Eat Your Roots: Baby Garlic

Fig.1. At Birri, you can by baby garlic in the pot or cleaned in bundles. They're not as strong as regular garlic, and the 'garlic' taste does diminish after it's cooked.

I for one am ready for some outdoor heat. It gets increasingly difficult to endure our frigid Quebec winters. Waiting for the various outdoor markets to open is like waiting for Christmas morning.
A visit to the Jean Talon market last week helped provide some hope that spring was finally here: potted herbs, potted salads, some fiddleheads, asparagus and Birri’s very succulent greenhouse cherry tomatoes are all in season and ready to be savored. It’s a very pleasing experience to be humbled with a new discovery. Vegetable man extraordinaire, Joseph, handed me some baby garlic, still in their pot, (Birri also has the garlic available cleaned and in bundles) and while there’s nothing new about baby garlic, Joseph explained to me that with this garlic, one eats the roots as well. Sold!

Fig.2 This is a somewhat dry pasta (pastasciutta) so drizzle with some olive oil at the end.

Spaghetti With Baby Garlic, Bacon and Olives.
Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients:

1 pack (500g) spaghetti
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 pot baby garlic, about 5 to 6 garlic plants, cleaned and chopped (Birri also sells these out of the pot and cleaned.)
5 slices of bacon, chopped
½ cup pitted olives
½ cup white wine
2 large fresh tomatoes, diced

Fig.3. Just run them under water to clean them, but a little dirt won't kill you.


Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour a little olive oil in a large pan set over medium high heat. Add the garlic and the bacon and saute for 6 to 7 minutes (don't let your garlic brown, if it starts to, lower heat or add more olive oil.) Add the olives and the wine. Let the wine come to a simmer and reduce by half, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the diced tomato and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the pasta directly into the pan with your garlic sauce. If the sauce is too dry, add some of the pasta water.

Italia in Festa: Leonardo Davinci comes to St Leonard

Fig.1. Dr. Guiseppe Manisco stands behind one of his working, Davinci models. This machine is capable of lowering and lifting buckets of well water simultaneously.


I've always been fascinated with characters. Someone, who for no apparent reason, just doesn't swim upstream with the rest of the tunnel-visioned members of society. A person who's uncomfortable with the mold assigned to him or her and proceeds to do things others would perceive as, 'not normal'. Enter Dr. Guiseppe Manisco, an engineer with a serious passion--some might say slightly obsessive. "In 2004 I received a book entitled, The Machines of Leonardo Davinci", say Manisco, "wouldn't it be fun to recreate [Leonardo's] models." And that's exactly what Manisco has been doing ever since. On display, in the Leonardo Davinci Centre's gymnasium, are 50 of Manisco's, Davinci models, all of which work I should add. Manisco is more than happy to show what all of the machines do, fervently demonstrating all of their moving parts. As he describes all of the machines to me I can't help but think how much a person is capable of if they would just stop watching television.

Fig.2. This one is my favorite. The pig or lamb is placed on a spit, the heat under causes the fan to turn, which then spins the animal; no 'arm power' necessary. This proves Davinci was a foodie.

Fig.3. One of Davinci's famous parachutes, flying wings, and a design for an emergency bridge used by warring soldiers who found themselves having to cross a small body of water. The bridge is self-supporting: no nails or rope anywhere.

Fig.4. This machine is made up of rotating blades, which when pulled by a horse, causes the long knives to spin very fast. Was intended to cut wheat but also used to cut the legs off of soldiers on the battlefield.

Fig.5. No idea what this one does.


Also on display is one of the largest private collections of art and publications about Leonardo Davinci and his works: Reproductions of his artwork, statues of Davinci, very old facsimiles of Davinci's workbooks, as well as some very old letters pertaining to Davinci are all on display. This vast collection of Davinci collectables belongs to Montreal neurosurgeon, Dr. Rolando Del Maestro.

Fig.6. A 60 year old wax facial model of Davinci. Part of the other exhibit featuring publications and collectables on the life of Leonardo Davinci.

Sunday, May 29th is "Italia in Festa", an all day and night affair. The streets will be closed and the front of the center will be filled with everything from entertainment for the kids to informational kiosks representing each province in Italy. The outdoor party culminates with a big musical concert under the stars.


Indoors, the center will be featuring free musical events, including a homage to Italian film soundtracks, under the direction of Italian grand pianist, Enzo De Rosa, who will be behind the piano playing along to the film scores.


