Andalusian Discoveries

Plaza Rib Rambla, medieval Granada'a main square

Kaarina 

Mike and I were sipping a glass of Rioja at an outdoor cafe across from our hotel in Granada’s ancient Plaza Bib Rambla when our waitress surprised us, placing a slate of mysterious golden fritters on our table. We hadn’t ordered food but tucked right in, happy that we had stumbled on a traditional taverna like El Laurel, which still serves a complimentary tapa with a drink, a custom that is quickly vanishing across much of Spain. That night was our introduction to Berenjenas con Miel Cana — an Andalusian specialty that has its roots in southern Spain’s 700-year Moorish history. Deep fried aubergine, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside and drizzled with a dark brown cane honey. Eggplant has never tasted so good. From the first bite it was clear that this was going home with me to our next Epitourist lunch.

Deep fried eggplant drizzled with cane honey

Before I left on my October tour of Spain’s major Moorish sights, the Epitourists had agreed that we would cook an Andalusian feast on my return. So I was on a mission to find dishes I had never tried before but could take home and cook in my own kitchen.

Ronda - Puente Nuevo was built almost 300 years ago

I found the second dish for our menu in Ronda, the stunningly beautiful Andalusian White Hill Town that straddles a deep 390-foot gorge. Restaurante Las Maravillas’ tapas menu translated Carrillada as “braised pork cheeks.” Who knew the tenderest, tastiest cut from a pig fits into the palm of your hand? I pledged, on my return to find pork cheeks (aka jowls) in Toronto. (Order ahead from Sanagan’s Meat Locker / in Kensington Market.) I used a Nigel Slater’s Pigs Cheek recipe from the Guardian  with good success.

Pork cheeks and company!

Meanwhile, my Epitourist mates were researching Andalusian cooking online. Diane found a stew using spinach and chickpeas, ingredients that — like aubergines — were brought to Spain by the Moors. She mentioned the dish in an email, and that evening I spied Espinacas con Garbanzos on the menu at what had already become our favourite tapas bar in Sevilla: Las Teresas, a three-minute stroll from our hotel through narrow “kissing streets” of medieval Barrio Santa Cruz. 

Sevilla's Kissing Street and Las Teresas

Las Teresas’ Espinacas con Garbanzos was quite good, of course, but paled in comparison to the delightful dish Diane meticulously constructed in my kitchen in Toronto and served promptly as soon as the spinach was cooked.

Diane's Espinacas con Garbanzos

Diane

My research led me to the Hola Foodie site and a dish described as ‘bueno, bonito y barato’, which translates into ‘good, beautiful and cheap.’ Like many other peasant recipes from southern Spain, chickpeas and spinach are a fine example of how to make the most of simple and humble ingredients. Andalusian Chickpeas and Spinach somewhat surprised me as I don't quickly connect southern Spain with either of the main ingredients. Plain food, but so delicious when seasoned with the cumin, garlic, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. The recipe noted frozen spinach was acceptable, but fresh was definitely more appealing.

Italian Spring

Kaarina

As our bitter winter dragged on into April, I frequently found myself thinking of our spring holiday to northern Italy a few years ago. What I wouldn’t give to be back at Corteforte Winery and B&B in Fumane, north of Verona, and the adjacent Enoteca Della Valpolicella where we dined three nights in a row. The food was that divine. Fresh peas and pasta. Beef braised in Amarone, served with creamy polenta. Zucchini blossoms bathed in pesto. Each dish matched to a regional wine.

The divine food of Enoteca Della Valpolicella

Revisiting those memories was the inspiration for our April Epitour: Italian Spring.

Italian food is deceptively simple — most recipes are limited to half dozen ingredients or even less. But it’s all about those ingredients: Fresh. Seasonal. Preferably local, which is what makes Italian cooking at its best regional.

I chose Artichokes alla Romana as my welcome-to-spring antipasto, which along with some salumi, marinated olives and pane rustica kept us content while Laura worked her magic with the primi - homemade mushroom tortellini. Next Caroline amazed us with a dandelion torta. We finished with a spring classic - fried lamb chops with puréed radicchio and a simple fennel salad.

Artichokes alla Romana

The recipe for Carciofi alla Romana is simple as is the method of cooking and marinating them. The challenge is finding fresh globe artichokes. Ours come from California and the season is short in the rare Ontario grocery stores that bother to carry them in the early spring. Just as challenging is getting the choke out before cooking the hearts. The first time is a nightmare but it gets easier. (Google or You Tube will show the way.) The taste is worth every minute of the prep.

Laura

I rarely take the time to make fresh pasta, but whenever I do, I find it such a satisfying thing. I especially love making filled pastas.

I chose to make tortellini. And of course I wanted to use my neighbour Kelly’s Gourmet Mushrooms in the filling. They grow shiitake, lion’s mane, and blue oyster varieties. I used a combination of all three.

I usually use Marcella Hazan’s recipe for fresh pasta. Her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is my bible for Italian cooking. The ingredients are simple: 1 cup of all-purpose flour and two eggs. And a little bit of milk added when making dough for a filled pasta. But this time I decided to try the pasta recipe that went along with the Serious Eats mushroom filling recipe I’d chosen. It uses a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks. The eggs came from my next-door neighbour and the yolks were so yellow, they turned the pasta a lovely deep hue. However, I think I will return to the tried-and-true Marcella recipe. I found the “Serious Eats” recipe quite stiff and hard to work at first. Luckily it softened up during it’s 30-minute rest and was ok to roll through the pasta roller.

I chose to serve the tortellini with a very simple browned butter, grated Parmesan, a splash of white truffle oil, and a few micro greens for a springtime touch.

Simply delightful mushroom tortellini!

Caroline

When lunch themes are announced, I’m certain that our foursome goes into a deep period of culinary reflection. Routines are broken. Daily chores are ignored. Partners are neglected. Once breakthrough is achieved, a grocery list is compiled and it’s a run to a “carefully selected purveyor of ingredients”. We then enter the testing phase which is most likely to occur over the course of two to three dinners with our significant others — who, at times, ogle our creations with a reluctant eye.

Dandelion greens came to mind when Kaarina launched her Italian Spring theme. I pass these lovely bunches in the produce section knowing that bitter greens are not enjoyed by all. I have acquired a liking for them over the years and have learned to disguise their taste to make them palatable for the more conservative palates.

I decided to modify a favourite recipe, a Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Torta from the northern Piemonte region. Layered crespelles — Italy’s version of crêpes — and besciamella sauce are delicious examples of the French culinary influence on this region. Of course the erbe would be dandelion greens and two fistfuls of rapini to give the tart more volume. The addition of a couple of uncased Italian sausages truly makes this a “one-pot-meal”. The layering begins and ends with buttered breadcrumbs mixed with garlic, grated fontina and parmesan cheese. Perhaps a little labour intensive but, this torta is deliciously worth it.

Delicious tart of dandelion greens

Kaarina

Artichokes are notoriously difficult to pair with a wine but it seems that the  northeastern corner of Italy — Friuli-Venezia-Giulia — produces whites that somehow defy the odds. Surprising even to me, I found a bottle in my own cellar that had been gifted to me years earlier. Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio 2010 had the full body and the acidity to take on the artichokes.

Caroline met the double challenge of matching a wine to bitter greens and creamy richness of the torta. The ripe dark fruit and velvety tannins of Bogle Essential Red 2015, a California blend of Old Vine Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Syrah paired perfectly and went on to compliment our secondi — fried lamb chops.

Two stars!

Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking has been my everyday home cooking guide for many, many years, but for this Epitourist adventure I sought fresh inspiration from the Great Italian Chefs. What a fun website! Bios of chefs, links to their restaurants, features on regions and regional foods, and of course, recipes. Tons of recipes, from their restaurant menus and their family kitchens.

This is where I found Filippo Trapella’s grandmother’s fried lamb chops. It’s a family Easter favourite in Bologna.The radicchio purée is borrowed from a duck recipe created by a 30-something Michelin-starred chef Lorenzo Cogo of Vicenza, who infuses traditional with international influences for a fresh take on Italian cucina. The simple fennel salad is a long-standing favourite from my guru Marcella: Thinly sliced fennel tossed with the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil you can afford and salt to taste.

Fried lamb chops on radicchio purée

With no thought for dessert, we sipped on a little grappa — a barrel-aged Ducale Grappa Stravecchia Reserva — for a fine end to a fine afternoon.

Fine ending!

Epi T.O.: A Two Day Epitour

It was time for a road trip to shake off the lingering cabin fever plaguing us after a long brutal winter. Last spring we sampled the delights of Montréal. This year we decided on a two-day "epitour" of Toronto, which is quickly catching up to the City of Saints when it comes to all things food. 

We met at St. Lawrence Market, treating ourselves to the antipasti bar at Scheffler’s Deli, an institution at the market since 1955, before heading to Liberty Village for the first of two bakeries on our list.

In the following posts, Laura reports on the bakeries, Diane savours the cocktail choices at Drake Hotel, Kaarina reviews dinner at Laissez Faire, a new King St. W. restaurant, and Caroline takes us on a romp through the Assembly Chef's Hall, a Richmond St. “food court” with a difference.

Mexican Cooking School, Part 2

Kaarina

Within two hours of the 737 wheels hitting the tarmac in Cancun, I was standing in front of a mind boggling array of peppers. “Grab the ones you recognize and at least one you don’t,” I told myself and moved on to filling the cart with a week’s worth of fruit and veg. We were in a Soriana supermarket in the Centro Maya mall just off the main Cancun-Tulum highway in Playa del Carmen. We had an hour to shop for 12 days. For US$30, USA Transfers stops for groceries en route to our destination, a condo on Half Moon Bay, North Akumal. It was a critical stop because in Akumal we’d be limited to a couple of convenience stores and a twice weekly fruit market on the edge of the village basketball court.

Akumal fruit market

We tore the shopping list in half. My husband’s had the basics - milk, eggs, cereal, mayo etc. I had the meat and tomatoes list. And the wine, of course. Mike found some great bread and scored mightily with the coffee, stumbling on the Starbucks of Mexico, Cafe Punta del Cielo, adjacent to the supermarket. It sells grind-your-own gourmet blends. This cafe alone is a reason to pick Soriano as the shopping stop. In this part of the world Nescafé rules.

