucchini then cover with the ricotta mixture. Next is a layer of zucchini, then sauce, then 1/3 cup of mozza, and then the final layer of zucchini with a layer of sauce and the remaining cheese.

5) Bake!

In the oven for about 90 minutes at 350 F. I find that because of the moisture content, this lasagna benefits from long, slow cooking times.

6) Allow the lasagna to set for 10 minutes before cutting into it and serving with salad and bread. Eat with copious glasses of red wine and really good friends who deserve the flavour of your hard work.

SCHOOL IS NOT COOL

2011-09-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

That's just how I'm feeling right now. September is always such a conflicting month for me. Everything is in season and mushrooms are starting to pop up while the beach beckons (especially during such a late summer as this year). Yet, I'm stuck covering shifts at work and peeling my sweaty legs off cheap plastic chairs in class. So yes indeed- the classrooms aren't cool, they are hot. This sucks!

At least I don't have to worry about huge school projects at the beginning of the year, so I can enjoy what I'm reading for my lit classes and schedule in time for pickling and brewing.

Speaking of pickling, the beans out in White Rock are flourishing in the late summer heat and the cucumbers have been tenacious. The summer squashes have been late bloomers, but are finally starting to fruit in more prolific numbers-- so prolific that we can't keep up, which means zucchini pickles! This year, I've decided to try Martha Stewart's recipe for sweet zucchini pickles. I've never tried canning with this recipe so hopefully it works. Here's the link.

Gale Creek, Portland, and Oysters

2011-09-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

The Bye and Bye's Bar!

After reaching the dunes, we decided to go inland to Portland. We drove through Tillamook, realizing we'd just missed the county fair and the cheese factory's hours. We spent the night at Gale Creek, a remote forest campground that only cost five bucks a night. The creek was dammed by beavers and berries abounded the surrounding area. I found my first ever black raspberry bush and was awed by the berry's magnificent flavour and colour.

Also in Gale Creek was a lovely little restaurant/bakery called Out Aza Blue. We had the best burgers of our trip there and the people working treated us like family. It was an amazing gem.

Out Aza Blue Mushroom Burger

The morning following our stay at the creek we drove into Portland, unsure of our accommodation. We were pleased by the green-lined streets, abundance of food co-ops, cyclists, and the recycling bins everywhere. Most watering holes and restaurants we stopped at offered vegan and gluten-free options (the Bye and Bye and Farm) and the booze was so cheap!

Goat Cheese Ravioli with Hazelnut from FARM

During the day, we loitered at Heart coffee and various Vintage stores then hit up Powell's books. In the evening, we drank, ate, drank, ate, and then drank. Farm is the best restaurant I've been to for the prices they were charging. It kind of blew me away! And Happy Hour needs to happen in Vancouver!

After some frantic hostel searching, a friend in Vancouver who is from Portland hooked us up with a lovely buddy of hers. The night was rather sleepless despite the comfortable mattress because we stayed up late watching nerdy movies and talking about our adventures. We were up early anyway, and cooked up the last of our cooler food before driving into Washington and then home to Vancouver, BC.

Samish Bay Oyster with Jicama "slaw"

In Washington we stopped at an Oyster Bar on Chuckanut drive. While the view was lovely and the food rather tasty, it simply did not compare to the quality and value of what we'd been experiencing all trip. In fact, this restaurant rivalled some of the ritzier hotels in Vancouver for pretension and price, though the shucker of the oysters missed some substantial shell flakes and we found a short curly hair in our appetizer. The bed of lettuce used as a garnish was significantly slimy and wilted. The oysters, though, were lovely. Mouthwateringly sweet, our favourite oysters were from Samish Bay, which is in Washington. The crab cakes were fried to a golden glamour and served with curry aioli and rhubarb onion compote- these were divine. So-- food was 4/5 (points taken off for hair, slimy lettuce, and oyster shell despite the excellent flavours of what we ate). Ambiance- 4/5 (view was lovely though I see that every time I go to Peace Arch Park, but the building felt like the 1970s). Service was 4/5 (awkward, older server unsure what to do with up-and-coming foodies that lack cotton tops, though he tried his best). Value 3/5 (unless you think real estate is worth more than food).

(We were basically paying for real estate at the Oyster Bar on Chuckanut Drive)

The moral of this last leg of the tour was to stay humble; the more honest and earthy I am, the more I seem to enjoy life (and feel less ripped off!).

Newport, Oregon: a Rogue's life...

2011-08-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

48 taps at Rogue Brewery Restaurant

So I'm a little bit hungover right now, which is very appropriate because this post is mostly focussed on beer. In light of my physical state and the theme, 'rogue' I am choosing not to be overly verbose. Please enjoy the photos.

Newport: funky little harbour town. We took the Rogue Brewery Tour and sipped some spirits as well. The brewery is under the bridge and lots of people go crabbing off the pier.

Fish and chips and chowdah at Mo's famous seafood restaurants. Always a good call. Bad photo, though. The lighting sucked.

The beer scene is big in Oregon. Apparently even feminists like to drink it.

You know what old school feminists don't like, though? Porn. Apparently it hurts everyone. I'm more of a pleasure-positive feminist, myself. I just feel bad for the Adult Video store owner who is losing business. I also feel sorry for myself right now. My liver hurts. Ugh.

Perpetually Impressed

2011-08-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Cape Perpetua is a beautiful place. It is on the south side of Yachats and I think it may be the highest lookout in the coast of Oregon. There is a tiny 36-site campground with minimal provisions (no showers) and an excess of natural, undisturbed beauty and hiking trails.

Ganoderma Oregonese

Mountain Cicely Root

This was my favourite place beside Gale's Creek (which is inland) to spot and identify wild plants, especially in the carrot family. To the left is Mountain Sweet Cicely, which has a licorice-scented root. There was a ton of Queen Anne's Lace, Poison Hemlock, Water Hemlock-Parsley, Sea Watch, and Indian Celery. This family contains some of the most useful and conversely, most poisonous plants in the wild, so it is important to know your stuff when harvesting.

Sea Lions

There are also a ton of touristy things to do nearby. At Devil's Punchbowl is a little espresso hut that serves the best hard ice cream in Oregon (Umpqua Ice Cream). Devil's Churn and Marine Conservatory holds the highest concentration of mussels I've ever seen in one place, along with beautiful sea stars, anemones and urchins in the tidal pools. Further south is the Sea Lion Caves, which charges a small fee to see hundreds of sea lions grunting along their happy existence on the sunny rocks or in the cozy (though humongous) underground cave.

Mussels Galore

Redgy Diversion!

2011-08-26T17:30:00.001-07:00

So, normally I just talk about food and eating and... well, food in my blog. But I care a lot about arts and culture too. In consideration of my other interests, would all you lovely readers indulge me by checking out this music video by two of my best friends? You'll enjoy it, though maybe not as much as you might enjoy my food.

Steamers with Champagne (of butters)

2011-08-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of our trip, my partner and I stopped at the Skagit Valley Food Co-Op: a lovely grocery that my Aunt depends on for her gourmet food intake. This is where we accidentally bought the champagne of butters. Really, we were just trying to find unsalted butter so we snagged the only package that said 'unsalted'. It was rather expensive for its size, but we just assumed it was the green market prices and carried on. Little did we know this butter had been treated with Swiss Cultures almost like a cheese, to develop the natural sweetness and complex flavours in such a simple thing as milk fat.

The first time we used this butter was on our first night: we slathered it on baguette with beer-steamed mussels we bought from Taylor's Shellfish Farm in Washington (just off Chuckanut Drive- please check it out!). By the time we bit into the tasty mollusks we were exhausted and cranky after getting lost and trying to find an open campground. It was probably 930pm and thus, no pictures were taken.

The next time we paired the butter with shellfish was after a jaunt at Nehalem State Park and other beaches where I snagged some sea asparagus. We passed Kelly's Marina on our way back to the Jetty so we figured, why not? When we arrived some friendly Yakima farmers were cleaning their daily crab haul so we had a little chat. They got us to taste the hearts of those little crustaceans (which are the best part if you ask me) and then tossed us a couple legs to gnaw on while we gabbed. They mentioned the melons were lovely this year at their farm and too bad they hadn't brought any to trade for seafood. What a great barter, if you ask me.

Huge oysters that got lost- 7yrs old. Apparently pretty delicious when prepped like a baked potato. I assumed the guy we were talking with was Kelly of Kelly's Marina but maybe not? Either way, he wore a lobster hat so I assumed he was a foremost authority on all things shellfish. At this marina you could buy things fresh or they'd steam it up or grill it right there for you. They had oysters, mussels, clams, crab, tuna loins, salmon, and other local delights. We decided on the steamer clams which were likely from Taylor's Shellfish where we got the mussels. We bought 2 pounds for 11 bucks.

Red Coconut Thai Curry Clams with Sea Asparagus and Baguette smothered in Champagne butter. We ate this with Happy Camper Chardonnay and a couple of games of cribbage.

Barview Jetty

2011-08-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Double Streaky Sunset! Barview Jetty, Oregon

fishing for bass

We tried finding tent accommodation in Cannon beach but all that was available was an open field with no provisions. We continued south to find a full Nehalem campground, then considered a little spot in Kelly's Marina off the 101, but decided to go for something a little more forested, while taking note of the amazing shellfish he had for sale. After Rockaway beach was a County Park named for the Barview Jetty. Its sites were a little small and usually contaminated with dumpster smells or all-night bathroom lighting, but the park is pretty neat.

1 pretty blue duck egg

The beach is nice and sandy, as with much of the coast. Nice waves for surfing and stellar winds for kite surfing. The grassy area is lower down than most grasslands near the beach, so it was greener. Obviously there was a Jetty, where on the calmer jetty-protected side folks fished for sea bass, while the open-water side was good for Pud fishing, I was told by a fisher. To be honest, I don't really know what Pud is, except that it looks to me like small tuna fish. The morning after we ate our wienie burgers, we cooked up a couple of duck eggs that we'd bought from the Cannon Beach Farmer's Market, which was really more like 4 chicken eggs. We didn't think we would be able to top that incredible breakfast of Quinoa Sweet Potato Hash with Duck eggs, but we did... stay tuned for the steamers post.

Quinoa Hash with a Duck Egg

Manzanita and Cannon Beach

2011-08-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ecola State Park Bird Rocks

Queen Anne's Lace

Cannon Beach, Oregon is a tourist town. It's very pleasing to the eye- incredible views atop the hill at Ecola State Park, lovely wooden hotels with superfluous paint jobs and ornate signs, and lots of ice cream. For people like me, this is the most boring place to stay. It looks good in pictures, but I'd rather be in the forest that is being photographed. Next year, instead of mulling about the town, I'll be hiking the 1.5 miles to the top of Ecola State Park with my backpack and some water to camp for a few days. I truly enjoyed scoping out the strange vegetation (manroot or wild cucumber was neat!) and searching through all my NW nature books in order to identify the plants. The most abundant thing was Queen Anne's Lace- also known as wild carrot, and a very useful plant for medicine, food, and birth control. Unfortunately, it grows alongside other members of the carrot family that can be dangerous, such as water hemlock-parsley, poison hemlock, and cow parsnip.

twinberry- edible but insipid

There was one thing, though, that I particularly loved about Cannon beach, and that was the farmer's market. Less crowded than the ones in East Van, and with fewer vendors, it felt to me like I had discovered the heart of the food scene. Our favourite folks to talk with (and therefore buy from) were the ladies from Olympic Provisions. We had been searching for some burger meat but there were no vendors selling prepped ground red meat. So these charismatic women convinced us to cook up their frankfurters as 'wienie burgers'. They suggested some sauerkraut, but I had a better idea: my purple cabbage slaw which is easy, fresh, and infinitely more crunchy than traditional sauerkraut.

They also sold us a cacciatore salami, which is so convenient when camping because it doesn't really require refrigeration (check it out by clicking on the Olympic Provisions link). Then we started talking breakfast, which was when they pointed us toward the duck eggs...

We found the frankfurters incredibly moist and delicious, but extensively fatty (which probably lent to their deliciousness). They are in a lamb casing, which means that when you bite into these lovelies, they have an fabulous snap-texture to them- almost like a crunch, which is my favourite thing about summer sausages.

We bought the burger buns along with a delicious carrot cake muffin from a bakery that hails from Astoria. I couldn't find anything online about them, probably because I don't remember their name, but if you have any suggestions let me know and I'll try to hook up a link.

wienie burger with walla walla onions, purple slaw,
brown mustard, and OP Frankfurters

After Cannon Beach, we stopped in Manzanita to enjoy a magnificent view, then made our way to the Barview Jetty, which was a whole culinary experience in itself.

Coastin'

2011-08-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Cannon Bech, Ecola State Park, Oregon

These past two weeks have been so relaxing, awe-inspiring, and entirely hedonistic. My partner and I did a road trip from Vancouver, BC down the coast all the way to Jessie Honeyman State Park in Oregon. We did a brief stop-over in Portland to eat and drink (even more) on our way to the I-5 heading north.

I've heard a lot of Canadians bash the food in the states. It's all junk, they say-- pizza, fried chicken and waffles or corn dogs are supposedly the basic food groups. I think some of these Canadians also limit their American visits to crappy hotels in Vegas or music festivals put on by fat, old bachelors who have a whole-food intolerance. These folks have also neglected how most celebrity chefs on the food network are American, and clearly they've never read Langdon Cook's Blog, Fat Of The Land. The reason I've come to this conclusion is because I don't think I've ever eaten better food over a 10-day span as when I was in Oregon and Washington. Not that we ate out very often: we were camping, and camping requires some light meal preparation. But what we prepared was entirely based on what was locally available, and those ingredients were incredible.

In the following few posts I'll be featuring some of the best meals we ate while travelling, along with some tips on where to stay, what to forage, and a couple markets to check out.

Stuff It

2011-08-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Another tomato recipe for you people enjoying the oven outside whilst Vancouverites are drowning...

Chevre-Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
450 grams (1 cup) fresh chevre
1 tbsp each: chopped fresh sage, thyme, parsley and rosemary (the herbs are flexible, just toss in whatever's fresh at hand)
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp butter
6 tomatoes

Directions:
Cut the tomatoes in half and pull out the seeds. Set aside. Blend the chopped herbs with the chevre. Melt the butter and combine with the bread crumbs. Stuff the tomato halves with the cheese and top with the bread mixture. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 F. Super easy and DELICIOUS.

Optimistic Tomato Soup

2011-07-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last Year's Amazing Tomatoes

In my last post I talked a little bit about my optimism. I generally like human kind (and apparently the colour red) and have hope for our future (though I don't think we're a magically God-touched, righteous race). But really... HOW FUCKING COLD DOES THIS SUMMER HAVE TO GET? The rest of the continent is dealing with extreme heat waves while Vancouver is constantly overcast and my tomatoes have frost bite.

Now that the yelling is out of my system, here's a recipe for the tomatoes that are supposed to be ripe from my garden. Hopefully somebody in Ontario will see this post and jump for joy at the simple and delicious way to use up all those pesky, super-sweet, over-abundant, fabulous garden tomatoes... so jealous.

Optimistic Tomato Soup

Ingredients
3lbs fresh, ripe tomatoes (or 1 large can of good-quality romas, which is what Vancouverites have to use)
3 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh fennel fronds from the garden or 2 tbsp anise seed or 1 bulb anise from grocery store
1 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery
2 small carrots
2 cups vegetable broth
4 tbsp good quality olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions
If you are using fresh tomatoes, start by cutting out the fibrous cores. You can blanch then to remove the skin and squeeze out the seeds, but we will be blending this soup so it's really not necessary. Chop into large chunks and set aside.
Gently sautee the onion in 3 tbsp of olive oil. Chop the celery, carrots, and most of the fennel fronds (or all of the bulb or seeds) and add to the onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the garlic. Cook until you can really smell the garlic then add the tomatoes. Heat through then add the broth. Simmer until all the ingredients are very tender.
Using an immersion blender, process the soup until it is very smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can liquefy it in batches in a food processor or regular blender, taking care not to fill the hopper too much so that it doesn't explode and burn you.
Serve the soup hot or cold drizzled with the remainder of the oil. Garnish with left over fennel fronds, feta cheese, or crostini. Tastes good with white wine and grilled cheese sandwiches, especially when eaten in the sun on your deck or in your backyard.

