the tomato - sept/oct 2012

The flavour of Edmonton’s food scene | September October 2012 | thetomato.ca

The Meat Issue

Form

erly

City

Pal

ate

Duck hunter Norm Suvan with Baron

Leftovers? Good luck. With fall-off-the-bone tender spiral-cut Sunterra Farms Ham, gravy-sopping brioche

buns, sweet and savoury yams, lemon-pepper broccolini and Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie, don’t be surprised when seconds turn into thirds and “I couldn’t possibly” into

“Just another bite.” With Sunterra as your holiday headquarters, filling up friends and family is a cinch. Finding someone to wash the dishes? Not so much.

sunterramarket.com

OUT it’s

The Tomato | September October 2012 3

editorMary Bailey

[email protected]

publisherBGP Publishing

copy editorAmanda LeNeve

designerBossanova Communications Inc.

contributing writersPeter Bailey

Jack Danylchuk Judy Schultz

illustration/photographyCheryl Armstrong

Jesse Hlady Photography Amanda LeNeve

Kevan Morin, Curtis Comeau Photography To Be In Pictures

design and prepressBossanova Communications Inc.

printerTranscontinental

distributionThe Globe and Mail

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Features

Found: the Lost Art of CharcuterieMary Bailey

Wild ThingsMusk ox, bison and elk, oh my! | Jack Danylchuk

Where’s the Beef?Branding beef | Mary Bailey

The Other MeatsMeet the Horns, the De Boers and the Irvings

Fathers, Sons, Guns and DogsA family love story | Mary Bailey

Departments

DishGastronomic happenings around town

Alberta PantryAlberta-grown processed meats direct from family farms

In SeasonPumpkin | Mary Bailey

The Proust Culinary QuestionnaireJeff Senger, Sangudo Custom Meats

Beer GuyBeer and meat | Peter Bailey

Kitchen SinkWhat’s new and notable

According to JudyWhat the truck? | Judy Schultz

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Contents

Gentleman hunter Norm Suvan and his German short-haired Pointer, Baron. Jesse Hlady Photography.

Now That’s Italian!Bakery Deli Produce

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A beautiful room that has an old Italian

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a modern twist. Everything local, fresh and made

in-house.

Open Tuesday – Friday:

11.30 am – 2.00 pm

Tuesday – Saturday: 5.00 pm – 10.00 pm


gastronomic happenings around town | dish

Chef Jesse Morrison-Gauthier with menu.

Lovely, and oh-so-practical.

Funky time-saver.

Mar

y Ba

iley

phot

o

not so common popupChef Jake and Julie Kim and Jesse Morrison-Gauthier created a toothsome, Korean-style dinner popup recently at The Common (9910 109 Street). Highlights were the bite-sized savoury seafood pancakes; a brightly-textured bibimbap (aka Korean comfort food) and a hefty portion of galbijim, deliciously sticky soy-braised beef short ribs. We like the Common for their clever takes on popup dining, as well as for lunch, cocktails or dinner. Their easy-on-the-wallet prices ($6 drinks!) encourage spontaneous forays mid-week for cocktails and snacks. Chef Morrison’s food is that hard-to-beat (and hard-to-find) combination of familiar/exotic, always tasty.

apple seasonWhether you buy apples at the market or pick from your own tree, you are more likely to actually make those pies and tarts if you use a tool that makes the task a cinch. Enter the Bodum Apple Corer, which effortlessly cores, slices and peels not only apples but pears and potatoes too. In the fun new Bodum colours: red, white, black and green. $40, at Dansk in Southgate.

food expo for the prosIf you cook for a living or run a restaurant, plan on attending the Alberta Food Service Food Expo. Two intense days of culinary competitons, demonstrations and educational seminars; what’s new in equipment, food and services; local/organic marketplace. You’ve gotta be there! September 9-10 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Visit albertafoodserviceexpo.ca for all the details.

a pair in a pan tree Cathy Slobodian and Natalie Nelson of Baskets in the Park have opened a delicious-looking kitchen shop called The Pan Tree. The 5000 square foot space is bright and airy in chartreuse and white, with ash and walnut millwork and metal fixtures. Chefs Andrew Parker and Richard Toll are scheduled for demos this fall in the fully-fixtured demonstration kitchen, outfitted with Kitchen Aid and Miele appliances. Soft opening is Sepetember 6, grand opening on September 29 with guest cook Debby Anzinger. Find all the good stuff here — All-Clad, Henckels, Miyabe, Le Creuset, Emile Henry, Krupps small appliances, Kuhn Rikon. The Pan Tree #550, 220 Lakeland Drive, Sherwood Park, 780 464-4631.

chef david omar’s ultimate gourmet grilled cheese Exec chef David Omar of Zinc is the Armstrong Cheese chef. Make his savoury grilled cheese sandwich, featured in the Armstrong Cheddar Challenge.

1 piece herbed focaccia bread

2 T butter, softened

1 T basil pesto

1 slice Armstrong Marble Cheddar

1 slice Armstrong Old Cheddar

3 slices roma tomato

¼ t balsamic reduction

4 leaves arugula, torn or fresh spinach

¼ t lemon vinaigrette

Heat frying pan on stove over medium-high heat. Cut the focaccia horizontally in half. Whip butter with basil pesto and evenly spread on the cut side of each piece of bread. Place both pieces of bread in the hot pan, butter side down, and place one piece of cheese on top of each. Once sizzling, add the tomato slices and drizzle lightly with balsamic reduction. In a separate bowl, toss arugula with lemon vinaigrette then place in the centre of one piece of bread. Flip the other piece on top of the arugula and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.

it’s a terrine, maureen!We’re thrilled terrines, rilletes and pâtés are back in culinary fashion — and yes, we enjoy eating them out of mason jars. Yet, there’s much to

recommend the traditional terrine — the lidded stoneware or cast iron affair, rectangular in shape, with a tight fitting lid to keep whatever

is inside from drying out, sporting a small hole to let the steam out. A terrine dish is as handy for meatloaf, banana bread or desserts and it makes mac ’n’ cheese look company worthy. Both Le Creuset and Emile Henry make attractive terrines that will last generations. Explore Dansk, Call the Kettle Black, Bella Casa, Hillaby’s and Pan Tree Kitchen for the right shape in the perfect colour.

powering up! food for the future Join other passionate food people at Food

Secure Canada’s 7th National Assembly, Powering Up! Food for the Future,

November 1-4. The question: how to put energy, climate and sustainability at the centre

of how we think about food and how we produce it. Who should attend? People who eat food, grow

food and sell food. For more information, visit foodsecurecanada.org.

6 September October 2012 | The Tomato

The Hardware Grill’s charcuterie platecombines several house-made pâtés and terrines with unusual, fine quality products from local suppliers. A recent plate had mipkuzola (air-dried musk ox, a delicacy from the Canadian north via Hills Brothers), white deer salami from Rocky Mountain Game Meats in Calgary, and a spicy Abruzzo sausage from the Italian Centre.

“We also like Valbella meats in Canmore,“ says exec chef Larry Stewart.

“We make all our own pickles: carrots, beets and pearl onions using fresh herbs such as dill and rosemary. We make pork rillette, a wild boar terrine with ham hock and pistachios. We make a truffled mortadella or with pistachios, always something different.

“We’re working on cheese right now — a nice dependable ricotta and we’ll work up from there. “

Andrew Cowan at Hundred Bar and Kitchen is creatingthe most inventive charcuterie boards, with kobe bresaola, cured pork loin, a rillette and a terrine

of some sort, bacon jam and house made mostarda and pickled farmers market veg.

“I love these really old school techniques — it’s fun for me trying different flavours with the cures. We don’t have the set up for salami, as it ferments as well as cures. Right now, I’m sticking to whole muscle, such as pastrami. I can save a bit of money doing my own and I can use local product, such as custom cuts from Irvings with extra fat cap.

“When I make terrines and pâtés I use old school techniques with new school flavours, with bison, venison or kobe beef, and blueberry or saskatoons, or use Scotch instead of Cognac. There are so many options; it doesn’t have to be covered in pastry. We make rillette which is essentially an extremely rustic pâté — we will confit pork belly and run it right down the middle, so delicious. I made kobe bresaola with togarashi spice, or with some nice peppers, even truffled it once. “

Andrew is not averse to new school technique. He’s making terrine using a sous-vide machine. “The immersion circulator captures perfect temperature. We end up with better flavour and fat emulsion.”

Patrick Saurette of the Marc saysmaking charcuterie in house is a natural extension of what their kitchen is doing, making everything from scratch.

“I love a working man’s pâté with the nice big chunks of meat, substantial with great flavours. This style reminds me of the pork liver pâté my grandfather made at Christmas: two pounds pork liver,

Found: The losT arT oFmary bailey

Left: Larry Stewart prepares a charcuterie board. Right: the end result.

Tiffany Sorenson of the Marc kitchen makes country pork pâté.

A scene from Modern Family

manny and Jay are working on a project. manny prepares a snack,

which happens to be an artful display of prosciutto with slices of melon, olives, the works. Jay is eyeing it appreciatively when

manny says: “don’t touch the charcuterie yet.”

Jay looks dumbfounded. “That’s what it’s called? if i had known

that, i would have been ordering it in restaurants a long time ago.”

Charcuterie is the art of making sausages and other cured, smoked

and preserved meats. in addition to sausages, classic charcuterie

items include pâtés, terrines, hams, bacon, salami, galantines, torchon,

head cheese, and the like.

