Flank for Frank

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Fig.1. Flank steak with mushrooms and baby arugula

• Last year my friend Frank and his brothers bought a cow from a farmer in the Eastern Townships. It was a five hundred pound, 18 month old grain fed calf that was never given any hormones or antibiotics. The beast cost $2.00 a pound bringing the total to a cool one thousand dollars. The animal went into a butcher shop on all 4’s and came out in about 400 pieces, all vacuum packed. Last week Frank called me wanting to know what to do with one of these vacuum packed pieces of meat.
  Flank steak, or bavette as it’s known in French, is a wonderful piece of beef with real taste, unlike the favourite but flavourless filet mignon which everyone seems to like because of its “melt in your mouth quality”. But I say, if you want it to melt in your mouth eat chocolate; meat needs to be masticated, savagely chewed and ripped off the bone with the fierceness of a hungry lion.
  So if you’ve never had flank before give it a try before putting your barbecue away for the winter.
  
  Grilled Flank Steak
  Because of its shape—thick in the middle and thin on the sides—flank steak cannot be evenly cooked, but this play on texture is part of its appeal. The flavour is also very unique as it has a slight kidney taste to it. The key to a proper flank steak is a suitable, tasty outer crust and a red center.
  
  Ingredients:
  
• Flank steak
• Olive oil
• Montreal steak spice
  
• Directions:
  
  Turn your grill on high, meanwhile score the steak in a criss-cross fashion—without going too deep, about ¼”deep—and rub some olive oil and Montreal steak spice on both sides. (It’s important to bring your steaks to room temperature, take them out of the fridge and season them 1 ½ hours before cooking.)
  Grill the steaks to your desired doneness, (as long as it’s not well done). Let the steak rest on a plate with some foil over it for about 10 minutes. Serve with a green salad.
  If your grill is locked up for the winter, use a pan. Cast iron works well, but if you don’t have one a regular non-stick skillet will do.
  
  If you serve the salad over the steak, omit or go very lightly with the vinegar.

Relish

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This is for all of you who have a garden in the backyard; don’t let those green tomatoes go to waste, it’s time to preserve. Nothing warms the heart more than a well stocked cold room—food security for those barren cold winter days.
Relish need not simply be resigned to hamburgers. Serve as an antipasto, as a bruschetta, with grilled fish or steak, or over pork chops; the possibilities are endless.
I’ve made relish with carrots, corn, fennel, zucchini, celery and most types of peppers. If you don’t have a garden, go to a farmer’s market and pick up some vegetables. There are still some great deals to be had and it’s a great time to haggle with the farmers.

Green Tomato Relish

Ingredients

• 8 to 10 small green tomatoes, sliced
• 2 small red peppers, diced
• 2 small onions, sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

While stirring, bring the water, sugar and vinegar to a boil. Once the sugar dissolves, add all of the vegetables and bring to a boil once again. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes and shut off the heat. Meanwhile, sterilize your mason jars and lids in boiling water, and, while still hot, ladle the still hot relish into the jars. Seal the jars --making sure not to over-tighten--and cover with a kitchen towel overnight, the vacuum seal will occur as long as the relish and jars are very hot.

This recipe can be done to your liking. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar or less vinegar. If you don't like it sweet omit the sugar all together as we do with some of our preserved vegetables in Italy. Taste the liquid before adding the vegetables. And if you have more vegetables than called for in this recipe, make sure the liquid just covers the vegetables. Also, if you have any fresh herbs in your garden don't let them freeze to death, add them to your relish; tarragon and sage add a wonderful taste to all chutneys and relishes.

Nothing Like a Quebec Pepper

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Fig.1. Traditional Calabrese peppers, both mild and spicy, are hung out in the sun to dry. They are best when still chewy. They are eaten raw or fried.

Caught a virus last week and the doctor’s orders were to put my feet up for a few days. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to watch The Sopranos again from the very beginning. After getting through the first season I couldn’t help but notice the frequent food references in every episode, and if there’s one food that’s mentioned more than any other, it’s peppers. Tony and his crew eat them raw, fried and pickled, and mostly in sandwiches. Among the more frequently mentioned panini are: peppers and eggs, vinegar peppers with capicollo, and of course, the classic peppers and sausage. As far back as I can remember, sausage and pepper sandwiches were a staple, the peppers were either roasted or fried.

Fig.2. A fun American Italian cookbook with recipes such as baked ziti, Sunday "gravy" (tomato sauce) and of course, peppers and eggs sandwiches

Roasting peppers is an annual tradition in most Italian households. The peppers are roasted on a barbeque until the skin chars, after which they are peeled, stored in freezer bags and frozen. Roasted peppers will easily keep in the freezer for up to a year.
Frying peppers simply requires a pan, some olive oil, and of course, fresh peppers; and they don’t get any fresher than what’s available right now. I’m not going to lie to you, frying peppers is nasty business. As soon as the pepper makes contact with the hot oil the sound and splatter will bring any seasoned cook to attention.

