Month: March 2010

Edmonton Foodie Meetup 3: Recap

Sixteen foodies came together tonight for the third Edmonton Foodie Meetup at Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria downtown. It was our largest gathering yet (read about our first and second meetups), which I think is a testament to the growing foodie community in the city.

Foodies!

When I called Famoso last week to make the reservation, and mentioned that the group was largely made up of food bloggers, the manager responded that he thought we were still at the stage of selecting a venue. I was surprised to find out that he knew about our upcoming gathering, but it turns out he is an avid reader of local blogs as well!

At any rate, I figured we would be treated like royalty, and we were. However, our special treatment, including two free platters of their dessert Nutella pizza, wasn’t out of the ordinary for large groups, though our timing helped. “Vino Wednesdays” sees complimentary bruschetta go out with all orders made after 5pm, and free wine samples offered to all patrons between 6 and 8:30pm. Our server did say that they pulled out the “reserve” red wine for our group though.

Complimentary Bruschetta and Wine

The pizzas (as always) were great as well, with that addictively-chewy crust that isn’t duplicated anywhere else in the city (well, besides other Famoso outposts).

Siciliana Pizza with Basil, Prosciutto, Italian Ham and Italian Sausage

Valerie was thoughtful enough to bring homemade truffles for everyone as well, made with decadent Valrhona Manjari and cocoa powder.

Valerie’s Truffles

It was great to put faces to names, and to meet and chat with other local food lovers. Because there have been quite a few recent additions to Edmonton’s blogging repertoire, I thought it might be useful to list those present at this meetup who do have food blogs:

For those who couldn’t make it, we hope to organize another meetup this summer, which will preferably be an outdoor potluck.

Thanks again to Chris for helping me pull this dinner together, and to Famoso for hosting a great evening!

The Cooking Chronicles: I Heart Donna Hay

I was lucky enough to receive two Donna Hay cookbooks for Christmas this year – Instant Entertaining and her newest, No Time To Cook. When I first started browsing cookbook shelves a few years ago, her volumes immediately caught my eye – the full-colour photographs were unlike any I had encountered before. Simple, elegant and beautiful, Hay’s food stylist could make anything look good.

I was particularly drawn to No Time To Cook, which focuses on quick meals – whether assembled, thrown together in one pot or baked in a single dish. I’m still working my way through the book (many a recipe are bookmarked), but I’ve had a chance to try two thus far.

Hay’s crunchy parmesan-crumbed chicken recipe was, in Mack’s words, “like Shake and Bake”. Chicken breasts were topped with a mixture of melted butter, dried herbs, parmesan and breadcrumbs, then baked at 390F. We made the mistake of not first filleting the breast in half to reduce the baking time (and further prevent the chicken from drying out), but we know now!

Crunchy Parmesan-Crumbed Chicken, with Rice and Vegetables

Hay’s recipe for baked risotto was chosen as much for convenience as it was to use up the leeks I had in the fridge. As I ran back and forth between the kitchen and the living room (the Canadian Men’s quarter final hockey game was on), once the prep was done, the dish finished itself in the oven. Of course, somewhere in between, I forgot to add the butter, but it didn’t seem to affect the final product too much, after I stirred it in at the end. While there is a definite textural difference between the baked rice and lovingly-stirred, creamy stovetop risotto, with the addition of two crunchy leeks, the rice was decent (and even better served with salty prosciutto, Hay’s suggestion).

Baked Risotto with Roasted Vegetables and Prosciutto

I’ve earmarked several more recipes to try – no doubt this cookbook won’t sit idle on my shelf for long!

Food Notes for March 1, 2010

I am totally going through Olympic withdrawal. I said I wouldn’t do it this year, the marathon hours in front of the television, and wouldn’t you know it, I did. Of course, if such marathons always included hockey games that involved beating the US in overtime, I would gladly sacrifice every weekend in a similar manner. Anyway, onto this week’s food notes: