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

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

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.

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

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.

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

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.

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

The promenade

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

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

The show begins

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

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

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.

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

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.

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

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.

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

Up in the air

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

More sparks

Winter Light Illuminations 2011

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!

Good News for Local Charities!

Given how ubiquitous daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social have become – there are nearly a dozen in Edmonton alone – it is difficult to keep track of them, let alone distinguish between them. The most recent site to be launched here, however, is distinct in one very significant way: it gives back to the community.

GoodNews.com works the same way as other deal sites – e-mails featuring discounts of 50-90% for local businesses are sent out to subscribers, and when the minimum number of people have agreed to the deal, it is activated for a limited period of time.

That said, Good News is different because they donate a portion of the profits from each deal sold to a local charity. The site started in Vancouver in July 2010, and since then, has raised over $30,000 for area charities; they are hoping for similar success here. The Edmonton Food Bank is their first partner cause in our city, and will receive 5% of all sales generated between January 25 to February 27, 2011.

To get you started, Good News is offering $5 worth of free credit that can be redeemed right away. Also, to help celebrate their launch, they have partnered with the Whyte Avenue location of Crepeworks to offer a $1 deal – not only will your purchased coupon nab you a crepe that would normally cost you $7, but the entire dollar will be going to the Food Bank (the current deal is a pretty good one too – $16 for $40 worth of food at Zaika – I already have my coupon!).

So – if you needed a reason to get shopping, here it is!

Canoe Theatre Festival: “Operation EVAsion”

Workshop West’s Canoe Theatre Festival promised “some of the season’s most interesting artists and challenging performances.” Based on the promo for Operation EVAsion, by local company Firefly Theatre, it wasn’t difficult to see why this particular play was included in the roster:

Operation EVAsion is based on the bizarre but factual account of the multiple disappearances of the corpse of Eva Perón. Upon her untimely death at age 33, her body was embalmed to the point of immortalization. Additionally, there were several duplicates made of her corpse, and in the ensuing Argentinean political turmoil, they all disappeared. Their journey lasted for 24 years and involved espionage, kidnapping, murder and astrology.

Mack and I took in the last performance on Sunday at the Timms Centre.

With such rich material to start with, I was curious to see how the company would present the story, particularly as a one-woman show (to be fair, musician Jason Kodie was also on stage, providing a auditory accompaniment in the form of an accordion). The set was black, save for a multimedia screen, ensuring the audience was transfixed on the sole performer. Annie Dugan recounted the body’s journey – through Argentina, Europe, and back – interspersing the narrative with Evita’s own words (in Spanish, with an English translation projected behind her). Evita’s corpse was wielded as a political weapon, used to maintain or regain power, or perhaps even more compelling, was the fact that after her death, she was able to affect her country’s politics (particularly among the poor, her image is still common in Argentina, often hung right next to the Virgin Mary). I did learn a lot (prior to this, the extent of my knowledge of Evita was the song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”, popularized by Madonna), but I was hoping for more interpretation, and less historical fact.

Of course, as Firefly Theatre is synonymous with aerial performances, we were looking forward to seeing how they would use movement and height. Because our only previous encounter with Firefly was their stunning, explosive display at the RISE Awards, we were unfairly expecting something similar. That said, Dugan’s restrained perimeter better matched the tone of the play, and garnered much respect – it can’t be easy delivering an hour long performance suspended several feet in the air – something she did with poise and grace. It was an ideal visual – representing the limbo status of the corpse and Evita’s elevated stature. The white fabric that suspended her was also particularly effective in parts – when used as a screen for Evita’s visage, projected next to Dugan’s own face, and as a cocoon with eerie resemblance to mummified remains.

We left the theatre with a desire to learn more about Evita (the starting place: Wikipedia, heh), and an interest to see what else Firefly Theatre might have to offer. As promised by the Canoe Festival, it was indeed an interesting performance.

The Sandwich of No Return: Press’d

Mack loves sandwiches. A grilled cheese is his go-to snack, and while Quizno’s and Subway are his default quick-serve choices, he is partial to the hot sandwiches at MRKT. So of course, when he heard Press’d, Edmonton’s newest sandwich purveyor opened up in Edmonton City Centre, he was excited to see where they would fall in his personal demarcation.

I had wanted to slip a Press’d gift card into Mack’s Christmas stocking, but they didn’t (and still don’t) offer gift cards. I resorted to making him a coupon similar to the ones produced by grade school children.

Press'd

Who doesn’t love coupons?

At any rate, Mack “redeemed” his coupon last Monday, when we met up at Press’d for lunch.

The sleek interior makes it hard to miss – they did a great job of transforming the formerly drab cafe into an inviting space – clean white and green, accented with stained wood.

Press'd

Interior

The menu features 19 different sandwiches, many more likely to be found in a bistro than a food court (the Hot Tamale is particularly creative, featuring black forest ham, jalapeno jack cheese, scrambled egg, banana peppers, green peppers and hot wing sauce). Prices range from $3.79-$5.79 for a small and $6.79-$8.79 for a full sandwich. Mack opted for the Yahoo ($7.79) with roast beef, swiss cheese, mushrooms, red onion and mayo, while I chose the Golden Bear ($8.79), with smoked chicken, baked brie, roasted apples, spinach and sweet fig jam.

Press'd

Yahoo

Press’d prides itself on its made-to-order philosophy, including slicing their meats and vegetables daily, and emphasizes the fact that they bake their own bread (it’s hard to miss, given the racks of flour stacked front and centre). The focaccia was noticeably fresh – great crumb, and having only been gently “pressed” (instead of flatted, Panini-style), its texture was retained.

Press'd

Golden Bear

Other than the bread, however, we were a bit underwhelmed – the sandwiches were okay, but nothing special. While both the portion size and prices were comparable to other restaurants offering “upscale” sandwiches, both of us knew we would be heading to Elm Cafe or MRKT next time. There was something about our experience that lacked the premium price tag they were commanding – though the contained interior is chic, the bustle of mall foot traffic firmly reminded us that we were in food court territory. And the presentation of the sandwiches reminded Mack of the types of food picked up at an airport – bare bones presentation on paper-covered plastic baskets. We didn’t feel like we really received value for our dollar, and at the end of the day, nothing about our meal – food or service – that really stood out.

So while there are lots of reasons to respect Press’d – their commitment to environmental practices (using eco-friendly take-out containers), and using gluten-free meats when possible – there really aren’t any compelling reasons for us to return.

Press’d
Unit #29, 10200 102 Avenue (Edmonton City Centre West)
780-758-0919

Food Notes for January 24, 2011

There’s some good news coming– watch for an announcement about the venue for the year-round City Market in two weeks. I can’t wait until it’s official!

Taipan Cafe

Taipan Cafe

  • Mack was nice enough to stop by Bistro Praha to check on its status – turns out, it will actually be opening this coming Friday, January 28. The interior, even though it is in a new building, actually reminds me very much of the old space.

Bistro Praha

Bistro Praha interior

  • There’s a new Mucho Burrito downtown, in the HSBC Building (10250 101 Street).

Mucho Burrito

Mucho Burrito

  • Before Ice on Whyte, I had a bite to eat at the newest location of Nhon Hoa (10154 82 Avenue). My usual order at the Chinatown location is a sub with shredded pork, but they didn’t even have it on the menu here (I ended up with a sausage and shredded pork sub). The bread was too toasted for my liking, but it hit the spot.

Nhon Hoa

Sausage and shredded pork sub

  • Mack and I ended up at our neighbourhood Blue Plate Diner on Sunday night for a pre-show dinner. I ordered the $45 Fork Fest special, which included an appetizer, entree, and glass of wine. The tomato & parmesan tart was delicious – the pesto beurre blanc that made the dish. I was expecting a little more from the braised plum lamb shank though – the meat was nearly fall-off-the-bone tender, but more than anything, I was left wanting an accompanying jus or sauce of some kind. Also of note – it was the third time, in trying to have points added to our Original Fare VIP card, that the machine did not work – the program has been in place for a few years now, so we wondered why glitches haven’t yet been remedied.

Blue Plate Diner

Tomato & parmesan tart

Blue Plate Diner

Braised plum lamb shank

  • To help celebrate Annie’s birthday, her parents cooked us a grand meal, and finished with fondue made from a Kerstin’s Chocolates kit. Happy birthday, Annie!

Chocolate Fondue

Chocolate fondue

Ice on Whyte 2011

Spanning one of the coldest weekends to one of the warmest, this year’s Ice on Whyte festival has seen it all. Mack and I headed to Old Strathcona on Saturday to check it out, hoping that the ice sculptures hadn’t yet been reduced to puddles.

Ice on Whyte 2010

A part of Winter Light

There were a ton of people out, more than we’ve ever seen at the festival – we wondered if the high attendance numbers were attributable to the weather, or perhaps to the theme?

Ice on Whyte 2010

Large crowds

This year’s festival had a Chinese theme, with nine carvers from Harbin, China having travelled to Edmonton to collaborate on everything from the dragon slide to the pagodas.

Ice on Whyte 2010Welcome

Both the gate and the pagodas were equally impressive (and seemed to be popular photo backdrops), but I had a soft spot for the ice zodiac, and couldn’t help but pose for a picture next to my representative animal.

Ice on Whyte 2010

That’ll do, pig

Mack’s favourite ice sculpture was the Transformer – though we appreciated the abstract and interpretive nature that made up a number of sculptures, it was a nice surprise to see one based on popular culture.

Ice on Whyte 2010

Transformer

Ice on Whyte appeared to be larger than in past years – there were a number of snow sculptures on display as well.

Ice on Whyte 2010

Still at work

In addition to the always-popular ice slide, there were several smaller ice slides as well in a children’s play area, complete with a small ice maze.

Ice on Whyte 2010

Maze

Ice on Whyte 2010

Slide pretty for the camera!

Next up for Winter Light is Illuminations, this Saturday, January 29, featuring a snowball battle, choir performances, and circus pyrotechnics. See you there!

You can see the rest of our photoset here.

The Cooking Chronicles: Italian Comforts

I really enjoy browsing for cookbooks at the library – how else would you be able to test run recipes before deciding whether or not it belongs in your permanent collection? Currently on trial: Mario Batali’s Molto Italiano, which won a James Beard Award for “Best International Cookbook” in 2006.

I’ve only made two recipes from the book so far, but it’s a nice volume to flip through – lots of photos, and most of the recipes are preceded by an anecdote, something that does help make it more personal and fun to read.

Roman Egg Drop Soup

Feeling snowed in on one of the weekends, Mario Batali’s Roman egg drop soup seemed like the perfect dish to make. Simple and fast, it was so good I had it for lunch and dinner that night. This in spite of the fact that I used boxed stock, and substituted all purpose for semolina flour.

It’s so easy to pull together – a cup of cold broth, eggs, flour, parmesan and nutmeg is whisked into boiling stock – nothing to it. It was silky smooth, rich without being heavy, and made our condo smell like mom’s kitchen on a sick day.

Roman Egg Drop Soup

Roman egg drop soup

I will be making this again – I’m craving it now, just writing about it.

Baked Pasta with Ricotta and Ham

Mack didn’t enjoy the soup as much as I did, but he did like the baked pasta with ricotta and ham more than me. I was calling it “Italian mac and cheese”, but it’s really more like a macaroni pie – pasta and Italian cooked ham layered with ricotta, provolone and tomato sauce.

It wasn’t difficult – most of the recipe time is passive, allowing the sauce to reduce down (it did taste fantastic) – but somehow, even with all of the cheese and ham, the dish didn’t meet my expectations. There wasn’t quite enough sauce for my liking, and in the end, I kept thinking – with similar ingredients, I could have made Giada’s stuffed shells with arrabbiata sauce instead.

Baked Pasta with Ricotta and Ham

Baked pasta with ricotta and ham

I bookmarked a few more recipes to try – hopefully I get to them before the book’s due date!

The 2011 Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market

Two months ago, when Kerrie Miller took over as the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market Manager, the number of vendors dipped, and morale was low. The atmosphere in the hall was far from lively, though the vendors that did remain made the best of it. But now, in its second week in 2011, Alberta Avenue really does seem to be looking up.

Market

Interior

Perhaps it had to do with the sound of children playing, or the dreamy quality of the twinkle lights above, but the mood at the market was so lively and positive today. Patrons chatted happily with vendors, and people lingered (and had a reason to do so – the concession and dining area, in lieu of outdoor street food, is a great one).

Greens, Eggs and Ham

Andres of Greens Eggs and Ham

It felt more like the City Market than ever before – I had the time and space to chat with producers, and ran into a few familiar faces. The change in time – from 2-7pm to 5-8pm, seemed to bolster the small crowd.

En Sante

En Sante

Sew Cozy Mittens

Sew Cozy Mittens, made from recycled sweaters (Ansa was at Deep Freeze too)

Ma-Be Farms, Shooting Star Ranch and The Chocolate Doctors were there, though the big draw for everyone seemed to be Linda Kearney’s breads.

The Queen of Tarts

The Queen of…Bread?

Linda (aka The Queen of Tarts) is more widely known for her desserts, but since she and her husband will also be offering an extensive selection of bread at their new bistro-cafe on 104 Street, she thought it would be wise to start testing loaves early.

The Queen of Tarts

Miche

She had a half dozen varieties today, beautifully displayed in baskets. They use organic, locally grown and milled flour, and all of their breads use levain instead of yeast.

The Queen of Tarts

Dark Rye

I picked up a baton, fougasse and a loaf of multigrain bread – the first two were consumed even before the accompanying soup made it to the table – Mack liked the baton best, while the fougasse was my favourite (it had a solid crust that gave way to a nice, soft interior).

The Queen of Tarts

Multigrain

Linda will be selling her breads every Thursday at least until her shop opens – after that, she will determine if she can manage to do both.

Kerrie is still working on attracting other vendors – keep up-to-date by joining the mailing list. Holly Gale of Smoky Valley Goat Cheese is expecting to come once a month, and in between, Greens, Eggs and Ham may be able to carry their products.

So – if you need any more incentive to check out the market, how about this: pick up some goat cheese, a baton, and hop on the train – it made me feel like I was in Paris more than I’d care to admit.

Paris

Dinner

Hope to see you there!

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market
118 Avenue & 93 Street
Open Thursdays, 5-8 p.m.