As for the food, (this couldn't very well be a Hungry Italian post if I didn't make you hungry in some way, right?) The indoor trattoria will set up a command post outside where a team of cooks (myself included) will be armed and ready to cook for the estimated ten thousand hungry people expected to show up. On the menu: paninis (sangweeches)of porchetta and grilled sausages, and various pasta dishes.


Fig.7. The trattoria fashioned restaurant in the LDV center. Everything available during the big feast on May 29th will be cooked on the spot.

So come by and see Giuseppe Manisco's incredible, working reproductions of Davinci's models, (and bring your kids to this one); Del Maestro's private collection of Davinci publications, and get something to eat while you're here. Click here to see the whole itinerary.

Le Marchand du Bourg: The Best Dry Aged Rib Steaks in Montreal

Fig.1. Master butcher Marc Bourg standing in front of his signature, 40 day old, dry aged rib steaks, and as you can see by the picture, it's the whole rib.


Le Marchand du Bourg is a place I stumbled on by chance. I was walking along Beaubien Street just east of Papineau when I came across signs on the window declaring meat to be within. As I peered through the window, owner Marc Bourg kindly opened the door for me and assured me that I would be safe inside. I walked in, always eager to gaze at meat, but saw none. Where meat fridges should have been sat a large wooden church pew, and wooden shelves festooned with books, little sculptures, straw baskets and other various antiques; all that seemed edible on the shelf was Marc's home-made, Montreal steak spice. Opposite the shelves, an old counter also made of wood. The counter holds a cash register, an old wooden analog radio--the kind with a dial--and a rotary phone--also the kind with a dial. In the back of the store looms a large walk in fridge fashioned to look like an old, wooden cabin, complete with wood shingles and large windows. There are no packaged meat products in Marc's shop wrapped in cellophane or hermetically sealed. Marc cuts your meat in the walk-in fridge while you look on: you choose the animal, the cut and the size. The animals that Marc sells are lamb, veal, pork (all from Quebec), and of course, beef, his specialty. Marc's beef is Angus, and he's one of the few butchers in the city who dry ages his rib steaks. "I age my ribs whole for forty days, I have to set myself apart. That's why I don't sell chicken, everybody has chicken, but not everybody has dry aged beef."
Marc Bourg decided to open Boucherie Le Marchand du Bourg because he couldn't take the everyday practices that went on in the big supermarkets anymore. "The amount of waste is disgusting, at the end of every day, so much meat went into the garbage, I couldn't take it anymore." Marc’s passion is evident as he tells me that people need to change the way they buy their meat. That meat shouldn’t be bought in bulk and forgotten in the freezer, instead, we should just buy what we need and eat it right away.
While the dry-aged rib steaks need to be ordered in advance, Marc does sell other cuts of meat like filet mignon and flank that can be purchased on the spot. Pork cuts are also available 'sur place' but lamb and veal need to be ordered.
Getting to know Mark is an investment in meat: He's the type of butcher you can just ring up when you need some meat, he's the type of man who'll have your order ready and packaged for you (wrapped in nice brown paper) if you're in a hurry, and he's the type of person who'll sit next to you on his church pew and engage in friendly discussions ranging from summer barbecues to the importance of treating animals humanely.




Fig.2. Marc's butcher shop is a step back in time, a time when the neighbourhood butcher new your name and what your favorite cut of meat was.

Fig.3. The walk in fridge in, Le Marche Du Bourg has a a big window so you can see Marc at work.


Fig.4. Marc at work.


Fig.5. Two, 40 day old ribs aching to meet my cast iron pan. Did I mention my pan was scorching hot?

Le Marchand du Bourg: 1661 Beaubien east, (near Papineau) 514-439-3373

La Bête à Pain: The Staff of Montreal

Fig.1. Just two door over from Le St-Urbain, La Bête à Pain is a great addition to Fleury Street.

As I'm writing this article, I'm eating bread. Not just any bread, but bread from La Bête à Pain. A new bakery which opened this week and is headed by Le St-Urbain's very own, Marc André Royal. (The bakery is situated just two doors west of Le St-Urbain.)

