Edmonton Film Society: “Casablanca”

I’ve never watched Casablanca. At least, not in its entirety. While I’ve been able to identify lines like “We’ll always have Paris” and “Here’s looking at you, kid”, it’s one of those classics that I probably should have seen by now.

Though these movies are readily available at video rental stores and at the library, there really is no better place to get acquainted (or reacquainted, as the case may be) with classic films than with the Edmonton Film Society.

Edmonton Film Society Winter 2011 Series

The Edmonton Film Society is entirely volunteer-run, and its obvious their passion for movies is true. They organize several screening series a year, all centred around themes. The current theme, for example, is “Favourite Movies Forever”, with all titles chosen for their timeless quality. The screenings are dirt cheap, too: just $5 per show, or better yet, $25 for an eight show subscription.

Each show is introduced by a volunteer, a forward that sets the context of the show. It is more often than not studded with fun facts about the people involved with the movie, or the hijinx that happened during the production of the film (Casablanca, for instance, was shot sequentially due to the simple fact that the script wasn’t finished).

But the reason why the shows are worth checking out has to do with the audience. It always feels like a trip back in time – the people just seem to react to film like they did in theatres sixty years ago. Instead of the almost bleak silence, Edmonton Film Society screenings are always punctuated with laughter, gasps, and at the end, a burst of applause (I’ve written about other EFS shows before).

It was no different watching Casablanca, though I must say – the audience seemed noticeably younger than at other screenings I’ve attended. And what can I say about Casablanca that hasn’t been said before? It was filled with more comedic moments than I expected (Sam and Louie in particular), and it was lovely hearing those oft-quoted lines uttered by Bogart (“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” might be my new favourite).

They are screening the Rock Hudson/Doris Day romantic comedy Pillow Talk on Valentine’s Day. But don’t worry, this series isn’t all fluff and banter: The Birds plays on February 28, 2011.

The Cooking Chronicles: Slow Cooker Magic

Since my sister gave me a slow cooker (on my request) two Christmases ago, I think I’ve only used it twice. So like Steph, I made a goal to use the appliance more this year. I mean, what incentive should I need more than the guarantee of a dinner prepared, without much effort?

Pasta e Fagioli

We started our slow cooker reacquaintance with one of Grandma Male’s favourite recipes – pasta e fagioli, from Company’s Coming (their recipes are almost impossible to find on the internet).

It’s an easy soup to throw together – I cooked the bacon and softened the vegetables the night before, put them in a bowl in the fridge, then combined everything in the machine in the morning. All I needed to do when I returned home from work was cook some pasta to add into the soup.

The bacon really makes a difference (especially when you start with the good stuff – Irvings Farm Fresh dry cured side bacon), but other than that, it’s a pretty light soup, chock full of vegetables and beans. With some crusty bread, it’s a hearty soup to come home to – literally.

Pasta e fagioli

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili With Sweet Potatoes

Oh, this one could have been great.

A Real Simple recipe, it was easy to prepare the ingredients for the slow-cooker vegetarian chili with sweet potatoes the night before – I was intrigued by the inclusion of cocoa powder and cinnamon. When I got home (about 8 hours after the slow cooker had been set to low), I turned the machine to “keep warm” so Mack and I could have dinner together – at that point, everything in the pot looked great; the sweet potatoes looked tender, but still held their shape. Nearly two hours later, when I opened the lid again, it was a textural mess – it was little more than baby food at that point. I guess our the “warm” setting on our slow cooker is quite warm, so continued to cook down the vegetables.

Mack wasn’t as averse to the chili as much as I was, and what flavours we could discern were interesting, but not outstanding (we chalked it up to the cocoa). But more than anything, it was hard to get over the texture.

Vegetarian chili with sweet potatoes

Lesson learned: always watch the cooking time, even with a slow cooker! Next up: a meat stew of some sort.