Our condo garden pool

My first go at a Mexican dish in our rental condo was an encouraging start to my private Mexican cooking lessons. Of course, it’s likely that even a frozen pizza would have tasted spectacular on our sunset-bathed balcony where we took most of our meals eye-level with the tops of swaying palm trees.

View from our sunset-bathed balcony

That first recipe, Pork in a Tomatillo sauce from my guru Mely Martinez’s blog, Mexico in My Kitchen, introduced me to dry roasting vegetables on stove top. This sensible method will translate well to cooking aboard a sailboat, cottaging, camping or when an oven or a grill is unavailable or it’s simply too hot to fire up an oven. 

Dry roasting vegetables and pork in a tomatillo sauce

Having learned from Mely that various peppers are used in different parts of Mexico in this dish, I felt free to deploy the mystery peppers purchased at Soriana. They turned out to be mild Chilaca chilies (known as Pasilla when dried). They added lovely depth and a touch heat to the dish. Yucatan’s mild Xcatic pepper would likely produce a similar result. I chose to cook the pound-and-a-half sirloin pork chop in one chunk instead of cutting it into stewing pieces. I browned it on both sides and finished it in the sauce, reducing the cooking time by almost an hour. Sliced and smothered in green sauce and served with rice: Delicious.

Chilaca chilies, chayotes, chayotes with potatoes and BacDyn disinfectant

In my search for new vegetables I discovered chayotes and jicamas. The first step - always - is to wash all produce with a disinfectant. The owners of our condo provide this (as well as bottled drinking water), two important precautions to ward off Montezuma’s Revenge. For a refreshing salad, light green, pear-shaped chayotes are boiled like potatoes, cubed and tossed with a light oil and vinegar dressing, Mexican oregano and thinly sliced onion. A bit like a cross between cucumber and potato, chayotes go well with pork or chicken. Better yet sliced and sautéed with potatoes and onions as a side for chorizo sausages.

Jicamas whole and in fruit salad

Jicamas, a light brown round root, looks like celeriac but tastes quite different. I loved the crisp apple-like crunch of raw jicama in this sweet/tart citrus salad. Originating in the Yucatan, where the salad is known as Xec, this recipe is a true keeper, terrific as a side dish or on its own.

Spaghetti and chorizo in tomato sauce

Pasta with chorizo and tomato sauce is an easy and tasty menu option when kitchen equipment and/or shopping possibilities are limited.

I used dry spaghetti made with corn and rice, fresh tomatoes and grated Oaxaca cheese. Cotija would have been better for grating and a bit stronger in flavour, but there was none to be had in local stores. Sadly the choice of honest to goodness Mexican cheeses was very limited in this area. Most of the cheeses were labelled Manchego, but appeared processed with no resemblance to their famous Spanish namesake. Soriana did have very good goat chèvre, mild and creamy, and a firm Iberico from Spain.

Street view of Akumal Pueblo

After a week-long search, I found Queso Fresco in Akumal Pueblo, north of the main highway. Up and over the hill just a block or so beyond the shiny tourist convenience store on the main drag, Mike spied a local grocery. Alas, the store carried mostly cans and soft drinks, but when I inquired with my hopeless Spanish, a woman pulled a big block of Queso Fresco from a deli fridge (not self serve) and cut a slice for me. Lucky for us, we had arrived on a day when a few veg and fruit vendors were set up along the centre boulevard near the store so we were able to top up on produce too.With the Queso Fresco I replicated the cheese and salsa verde dip from our January Epitourist lunch.

Eating out in Akumal, Mexico

Imelda in her kitchen

Dining out, and doing it well, is a breeze in Akumal, Mexico. In fact, it’s hard to find a bad meal in this small resort town on the Mayan Riviera. Pretty much all the restaurants have ambiance to spare - half are on the beach, many more in garden settings. The service is friendly and the prices range from bargain to moderate.

The first three restaurants on my list are in Akumal North within walking distance of the condominiums that ring Half Moon Bay. The other three at Akumal Beach are a five-minute taxi ride away (C$7).

La Lunita before and after dark

1. La Lunita, a beachfront restaurant on Half Moon Bay, is where you can dine on soft-shelled crab while hermit crabs nibble at your toes. If you’d rather not share, stay off the sand and pick a table under the roofed terrace. La Lunita has excellent modern Mexican and Mediterranean food, a decent wine list and attentive traditionally-trained servers. This is where you go for a romantic, lantern-lit special occasion dinner under the stars. If you want to dine late, be sure to reserve - the place fills up.

Crab, snapper brochetas and dessert!

The soft-shelled crab wrapped in lettuce leaves was perfection. The snapper brochetas may have spent a minute too long on the grill but they were beautifully presented on oriental noodles tossed with julienned vegetables and infused with bright and lively Thai flavours. The steak is a disappointment both in presentation and flavour.

 2. Que Onda is in a lush garden carved out of the jungle in a quiet neighbourhood at the north end of Half-Moon Bay. We spent a three Margarita afternoon there taking shelter from a gale and torrential rain that surprised us on an afternoon walk.

Que Onda

We’ve had the best tacos and cervezas at Que Onda for lunch after snorkeling at the nearby Yal-Ku lagoon and we’ve sampled the Italian-influenced main courses at dinner. Home-made pastas with a wide variety of sauces courtesy of its Italian owner, fish of the day (grouper on our last visit), shrimp, calamari, salads, grilled meats are all on the menu.

