To Victoria and Back Again

What is your first question when you talk to someone just returning from Victoria, Canada? Really, it took you more than two seconds? It's all about the weather. While the rest of the country is in the depths of cold and snow Victoria is the only green spot in the entire country. Therefore, I thought I would share my visit through the lens of weather. This is the view from one window of the home I was housesitting. The neighbouring property is a little old house perched far back on the lot leaving a sizeable front garden. I took a liking to these two flamingo pink lawn chairs.

 

One day this painting arrived on one of the chairs. Was it for me? Did my neighbour witness my voyeurism? 

At first blush I would discard this photograph. But look at the sunlight it reflects.

 This shows the normal November weather.

Eek! Snow! And it stayed for two or three days. I was wearing my fur lined jacket, Uggs, fur hat and ski mitts.

Dull days.

So there you have it. November in Victoria. Really, it isn't all about the weather. Honest.

Culinary Tour in Canada's Oldest Chinatown

The earliest immigrants from China started arriving in 1858 and by 1880 Victoria had the largest settlement in Canada. Gold is what brought them but as more and more arrived many established businesses to serve this thriving community.

If you are like me you have walked up and down the aisles of the grocery stores and baffled at the array of dried, canned and fresh foods many of which have no English labels. Enter Chef Heidi who has assisted hundreds of curious cooks over the past 10 years leading this tour. The groups are limited to six people which allows lots of opportunity for questions and personal assistance. Her knowledge of ingredients and even recommending certain brands is impressive. After all, we are often faced with too many choices.

A couple of words we learned as it relates to produce are 'moo' and 'sum'. Moo means baby, as in baby bok choy. Sum refers to a flowering vegetable such as Chinese broccoli.

If you like sticky rice as much as I do you have probably wondered "What is in that?" These sausages add amazing flavour. They must be steamed or boiled for about 15 minutes before using to soften them and render out fat. And you should see the bacon! I wish I had taken a picture. They use it as we would use lardons.

Many people are cautious of produce coming from China. The good news is that most of these are grown in California and make a short trip up the coast. Most items are labelled with country of origin.

Prices in Chinatown are much better than the chain grocery store. One reason is that they have a much smaller space. The aisles are narrow and crammed with product. The sidewalk is an extension of the store. There is no space wasted. Another reason for better prices is that they often purchase the 'ugly' vegetables. This is called #2 grade produce. This is a good thing for the planet. Regular grocery stores throw out a lot of produce because it doesn't conform to certain physical standards.

I had to make a pictorial note of these fermented black beans. I love homemade black bean sauce and this is the key ingredient.

Our tour wound up with tea tasting at Silk Road Tea Store. Honestly, there are too many choices again. I became enamoured with the lapsang souchong black tea. It is a pine smoked black tea that could have all sorts of applications in your kitchen. Thank heaven for the 20% discount. They also sell online which will make it all too easy for me to try a few more.

Poached Cod with Pernod Saffron Broth

This picture perfect dish was my lunch today. I must confess that I am not the chef. Friends Meredith and Gary invited me to their Sooke acreage for lunch. The drive from Victoria is intoxicating as it winds through rocky mixed coniferous and deciduous forests and eventually exposing peek-a-boo views of harbours and inlets along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

I always feel recharged when I visit. Their quaint home lies in a cozy clearing surrounded by forest and gardens providing complete privacy.  The Sooke River is the back boundary of their plot. Water is a calming feature and a reminder of life, Mother Nature and the seasons. Growing up on the farm one of my favourite summer vacation diversions was to bicycle to the creek about three miles down the road. By the end of harvest it was barely a trickle in contrast to the overflowing banks in spring.

I am envious of the bay tree and fresh plucked leaves anytime they are called for. Meredith and Gary have lived here for a very long time and together have created this respite from the world. Meredith asked for a bay leaf and Gary came back from the garden with fresh thyme. I was perplexed. After pulling the leaves from the stems and adding them to the poaching liquid Meredith added bay leaves. I pondered this throughout the leisurely meal and after until I realized that after many years of marriage, raising a family and lovingly maintaining their home, perhaps they sometimes work together as one. Obviously Gary knew she had bay leaves already but no thyme so, of course he picked thyme. Either that or I completely missed something.

Meredith carefully followed the recipe from the folded magazine and checked from time to time when I would have thrown it all together. The result was perfection. I had to find this recipe and save it. Although the fresh fish and seafood are not always available where I live I think that frozen cod would be acceptable. The clams not so much so but the dish would still be lovely even without clams.

An added bonus for me was to be able to take pictures with a fully set table. I rarely have that opportunity. It makes for an interesting photograph and allows for different shooting angles with background interest.

As an aside, if you are dreaming of visiting Vancouver Island this is a beautiful spot to spend a week. Gary and Meredith have a private totally equipped cottage on their property that they rent out. So if you would be romanced by a quaint cottage in the woods backing onto a river within a five minute drive to the beaches on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and 40 minutes to the city, make a note of this.

Poached Cod with Pernod Saffron Broth       adapted from Fine Cooking

4 5-oz. cod fillets (preferably 1 inch thick) 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper  

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 

1 small fennel bulb (about 3/4 lb.), trimmed (leave core intact) and cut into 1/2-inch wedges, plus 1 tbsp. chopped fronds  

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 medium-large shallot, chopped  

2 8-oz. bottles clam juice 

8 oz. small baby red or fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/8-inch-thick coins, ends discarded (about 6 potatoes)  

1 large tomato, cut into small dice (12 oz., about 1-1/2 cups) 

2 tbsp. anisette liqueur, such as Pernod or Sambuca  

1 bay leaf 

1 large sprig fresh thyme  

1/4 tsp. roughly chopped or coarsely ground fennel seed 

A generous pinch of saffron, crumbled (about 25 threads)  

12 littleneck clams, scrubbed 

1-1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325 F. Season the cod with salt and pepper. Let it sit at room temperature while you prepare the braising mixture.

Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the fennel to a plate. Put the pan over low heat and add the garlic, shallot, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until just softened, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the clam juice, potatoes, tomato, liqueur, bay leaf, thyme, fennel seed, and saffron to the skillet. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes to start the potatoes cooking. Nestle the cod pieces and clams into the sauce, piling the fennel on top of the fish and making sure all of the potatoes are submerged. Tightly cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil and poach in the oven until the fish is almost cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness.

With a slotted spatula, transfer the cod to 4 shallow bowls. Bring the braising liquid, clams, and vegetables to a brisk simmer on top of the stove, cover the pan, and cook until the clams are opened and the vegetables are tender, 3 to 6 minutes more. Divide the opened clams (discard any unopened ones) and vegetables among the bowls. Add the fennel fronds and parsley to the braising liquid in the pan. Bring to a simmer and pour over the fish and vegetables.

Crusty garlic bread served alongside is perfect for soaking up the flavorful sauce.

Victoria's Chinatown

I have travelled to many cities around the world and often I have been averse to tours but when it comes to localized community tours it is always worth the time. Today's Chinatown tour in Victoria, Canada was no exception. Our tour guide with Discovery Walks was excellent. Not only does he recognize a few strategic Chinese language symbols and knows the history inside out, he is working on a book about Victoria's Chinatown. I will be watching for this book release.

I only snapped a few pictures. Most of the time I was rapt by the descriptions of life as the earliest Chinese immigrants, not ever planning to stay, unravelled into the story of their migration and new home in Canada.

Offerings of fresh fruit.

Yes, Chinese immigrants did not come with a plan to relocate. Rather it was an opportunity to earn money to send home and eventually return home to an improved life. With the changes in politics at home it became less desirable to return to the old country and as a result many stayed. And eventually they did bring some family.

It is most disappointing to hear of the inequities in life that these immigrants experienced. Chinese people were not allowed to be architects and as a result the buildings were designed by mainly British architects. As a result the style is not true but seen through the lens of another culture. Apartheid in the schools was declared and revoked. To maintain a sense of their heritage a Chinese School was built and attended after regular school hours and on weekends. Classes are still held here to teach language and culture.