Food Notes for February 7, 2011

Mack was nice enough to add a “subscribe by e-mail” button to my site (which you will find on the right). Subscribing means you will get an e-mail alert any time a new post goes live. Thanks, Mack! On to this week’s food notes:

Mark your calendars – the 2011 edition of Seedy Sunday is taking place on March 20.
Kerstin’s Chocolates will be releasing two limited edition Chocophilia bars for Valentine’s Day, Salt and Pepper and Chipotle Bacon Bars, available from February 5 – 12, 2011. They also announced the date for their third anniversary party: March 5. Just sign up for a ticket to attend!
A new hyperlocal website just launched yesterday, focusing on Edmonton’s west end.
It’s difficult to keep up with all of the local food blogs sprouting up, but I’m doing my best – welcome, Jeremiah of Food Don’t Lie!
Chris had a great Q & A with Owen of Prairie Mill last week.
Jennifer Cockrall-King wrote a very timely post about Bill C-474, which calls for a “waiting period to assess the potential economic harm to Canadian farm export markets to allowing commercial sale of any new genetically modified food seed.” It is a private members bill that will be up for discussion on February 8, 2011. This is on the heels of the USDA approving the Monsanto’s GMO sugar beet, which means half of America’s sugar crop will be GMO this year (need a primer on the risks of GMO crops? Read David Suzuki’s take here).
Also worth reading is Mark Bittman’s Food Manifesto for the Future (my favourite point: “Break up the U.S. Department of Agriculture and empower the Food and Drug Administration. Currently, the U.S.D.A. counts among its missions both expanding markets for agricultural products (like corn and soy!) and providing nutrition education. These goals are at odds with each other; you can’t sell garbage while telling people not to eat it, and we need an agency devoted to encouraging sane eating.”
Mary Bailey sent along a clip from a new show starring Fred Armisen (of SNL fame) called Portlandia. This clip pokes fun at locavores – pretty funny.
Eric Ripert was in Calgary early last week. See a recap of his talk here.
You know veganism has gone mainstream when Oprah tried it. At the very least, I’m sure she’s gotten millions of Americans to talk about it.
If this doesn’t scare food bloggers, nothing will: a food blogger in Kuwait is being sued for $18,000 for writing a negative review.
It’s just for publicity purposes, but Kraft’s machine that uses facial scans to determine what type of meal you’d like (made from Kraft products, of course) is just another in the trend of technology trying to help the consumer with dinner.
Happy Lunar New Year to those who celebrate it – all the best for the year of the rabbit (or cat)! We missed the firecrackers in Chinatown, but thankfully, not the excuse to have good food with family! My Mom suggested that I make barbecue duck salad rolls, and who am I to not listen to my mother?

Ready to roll!

The table was absolutely laden with good food – our annual potluck never disappoints!

So much food

And as tradition dictates, we started the meal with yusheng, a dish comprised of raw seafood, condiments and shredded vegetables, which we tossed together as a group – all in the name of good fortune for the coming year.

Happy New Year!

Eight Alternatives to Valentine’s Day Dinner

Looking for alternatives to dinner on Valentine’s Day? Here are a few that I’ve come across:

Instead of a box of chocolates, how about a chocolate tasting? Kerstin’s is offering a chocolate and wine pairing tasting on February 11, 2011.
The Dish is offering dinner and a movie, their way: for the “Dateless, the Down-on-Love or the Just-Not-Into-It”, alongside a pre-fixe meal, they are screening The Break-Up, Fatal Attraction and Rear Window, on February 11, 12 and 13, respectively.
The Valley Zoo is hosting their annual Animal Attraction event on February 11 and 12, with a round of speed dating, music, and dessert.
A walk outdoors with your loved one might be a bit chilly, so the Muttart Conservatory might be the best alternative. Their Sweetheart Stroll, on February 11 and 12, features a harpist, a dance floor and food from Culina Muttart.
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Robbins Pops on February 11 and 12 is titled Love Will Keep Us Together, featuring “Moon River”, “My Heart Will Go On” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, among others.
Love Valerie’s cheeky event on February 12 – a sausage making class. All the grinding, mixing and stuffing you and a friend/partner can handle! Check out the Taste Tripping website for more information.
The Oliver Community League is hosting a wine and cheese on February 12. A $15 ticket includes two glasses of wine, lots of food, music, door prizes, and games, but you have to be a League member or guest of a member.
The Edmonton Film Society is screening Doris Day and Rock Hudson’s classic, Pillow Talk, at the Royal Alberta Museum on February 14.

