I apologize for my lack of postings the past few weeks. I'm in Italy and am having the most amazing time! ever. It's hard to believe it took me so long to get here. Since access to the Internet is sparse and kind of hard to find, I haven't been blogging along the way but I'll more then make up for it when I get back mid November. I promise.
I did a cooking class in Florence and have been enjoying amazing meals everyday. Pastas and sauces, pesto and bruschette. And bottles of vino rosso.
Olive oil is one of the Italians many secrets. Spend as many as you can afford on a good bottle and use it liberally. I'm bringing two bottles home with me.
Another tip that I'll share with you now as a tie-over until I get back is sun-dried tomatoes. I bought a big bag of roma tomatoes from Rome. And one thing I use to do, that I won't be doing again is soaking the dried tomatoes in hot water for an hour or so. Nooo. Put them in a small bottle and cover in olive oil. Let the jar sit in the fridge for three weeks and then open and enjoy- in pasta sauce or on grilled bread. Then use the oil for salads or drizzling on everything.
Enjoy reading through previous postings and remember to check back mid November for and Italian fest. Ciao for now!
Monday, November 02, 2009
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
How to make White Grape Jelly
I have to say that I'm feeling pretty victorious today. Canning your own preserves, jams or jellies isn't difficult. It's not. But it is on a different level of culinary skill then tossing up a stir-fry or making a big pot of your favorite chili. It's more like baking. You need a little patience, a little precision and you need to follow the recipe.
For the past seven years, Jeremy and I have lived in a beautiful little duplex with grape vines growing along the fence that wraps around one side of our house. And every year I promise that I'm going to make something with all these grapes. But I never have, until this year.
On my first attempt (day one) I picked, washed and removed the stems from 3 1/2 pounds or about 10 cups of grapes. I pulled out the canning kettle and jars, filled the kettle with water, brought it to a boil, sterilized the jars and using a box of Certo Pectin Crystals I began to make my first batch of grape jelly.
What went wrong
I used Canadian Living Cooks Elizabeth Baird's recipe. Now these recipes are usually extremely reliable and foolproof but they do actually require one thing, that you follow them. Using Certo pectin, this recipe calls for four cups of juice to five cups of sugar. I just couldn't bring myself to add this much sugar so I halved it, and as a result my jelly did not jell. At all.
Second attempt...
For my second attempt, I used Pomona's Universal Pectin which says right on the box that it jells with low amounts of sweetener. In comparison, the Pomona recipe uses four cups of juice to only 3/4 cup of sugar. I used the recipe for Concord Grape Jelly that came with the box and followed it to the tee. The recipe requires two days: the first day you make juice from 3 1/2 pounds or about 10 cups of grapes and let it sit in the fridge overnight, the second day you pour off the juice and make the jelly. Following the recipe works like magic!
Tip!
My advice for any kind of preserving is do a little research and find a recipe that you're comfortable with. If your fine with using a lot of sugar, use Certo pectin or skip pectin all together. If you want a low sugar recipe, try Pomona's Universal Pectin. With whatever recipe you choose, use patience, precision and follow the recipe.
White Grape Jelly (makes 8 - 125 ml jars)
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds or 10 cups of grapes
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
1/2 to 1 cup honey or 3/4-2 cups sugar
1 box of Pomona's Universal Pectin
Directions
To make the grape juice, wash grapes, remove stems and mash in a large pot. Bring to a boil with 1/2 cup of water and then simmer covered for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a jelly bag, strainer or a colander covered with cheese cloth and let it drip until the juice stops. To avoid crystals, let the juice sit overnight in the fridge. The next day, pour off the juice while being careful not to disturb the sediment.
Wash and rinse jars; let stand in boiling water in a large pot or canning kettle. Bring the lids and rings to a simmer in a separate, smaller pot.
Measure four cups of juice into a large pot and add in 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice.
Add proper amount of calcium water and stir well. Measure sugar or cold/room temperature honey into a separate bowl. Thoroughly mix proper amount of pectin powder into the honey or sugar.