Classic French cooking leaves the making of charcuterie to the garde

manger, but its origins go back much further. every culture used

salt, brine and air to preserve food without refrigeration.

several we eat today without much thought — the beautiful air-

cured hams of italy such as Parma, ukrainian kubasa, Polish sausage,

italian salami, German wurst.

if you can brine it, cure it, or grind it into a forcemeat and pack into

a casing, you can call the finished product charcuterie, whether it’s

made from pork, beef, poultry seafood, vegetables, even tofu.

and it’s back, in a big way. We are having a charcuterie moment. several edmonton restaurants are

laying out impressive charcuterie plates.


two pounds pork fat, two pounds ground pork, chopped onions, white with salt and black with pepper, all-spice nutmeg.

”You can tell it’s an old recipe from when they would slaughter the pig, the liver would be about two pounds.

“We’re just delving into sausage making. We make bratwurst, we think we make a fantastic chorizo. My mission is to nail merguez. These are foods you eat in the colder months. In January and February we’re going to focus on the foods of the Alsace — lots of sausage; foods that make your feet swell.”

Three Boars focuses on terrine and pâtés.

“We don’t do a lot of smoking, and dry cure, there’s no way we’ll touch it, we don’t have the facility.

“We have a lot of plans. We’re always looking for more terrine ideas but it’s not just about taking some weird meat, chopping it up and putting it in a terrine. We tried using beef tongue but the texture did not feel good when it was cold. Pork terrine can vary a lot. We use pork tongue, lamb liver, tons of back fat. Or we can make a seafood terrine or vegetable terrine.

“We really like duck rillette, both making it, and eating it.

“We always confit the legs. Sometimes it ends up in rilletes, or as part of a composed dish.

”We made some bacon with lamb belly. Jeff from Sangudo brought us some lamb cheek and lamb tongue, but we might just eat that, two or three pieces in a cheek and tongue sandwich.”

Please see “Charcuterie” on page 26

charcuterie

Tiffany Sorenson of the Marc kitchen makes country pork pâté.

Jimmy preps fois gras torchon at Three Boars.

Charcuterie because it’s such a wonderful

catch-all term, charcuterie is used to

describe all manner of things:

Pâtés

a smooth mixture of seasoned

ground meat (often liver) and fat

often topped with aspic or more fat

to help preserve it. Pate en croute

has a pastry top. a delicious treat.

Rillette

Cooked meat (originally pork belly,

shoulder or game birds) mixed with

fat to create a spreadable texture.

Terrines

similar to a pate but generally

chunkier and layered. also the dish a

terrine or pate is placed in.

Galantine

deboned chicken stuffed with a

ground meat mixture, wrapped

in its own skin, and then cooked.

Turducken would be a galantine of

sorts. a ballotine is a leg made in

the same fashion.

Confit

Cooking something at a low

temperature in its own fat, then

storing the meat in this fat in a

covered container. eg. duck confit.

Crépinette

Coarse meat mixture wrapped in

caul fat. Very savoury.

Salami

Cured, air-dried and fermented.

salami are often covered in mold,

either naturally or injected, which

prevent spoliage and imparts a

unique regional flavour.

Salumi

italian charcuterie.

Filliep Lament of Three Boars grew up eating good charcuterie.“I’m from a Polish family. I would go to my uncle’s in Poland. He would kill the pig, cut it, cure it and smoke it with the special wood he had. The bacon and ham that he made is the benchmark for me.”

Ben Chalmers at corso 32 makes several Italiansalumi such as mortadella, coppa di testa (similar to head cheese), pork cheek terrine, bresaola, (air dried beef) and lonza (Italian cured pork loin).

Ben making guanciale.


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alberta pantry

Four Whistle Farm fourwhistlefarm.ca

Marius and Twiggy De Boer’s farm east of Leduc produces several varieties of sausage from lamb, duck, chicken and pork. It’s not a constant supply, as it depends on what’s selling and the amount of trim they have to work with, so buy it when you see it. They also make a fine maple-smoked bacon. Their merguez is top-notch — the spicy Moroccan-influenced lamb sausage is delicious on its own or with couscous. The chicken apple sausage with dried apple is mild and tasty, ideal for stuffing a holiday bird, and the pork chipotle has sweet heat.

“McLean’s Meat in Wetaskiwin makes everything for us from our own recipes,” says Marius. “If we have enough duck trim, we make rosemary garlic or apple cranberry duck sausage.”

Find Four Whistle products at the Old Strathcona Farmers Market and on restaurant menus throughout Edmonton.

Irvings Farm Fresh irvingsfarmfresh.com

Nicola and Alan Irving started producing sausage in 2006. They make a wide variety of smoked and cured products including three kinds of bacon: British back bacon (not smoked), hickory smoked side bacon and jalapeño back bacon.

“The 11 different fresh sausage are all our own recipes,” says Nicola. “My favourite product of all is the sliced deli ham. We start with the whole leg, bone it out and end up with three large muscle pieces from each leg. We dry cure for 10 days, then net it and air dry in the smoker, then increase the temperature and cook it until fully cooked. We cool, slice and pack about eight slices to a bag, enough for a few days of lunches — labour intensive and absolutely delicious.

Alberta-grown processed meats direct from small family farms

Find Irvings’ products at summer markets plus Old Strathcona, Wild Earth, Italian Centre, Careit Deli and on several restaurant menus around town. Check the Where to Eat/Where to Buy list on their website for the most recent locations.

Sunworks Organic Farm sunworksfarm.com

“We started with the honey breakfast sausage. Now, about a quarter of our business is in sausage,” says Sheila Hamilton. “We make them all at the shop in Camrose from our own birds. There’s only eight grams of fat per link.”

They now make garlic rosemary, honey breakfast, Mettwurst (honey and mustard seed), chorizo, Italian teriyaki, plus sliced pepperoni, chicken breast and salami, a chicken hot dog and a smoky. They also make a beef sausage with Moroccan spice and pork bratwurst, chorizo and maple breakfast sausage.

“Sometimes we make a bison sausage and our turkey sausage is seasonal, fall and spring only.”

Find Sunworks products in their store in Blush Lane Market and at several farmers markets including Old Strathcona and the new U of A Thursday Market.

Hog Wild Specialties hogwild.ab.caEarl and Deb Hagman put wild boar on the map and the menu for most Albertans. We may not all want to participate in a boar hunt at their ranch near Mayerthorpe, but we do love the bacon. Jerky, smokies, bacon and frozen cuts are available direct, 1-888-668-9453. The bacon is stocked at Buffalo Valley Meats, and food service can order through Full Course Strategies.

Please see “Alberta-grown” on page 27


Wild ThingsT

Jack Danylchuk

he news from Banks Island has not been good: musk ox are dying there and a rare disease is suspected, potentially placing

the wily, wandering goat of the Arctic off limits to commercial hunters, making the rare delicacy even more difficult to procure.

Mark Hills takes the news in stride. The founder of Hills Fine Foods and a pioneer in the game meat business, Hills is the main supplier of exotic fare in western Canada, the source for such delicacies as mipkuzola, the dry-cured haunch of musk ox, alligator and kangaroo loin.

Supply is always a challenge, says Hills, and demand is stronger than ever — driven by greater consumer awareness and concern for what’s on their plates, growing appetites for game meat in the United States and Europe and a new place at the table set for pampered family pets.

Demand is pushing prices ever higher, and that worries Normand Campbell, who for the past decade has focused the menu of his landmark Edmonton restaurant on wild and farmed game meat.

Over the last two years, the price for a plate of game meat at Normand’s has gone from $30 to $45, a price that reflects rising costs, and one that he considers high — but customers have not complained.

“It’s easier and less expensive to put kangaroo on the plate than musk ox, and caribou is out of the question,” laments Campbell. “There is none available at any price.”

The demand for healthier food has also added to pressure on prices, says Campbell. “Game meat is grass finished, not fattened with grain or corn, it has less fat, no hormones or antibiotics, it’s

closer to the Neanderthal diet that everyone is talking about.”

And then there’s the pet food market, which has doubled the wholesale price of “trim” from farmed bison and elk — the meat that was ground for burgers and sausage — to $15 a kilo, a change generally welcomed by the hardy survivors in Alberta’s game meat industry.

A web search turns up more than a dozen companies that tempt pet owners with game meat. Champion Pet Foods is a late entry into the crowded market. Starting this fall, the Morinville company will launch a “whole prey” line of freeze-dried food.

“Our pet food is fit for human consumption,” said Erin Prefontaine, a Champion spokesperson. “The whole prey line will mimic the diet of the grey wolf in the wild; it will contain elk and it comes from the same ranch that supplies meat to the Fairmont hotel chain.”

Although some game ranchers are uneasy supplying premium meat to the pet food industry, Richard Bidulock has embraced it fully. A 25-year industry veteran who experienced all the highs and lows, Bidulock and his wife Dawn decided to leave the traditional markets to others and focus on their own brand of pet food.

The Bidulock farm near Hairy Hill raises beef, llama, and elk for Nature’s Premium pet food. Every cut except the loin goes into the raw frozen food that fetches premium prices from dog and cat owners. The prime cut is reserved for the family dinner table.

Raw frozen pet food commands premium prices: up to $3 a day for cats; $7 a day for the average dog and $10 a day for a large dog, by Bidulock’s estimate.

Earl and Deb Hagman have been raising and marketing European wild boar since 1991. Meat from their animals is prized by restaurants and bow hunters pay to stalk the boars on the Hagman’s Lily Creek Ranch near Mayerthorpe.

The meat is red, tastes more like baby beef than pork, and expensive. Choice cuts, chops and tenderloin command $36 a kg and trim brings $15 a kg — mostly as premium pet food which has established a solid floor price, said Hagman.