Mack’s suggestion – relaxing at home, watching to see if an IBM computer can beat humans on Jeopardy.

The Cooking Chronicles: O Sol’ Meatos Hot Dogs

Otto Van Bismarck is credited with the famous quote, “Laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made.” With the trend towards preservative- and filler-free sausages made using natural ingredients and transparent methods, however, some processed meats don’t necessarily have that same negative connotation any longer.

With the number of small producers that are thriving because of the demand for tasty, artisan sausages (Irvings Farm Fresh comes to mind), it was only a matter of time before hot dogs – the other near blasphemous processed meat, were treated with the same respect.

Spring Creek Ranch does make artisan ‘dogs with natural casings, though at this point, they are only sold at the Monster Burger outlet at the Northlands Expo Centre (Kirstin Kotelko said that a wider commercial release may be in the cards). O Sol’ Meatos, a small producer out of Kitscoty, Alberta, on the other hand, does offer artisan hot dogs for at-home consumption. We bought a package of four through the Good Food Box recently to give them a try.

O Sol’ Meatos hot dogs

There weren’t any cooking instructions on the package, and being without a barbecue (which would have been our preferred preparation method), we decided steaming them in a sauté pan with some water would be our best bet.

Even during cooking, we could tell these weren’t regular hot dogs. They were pungent in the best way possible – we couldn’t think of a better word to describe it than “beefy”. We steamed them for just over five minutes, but in hindsight, should have inserted a meat thermometer to keep a close eye on the temperature, as they didn’t need to be cooked that long. Talking to Brian and Rhonda at the Culina Muttart launch, they said our suggestion of including instructions was a reasonable one – given the lean meat encased in the hot dog, overcooking them would be an easy mistake to make.

We ate the hot dogs in German buns from Bee Bell Bakery (they worked well enough, but if anyone has any suggestions of good hot dog buns, please do share!). The casings were crisp, like those normally associated with breakfast sausage, and the meat directly around the casing was pink, as one would normally expect. The centre, however, was brown, and had the consistency of sausage meat, dense and unyielding, with a deep, smoky flavour.

Brian and Rhonda explained that nitrates (added as a preservative) lend the pink hue to commercial hot dogs. Their product is nitrate-free, except for the naturally occurring nitrates in smoke, which clarified why only the circumference of the hot dog was pink.

Hot dog!

On the side we served a very simple red cabbage salad with lemon and black pepper, a Molly Wizenberg recipe. We loved the crunch, and it was a great seasonal replacement for the more common green salad (the small cabbage we bought from August Organics made six generous servings of this salad).

Red cabbage slaw

We just bought another package of the O Sol’ Meatos hot dogs this week. I’m sure when cooked right, they will be even better!

Culina at the Muttart Conservatory

When the Muttart Conservatory finally reopened after over a year of renovations in June 2009, there were high hopes the revamped Ela Euro Cafe, located at the front of the facility (and thus could be accessed without paying an entrance fee), would help draw residents and others to the evergreen oasis. Given its prime Cloverdale location, and really, the fact that it is the only food establishment in the immediate area, Ela Euro should have been a slam dunk.

While the space was bright and functional – a bank of windows and a large enclosed patio – the food couldn’t have been much of a draw. I can’t say we stopped by all that often, but on two instances we were at the Muttart, the cafe was empty.

Before: Ela Euro

As a result, the City’s new partnership with one of Edmonton’s most recognized and upstanding local chains was probably a most welcome one. Culina Muttart, the restaurant’s third outpost, opened on December 2, 2010 in the Ela Euro space. In addition to offering their comforting fare (that highlights some of the area’s best producers), the staff will also be utilizing the Muttart’s greenhouse space to grow herbs and greens for the restaurant.