Ancient gong and bell were brought from China for this temple.

There were very few women in the early days of the Chinese migration. It was a settlement of men, many lured by the gold rush, hoping to make money and return home. Most came from a farming background and as a result founded many market gardens that fed not only the Chinese but the locals. Until as late as the 1960's food was delivered in the traditional Chinese way with a bamboo pole over the shoulders carrying baskets of produce on each end.

The tour was filled with real historical facts from the migration, family and school life, gambling houses, opium dens and sadly the disintegration of Chinatown. The city of Victoria has recognized this special historical aspect and is now restoring and redeveloping with a sensitivity to the past.

I loved burrowing into the narrow alleyways to see behind the store fronts. Today's development is mirroring the old days by reconstructing a vibrant culture behind the store facades. I knew about Fan Tan Alley but there are many more alleyways.

This is a picture of new development in the back alleys of modern day Chinatown. There are residential condos and business spaces on the ground level.

We visited the first and oldest Hakku temple in Canada founded in 1905. The Hakku are from northern China. Once again our tour guide painted a vivid picture of life around the temple, in the past and in today's life. Although the temple is not as important now in the day to day life of the Chinese it is important for family celebrations and maintaining a sense of history for the young.

The exterior is very unassuming. The temple is on the top floor. Rental apartments and meeting rooms occupy the rest of the space.

After all this walking I was ready for dim sum. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures but it was delicious.

2013 in Review

In January I found this amazing recipe for a faux sourdough rye bread. It is delicious.

'Tis the season for looking back and looking forward. Bloggers, cookbook authors, chefs and columnists are publishing their 'bests' of 2013 and 'hopes' for 2014.

These lists humble me. After all I didn't travel in 2013, at least not internationally. I don't have innovative and exciting restaurants at home.

Rather than wallow in self pity for too long I decided to take a looked back through my pictures of the year. Surprising to me my year was interesting and eventful with thanks to the many people who contributed to my culinary journey. I am amazed at how many people I met personally or virtually via food this year. All of you have added to my food adventures.

Thank you to Val at More Than Burnt Toast and the Virtual Supper Club crew, Justin at Justcooking in NYC, lovely Hutterite lady at McMahon Colony, Elisabeth at Prairie Infusions foraged foods, Val from A Canadian Foodie and all the other Slow Food delegates from across Canada, Jennifer CK who runs the Okanagan Food & Wine Writers' Workshop, writer Rosalyn, Calgary Food Tours Karen Anderson, wine writer and guru Shelley Boettcher, cookbook author supreme Jennifer Schell and all the writers I met there, Monika the baker from Kelowna, Chef Jenni, Chef Simon, Angie Quaale of Well Seasoned and all the other barbecue fanatics including Rob Reinhardt of Prairie Smoke and Spice, pit boss supreme winning at the Jack Daniels Invitational, Barbara the Cake Witch and all the other new vendors at the Swift Current Farmers' Market, Penny McKinley and all the Saskatoon Slow Food community. The problem with thanking is that I may have forgotten someone. Please forgive me and leave a message so I can acknowledge you, too.

I have chosen one picture per month to take you on my 2013 culinary tour. Many months it was difficult to choose the top picture. This post is riddled with links and unfortunately sometimes I cannot make them come out in another colour. Just pass your curser over and you will find all the recipes and sources.

January
 I made this recipe for a faux sourdough rye bread. The picture is above. It is amazing and I make it as often as I can. In January I was also cooking with veal shanks à la Dorie Greenspan and making festive layer cakes for my Western Producer article (see p. 24).

I was looking for more structure to my blogging and came up with a couple of ideas. I began my Cooking Class Monday's on my blog. I kept it up for 2 or 3 months. By far How to Clean Your Pasta Machine was the most visited. And I started Casual Friday's. Ditto, I only did it for about 3 months. My favourite recipe was Cold Sesame Noodles from the blog and new cookbook Appetite for China.  I have been much more successful with another initiative and that is joining the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. I don't think I have missed a month yet.

Pancetta with local pork belly.

February
I made my first ever charcuterie. I cured a pork belly and made an impressive pancetta. I even won the cookbook Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing by Michael Ruhlman, one of my favourite chefs. This was a Daring Cooks challenge.

I won a nice basket containing among other things a vintage bottle of Dom Perignon at our Lyric Theatre Valentine's Day brunch. And I won another wonderful cookbook, Tacos, Tortas and Tamales. This was thanks to Justin at Justcook NYC.

I was cooking with Saskatchewan wild boar, lake caught pickerel in tacos from the aforementioned cookbook and local Black Welsh lamb.

Cow's milk feta.

March
I searched the town over and finally found rennet. Acquiring raw milk in a farming community is not too difficult. I made this tasty feta with raw cow's milk. I had a lovely chat with a woman from the Colony who also makes cheese. I hope to meet her and chat more about her cheese making.

I experimented with sea buckthorn, Saskatchewan wild foraged fiddleheads, dried wild mushrooms, wild rice and farmed steelhead trout.

A bevy of amazing chefs.

April
I drove to Osoyoos for the National Slow Food Conference. You can catch it this year in Nova Scotia. It was a 'to die for' food experience featuring the bounty of local foods and wines. It was 3 days of the best and all thanks to the local producers, makers and chefs.

The highlight of the conference was learning about the return of the sockeye salmon to the Okanagan Lake. You can read Jennifer Cockrall-King's article in Canadian Geographic for all the details. I met and visited the gardens and vineyards of the Harkers' from Keremeos, who were name top young farmers of the year in 2012 and finally meeting a few of the Canadian bloggers I follow.

En route to Osoyoos I passed through some of Alberta's best agricultural areas producing sugar beets, bison and much more.

Bread and croissant baking class with Monika from the Okanagan Grocery in Kelowna.

Immediately following Slow Food in Osoyoos I arrived in Kelowna for the Food and Wine Writers' Workshop. Click on the link to find the information for 2014. Oh shucks, another 3 days of the best in local products, wines and chefs. Tasting caviar, fresh oysters, Summerhill Pyramid wines (and several others) and learning about the formation of the lakes, valleys and benches during the ice age. Driving home through the Rockies I stopped in Field, BC for lunch at one of my favourites The Truffle Pig.

Low and slow cooked half of lamb.

June was a busy month. Activities included my annual barbecue with the kids at the Hutterite Colony school where I am a substitute teacher, 3 women cycling across Canada stopped for a couple of nights and made a dinner including a beautiful asparagus soup, the farmers' market opening, and another wonderful bread recipe.

The highlight was attending my university friend's 40th wedding anniversary. Their daughter ordered a half of a local lamb and did an amazing job on the barbecue with it.

Kids' Cooking Camp.

July
I had 6 delightful young ladies spend 2 full days in my kitchen making real food from real ingredients. The bundt cake in the planning stages above turned out perfectly. They were so proud!

Interesting day trips were made to Schmidt Organic Mills, Cypress Hills Vineyard, Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site with outdoor brick bread oven and the Avonlea Badlands.

Chef Jenni from Saskatoon telling us about her sea buckthorn focused meal.

August
I attended a workshop at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Centre to learn more about sea buckthorn. And I became an official barbecue judge. Farmers' market is in full swing.

Shaggy Parasols in my neighbour's front lawn.

September
Farmers' market continues. Picked my first foraged mushrooms and I didn't even have to leave home. I wonder how these traveled to this location? They made an awesome soup and an even awesomer risotto.

We had the first ever block party on my street. That is amazing because all the homes were built in the 1960's. I made Black Welsh lamb burgers stuffed with brie on my homemade foccacia. Yummy.

Sour cherry jam made with SK Evan's cherries.

October
Making my exotics for the Christmas market - sour cherry jam, haskap jam and sea buckthorn jelly.

I finally found buffalo berries. They are a local favourite and look a lot like sea buckthorn. I cooked with fresh wild pheasant (saltimboca) and grocery store quince (membrillo).

Flank steak with black bean sauce.