Eating at Le St-Urbain last week (always a great meal in case you were wondering), I was given some bread as is customary in most Montreal restaurants, only, this bread was unlike any I've ever had in this city: Earthy, fermented and teaming with aromas of cereal and yeast. The stretchy dough and crackling crusts made me think of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York, it's that good. The bread man, Thomas Bouchez, hails from the Champagne region of Reims, France, just east of Paris. Bouchez takes his bread seriously. The starter dough, or `mother`, is of Bouchez's creation. Royal aptly points out to me that the starter is still very young, and that the older it gets, the better and more complex the bread's flavour will become; a perfect reason to keep buying bread at La Bête. Lunch is also served at La Bête à Pain. Ciabatta sandwiches filled with Matane shrimp (the ciabatta bread, by-the-way, were the thinnest I've ever seen, perfectly suited for sandwiches) and various bread tarts were being served. Lunch items change from day to day, "I'll leave it to whatever the gang of cooks and bakers decide to make" says Royal. La Bête à Pain is exactly what this city needs: a place that respects food and fosters the creativity needed to make edibles exciting again.

Fig.2. A paoched pear, cranberry jam and almond cream tartin. It takes a special mind to come up with something like this.

Fig.3. Bread master, Thomas Bouchez works his magic. It took every ounce of will power I had not to stick my face in the dough. A perfect pillow.

Fig.4. Baskets of bread.

Fig.5. Assorted sweets.

Fig.6. Duck eggs, headcheese, demi-glace, arctic char gravlax, duck magret, organic salumi and various sous-vides all available. Some made in the bakery and some in the restaurant next door.

Fig.7. Thomas Bouchez, a man coated in flour.

Fig.8. Cooling down

Fig.9. One of the pain de campagne didn't survive the ride home in one piece.

Fig.10. What do you do with great bread? You make 'nu bel panino' of course.

La Bête à Pain, 114 , rue Fleury Ouest, Montreal (Ahuntsic area, just west of St Laurent) 514.507.7109

A Tale of Two Veggies Fig.1. The batter around the asparagus traps the prosciutto. Eat these hot.

Spring is weighing heavily on my mind these days. The peek-a-boo heat of the April sun teases; sprouting desires of driving around with the windows down and leaving my house with nothing but my Speedo on. So with that appetizing image in mind, let’s discuss asparagus, one of the first vegetables to emerge, usually during the first week of May. As I wait for Birri’s asparagus to grace his wooden shelves, finding new ways to cook the green and white spears adds to my culinary neurosis, until I recalled an article about René Redzepi I read in The Independent.

Out there on a farm with the people who grow it, you follow, week by week, what it takes this little mushroom to come forward, and when it's in its most perfect state, you taste it and it becomes your reference point for how mushrooms can taste. It's a perfect moment. That's the real luxury, much more luxurious than getting foie gras or caviar. You're in nature, and you pick this thing and come back with it to the kitchen, and think, am I going to blend this, and boil it, and jellify it? And you can't. You've watched it until it's become part of you.(Nov25-2010)

Replace Redzepi’s romantic mushroom with asparagus (or any freshly grown vegetable) and what I should be left with is simplicity itself: A vegetable out of season can be puréed, blended, mixed and otherwise pulped beyond recognition, but a vegetable in season should be left intact, allowed to show every taste bud in the world that salt, pepper and butter are not welcome—“eat me raw”, the May asparagus said. It would indeed seem disrespectful to use Birri’s fresh asparagus in the recipe provided below, so use the pathetic looking, imported asparagus from the supermarket instead. Then again, this recipe would probably taste so much better if I used Birri’s asparagus, in which case, this whole blog post is neither here nor there. Ahh, after a (very) brief moment of culinary clarity, it would seem the neurosis is back; hello my friend, I’ve missed you.

Fried Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
makes 12 spears

Fig.2. lying in waiting.

Ingredients:
12 asparagus
12 sheets of prosciutto, sliced very thin

for the batter

1/2 cup 00 flour, or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk (2% or whole is fine)
pepper

Directions:

Roll the prosciutto tightly around the asparagus and set aside. Make the batter by combining the flour and milk and pepper, mix until smooth. Add some vegetable oil to a pan set over medium high heat. Coat the asparagus in batter, and fry. (To be sure the oil is ready, add a few drops of batter to the oil, if the drops begin to fry immediately, it’s ready, or use an oil thermometer. The oil is ready when it reaches 350 degrees F. It’s also a good idea to let any excess batter drip off the asparagus. And don’t overcrowd the pan or your oil will cool.) When the batter turns golden brown on one side, turn them over and do the same on the other side. Transfer to a plate lined with a few paper towels. Let them cool for a few minutes and serve.

Fig.3. This is an after shot, taken 5 minutes after my son, (aka, The Boy) spotted the spears.

Fig.4. This is what becomes of any leftover batter: Add a ton of grated cheese, such as Parm or Pecorino, and make pancakes.