3. La Buena Vida, deservedly the best known Half Moon Bay eatery, has a beach club vibe. It’s where where you go for FUN. Interesting cocktails (including a perfect traditional Margarita), lots of appetizers and small meals for afternoon noshing as well as full lunch and dinner menus. Yucatan’s famous lime soup with shredded chicken, tortilla strips, tomatoes and lime is a sure cure for winter.

Lime soup!

You’ll find swings around the bar at La Buena Vida, hammocks, rustic tables, Muskoka-style chairs on the sand under the palm trees,  multi-level patios and roof top tables. And yes you can swim off the (rocky) beach or in the pool. Across the street half dozen tourist shops sell jewelry, t-shirts, brightly coloured blankets and pottery.

4. Turtle Bay Cafe and Bakery in Akumal Beach makes a fabulous - the best anywhere - pina colada. Don’t miss it even if you don’t normally imbibe girly cocktails. This fresh coconut and pineapple concoction is better than dessert. Maybe even better than chocolate. The shrimp tacos are brilliant and the ahi tuna’s usually OK. There’s baked goods and homemade ice cream, too.

Turtle Bay Cafe

5. Lol-Ha restaurant and bar occupies a prime stretch of Akumal’s public beach. Hop on a stool, order a Dos Equis and feast on the million dollar view. Fishing boats anchor just offshore from the palm tree-lined beach where sea turtles return every year to lay their eggs. Visitors can swim in a restricted area with the turtles that are resident here but when it’s time for them to begin laying their eggs, the beach is closed to the public.
 

Lol-Ha view

6. Imelda’s Ecocina sits on the edge of the basketball court in Akumal. It’s patio dining under a thatch roof with typical Yucatan breakfast and lunch at modest prices. A cheerful place with a lovely vibe, you’ll likely to end up chatting with people at the next table - not unlike dropping by at a friend’s cottage. Perfect for brunch on your way to the nearby produce market that sets up Wednesdays and Saturdays by the Akumal souvenir market.

Happy to serve at Imelda's Ecocina!

Mexican Cooking School - Part One

Kaarina

When I booked a condo in Akumal, Mexico, for a 12-day break from winter, I sought my Epitour pals’ help with the culinary research. I asked each to make a Mexican dish of their choice for our January Epitourist lunch. My personal mission was to learn what to do with some of the ingredients  - vegetables, herbs, cheeses - that I’ve seen at markets in México. I laid claim to tomatillos and poblano peppers, Mexican cheeses and Crema.

I laid claim to tomatillos and poblano peppers

Laura went the extra mile, ordering a tortilla press so we’d have home-made tortillas for her pork Carnitas. Caroline came up with the most elegant of all comfort foods - beef ribs and beans, which is short for Costillas de Res Guisadas con Chile de Árbol, Alubias, Hingis y Cerveza! Diane won the beauty contest with her roasted squash with kale and a mango platter.
I had chosen Mely Martínez as my culinary tour guide. Her blog offers exactly the kind of guidance I was looking for: Good basic home cooking with ingredients that would be readily available even in a tourist zone, straightforward recipes which do not require special equipment and are reasonably quick. Who wants to spend hours in the kitchen when there’s a reef and a lagoon full of damsel, angel and parrotfish waiting to be explored?

Queso Fresco with Salsa Verde, scooped up with corn tortilla chips, fit the bill perfectly - quick, fresh, delicious, nutritious and filling. The crisp raw tomatillos contrast nicely with the creaminess of the fresh cheese. Equally good in the afternoon with a cold Dos Equis or a white Albariño from northwestern Spain. (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc will do in a pinch.)

Queso Fresco con Salsa Verde

Roasted Tomatillo and Chicken soup launched my obsession with tomatillos, which look like little green tomatoes wrapped in a papery husk. Roasted and puréed into home-made chicken stock along with onions, garlic, jalapeño and cilantro gets the tastebuds jumping. As comfort foods go, its bright crisp flavours can’t be beat on a cold winter day. Mexican Crema is a lovely finishing touch for this soup. Its unique tang makes it worth searching out, even more so for other dishes such as the poblano peppers with cream. I found crema at Perola’s Latin supermarket in Toronto’s Kensington Market, along with tomatillos (fresh and canned), Poblano peppers and Mexican cheeses.

I was less successful with my Poblano pepper experiments. I suppose I was put off by a super hot patch I came across despite Poblanos’ benign reputation on the heat scale. I also found that everything I put the dark green peppers into turned out looking like sludge. I opted for Poblano rajas with cream for our Epitourist lunch and added corn just to cheer things up a bit.  We served it on tortillas with grated Mexican Cotija cheese. All in all not that exciting. I much prefer rajas served as a side dish with meat or chicken.

Laura

I had always been looking for an excuse to buy a tortilla press, so when Kaarina proposed a Mexican theme, there was my excuse. After a little online research, I decided to go with the Victoria tortilla press made in Columbia. It is heavy as heck, but apparently is preferable to the lightweight aluminum presses that are quite flimsy and necessitate a lot more muscle power to operate.