November
I finally acquired some wonderful flank steak. It is difficult to find it locally. We placed a group order  from Pine View Farms all natural meat.

My friend, Hannah, brought back artisan black bean sauce from the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. I enjoyed it with the flank steak above and a pork tenderloin, also from Pine View Meats.

My three closest university friends and I celebrated our birthdays with a few days in Saskatoon and took a cooking class with Simon's Fine Foods. We were hoping that Ayden Kitchen & Bar would be open but we were just a couple weeks too early. Next time.

I made decorated sugar cookies with my children at the Hutterite Colony and in November I bought a pair of skates.

The Bar Humbug Ranch take off of A Christmas Carol

December
And I am ready for a new year! There are no big culinary adventures this month. I had a few Christmas markets. I didn't cook for Christmas. I just enjoyed myself!

My most memorable taste experience was the Plum Pudding at the annual Dicken's Festival in my hometown of Carlyle, SK. They put on a good show and family event. It is definitely worth a visit.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  MAY 2014 FIND YOU IN GOOD HEALTH, HAPPY TIMES AND THE BEST IN LOCALLY GROWN AND PRODUCED FOOD.

Bean Scene Coffee Works

The Food and Wine Writers'
Workshop in Kelowna, BC gave us a lot of fodder for our blogs! This coffee shop is an amazing example of people who care about their customers, their city and the earth. They won the  Award for the Most Environmentally Innovative Business in 2012.

They accomplished this with an entirely new way to deal with the smoke produced while roasting beans without using electricity. It was a creation of John's through repurposing an old fuel tank. Brilliant. And the sludge remaining fertilizes their flower beds.

John Anderson and Deb Synnot are the masterminds of this business. John handles the coffee and Deb, the bakery. Everything is from scratch with the best quality ingredients.












Each drink is made by hand, one at a time. All of their equipment is calibrated to world barista championship standards. All baristas are required to compete in house to win a chance to attend international barista championships.































John's tips on buying and storing coffee are simple. Buy only what you will use in 8 - 10 days. Grind fresh for every cup or pot of coffee. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. That's it!

If your finished coffee does not taste good the three main reasons may be the grind, under dosing (ie not enough grounds) or your equipment. Heat extracts flavour better than cold but leave your hot coffee to sit for a minute and let it cool so you can taste the flavours.

There is so much more to learn. The blends, the matching with foods and the roasting give us so much more knowledge to enjoy and serve great coffee.

Customer service is front and centre.

Roasting beans

One very interested member of our group. She had the only seat in the place.

Rice pudding breakfast

Beautiful artisan cappucino

Litlte Horse Lodge at Green Lake, BC

Highway 97 follows the Old Cariboo Gold Rush Trail in British Columbia. The gold rush of 1862 - 1865 brought a steady stream of men and families hoping to find their fortune. This part of the country is steeped in lore and memorabilia of those days.

Now there are dude ranches, health spas and fishing lakes for the new generation of seekers. Some are seeking their fortune, others are seeking a slower pace of life in this area of wilderness. My father moved here about 25 years ago and at age 87 still enjoys puttering around with his tools and antique cars. He is also still a member of the volunteer fire department at Green Lake. I find it amazing that much of our rural areas in Canada are protected by volunteer fire fighters.

Many Friday's during the winter the group will meet at Little Horse Lodge for lunch. Take a turn off the highway at 70 Mile House and follow the signs to Green Lake. I should have taken a picture of everyone's meal because they were beautiful in their rustic and huge servings. Above is a Club House sandwich with a hearty bowl of bean and beef soup. Paul was unable to finish his sandwich and like me, he packed half of it home for a snack later. Below is my Beef Dip au Jus with French Fries. The quality of the food has come and gone over the years but they are definitely on a roll with some good grub now.

Highway 97 has stops at many of the Gold Rush era spots and stunning wilderness beauty. It connects with the Alaska Highway 97 from where it gets its name. Although the new highway has little resemblance to the old trail it is still a destination route for the adventurous.

Picture courtesy of Little Horse Lodge