“Only so many people will pay $15 for ground wild boar when ground beef is $4,” Hagman observes. “So we need all our markets — restaurants, hunters and pet food suppliers — to survive. In 20 years, the Alberta herd has shrunk. A lot of people got in, but there was too much, and no coordinated effort to market.”

The pet food market “blew up like a balloon,” says Diana O’Hara, operations manager with the Alberta Elk Commission. It happened about ten years ago, as the ranched elk business finally got moving in 2001, after coping with scares created by mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease and crash of the Asian market for antler velvet.

Initially developed to supply the antler market, elk ranching grew quickly as breeders and enthusiastic hobbyists rushed in, then just as quickly headed for the exits. When the dust settled, O’Hara said the industry decided the best way to go forward was to develop a co-operative for meat sales.

Elk ranchers are now struggling to keep up with demand. Meat is exported to Europe and the U.S., to ranches in Saskatchewan where trophy hunting is legal, and the

velvet market, which drew so many in to disappointment, has also recovered.

Production has been 4,000 animals a year for last four years and that will probably be the limit until the herd expands, O’Hara said. The herd now numbers 6,000 animals in Alberta, 13,000 in Saskatchewan. Ten years ago it was 45,000 animals, but there is only one federal slaughter facility in Alberta, and that is another limiting factor on the domestic supply side, she says.

“Ranched elk is not like the elk our grandfathers brought home from the hunt,” says O’Hara. “The flavour is a bit stronger, like the difference between lamb and beef, but it doesn’t have a real wild tang.”

The difference is enough to set elk apart from bison. Larry Stewart, Hardware Grill, at one time offered bison short ribs, slow cooked, satisfying and savoury. To his taste, it’s a lot like beef, so elk tenderloin replaced bison on the menu, Stewart says, because it has a stronger taste of the wild.

“Bison is a lot like beef,” he says, and as it became commonplace, it lost its fascination for diners. The proof for Stewart is that no on has asked for it since he dropped it from the menu.

As the director of the Bison Producers Association, Linda Sautner has been “pushing bison for 10 years at trade shows. In the early days, people sampled a lot, but weren’t sure if they wanted to buy — we gave away three whole animals.

Bison is “richer than beef, not gamey like elk and deer,” says Sautner. “Little by little, by word of mouth, the word spread: low cholesterol, high protein, lean, no hormones or antibiotics. Then came BSE.”

Please see “Wild Things” on page 28


in season | mary bailey

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We’ll leave the growing of giant pumpkins (cucurbita maxima) to the good folks of Smoky Lake, and concentrate on the pumpkin’s culinary prowess, especially in savoury uses.

Use pumpkin in a ricotta mixture for ravioli, to add colour and earthy flavour to a roast vegetable mixture or to make a rich and flavourful soup. You can use pumpkin pretty much anywhere a recipe calls for squash. Keep in mind: large pumpkins sold for carving are too tough and stringy to eat, but save the seeds — roasted with salt they make a delicious snack or salad garnish.

You’ll see several varieties of squash and pumpkin for sale at all the farmers markets. Or visit Tam Anderson’s Prairie Greenhouse and Gardens for a lavish selection of pumpkins, squashes and gourds and a day in the country to boot. They grow 27 different varieties, with prices starting at $1.50. Every weekend in October is Haunted Pumpkin Fest, fun for all especially when the pumpkin cannon goes off.

The town of Smoky Lake kicks off their 24th Annual Great White North Pumpkin Fair with the weigh-off at noon, October 5. The not to be missed Great Pumpkin Drop is at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 6.

pumpkin gnocchi with purée of spinach, aged kitskoty pecorino and pine nuts“Making gnocchi with pumpkin is fun and a little bit different. People underestimate the versatility of the pumpkin.” – Tracy Zizek, exec chef/co-owner, Café de Ville

Pumpkins are not just for jack-o’-lanterns.

pumpkin gnocchi1 med pumpkin (about 2 lb)

½ t grated nutmeg

½ t salt

¼ t white pepper

2¾ c flour

The Cheesiry’s Kitskoty pecorino, for garnish

toasted pine nuts, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400ºF degrees. Bake pumpkin whole for about 1 hour and 45 minutes until a sharp knife can be inserted with ease. Cool until the pumpkin can be handled. Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Scoop out flesh and purée in robot coupe or food processor.

Place purée in a large bowl. Add seasonings and flour and mix by hand. The dough will be quite sticky still.

Flour countertops and hands. Take small parcels of dough and roll to the thickness of your index finger. With a floured sharp knife, cut dough into small, bite-sized sections. If the dough is too sticky to work with, you can add more flour, but keep in mind that the more flour added to the dough, the more dense and heavy the gnocchi will be.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and put gnocchi in. Cook for roughly 5 minutes or until al dente.

spinach purée1 bag (small-ish) fresh spinach

(Sundog and Peas on Earth have beautiful spinach)

½ med yellow onion, diced

¼ c white wine

1 T butter

1-2 T heavy cream

sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Sauté onion and spinach in butter until most of the moisture has left the pan. Purée mixture in blender and season.

In a separate pot, heat white wine and reduce by ¼. Add spinach purée and simmer until a sauce-like consistency is reached. Finish by whisking in cream. Take off heat.

To serve: after gnocchi has been boiled and drained, heat a large pan with olive oil. Place gnocchi in pan and fry until golden. Add spinach purée and toss to coat the gnocchi. Place in pasta bowl. Grate Cheesiry’s aged pecorino over and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Serves 6.

pumpkin marmelataThis jam-like chunky spread is excellent with roast pork, with cheeses, or offered as part of a charcuterie platter.

1 sml-med pumpkin

4 c raw sugar

1 t ground clove

1 t allspice

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Mix sugar and spice in a large bowl and set aside.

Peel and seed the pumpkin. Rough chop flesh, toss with sugar and spice mixture and place in a roasting pan. Roast in the pre-heated oven for about an hour until the pumpkin is soft and browning. Mash in a food-mill or food processor (mixture should be chunky). Check the sweetness and add more sugar, if desired.

Makes about 4 cups and keeps for about two weeks in the fridge.

roasted pumpkin and apple saladAdapted from a recipe by Bruce Aidells.

¼ c balsamic vinegar

2 t (packed) dark brown sugar

1 sml-med pumpkin or winter squash (kabocha, butternut, sunburst) peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded

canola oil

sea salt


in season | mary bailey

2 heads Belgian endive, root ends trimmed, leaves separated into individual leaves

2 unpeeled Honeycrisp or Macintosh apples, halved, cored, cut into matchstick-size strips (place in a water/lemon juice mixture to prevent browning)

¼ c coarsely crumbled blue cheese (Quebec’s Bleu Bénédictin or Ermite are good choices)

½ c dried cranberries or sour cherries

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush 2 large rimmed baking sheets with oil.

Whisk vinegar and sugar in small bowl and set aside.

Cut squash halves crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices — so they look like batons. Arrange squash in single layer on prepared sheets; brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 5 minutes, then brush with sugar-vinegar mixture. Turn squash over and brush with sugar-vinegar mixture again and roast for 5 minutes. Roast until squash is tender when pierced with small knife, about 15 minutes longer.

Cool on sheets. Let stand at room temperature.

dressing2 T fresh lemon juice

6 T extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk vinegar and lemon juice in small bowl and gradually whisk in oil. Season and reserve.

To serve: Divide endive between 4-6 plates. Place squash slices in center of each plate. Scatter apples, cheese and cranberries/cherries over squash. Drizzle dressing and serve.

Serves 4-6.

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The one meat most identified with Alberta is beef. Alberta Beef, that is, capitalized and accompanied by twangy strings and good-looking people on horseback in cowboy hats.

But is that really what it’s like? Is it all a marketing myth or is Alberta beef truly the backbone, or perhaps we should say the prime cut, of the meat business in Canada?

Actually, yes, it is. Visit any small town in Alberta and you’ll see many ranchers, in cowboy hats, in a pick-up truck probably, raising beef, and lots of it. According to the Alberta Beef Producers statistics, Alberta beef cattle number almost two million, 40 per cent of Canada’s total production. Almost one third, 31 per cent, of Alberta land is devoted to natural pasture land and 12 per cent is seeded pasture used for cattle.

Sending cattle to auction doesn’t necessarily net the best return to the producer, nor does living in the land of cattle mean we pay significantly less for our tenderloin. Most beef producers live and die by the commodity price set in world markets, which may not factor in the local reality at all.

There is another way. Ranchers are choosing to opt out of the conventional system of cow calf/auction block/feed lot/packing plant/box of anonymous beef/meat counter/consumer to find other ways of bringing their cattle to market. One that will pay

them more, be more in tune with their personal beliefs and produce the best quality product for the consumer.

Grass-fed young beef.Shannon and Danny Ruzicka, of Nature’s Green Acres near Viking, choose to raise their cattle soley on grass, then direct market the beef through their web site and farmers’ markets.

The Ruzickas farm east of Viking on a patch of prairie that contains never-tilled pasture, bush, a buffalo jump, teepee rings, and a spring-fed stream. Danny bought the 300 acres in 2011.

“Our plan was always livestock,” says Shannon.

The couple have carved out a niche in the beef business with what they call nouveau beef. The calves are born in the spring and butchered in November.

“The calves are still on their mothers, there is no weaning stress,” says Shannon. “We don’t castrate, we don’t brand.

“Our cattle are Angus Semmental cross. We have 19 moms, we plan to have more, but it’s a slow process and cattle prices are high right now.

“We take our animals to Jeff at Sangudo (Meats) now. He’s a young guy and we want to encourage that. He’s easy to work with, what he doesn’t know he wants to learn.”

Their hands-on approach is refreshing and the beef could not be further from mass-produced.

