Lake Diefenbaker Steelhead Trout baked on a Plank

Last week I prepared a meal for 35 people. To say I was feeling a bit of pressure is to state the obvious. Guest of honour was dee Hobsbawn-Smith. I have followed dee since we both lived in Calgary. I clipped her columns from the Calgary Herald. And I enjoyed food at her restaurant Foodsmith back in the early 1990's.

Today she lives west of Saskatoon on the family farm and I live in Swift Current, SK. Pure coincidence that we both moved back around the same time. The only difference is that dee didn't know me from a hole in the ground. Meanwhile, I am stalking her and knowing she moved to the province I didn't exactly know where.

She is an artist, an artist with words and food, and it fitted that she may have chosen Eastend. I also checked out that ranching area.

Fast forward and serendipity has brought us together. Dee is the Saskatoon convivium leader for Slow Food. After inviting her to speak in my town about Slow Food I drove to Saskatoon and volunteered at their annual Slow Food fundraiser dining experience.

I would have thought I might have been nervous and shy but dee has a gentle and kind manner about her. She makes one feel comfortable and is genuinely interested in you.

So back to the dinner for 35. On the Wednesday before her Sunday reading here in town we had only four people signed up. I considered cancelling or at least moving it to my dining room table. Within two days 35 people signed up for a locavore Slow Food style meal.

This steelhead is one of the dishes I made for that dinner. Lucky me, my Community Supported Foraging box had just arrived from northern Saskatchewan and I had some splendid wild foraged ingredients.

Planked Steelhead Trout

spruce tips
camelina oil
baby rhubarb
sea salt
spruce tip syrup
cedar or alder plank
side of steelhead trout, skin on

Make a simple syrup by boiling one cup of water with one cup of sugar. Add 1/4 cup of spruce tips and continue to simmer until the syrup thickens. Cool and strain.

Finely chop a tablespoon of young spruce tips. Finely chop red baby rhubarb. Add both to the syrup.

Preheat plank in a 475 F oven until you can smell the wood. Rub with oil. Lay a side of trout on the hot board, skin side down. Rub the fish with oil and the syrup mixture. Place in the hot oven and bake for about ten minutes, or done.

My Favourite Food Shot of Anything I Have Photographed

I think I want to be a photographer. Tonight was the Slow Food Saskatoon fundraiser dinner and I had the pleasure of taking the pictures. Here are some of my favourites of the evening. I see two themes. I love food and do my best work with food but I love the reaction of people to the food.

Not a stellar photograph but it captures the spirit of this volunteer.

Her Mom is a Local Food Hero but she stole the show.

14 Food Goals for 2014

I normally don't make New Year's resolutions. It doesn't make any sense to me to set out a list of things...on January 1...that  I would like to do differently. I make lists like this all year long. Sometimes they result in changes but most often not.

Valerie at A Canadian Foodie has issued this as a challenge in our ongoing Canadian Food Experience project. I am already doing many of these things but sometimes I get lazy or complacent. Time for a tune-up. Check here for a full list of participants.

14 food goals for 2014:

1. Continue to eat LOCALLY produced foods as much as possible.
As much as possible means that I won't be giving up my sea salt, chocolate or coffee any time soon. It means that I will forego seafood on the prairies. It doesn't taste as good so why bother.

2. Be more aware of the SEAFOOD Watch.
I just said that I would forego seafood on the prairies. However, that doesn't account for eating out and temptations at friends' homes. It does not account for the possibility I might find myself by the sea. Who doesn't find shrimp on menus everywhere and at friend's parties. No more shrimp.

3. Less JUNK food.
Restaurant choices are limited in my town so often I just grab a burger or fried chicken when I am starved and in a hurry. I leaned on this a little too often last year. A clean up is required.

4. SCRATCH cooking.
I am already doing this but I want to be sure to continue. I will continue to promote scratch cooking through my blog and writing.

5. Explore VEGETARIAN and be more creative in my vegetarian choices.
One of my sisters has been vegetarian for 35 years. Even though she has access to a vast array of choices, she still lacks a certain creativity in her meals. Don't we all, vegetarian or not.

6. Expand my GARDEN.
The summer is so busy for me. I am a farmers' market vendor and it consumes my time. Last year my garden suffered. I don't want that to happen again this year.

7. Amp up my NUTRIENT intake.
I am aware of the nutrients in foods but rarely make choices based on their nutritional value. The past couple of winters I have suffered more with colds. It is time to make some changes to improve my immune system.

8. Continue to TEST recipes for local super foods...
... like sea buckthorn and haskap. I have tons of these in my freezer. I make jams and jellies but I don't eat jams and jellies very often. It is time to bring them into my everyday menus that do not include desserts. Einkorn and kamut flour are nutritious and I have not taken the time to work with them.