Loving the Weeds and Knots

2011-07-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Cardamine- a Useful Weed

The majority of my posts are recipes or stories about... well, food. If I were to guess I would say at least half of my thoughts are devoted to eating, and 3/4 of my thoughts extend on the idea of 'food' by considering what feeds me/us/the world. It's not that I limit my image of humanity to consumption, it's just that I believe it is the largest driving force in the world around me. I don't pass moral judgement on consumption though; it is not a bad thing! It is largely productive!

While nutrition is what allows bodies to grow, I know that I am fed by so many things besides food. I consume love, knowledge, beauty, possessions, oil, water, positivity, energy... all these things feed me. There are also things that prevent from my personal growth; extending on the metaphor of feeding, these things "starve" me. What I'm talking about are the habits I keep that hold me back. Too much alcohol does this to me, as well as too much work. Forgetting the joy in my life and focussing on the tiny hardships like dirty floors or untrained employees limits my gaze to the negative so I get stuck in a stagnant pattern.

Rose in Knots

I've been trying to recognize the patterns and to feed myself the most nutritious things possible: good food, good love, good attitude. In order to put things in perspective, I have been working on my clown a lot these past three months. On July 16th, my "Deep Clown" class and I put on a show of great importance (to me) and laughter. I grappled with my knots, my pattern of taking 2 steps forward and one step back, and my over-arching optimism in order to surpass these obstacles. It was delightful to see myself this way, and to share with an audience a very personal yet relatable pattern of thought.

Despite how personally satisfying clowning has been for me, it was also hard to balance with working full-time. I overworked myself; my knees, especially, and am now dealing with patellafemoral syndrome. My goal for the rest of the summer is to take what clowning has taught me: going where the joy is, while being happy with where I'm at. Also, I'm trying to maintain a relaxed rhythm so that I don't push my body so far. The weeds might get a little rowdy this summer because my knees can't bend, and that's ok with me. I've established that weeds (metaphorical and literal) can be beneficial as medicine and food.

Tis the Season for Garden Veg!

2011-07-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Garlic scapes

Vancouver's 2011 summer has been incredibly mild so far, which really slows down tomato and summer squash production. I feel compelled to complain because in June of last year, I had buckets of beautiful baby beets, while this year they are still pathetic spindly roots and it's already July. But it's realistically not fair for me to complain: easter egg salad turnips have taken the place of last year's beets, so I've been eating these juicy, savoury roots at nearly every dinner. Other cool-weather lovers like snap peas, garlic scapes, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and salad greens have also benefitted from a longer cool season.

Garlic Plants

It's so interesting to me to see how the garden vegetables I grow are affected by the seasons, and thus how my meals are affected by the weather. This summer I've been eating at least one salad per day, and I've been able to pick garlic scapes sporadically instead of all at once because they are at less risk of quickly flowering. None of my cauliflower or brussels sprouts plants have bolted, and my asparagus is still pushing up a few stragglers. Out of respect to this year's cool summer, I'm posting a recipe for a comforting meal on a cool summer's day.

I call this dish "Look at the Bright Side: A Cool Summer Dinner Study"

Ingredients:

(sides)

1 large bunch salad turnips

8 garlic scapes

2 large handfuls mixed greens

1 tbsp butter

olive oil

red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

(meat)

2 free-range, non-medicated chicken thighs with legs attached

1 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 pkg unsalted plain rice crackers

4 sundried tomatoes (dry; not packed in oil)

1 tsp each of dried thyme, marjoram, basil, garlic powder, flax seeds, salt, and pepper

1/2 tsp chili flakes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Use a sharp paring knife to separate the chicken thigh from the drumstick at the joint. Grate the rind off the lemon and reserve. Sprinkle the chicken with juice from the lemon and some olive oil. If you've got any fresh herbs from your garden, feel free to add them to this marinade. Add salt and pepper and set aside.

In a food processor, grind up the sundried tomatoes. Add the rice crackers, flax seed, spices, 1 tsp of reserved lemon rind and chili flakes and pulse until the mixture reaches the consistency of shake and bake. Once the oven is warm, remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off any dripping liquid (there won't be much liquid anyway). You may dab with a paper towel, but I like when the chicken is slightly moist before I coat it because it makes a thicker crust. Either dredge the chicken in the rice cracker mixture or shake in a plastic bag. Bake on a foil-lined pan for 25 minutes or until the juice runs clear.

Prepare your vegetables by removing any tough or damaged parts. If the turnips are large, cut in half or quarters. I like to bundle the scapes by fours before cooking with kitchen twine. You may cook both the scapes and turnips in the same pot by putting the turnips in the bottom first, cooking for 5 minutes in boiling salted water, and then adding the garlic scapes for the last 3-4 minutes.

Serve one thigh and one leg to a plate along with 4 scapes and a few turnips. Top the veggies with a blob of butter. Garnish with a handful of garden greens sprinkled with vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Check Out These Knockers!

2011-06-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah, you heard me. It's June and the early mushrooms are poking up in our wet west coast weather. Last week I came home with a few gorgeous agaricus augustus mushrooms. Check out the 'mushrooms' tab for more information on this royal fungus.

Coconut Pesto Stirfry and Red Cabbage Slaw

2011-05-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Red cabbage is a truly beautiful vegetable. Not only is its colour a vibrant change from the typical orange carrot or pale green celery, it also contains incredible patterns and shapes and is an excellent source of vitamins. My favourite way to use this cabbage is in a slaw made with salt, grapeseed oil, and lime. I served it along side a broccoli stirfry coated in homemade coconut pesto for another delicious, detox-friendly meal. Enjoy.

Coconut Pesto Stirfry with Cabbage Slaw

Pesto:
1 large bunch sweet basil
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch each of salt and pepper
1 cup coconut cream (my favourite brand is Savoy)
1 pinch anise seed

Stirfry:
1 head broccoli
1 carrot
1/2 cup cubed tofu or paneer
1/2 cup other chopped veg (ie. asparagus, green beans, zucchini or mushrooms)
1 tbsp grapeseed oil

Rice:
1/2 cup brown basmati rice
1 cup water
Pinch of salt

Slaw:
1/2 head red cabbage, sliced very thin
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp grapseed oil
1tbsp seeds (any kind; optional)

Directions:
Start with the slaw so that the salt has enough time to draw out the moisture in the cabbage so the flavours can meld. Basically just mix the chopped cabbage with the other slaw ingredients and set aside on the counter.

Next, bring your rice to a boil in a pot. Cover and simmer on lowest possible heat for 20 minutes. Do NOT open the lid to the pot until the full 20 minutes is up. Meanwhile, chop garlic in a food processor or blender and then add the basil, lemon, and pinch of anise. Pulse while gradually adding the olive oil. Add the pine nuts last so that the pesto has a chunkier texture. If you prefer a smooth pesto, add the nuts first. Set aside without adding the coconut cream.

Heat the stirfry oil in a pan and add the prepared vegetables. Toss with 3 tbsp of pesto until well coated. Add a splash of water and the coconut cream. Cook until veggies are fork-tender.

When the rice is done, fluff with a fork and cover another 5 minutes. Serve on plates topped with the stirfry and slaw.

Lox on Manna

2011-05-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

I am 1/3 through the detox with very minimal cheating. I feel good and well-nourished. I have been eating Manna bread for breakfast and would like to share it with you.

Manna is an ancient word meaning bread. It is referred to in the bible and many old pieces of literature. It literally means 'bread' or 'loaf' and is considered to be an important life-giving source of food. I mentioned manna bread in my last post because it is a delicious alternative to yeasty, sugary, highly-glutinous bread. Here is my favourite use for manna made with clean, whole food.

Lox on Manna

2 pcs Sunseed or Rye Manna
2 pcs cold-smoked salmon
1 tbsp chevre or fromage frais
Handful of capers
Fresh chives or onion
Lemon wedge

Toast the manna bread to firm it up (otherwise it is rather soft and hard to spread onto). Spread the cheese onto the bread then top with lox. Sprinkle with capers and onion. Garnish with lemon wedges and antipasto (I've used grilled artichoke in the picture). A lovely, light breakfast or lunch.

Spring Body Clean

2011-05-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

I am feeling sluggish, under-confident, unmotivated, tired, stiff, arthritic, slow, dull, and irritable. It is due to a combination of things: stress, the wet weather, a constant hangover, and, well... toxins. Usually I like to do a detox right after the winter holiday season because that is the time when I am inundated with booze and rich foods. I have been putting it off because of unusual exponential stress. Now that my schedule and personal life are coming back to normal, I've got the energy to consider my diet and do a 28-day tweak.

I have mentioned the detox diets I've done before (often compromising or failing to complete) but I'm going to simplify my life this month. No guilt, no shame, just health and self-love. I am going to start the month with an anti-candida treatment. Also, I'm going to brine some cheese at the beginning of the month so that when I'm done the detox, there will be a beautiful homemade camembert waiting for me in my cellar.

The key rules this time around are:
-No refined sugar
-No Booze!
-No Gluten
-No live Yeast
-Yes probiotics
-Yes vegetables
-Yes organic white meat and sustainable fish
-Yes brown rice, quinoa, and other ancient grains

I think the biggest hurdle for me will be alcohol, but I'm pretty committed to doing it. I started the detox on the first of this month and will continue until the last day of May (so it's about 30 days). I'm 4 days in and the biggest change I'm noticing is that I am excessively bloated and gassy. This happens every time I detox for the first week and finally subsides, leaving my stomach feeling cleaned out and healthy. I have to admit that the indigestion is super frustrating and embarrassing to deal with, but I know at the end of the week I'll be happy I stuck it through.

I think a lot of people get stuck on diets because they feel like there's nothing they are allowed to eat. Because I've experimented a lot with detoxing and cooking, I've figured out a pretty expansive detox menu. Even my Dandy Quinoa Muffins (above) are detox-friendly if you use a non-glucose form of sweetener (ie. honey or sorghum or stevia).

Here's a recipe for scrambled tofu with brown rice and vegetables. It's a perfect brunch dish.

Tofu Scram
1 pkg of non-GMO medium-firm tofu (or smoked tofu!)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup chopped squash (I prefer kabocha)
1 tsp bragg's soy sauce
1tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt

1/2 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa

Raw veggies such as radish, avocado, sprouts, etc

Directions:
If you're using brown rice, start that ahead of time as some varieties take 45 minutes to cook. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and sprinkle with salt, cooking until translucent. Add the squash (which has been chopped quite small so it cooks faster). Stir to coat with oil. Crumble in the tofu and sprinkle with turmeric. Allow all the ingredients to sautee until the squash is cooked through. If you notice the pan seems dry and the tofu is sticking, add a splash of water or veggie stock. Add the bragg's and serve with veggies and brown rice. In the picture I've got Sun Seed Manna Bread for toast: this is a low-gluten, sprouted grain bread which does not contain yeast. It's delicious, though very, very different from regular bread. It tastes lovely with chevre, watercress, and lemon.

UBC Cheese Workshop

2011-04-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

I've talked about the UBC Farm before, highlighting its importance for the UBC community as well as Vancouver at large. They host workshops, farmers markets, outdoor music shows, and generally do good work. Last week, they hosted a series of Cheese Workshops taught by cheesemaker David Rotsztain. This lovely, soft-spoken chap has the perfect moustache for sipping milk (have a look at the photos and you'll know what I mean) and was a great director in the making of cheese. His personal anecdotes really brought the class to life.

This was a really inspiring workshop. David led us through the process of making paneer and cheese curds, which could then be brined and aged to make any type of cheese. I am most excited about making and ageing my own camembert which will be a great treat after a month-long break from dairy, yeast and gluten (yes, it's detox time again soon...).

The photos I'm showing you are detailing how to make cheese curd with rennet.

Heat unhomogenized milk to 90*; Add some ripened kefir
or freeze-dried cheese enzymes and allow to sit, covered and warm, for 1 hour.
Add rennet according to instructions on its bottle. Incubate another hour.

THE POP!
(See the video above for more details)

By now, the "jhunket" should be formed and
the milk will form a custard-like texture.

Now, *cut the cheese* (hehe) curds with a knife.
You want to cut them into about 1-inch cubes.

These are the curds and whey after being cut.

This is called 'wheying off.'
I feel like I could make this into a euphemism...

At this point you want to allow the curds to firm up. Stir gently,
and gradually the curds will change from soft jelly to squeaky curds

If you don't just want to make poutine curds, you'll need to press
the curds into a mold, set atop an unpside-down bowl inside a larger bowl.
Allow the curd to drain over night and flip. Salt generously and then air dry,
flipping daily. Age in a cave for one month et voila: CAMEMBERT

This is a kefir grain removed from some prepared kefir.

Some finished cheeses:

yogurt cheese (pressed yogurt)

garlic paneer and plain paneer in front;
local artisan cheeses in back

Grains of salt pull moisture out of cheese. Wherever you see beads of water
is where there were grains of salt.

Poutine: My favourite thing to do with cheese curds

If you are interested in taking a cheese workshop and are in the Vancouver area, please check out the UBC Farm Website. They do lots of other workshops as well, including homebrewing, cooking, and craft classes. I also want to take this opportunity to thank David Rotsztain for sharing his wonderful knowledge with us- David, you are such a doll!

Hey- I've just been informed of David's own blog: guerrillacheese.wordpress.com. Check it out for more cheesy details!

Online Resources

2011-04-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of amazing wisdom out there. I get a lot of questions- especially ID questions, and I don't know all of the answers. This can be scary when I'm with a group of keeners wanting to take home every mushroom and berry they find. I tend to stick to what I know and have experienced, but it is important to branch out- to do research and broaden our horizons. That is why I would like to provide y'all with a few links to my favourite foraging resources for the PNW (and more locally- in BC).

Right now, this website is absolutely my FAVOURITE. It summarizes PNW forageable goods and breaks things down into Provinces and States.
www.northernbushcraft.com

Another great site- a blog- belonging to Langdon Cook. I really admire his writing and work. Please buy his book if you are foraging in the PNW!!
www.fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com

Wildman Steve Brill is based out of New York, but his recipes and hippy lifestyle are world-wide applicable. I think he is a doll... plus he's got a picture of himself munching raw knotweed on his homepage.
www.wildmanstevebrill.com

I don't think foraging is the only way to save our planet. Making delicious, ethical food helps too. The Vancouver Magazine called Edible Vancouver is wonderful.
http://www.ediblecommunities.com/vancouver/

This one is specific to health and remedies. I especially like it because the directions are taken step-by-step and are photographed. Also- anything I've tried concocting from this website has been incredibly successful. Also has an amazing recipe collection.
http://www.familyherbalremedies.com/

A website specific to gardening in Vancouver, BC is West Coast Seeds. Yeah, ok- they're a business selling seeds. But the growing tips and list of resources on this website are specific, attainable, realistic, and honest. Plus, the seeds are very dependable.
www.westcoastseeds.com

There are so many more amazing online resources out there, not to mention what is in print. One day when I've got some time I'll list some of the books from my collection and maybe provide some more websites. I hope you find them useful.

Stinging Nettle Purses

2011-04-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Stinging Nettle Purses

Stinging Nettle has got to be one of my all-time favourite vegetables. When I was a kid, my sister and I had an elder tree in our backyard that we used to call "the corn tree" because a huge patch of nettles grew under it, making the air around it smell like fresh, green corn (if you can imagine what that might smell like). When you cook nettles, they smell earthy and almost smoky.

I use cooked nettles like wilted spinach (think gomae) or I throw it in the food processor with garlic and olive oil to make pesto and other sauces. Dried nettles make excellent teas and tinctures for anemia and cramps. Just remember: when handling fresh nettles WEAR GLOVES!

In this recipe, I bundle up individual blanched nettle plants to make 'purses' which I then dip into various sauces. They can be served hot or cold- topped with sauce or dipped.