After: Culina Muttart

On Monday night, Mack and I attended the launch of Culina Muttart. After the full-on tasting at ZINC’s fall menu launch, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. It turned out instead of a sit-down event, the evening was an informal one, set up reception style, which suited the casual cafe space perfectly.

Culina Muttart

It reminded me very much of the Meet the Locals Festival at Planet Organic – producers set up at tables along the periphery of the room, offering samples of their wares. Brad Lazarenko, Director and Executive Chef of Culina, said that the producers represented a range of relationship lengths – from Spring Creek Ranch, who they have sourced from for over five years, to EnSante, a brand new supplier.

Kirstin Kotelko of Spring Creek Ranch slices up some beef

Meeting and chatting with the producers was a great way to really get a sense of the philosophy behind Culina’s food (which was probably the purpose of the evening), but it probably wasn’t the best way to find out what to expect at Culina Muttart, in terms of the menu and plating of dishes.

Leon Hunter of Yellowhead Brewery

That said, there was one dish served, a salad featuring quinoa, Sylvan Star gouda and a Mighty Trio Organics dressing (made specifically for Culina) that is actually on the menu. The salad had great texture, and at the very least, made me feel less guilty for the meat and cheese consumption to follow.

Salad with Mighty Trio Organics dressing

Shayne and Vicky Horn of Tangled Ridge Ranch, a lamb producer, were new to us (we loved the title on Shayne’s business card that read, “Flock Master”). The slices of lamb they served us were incredibly tender and moist – I hope that same preparation ends up on the Culina menu (Tangled Ridge currently only sells whole carcasses).

Shayne and Vicky of Tangled Ridge Ranch

Speaking of sheep, we also had our fill of sheep’s cheese (and air dried charcuterie) from Brian and Rhonda Headon, of The Cheesiry and O Sol’Meatos. Mack especially liked the cardamom salami.

Samples from The Cheesiry

Brian and Rhonda of The Cheesiry and O Sol’Meatos

Shame on us that this event was the first time we ever tried any of The Jam Lady’s products. Though we know they are a veritable City Market favourite, we always passed Donna by because we do really like the August Organics jam we always have on hand. After trying a few of her preserves and mustards however (the curried mustard is like nothing I’ve ever tasted), I know we will be loading up on a few jars very soon (her products are also available at Culina Muttart).

Bohdan and Donna Borody, aka “The Jam Man” and The Jam Lady

Guests were also invited to tour the pyramids, with interpreters pointing out the edible plants in each biome. We chose to tour the temperate pyramid, and while we learned a few things (Mack and I had no idea that seasons were induced in each biome – hence, spring in the temperate world), we were really hoping for a peek inside the greenhouse space to be used by Culina.

The feature pyramid – all decked out for Valentine’s Day

Though the restaurant is currently only open for lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends (during the Muttart’s operating hours), staff are working to possibly extend the restaurant’s hours into the evening, which would be particularly handy once the days are longer. Stay tuned!

Thanks again to Kiri and the rest of the Muttart staff for organizing this event – it was great opportunity to meet with some of the producers and taste some of the products that will be featured by Culina Muttart (a few other food bloggers have written about the event also: check out recaps by Liane, Twyla, Chris and Brittany).

Culina Muttart Conservatory Cafe
9626 – 96A Street
(780) 466-1181
Weekdays 10am-5pm; weekends & holidays 11am-5pm

Shadow Theatre & Northern Light Theatre: “Meat Puppet”

On Saturday, Mack and I took in a matinee performance of Meat Puppet at the Varscona Theatre, a show put on jointly by Shadow Theatre and Northern Light Theatre (speaking of which, NLT has such striking poster designs this year – the use of dolls is eye-catching and inspired, though I suppose the poster for Pervert may not be embraced by all).

This show will be the introductory production for many to the work of Leif Oleson-Cormack, though he has also written shows for the New Works and Fringe Festivals. That said, Meat Puppet’s dark nature, exploring the motivations behind a fictional television program similar to NBC’s much-maligned series To Catch a Predator, is a departure from his previous two Edmonton shows. Meat Puppet is billed as a comedy, however, so I still expected it to highlight Leif’s wit and penchant for snappy dialogue.