Bring fruit or juice to a boil. Add pectin-honey or pectin-sugar and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes while cooking to dissolve the pectin. Return to a boil and remove from heat.
Fill jars to 1/4" from the top. Screw on the two-piece lid until "finger tight." Put the filled jars into the large pot or canning kettle. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let the jars cool in a protected area. Don't move the jars until they are completely cooled, over night is best.
Put any unsealed jars in the fridge to enjoy first. Sealed lids should be sucked down.
Inspired by all the amazing foodies I've met and events I gone to this summer, I decided not to let another year slip by. And while it took three full days of concentrated effort, I've achieved success! And it wasn't really that difficult, thanks to one box of Pomona's Universal Pectin.
What went wrong
I used Canadian Living Cooks Elizabeth Baird's recipe. Now these recipes are usually extremely reliable and foolproof but they do actually require one thing, that you follow them. Using Certo pectin, this recipe calls for four cups of juice to five cups of sugar. I just couldn't bring myself to add this much sugar so I halved it, and as a result my jelly did not jell. At all.
Second attempt...
Tip!
My advice for any kind of preserving is do a little research and find a recipe that you're comfortable with. If your fine with using a lot of sugar, use Certo pectin or skip pectin all together. If you want a low sugar recipe, try Pomona's Universal Pectin. With whatever recipe you choose, use patience, precision and follow the recipe.
White Grape Jelly (makes 8 - 125 ml jars)
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds or 10 cups of grapes
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
1/2 to 1 cup honey or 3/4-2 cups sugar
1 box of Pomona's Universal Pectin
Directions
To make the grape juice, wash grapes, remove stems and mash in a large pot. Bring to a boil with 1/2 cup of water and then simmer covered for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a jelly bag, strainer or a colander covered with cheese cloth and let it drip until the juice stops. To avoid crystals, let the juice sit overnight in the fridge. The next day, pour off the juice while being careful not to disturb the sediment.
Wash and rinse jars; let stand in boiling water in a large pot or canning kettle. Bring the lids and rings to a simmer in a separate, smaller pot.
Measure four cups of juice into a large pot and add in 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice.
Add proper amount of calcium water and stir well. Measure sugar or cold/room temperature honey into a separate bowl. Thoroughly mix proper amount of pectin powder into the honey or sugar.
Bring fruit or juice to a boil. Add pectin-honey or pectin-sugar and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes while cooking to dissolve the pectin. Return to a boil and remove from heat.
Fill jars to 1/4" from the top. Screw on the two-piece lid until "finger tight." Put the filled jars into the large pot or canning kettle. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let the jars cool in a protected area. Don't move the jars until they are completely cooled, over night is best.
Put any unsealed jars in the fridge to enjoy first. Sealed lids should be sucked down.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Vancouver Island - Top Chef Survivor
"Is that the way squash really grows?"
"I wonder why they are sticking up out of the large mounds of soil like that?"
For one brief moment on Sunday, I completely forgot where I was. No, squash doesn't usually grow sticking straight up out of large moulds of soil like barbwire on an electric fence. This was just one of the many challenges on Madrona Farm's obstacle course as part of the 2nd annual Island Chef's Survival this past Sunday.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
About 250 to 300 people joined in the spirit to watch some of the Island's top chefs battle it raise the most money for Madrona Farm and the future protection of it under The Land Conservancy of BC. The obstacle course included jumping over moulds of dirt and long drain pipes, running through a corn field, paddling over a muddy pond to forge for a map, culinary tools and ingredients to make crowd-awing, five-star meals.
Joined by their assistants, Chef's changed from camouflage to whites to begin preparing their dishes. One of the day's highlights was watching Vista 18's Chef Mike Dunlop prepare a beautiful plate of steak and lobster with Swiss chard rolls stuffed with farm-fresh , peas and parsnips with assistance of his two sons.
Winner's of the Day...