Purses in Peanut Sauce

Stinging Nettle Purses

Ingredients
1 large bunch of young nettle tops- leaves still attached to tender stems
1 Large pot of boiling salted water
Various sauces

Directions
For this recipe it is essential to use very young nettle plants because we need the leaves to be attached to the stems in order to bundle them properly. In older plants, the stems become tough and woody so this recipe won't work for them.
Wearing rubber gloves, clean the nettles in cold salt water (I find baking soda is the best type of salt because it dissolves easily). Heat the water in the pot to a rolling boil. Add the nettles and blanch for 4 minutes. Drain.
Starting from the top of the stem, bunch the leaves together and roll down to make a little bundle. Continue until each plant has been rolled up. You can heat these bunches back up in the microwave and serve smothered in alfredo or marinara sauce or you can dip cold bunches into peanut or sweet chili sauce. They are delicious little morsels of health!

Sauteed Hop Shoots

2011-04-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

wild watercress

Spring is the time of year when we can really savour the special, tender vegetation of baby shoots. These types of vegetables are my favourite because of their succulence and they include baby greens for amazing salads (ie. chickweed, caramine, dandelion, sorrel, watercress, etc), asparagus, fiddleheads, gai-lan, bamboo, and knotweed; even salmonberry plants have fresh, crunchy shoots that have been enjoyed by the Natives of BC since forever ('bear candy'). This week I have been picking stinging nettle, lady fern and bracken fern fiddleheads, and hop shoots.

harvested hop shoots

Hop plants are incredibly prolific (and sometimes invasive!) growers. The general consensus in North America is that they are useful in beer, but there are countries that have been growing and harvesting these shoots as a vegetable for centuries- before the flower was ever added to beer.

hops in habitat

Around this hood, you'll find them in moist areas such as on the cliffs of ravines, or in ditches and marshes. I remember finding them as a kid on the side of the road outside of Coombs on Vancouver Island. They grow from rhizomes and climb all over everything. If you want to find the shoots in the spring, look for the dead growth from the year before like climbing straw over wild berries and trees.

This recipe allows the taster to enjoy the simple, natural taste of this ancient vegetable.

Hop Shoot Sautee
1 large bunch hop shoots, trimmed of tough stringy ends (like asparagus)
1 pot boiling, salted water
1 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt and Pepper

Blanch the hop shoots in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Melt the butter with the crushed garlic in a pan. Add the shoots, tossing to coat. Sautee another 2 minutes and season with salt in pepper. In the photo I added some left over roasted vegetables. I think this would taste good with poached eggs on top.

Cram TIme

2011-03-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

This change in weather is amazing and inspiring, but in the wrong direction for me at the moment. I am currently bogged down with exams and papers while working 4 days a week at the Wallflower. This is why no posting has been going on.

steamed nettles

Yesterday I had an hour to kill while on campus so I grabbed some stinging nettle from the cliffs to bring home for an amazing lunch. This early in the season the stems are still very tender so I usually steam the whole succulent plant. Another amazing thing about yesterday- when I got home, there was an incredible gardening book leaned up against my front door with no note or anything. Somebody decided to anonymously give us this gift. Whoever you are- thank you!!!

I will be posting soon- fiddleheads are due in 1-2 weeks and burdock is dying to be pickled for a sushi party. (nettle gomae and pickled burdock sushi... mmmm)

Foraging Inspiration: Fall 2010's Mushrooms In Photos

2011-02-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Are you feeling a bit of winter cabin fever? Have no fear! The foraging/gardening season is almost upon us. Here are a few delicious photos to entice your mushroom love. Click on the images to enlarge for better detail.

Their IDs are as follows (right to left, top to bottom): agaricus augustus, lactarius deliciosus, mixed edibles, hedgehog, hedgehog and yellow foot, coral fungus with boletus laccaria amethysta and yellow foot, boletus admiralis, yellow foot (cantharellus tubaeformis), yellow foot in habitat, agaricus campestris, agaricus augustus, pleurotus ostreatus, mixed mushrooms (including whole shaggy manes in the right foreground), agaricus augustus, and matsutake (tricholoma magnivelare).





Here are a few of the dishes I made with these mushrooms:



Excited yet??

Stuffed Leek "Cannelloni"

2011-02-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

I get fed-up with substitutions. Daiya cheese isn't actually cheese. Margarine is not butter. Corn pasta is... well I gues it's pasta, but it's a little bit weird. Despite my hangups I'm actually submitting a recipe that is a substitution: Tubes of leek stuffed with tofu ricotta and baked in the oven with tomato sauce and topped with 'cheese crumble' ie. nutritional yeast and toasted almond crumbs. It's actually delicious and I'd rather call it simply 'stuffed leeks' but when I say cannelloni people better understand how it is put together. I like this recipe because it uses whole food ingredients instead of uber-processed soy derivitives or flour.

Leek + Tofu Cannelloni
(Gluten-Free and Vegan)

Ingredients

Tofu Ricotta:
16 oz firm, non GMO Organic Tofu
2tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 bunch of spinach

Cheez Topping:
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup almonds
1/2 tsp salt

Pasta:
2 large leeks
1 jar pasta sauce (I like marinara but pesto or vegan cream sauce would work too)

Directions:

Start by trimming the leeks of their tough, dark green parts and blanching for about 4 minutes in boiling, salted water. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, blend together all the tofu ricotta ingredients except the spinach. Wash and wilt the spinach either in the microwave or for 15 seconds in a pot of boiling salted water. Chop and combine with the tofu ricotta.

Next, make the 'cheez topping' by grinding the almonds in a spice grinder or food processer and combining with nutritional yeast and salt. If you like you could toast the almonds first for more flavour.

The most difficult part is getting your leek 'pasta shells' prepared. Wearing rubber gloves, pull the leeks apart, layer-by-layer, trying to avoid ripping the leeks so that they remain tubes. If you cannot keep the tubes intact- don't worry! You can use the 'sheets' as roll-ups. They're actually easier to stuff this way, too.

Stuff the leek tubes with the ricotta and spinach mixture until you have used up all the ricotta (I think it makes about 6 tubes). Place in a baking dish and smother in pasta sauce. Top with the 'cheez' and bake for 30 mins at 400 F.

Makes 3 comfortable portions (with salad).

A note on tofu: to make tofu, one actually treats soybeans to a similar process as milk when making cheese. First, soybeans are made into soy milk. Next they are curdled into 'curds' and 'whey' similar to cheese. Then the curds are strained through something like cheese cloth and pressed to create blocks of tofu. To me, being able to track (and possibly perform!) this process makes tofu a whole food.

rice cracker with tofu ricotta and cheez topping

Chocolate Mousse and Vegan Chocolate Pudding

2011-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's almost Valentine's Day. Whippee. Normally I would make traditional chocolate mousse like the photo, but I'm feeling lazy. Instead, here's a very simple recipe for chocolate pudding that will knock your lover's clothes off. If you're vegan, try making it with almond milk or soy cream and vegan chocolate.

chocolate mousse

Dark Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

4 oz dark chocolate

1 tbsp sugar or other sweetener

2 cups of milk or milk substitute (My sister loves to use coconut milk: it's delicious and rich!)

dash of salt

3 tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a double boiler, slowly heat and whisk the chocolate, milk, and sweetener together. Once the chocolate is completely melted and combined, add the salt and cornstarch. To avoid lumps, either use an immersion blender to smooth it out, or dissolve the cornstarch in a little bit of the milk beforehand so that it blends easily into the chocolate mixture. Heat slowly on low heat, constantly whisking, until the pudding is quite thick. Add the vanilla.

Top with raspberries, toasted coconut, or anything you think would taste good (kids like oreo crumbs and candy worms to make it look like dirt).

Pudding is simple, delicious, and diverse. For example, you could do an all coconut-milk pudding with rum and raisins by omitting the chocolate and adding coconut extract. Mmm. But I like chocolate. Especially for romantic stuff.

HAHAHAHAHA

2011-02-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Check out this short clip from the new series "Portlandia"... Portland being what I consider the sister city to Vancouver. Thanks to Jo for this!

It's good, sometimes, to poke fun at our anal retension... That sounds gross.

Spring Projects

2011-02-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

You may think I'm getting ahead of myself, talking about the 'spring' and gardening in February, but I'm really not. For me, gardening isn't something I do in one little area when it is warm outside; it's a way of life. Everything is full of potential to grow. Every little house plant that I see suffer in crappy cafes and over-abundant ivy with fertile runners will always call out to me: "plant me! feed me! love me! eat me!" This is why I have basically turned my entire yard into a garden and gotten my hands into the dirt in other locations as well. I've got a family garden going in white rock, which is tenaciously growing and battling very feisty weeds. Community gardens are also frequent visiting places for me- they're where I snag seeds from overgrown plants and get new ideas for trellis and the like while I re-home unneeded kale plants that have been tossed into the compost. These cultural and gourmet meccas are also a great place to meet people and start contacts for seed trades.

(wild buckwheat)

Foraging gives me the same kind of satisfaction as gardening, but it's more exciting and dangerous. Venturing into the wild and trusting my instincts and ability to identify food is a thrilling challenge. Unfortunately, few people in my city are are able or willing to forage around our hood. It blows my mind that there are farms just off the busy highway, but people are afraid to forage the ditches right beside them because they "don't know where that stuff has been". It irks me that if vegetables are wild they are immediately subject to scrutiny for toxicity because all vegetables originated in the wild.

(boletus chrysenteron)

On the same token, most of us in North America don't come from hundreds of generations who have known and lived off this wild land. The knowledge of edible and medicinal wild food has to be handed down and taught to us- so if our parents bought from supermarkets, then why would we think otherwise? This is why it is important to do our research before we forage- for our health and the balance of the eco-system. This is also why I think home and community gardening are so wonderful. It allows an urban generation that is so removed from land to connect with it in a tangible, safe way.

(plethora of wild mushrooms, fall 2010)

So this spring I've got a few projects planned that are very dear to my heart. As I've already mentioned, I am going to be buried in dirt from my gardens. Next, I'm going to forage- not only more often, but with more people. I plan to lead workshops and groups to find edible weeds and mushrooms. I also want to connect with some hunters that I can trade with- maybe I'll attend their hunting events as a cook and mushroom hunter while they provide me with wild game. I am going to change my diet to include more wild, ethical food. Last, I am going to make much more booze. I have dabbled in apple cider and dandy wine while mastering blackberry port, but this year I intend to read-up, network, and master wine. I might play with some beer recipes too.

(sea beets, wild mushrooms, sundried garden tomatoes, and rice)

The over-arching aim in all of these projects isn't just ethical hedonism; it is also to connect with people in the best way I know how- through their senses. What can I say? I'm a sensual gal. Let me know if you'd like to get your hedon on with me!

Steak, Sunchokes, and Slaw

2011-02-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

I think I've made it quite clear that while I respect animals and sustainability, I enjoy eating meat. Yet, I notice I've written about eating steak but never really given a recipe in how to prepare one. I actually think sharing this information is important, because most people I know who eat meat rarely prepare it themselves; especially steak, which means they rely on restaurants to fill that gap. This is scary to me for two reasons:

1) meat-eaters are becoming so removed from what they eat that they can't even prepare it for themselves.

2) the majority of red meat in restaurants is chock-full of hormones and comes from mass-productive farms and slaughterhouses.

By understanding meat and respecting the life it comes from, I think we can eat more sustainably even if we do not elect to become vegetarian. I know there are massively varying opinions on this matter, but I'm always of the 'everything in moderation' camp, so there you have it. Plus, meat tastes so delicious to me when it's good quality and prepared accordingly.

So all that in mind, here's a simple recipe for a great steak dinner.

Steak, Sunchokes and Slaw

Ingredients

(serves 2)

2 individual-sized steaks- any kind- each about 6 oz or bigger- cut at least 1-inch thick

Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper

1 tsp high-smoking point oil (ie. grapeseed)

1/3 cup red wine

3 large sunchokes

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1/2 head small red cabbage

1/2 head fennel bulb

Handful sunflower seeds

1/2 lime

Salt

1 tsp oil

Optional:

1 large handful button mushrooms

1 bundle Asparagus

Directions

Start with your side dishes. Scrub and cut your sunchokes. Toss in olive oil with whole smashed cloves of garlic and salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at 400 F. Slice the cabbage very thin- you could use a mandolin for this if you wanted. Place in a medium-sized bowl. Follow suit with the fennel bulb. Sprinkle with seeds, salt, lime juice, and oil.

Cooking the steak. I like to allow the steak to reach room temperature before I put it on the pan because it cooks more evenly and sticks less to the pan. I prefer to cook steak on a cast iron pan because of the way it distributes heat and the possibility of finishing the steak in the oven if desired. It also sears a nice pepper crust on the steak which I love. First, heat the pan with 1 tsp of high-burning oil like grapeseed oil over medium heat. While the pan is heating, cover the steaks in fresh salt and pepper. I like to use my fancy smoked himalayan salt and fresh-ground multi-coloured peppercorns. Place the steaks on the pan and do not touch them for 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip them over and cook another 6 minutes. For a 1-inch steak, I find a total of 12 minutes, turning only once, is perfect for medium-rare. The less you touch your steak, the less juice is squeezed out and the more moist it will be. Next, allow the steaks to rest, covered in foil for about 5 minutes before serving so that the juices re-distribute and settle into the meat so it remains juicy when you bite into it instead of completely bleeding all over your plate.

For a tasty jus, pour the liquid from the resting steaks back into the cast iron. Turn the heat back on and add red wine, scraping up the tasty brown bits. Pour this jus over your steak and veggies.

Et voila. Steak and veggies. If you wanted to take it even further, sautee some mushrooms and asparagus and serve on top of the steak, smothered in the jus. I will probably post another steak recipe for the BBQ this summer.

My Favourite Chicken Soup

2011-01-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

This is what I crave when I'm sick because it is delicious, wholesome, and comforting. It takes all day to cook, which makes it ideal for those stuck-at-home sick days.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Gluten Free!)

Ingredients
1 whole free-range chicken
1 tbsp mild curry powder (or another spice mix)
1 tbsp dried herbs
1 tbsp each of salt (fleur de sel is nice) and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves

6 cups of water

1 head of celery
3 large carrots
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic

1 pkg pho-style rice noodle (also called rice stick)

Directions:
Coat the whole chicken in the spices, salt, and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Sear the chicken on all sides over medium heat until very brown. If the chicken sticks to the pot when you attempt to turn it, wait another few minutes until the sear is complete so that it will ease itself from the surface naturally. Once all sides are seared, add the bay leaves and 6 cups of water. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. You may need to add more water to keep the chicken immersed.

Remove the chicken from the pot, reserving the liquid for our delicious stock. Allow the chicken to cool to the touch then remove meat from the bones. Add the bones, skin, and fat back into the liquid and simmer for another hour.

Chop the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. In a large pot, sautee the vegetables in the remaining 2 tbsp oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the stock (having discarded the bones, fat, and skin) and chopped chicken meat. Cook about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning as necessary (I usually add more curry powder).

Break the rice noodles into reasonable lengths. Cook the noodles in a separate pot of boiling, salted water (about 8 minutes). Rinse well and add to the soup. Use the celery leaves as a garnish or replace with 2 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley. Freeze any leftovers.

Surprisingly, this soup does not taste like curry. I just use the powder as a spice mix but you could opt for seasoning salt, or dried herbs from your garden (such as rosemary, thyme, sage, tarragon, savory, anise seeds, chilis, coriander, lavender, caraway, dill, etc) instead. Instead of noodles, you could keep this as a chicken and vegetable soup and top with homemade dumplings. Or, if you wanted to use wild rice or other noodles instead of the rice noodles go for it. Also, any additional veggies would probably be good. Every batch I make of this soup is different except for 4 things: a whole chicken, onion, celery, and carrot.

School is Back in Session

2011-01-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

January is always a stifling month for me. First of all- there are no mushrooms anywhere in Vancouver. Second, it's too cold to plant seeds (but it's warm enough to fool me into thinking I can get a head-start and then lose a whole patch of brussel sprouts to a frost). Third, it's back in school time. Not that school sucks or anything... but when I've had a little time off and I'm feeling self-propelled and creative, the assigned projects start up again and my time runs out too quickly. The last, and probably most frustrating stifle: after Christmas and tuition I am broke-ass. Luckily I have lots of frozen holiday leftovers, soup, and mulched veggies in the garden so I can continue to eat affordable, delicious food.

Here's a recipe that's good for using up leftovers while appealing to a tight budget... plus it will make you feel you've eaten at a 5-star restaurant:

Salade Nicoise

(serves 2)

Ingredients

Salad

1 can tuna (or a piece of fresh yellowfin like the photo... but that's pricey)

1 handful green beans

5 leaves lettuce (baby kale and chard are in season but use anything cheap)
1 potato (or turnip or sunchoke or parsnip as they're in season)

1 beet

Any other veggies you've got lying around

2 medium, free-range eggs
Dressing
1 bunch dill
2 shallots or 1/2 small onion (cheaper)
2 tsp grainy mustard
1/4 cup salad oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey or fruit jam or sugar
Juice of half a lemon (about 1 tsp)

Directions:
Start with the beet as it will take the longest to cook. Cut it into bite-sized cubes and simmer in water for about half an hour. Meanwhile, caramelize the shallots over med-lo heat in 1 tbsp oil. Add some salt to help them sweat. Once they are golden, combine with chopped dill, grainy mustard, the rest of the oil, vinegar, honey, and lemon. If you use an immersion blender it gets nice and creamy, otherwise just mix by hand.

About 10 mins before the beets are done, prepare the beans, potato, and any other veggie you have for steaming by peeling and cutting into bite-sized pieces. I just put my bamboo steamer on top of the boiling beets to conserve energy. I also happened to have some mini brussel sprouts in my garden to throw in there. Toss a couple of eggs into the beets so they will boil hard (about 7 mins).

Prepare the lettuce by rinsing, chopping, drying, and setting as a bed for the rest of the ingredients. Top with any raw ingredients you've got (ie. shaved fennel, tomato, red cabbage, green onions, fresh herbs, radishes, tomatoes, canned artichokes, olives, carrot, celery, cucumber... anything you want to use up!). Top with the cooked vegetables and tuna. If you are using fresh tuna, sear on all sides and slice into strips. Sprinkle with the dressing. Drink with 10-dollar bottled wine while reading for your Science Fiction Literature Class. Enjoy.

Cheap Wine for January

2011-01-16T01:30:00.000-08:00

I'm broke-ass. Like, seriously. And it makes me want to drink. Thing is... drinking is not essential and it costs money. My solution is not to quit drinking, but to drink cheaply and reasonably. Here's my thinking: A good 10ish dollar bottle of white and red will last me about two weeks. That means I can get away with drinking 40 dollars of booze this month, which is within my budget and doesn't make me feel like I need to join AA.

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of local wines for 10 dollars. Actually, most BC wines are 14 and up. The cheapest local brand with reasonable quality is Calona, ranging from 12-18 dollars. Ideally I would have homemade wine in the cellar, but I just can't seem to keep it in supply. So, here are my not-so-local, cheap but good wines for this month.

Santa Rita Semillion-Chardonnay- 11 bucks at the beer and wine store, 9 bucks at the liquor store. Chile.
Finca los Primos Malbec- 11 at BC liquor store. Argentina.
Barefoot Caberenet Sauvignon- 10 bucks at BC Liquor. California.
Copper Moon Sauvignon Blanc- 8.29 at BC Liquor. Palatable but not amazing. Canadian.

Ever been to the BC liquor store website? It's pretty decent, actually. Check it out of you want to compare prices with your local beer and wine store. Trouble with BC liquor is the shitty bureaucracy, govt control, and lack of knowledge re: product quality and value (they simply play the market). The nice thing about specialty wine and beer stores such as Firefly or Liberty Wines is you get really good advice and a selection that you might not get anywhere else- especially at BC liquor stores.

December's Wine is Mulled

2010-12-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

This month, I'd like to feature a wine that is not exactly specific. That is, December's wine is almost any wine mulled with spices, brandy, and honey to create that yummy, cozy, seasonal feeling.

This is a great recipe if you've got a bottle of wine that has been opened for a week and you want to use it up, or have made a batch that doesn't taste exactly the way you want it to because the spices and sweetness added to mulled wine can compensate.

I am very lucky in that I have a few homemade wines to choose from, one of them being Dandelion Wine. This wine has complementary flavors for mulling from the dried fruit and citrus peel I used when brewing it.

Mulled Dandelion Wine
(See my recipe fore dandy wine here)

Ingredients
4 cups of wine
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
2 mace seeds
4 black peppercorns
1/3 cup honey
Peel of one orange (kept in large, long strips)
3oz grand marnier or apricot brandy

Directions:
Simmer wine with spices for at least 20 minutes (the longer the better). Right before serving, stir in the brandy and honey. Sip by the fire, preferably with a cat on your lap or a book.

Squarsh

2010-12-05T09:00:00.001-08:00

This year, the garden out in White Rock was squash-heavy. This stuff is so sweet, satisfying, and stuffing- it makes the perfect winter meal. We have had to come up with some creative ways to use it up, but it hasn't been hard.

SWEET SQUASH PIE
Ingredients
Filling:
2 cups drained, pureed squash (pumpkin, butternut, buttercup, etc- you could even use sweet potato)
1 can evaporated milk (this can be substituted for regular milk, soy, etc)
2/3 cup raw or brown sugar
2 large, free-range eggs
1/4 tsp each of: ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground cardamom
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Crust:
A short-crust made with butter is delicious but regular flakey pie crust will do as well. Here's a recipe for my favourite all-purpose pie crust; and here's one for pate brisee (short crust) from Simply Recipes.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Begin with the dough if it isn't already made. Usually pie dough recipes will make enough dough for two pumpkin pies, since they don't traditionally come with a top crust. You can freeze the remainder of the dough from today's pie in tightly wrapped plasic for up to 3 months.

Roll your dough out just so that it can drape over a pie plate. A little bit on the thick side is ok. Don't worry about trimming the sides. Use the excess dough on the sides of the plate to create a scalloped edge: fold the overhang under to create a thick, upstanding edge. Next, use your thumb and index finger on the outside of the pie and your other thumb between your fingers to pinch the crust. Do this all the way around. It's purdy! For photographed instructions, check out this website. Combine all the ingredients for the filling- nothing fancy, just work them all together. If you blend it too vigorously, there will be bubbles or froth at the top of your filling. Try to skim the froth or bubbles off the filling once you've poured it into the crust if you want a really beautiful shine from your filling. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 F and then turn the heat down to 350 for another half hour. Allow to cool completely before serving so that the filling has time to set.

Another delicious thing to do with squash- roasting it in the oven and serving like a traditional baked potato with sourcream, chives (which are STILL GROWING in my garden!) and gravy.

Another: pureed in soup with coconut milk and curry...

Another: used in place of potato in gnocchi.

Another: baked into muffins or spice cake... or cheese cake... or pancakes... or cookies (like the ginger pumpkin cookies below)... or steamed into lattes! Yes lattes! Or in flan. In a pan. With a man. On the land. Away from sand.

Squash is so useful and local and sustainable and delicious. Treat yourself with some!

Beef Stew with Dumplings

2010-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

You know what? I want some beef stew.

Do I really need to justify my desire for supreme comfort food at a time like this? If you don't eat beef, replace with wild mushrooms, seitan, moose, venison, emu, elk, lamb, or bone-in chicken thighs. For the vegetarian options, cut the cooking time by 3/4.

BEEF STEW WITH DUMPLINGS
(cook time: 4-5 hours! start early!)

Ingredients

Stew
2 lbs hormone-free, grass fed stew beef
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp each of: thyme, ground rosemary, sage, granulated garlic, paprika, lavender (if desired), pepper, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg

2 tbsp cooking oil
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup red wine
2 bay leaves

2 tbsp tomato paste
5 cups stock (I used homemade salt-free veg stock but any kind will do)

2 large parsnips
2 stalks celery
2 large carrots (or 1 cup baby carrots from the garden)
5 blewit mushrooms or 1 cup uncut baby button
1 large sunchoke

Dumplings
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter (or shortening)
1/2 c milk (or milk substitute)
1/2 tsp each: ground rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender

Directions:

Start with the stew. If the meat hasn't been prepped by your butcher, chop it up into hearty pieces. Coat with the cornstarch and spices. If you're cooking a veggie version, just add the cornstarch and spices after the veggies have been sauteed in olive oil for 5-10 mins. Heat the cooking oil in a very large pot and add the beef. Brown on all sides over medium heat, making sure to wait until a proper sear has been formed on the meat before you turn it so that it doesn't stick (ie. if it sticks, turn the heat down a bit and wait until the beef frees itself easily from the pan before you turn it). Remove the beef from the pot and add the large onion and garlic which have been coarsely chopped. Once translucent, return the beef to the pan and de-glaze the brown bits at the bottom with 1 c wine. Once all the brown has been scraped up, add the tomato paste and stock. Add bay leaves and simmer at least 2 hours (my last stew I cooked for 3 1/2 hours). The beef should already be very tender before you add the chopped parsnip, celery, carrot, mushroom and sunchoke.

After adding the vegetables to the stew, begin the dumplings. These are very simple to make. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dried herbs. Cut in the butter then add the milk until the dough is sticky yet manageable. Roll into small balls. Once the stew has cooked 15 minutes with the added vegetables, taste and adjust seasoning if needed (maybe more salt, more wine, a boullion cube?). Now float the dumpling balls on the top and close the lid. Cook another 15 minutes- no peeking! The result is incredibly comforting.

A few notes: I was able to use 100 percent vegetables from the garden (because I prepared a for a winter garden during the fall), homemade cabernet sauvignon, and wild mushrooms. The beef was also local. To make the tomato paste, I ground home-dried tomatoes into a powder and added boiling water. Of course I don't expect everyone to have the opportunity to make such a 'from-scratch stew', but I'll tell you- a little bit of preparation ahead of time goes a long way... and tastes better than anything else!

Shit! It's Cold!

2010-11-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

Winter in Vancouver is usually a cake-walk: some minimal stepping to avoid puddles, proper rain gear, and possibly some water-proof boots. Last year I was collecting blewits into early december: this year the bundle of blewits I've been storing on my front porch are frozen solid and it is only NOVEMBER: tonight's low is -17 C. Unheard of!

Even though I practically detest the cold, I'm not too upset by my stunted mushroom season or my frozen kale. There are various upsides of cold winters. First off, our apples next fall will be wonderful because the apple beetle larvae that usually live in the upper layers of East Van lawns will have been frozen to death. This also goes for the nasty pine beetle of the north, that has been ruining much of BC's Forest Industry. I am hoping this winter maintains temperatures of -20 C up north for at least 14 days in order to stunt this pest's over-population.

My favorite way to curb the cold is to sleep in late and make a fabulous brunch consisting of eggs benny and a peppermint mocha. Here's a recipe for perfect eggs benny.

Wild Pacific Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Ingredients
(serves 2)
5 large, free range eggs
1/3 cup unsalted butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch salt
1tbsp vinegar
4 pcs wild smoked salmon lox
Handful of capers
2 english muffins

Directions:

If you plan to eat the benny with potato hash (I've used sweet potatoes in the pictures) then do those first either by baking or pan frying. Next is the hollandaise. Don't be afraid! Once you've done it successfully, it is a very simple procedure. To begin, you will need a metal bowl and small pot of gently boiling water that can act as a double-boiler as well as poach your eggs. See the photo below for a clearer idea.

First, melt the butter and "clarify"- that is, remove the frothy white stuff on the top. I usually use the microwave. Next, separate the white from the yolk of one egg. Discard the egg white (unless you can think of something better to do with it like add to a batter or omelette). Vigorously whisk the egg yolk in the small metal bowl over the boiling water. It will begin to thicken after about 30-45 seconds- remove from the heat BEFORE it starts to clump and look like scrambled egg. Slowly, spoonful by spoonful, whisk the clarified butter into the egg yolk until all has been incorporated. If you rush this process (ie add too much butter at once) the sauce will separate. When all of the butter is incorporated, you should have a mayonnaise-like consistency. Now add the lemon juice and pinch of salt. Voila. Perfect hollandaise for two people.

Toss your muffins in the toaster. Bring the pot of water you used for the sauce back to the boil and add 1 tbsp of vinegar. Crack the remaining 4 eggs into the boiling water and poach for 2 1/2 minutes for soft, 3 mins for medium (I prefer medium) and 4 mins for hard.

Assemble the eggs benny as follows: one half toasted muffin, one piece of lox, one poached egg, hollandaise, sprinkle of capers. If you don't enjoy this, I simply don't know what will please you!

The Prince Returns

2010-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

O-M-G... he's back! The Prince is back and I didn't even have a pen handy for his autograph! At least I had some paper bags and a knife to cut him down and bring him home with me.

What am I talking about? The prince of mushrooms: agaricus augustus. He has been good to me this season, showing up unannounced in abundance, carrying gifts of sweet almond perfume and delicious dinner dates. The best thing I ever did with this mushroom is very pitifully represented by my lame photos of the meal, so don't let the image fool you! This is an incredible recipe that you must try if you ever get your hands on this royalty.

Almond Mushroom Heaven

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts

1 tbsp garam masala curry powder

salt and pepper

5 almond mushrooms

2 tbsp unsalted butter or oil

1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 can coconut cream

First, cut the chicken into appropriate pieces (I cut mine into manageable strips so they'd cook quickly but still feel meaty). Rub with salt and pepper and curry powder. Sautee in 1 tbsp of butter until cooked through, remove from pan, and set aside.

Next, clean (by wiping, not wetting!!) and slice the mushrooms. Sautee in the chicken pan with remaining 1 tbsp of butter until a lot of liquid is leached from mushrooms and they are tender but firm. Remove shrooms from the pan but keep the heat going until the liquid almond essence is almost dry.

At this point there should be some juice pooling under the cooked chicken. Add this juice along with the chicken stock and cook down again until almost dry or syrupy (about 15 minutes on high heat).

Now you'll have an amazing concentration of flavour in your pan. Add the coconut milk, stir until well combined, then toss the cooked chicken and mushrooms back in. Heat through and serve over butternut squash or pasta.

Matsutake Miso Soup

2010-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's cold outside. I think you should make this matsutake miso soup to make you feel better. Worked for me. If you don't have matsutake, use shitake or enoki.

Mmmatsutake Miso Soup

Ingredients:
1 matsutake button (baby), sliced very thin
2 tbsp miso paste (I like the organic red stuff)
1 chive flower or chopped green onions
1/3 cup cubed medium tofu
1/3 cup kale, chopped like chiffonade
5 cups water
A few drops of sesame oil

Bring water and miso paste to the boil. Toss in kale, tofu, mushrooms and simmer 3 minutes. Serve garnished with chive flower and a few drops of sesame oil. Eat it and feel better.

(matsutake mushrooms fresh from the forest)

Sheepish Return...

2010-11-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

To everyone who likes my blog and has been disappointed to my lack of posting: SORRY! I've been busy studying mushrooms, critical theory, and leanring how to help manage a restaurant. There's been a lot on my plate, though I have managed a bit of clowning around here and there...

I am not going to bombard you with a long diatribe about the ins and outs of what's new. Instead here are some photos that can fill you in.

I'll be posting soon, I promise!

Marinated Mushroom Salad

2010-06-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Boletus Chrysenteron

During the spring I am often overwhelmed with the amount of gardening that my ambitions lead me to do. While it is incredibly rewarding to tame crops, it is unfortunate that most of my spring time is spent in my backyard instead of in the wild- especially when there is spring royalty to find after all the rain. I was lucky enough to have the past two days off from work. The first was dedicated to the garden and the next day was in the forest where I found some edible boletes like the one pictured above.

Another thing I've been finding is that I have a lot of material to write about, especially pertaining to the garden, however I haven't always had my camera with me while working out in White Rock or while weeding in the rain. Quality pictures are half the battle when trying to gain readership and posting blogs without photos is no fun. So, please excuse my scant posting this and last month as I simply haven't had quality material to share with you.