Fig.3. Fried peppers. Hungarian, Jingle bells and bell peppers.





The splatter of oil droplets leaping out of a hot pan is a phenomenon every Italian is familiar with: it’s known as “schizza”, which loosely translates to splatter or spray. As kids, we were always warned about the dreaded schizza upon entering the kitchen. Many good eats produced the hand scorching droplets: bacon and eggs, eggplants and pizze fritte (fried dough made with raisons, anchovies, or salted cod around the holidays) are but three dangerously delectable delicacies produced in a hot fry pan; my Mother shielded us from this assault by placing a paper napkin over a three hundred degree pan of hot oil.
If third degree burns on your hands aren’t your thing, might I suggest simply freezing the peppers? If peppers are frozen while still fresh they will retain their taste and texture for months. Just slice them into strips and store in a freezer bag removing as much air as possible. The next time you roast a chicken or rabbit just add the frozen peppers and some potatoes along with it.
Buy and preserve your peppers now; they taste and look great, they’re inexpensive and best of all, they don’t need to travel all the way from the Netherlands. Most of the peppers found in supermarkets during the off season are indeed Dutch; help reduce the carbon footprint, buy enough Quebec peppers to keep you going until harvest 2009.

Hungry For Tomatoes

You’ve got to love this time of year. My last visit to the market brought me to tears and it’s all because of the visuals. Those plentiful bushels of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants make me want to swim in them—with my swimming trunks' on of course.
The earth has offered up her bounty; it’s time to taste the food the way it was meant to be tasted. I found these small, Jingle Bell peppers over at Birri Brothers in the Jean-Talon Market that would satisfy any sweet tooth. And the tomatoes, what can I say about my beloved red fruit that hasn’t already been said before except to say this year’s tomato crop isn’t really up to par. The weather this summer has produced tomatoes with blandness in flavour and graininess in texture. Even the tomatoes from my own garden have let me down; most of them bearing little black spots indicative of too much rain.
This doesn’t mean we should give up on tomatoes this year; I do very much like the local hothouse cherry tomatoes. The controlled environments in some of the greenhouses produce wonderful tasting tomatoes. Some of these tomatoes are available by the bushel and are worth preserving as tomato sauce.
Another fantastic tomato revelation made at the Jean Talon Market came in the form of heirloom tomatoes. I found these rare tomatoes at Le Potager Mont-Rouge. Heirlooms are grown with flavour in mind and not for appearance. I implore all of you to try these tomatoes; the taste and flavour are a revelation.



Fig.1. Heirloom tomatoes. From the top: Red Pepper, Green Zebra, Yellow Brandywine, orange pineapple.


Preserved Tomatoes


Fig.2. These beautiful preserved tomatoes make a wonderful addition to any cantina.

The following recipe is for diced plum tomatoes, but you can preserve any variety of tomato you wish, as long as it’s fresh, ripe, and local.

-Sterilize your Mason jars and lids (I put them in the dishwasher). Once completely dry, place 3 or 4 basil leaves at the bottom of each jar.
-Remove stems and wash tomatoes.
-Make an incision in the shape of an X on top of the tomatoes with a sharp knife.
-Immerse the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes. (The time can vary depending on the ripeness of the tomato. After a minute test one of the tomatoes, if the skin comes off easily, it’s done.)
-With a colander, scoop out the tomatoes and drop them in a bucket of cold water. This temperature shocking helps separate the tomato’s skin from the pulp.
-Peel the tomatoes discarding the skins. Over a wide canning funnel inserted into a jar, cut the tomatoes in pieces and drop them in the jar until full.
-I like to top each jar with some pureed tomatoes to ensure that no air pockets remain in the jar. Simply puree some of the peeled tomatoes in a blender and then add the tomato puree to each jar. Tap the jar gently on your work surface to release any trapped bubbles.
-When the jar is full, seal with the lids making sure not to over tighten.
-Once the tomatoes are all jarred, seal in a water bath and let them cool gently overnight.

I also started preserving tomatoes with the skins on. Tomato skins contain lycopene, a powerful, proven antioxidant. Follow the same procedure omitting the removal of the skins. If you don’t like seeing curled up tomato skins in your sauce, just puree the sauce in a blender before cooking it. The pureed seeds and skin add a different dimension to the finished sauce.


Tomato facts.

-Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C, beta carotene, folate, and potassium.
-The skin of the tomato contains lycopene- a powerful antioxidant.
-A medium tomato contains only 26 calories.
-Unlike picked tomatoes, vine-tomatoes continue to ripen naturally

Little Blue Candy

Fig. 1. Spread the blueberries out on a cookie sheet, use a piece of brown paper to help prevent sticking.