I know it's a little cliche, but truly everyone who came out Sunday to support Madrona Farm left the day's festivities a winner. The weather was beautiful, the roasted chicken lunch was delicious, and the performances (and meals) that the chef''s cooked up were first class.
Obstacle course winner: Peter Zambri (from Zambris) was the first chef to cross the obstacle course finish line... which was no short order.
The highest bid plate: Patrick Miller (from Camille's) raised an impressive $255 per plate for his masterpiece.
A big kudos to everyone who helped put on this amazing fundraiser, I already know it will be on my foodies guide to the best of 2009.
"I wonder why they are sticking up out of the large mounds of soil like that?"
For one brief moment on Sunday, I completely forgot where I was. No, squash doesn't usually grow sticking straight up out of large moulds of soil like barbwire on an electric fence. This was just one of the many challenges on Madrona Farm's obstacle course as part of the 2nd annual Island Chef's Survival this past Sunday.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
About 250 to 300 people joined in the spirit to watch some of the Island's top chefs battle it raise the most money for Madrona Farm and the future protection of it under The Land Conservancy of BC. The obstacle course included jumping over moulds of dirt and long drain pipes, running through a corn field, paddling over a muddy pond to forge for a map, culinary tools and ingredients to make crowd-awing, five-star meals.
Joined by their assistants, Chef's changed from camouflage to whites to begin preparing their dishes. One of the day's highlights was watching Vista 18's Chef Mike Dunlop prepare a beautiful plate of steak and lobster with Swiss chard rolls stuffed with farm-fresh , peas and parsnips with assistance of his two sons.
Winner's of the Day...
I know it's a little cliche, but truly everyone who came out Sunday to support Madrona Farm left the day's festivities a winner. The weather was beautiful, the roasted chicken lunch was delicious, and the performances (and meals) that the chef''s cooked up were first class.
Obstacle course winner: Peter Zambri (from Zambris) was the first chef to cross the obstacle course finish line... which was no short order.
The highest bid plate: Patrick Miller (from Camille's) raised an impressive $255 per plate for his masterpiece.
A big kudos to everyone who helped put on this amazing fundraiser, I already know it will be on my foodies guide to the best of 2009.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Island Chefs' Survival in Victoria
Okay. I know I was excited about Feast of Fields but this has the potential to be the food event of the year - Island's Chef Survival! Brilliant. And if I don't sell you, then this article in today's Times Colonist will.
What?! Island Chefs' Survival
Vancouver Island chefs will be in full combat or survival gear, battling it out chopping or digging up fresh veggies that include turnips, Asian braising greens, kale, arugula, apples, baby leeks, cilantro, patty pan squash, Yukon gold potatoes, snap peas, free range eggs, cabbage, cauliflower and more. Each chef is allowed one bag of utensils, condiments and meat.
Where: Madrona Farm, 4317 Blenkinsop Road, Victoria, B.C.
When: Sunday, October 4, 2009 from 12:00 to 6 p.m.
Who: Chefs Cory Pelan, owner of La Piola; Chris Hammer of Royal Colwood Golf Course; Alberto Pozzolo of the Italian Bakery; Patrick Miller of Camille's; Stephan Drolet of Pacific Prime Restaurant; Mike Dunlop of Vista 18; Michael Weaver of Lure; Ken Nakano of the Fairmont Empress; Jonathan Pulker of Pizzeria Prima Strada; Michael DeGrazia of Solomon's; and Peter Zambri of Zambri's.
Why: Much needed fundraising event for Madrona Farm. The property is valued at $2.5 million and TLC's fee is $250,000. The deal is contingent on Madrona meeting fundraising targets set by TLC and it has five months to raise the final $915,000.
Tickets: $75 at the farm (open Wed. to Sat. 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.), at Hemp and Co., Capital Iron or online at madronafarm.com
What?! Island Chefs' Survival
Vancouver Island chefs will be in full combat or survival gear, battling it out chopping or digging up fresh veggies that include turnips, Asian braising greens, kale, arugula, apples, baby leeks, cilantro, patty pan squash, Yukon gold potatoes, snap peas, free range eggs, cabbage, cauliflower and more. Each chef is allowed one bag of utensils, condiments and meat.