The banter was enjoyable, particularly between the show’s host, Chuck Dalmer (John Hudson) and his plucky producer Deb (April Banigan). On the other hand, the tone of the play was perplexing – it tried to straddle the line between comedy and drama, but probably would have been more successful if it had chosen one or the other. I suppose for me, anyway, shows like To Catch a Predator always seemed to lure viewers with a morbid curiosity, rather than those looking for a cheap laugh – so the downfall of the “predators” always seemed more tragic than funny.

I did like the connection of this kind of train wreck journalism with the internet sensationalism that continues to gain momentum today, however – it might be even more dangerous than television because of its instantaneity and ease to be shared.

If anything, Meat Puppet was a thought-provoking play, especially in this age of reality programming, where producers and editors can manipulate – and sometimes create – the “truth”.

Meat Puppet runs at the Varscona Theatre until February 6, 2011.

The Cooking Chronicles: Stew-pendous

Eye-rolling title aside, since launching into the world of meat stew a few weeks ago, we’ve continued to crave it, and have been experimenting with different recipes to satisfy that craving.

Mushroom Stew with Beef Chunks

Mark Bittman says that his recipe for mushroom stew with beef chunks can be easily adapted into a vegetarian dish by simply using more mushrooms, but since we had a package of beef stew meat left (our dwindling cow share stash), I thought it would be a good recipe to make and compare with our previous slow-roasted version.

This stew cooks up on the stovetop, for around an hour and a half. What sets it apart is the inclusion of dried mushrooms (we used porcini), and the soaking liquid. Our entire condo was perfumed with the scent of the mushrooms, which also had the effect of lightening the dish as well, as the broth was more liquid than paste).

The beef, as expected, wasn’t as tender as when cooked in the oven for a longer period of time, but it was still pretty tasty. Both of us agreed, though, that the best thing about the dish really was the broth. No stock/wine combination could outshine the aromatic porcini liquid, especially to have been made in that amount of time.

Mushroom stew with beef chunks

Elk Stew

Stew is great not only for its comforting aspects, but is the perfect winter meal – nearly all the ingredients for a typical stew can be found at your local farmers’ market right now. For us, this means potatoes from Greens, Eggs and Ham, carrots from Riverbend Gardens, mushrooms from MoNa…and elk from Shooting Star Ranch.

I decided to give elk stew a try after talking to Christine from Shooting Star at the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market. She convinced me to try using sirloin meat, and had advised me on cooking it “low and slow” (low meaning 250F) for several hours.

Of course, being the overreaching cook that I am, I thought I would be able to make this stew on a weeknight. To compensate for the time, I jacked up the temperature somewhat (about 315 for the first hour, and 275 for the second).

I realized in hindsight that a high temperature wasn’t necessary – the elk was super lean, but more than that, the consistency of the meat reminded me of liver – supple and maroon in colour (interestingly enough, it tasted slightly of liver too – some pieces that I bit in to had a faint metallic tang). Needless to say, I think I cooked the living daylights out of the sirloin, so I definitely learned my lesson: follow the instructions!

Elk stew

Food Notes for January 31, 2011

It’s always bittersweet when a friend leaves your workplace for another opportunity, but at least in Jill’s case, she’s only a few blocks away! Still, I’m going to miss you and our coffee breaks, fellow grapefruit club member! On to this week’s food notes:

Probably the biggest food news in the city this week was the announcement that Transcend is opening up downtown, in the space formerly occupied by Axis Cafe (10349 Jasper Avenue). Look for the T3 to open up in March, with a full food menu to boot.
Another Japanese Village is set to open in south Edmonton at 2940 Calgary Trail (which most recently housed Blush, among other things) – thanks for the tip!
Congrats to Liane and Kevin, two Edmonton winners of the first instalment of the Canadian Food Blog Awards!
Save the date! Slow Food Edmonton is planning its first annual Eat Alberta Food Conference April 29-30, 2011, to be held at the Yellowhead Brewery. The day will feature lots of hands on sessions like sausage and bread making, as well as various tastings. More details to come!
Perhaps this is the way to engage the next gen set at the community league level: host a wine and cheese for Valentine’s Day (Oliver is doing it on February 12, 2011).
Joel Salatin (of Polyface Farms/Omnivore’s Dilemma fame) is coming to town at the end of June.
The Journal wrote about how social media helps bring diners into local restaurants, like Elm Cafe.
Also from the Journal – looks like Alberta lamb is on the upswing (it does seem to be more readily available as of late, but then again, I’m probably just looking for it more).
The City of Edmonton invites you to complete a survey regarding their Corner Store Revitalization Project (trying to help reverse the immense tide away from neighbourhood-based shops). I’m not that optimistic, but I do support it – anything to make the city more walkable.
I love Councillor Henderson’s idea of closing off 104 Street in the summer and turning it into a “big patio”. C’mon Council, make it happen!
How could you not love CHARCUT’s alley burgers (aka, gourmet burgers, served out of their back alley)? I know what I’m lining up for the next time I’m in Calgary. Both Andree and Julie wrote about their recent back alley foray.
Watch for a new farmers’ market in southeast southwest Edmonton, at the Lillian Osborne High School (2010 Leger Road), to be launched some time this spring or summer.
Check out the hydroponic tomatoes that came out of Maki’s basement. Gorgeous.
700 columns later, The Minimalist is over! Mark Bittman will still be writing for the NYT, but ended his weekly recipe column last week.
I’ve been reading a lot about “pop-up” restaurants lately – establishments that open up temporarily for a few days or a few months. How’s that for finicky diners – here today, gone tomorrow…

Have a good week!

Winter Light 2011: Illuminations

Mack in particular has been harsh on the Winter Light Festival in the past, but necessarily so, because we know how much potential it has to make the cold months in our city more bearable. Tonight, though, we were absolutely buzzing after attending Illuminations, a spectacular show that can and should legitimately become the jewel in the crown of winter festivals in Edmonton.

Illuminations

We didn’t make it out to Illuminations last year, but we did in 2009, and found the event to be underwhelming. There were decorations, bonfires, and a few roving performers, but it wasn’t anything that would draw us back again. I’m happy to say that this year’s edition was quite the opposite.

It was chilly out, nearly –30 with wind chill (easily twenty degrees colder than when we visited Ice on Whyte last weekend), but Churchill Square still held a sizable crowd.

Gathering around the fire

We arrived just before the finale performance, and had time to take in some of the visual installations, the bonfires, and marvel at the “winter people”, actors dressed in white and trailed throughout the Square by targeted spotlights.

The promenade

Circus Orange is a Toronto-based pyrotechnic circus performance troupe – but really, all you need to know is that they were amazing.

The show begins

Their show combined dance, stunts, pyrotechnics, and a good old fashioned clown, and was mesmerizing for both children and adults alike.

The clown tames the monsters with…marshmallows!

The show began in front of the Art Gallery of Alberta, luring the crowd with a striking, monstrous steel tricycle outfitted with flares. The tricycle eventually moved into Churchill Square towards City Hall, and everyone followed like the obedient ducklings we were, frozen, but eager to see what would come next.

Follow that trike!

The finale was unexpected and extravagant. We thought the climax had arrived when a female performer was lifted into the air by a massive crane, waving sparklers, but in actuality, that was just a teaser.

When sparks fly

The actual conclusion involved the same performer, again lifted in the air, but harnessed into the large tricycle wheel, spinning fifty feet above the crowd, sparks flying, and City Hall aglow behind the spectacle. Fireworks were icing on the cake.

Up in the air

More sparks

Fireworks

Congratulations to the organizers of Winter Light for a fabulous event. As Mack said in his post, we hope this calibre of a performance is something we can look forward to every year – once word gets out, we can only imagine it will become a must-see affair for those in Edmonton and beyond, regardless of the weather!

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