I ended up with quite a haul of boletes from my neighbours yard in addition to what I found under hemlocks. I decided to make a pickled mushroom salad since I've been addicted to pickled mushrooms ever since I found them in the olive bar at Safeway (seriously). If you are blessed enough to be stuck with a bounty of quality button mushrooms of any sort, I highly suggest this recipe. The finished product is an excellent addition to any antipasto, salad, or charcuterie.

Marinated Mushroom Salad

Ingredients:

1 pint button mushrooms (any kind will do) or sliced large mushrooms

1 small red pepper

1 bunch mixed herbs

1/3 cup olive oil (not extra virgin as it is too strongly flavoured)

Brine

2 cups white wine vinegar

1 cup water

1 tbsp sea salt

3 bay leaves

3 cloves of garlic

Directions:

Bring the brine to a boil. Add the mushrooms and cook through- about 7 minutes depending on the type and texture. Add red pepper for the last 3 minutes. Remove from the brine and pack into a sterilized pint jar, layering with fresh herbs. Spoon brine over the top to fill the pint jar halfway then top up with the olive oil. Close the lid tightly. Use the mushrooms within a few weeks. If you would rather pickle them for extended storage, cover them entirely with brine and then add only a slight amount of olive oil on the top, then seal the jars properly using a hot water canner or pressure canner. When storing this way, toss the mushrooms with olive oil prior to serving to cut the sharpness of the vinegar.

A Bake-In

2010-06-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

Is it actually June in Vancouver, or still Mayvember? What's with all the dreary storm clouds and icy winds? Sure, it's mundane to complain about the weather, but a gardener's gotta vent once in awhile. My peas and chard are happy but my broccoli's bolting, my tomatoes are molting, and there's no way my zucchini will bear early fruit.

To placate my somber mood, I've committed to staying in and baking all day. For breakfast I made sage and cheddar biscuits that were so moist and fluffy that I had to eat two. It was a pretty simple recipe and the perfect amount for two or three people.

Cheddar and Sage Biscuits (adapted from the Rocky Mountain Cookbook)

1.5 cups of unbleached white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup all vegetable shortening
1/2 cup almond milk (or any other unsweetened milk) plus an extra 1 tbsp if necessary
1/2 tsp each fresh thyme and sage
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I always use organic, extra-old white cheddar)
1 egg yolk, beaten

If you wanted to make this recipe vegan, omit the egg yolk and substitute the cheddar for daiya vegan cheddar cheese. Preheat the oven to 425. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the vegetable shortening in with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles a coarse meal. Combine with the cheese and herbs and slowly and gently add the milk until the dough comes together. If necessary add extra milk but do not over work the dough. Roll the dough onto a floured surface to a thickness of about 2/3 an inch. Put onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with egg wash if desired (a little almond milk may help add some sheen instead). Bake for about 20 minutes or until the biscuits are fluffy and golden brown.

Next was some medicine for the grumpiness- sinful black bottom cookies- so rich and naughty that they could cure any bad mood. They take some patience, which was difficult to muster, but I managed to work it out enough to make 36 cookies. The taste was... whoa.

Superfluous Black-bottom cookies

Topping
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese
2 small eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp real vanilla

Base
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp real vanilla
1/4 tsp walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix the ingredients for the topping until very smooth. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a sauce pan over very low heat, melt the butter and half of the chocolate. Allow to cool until lukewarm. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs and vanilla then slowly mix in the melted chocolate and butter. Gradually add in the dry ingredients until everything is well-distributed and thick. Fold in the remaining chocolate chunks. Allow the batter to sit for about 20 minutes so that the chocolate has time to set. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 F.

On a well-greased baking sheet, spoon out small portions of the chocolate batter and make a large well in the centre. Top with the cream cheese mixture and if desired, some nuts or additional chocolate chunks. Make sure you space the cookies 2 inches apart as they will spread out. Bake about 15 minutes or until the cream cheese sets. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and separate layers of cookies with wax or parchment paper (the cream cheese is sticky!). These are finicky little cookies, but they taste like fudgey, cheesey heaven.

Wild Ginger Marmalade

2010-05-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get a little bit ahead of myself. After discovering a mulch morel last month I started thinking it might be time to camp out in search of forest morels. Clearly, I was wrong, as they're just starting to fruit this week in BC. I did find quite a few other things that satisfied my forage cravings, including the ever-glorious lady fern fiddlehead which I pickled. I also found some sweet beach strawberries in bloom (above) and wild currants (below). What I was most excited about, however, was the wild ginger I discovered overtaking a pile of leaves under a deciduous canopy.

Not only is this plant edible and mildly ginger-tasting, it is also beautiful and bountiful- competing with the prolific Northwest Bleeding Hearts that tend to own the deciduous forest floor. Its flowers are like little, rounded cups with exaggerated petals that resemble a flamboyant, purple, three-pronged mustache.

Making sure to pick in areas where the ginger was plentiful and not protected by BC Parks, I collected enough to make a pint of wild ginger marmalade. The recipe was completely improvised, though based loosely on an orange marmalade, substituting about half of the rind for wild ginger (though I didn't blanch the ginger with the rind as its already quite mild). Unfortunately, due to the aloof nature of the recipe, I also didn't take any photos of the finished product.

Dandelion Dance-off

2010-04-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have talked at length about the importance of Dandelions and how healthful and useful they are despite their label as a weed. Right now they are in huge supply and I think I should give you some inspiration to make use of this protein-packed, blood purifying product. I use it to make burgers, muffins, I fry it covered in tempura, use the leaves and petals in salad, roast and grind the root for coffee, and I sweeten and ferment the pollen-filled flowers to make wine. The bitter greens are less bitter when you pick them from plants that don't have flowers in bloom. Steep the greens to make a detoxifying tea for sore stomachs or hangovers. Toss greens in salads, wilt them like spinach, add to soups and stocks, etc. Pulling the plant out of the ground often produces a large root which you can clean, roast, then grind to make a coffee-like concoction. My favourite part of the lion, though, is its mane: the flower. I especially like to add the flower petals to quinoa cornbread pancakes and burger patties, but making wine out of them is especially cool.

At this exact moment the intoxicating fragrance of honey is filling my house while I steep the flowers with star anise and citrus. Have I piqued your interest? Here's the recipe: relatively simple but time consuming and requiring at least 6 months of ageing. Double it if you want a bigger yield, but note that 1 packet of Red Star Yeast is enough for a 5-gallon batch so doubling the yeast isn't really necessary.

Dandy Wine

Ingredients
16 cups of fresh dandelion flowers, trimmed of all stem and bitter parts (a bit of green sheath is ok)
1 Gallon Purified Water
5 cups white sugar
1 orange
1 lemon
1 blood orange
1 star anise
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup unsulphured, dried apricots
1 pkg Red Star yeast and yeast nutrient

Equipment
Clean, large, food grade bucket
A glass carboy
An airlock
A siphon
A funnel
A mesh strainer or cheese cloth
Wine bottles, corks, a hand corker.
Large pot

Day One
Collect some dandelion flowers and trim of all bitter bits ( like the stem and leaves). A little bit of the green sheath is okay, but in the end they should look like the photo above. Boil one gallon of water and pour over the flowers. Cover tightly and allow to cool and steep for two days.

Day Three
At this point, we must enrich the mash with some aromatics as well as some sugar for the yeast to convert to alcohol. I used a star anise and *very thinly peeled* rind of a lemon, orange, and blood orange. I brought the mixture to a boil and allowed to simmer for one hour to bring out the flavour of the aromatics. Next, I add the sugar and mix until all is dissolved. At this point I also add the dried fruit to give the wine some body. I pour this mixture into a primary fermentation bucket and allow to cool. Then I toss in the pulp and juice of the citrus that I peeled, taking care to remove any white pith. The last step for today is to pitch the yeast into the fully cooled dandy mash. Store the bucket in a warm place (like near a heating vent) to aid the fermentation process.

Day Six
Strain the mash into a sanitized secondary fermentation vessel- like a glass carboy. Fix an airlock at the top of the carboy and allow to ferment until the wine clears and the sediment has fallen to the bottom. This amount of time really depends on warmth, yeast, and sugar so the timing varies. Once it has cleared, siphon your wine to another santized container, get rid of the sediment that has been left at the bottom of the carboy, and return the wine to the carboy. Dandelion wine really benefits from a lot of siphoning, so if you've got the time to invest, siphon again after a few weeks.

After Siphoning
When you have siphoned the wine, leave the carboy until the fermentation has completely stopped. You'll know it's complete when the airlock stops bubbling. Next, siphon a second time then move the carboy into a cool dry place to age for two months.

Two Months Later...
Siphon and rack the wine (put into bottles). Make sure each bottle is sealed very well. Store in a cool, dry place for at least 4 more months, but remember that the flavour will improve vastly if allowed a year to age.

Something that I've learned from brewing, gardening, cooking and foraging is patience. Don't rush this wine- there are plenty of others around- in liquor stores, friends' cellars, and in restaurants. This one is worth the wait. Blackberry wine, on the other hand, tastes great pretty much immediately after fermentation stops, so if you're the antsy type, check out my recipe.

Spring Sprout and Shoot Salad

2010-04-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing is sweeter than the first shoots of spring- baby kale, arugula flowers, young garlic, asparagus spears... the list goes on and on. Nearly any food when eaten young is a tender, delicious morsel- spring lamb and veal are the supplest of meats; and ferns can only be eaten in their embryonic state. In order to celebrate spring, indulge yourself in the highly nutritious and delicious sprouts and shoots of this season. Keep these treats as close to raw as possible, so that you can fully appreciate their natural flavour.

One of my favourite ways to eat spring vegetables is by making a Spring Sprout and Shoot Salad- I like to call it "Sproot Salad". Today my garden provided me with some baby russian red garlic as well as asparagus, green and red kale, broccoli, red cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai-lan shoots. The best way to eat these veggies is to treat them like broccolini: allow them to develop flower heads but before the flowers open, pluck them along with the tender part of the stem for salads, stirfries, and steamed side dishes. Here's the Sproot Salad laydown:

Ingredients
Handful of buds from: red cabbage, gai-lan, kohlrabi, kale, and broccoli
Handful of asparagus
2 Spring onions (or baby garlic if you've got it)
A few torn leaves of basil
Apple Cider Vinegar
Good Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Sprouted Seeds (radish are the best)

Directions
Leave the flower shoots whole while slicing asparagus on a bias (see photo). Boil some salted water and blanch the shoots and spears for about 1.5 mins. Strain and shock immediately with cold water. Arrange on a plate with basil, radish sprouts, and sliced spring onions. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, and season to taste.

Easter Hunting for Foragers

2010-04-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of making dandelion wine (which I'll expand on in a later post) and realized that the packets of Red Star Wine Yeast I thought I had are MIA. So, I spent most of this Easter Sunday on a hunt for wine yeast, which was to no avail. My dandy mash will have to wait in the fridge until this holiday is over and brew stores re-open. In the meantime, while I was walking to a brewstore that proved to be closed, I came across a gigantic Morchella Elata, or morel mushroom beside some pennywort and yet another edible fungus, Auricularia Judae or Jew's Ear. Without the missing yeast, I would never have come across this magnificent mushroom. I really felt like I'd just found the Easter Egg jackpot.

I also found some kind of cress that tastes really spicy and delicious. Currently trying to ID it, but the mustard family is vast. I think it may be early winter cress.

April's Featured Wine

2010-04-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Since I boast to being all "into booze," I've decided it would be a good idea to start introducing a monthly wine favourite. I might also do a monthly beer feature, but I'll leave that to being flexible. It would be great to get some suggestions and feedback from people who read the blog, too.

This month's wine favourite has a bit of a backstory and is alreadly slightly glorified because of an article in Taste Magazine, the BC Liquor Store's creative way of advertising. It's from Calona Vineyards, making it a BC wine, and it is made from a unique grape: the Sovereign Opal. I really like what Gismondi has to say about it. The reason the Opal is my favourite this month is really because of my boss at the Wallflower Modern Diner. She was looking for a good BC white for under 15 dollars and it was the first one that popped into my head. Plus, the flavours are light and fresh which makes me feel like it is perfect for spring. To top it all off, Calona Vineyards features different art on their labels, which makes the bottles a pleasure to look at and creates an industry for the artist.

And a quick note about the Wallflower while we're on the subject: we will be featuring a comprehensive gluten-free as well as a separate vegan menu in the near future. Isn't that awesome?!

Glorified Highballin' and Creamed Nettles

2010-03-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

Loose and fertile soil makes for stiff muscles, but it feels so good. I have been very serious about gardening this spring. This means I haven't been out to the wild spots very often, but I don't mind too much. There is a lot to be said for creating paradise in your own backyard. And besides, I've been taming the wild while working on my garden projects- coming across beautiful nettles and insane himalayan blackberry bushes. Instead of just hacking away the nettles I collected and cooked them, then combined them with my ricotta gnocchi to make a beautiful and delicious dish. To pair with this fresh and comforting lunch, I shook up a glorified highball with cucumber and lemon. Here's the recipe.

Make the highball first to wet your palate. I used a peeler to slice cucumber very thin, then added two thin slices of lemon, ice cubes, a shot of vodka, and some soda. I muddled to my liking and drank this refreshing and light beverage with gusto.

Ricotta Gnocchi in Creamed Nettles
Ingredients:
1/3 shopping bag fresh nettles
3 shallots
2 tbsp butter
1/3 c cream

1/4 cup grated parm

Salt and Pepper
Chives and parmesan for garnish
PLUS:1 handful per person of gnocchi (for the recipe click here)

Directions:
Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in the nettles and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove nettles from the water which we will reserve for cooking the gnocchi. Blend the nettles well and put aside. Next, gently sautee the well-chopped shallots in the butter until they're very soft (about 10 minutes). Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the cream coats the back of a spoon (about 2 minutes) then add the grated parmesan and blended nettles. Allow to simmer while you cook the gnocchi for about 4 minutes in the reserved nettle water. If you're using frozen gnocchi, cook for about 2 minutes longer.

I really like saucy pasta, so first I ladle some of the creamed nettles onto a serving dish then I top with the pasta, more sauce, and the garnish.

Chocolate Gravy

2010-03-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

"This," the waiter announces, "is our raw Atlantic sword-fish served in a dark chocolate gravy and garnished with fresh mint." "Not again," I say. "Can't you guys come up with something a little less conventional?"

I recently finished Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, and I really enjoyed what he had to say about restaurants in his neighbourhood. I just thought this little tidbit about food would be a tasty morsel for your reading pleasure. Enjoy...

"The diners have all been taken over by precious little bistros boasting a menu of indigenous American cuisine. They call these meals "traditional," yet they're rarely the American dishes I remember. The patty melt has been pushed aside in favor of the herb-encrusted medallions of baby artichoke hearts, which never leave me thinking, Oh, right those! I wonder if they're as good as the ones my mom used to make.
Part of the problem is that we live in the wrong part of town. SoHo is not a macaroni salad kind of place. This is where the world's birghtest young talents come to braise caramelized racks of corn-fed songbirds or offer up their famous knuckle of flash-seared crappie served with a collar of chided ginger and cornered by a tribe of kiln-roasted Chilean toadstools, teased with a warm spray of clarified musk oil. Even when they promise something ismple, they've got to tart it up- the meatloaf has been poached in seawater, or there are figs in the tuna salad. If cooking is an art, I think we're in our Dada phase."
"I've never thought of myself as a particularly finicky eater, but it's hard to be a good sport when each dish seems to include no fewer than a dozen ingredients, each one of which I'm bound to dislike. I'd order the skirt steak with a medley of suffocated peaches, but I'm put off by the aspirin sauce. The sea scallops look good until I'm told they're served in a broth of malt liquor and mummified litchi nuts. What I really want is a cigarette, and I'm always searching the menu in the hope that some courageious young chef has finally recognized tobacco as a vegetable. Bake it, steam it, grill it, or stuff it into littleneck clams. I just need something familiar that I can hold on to."
"When the waiter brings our entrees I have no idea which plate might be mine. In yesterday's restaurants it was possible both to visualize and to recognize your meal. (...) The current food is always arranged into a senseless, vertical tower. No longer content to recline, it now reaches for the sky, much like the high-rise buildings lininr our city streets. It's as if the plates were valuable parcels of land and the chef had purchased one small lot and unlimited air rights."