We took turns pressing tortillas!

 The recipe for tortillas is on the package of the Maseca brand masa harina (corn flour) that I purchased. It’s as simple as mixing the masa with water and the ratio seems to be the same for all recipes I found. Masa harina is quite easy to find in any good-sized supermarket or Latin-American grocery store. But if you’re really up for a challenge, you could follow this recipe and tutorial that Kaarina found. Here is the method for using this particular  press https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/how-to-make-tortillas-slideshow.html. It was really quite fun pressing the little balls of dough. We all took turns pressing tortillas in the kitchen before our feast.

I purchased a half-pig share from a local farmer and I’m always happy to cook up some pork. So I chose to make Double-Pork Carnitas.
The addition of pork belly really added to the flavour. And I’m sure the heritage-breed, pasture-raised pork made a big difference as well. Sometimes good quality ingredients prepared simply are the best.

Double-Pork Carnitas and Poblano Rajas with Cream

Caroline

My knowledge of Mexican cuisine is slight. I do know that it has nothing to do with Tex-Mex, an Americanized style frowned upon by people-in-the-know. I called up our friend Alex who has a broad knowledge of the cuisine, having lived in Mexico City and who's partner is Mexican. He claims that Mexican cuisine was developed in a culture where women were available for days to prepare a meal. He mentioned a couple of "authorities": 1. Diana Kennedy who is traditional and elaborate. 2. Rick Bayless, chef and owner of numerous Chicago eateries and bars, who is authentic but with a simplified approach. Well, as much as I like a challenge, I opted for the easy road and looked up Rick and discovered that he has a great website promoting all that he does: how-to videos from his Mexico - One Plate at a Time, recipes, links to his collection of restaurants and bars. ¡Ay, caramba! he's a busy man. I love anything slowly braised so I chose his recipe for Braised Short Ribs with Árbol Chiles, White Beans, Mushrooms and Beer.

A fine line-up of ingredients!

Of course, I tested the recipe on Jimmy first. We were blown away by the rich, earthy flavours of the beans. Plus what is not to like about fork tender meat falling off the bone? I have made this dish a total of four times in three weeks. It is absolute stick-to-your ribs, winter, comfort food.

What makes this dish? The perfect melding of ALL the ingredients. The árbol peppers fried in olive oil deliver a fragrant smokiness (I must confess that I was reluctant to use the 8 peppers that the recipe calls for as they rate 15,000 - 30,000 on the Scoville Index). Once fried, I set them aside and put only a few back in for the 2 1/2 hours of oven braising.

I was surprised that Chef Bayless used canned white beans, definitely a quick and easy thing to do. I pressure cooked navy beans and they were at the ready in less than 30 minutes with zero soaking time. I did find that the navy beans melted into the dish. This is why I chose to use Northern beans for our Epitourist lunch. They are of the same "white bean" family but are bigger and withstand the long braising period better than the navy bean. The recipe calls for a full-flavoured beer. I just happened to have a bottle of 17 Grande Réserve on hand from Chambly, Québec's Unibroue. It is brewed once a year in the style of a strong, dark Belgian beer. Perfect pairing. Guinness also works wonders in this stew.

Well, I must say, I am hooked and want to cook more of this fine cuisine. ¡Buen aproveche!

Beer, beef and beans!

Diane

I appreciated the Mexican theme on such a bleak, wintry January day. Since so much meat was already on the menu I thought of fruit, beautiful orange and succulent and juicy mango. When I visited Zihuataneho years ago there were vendors with mangoes on a stick, and the fruit was covered in a brown mole sauce. NOT very visually appealing and if I learned one thing on those trips it was not to eat fruit from strangers at fruit stands.

Mangoes may seem fairly straightforward, but I did research! Specifically, fancy fruit carving, and checked out several YouTube videos. Alas, the mango fish and cucumber carvings didn't make it to the afternoon fete, although I did entertain my family with my sculptures. It was actually kind of fun but not entirely in keeping with the Mexican theme, so for the Epitourist lunch I served up the mango with cilantro, chile, and cococut Saveur style.

Mango Saveur Style!

The January edition of Bon Appetit arrived in my mailbox a few days before the lunch. In it I found a Roasted Winter Squash with Kale Pipian recipe. Bright orange squash jumped off the page with more sunny colour for our winter table! I followed the recipe from Mexican chef Daniela Soto-Innes; however, instead of wilting the kale I roasted it to give a bit of crunch, so when it came time to serve I had to choose between bright orange or crispy green kale as the top layer. Crunch won out!

The coconut-horchata was actually a fair amount of preparation, having to soak rice overnight and try to find a cheesecloth to press the liquid in the morning. The problem was the mixture settled quite heavily and I should have used a blender to whizz it all up into a frenzy before serving. Rum probably would have helped, as well. Ni modo.

Pretty coconut-horchata

To finish, a tasting of Los Arango Tequila Reposado and Silver Patron Tequila.

Time Travel

Diane

Proust's madelaine launched reminisces to fill 3,000 pages in his iconic "In Search of Lost Time" and food has been the subject of many another unforgettable memoir, so when it was my turn to host an Epitourist feast, I thought, "why not time travel?"

Everyone was asked to prepare a dish that brought back special memories of time past and bring a story to share about why they chose that particular dish.