Announcement: I don't usually do these things, but then again, I haven't been this gastronomically excited for quite a while. Hold on to your gluten levels because we're finally about to get great bread in Montreal. I'm talking about long fermentation, thick,crackling crusts, and moist, stretchy insides. Bread reminiscent of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York and Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. I'll fill you all in on Wednesday, or Thursday in case of a carb overload.

Canadian Food Anyone? Fig.1. Hanging Caribou meat to freeze in Nunavut, Calgary Angus beef, Maritime Lobster, Pacific salmon and tortiere de Lac St-Jean.

If I were to ask you to define Canadian Cuisine how would you respond? Is there even such a thing as Canadian food? Countries, such as Italy and China have very identifiable culinary traditions and staples, but when someone from China thinks about their upcoming visit to Canada, do any dishes come to mind? Can a visit to Canada make anybody hungry? Not really. Provincial specialties are another story. If we look at food in Canada from a regional perspective, a number dishes stand out: Fish and brewis in Newfoundland, and poutine and tourtiere in Quebec, are just a few specialties that can be found in Quebec and the Maritime Provinces.

Make your way West into the Prairie provinces and British Colombia, and dishes are replaced with ingredients: Wheat, beef and pacific salmon to name a few.

There is no culinary commonality uniting us, Canada lacks that all encompassing tomato sauce that unifies Chianina beef in Piedmonte, with Wild boar in Tuscany, and tuna in Sicily. But our proverbial "pot" in Canada hasn't begun melting yet, we're still in the adding and mixing stage with regard to our food. I believe it's premature to expect commonality within Canadian cuisine at this point in our food evolution. In time, food in Canada will evolve. Regional cuisine and ingredients will fuse into something that will identify a nation rather than a region. (that might be asking a whole lot given our situation in Quebec.) Caribou, seal, Pacific and Atlantic salmon, Calgary beef, Quebec venison and Maritime seafood and potatoes will all come together. (Might I suggest making a National tourtiere with said ingredients. We can call it a Harper Pie.)

The current culinary revolution in Denmark regarding Nordic cuisine could provide some insight into how food and cuisine in Canada might evolve. Although factors such as immigration and economy differ, both countries share many similar traits with regard to climate, geography, wild life and indigenous peoples. Chefs such as Rene Redzepi (Chef of Noma, in Copenhagen, who last year published a cookbook entitled, Noma, which I ordered one year ago on Amazon and have yet to receive.) have helped redefine Nordic cuisine. Bringing together ingredients found all over Scandinavia and cooked with "time and place" in mind. A term coined by Redzepi during an epiphany incurred as he hunted wild musk oxen on a trip to Greenland.

Fig.2. Dried beef, marinated carrots, stout marinated egg, horseradish cream, pumpernickel sandwich on top and a beef tartar, egg yolk, spicy gherkin, caramelized onion cream, rye bread sandwich.

Upon this culinary template, Chefs Seth Gabrielse and Michelle Marek of Laloux/Pop fame have put together an event entitled 'Smorgasbord Chez Pop', which was held last Monday, March 28th. On the menu were Nordic staples such as smoked oysters, house smoked salmon, scallop gravlax, dried beef, and marinated eggs to name but a few. If the food served at Pop was any indication of Canada's culinary potential, I can only hope that our vast country, and the cooks in it, come up with something while I still have my teeth. Until then, I'll begin working on the Harper Pie.

Fig.3. Smoked cheese spread, apple and walnut salad, herbs,rye bread.

Fig.4. No offense to Chefs Seth and Michelle, but post-dessert at La Banquise seemed like a good homage to local, French Canadian cuisine.

If you're wondering what the above poutine has to do with Canadian food, it seemed like a good way to cap off the night; poutine being a perfect-and delicious-example of regional, provincial food. Not that this late night poutine (which was enjoyed at La Banquise) was consumed for academic reasons, it's more like I was swayed there. Like Marlowe's Faustus, I had an angel telling me eating poutine after midnight would be bad for my gastro-intestinal system, and a devil persuading me that there is no such thing as a 'bad' time to eat poutine. Thank god the devil won.

Ravioli Stuffed With Olive Oil: Easier Said Than Stuffed

Fig.1. When cut, the oil in the ravioli releases and mixes with the vin votto in the plate. This recipe is all about the olive oil, so make sure it's a good one.

Much has been touted about olive oil. The benefits of good quality olive oil has advantages both from a nutritional aspect as well as taste; but olive oil conversations and research can lead to confusion. In an effort to keep things simple, I keep two olive oil varieties in my kitchen: one for cooking—which gets heated—and one for finishing— which gets splashed across meat, pasta, soups and salads.
When it comes to olive oils, it helps to speak to an expert. Three questions should be asked: where are the olives from? Is the oil blended? (ask what does the blend consists of) And how are the olives pressed?