Although I think he's being a bit cynical, I can't help but giggle at Sedaris' writings about food. Even funnier, though, are his sister Amy's musings about food and entertaining in her book: I Like You: Entertaining Under the Influence. I highly recommend it.

Snow-white Gnocchi

2010-03-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

Apparently it only wants to snow in Vancouver when it's the most contentious. Now that the Olympics are over, and Vancouverites are enjoying the early spring, and we start digging our gardens and planting our summer bulbs... Splat! The typical winter slush arrives, unapologetically late. I guess fresh snow is good for the paralympics, though not quite a fair trade-off for the lack of funding and recognition these world-class athletes deserve- merely a lipservice from Mother Nature.
My intention for today's blog was to talk about a pillowy-soft gnocchi with spring vegetables, but the snow has changed my mind. We'll do the pasta- yes, but let's do a more comforting cream sauce with rich tomato flavours. It's very simple to do, although time consuming.

Snow-White Ricotta Gnocchi

Ingredients
1 tub (about a pound) fresh ricotta
1/2 cup packed parmesan cheese
1.5 cups flour (I used unbleached white wheat flour but I think any kind will do- try rice flour if you're gluten intolerant)
2 tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten

1 tbsp flavouring- this totally depends on what you want the flavour to be. For gnocchi with a rose sauce, browned sage butter with lemon zest is a fabulous addition. Otherwise, herbs, nutmeg, green onions, and the like will work.

Directions:

Depending on the type of ricotta you've got, it may be necessary to get rid of some of its moisture. However, don't use dry or baked ricotta, as it won't have enough moisture. You'll know you have too much moisture if there is a lot of whey at the sides of the tub when you open it. To get rid of the moisture, allow the ricotta to sit over night in a sieve. It's not the end of the world if you don't have time to do this, but it will affect the texture and cheesy flavour of your gnocchi. I actually skipped this step because I didn't notice too much moisture, and the pasta was delicious.

Combine the ricotta, 1 cup of flour, parmesan, the beaten egg, salt, and flavouring. Using your hands, mix until the dough forms a ball. Sprinkle the rest of the flour on a cutting board and knead the dough into it until it is no longer sticky. Divide the dough into small balls and roll into strips. Cut the strips into bite-sized pieces and press into a gnocchi board if desired (see picture).

To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Throw the gnocchi into the water and cook about 3 1/2 minutes. Allow two handfuls of gnocchi for each person as a main or one handful for a side.

I like to fry my gnocchi in some sage butter before adding the components of the sauce because the pasta gets a beautiful, golden brown crust from the cheese. Once all sides are browned, I add 1/4 cup of cream, some of the leftover water from boiling the gnocchi, a handful of parmesan cheese, and 1 tbsp of tomato sauce. Add salt, pepper, and lemon to taste. Top with fresh green herbs like basil or chopped chives. I like to serve it with some salad and maybe a piece of grilled meat.

Starting A Vegetable Garden

2010-03-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

I think it's pretty clear by my posting that I like knowing the origins of my food. That's why gardening is something that I dig- putting my own hard work into my vegetables is a magical, beautiful experience and it's immensely rewarding.

The mild weather this year is inviting me out to the garden and making me realize I need to do some expansion in my own backyard. The homestead in White Rock has plenty of space on which I can do some high-yield planting, but it will also be nice to have a garden in Vancouver where I can share garden space and meals with inner-city friends and family. I'm looking to have a backyard community and while I'm not boasting a large backyard, by using a little bit of creativity and mapping we can fit a lot in. Check out this detailed article on weekendgardener.net about starting your very own garden space. It's easier and more enjoyable than it looks- and a great way to get in shape.

It's important not to start too late or too early on your seeds, but this and last month are good times time to plant onions. I'll be growing shallots, spring onions, pearl onions, 3 kinds of garlic, and sweet onions. Some rogue seeds from last season have already start sprouting, too- like collards, broccoli, kale, and arugula. Sunchokes are also ready for planting. These suckers are so hardy you can almost plant them year-round in our climate. Getting my onions going will be relatively simple. I was able to get my spring onions and garlic in before the winter by mulching heavily to protect them from frost and they've already got healthy shoots. I can't wait for fresh steamed garlic scapes in melted butter! Of course there are also some beautiful flowers that like to be transplanted this month.

Another important consideration for vegetables that grow underground is soil composition. Basically, make sure to clear any large stones that may inhibit their growing space. For this, I found an old window frame to which I stapled some cheap chicken wire. Then, I shovelled my soil onto the secured wire along with some compost. The nutrient-rich compost and soil mix together while the stones are left behind. Once this is done, I create raised rows for root vegetables because they are easier to dig in the fall, and provide warmer, cozier homes for thick, juicy roots during Vancouver's cooler summers.

To clear yourself a patch of garden space, you'll need to get rid of grass. You can pour down chemicals to kill it which, I guess, is easy but I'm not a fan. I prefer to cover the grass with dark plastic or even wood to kill it, then I dig up the clods. Right now I'm digging up grass that hasn't been killed, which is extra work, but if you haven't got 2 weeks to allow the grass to die, it'll have to do. When possible, I like to re-use clods of grass I dig up for other areas of my yard. When I'm re-using the grass, I outline strips with my shovel, then pull the grass up and roll it up so that it's easy to lay down again. If you'll simply be composting the grass, outline sqares to dig up, pile them in a corner of the yard, and cover with a tarp or plastic so that it breaks down.

It's Nettle Time!

2010-03-04T23:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't really had my nettle radar on, but a little stroll in the Granville Island Public market brought me to my senses. The mushroom man was selling nettles by weight! Imagine that. So, I went down to the ravine where my easy-access nettles live and collected some young, fleshy leaves and stems for nettle gomae.

I was happy to see watercress emerging from the mud and some pungent skunk cabbage flowers. The fiddlehead ferns look promising as well, but burdock was by far the most prolific with rosettes populating the muck in huge clusters.

It's not quite time to harvest burdock- fall is best- which I learned the hard way by digging for hours, boiling, then eating what were tasteless if not slightly bitter, gray roots.

In any case, I'm happy to see that my special spots look promising for this year's foraging season. Now to map out the porcini prospects at Vancouver's higher elevations...

Meels' Meals One Year Anniversary

2010-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is February 23rd, exactly one year after my first entry in this blog. I think it has come a long way, and so have I. Looking back at some of my initial blogs, I'm a bit embarrassed. I could barely get my grammar together, let alone post links on a page, or make my blog look appealing. But I don't think these little things were 'wrongs'- they were part of the process, and necessary steps toward the right direction. And I'm still learning so much!

2009 was a year of transformation and connection to nature for me. You may have noticed that even in my photos- there's a lot of me smiling at twigs (see above). Unfortunately, I spent so much time foraging alone in the forest that I didn't have the resources to branch out socially. I'm a firm believer that identity doesn't exist without 'the other' to provide comparison and contrast. Spending time alone in the nature has been wonderful, but I think being in the forest with allies will help me to better understand myself and my connection to nature. Being able to share my knowledge and to learn from others will be even more fulfilling- it will enrich my outdoor experiences with more meaning and memory.

To facilitate community, I've started a few projects. One of them is a slow food club I want to name something like 'origins' or 'scratch'. This is going to be more than the Apple House Potluck: it requires a little more forethought. Starting in March, we'll be heading out on weekends for day-long forages and hikes so we may discover and collect wild foods. At the end of the day we'll make dinner with our bounty and drink lots of homebrew. On top of foraging, we'll be conducting workshops for pickling, fermenting, wine-making, and gardening. I'm also hoping to find some people who hunt so that I can accompany an expedition or simply trade shrooms for meat.

Another project I'm thinking about is a performance-writing guild. Basically a group of people I can hang out with to practice clowning techniques and workshop show ideas. I want the name of the group to resemble something like 'working out the creation muscle'. I want my clown muscles to be really big.

In terms of the blog, I want to take a larger quantity of quality photos and incorporate them into the reading. It not only makes the blog easier to look at, but it can be really helpful in understanding the strange things I like to explain. I want to hone my content into relevant, entertaining, and enlightening morsels and thereby extend my readership. I would also love to get the meelsmeals content into print such as magazines and papers.

I've basically concluded that in order to feel healthy, I need to teach. I love knowledge and when I'm passionate about something, it consumes me. The best way to allow that knowledge to move instead of allowing it to become a consuming, isolating force is to teach what I'm learning. So, I think it's necessary for me to thank whoever is reading, because you're helping me branch out!

Homegrown Hops

2010-02-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

You may remember some musing about gorgeous wild hops I found over the summer. Well, this year I am determined to grow my own. I collected some hop flowers and their seeds as soon as I found the plants, with the intention of planting and growing them this season. As it turns out, hop seeds can be finicky and take two years of establishment before they will actually produce the flowers that we use to flavour beer. This is too long to wait- I want this summer to be a homebrew extravaganza. So, I took it upon myself to re-visit the places where I saw wild hops growing and dig up some production-ready rhizomes for planting at home.

To my delight, I was actually able to pinpoint a skeleton of a hop plant from the summer which had engulfed a tenacious himalayan black berry vine. It really goes to show you how determined hops are! And although it's as early as February, there were small hop plants growing out of the parent rhizome of last season's skeleton. Many of the leaves were poking up through the gravelled path, so I dug into it with my fingers until I was able to pull out chunks of the long, fleshy root. It's funny to think that the plant that I find so useful would eventually be trimmed down by the city in order to preserve the walking path.

Unfortunately I had to work this evening, so didn't have enough time to plant the rhizomes straight-away. I stashed the hop roots, along with some periwinkle and climbing english ivy rhizomes, in a bucket with fresh potting soil. I'll plant the hops tomorrow morning, and hopefully by the summer they will be climbing my stairs and onto my patio.

I hope it's not too nerdy to say that I'm really excited :-D

Yin-Yang PoonTang Oysters

2010-02-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is a Valentine's Day dish that requires some effort, but is worth it for the results. Be warned this recipe includes raw oysters, something that requires "balls" to enjoy and an understanding of the art of culin-ningus. I mean to say, the culinary proficiency at slurping raw oysters.

OH- and please excuse the dark photos. Unfortunately restaurants don't have the best lighting.

Oysters are in season right now, and there is a wide array of availability, especially here in BC. Normally I try to stick with what's local, but part of the fun of oysters is sampling all the boutique specialties so you can guess which is which, and what their flavour profiles are. It's like drinking wine or scotch, and just as slurpy.

While we're on the topic of wine- make sure you've got a good white wine to go along with this recipe. Smoking Loon Viogner and Calona Vineyards Sovereign Opal work well in my opinion- but I like fruity wines with cucumber-apple-tasting oysters (like kusshis from BC). It's all very subjective. A dry Riesling, Pinot Grigio or The Road 13 white (which I think is a blend) are also big favourites of mine. A nice thing to do is to try 2 or 3 different types of wine with each oyster, but it's your call. How decadent will Valentine's Day Dinner be? And what are the rewards of such decadence? And... how far can you stretch your budget?

Yin-Yang PoonTang Oysters

This is a recipe for oysters two ways: one raw- almost caesar-style, the other baked- similar to oyster sabayon or rockefeller, but with a japanese twist. For the Yin (raw) oysters, try to find shellfish that are small, very fresh, and delicious. For the Yang (cooked) oysters, use large beach varieties like Fanny Bay beach oysters. Beach oysters are also easy to find wild if you've got the time and know-how.

Ingredients:

6 small oysters
4 large beach oysters

Ice

Oyster shucking knife or sturdy paring knife

Yin Sauce
1/2 oz vodka

lime wedge- juice of

6 dashes tabasco

1 tsp grated fresh horseradish

1 oz clamato

1 diced shallot

2 dashes worcestershire sauce

fresh cracked pepper

sea salt

Yang Sauce: My version of Oyster Motoyaki

2 shiitake mushrooms, cooked

1/4 cup wilted spinach

2 spring onions, chopped

4 lemon wedges

1/3 cup japanese mayonnaise

1 tbsp miso paste
1 oz sake

Directions
Scrub oysters well, removing all impurities. Shuck oysters in such a way that the meat rests in the rounded, lower shells and very little of the oyster liquor (the juice) spills. Remove any shards of shell. Click here for more information on shucking and choosing oysters. Discard the flat, upper shell. Rest shucked oysters on a bed of ice until needed.

Start the Yang sauce first, as the yins can be done while the yangs are broiling. Combine the mayo, miso, and sake. Take the large beach oysters and tuck the mushrooms, onion, and spinach underneath the meat. Top with the mayo sauce and broil at 400 for about 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

While the yangs are broiling, combine the yin ingredients in a martini shaker and shake with ice. Pour over 4 of the small, shucked oysters, leaving two to eat plain. If desired, you can put the 4 yin oysters in shot glasses and cover with the sauce- making them into oyster shooters.

Serve the yang oysters with lemon wedges and the yin on a bed of ice. To complete the meal, make a salad or chowder. The simpler the side dish, the better in order to balance out the hard work of shucking oysters. This meal will be rewarded with a flush of zinc from the oysters, which contributes to healthy sex organs...

Chapter One: The Tip of the Cookbook Iceberg

2010-02-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

As you may imagine, there are a number of ways to go about writing and publishing. Even a close friend of mine recently published a photo album to give to relatives for Christmas and did it all online, paying a minimal binding and postage fee. She simply compiled the photos and sent them via email in clusters that would represent each page. The online company then put the physical books together and mailed them to her. Clearly, I want to do something a little bit larger-scale. I want to have a well-researched piece of work: something that combines food with meaning without being too wordy. Something that looks handmade but will sell more copies than handmaking can handle. I always remember that we eat with our eyes first, so I'd like to make the book very visually appealing: well-spaced, lovely photos, and relevant content. I don't just want photos of food, either; I want gardens, forests, plants, and vegetables everywhere. How about the photo above for the opening page?

The number one thing I have to remember throughout this process is that I really want it to happen. My mantra has to be: I will write and publish a book, and it will be successful. I know that the information I have to offer is rich, unique, thoughtful, and appealing to readers. Slow food is a movement that is creeping up on the world like a million snails, waiting to be eaten. I know that as people's consciousness of the movement increases, so will interest for my ideas. But staying on track is the hardest thing because writing a book takes hundreds of hours. Editing and organizing take more. Publishing, more; advertising and selling, most. There are a lot of distractions that come up in 10,000 hours. It's hard to know where to begin!

There are a few steps I'll be taking to ensure my success, and I need people to help. Once I've finished compiling my recipes, I should test them out- the measurements will have to be tweaked and how people like them will determine what will actually go in the book. I also want to embed my recipes with meaning, including well-written anecdotes and entertaining stories about the circumstances and feelings that go into each of my dishes. I want people to understand the origins of cameal's food from start to finish. However, it does need to be concise and relevant. In order to get a food panel, I'll be starting a bi-monthly dinner in the fall to showcase my recipes and get feedback.
I need a timeline: when will I be done writing recipes? When will each chapter be complete? How will I organize the book and what are its main themes? How much should I say/not say about food?

Also: what is a title that will intrigue people while staying true to the meaning of the book?

Chapter One in my process means I'm still in the brainstorming stage, but in terms of sections in the book, there will be a chapter on foraging, a chapter on my food philosophy, and a chapter for each type of dish and method of cooking (dessert, soup, meat, pickling, fermenting, etc). I would like to have extensive appendixes on foraged ingredients, gardening, cooking methods, and recipes. Lastly, I would like to have a very-well researched and thoughtful product, chock full with suggested further reading for those interested.

It's a lot. Sometimes it feels like I'm at the base of a cliff looking up at what I want to accomplish. I need to tone my will into shape. Climbing the cliff isn't a physical feat; it's mental. I know I will accomplish this. I will write and publish a successful book. I will write and publish a successful book. I will write and publish a successful book. etc (hehe)

Spring Seduction

2010-01-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

I can feel spring a-comin'. The saffron-bearing crocuses are poking their delicate, colourful petals through the water-logged earth here in Vancouver. I can hear the bluebells in the distance: their bulbs are bearing dark green leaves. Hyacinths are threatening to release their intoxicating scent with clusters of lightly coloured buds. Hellebore is proud and graceful this month, while garlic curiously sprouts out of my garden plot. Primula is princely. The nipples of spring are early-blooming flowers. But wait: it's still January?

I just can't wait to get out into the garden, but I have to make sure I don't get ahead of myself. Starting outdoor plants too early can be disastrous. I know this by simply gazing at my indoor plants: they're all sad; thirsty for light while ironically over-watered. They suffered an exceptionally cold winter because of a conscious decision not to use the furnace heat for environmental and financial reasons. I think that next winter I'll opt to pay the terasen bill in exchange for healthier plants. Yes, I'll be putting more thought into over-wintering my leafy friends.

For now, I have limited my garden work to soil preparation, since frost isn't such a happening thing in Vancouver right now. I'm expanding my backyard garden and picking out stones for healthy root vegetables. I'm enriching the earth with compost and coffee. At the acreage in White Rock, I'll be killing grass and dumping sand for a larger, drier plot.

To humour my flower fetish I've been transplanting daffodil, hyacinth, iris, monkeyflower, and primula into planters for my patio. I've been uncovering my mulched bulbs like the bleeding heart below, just so I can get excited about the miniscule awakenings of my plants. I've also been windowsill gardening- that is, sprouting mung, radish, and lentils for salads and stirfry (see the sprouts above)

Sigh- Vancouver's mild winters are wonderful.

Hippie Stereotype Party

2010-01-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit annoyed with hippie stereotypes. People get 'all up in my grill' about my feather earrings and hairy armpits, summing me up with oversimplified terms like 'granola', or 'hippie'. I don't always have hairy armpits. I don't always wear feathers. I don't always eat from dumpsters and I'm not necessarily a freegan. In my opinion, there's nothing remarkably bad about these labels, but what irks me is the propensity to think a person has an innate essence that can be summed up in one term. I believe we're in a state of becoming; if there is one umbrella trait of humans, it's that we are dynamic and complex. So get off my back!

In the vein of oversimplified stereotypes, I've decided to host a hippie stereotype party at my home. Nothing fancy, just good-old-fashioned peace and love. I've done a bit of research on hippiedom and found some very amusing stuff. Apparently the diet of the hippie consists of veggie burritos and chinese food. Or maybe it's limited to organic-sprouted-raw-non-gmo-local-vegan-gluten-free-food. Do hippies spend money on food, or do they grow all of their own? What is a hippie's fundamental belief system? What blood type do hippies have? Forums on hippie identity are hilarious.

I'm planning a few games, including pin-the-tail-on-the-fascist, collective mural painting, a woodstacking competition, and name that beatles tune. The party will, of course, be a potluck, and I'm including an old-time favourite: scalloped potatoes. Something I will concede to is that hippies were founded in the 60s and 70s; a time when such a dish would have been an honoured staple at community dinners.

I think everyone has their own style of scalloped potatoes, and here's mine. Let's keep this recipe robust and use eyeball measurements, for the sake of hippie organized chaos.

1) Slice about 4 waxy potatoes thinly (I used yukon gold and red-skin). Store in water until ready to use.
2) Slice a couple leeks and a red pepper. Cut up a handful of chunks of cheddar cheese. Grab a bunch of dill.
3) Layer as such in a buttered casserole dish: potato, salt and pepper, leek and red pepper, dill, cheese. (see below)

4) Sprinkle flour and butter over the top. Pour some milk over the whole dish. Bake for about 1.5 hours at 400*.

5) Give thanks to all your spirit guides and share the love with friends and family.

Namaste,

Chamomile

What's in Season?

2010-01-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

As a person who likes to garden, forage, and eat what's in season, winter can be sort of... disappointing. But it doesn't have to be- I recently traded a day's worth of yardwork for a deep freezer, got a working food dehydrator, and am in search of a cheap/free vacuum sealer. These tools will help me preserve my in-season goods without having to always taint their flavour by pickling or fermenting (though I do enjoy a good pickle and glass of wine).

At the same time, a fresh salad is something that I will forever crave, no matter where I am, in whatever season. Here's a short list of what's in season in Vancouver right now- and a few recipes to boot.

(Root Veggies From My Garden- TODAY)

My Garden

-carrots, sunchokes, parsnips, potatoes, kale, kale, kale (seriously), cabbage, radishes, kohlrabi, turnips, arugula (I guess it's been a mild month?), broccoli, broad beans (fava), brussel sprouts, chard, collard greens, beets, peppercress, and fennel.

Farmer's Market- not including what I already have in my garden...

-winter squash, mushrooms (mostly grown indoors), cauliflower, celery, sweet potatoes, bok choy, leeks, radicchio, garlic, apples. Please checkout Edible Vancouver for excellent in-season foods and recipes.

The Sea- what's in season in BC for the fisherperson.
-wild spot prawns, raw oysters (my favourite), scallops, wild mussels and clams, wild chinook salmon, and wild trout.

I'm not sure what's in season for the hunter, but I know that dairy products, emu, beef, chicken, eggs, duck, lamb, pork and turkey are all available direct from the farm during December.

Speaking of animal products- I don't want to condemn or condone either vegetarianism or omnivorism, but I do want to emphasize that eating meat is a choice. And if we do choose to eat it, then varying the type of meat we eat and sticking to products that are local, non-medicated, and free-range is generally better for the world. If you are a heavy beef eater try emu, elk, caribou, venison, lamb, or even duck once in awhile. They're generally a more earth-friendly choice. If I eat chicken, I always buy non-medicated and free-range chicken, and I try to switch it up with turkey and pork (free-range non-medicated pork tenderloin is an excellent chicken breast replacement). Also, eggs can come from any bird! Try duck eggs or quail eggs once in awhile. Another good way to get meat is to get it for free or cheap. Ask your hunter friends if they will trade or sell you some meat for cheap. See if your farming/gardening friends will trade goods for labour. Go on fishing trips (but don't forget your license!). Dumpster dive. Forage. Use your freezer and dehydrator (or in the summer, just let things dry in the sun). Use your brain. Talk to your grandparents about how they ate in the old days and get their recipe for the most delicious canned peaches you'll ever taste.

After writing this post I'm feeling a bit better about winter. I spent an hour outside in 8*C- during a typical Vancouver Winter Rain, digging up parsnips and carrots for a stew. Luckily I'm not somewhere colder where there are absolutely no fresh local vegetables available except those buried under snow and permafrost. I don't know if I would be willing to put up with preserved vegetables for a whole 4 months. I guess I'm spoiled by this mild climate.

It was incredibly satisfying to dig through the mud for tonight's dinner. The dirt on my face says it all.

Mom and Dad's Grown-Up Mac N Cheese

2010-01-09T12:55:00.001-08:00

When I was growing up, my parents would make this as a family meal, omitting the veggies for the kids until we demanded that they share (that shows what culinary taste we kids had). Eventually all of us were eating it with veggies except the youngest, who to this day won't take them. It's just as nostalgic for me as turkey dinner, without 6 hours of basting.

At First Ravioli store on Commercial Drive, they say that about 200 g of fresh pasta will feed one person. I disagree. I think that 125 g will feed one person- because I pile on the veggies to fill out the dish. Anyway, use your discretion, and as with all my recipes, feel free to experiment.

Simple, comforting, and colourful: I love this meal.

Mom and Dad's Pasta
Ingredients

1 small zucchini

1 small red pepper

1 leek

5 mushrooms

olive oil

2.5 tbsp butter

1.5 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 tbsp mustard (i like polish but any kind will do)

350g FRESH spinach fettucine

salt and pepper

Start by slicing zucchini, leeks, and peppers into strips. Slice the mushrooms. Coat a fry pan with olive oil and throw in the veggies, turning heat to med-hi. Season with salt and pepper. Keep an eye on the vegetables while completing the next two steps.

Melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Allow to bubble about 2 mins to bind the flour and fat together. Slowly add the milk- it helps to preheat the milk so that the sauce will be very smooth, but if you are rigorous with whisking, this step shouldn't matter. Once all milk has been incorporated, simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Add the mustard, cheese and salt and pepper. A flour and fat mixture used to thicken a sauce is called a roux. This is what we're doing: making a roux-based cheddar cheese sauce. Not very Italian, but it really works.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and toss in the pasta, making sure it has all been unstuck from itself. Boil vigorously for about 4 mins. Strain, reserving some liquid and add back to the pot. Toss in olive oil or butter and salt and pepper.

At this point all your components should be ready. Compile as such: pasta, cheese sauce, then veggies. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and parmesean if desired.

This recipe plus caesar salad and garlic bread fed 4 people easily.

Merry Consumermas

2009-12-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

Each year when Christmas comes round' I find my stress level increasing. I always feel like there is so much to do and so little time... I've got to work more so I can afford to take time off and pay for presents and I've got to hang out with all of my loved ones and I've got to go shopping. Oh, Holy Shopping! The act of Christmas shopping turns the purchasing of objects into an accomplishment that is supposed to be emotionally rewarding (or simply emotionally disappointing if not completed successfully). I am not necessarily for or against this- because, as you may all know, I am a hedonist and if it feels good, do it. But I still think it's important to be critical of what we're doing and to acknowledge what we are participating in. For many the meaning of Christmas is oppression: people who can't live up to the materialistic demands of today's Christmas, and for some people who don't celebrate Christmas. For me the celebration of this holiday is not about Christ, it's about coming together with the family- actually making them a priority- and cooking and consuming delicious food.

This year my goal has been to avoid buying anything that is "faceless;" basically if I don't know who made it, I won't give it as a gift. I want to embed my gifts with meaning and I don't want to add to Vancouver's huge landfill. No paperweights or outdated macrame owls. No portable electronics for technology-addicted teenagers on family road trips. I want to give useful, beautiful, personal gifts and that is an incredibly challenging task. At the same time, I don't want to put too much weight on gift-giving because it is very easy to fail at perfect gifts for everyone. My solution is this: to make things that are consumable. Wine, sweets, crackers, even cookbooks, or homemade jewelry (though that is pretty easy to screw up with all the varied tastes people have) fall under this category. Potted plants work, too.

I hope that all my readers have a joyful holiday despite the materialistic pressures. I've definitely hit some bumps in the road this month because of the increased stress, but have had some great times with family in spite of it. Merry Consumermas!

Comfort Food

2009-12-03T22:24:00.000-08:00

Now that it's officially December I am finally submitting to winter. Vancouver has had an incredibly long fall, which was wonderful: the first half was almost a play on an extended summer, and the second was rain, rain, rain (which meant mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms). I enjoyed the season thoroughly. But now that my mushroom hunts are pretty much over for the season, I'm gravitating toward cooking more to help develop my winter insulation (aka, I'm getting pudgy). My focus is on richly-flavoured comfort food that will stick to my gut and fuel me throughout the day. Comfort food that takes some effort to prepare can last me all day which makes the effort worth it.

Another visit to Value Village is in order so I can find a crock pot. This is the most difficult part of the project- finding a used and working pot. Next, a preparation of winter apples from my backyard and the winter market is required. After which, all I have to do is simmer, simmer, simmer and voila: apple butter from the crock pot. It's vegan, rich, and silky like butter. Mmmm.

This evening I made dough for gingerbread cookies, gingersnaps, amaretto shortbread, flax-cumin crackers, and my favourite seedy, fruity crackers. It was a dough-a-thon! Now my cooking company has vacated and I'm working on candied grapefruit peel from a recipe by Jacques Torres. I'll be including the peels in my homemade chocolate gifts which will accompany the cookies and crackers for which I made the dough. These homemade goodies paired with the right wines will be great gifts for my loved ones. I'm also making feather and turquoise earrings for some of the ladies in my life. Next year I will have enough cider and blackberry wine to feed an army so I'll be able to include homebrew in my gift baskets, which I think is pretty damned exciting.

Another dish that I made this evening was a thick, delicious smoky chipotle seafood stew. I use yams for sweetness and chipotle pepper for some smoky heat. Smoked and fresh seafood basically take care of the rest. Here's the recipe- it is gluten free and can be made lactose free (just omit the cream).

Sweet-and-Smoky Seafood Stew

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion

2 large carrots

3 stalks celery

salt and pepper

1.5 tsp smoked chipotle pepper (dried) or 3 canned adobo chillies with liquid

1 large yam

3 medium waxy potatoes (gold or red- NOT russet)

4 cups fish or other stock

1 can creamed corn

1/2 cup smoked salmon trimmings

1 tin smoked oysters with liquid

1/2 cup raw shrimp

1/2 cup cubed white fish (snapper, cod, halibut or the like)

Optional: finish with cream and fresh cilantro

Directions: Peel and chop the onion, carrots, yam and celery. Sautee in the olive oil, reserving half of the yam for later. Season with salt, pepper, and chipotle. Add the stock and simmer until cooked through. Blend and return to pot. Add the potato and remaining yam- cooking for about 15 minutes. Then add creamed corn, oysters with liquid, fish, and shrimp. Cook about 5 minutes more then serve piping hot with a dollop of cream and fresh cilantro. It's sweet, spicy, smoky, and has a rich seafood flavour that I love.

I was lucky enough to have frozen some liquid from steaming mussels a month ago for the stock. This added a lot of flavour. I also had some cauliflower in the fridge this time, so added a few florets (about four) which I think improved the consistency and flavour, too. Feel free to experiment with this recipe. If you really like the flavour of milk, you can omit half of the stock and replace it with milk or cream.

Beautiful Blewits

2009-11-30T21:35:00.000-08:00

I was down at Granville Island a week or two ago, admiring the beautiful busking boys and the crisp fall weather while being culinarily gratified. The Public Market at Granville Island has been a hub for fresh, gourmet foods for years, and has tapped into the pockets of Vancouver foodies very successfully. The experience has almost always been lovely- fresh smells of baking, fish, herbs, soups, and produce fill the air while the quality of the products are basically unsurpassed in other parts of Vancouver (which explains their high prices). However, I was pretty unnerved at the cost of the scanty chanterelles at every produce stand. I'll submit that it is the end of chantie season, and that those poor little shrooms go through a lot to get from forest to kiosk, but seriously?!? I wish I'd had my camera with me to back up my complaint- but those things were shriveled, soggy, and SAD at 15-25 dollars a pound. Really?! Aaaand matsutakes at 25 dollars EACH. Again, I must submit... I am a mushroom hunter and I find these things in bulk for free. I understand they take a lot of work to collect and keep in pristine shape for the market. But these mushrooms were not pristine. THESE are a pristine chanterelles (I took these photos on a hunt):

Anyway, after all that disappointment, I decided to wander along the creek and admire the old shaggy manes and gymnopilus mushrooms growing out of leaf litter. Then, to my surprise, I spotted some big purple mushrooms that I suspected to be cortinarius alboviolaceus. Even more surprising was my discovery that they were not corts but clitocybe nuda aka BLEWITS. Lovely, fat, violet blewits. They were subject to my lens when I got home, then sauteed and served aside grilled chicken and rice pilaf.

That'll show the kids at the market.

2009-11-18T12:40:00.001-08:00

So many meals, so few blogs! I've been so wrapped up in clowny foraging and feeding... and fleeting, fighting, and fucking (for fantastic spacers) that I haven't had much time to write in the blog. On the other hand, all this time spent in the field means I have a lot to write about. I'm also working on another paper- discussing 'space and the confines of the self'. I'll give you more details another time.
In today's entry I'd like to tie up some mushroom loose ends: the remains of my oyster mushroom recipes. I thought I might end up doing a huge batch of soup with them, since I had so many and figured I'd get sick of them before I could use them up. I was impressed to find discover that they were so delicious that I couldn't get sick of them, so I continued with simple recipes that could really highlight the subtle flavour and texture of cultivated Pleurotus Ostreatus. First of all, I did two different pizzas: 1: (above) a veggie with chard from the garden, pickled artichokes and various veggies. 2: (below) was 1/2 veggie with capicollo and 1/2 mushrooms, olives, onion and capicollo. They were both topped off with cheese and feta.