But direct marketing is not for every producer. There’s distance to the market, and there’s the work associated with essentially running two businesses: production and marketing.

What are the options, beyond the conventional, for ranchers who don’t want to direct market, and for consumers who appreciate convenience?

Certified hormone and antibiotic free, grain finished beef.Kirstin Kotelko is the fourth generation of her family to be in the beef business. Her great-grandfather Peter homesteaded near Vegreville in the early 1900s, and her father Bern and uncle Mike built a successful conventional feed lot called Highland Feeders. The next step was this: their family wanted to bring more value to ranching families with superior cattle that had great genetics. They wanted to raise healthy beef

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with strong immune systems. They wanted to produce great-tasting beef that was not anonymous, but completely traceable from birth to plate. They wanted to do it on a scale big enough that many people could eat this beef, not just a fortunate few.

They created a brand: Spring Creek Ranch, a collaboration between the Kotelkos and about 60 ranching families in Western Canada.

“We offer an alternative and guaranteed market for their cattle,” says Kirstin. “They can see where their beef is going and the response from consumers. We feed back grading info to them; you produce higher quality meat, you will get paid more.”

The program’s protocols start with the birth date of the cattle. They must be registered with Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA).

“Most of our ranchers are part of the Verified Beef Production program (VDP) already so they are comfortable with a higher level of paperwork and monitoring.“

The calves stay with their mother on pasture for about 15 months.

“The hormones of getting pregnant have an impact on the meat. Keeping them on pasture longer allows them to grow larger and their immune systems to develop more,” says Kirstin. “Weaning happens naturally, meaning no stress to the calves.”

The cattle then move on to grain for 150-180 days. “This gives beef the flavour, juiciness and tenderness that customers want.”

The cattle are sent to the XL Lakeside plant as first run of the day. This is called a segregation protocal. “We’re producing the cattle and XL is marketing and distributing the beef through their channels.

“Our whole program is third-party-audited annually by Fred Anderson and Associates.”

“We’re in Costco in BC, coming to Alberta soon,” says Kirstin. “This means more affordable and accessible product for more consumers.”

Find Spring Creek Ranch Beef at Wild Earth Foods, Café de Ville, Madison’s Grill, in Calgary at Charcut, Model Milk, Master Meats, Calgary Co-op (cuts a beautiful top sirloin) rural Alberta Federated Coop and in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Certified organic beef “There’s a huge demand for certified organic beef. People consider it healthier and will pay a premium for that,” says Kevin Wilkie, president of Diamond Willow Organics. He and his business partner, rancher Scott Palmer, bought the original Diamond Willow brand (a consortium of seven ranching families in southern Alberta) out of receivership at the request of their biggest customer, Thrifty’s.

“We process our cattle a truckload at a time at Canadian Premium Meats near Lacombe, a federal plant with organic certification.

“We’re always looking for cattle that fit our specifications; certified organic, 1200 pounds and finished. It’s not neccesarily grass-fed but about 90 per cent of our cattle is. We’re trying to secure enough animals now.

“The organic system does not use the regular grading system, yet inconsistency in the marketplace is not an issue. People seem to accept it as part of buying organic product.

“We find Alberta to be the hardest place to sell organic beef, though Hoven Farms, Silver Sage and Sunworks sell our beef.

”We sell 10 beef a week into Atwater and Jean Talon markets in Montreal, and we’re in 400 stores across Canada with Thrifty’s and Sobeys.

“We see a positive future for organic,“ says Kevin. “We get phone calls every week to ship to the EU.”

Large photo upper left: The Andersons of Fir Mountain, SK, part of the Spring Creek rancher family. Inset photos frrom top: Bern and Kirstin Kotelko of Spring Creek Ranch, Black Angus, Shannon and Danny Ruzicka, Nature’s Green Acres.


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Jeff Senger, Sangudo Custom Meats

the proust culinary questionnaire

In the late nineteenth century, French novelist Marcel Proust participated in an exercise, which could be thought of as the Facebook of its era — he answered a questionnaire about himself in a friend’s Confession Album.

Proust’s answers have been published, in one form or another, for more than a century. Many have used the questionnaire for their own devices, the most notable being Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire featuring celebrities. The Tomato now gives it a culinary twist.

Kevin Meier and Jeff Senger bought the Sangudo processing plant two years ago with the help of a community investment cooperative, a group of investors who were looking to invest locally. The former owner was looking to retire and, if he couldn’t find a buyer, would close the business — a too familiar story in rural Alberta.

“I got chatting with Kevin at one of the meetings. Turns out he had a

retail meat cutting ticket but had been working as a plumber in the oil patch. I had a science and accounting background and was working as an accountant who made bacon in his backyard as a hobby.

“We both wanted something different. My wife Heather and I had moved to a farm near Sangudo a few years back. Now, we have a milk cow, geese, ducks and chickens, goats, pigs and a vegetable garden. I had always wanted to own something and this fits.

“We do custom cutting — 90 per cent are local farmers who come in with one animal and leave with it in boxes. Or resellers such as Nature’s Green Acres who will bring three or four animals at a time. We’re building a food service business. This is the area that’s really taken off. It‘s not the highest margin, but it’s the steadiest business, year-round. We started with Culina Mill Creek, now we sell to six to eight restaurants in

Edmonton. We just took our biggest delivery load into Edmonton, 1500 pounds. I deliver every Thursday, other

than that we’re at the plant every day.

“We’re provincially inspected. A federal plant is a multi-million dollar entity.

“We buy animals and package. Our

standard aging is 28 days dry-age

on grass fed organic (OCIA) beef. We’re

processing smokies,

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Jeff Senger, Sangudo Custom Meats

the proust culinary questionnaire

wood. We make a dry-rub bacon and will do a nitrite-free custom bacon on request.”

Sangudo Meats are on the menu at several restaurants including Three Boars, Corso 32 and the Culina restaurants. Find them at the Sangudo stand at the 124 Street Grand Market. Careit Urban Deli recently bought two whole beef and Jeff is in talks with the Pangea Market downtown.

Hometown?

Edmonton

Years in meat business?

Two years.

Where would you like to live?

Southern Alberta — it’s so beautiful with the mountains. Actually, if I could live anywhere/anytime? The 1860s in a prairie sod house, taming the west with a calculator and a gun.

Your favourite food and drink

Lasagna with cheese from our own cow and meat from our own beef, and I am loving Belgium Tripel beer. It’s a meal in the bottle — fruity and savoury, sweet and spicy.

What would you be doing if you weren’t cutting up meat?

Demolitions expert — it seems I have a talent for dismantling things.

What do you most appreciate in your friends?

Willingness to try new things, to explore.

Your favourite quality in a dish?

Fat.

A cook/chef?

I like the ones who haven’t lost their passion for food; who get all excited when I bring them something, like lamb lips.

Who would be at your dream dinner table (dead or alive)?

Ray Kurzweil, John Taylor Gatto, Brad Lazarenko.

Who would cook?

Christine Sandford and the rest of the Staff Meal Collective.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Pain don’t hurt.

Current culinary obsession/exploration?

Offal and all the secondary cuts — we have huge demand for bones, cheeks and tongues, liver, kidney and spleen.

Meaningful/crazy meat cutting experience?

The time a steer got out. It jumped the fence and took off into the bush. We had to hunt it, kill it and dress it in the field.

Best (cooking) thing that ever happened to you?

Being asked by the chefs to help plate at the Roots and Shoots Slow Food National Conference Gala.

Mentors?

Timothy Farris, the four-hour work week guy — he puts a different spin on life.

Favourite casual cheap and cheerful/afterwork food?

Jerky, right out of the smoker, hot and sweaty with fat. We call it meat cookies.

Philosophy?

Someone asked me once if I was an environmentalist, nowhere near that shallow — that’s somebody who works in an office and reuses a cup. I’m starting to understand the balance between plants and animals and people. The sound of the frogs, and what it means when there is no sound; the number of bugs when there’s a heavy mosquito hatch, what happens to hay when we have a dry year like last year. We’re becoming children of the land.

What’s next?

Doing things like introducing the idea of at home butchering; helping kids from the city learn about agriculture. Getting the meat shop firing on all cylinders.

Tangle Ridge Ranch, ThoRsby Shayne and Vicky Horn • tangleridgeranch.ca

iRvings FaRm FResh, Round hill Nicola and Alan Irving • irvingsfarmfresh.com

oTheR}meaTsThe

Mary Bailey

meeT The Horns, The De Boers & The IrvIngs, local pRoduceRs oF lamb, poulTRy & poRk.

They are examples of the renaissance in the traditional family farm, preferring to take a hands-on approach with both their animals and their customers. As we crave a more direct relationship with our food, families such as these are fulfilling the desire.

They are by no means the norm. It’s not easy being an outlier. It takes youthful energy, farming smarts, an entrepreneurial attitude and loads of hands-on work. Is it worth it? Here are their stories.

Vicky and Shayne met at the U of A. Both were doing animal science programs in Agriculture. They were friends. Then one summer they worked together at a custom grazing ranch near Sangudo. Vicky had interned there and subsequently was offered the ranch manager job. Shayne became her intern. “That summer we did an insane amount of fencing,” says Vicky.

This turned out to be a good thing.

They married, then moved to the ranch in the same week. “We wanted to get the really physical stuff done that first year, before I got pregnant, and we were well-versed in fencing.”

Shelby, now three, came along, and the couple has a new baby due in mid-September.

“I had wanted to be a vet. The ranch manager I had worked with as an intern challenged my thinking; ‘take care of the land, it will take care of the animals. If you’re a vet you’re always just treating the symptoms.’ I fell in love with the concept of using the animals as tools to manage your land, and in return the land

provided health benefits and nutrition to the animals.”

The Horns raise Katahdin and Dorper hair sheep on a quarter section of land planted with a custom mix of grasses and legumes. They practice rotational grazing to keep both sheep and pasture healthy.

“We started with 25 ewes the first year, now we have 140 ewes and 212 born. We will sell 180 this fall. We try to buy a few ewes each year to help us grow faster.”

“How do we want things to look in five years? We want to have 250-300 ewes, continue to direct-market all of our lamb, and continue to create a healthy land base. That means we will have achieved our goal — a sustainable family farm in a healthy community.”

Nicola and Alan Irving started their family business in 2006. Nicola had worked in agriculture in Britain as a dairy nutritionist. “I would go around and talk to dairy farmers about how to reach higher yields of protein and butterfat. It didn’t translate to pigs at all.”

The Irvings raise Berkshire, a notoriously slow growing but delicious-tasting black pig.

“We realized about four years ago that we were working full-time in the meat shop, 10-12 hour days, and trying to farm on top of that. We got together with Karen and Ron Sobey who were raising Berkshire as well. Now they do the breeding of the little pigs and take care of the boars properly. We became more efficient as well by doings things like setting up automatic heated water and self-feeding stations. I used to carry

water twice a day — you can do that for 20 or 30 animals but not for 100.

Self-feeding stations? Nicola says pigs don’t pig out. They know it’s there; they eat when they are hungry.

I asked Nicola what’s changed the most in the past six years.

“The volume we now sell and the time it takes us to make our product,” says Nicola. “I used to think 50 pounds of sausage in a

Above: Shayne and Vicky in their pasture.

Left: a happy sheep.

Above: curious Berkshire piglets.

Right: Alan Irving selling sausage

at City Market Downtown


The large white Maremma sheepdogs, Heidi and Curly, fall upon us with joyful abandon. But they don’t want to follow us into the turkey pasture. These two, who take after coyotes with steely-eyed precision, are not particularly fond of turkeys.

The turkeys are curious, and after a few moments of checking us out, settle to wandering about picking at bits of grass, making happy turkey sounds.

The cattle move along the far fence silhouetted against the sun. It is lovely.

day was fantastic. Now we make

500 pounds in a half-day. We

learned better methods and have

so much bigger machinery. We’re

better, quicker and faster at what

we do. We still do it all by hand, we

had to hire help to make it work,

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FouR WhisTle FaRm, leduc Marius and Twiggy De Boer • fourwhistlefarm.ca

“It is getting harder to find reliable labour for a reasonable price, especially because so much of our work is by hand,” Marius gestures at the 30 or so little pigs behind us.

“But I spend less time in the truck. We have found good processors closer to the farm. I go to Pigeon Lake now instead of St. Paul for the poultry, for example.

“We’re selling more beef and less lamb, perhaps because there are more people selling lamb at farmers’ markets now. “

At the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, where Four Whistle Farm has had a booth for several years, everybody knows the tall Dutchman with the white cowboy hat and wide grin.

“I would have to say the interaction with our customers is my favourite thing.

“Where do we want to be in five years? We hope to have good solid growth, to have reliable help — to have everything a bit easier, maybe time for a little holiday once in awhile.”

Mary Bailey would like to have a Maremma of her own.

but what we pay out in labour is worth every cent.

“We were always working. The kids were suffering, getting resentful. You can do it all yourself for a few years, but at some point your family has to come first.”

Four Whistle is a mixed farm, rare today in this era of specialization. Marius and Twiggy grow barley and hay for their animals as well as buy grain from neighbouring farms, raise pigs, lamb, beef and poultry and direct-market meat and eggs.

It sounds like a lot of work. It is a lot of work, and Twiggy has an off-farm job as well.

Top: contented cattle at Four Whistle.

Above left: Marius De Boer at the Old

Strathcona Farmers’ Market. Photos

Cheryl Armstrong, Amanda LeNeve.


“I like the quiet, the nature. I take my boys with me. It’s about the meat — you have control over the whole process. You know what’s on the table, lean wild meat.

“There was a time I didn’t hunt. I grew up eating almost exclusively game meat. When I moved from home, it was the last thing I wanted to eat. Now, I am keenly interested in food that comes from where I’m from. Wild food reflects that, also the health aspect. It coincided with me getting into food and wanting to have that connection, killing animals to eat them. When I shot my first calf moose, I understood vegetarians. The death part is not pleasant.

“Hunting is part of my family heritage. Part of the reason is just getting outside, my dad will hunt 80 days a year and pull a trigger once. I do big game with my Dad, and typically hunt for calf moose near Peace River.

“Calves will still be on milk and are just getting on to grass. The tenderness is insane. As well it’s only about 100 pounds or so, which is enough meat for our family.

“My daughter Evelyn will come out grouse hunting with me this year. It’s kind of hunting light, with a campfire, on a quad. You can’t expect a five year old to sit on a cutline and be quiet while you call for moose.”

A family love story

Left: The Brintell family; Grandfather

Robert, father Wade, and twins William

(left) and Wyatt. To Be In Pictures photo.

Above: Norm Suvan’s Spanish-made

20 Gauge Ugartechea in the foreground.

Jesse Hlady Photography.

I haven’t gone duck hunting for years.

I’d rather clean a deer than pluck a goose.

Fat h e r s , s o n s , g u n s a n d d o g s :

— Wade Brintnell, The Wine Cellar

“I was camping with my father and our family friend, the late Gary Cooper. We were cooking

venison steaks over a fire pit when Coop produced a bottle of 1982 Ch. Margaux from his bag. What a meal. I celebrated my first elk bow kill by serving the tenderloin with a 1997 Pahlmeyer Red.

“My least favourite thing about hunting? Bad hunters. They give all hunters a bad name — they trespass, they cut fences, they shoot from the road, they kill out of season.

“Sheep hunting is the most challenging hunting anyone can do. We go in on horseback near Cadomin, then tie up the horses and hike up to where the sheep are. My dad’s retired now and spends a lot of time on horseback scouting for sheep.

“Sheep hunters have their own hierarchy. They’re willing to do pretty much anything. We’ll sleep on the side of the mountain, no tent, travelling light, no hot meals, eating a lot of granola bars.

“To get the animal out, you may have to pack out on your back, then on to your saddle and walk the horse — six or seven hours on foot.”

“ I grew up hunting; it’s an activity that stays with you.”

— Kevin Kossowan, local food advocate,

videographer


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A family love story

Upper left: Norm Suvan in

gentleman’s duck-hunting gear.

Jesse Hlady Photography.

Top: Norman Suvan

with sons Chris and Norm in the

gun club. To Be In Pictures photo.

“I hunt with my sons Chris and norm.”— norman C. suvan, real estate, land

development

— norm suvan, real estate, land development“I live to hunt ducks and geese.”

“We belong to the Pioneer Gun Club. The building, on 12 acres with 820 feet of waterfront on Big Lake,

dates back to the Oblate fathers. It was on the cart track from the mission at St. Albert to Lac St Anne. We have

upgraded it since then; it even has a bathroom. Big Lake has ideal nesting grounds. There’s thousands and thousands

of ducks, we couldn’t hope to harvest them all. The club has 19 members, we raise money for Ducks Unlimited, we skeet shoot,

we have dinners and events there.

“We also hunt big game, white tail deer, mule deer and trophy moose.

“It took eight years to get a permit for antelope because we all wanted to go together. It is fantastic. Most people don’t know how to cook wild game. It has no fat. They overcook it. I like to slow roast duck in clamato. I taught my boys to cook game.”

“The Edmonton bow zone is an elite spot for deer hunting. Due to the mixed forests, vegetation, crops, we have a healthy deer

count of large size — it’s a bit of a mecca. You cannot use a rifle in the bow zone. A bow has a shorter trajectory,

Please see ”Fathers & Sons” next page


typically an arrow will drop within eyeshot. I hunt from a tree stand, call the deer into bow range which is typically a 40-yard shot.

“I live to hunt ducks and geese. It’s something I grew up doing, the ducks keep coming and coming — you’re not waiting for one deer.

“Mallards and teal are the best eating. You’ve got the camaraderie, you can do it with more than one guy, my brother and I go every year with our dad.

“We created a gentlemen’s hunt where we dress in English-style estate clothing. Even our guns look old as we only allow side by sides, or an over/under. An Englishman or a European wouldn’t use a pump action or semi-automatic shotgun, it’s just not done.

“You’ll see more fathers and daughters hunting in the next five years. A lot of hunting fathers I know only have daughters. My three-year old daughter accompanies me when we go bird spotting.

“Wildest hunting dream trip? I’m really keen to hunt wild doves and red stag in Argentina.”

Doug Hicks. To Be In Pictures photo.

fathers & sonsContinued from page 19

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“It wasn’t until I was over 30 that I started hunting in earnest. Until

then, I was gone every fall for junior hockey, then

professional hockey. I promised my Dad,

‘When I retire I’m huntin’ with ya.’

“I use a 30-06 Remington, bought that pretty much right after I started. My dad taught me to be patient, to get into the right range. A Remington is not a powerful

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Below: Baron holding a Drake Mallard. Jesse Hlady Photography.

“ I go out with my ski-doo suit, I’m happy with the rifle I bought in 1992.”— doug hicks, oiler alumni, wine guy

hit, so a lot of meat doesn’t get damaged. When you grow up with a father who grew up in the depression you don’t lose any meat.

“Softer and fruitier wines like Juan Gil Monestrall from Spain and Buehler's Napa Valley Zinfandel match perfectly with elk.

“What we’ve seen for the past 20-35 years is a lot less bull elk. In those years there was a lot more snow too.