The taste of food really can transport you to another time and place; perhaps remind you of the trip to Italy sipping limoncello or a childhood's summer night. Taking a bite of food is fleeting while preparing the dish can be like spending time with people you love.

And whiling away a whole afternoon eating and enjoying the dishes and memories with kindred spirits... what a Present!

Menu

Pizza bread paired with ginger ale

Wine Jelly and Brie

Sausage Rolls Revisited

French Onion Soup

Hawaiian Roast Chicken, Two Bean Salad, Coconut Rice

Lingonberry Soup

Diane's Momoir

I've been missing my mom so much this holiday season, I chose dishes that reminded me of her. So for me this was more of a momoir lunch. My mom really taught me a lot about resourcefulness, and as I grow older I appreciate her lessons more.

Pizza Bread

When I was about nine or ten, pizza was my dream food and I constantly pestered mom to order. Instead she showed me how to make my own. Simple fare: lightly toast white bread, spread with cheese whiz, smear some ketchup, cut up some wieners, add some cheddar and olives, and sprinkle with hot pepper flakes, and broil for a couple of minutes.

I haven't had this in years, and although I can't say it is the same as Proust's madelaine, it reminded me of late summer nights and staying up past bedtime.

Paired with ginger ale for the Epitourist lunch.

Wine Jelly

The first recipe written in my own hand in my little cookbook is for wine jelly, something my mom and I made together when Rob and I first started going out. I was about eighteen years old - so young! And so proud to share these as handmade Christmas gifts. Rob's mom was one of the recipients, I suppose I wanted make a good impression. Since then I've put the recipe aside and haven't made it until now, forty years later. How wonderful to have this simple recipe to evoke such strong feelings of love and nostalgia, from Christmas Past to Christmas Present.

Mementos for the Epitourists of our time travel lunch.

Recipe for wine jelly from Certo + Tips for preserving with paraffin

Hawaiian Roast Chicken

As I was dithering what to serve, I mentioned my dilemma to Rob, who without missing a beat and without the benefit of options or prompting, came right out and said, "Hawaiian Chicken." This was a bit of a specialty of my mom's that she would make when I was visiting home from college. Although I didn't have this recipe directly from her I was able to find it on the Dole pineapple site.

Served alongside coconut rice and Ottolenghi 2 bean salad.

Paired with Gewurtztraminer.

Laura's Sausage Rolls Revisited

Given the season, it seemed fitting to choose a Christmas-past food memory for an appetizer.

Sausage rolls were a staple Christmas item of my childhood. I clearly recall the red and white tube of Maple Leaf Sausage meat that my mother would split open and mold into a long snake, placed along a piece of rolled out pastry. My mom made terrific pastry, but for some reason she never made her own for sausage rolls or her mince pies. She bought blocks of Tenderflake flaky pastry dough. I think it was perhaps because she made so many, which she froze to have on hand all through the Christmas holidays. She packed them into large silver film reel cans that my father brought home from work. They were just the right height and size.

As I baked my version, the smell wafting from the oven and watching the grease from the pork and butter ooze from the little rolls, transported me back in time.

Sausage rolls revisited:

I wanted to make my own pastry and filling. After much googling, I decided on this recipe from the Guardian:

Notes: Made about 25 small rolls.

Needed a little more flavouring in the filling. More salt and pepper and perhaps a bit more nutmeg and lemon.

For the pastry
225 g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 tsp English mustard powder
175g very cold butter
1 egg, beaten with a little water and salt

For the filling
300 g port belly, skin removed, minced or finely chopped
300 g pork shoulder, minced (this can often be bought ready minced if you don't have a good butcher)
200 g smoked streaky bacon, rind removed, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Nutmeg, to grate
2 tbsp roughly chopped thyme leaves
8 sage leaves, roughly chopped

1. Sift the flour, salt and mustard powder into a mixing bowl, and grate in the butter. Stir them together with a knife, so the butter is well-coated with flour, and resembles a rough crumble mixture. Pour in enough ice-cold water to turn the mixture into a dough that comes away cleanly from the bowl - be cautious, it shouldn't be sticky - and bring together into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for half an hour.
2. Put the meats into a large bowl and mix well with your hands. Tip in the rest of the ingredients and combine, seasoning well with black pepper and a little salt (remember the bacon will be salty, so don't go overboard). Preheat the oven to 220C.
3. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to about a thickness of 1/2 cm, and cut into 3 length ways. Divide the meat into 3 sausages, as long as your pastry, and place one slightly off-centre on each strip.
4. Brush one edge of the pastry strip with beaten egg and then fold the other side over to enclose the sausage meat. Press down to seal, and then go along the edge with the back of a fork if you like, to make a pattern. Brush with more egg wash, cut to the desired size, and prick each with a fort. Repeat with the rest of the pastry and meat.
5. Put the rolls on a baking tray, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack, and serve warm.

Served with Alsace Vin Blanc

Caroline's French Onion Soup

I found Diane’s theme of Time Travel very challenging. The food of my childhood could not inspire me. The Canadian foods of the 1970s were pretty much meat, potatoes and iceberg lettuce. We lived in a tiny, remote village on the edge of the James Bay Territory. My mom cooked to feed her family and baked to satisfy her sweet tooth. It was a necessity, not a passion. Although I served a French Onion Soup for this Time Travel lunch, I wished I had made her aspic. It would have been fitting, fun, delicious, pretty and festive.