It’s come to my attention that some readers feel my articles are too long; well I’m listening, so in keeping with the diminutive let’s talk about blueberries.
The plump blueberries, which are found in and around Montreal, are cultivated. The small, sweet berries, which hail from Lac St-Jean and Abitibi, grow wild, and, in my opinion, taste better.

Blueberries freeze very well (just look at the wide variety of Europe’s Best berries in supermarket freezers.) Spread the blueberries on a cookie sheet lined with brown paper and place in the freezer. Store in ziplock bags removing as much air as you can.
Although there are countless ways to use blueberries, what I propose is that you try them “au naturel”. The small wild blues are like candy. (I know the article is a bit late for blueberries but you can still find some at the Jean Talon Market.) And they’re excellent frozen; just add them to your cereal, yogurt or ice cream.
But for those of you who love the recipes, here’s my favourite blueberry pancake recipe from Canadian Living magazine.

Fig. 2. These flapjacks are thick and fluffy.

Flip-Over Blueberry Pancakes

Makes 14 pancakes

Ingredients

-1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
-1 tbsp granulated sugar
-1 tbsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 ½ cups milk
-1 egg
-1 cup frozen blueberries
-1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

-In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, beat together milk, egg and 3 tbsp of the oil. Pour over dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Once the batter comes together, fold in the frozen blueberries.
-Lightly brush non-stick pan with some of the remaining oil; heat over medium heat. Using ¼ cup per pancake, pour in batter. Cook until bottom is golden and bubbles break on top, 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes. Turn and cook until bottom is golden.

Little Italy Needs to Start Thinking Big

Fig.1 Italian flag throwers






Our three levels of government, as well as the Congres National des Italo-Canadiens, have graced us with yet another Semaine Italienne de Montreal; this, the 15th edition, was once again held in Little Italy. And while I greatly commend all of the organizers for supporting and promoting Italian culture within all of the Montreal communities, I do take issue with the way in which the event was organized, or lack thereof, by the merchants of St-Laurent Boulevard in Little Italy, who failed once again to demonstrate any zeal, dedication and passion evident in other Italian festivals in cities such as Boston and New York. What will it take for the St-Laurent Street Association to organize themselves in such a way as to provide the public with as much diversity as possible?

For example, where's all the street food? Most of the restaurants have placed patio tables well into the street in the hopes that the passer-by's will sit and be served, but missing are the smells and visuals associated with food prepared and served right before your eyes. Now I'm well aware of the fact that the restaurant owners on St-Laurent do not want street food sold for fear that it would take away from the sit down crowd, but I for one don't believe that some freshly sliced prociutto or fresh olives served in a paper cone will stop people from having supper.


Street food is older than Rome itself and is as much a part of Italy as the leaning tower. The taste of simple, pure street food works on so many levels; from the aroma of the food to the visual pleasure derived from food prepared just for you as everyone looks on--and by the adventure which ensues when you walk with your food; sightseeing is so much more appealing when you have a sausage panini in your mouth.

The merchants of St. Laurent--as well as all of the Montreal Italians living in and around the city-- need to find that Italian pride which comes out every four years for the World Cup. Every restaurant on St-Laurent Boulevard, from St-Zotique to Jean-Talon, should setup on the street and serve something different from the restaurant next to them to ensure proper variety and representation of the Country they are there to honour. And when I say all, I mean all of the restaurants and pastry shops should be opened and displaying--no exceptions. While I saw sausage paninis already prepared and sitting in an aluminum tin for sale (don't they know how many more people they'd attract if they grilled that sausage on the spot, the smell of freshly sauteed onions and peppers that would accompany the sausage is enough to drive a person crazy.) And what about the paninis with cold cuts sitting behind a display case? The mortadella had already begun to change colors and the lettuce had wilted. Don't they know that by slicing the cured meats in front of the costumer-like they do in Italy- it not only provides the much needed show the hungry buyer needs but also makes the sandwich taste so much better. Sadly missing from the event was Italy's favorite food; none of the restaurants had a pasta stand on the sidewalk.

The restaurant owners will tell you that if the pedestrians eat too much while strolling up and down the street, they won't have a sit down meal in their establishments. Yes, this will happen, some people will consume too many street eats, but, what I believe will also happen by having more street food, (as well as more activities for the kids) is a surge in attendance. It might not happen the first year but as people catch on it would become an event not to be missed, such as the Feast of Saint Anthony's in Boston's North End.