“Antelope is a different hunt. You’re on bald prairie and they can see for miles. Forget sneaking up on an antelope. Antelope tastes like lamb. I like to do it Greek style, with lemon.

“I enjoy hunting even more knowing my dad, at 82, is still enjoying it. I hunt only for things I like to eat. I like seeing a different country, completely different from northern Alberta. I go out in my Skiddoo suit, I’m happy with the rifle I bought in 1992. We keep it basic.”


beer guy | peter bailey

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Kate and William. Hepburn and Tracy. John and Yoko. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. Jay-Z and Beyonce. Victoria and Albert. Beer and meat. All perfect pairs.

There are so many happy couples in the extended meat family: beer and burgers. Beer and barbecue. Beer and brisket. Beer and beef. Beer and bacon. Alas, Rogue Brewing went too far in marrying beer and bacon in their Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale. Some relationships are not meant to be.

Beer and meat go way back. These two have been giving knowing looks across the table for way longer than Brad and Angelina. An archeological dig of the tomb of King Midas from 700 B.C. found bowls of lamb stew and mugs with residue of a barley-based substance — beer! Dogfish Head Brewing worked with an archaeologist to recreate the ancient beer. Their Midas Touch beer uses barley, honey, grapes and saffron to make a modern brew fit for an ancient king, perfect with lamb stew.

Edmonton’s love of meat never falters, and beer is close to Edmontonian’s hearts, yet few restaurants beyond the Sugarbowl are matchmakers, bringing meat and good beer together at the table. In Detroit this spring, I dined at two outstanding places that understand the beauty of meat and beer together.

Slows Bar-B-Q in Corktown serves meaty fare like pulled pork and dry-smoked ribs, along with a few dozen craft beer on tap. Roast is an upscale restaurant in hardscrabble downtown Detroit. Diners are given a “Beer List for the Wine Enthusiast” with beers recommended as pairs with steak and other meat options. They have become successful destination restaurants, drawing people from miles around.

If struggling Detroit can do it, why can’t booming Edmonton? We can.

Beer and MeatThere are three guys who get it, who understand that meat and beer belong together. These three guys opened Three Boars on 109 Street this spring. Chuck Elves is the beer guy, before Three Boars plying his trade just up the street at beer pioneer the Sugarbowl, as did chef Brayden Kozak. Brian Welch completed the trio, bringing his numbers expertise.

Three Boars is a tiny man-cave, with a bustling kitchen and busy bar downstairs and a small, quieter dining room upstairs, rustic cabin decor throughout. The chalkboard with today’s beer offerings makes clear Three Boars’ focus: meat and beer.

“We were thinking about what isn’t done in Edmonton and what is done poorly,” said Chuck Elves. “Beer is one place where we saw a huge gap. There are not a lot of places that do a good job of beer.”

And Three Boars does a good job of beer indeed. Space restrictions meant only six beer taps were possible, but Elves works some malty magic. Two taps are reserved for local faves Alley Kat Full Moon Pale Ale and Yellowhead Lager, while an array of different beers rotate through the remaining taps — whatever fits the season, the ever-changing food menu or anything new and interesting. “I know what I want. I know what’s good. I’ve tried pretty much everything,” says Elves.

Elves stresses the crucial role of knowledgeable staff, as “you can have the biggest beer list in the world, but if you don’t have staff who can tell people about it, it doesn’t matter.” He feels that with frequent beer tastings for all staff and a collaborative work ethic, Three Boars has the best beer-educated staff in the city.

I suggest you take him up on this by ordering one of Three Boars’ innovative meat dishes, then say: “bring me a good beer.” I think you’ll end up with a perfect pair joining you at table.

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Most meat pairs well with beer on the malty side of the spectrum, rather than very hoppy beer. But hops are handy for balancing the fat of some dishes. Let your taste be your guide. The beers below are available at better beer shops such as Sherbrooke, Keg n Cork, Liquor Select or deVine’s.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel, GermanyFor hundreds of years, since 1040, Weihenstephaner has been brewing excellent beers to accompany the hearty food of Bavaria and beyond. This classic Dunkelweizen (dark wheat beer) is a great partner to pork, whether in sausages or ham, or just about anything with bacon in it.

Yukon Red Amber Ale, Whitehorse, YukonThis mellow American amber ale from way up north

pairs well with cuisine from way down south, like pulled pork. A charmer of a beer, its sweetness nodding at the sugar in the sauce, its malty base collaborating with the caramel char of the meat.

Russell Blood Alley Bitter, Surrey, BCAn extra special bitter with a pig on the label must be a natural partner with pork. Barbecue ribs are a classic pairing for pale ale or bitters. Why? The hoppy bitterness cuts through the fat and grease of ribs while the malt base smothers the spice in a blanket of deliciousness.

Muskoka Mad Tom IPA, Bracebridge, OntarioA beer and a burger might just be the ultimate of perfect pairs. This American IPA may hail from back east, but it

does the west coast hoppy style impeccably. The punchy hops cut the juicy fat of a burger down to size, making this IPA a welcome guest at any backyard barbecue.

8 Wired The Big Smoke Smoked Porter, New Zealand

Chuck Elves at Three Boars surprised me when he suggested porter pairs well with lamb. He’s right. This mighty smoked porter goes mighty well with grilled lamb, with its smoked malt playing off the meat’s charred flavours.

Ommegang Abbey Ale, Cooperstown, NYA serious beer like a Belgian-style dubbel from the acclaimed American brewery has the vigour to stand shoulder to shoulder with grilled steak, its rich, fruity

depth bringing out the best in the beef.

Peter Bailey is a meat-eating, beer-drinking, book-reading Edmonton-area librarian.

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kitchen sink | what’s new and notable

restaurant ramblings L2 Grill (l2grill.com, West Edmonton Mall, Entrance 51, #2385 8770-170 Street) has a new fall menu created by chef Ganesh Subra. Chef Subra joins Nathin Bye, Wildflower Grill; Paul Campbell, Café de Ville; Shane Chartrand, Murrieta’s; Ryan Hotchkiss, Jack’s; Jeremy McKinnon, The Westin; Sean O’Connor, Red Ox Inn; David Omar, Zinc; Paul Shufelt Century Hospitality Group; and Deependra Singh, Guru, to compete in Gold Medal Plates, October 18. Visit goldmedalplates.com for tickets. Gold Medal Plates is a blast, don’t miss it.

Partners Matt Klatt, Alex Hasham and Kasiran Simin are opening not one but two restaurants in the 124 street corridor. The former Bueno Gelato becomes the breakfast/lunch spot Pure Kitchen (12325 102 Avenue). Pure, also available for special events and catering in the evenings, will open mid-late September. A few blocks north, the former d’Lish becomes The Makk on 124 (10418-124 Street) opening in October. The name is a mash up of partners Matt Klatt, Kasiran Simin, and Alex Hasham’s names. Chef Simin’s background includes Culina Cantina at EPS Headquarters. “Kasiran’s food is really good, simple, from scratch, so creative,” says Patrycia Thenu, a Cantina regular. “It was always a delight to eat in the Cantina when Kasiran was cooking.”

Prairie Bistro in the Enjoy Centre (101 Riel Drive, St. Albert) features fresh produce daily right from Hole's Garden, including herbs and tomatoes grown on the roof. Enjoy a last opportunity before the weather change to sit on the new patio overlooking Big Lake and enjoy a local beer.

The Food Network’s Eat St. was in town to film three popular food trucks, Molly’s Eats, Drift and The Act, in action downtown. No word yet when we’ll see the Edmonton trucks on the show, but it was fun having the Eat St. crew here.

Visit Sabor Divino (10220 103 Street, 780 757-1114) for the Classic Seafood Festival. “It’s definitely a retro menu, ”says chef/co-owner Lino Oliveira. “I wanted to help people rediscover the old classics, like Dover sole, coquilles St. Jacques, oysters Rockefeller, lobster thermidor. Until September 8.

Want to have a dinner party but your house or condo isn’t big enough? Have it in Brad’s kitchen, Kitchen by Brad Smoliak, (780-757-7704, kitchenbybrad.ca). You choose the night, you choose the menu, Brad and his staff do the work. Now booking for the Christmas season too.

Matthew Jenkins is opening at Caffè Sorrentino, in the Mayfair Village Tower (Jasper Avenue and 109 Street). “I loved this franchise because it’s owned by a nice family that really seems to care for and invest in Edmonton,” says Matt. The new café will be open daily 7am-11pm.

What has Normand Campbell most excited about his new bistro at the Citadel Theatre? The nifty fresh juice machine. Whole oranges go in, fresh squeezed delicious juice comes out. 10177 99 Street in the Citadel Theatre.

Check out the new look at the Hardware Grill (9698 Jasper Avenue, 780-423-0969) — from the spiffy new striped awnings outside to the fresh colour scheme and really comfortable chairs and banquettes inside. The look is modern and comfortable — the best sort of business casual.

Red Ox Inn’s casual little sister restaurant Canteen (10522 124 Street) is opening mid-November for lunch, brunch and dinner. “Frank is busy working on the menu, and it is looking delicious,” says Andrea Olsen. “The build is starting next week and we cannot be more excited.”

Staff Meal Collective member Heather Dosman is leaving Culina Muttart for a part-time gig at Three Boars plus other culinary adventures.

product news The Bon Ton (8720 149 Street, 780 489-7717) introduces the Exotic Tropical nut mix packed with almonds, pecans, apricots, mango and ginger. Also new for fall: whole wheat oatmeal cookies with cranberries and white chocolate; the Valhrona chocolate cake, guaranteed to be a chocolate lover’s delight; and a range of bite-sized cookies, bagged and ready to go in five flavours — cinnamon, brandy raisin, chocolate, hazelnut crunch, and coconut — heaven for all cookie monsters. Pick up a jar of the new Lucini Pasta Sauces, in four varieties.