Following in the vein of Italian, I did a creamy pesto spaghetti with sauteed oyster mushrooms. That kicked ass.
Last, I did a vegan vegetable miso soup highlighted with rice noodles and oyster mushrooms. Fresh, clean, and delicious.

There are so many things we can do with mushrooms. I have a cookbook devoted entirely to them, and I've barely scratched the surface.

The Oyster Mushroom Fairy-Dyke

2009-11-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

L stands for Lesbian, Love, and Len- the Oyster Mushroom Fairy Dyke. This would be so much easier if Len happened to be a gay man because then Fairy would have a dual meaning, but no. Life is much more complicated than that.

Len, the Oyster Mushroom Fairy Dyke aka the Fairy Dyke, sent me a glorious text message this morning asking if I would like some oyster mushrooms fresh off the farm. Naturally, I said YES and this intriguing creature shows up at my door, angular features emphasized by a freshly streamlined head and a giant cluster of oyster mushrooms. Joy, joy, joy! Joy in looking at your face, Fairy Dyke, joy in the bounty you bring me!

First things first- I fry a handful of these bad boys in butter and season with salt and pepper. Perfection in simplicity.

Stay tuned for more Fairy Dyke-inspired recipes...

The Blackberry Fairy Leaves Behind Mushroom Rings

2009-11-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

OK, so the title of this entry is a bit lame, but hear me out. This week has been sensational if you consider what's been going on with my senses.

First off: Halloween. Fun! I went to a party at the Wallflower, where owners Lisa and Matt Hewlett did some wicked fun stuff with food. My favourite was the all-too-disgusting "OB Shooter" which included marshmallows, gunky red jell-o shooter, and a 'string' made of red licorice. If you can't visualize what it was meant to represent, I'm not going to bother telling you. There were also cocktail fingers made of 'Vegetarians' ie. veggie wieners, and mushroom eyeballs. That was great.

Next: Blackberry Wine is ready for drinking. Technically it should be aged a few months, but I can't resist. I've already gone through two bottles. It's tangy-sweet with lovely tannins provided by the Rooibos tea I added... fig undertones from the poached figs leftover from a potluck, and an incredible blackberry kiss on the nose. Such lovely legs and colour, too. Next year I'll be making TWO CARBOYS of the stuff so it will last me more than 2 weeks. My apple cider tastes OK but definitely needs some time to age. I'll keep you posted.

Cortinarius Alboviolaceus (left) with Clitocybe Nuda (right; Blewit)
Note the violet coloration on both types. Beautiful!

Last: Last week I trudged through the rain with my partner for 4 hours, grumpy and arguing some of the time- until we were about 10 metres from the car when I spotted a large clump of oyster mushrooms. That made all the arguing worth it. When we got home, I examined what I thought to be all cortinarius alboviolaceus, then realized that some of them had light purple gills while others had a rusty spore deposit. After a few spore prints I was able to designate a handful of them as being the almighty anise-flavoured blewit. Lucky!

Another fruitful mushroom hunt leads to another mushroom recipe, this time using Blewits (see the picture at the top of the page) and Angel Wing Oyster mushrooms. This is technically my sunchoke soup recipe, which you'll eventually find in my cookbook (maybe 10 years from now...) using the wild mushies as a buttery garnish, but it's such a simple, straightforward way to showcase their flavour and texture.

Sunchoke and Wild Watercress Soup with Wild Mushrooms

Ingredients

Soup
6 Medium Sunchokes
1 Large Leek or 4 Shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1 large carrot
3 stalks celery
2 bay leaves
Splash of Vermouth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch tarragon
4 cups broth (chicken is best but any type will do)
2 bunches watercress (ie. three big handfuls of wild watercress)

Sour Cream as necessary

Mushroom Topping
Large Handful oyster mushrooms
Large handful of blewits
1 tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper

Directions
Chop the carrot, leek, celery, garlic and sunchokes. Sautee the leek first in olive oil until translucent, then add the carrot, celery, garlic and sunchokes, stirring to coat. Season well with salt and pepper then add the bay leaves and half of the tarragon. Allow to reach a very high heat, then de-glaze the pan with vermouth, minding the steam. Add the broth and simmer until vegetables are cooked.

While the soup is simmering, sautee the chopped wild mushrooms (see left) in butter and season well with salt and pepper. When they are cooked all the way through (be sure to cook blewits well- you can even parboil them for certainty), add the rest of the tarragon. Set aside.

When the sunchokes are fully cooked in the broth, add all of the watercress and allow to wilt (about 1 minute). Blend 2/3 of the soup, removing the bay leaves as necessary. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and spoonful of the wild mushroom mixture. Bacon bits would be a plus- or even roasted, salted sunflower seeds.

As always, please enjoy!

A note on Sunchokes: (see picture above) I think I may have mentioned these weirdos in an earlier post, but here's a bit more information on them. They are related to sunflowers and thistles, and they grow 10 feet tall with yellow flowers that look like mini-sunflowers. It is the root, which resembles ginger, that we eat: high in inulin, it can be hard to digest at first, but upon further exposure, our stomachs grow used to it. Inulin is like insulin- a sugar our body requires for everyday function- which makes this root a useful part of our diet. It is considered a native plant in North America and is incredibly prolific; a few more reasons I love to grow it. I think it tastes best when harvested after a frost, which makes the roots taste sweeter (the same way parsnips get sweet after a frost).

Wild Mushroom Stew

2009-10-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

I'm up to my ears in wild mushrooms. Some of them are incredibly delicious; others... simply fillers. I've written about my honey mushroom fry-up, but I wouldn't say this was the best way to use what I call a 'filler' mushroom. This is the best way:

Wild (filler) Mushroom Stew
- Suillus mushrooms (slippery jack)
- macrolepiota mushrooms (shaggy parasols)
- Lycoperdon Perlatum mushrooms (puffballs)
- Armillaria mushrooms (honeyfungus)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Potato
- 3 bay leaves
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Olive oil
- White Wine
- Chicken stock
- Splash of cream

Since I've been out picking mushrooms in the rain, and mucking about in gumboots, I've decided to remain robust in this recipe and not include any measurements. I will give you some guidelines, though- based on your mushroom load, you may determine how much of everything else to add. For example, I'd say for this batch of stew I used about 4 cups of wild mushrooms in varying ratios of each. I used 2 medium potatoes, 1 onion, 3 cloves of garlic, and enough chicken broth to create a creamy yet soupy texture after blending, and however much cream I felt like adding as a garnish.

First off, sautee your onions in some olive oil until translucent. Then chop and add your mushrooms, half of your herbs, the garlic, chopped potato, and salt and pepper. Sautee, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are cooked through. Add the bay leaves and a generous splash of wine (I used vermouth) and let it simmer. Next, add enough chicken stock to create the consistency that you want. Simmer until the potato is cooked through, and blend half of the soup so that you get a creamy broth with lovely chunks of mushroom and potato. Add the rest of your herbs and serve with a splash of cream and some crusty bread. Tastes really good with a beer after a forage in the rain.

Be creative with this recipe. Add other veggies, chunks of wild/ethical meat, and maybe even wild clams for a chowder. You don't have to blend it if you prefer a lighter broth and you can experiment with different mushrooms, too. One of my favourite mushroom soups has wild mushrooms, miso, white beans, and kale in a watery broth (not blended). Follow the same principle as the soup above, except substitute miso for the chicken broth, and white beans for the potato (and don't blend). The possibilities are endless!

My Edible Mushroom Finds!

2009-10-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

Rainy days are excellent for mushroom scouting, but not the best for picking. This is why, on the night of the full moon, I was able to go out to my secret location and score pounds upon pounds of honey mushrooms, almond-scented agarics, and chanterelles in a mere hour.

WAHOOOOOOOOOOO

I haven't gotten into my chanties yet since I'm waiting to share them with my sister/co-forager, but I did experiment with the honeys. Here's a simple recipe:

Honey Mushrom Fry-Up

Ingredients:
Big handful of honeys
1 shallot, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
3 sprigs each of parsley and tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp goat cheese or blue cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
Boil the honey mushrooms in a cup of water for at least 3 minutes to get rid of the acrid flavour and to ensure

they will be fully cooked (undercooked, they can cause indigestion). Strain, discard the water, and allow to cool. In the meantime, sautee the shallots over med-lo heat in the oil or butter, and sprinkle with some salt to help them caramelize. Chop the cooled mushrooms and add to the shallots, stirring to coat. I like smaller pieces of mushroom, since the flavour can be over-powering in big chunks. Season with salt and pepper, the chopped herbs, and at the last minute, sprinkle with the cheese- when it melts, the mushrooms are creamy and delicious.

Here, I served the mushrooms with home-grown and fried yam-zucchini latkes with tarragon scrambled eggs and scallion-dill yogurt.

I find the honey mushroom to be a useful "mushroom filler" in that it's easy to get big amounts of honeys but they don't taste that great. That's why I use a strong cheese to coat them- it will mask the acrid undertones while bringing out the nicer mushroomy flavour.

Honeys are also really good cooked in soups and stews, duxelle stuffings mixed with other mushrooms, or dried out then re-constituted.

How great is that?

Name That Mushroom: Episode 2

2009-10-01T18:48:00.001-07:00

Chunky Armillaria

Today's adventure was at Burnaby mountain on a misty and truly west-coast day. I was afraid I wouldn't see as broad a spectrum of mushrooms as I did out at UBC, but I was lucky enough to spot a few handsome species, my favourite being the honey fungus. Honey fungus (Armillaria) is edible and tasty after cooking, but not the best of wild mushrooms to satisfy the palate. It is, however, incredibly rewarding to collect as it grows in what the Italians call "famigliole;" big chunky clumps that are a parasite, eating living trees at their base. It is loosely related to the shitake mushroom. I didn't bother taking more than one, as it was raining and soggy mushrooms are usually hell to deal with.

The most common mushroom I came across was this little brown one with hairs at the base of its stem. I've seen them everywhere; in gardens, amongst leaf litter, and even lining sidewalks. I think I used to know their name, but now I can't recall. Any suggestions?

This was awesome. An entire tree COVERED in what I think are pleurotus mushrooms (oyster). Unfortunately they were mostly past their prime for eating, but what a beautiful sight.

Then there's this one. a brownish/red cap, solid flesh, and almost folded right in half when mature (in the picture: at the back is a mature mushroom and in the foreground is a younger specimen). I think it's a russula but definitely feel free to contradict me, as this is a loose estimate.

Stay tuned for more episodes of Name That Mushroom- and some tasty recipes to go along with them.

Can You Name This Mushroom?

2009-09-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

UBC! UBC! UBC! No- I'm not cheering for the University soccer team (or whatever sport is happening this season), I'm cheering for the wicked awesome Pacific Spirit Park on the UBC endowment lands because it is scoring with beautiful wild mushrooms. A lot of them aren't edible but are still incredibly interesting little treasures. Here are some photos of mushrooms I found- some of them I haven't identified, so if you've got any input I'd love to hear it! And please remember, just because I've picked it and want to identify it doesn't mean I'll eat it. I am a hobby mushroomer and will only eat edible wild mushrooms if I've got a 100% certain identification and they have been kept completely separate from unidentified or inedible/poisonous mushrooms.

So- just for fun, check out these photos and facts and let me know if you've got an idea of the identification of these mushrooms.

Above are small, edible pearl puffballs. You find them in clumps. Their edible cousins are the giant puffball and the pear puffbull, and the toxic one is the common earthball. The ones on the left in the picture are over-ripe thus, inedible. The one on the right is white all the way through when cut, so it's still fresh and edible. They smell a bit like latex and don't taste like much, but they're great battered and deep fried with a tasty sauce.

This is an edible agaricus which smells DELICIOUS- like almond. It's similar to the Prince, but I think it's just a horse mushroom since it's smaller.

This one I am not so sure about. Its stem is fuzzy and soft, and the flesh is meaty like a king oyster mushroom. The scent is pleasant and mushroomy and I found it growing out of dead wood with only the cap and gills exposed: most of the stem was hidden deep in the wood. I posted pictures and description of it here and got a prompt response, leading me here. Awesome!

I think this one is another agaricus, with gills (that look like) will turn a chocolate brown. I don't know if it's edible. When cut, you can see that it stains pink. This photo includes an outside, inside, and baby profile of the mushroom. Suggestions?

This is a bluish-staining bolete: I think it is Leccinum Versipelle aka Boletus Versipellus aka The Orange Birch Bolete (a type of PORCINI). I ate them. They were good on top of steak but not fabulous.

Now that it's fall, there will be many more episodes in the "name that mushroom" series- stay tuned!

Hard Apple Cider

2009-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yeehaw!

Hmm. I've noticed that when the topic is alcohol, I start the blog off with an interjection, usually expressing joy. I guess that's good, right? Well if you're not sure, here's another question for you: ever wonder what to do with the 45 pounds of windfall apples that end up below your backyard apple tree? Usually these little guys are shrunken, bruised, sad little runts that end up in the compost. Not in my backyard! I've been juicing them and turning them into sweet and hard apple cider. The way to do this most safely is to collect them each day, as they fall, so as to avoid any excess bacteria or fungus growth. I put them in a barrel and keep them cool in my basement cellar until I'm ready to use them.

So here's how I do it, and for more detailed instructions, complete with photos, click here.

When you're ready to turn your apples into juice, there are a few things you can do. I have a juicer, so I'm very, very lucky. Since I have an organic apple tree spitting off 5-10 winfall apples per day, I simply cut out all the gross-looking, humongous bruises (little ones are fine) and squirmy things from them and juice accordingly. If you don't have a juicer, then press the apples, or process in a food processor/blender and use as a mash for the primary fermentation like grapes in wine. If you don't have apples, then buy pure, natural, fresh apple cider from an orchard or an organic grocer. It should say 100% pure juice and the ingredients should be: Apple Juice.

Next, either add a crushed Campden Tablet to kill wild yeast, or simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes without allowing to boil (boiling creates cloudy cider) but don't use both methods for the same batch. I am partial to the heating method because it doesn't have any chance of interfering with the yeast you add if you allow the cider to cool completely beforehand. To be safe, if you use campden tablets, don't add your yeast packet until 24 hours after you've added the campden.

I also like to add some dissolved brown sugar and aromatics such as cinnamon for a sweeter cider or coriander for a dry. It's up to you. More sugar= higher alcohol (which is a YES for me) and a sweeter product. You don't have to add anything if you don't want.

I like to rely on a starter to begin fermentation. It simply allows for a cozy environment for the yeast, and that's what we want. I take a bit of apple juice, a tbsp of brown sugar, and some champagne yeast, mix gently in a CLEAN container, and allow to rest a few hours or over night so that the yeast is all bubbly and awake. Then I pour all of the apple juice into the sterilized carboy and add the starter and top with an airlock.

Now we wait: about 2 weeks, in a warm, dark place, muttering 'my precious, my precious' and stroking the carboy. Once the bubbling has slowed to about 1 bubble per minute, the primary fermentation cycle is complete. Next, we rack: which basically means we siphon the top, clear cider from the bottom murky cider. This is common practice in wine, too. Then we discard the murk and return the clear cider to its cleaned mother jug and wait again. And wait. Another two weeks until there are no more bubbles at all.

Now, we bottle, using sealed containers resembling beer bottles. The best thing to do before drinking is wait a month or two after bottling, so that the aging process can bring out the complex flavours from the apples. Or just drink right away till it's gone. Whatever.

If you want sparkling cider, be sure to add some sweetener (brown sugar, honey, or the like) right before you bottle so that the yeast can eat the sugar and thus create carbonation in the cider. In fact, carbon dioxide and alcohol are the "excrement" of yeast after it consumes sugar. Mmm. Yeast poo.

So there you have it. These are very broad instructions, so if you'd like some exact measurements, let me know or check out instructables.com. I'll report back with some results after my cider has finished fermenting and aging. The clock is ticking...