Where: Madrona Farm, 4317 Blenkinsop Road, Victoria, B.C.
When: Sunday, October 4, 2009 from 12:00 to 6 p.m.
Who: Chefs Cory Pelan, owner of La Piola; Chris Hammer of Royal Colwood Golf Course; Alberto Pozzolo of the Italian Bakery; Patrick Miller of Camille's; Stephan Drolet of Pacific Prime Restaurant; Mike Dunlop of Vista 18; Michael Weaver of Lure; Ken Nakano of the Fairmont Empress; Jonathan Pulker of Pizzeria Prima Strada; Michael DeGrazia of Solomon's; and Peter Zambri of Zambri's.
Why: Much needed fundraising event for Madrona Farm. The property is valued at $2.5 million and TLC's fee is $250,000. The deal is contingent on Madrona meeting fundraising targets set by TLC and it has five months to raise the final $915,000.
Tickets: $75 at the farm (open Wed. to Sat. 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.), at Hemp and Co., Capital Iron or online at madronafarm.com
Monday, September 28, 2009
Lime Leaf and Chili Lentils
Considering how much I like Donna Hay's recipes, you'd think that I'd have more then just one of her cookbooks. But I don't. The book New Food Fast was the first cookbook I ever bought and has been my go-to resource ever since. With this year marking our 10 year anniversary - since I took the leap and decided I wanted to (one day) be a great cook and since the book's publication - this just might be the occasion to give another one of her books a try.
One of the reasons I like this recipe so much is the bed of green beans (or string beans) that the kaffir leaf and chili lentils rest on. I just love eating green beans and when I've had too much of them I switch to asparagus. Not a bad alternative at all.
Amount to Buy
One pound of green beans will generally serve two or three people. When buying beans, look for beans that are clean, fresh-looking and firm.
Cooking Preparation
In the Fall 2009 issue of Taste magazine, there's an interview with Vancouver Chef Rob Feenie, where he offers up his top five tips for serious home chefs. I'm sure it's no coincidence that his first tip is about the importance of blanching:
It's important to blanch vegetables. The vegetables will turn a brilliant colour
and keep their crunch. Blanching is simply parboiling vegetables (or herbs),
then cooling them as quickly as possible in an ice bath.
So exactly how do you blanch green beans? In a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water, toss in the beans and quickly boil them either until tender or until almost tender, still with a slight crunchiness, about two to five minutes. Drain immediately and place in a bowl (or the sink) of cold water and ice cubes. This essential step stops the beans from cooking and locks in the colour, produces a fresh tasting and beautiful looking bean.
Lime Leaf and Chili Lentils (serves 4)
recipe from Donna Hay's New Fast Food
Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
4 medium red chillies, diced
2 tablespoons grated ginger
5 kaffir leaves, shredded
1 1/2 cups red lentils
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock (my favorite store bought stock is Pacific Organics)
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
steamed green beans
Directions
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chillies, ginger and kaffir lime leaves and cook for one minute. Add the lentils and stock to the pan, cook for about 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
Place the steamed green beans on a plate or serving bowl. Top with basil and cilantro and then the lentils. Enjoy.
One of the reasons I like this recipe so much is the bed of green beans (or string beans) that the kaffir leaf and chili lentils rest on. I just love eating green beans and when I've had too much of them I switch to asparagus. Not a bad alternative at all.
Amount to Buy
One pound of green beans will generally serve two or three people. When buying beans, look for beans that are clean, fresh-looking and firm.
Cooking Preparation
In the Fall 2009 issue of Taste magazine, there's an interview with Vancouver Chef Rob Feenie, where he offers up his top five tips for serious home chefs. I'm sure it's no coincidence that his first tip is about the importance of blanching:
It's important to blanch vegetables. The vegetables will turn a brilliant colour
and keep their crunch. Blanching is simply parboiling vegetables (or herbs),
then cooling them as quickly as possible in an ice bath.