9. Work on BREAD recipes for the farmers' market.
I like providing new things over the summer.

10. Be CREATIVE with the presentation of food.
I like to think I am but I am also falling into a rut in how I present food. This can be seen in my food photography.

11. Focus on SIMPLICITY in meals and recipes. I think this will be a trend this year.

12. EXPAND my circle of food-centric people.

13.  READ books relating to food.

14. SEEK out more wild food. I want to forage for mushrooms and other edible plants indigenous to my area.



My recipes this month will help satisfy Goal #5 - explore vegetarian options. Black rice and amaranth are my two new ingredients. Why would I want to include these two in a vegetarian meal?  (Source: Whole Grains Council)

In 2003, researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada found that amaranth can be a rich dietary source of phytosterols, which have cholesterol-lowering properties.  Just a few years later, in 2007, Russian researchers drew from the 1996 study to determine whether or not amaranth would also show benefits for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).  Patients who presented with coronary heart disease and hypertension not only showed benefits from the inclusion of amaranth in their diets, researchers also saw a significant decrease in the amounts of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol. 

In addition, amaranth is a good source of protein containing the essential amino acid lysine which is absent in other grains. It is also naturally gluten-free. 

Black Rice Rivals Blueberries as Antioxidant Source

Scientists working with Zhimin Xu at the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center have found that black rice (sometimes called “forbidden rice”) contains health-promoting antioxidants called anthocyanins, at levels similar to those found in blueberries and blackberries.
August 26, 2010 presentation at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Boston MA

Black Rice Bran Protects Against Inflammation

S.P. Choi and colleagues from Ajou University in Suwon, South Korea tested both black rice bran and brown rice bran for their effectiveness in protecting against skim inflammation. In mouse tests, they found that the black rice bran did suppress dermatitis, but the brown rice bran did not. The scientists suggest that black rice may be a “useful therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of diseases associated with chronic inflammation.”
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, August 23, 2010.
 
 

Portabello Mushrooms stuffed with 3 Rice Pilaf

1/2 cup wild rice

1 cup brown basmati rice

1/2 cup black rice

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Cook rice in separate pots until tender. Drain and combine in large bowl. Saute onion until clear, add almonds and continue to sauté until they are toasted. Add dried cranberries. Stir and add to cooked rice. Toss to mix.

Prepare mushrooms by removing the stem. The stem can be chopped and added to onions when sautéing, if desired. Remove gills of mushroom. Stuff the cap with the rice mixture. Place on baking sheet and bake in 375F oven for approximately 30 minutes or until tender.

 

Amaranth Tabouli

Tabouli, a mid-eastern salad usually made with bulgur wheat, makes light, refreshing, warm weather fare. I am using amaranth for a new taste.

1 cup amaranth

1 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

2 tbsp fresh mint

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tomato, diced

lettuce leaves, whole

Simmer amaranth in 2 cups of salted water for 12-15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.

Place remaining ingredients except lettuce in a mixing bowl and toss together lightly. Chill for an hour or more to allow flavours to blend.

Wash and dry lettuce leaves and use them to line a salad bowl. Add tabouli and garnish with more diced tomatoes.

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.

Slow Food Canada National Conference

I have been attending the Slow Food Canada National Conference in Osoyoos, British Columbia for the past two days. The meetings have been very intense, the food and wine out of this world and the camaraderie amazing.

I have had precious little time for blogging. Meetings run for 6 hours each day, then a workshop or farm tour for 2 hours and the day ends with the most wonderful local food at dinners that keep us until bedtime.

The chefs have been nothing but outstanding. They have been foraging for wild watercress, balsam root and biscuit root. Beef and pork have been brined, marinated and braised for 24 hours. Fruit compotes, sorbets and infused dressings have been prepared. Breads, loaves and puddings have been baked. I have never had so much delicious and lovingly prepared healthy food at a conference. Attention to detail has been outstanding. Everything is local, from scratch and prepared with simplicity.

This market came together just for our conference. It is off season but these wonderful farmers and artisans came out to show and sell. The amazing part was that this brought in so many people from off the street that they sold way more than they ever expected. While this was on, there was a wine tasting just inside the hotel.

Now I am off to a Food and Wine Writers' Workshop in the same valley. I have another 3 days of this wonderful food and wine. I promise to blog more details when I return home.

I purchased his wonderful locally grown and smoked chipotle peppers. They smell so good.

I also purchased canned and smoked Okanagan sockeye salmon. There is a special story to go with this product.

Foraged foods.

Can you see the snail shaped bread? Made special for Slow Food.