DIY wine? Wine juice and grapes from California are now available at the Italian Centre (10878 95 Street, 780-424-4869) and the best selection is during the first 10 days of September. Go around to the back to find the grapes and all the equipment you’ll need — crushers, pressers, demi-johns, plus a few old timers, sure to be milling about, ready and willing to answer all your wine-making questions.

Sunterra Market Commerce Place (201 10150 Jasper Avenue) has a special Oktoberfest cooking class September 25. The $50 cost includes cocktails, cooking demos, recipes, tasting and a buffet-style meal. For their complete cooking class calendar, visit sunterramarket.com.

Hillaby’s in the Enjoy Centre (101 Riel Drive, St. Albert) now stocks Reenberg’s of Denmark accessories for the sink. You didn’t know your sink needed accessorizing? Neither did we until we saw just how handy a rack attached to the sink can be for the damp wash cloth or sponge.

Pick up a free copy of Sunterra Market’s cheese guide. Sunterra highlights a monthly Big Cheese, offering samples and discounts. September’s Big Cheese is Pavé d’Affinois Le Secret, a rich, triple cream French cow’s milk cheese. October’s Big Cheese is the earthy and deliciously assertive Emmi cave-aged Gruyère.

Who’s not excited about the opening of Edmonton’s soon to be favourite cookie shop Cookie Love (12325A 102 Avenue)? The cookie line up: seven classics including Triple Chipper, Your Peanut Butter is in my Chocolate, and 10 specialty cookies including Catch a Cashew by the Caramel. They will make six flavours of minis, as well as monthly specials.

Taste over 100 tequilas and enjoy Mexican inspired appetizers and music at Tequila Festival! October 19, Fantasyland Hotel. Tickets at aligrawineandspirits.com.

Amaranth’s in the Enjoy Centre (101 Riel Drive, St. Albert) now stocks the Glutenfreeda brand cheesecake in three flavours: Chocolate Truffle, New York and Strawberry Swirl, $3.95 each.


kitchen sink | what’s new and notable

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A P A N - A S I A N D I N I N G E X P E R I E N C E

Dining, Takeout, Catering & Special Events

wine tastings happenings and events Fine Wines by Liquor Select’s (8924 149 Street) Annual Craft and Import Beer Festival pours Saturday, September 22, 2-5pm. Over 50 exquisite brews will be available to taste, chosen from the leaders of the beer revolution.

Celebrate the harvest at Green Drinks: YEG local food, Thursday, September 13, 7pm, at the Common (9910 109 Street).

Indulge during the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival November 2-3 at the Shaw Conference Centre. The popular festival features a wide array of award-winning wines, premium spirits, import and micro-brewed beer, and an assortment of local culinary creations in a fun, social, relaxed atmosphere. Tickets at rockymountainwine.com

Join Firefly Theatre for steeps, champagne and sweets. Firefly’s aerial artists bring unprecedented height to their second annual fundraiser HIGH TEA. September 23, TransAlta Arts Barns Lobby, 10330 - 84 Avenue, 2-5pm. Tickets: $50.00, tixonthesquare.ca.

Co-Op Grape Escape October 26 and 27 at the Expo Centre. Don’t miss it! coopwinespiritsbeer.com

The Unwined (12 Saint Albert Trail, St. Albert, 780-458-4777) Accidental Sommelier Series: Terroir Expressive Reds, September 11; Champagne and Cava, September 25; tastings with master of malts Andrew Walls, Whiskies from the Four Regions of Scotland, September 18, and the Festival of Saint Peat, featuring heavily-peated expressions from Islay on October 2.

Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day (we’re not making this up) September 19 at the Talk Like a Pirate Day Rum Festival. Tickets citadeltheatre.com.

The Grape Escape is on Thursday, September 27 in support of Edmonton Meals on Wheels. Sample elegant wines and a rich selection of hors d’oeuvres all while supporting a worthy cause. Tickets: $60 at mealsonwheelsedmonton.org.

The Valley Zoo Development Society presents Carnivale of Carnivores, Saturday, October 27 The food by chef Stacy Partridge includes hand-made profiteroles with mushroom ragout served with signature St. Germaine cocktails. Tickets $125, buildingourzoo.com

Mark your calendars: Friday September 28 is Robust Reds For Rotary. Sample over 100 wines while enjoying the live and silent auction and the excellent selection of tasty bites. Tickets are $65, Keg n Cork, 3845-99 Street. More info? Visit robustreds.ca

Love wine? Looking for practical techniques to help you make the best choices? Level One (Foundation in Wine & Wine Service) is a practical, entry-level program for those with little or no previous wine background. Monday, October 1. To register, visit winecollege.ca.

Send new and/or interesting food and drink related news for The Kitchen Sink to thetomato.ca.

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8612-99 Street 780.433.5924 www.treestone.ca


charcuterieContinued from page 6

“We love guanciale, a salt cured pork jowl. It is lightly salty with a delicate fat and beautiful flavour (as opposed to pancetta, as the fat is less worked). Guanciale is meant to be cooked. Sauté it off, the crispness around the fat is good. It’s a Lazio specialty — they’ll use it in carbonara, always bucatini Amatriciana, spaghetti and alla grechia spaghetti with black pepper and guanciale.”

The charcuterie board at cibo inOliver Square changes often, whenever the chef/owner Rosario Caputo decides to try a new form of Italian salumi.

The star of the night is porchetta di testa (essentially, cured pork face). Rosario purchases a pig’s head from Irvings, carves it, and

Top: Corso’s bucatini Amatricana. Right and below: Rosaro Caputo of cibo

prepares porchetta di testa.

It was a delicate and flavourful mortadella served at the Marrotti Campi dinner last spring that had people talking.

“Mortadella is from Bologna, traditionally done with pistachios and originally made with donkey meat; a frugal mixture of donkey and pig,” says Daniel Costa chef/owner corso 32.

“We make our mortadella with nutmeg, salt, whole peppercorns, pistachios, coriander and honey. We serve it sliced very thin, or cut it into cubes. Basically, it’s a giant emulsified slow-poached sausage. To make it properly, you must have a good heavy duty food processor, like a commercial robot coupe. We use a sous-vide to cook slowly and thoroughly.

Mortadella flavours a lot of pasta fillings, says Daniel. As in spuma di mortadella, pureed with cream, tortellini and Bolognese sauce.

rubs with a salt/sugar herb blend to start the long process. The result is a deliciously salty, slightly sweet pork charcuterie with the texture of very good Parma ham.

“Right now we’re making a pig’s head mortadella with pistachio and peppercorn,” says Rosario. Usually we would use shoulder, but we’re finding that the mortadella sets up better this way. We make lonza, a cured pork loin. I love

making lardo. It spends weeks in the cure, then hangs for another three. The texture is so silky and velvety.

“It’s a new experience for some of our kitchen staff. We’re thinking of doing prosciutto, from leg of lamb, though it has to hang for 120 days. Making our own is always a trade-off between time and money, but the flavour is better when we do it ourselves.


A Taste of What’s at Co-op:Tasting Events

Pioneers of Oregon and Discovering the Pinot Noir Grape

Big Reds —You Be the Judge

Guess the Expensive Wine

Exploring Valleys of France

Blended Wines

Food Truck Pairing - Molly’s Eats

90+ Wines

130 years of Chilean Wine History

A Haunted Tasting

E V E N T C A L E N D A R

MacTaggart Ridge 5962 Mullen Way

780.432.2258Visit coopwinespiritsbeer.com for more details.

An Evening with the Wines of Sokol Blosser – Pioneers of Oregon and Discovering the Pinot Noir GrapeSpend the evening with Michael Brown, who will be visiting us from the winery to share the story of Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol; two of the original pioneers of the Oregon wine industry. Explore the many different personalities of the Pinot Noir grape and its expressions when grown in vineyards of Oregon. If you are a Pinot Noir fan, or just want to understand this grape, then this is an evening for you.September 26, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

Big Reds – You Be the JudgeEver wonder what it would be like to be a wine judge? Well, here’s your chance. During this fun class you’ll have the opportunity to taste and review a blind flight of big reds from all over the world and with different price ranges to see how they stack up against each other. Help decide which wine comes out victorious. September 15, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person October 20, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

Guess the Expensive Wine – A Tasting Room FavouriteGet ready for a fun night as we ask you to guess which wine is the most expensive wine in the room. Discover how wines of different values compare to each other, if you really can tell the difference and if most expensive always means the best.September 21, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

Castles, Rivers and Wines – Exploring Valleys of FranceDid you know that the Loire River is over 1000km long with grapes growing along more than two thirds of it, or that the cool wind which blows through the Rhone Valley is called le mistral? To learn more about these two beautiful wine regions, join us for an evening of adventure and exploration.September 29, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

Blended Wines – A Hands On ExperienceBlended wines are created by winemakers all over the world as a way to bring out the best flavours by combining the different profiles of each grape. In this class you will get to be the winemaker and taste classic blended wines from all over the globe.October 4, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

An Evening with Molly’s Eats – Food Truck PairingWe are so excited to be teaming up with Edmonton’s very own Molly’s Eats, to bring you the full food truck experience right in our own tasting centre. Get ready for a super delicious and fun evening. Make sure you come to class hungry! You’re going to love what we have paired up for you.October 5, 7pm - 9pm • $50 per person

90+ WinesHow does an evening of finesse, complexity and elegance sound to you? Come discover how wines achieve a rating of 90 points or higher by the likes of wine critic Robert Parker and Wine Spectator magazine. This is a class where you will be the judge and decide for yourself if the wines are deserving of their ratings. Score cards ready?October 19, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