So exactly how do you blanch green beans? In a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water, toss in the beans and quickly boil them either until tender or until almost tender, still with a slight crunchiness, about two to five minutes. Drain immediately and place in a bowl (or the sink) of cold water and ice cubes. This essential step stops the beans from cooking and locks in the colour, produces a fresh tasting and beautiful looking bean.
Lime Leaf and Chili Lentils (serves 4)
recipe from Donna Hay's New Fast Food
Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
4 medium red chillies, diced
2 tablespoons grated ginger
5 kaffir leaves, shredded
1 1/2 cups red lentils
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock (my favorite store bought stock is Pacific Organics)
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
steamed green beans
Directions
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chillies, ginger and kaffir lime leaves and cook for one minute. Add the lentils and stock to the pan, cook for about 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
Place the steamed green beans on a plate or serving bowl. Top with basil and cilantro and then the lentils. Enjoy.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Feast of Fields - Vancouver Island 2009
Here's a slideshow of my favorite photographs from this year's Feast of Fields that took place on Vancouver Island's beautiful Providence Farm on September 20th. Funds raised go to Farm Folk/City Folk Society and their ongoing work to help bring about a sustainable food system in British Columbia.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
It was an amazing day full of the very best of Vancouver Island- chefs to food artisans, farmers to forgers, vintners to brewers, sunshine and country air. A big thank you to event organizers Melanie Banas, Jason Found and Kate Lacky.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
It was an amazing day full of the very best of Vancouver Island- chefs to food artisans, farmers to forgers, vintners to brewers, sunshine and country air. A big thank you to event organizers Melanie Banas, Jason Found and Kate Lacky.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Vancouver Island Feast of Fields
The countdown is coming to a close and we're now only one day away from the long-anticipated, creme de la creme of food festivals on Vancouver Island. Feast of Fields.
Feast of Fields is a gourmet harvest festival featuring all the amazing culinary talent we have on the Island- from chefs to food artisans, farmers to forgers, vintners to brewers. There's a long list of vendors and participants and I'm not even going to try and pick out the ones I'm most excited about. Tickets are (surprisingly) still available so if you haven't bought yours yet, buy it today. Make sure you buy a ticket in advance of the festival as there won't be any available upon arrival.
This year, it's at the beautiful Providence Farm in Duncan. Providence is a 300 acre working organic farm dedicated to restoring the spirit and skills of those with physical, mental and emotional challenges. The farm has a beautiful orchard and gardens, horticultural therapy programs and vocational training and a community kitchen that will be open for tours. I hear there will be water buffalo on site as well.
I'll be at Feast of Fields as the official photographer, which I'm very excited about. I'll be working the angles along with a professional photographer, Greg Aspa. You can check out his pictures from the Okanagan Feast of Fields on his website.
Come up and say hello if you see me there!
Feast of Fields is a gourmet harvest festival featuring all the amazing culinary talent we have on the Island- from chefs to food artisans, farmers to forgers, vintners to brewers. There's a long list of vendors and participants and I'm not even going to try and pick out the ones I'm most excited about. Tickets are (surprisingly) still available so if you haven't bought yours yet, buy it today. Make sure you buy a ticket in advance of the festival as there won't be any available upon arrival.
This year, it's at the beautiful Providence Farm in Duncan. Providence is a 300 acre working organic farm dedicated to restoring the spirit and skills of those with physical, mental and emotional challenges. The farm has a beautiful orchard and gardens, horticultural therapy programs and vocational training and a community kitchen that will be open for tours. I hear there will be water buffalo on site as well.
I'll be at Feast of Fields as the official photographer, which I'm very excited about. I'll be working the angles along with a professional photographer, Greg Aspa. You can check out his pictures from the Okanagan Feast of Fields on his website.
Come up and say hello if you see me there!