First cold pressed olive oil is the best you can buy, some producers in Italy and Spain, however, advocate heating the oil slightly in the belief that it improves flavor. And if a producer is pressing old olives, or pressing fruit that travels long distances, than a 'first cold pressed' label is only there as a marketing tool.
When good quality olive oil is concerned, you don’t always get what you pay for. Again, ask someone who knows. Specialty shops will let you sample before buying. And it’s all right to use different varieties from time to time in an effort to change things up.
Because of the rampant ‘olive oil fraud’ in North America, it pays to speak to an expert and get informed, here are some places in and around Montreal that can help. Specialty grocers are also a good place to get informed about olive oil.

www.oliveolives.com/en/ (locations in Montreal and Laval)

Les Douceurs du Marche (located in the Atwater Market)

Olive & Epices: 7070, av Henri-Julien, Montréal. 514 271-0001 (Located in the Jean-Talon Market) http://www.epicesdecru.com/
‎


Ravioli Ripieni Con Olio di Oliva
Ravioli Stuffed With Olive Oil
Makes about 20 ravioli



I don’t know what I was thinking when I dreamed up this recipe; it would have been easier to win an argument with my wife than make these ravioli. Once I get something in my head however, I need to see it through. If your patience can persevere, these ravioli provide an optimal vehicle to sample how satisfying and important a good quality olive oil truly is.
As with most things I do, I made things complicated when it first came to solidifying the oil, experimenting with everything from gelatin to ground chia seeds. In the end, I was inspired by oil stored in my cold room that had congealed as a result of the frigid temperature.


Ingredients:

For the pasta:
20 tbsp (or 1 1/4 cup) good quality, extra-virgin olive oil
200grams (or 1 1/2 cup) 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
3 eggs
1 egg, beaten (this egg will be used to seal the ravioli and is not mixed with the flour.)

For the garnish:
good quality vin cotto or thickened balsamic vinegar (available in Italian specialty shops)
Freshly grated Grana Padano cheese
Sea salt

Directions:

Pour the olive oil into a bowl and place in the freezer for several hours or overnight.
To make the pasta, mound the flour in the middle of a work surface and make a small crater in the center. Add the eggs to the center of the flour and begin to incorporate the flour and eggs using your fingers or a fork, in a circular motion, until you get a nice even dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, wrap in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge. (This dough needs to be cold or it will melt the oil too quickly.)
Remove the oil from the freezer just before you begin to roll out the pasta. Cut 1/4 of the dough and feed it into a pasta machine. Spin out a thin sheet (not too thin) and lay it on a well floured surface, being careful not to get too much flour on the top of the pasta sheet (the top is where you'll place the olive oil)
Using a spoon. crack off a piece of the frozen olive oil and place on the pasta sheet, making sure to leave space between each piece of oil. Brush some of the beaten egg around the oil pieces, this egg will create a seal which will keep the olive oil, once melted, contained within the pasta. (It's important that the oil not touch the sections of the pasta brushed with the egg.) Fold the top of the pasta over and seal shut, making sure no air pockets remain in the ravioli. Press the edges firmly and cut with a pasta cutter. Place ravioli on a floured cookie sheet and store in the freezer immediately. (don't make all the ravioli before freezing, or the oil will melt. The seal only becomes solid once the egg dries completely.) Repeat with the rest of the pasta.
Once the ravioli are frozen, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook. While the pasta cooks, drizzle some of the vin cotto on the bottom of plate, remove the ravioli from the water with a slotted spoon (be gentle, the ravioli are delicate, and don't worry about oiling the ravioli, some oil will leech out into the boiling water which will prevent the ravioli from sticking to one another.) place the ravioli over the vin cotto, sprinkle with sea salt and grated cheese and eat. Serve with some fresh bread to sop up all of the oil and vinegar left on the plate.



Fig.3. You need to work fast before the oil melts all over the pasta. The oil is frozen.

Fig.4. Brush the edges of the pasta with a beaten egg. This will create a seal strong enough to contain the oil once it cooks.

Fig.5. When you fold the pasta over make sure the brushed egg comes into contact (press the edges together well), and that no air pockets remain in the ravioli. This is tricky because you need to make sure the oil doesn't move around and ruin your egg seal.

Fig.6. Cut with a pasta cutter.


Fig.7. Place on a floured cookie sheet and freeze immediately until ready to cook.