French Onion Soup

Serves 8

- 2 quarts of water
- one beautiful ox tail, approximately 1/2 kilo
- 1 carrot
- 1 stick of celery,
- 1 onion sliced in half skin on
- 1 clove of garlic smashed with skin on
- fresh sprigs of rosemary, thyme and oregano
- salt to taste (adjust salt at the end)
- 1/2 cup of white wine or vermouth
- 1/4 cup of Cognac
- 4 kilos of Vidalia onions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- pretty sage leaf
- 8 slices of toasted crusty bread
- 2 2/3 cup of grated Comté cheese

Season and roast the ox tail in a 425○ oven for 30 minutes.

Boil 8 cups of water. Place roasted ox tail, boiling water and following 6 ingredients in a pressure cooker. Put pressure cooker on high heat and pressurize. Cook for 15 minutes under high pressure. Let pressure cooker depressurize naturally. In total, this entire process takes approximately 30 minutes. Using a sieve, strain the broth. Feed the veggies to the chickens and keep the meat for Monday night’s beef and barley soup! Return the broth to the pot, add white wine and cognac. Gently simmer.

Thinly slice onions to 1/8”. A mandolin slicer is handy here. Heat half of the oil and butter over high heat. Once pan is nice and hot, toss in half of the onions. Reduce the heat to medium. Place a lid askew over pan. It is key to slowly caramelize the onions. This step should take approximately 50 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on the temperature. Stir caramelized onions into the simmering broth. Repeat this step for the remaining onions.

Cube bread to make croûtons. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toast in a 425 oven for 10 minutes. Set aside. Put a slight slug of oil in a pan. Heat to medium high. Quickly fry sage leaves until slightly darkened and glossy. Remove and set aside.

Ladle onion soup into deep bowls. Top with croûtons and 1/3 cup of grated cheese per bowl. Broil on high in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to show browned/blackened spots. Remove from oven. Crown the beauties with a sage leaf and serve.

Kaarina's Lingonberry Soup

One of my most precious childhood memories is of my grandmother showing me the tiny blue pearls of muscari growing in our summer house garden about an hour’s drive outside of Helsinki. A spry 80-something, Mari-mummo took me along on her rambles through the nearby woods to gather berries, wild mushrooms and dry kindling for the wood stove in the old farmhouse kitchen.

We fetched our milk from a nearby dairy farm, walking through a meadow where the cows grazed among the buttercups and bluebells. A thick layer of cream topped the milk and mummo skimmed that off for our glorious summer desserts.

You could mark the passage of the summer by the fruit and berry soups - known as kiisseli - that appeared at the table under a blanket of whipped cream. Rhubarb and strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, red and black currants and finally, just before it was time to go back to school in the city, lingonberries.

I chose puolukka (lingonberry) kiisseli for our Epitour Time Travel feast because its unique sweet and tart taste can transport even the most down-to-earth Finn back to grandma’s kitchen. And not least, because for the first time I found lingonberries in a Toronto grocery store at Yummy Market. (Check ahead if they have some in stock.)

Puolukka kiisseli - Lingonberry Soup

2 cups lingonberries
4 cups water
3/4 cups sugar
4 tbsp potato starch (or cornstarch)
Half teaspoon vanilla
Generous handful of lingonberries
Heavy cream

Bring the lingonberries and water to a boil for 15 minutes. Strain and return the juice to the pot. Stir in the sugar and return to a boil.

Mix the cornstarch into 3-4 tablespoons of cold water, making sure there are no lumps. Off heat, pour the cornstarch into the juice in a slow steady stream stirring constantly. Return the pot to the element and heat until it bubbles but do not boil again. Add the vanilla. Cool in a cold water bath.

Scoop a generous handful of frozen berries into the bottom of a serving bowl and pour the kiisseli over them. Sprinkle sugar over the kiisseli to prevent a skin from forming over the top. Allow to cool completely. It is best enjoyed at room temperature on the day it is made. Serve with heavy cream, whipped cream, ice cream, crème fraîche, vanilla sauce, yogurt or rice pudding.

The tart red berries also grow in northern British Columbia, Manitoba and Newfoundland but little has been done here to grow them commercially. That could change. The long-ignored lingonberry is about to make its way into the Super Food category. Federal research is underway into health and nutritional benefits of lingonberries. The little red berry could well provide future industry and new jobs for Canada’s economically challenged northern communities.

Les épitouristes à Montréal

J'ai trop mangé! 

Voyage fantastique!

Diane

My friends the epitourists planned a trip to Montreal and I managed to finagle my way along. At first it sounded too extravagant, so I dithered. Fortunately Kaarina, Laura, and Caroline are an understanding bunch so welcomed my change of mind. Also luckily, the Via ticket agent found me a seat with them, so we were able to enjoy a picque-nique en route.

Being in Montreal felt like being in Europe. Mon français est pauvre so it was wonderful to have the fully bilingual Caroline there to help us navigate and translate.