Fig. 2 Porchetta at San Lorenzo

Now that I've got all of that out of my system, let's talk about the good and fun aspects of the Semaine Italienne de Montreal. Many of the restaurants did a great job creating that terrase feel by placing tables well out into the street. I also saw a beautiful whole porchetta being spit-roasted over some hot coals out on the sidewalk at the new swank San Lorenzo eatery. My wife liked the shoes on display outside the Rubino store and my son liked all of the soccer apparel on sale outside Evangilista Sport, and I quite enjoyed seeing all of the scooters and Fiat 500's, as well as the small kiosk by the Opera de Montreal, some of the costumes used by the opera company were on display.

Fig.3 Pizza Margerita from Pomodoro

As for supper, some friends had recommended I try the pizza at Pomodoro. My quest for great pizza has brought me to Napoli, Rome, New York and Boston. Montreal had always left me a bit disappointed in the pizza department. The pizza at Pomodoro, however, did not disappoint. It was a beautifully cooked thin crust pizza which wasn't overloaded with toppings allowing you to taste everything on the pie equally. The crust was well stretched and cooked until the outer part developed that signature blackened texture, which I believe adds more flavour to the pizza. The only change I would make is to the mozzarella, which on my all dressed, was slightly rubbery. A "fior di latte" fresh mozzarella would have, in my opinion, improved it. The pizza with porcini mushrooms was a definite winner. The taste of the wild fungi worked well with the firm but supple crust and hand squeezed whole plum tomatoes. The crunchy fried calamari were also very good.

Fig.4 All dressed pizza

After a great meal we finished the night off as they do in Rome; by taking a "passeggio" while eating a gelato. Looking at all of the people, I couldn't help but once again wonder what this "festa" could become if all Italians cared a bit more.



Pomodoro. 6834 St-Laurent Boulevard

514 667-3867 http://www.ristorantepomodoro.com/

Italian Corn

Fig. 1 Despite the bad weather, Mario's new cookbook inspires the grill hound to get out there and try new things.



My wife is convinced that Italians have a way of making everything their own. She contends that it isn’t enough for our egos to bask in the fact that it took an Italian to figure out that the earth revolves around the sun, or that an Italian discovered the New World; or that we produce some of the best cars and clothing this world has ever seen. (I could go on and on, but I digress.) However, upon looking through my new Mario Batali cookbook, Mario Batali: Italian Grill, I’m starting to realize that maybe my wife has a point.
This very functional cookbook is typical no-nonsense Mario; full of great grilling advice and saturated with wonderful ingredients. But what got me to thinking about whether Italians have an issue with self-importance occurred when I came across Mario’s grilled corn on the cob recipe.

Fig. 2 One big heap o' corn in St. Philippe, just outside of Lachute. A beautiful part of driving through the small, scenic roads of Quebec during the summer is the abundance of local farmers selling their fruits and vegetables. Not to mention all of the hot dog and fry joints.

Quebecois love corn on the cob; even I don’t like to mess with a good thing. Boiled or grilled, slathered in rich butter and doused in salt; perfect! But Mario--a cook who advocates the simplicity of fresh ingredients-- theorises here that if you slather anything in parmigiano-reggiano cheese it will taste better. Normally I would be inclined to agree with Mario, but the local corn, like those I picked up just outside of Lachute from a corn farm, are perfect. Plump and very sweet as a result of all the rain we’ve been seeing.
That being said, far be it from me not to try anything once, or to doubt one of the greatest Italian inspired cooks of all time.
Here’s Mario’s corn recipe as seen in Mario Batali: Italian Grill.

Fig. 3 Grilled corn on the cob Mario's way.

Corn, as Italians would eat it.
Makes 6 ears.

Ingredients
6 ears corn, shucked
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 to 1 ½ cups freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
About 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Hot red pepper flakes

Directions
Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill

Place the corn on the hottest part of the grill and cook for 3 minutes, or until grill marks appear on the first side. Roll each ear over a quarter turn and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then repeat two more times.

Meanwhile, mix the oil and the vinegar on a large flat plate. Spread the parmigiano on another flat plate.

When the corn is cooked, roll each ear in the olive oil and vinegar mixture, shake off the extra liquid, and dredge in the parmigiano to coat lightly. Place on a platter, sprinkle with the mint and pepper flakes, and serve immediately.

My wife and I both agreed that while Mario’s version has its merits, the cheese and vinegar take away from the sweetness of the corn. I also find that the use of red pepper flakes in their whole form are useless because they don’t adhere properly to the corn. For a proper spicy flavour, use ground chili peppers, or, do what they do in Mexico and sprinkle the corn with cayenne pepper.

Fig. 4 If you're going to eat corn do it right. Forget spreading the butter with a knife, it doesn't work; the butter always melts off the corn. Instead, unwrap a fresh pound of butter and roll the hot corn on the block. Don't forget the salt.