Concha y Toro – 130 years of Chilean Wine Making HistoryJoin us as we welcome Gabriel Salas, from Chile, as he spends an evening showcasing the wines of one of Chile’s most beloved wineries. It all started in 1883 when Don Melchor Concha y Toro brought grapevines from Bordeaux to plant in the Maipo Valley. We will be showcasing the many different labels and styles of this winery on this special evening.October 25, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

A Haunted Tasting – Ghost Stories and Spooky LegendsGet your costume on (if you like) and spend the evening with us as we taste through a fun flight of wines, beers and spirits that all have a ghost story or spooky legend tied to them. If you love a good story while sipping on something tasty, you won’t want to miss this class.October 31, 7pm - 9pm • $35 per person

An Evening with Wines of Rodney Strong – Pioneers of Sonoma, California WinesAre you a California wine fan? If so then you won’t want to miss this special evening in our tasting room as we welcome Dan Wildermuth, from the winery, as he shares the evening with us telling stories and sharing the wines from this iconic winery.November 2, 7pm - 9pm • $25 per person

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Natures’ Green Acres naturesgreenacres.com

Jim Gebielhaus is making a beef sausage coil, a pork coil and breakfast links for Shannon and Danny Ruzicka at the small hands-on operation on his farm near Bruce. The breakfast link’s subtle seasoning showcases the flavour of the pork. The beef sausage is a bit bolder, salty and redolent with thyme and sage. Grill or fry as is, or crumble to use as part of the meat mixture in meat loaf or Bolognese sauce. The Italian pork sausage would be delicious sliced in a sandwich with arugula and melted provolone. Nature's Green Acres sausage is available along with their pork and nouveau beef at the City Market until Thanksgiving, then indoors at City Hall from October 13.

La Abuela borbollafoods.com

We met Yvonne and her husband Gerardo at their charming west end restaurant Mexico Lindo several years ago, loved their food and have been following ever since. Last year, they shuttered the restaurant to concentrate on producing 100 per cent Alberta pork sausage full time. The savoury Spanish and Mexican-style sausage brand La Abuela is available at the Italian Centre, at several farmers markets and across Canada for food service.

The Mexican-style chorizo is made with pork, guajillo peppers and a mixture of spices and aromatics — perfect for huevos con chorizo, or chorizo con queso (with eggs or cheese). Spanish-style chorizo is made with pork, sweet paprika, chili peppers, garlic and red wine. Delicious grilled or in soups and stews.

The Spanish-style chistorra — made with pork, paprika, and garlic — is similar to chorizo, but longer and thinner. Delicious grilled, fried or in classic paella. The La Abuela website contains several excellent recipes for daily use and entertaining.

Check out farmers’ markets and quality meat counters for other made-in-Alberta meats.

alberta-grownContinued from page 8


In the 90’s, the herd size was approaching 100,000 animals. Now there are perhaps 60,000 bison in Alberta. Live animals can be bought reasonably. It is no longer an industry driven by demand for breeding stock as it was in the early days. Now it’s a meat industry.

“More bison producers are leaving than coming, but that’s the same for agriculture,” says Sautner, “it’s come down to agribusiness or hobby farms.”

In the rush to get out of the bison market after the mad cow episode, ranchers slaughtered breeding animals. Larissa Helbig recalls seeing bison burger meat selling for less than beef at a supermarket in Devon. Now it isn’t to be found.

“Producers have been holding back heifers to rebuild herds,” says Helbig, who has been ranching bison at near Edmonton with her father since 1999.

Helbig that the supply of slaughter animals is down by 25 per cent as ranchers hold back cows to rebuild herds and meet demand for meat.

It’s an expensive business. It takes five years to produce a marketable calf, which means holding the animals through the winter and maintaining their weight on a high-fibre diet.

“There’s a market for every part of the animal. I was going to sell the offal to the pet food market, but I found a buyer for the heart, liver and kidneys. The trim, if I had any, would go into sausages,” says Helbig, who never gets to eat the prime cuts from her animals. “Loin is $70 a kilogram, ribeye $45. That’s where the profit is.”

Jerry Kitt’s first encounter with bison was a herd of runaways that made their way through forest and field, 150 miles and arrived at his farm. “They were so majestic,” says Kitt, and the idea was planted firmly in his mind: he wanted to raise bison and bought six animals, the base for a herd that now numbers 40.

Bison are difficult to manage. Possessed of a powerful herd

instinct, they are hard to confine or separate. They will try anything to stay together, and a thousand pound animal is not easy to fence. They retain a wild spirit, even after generations in captivity.

First Nature Farms raises grass fed beef, chickens, turkeys, Berkshire hogs, all certified organic, since 1990. He is one of the pioneers of the trend in Alberta, and you can buy his products every Saturday at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market where his daughter Kari manages a stand.

“It seemed like a natural thing; we always farmed without chemicals” on land that has been left mostly in its natural state. “People have farmed forever without chemicals and I could see problems; I wanted no part of it.”

Kitt attributes demand for organic products to greater awareness of the benefits of eating meat from animals that were raised on pasture, not finished in a feedlot, with grain, where crowding may require that they be treated with hormones and antibiotics.

“Those animals are just not as healthy,” he says, “and a feedlot needs a lot of infrastructure, for grain processing and storage. With grass, it’s so much simpler, and better.”

“Bison is so connected to this land,” says Kitt. “The country was built on it; it’s the meat we need to eat.”

Kitt has been approached a few times by the pet food industry, but regards the emergence of that market as “a sad thing. It makes a difference to my life if I’m raising food for a family, or a dog. I do not like raising meat for animals. I have issues with that. I have pets, but they don’t eat bison.”

But once the meat is in the buyer’s hands, it’s theirs to do with as they please. One of Kitt’s best customers for organic turkey was a woman who bought one every year. He remarked on it, that she must really enjoy the flavor of the birds, and she told him: “I’m a vegetarian. This is for my cat.”

JD is old enough to remember a time when game was common on tables across the west.

wild thingsContinued from page 9

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according to judy | judy schultz

In 2012, the trendiest business in the world — the food biz — has gone into overdrive. Suddenly, food trucks are legal, they’re hot, and they’re everywhere.

We’ve all seen the whack of kitchens-on-wheels and pop-up eateries around town this summer, with vendors tweeting locations and crowds of happy eaters calling for more.

Their advent brought an end to that sad, deprived time when an outdated bylaw prevented street-food being sold in Edmonton.

Not that mobile eateries are a new concept. According to FAO (United Nations) figures, 2.5 billion people eat most of their meals from some variation of the movable kitchen, every day of the year.

In North America, the original food truck was probably the chuckwagon, invented by Charles (Chuck?) Goodnight, who owned a sprawling Texas ranch, circa 1830. Chuck, apparently an inventive type, bought himself an army-issued covered wagon in which he installed shelves, a water barrel and a coffee grinder. He stocked it with salt pork and dried beans, flour and molasses, coffee and tea. The menu wasn’t big on variety: pork, beans, biscuits. To announce the where and when of dinner, the cook would bang vigorously on an iron triangle. (To triangle; forerunner of the newer verb, to tweet. Really.)

So here we are, more than a century later, and naturally, reality television has leapt aboard. Eat St. is the current favourite, spawned by The Great Food Truck Race, which aired in 2010. How about those trucky names? Nom Nom

Truck, Green Meanie, Bacon Jam, Gorilla Cheese, not to forget El Gastronomo Vagabundo.

Food trucks have had a bad rap, some of it justified. They’ve been called everything from ptomaine trolleys to roach coaches, for reasons too painfully obvious to think about.

Given their popularity in less careful public health jurisdictions than ours, it’s a miracle there aren’t more after-dinner stomach aches. I once spent a solitary winter in China, living on instant noodles and street food. I passed up the fried scorpions, but learned to

love the skewers of bright red crabapples deep-fried

in faintly rancid oil (it was a beggars/choosers thing).

Day after day, I ate from food trucks, food carts or ingenious

coal-fired woks-on-wheels, and I

regretted it only once. As my grandma used to say,

“First I was afraid I’d die; then I was afraid I wouldn’t.”

I blamed it on mystery meat in pastry, cooked over an old gas barrel in a back alley. After the first nibble I should have known. The lesson: if it tastes that bad, it probably is.

Food trucks are not universally loved. Some people just plain despise the concept, and all they want to see of these culinary conveyances are their tail-lights, fading into the distance.

But the rest of us? We love them. They’re fast, they’re fun, they have a place in our food community. I want one! My fearless prediction? When the definitive history of the kitchen is finally written, food trucks will be out in front.

Judy is looking for a second-hand truck; check her blog, judyink.ca

What the Truck? Street food pulls ahead of the pack.

Chef Heather Dosman of Edmonton’s Culina Muttart has a passion for Bulgolgi braised pork.

Get the recipe, see videos of chefs making their favourite dishes and fall in love at passionforpork.com. Brought to you by Alberta pork producers.

101 Riel Drive, St. Albert

Where exclusive doesn’t mean expensive

www.toolsforcooks.ca

Lower level, NE Entrance # 5 • www.liquidharvest.ca

780.651.7363 • www.sandyviewfarms.com

They don’t make it like they used to… But we do! Friendly atmosphere , largest locally owned deli, quality gluten-free products

www.prairiebistro.ca

Enjoy a unique shopping experience only minutes

from Edmonton.Take Anthony Henday Drive to Ray Gibbons Drive and go left.

780.651.7367 • www.amaranthfoods.ca

• Grocery

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• Supplements

• GlutenFreeSelections

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the tomato - sept/oct 2012

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