We stayed at a great Air B&B in the Montreal Plateau neighbourhood, and managed to fit side trips in to Notre Dame, the Jardin, the Marche Jean Talon, and even get some fashion shopping in... however the real purpose of the trip was to eat and enjoy. Which we did. J'ai trop mangé.

Breakfasts were at the Air B&B. One morning fresh eggs that Caroline had brought from her "girls", another morning St-Viateur bagels with salmon carpaccio fresh from the market.

Otherwise we were checking out the local restaurants. This trip brought lots of new experiences and tastes on the menus. I am not an epicurean, just epicurious. I am no restaurant critic but I do love food, and trying new tastes, and seeing what tastes go together well - all the better with friends. I dine at fine establishments probably one or two times a year, favouring bacchanals with foodie friends to dinners out. Mainly I object to paying too much for the alcohol.

The WoW factor for restaurants starts with great-tasting and great looking food, but it is of course, so much more. Years ago I had a friend in the restaurant business and she said when you opened an establishment, you needed to concentrate on two of three things... it was impossible to have all three of these: ambience, service, and price (or value for money). That was back in the eighties, though, and when I asked Chef Laura whether she had heard the maxim she said no. I think times have changed, and people want and expect all three.

True nourishment feeds you on many levels, so I also have another requirement - how I feel after the meal. Within the hour, and the next day.

These are my ratings, 5 stars for my experiences, based on the criteria above: food; ambience; service; value; after-effects.

Restaurants

Iberica ****

Loved these little tapas! Especially the oxtail croquettes served on an actual oxtail. The waitress was patient with our questions and attentive; the ambience was ok but a tv was on, which although in Spanish totally detracted from the experience.  Lots of choice and a good wine selection. We enjoyed our morsels with cava.

Joe Beef *****
Number 3 on Canada's Best. Only 30 seats in this establishment! I counted myself lucky to get a reservation for a late Thursday evening, 6 weeks in advance. Definitely my favourite meal of the trip. Great vibe and a wonderful experience - the best service of any of the spots we visited, with Andie taking her time to speak to the details on the chalkboard and answer questions about preparation. The chef briefs front of house every day about ingredients and dishes which is why they are so well informed. Gorgeous plating and perfection in the preparation. I regret not having room for dessert.  We didn't go for the Lobster pasta or Beef, but thouroughly enjoyed the appetizers and main (lamb brisquet). I have no idea how such a small restaurant manages to have such a huge choice of offerings, it is a magic trick! One of the best value meals, too, as Laura and I shared our plates. I will definitely return and might even be able to talk Rob into accompanying me.

Maison Christian Faure ***
We had lunch at this patisserie - of course it was the dessert we came for! The server brought a plate over for us to choose what we wanted. Talk about a tough choice! We lingered over tea before heading back out in the rain. Really delicious, great service, but a bit pricey. I also found all the hard gleaming surfaces to lack a certain welcoming.

Restaraunt L'Original  ****
Loved the ambience - very early Canadian and woodsy, complete with a canoe used for the bar. Quirky embellishments in the decor. Excellent food and fine service. My favourite thing about this meal was the original preparation of bone marrow. A bone, sliced open, with pickled sashimi and red wine sauce. Deeply satisfying. If I ever return I would skip the wine and substitute a cocktail. Aside from this, no regrets.

Caribou Gourmand ** .5
Where else could you find caribou and seal tartare on offer? Who wouldn't be curious? It was an experience however I wouldn't say the flavour was exceptional and the texture was like liver. Having satisfied this curiosity I wouldn't likely order it again. I ordered the wild boar chop with polenta as my main - it was delicious at the start, but before I had even finished the meal I was feeling over-stuffed and a bit queasy. I took my leftovers to go and was astounded by how heavy the little package was. Extremely tasty however lost marks for the after-effects (just how much butter was there??) and remarkably poor service. They also didn't have the wine on their own list, or the dessert that was on the menu (although we were on the first seating). Highly disappointing, however this was one of the most anticipated meals so perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh that it didn't live up to expectations.


Jardin Botanique Restaurant ****
The lunch counter at the botanical gardens was one of my favourite restaurant experiences of the trip. The counter service was quite friendly. Not only were we able to eat outside in a beautiful setting in the sun, the salad and sandwiches were colourful, nourishing, tasty, great value, and left me feeling entirely sated. Just dizzy from a fine spring day.

Cocktail Bars
Cocktail bars do not have entirely the same criteria for me as restaurants. I don't expect great value - I want a bit of theatre + great service + great vibes/fun + lots of choice So maximum four stars.

Flyjin ***
I thought this was Flying Gin when the epitourists were saying the name and so was a tad disappointed it wasn't all about gin cocktails, being such a devoted fan. The Queen Bee concoction, my second drink, was the best - but that is likely because as Kaarina says, anything with Veuve Clicquot has to be good. We sat right at the bar and chatted up the bartender, who was entirely entertaining.

La Distillerie ****
Best drink menu ever! Lots to choose from: A Yoda cocktail that looked just like the master, limes placed for ears; a phenomenal Caesar. A server that suggested they leave out the sugar for someone and add it in later if required. Fantastic bartender, dressed up geisha style and rocking the cocktail shakers.  Good thing we had reservations elsewhere otherwise I could easily have overstayed my welcome.