Hosted by Valerie and Vanja
A happy 40 pound Yorkshire from Hillview Acres Farms
Last night fellow slow foodies traipsed from as far away as Barrhead and Grand Prairie to our west end home through the winter’s eve to celebrate the abundance of the truly delicious food we have in the middle of winter in our city. And, to share their culinary prowess with one another. The main attraction was the suckling pig. And, though this little fellow was a bit past the suckling stage (look at those teeth), he was still succulent and fatty and flavourful just like a little piggy should be.
I set up appetizers and had the punch and a drink ready to go because with this crowd it is all about the food. Thus, cocktails were from 6-7. I was thrilled mom and dad were able to make it. They definitely remember when a tomato used to taste like a tomato. Dad is a cheese aficionado and could not say enough about the Sylvan Star Baby Gouda It is really good cheese. It is only made once a year at Christmas. I bought a whole one at Planet Organic along with a slice of their award winning Grizzly Sharp. Yum. This is particularly good served with dried apple rings (as first served to us at Janice Beaton’s Farm).
I served a variety of salts with my Yogurt Cheese Balls, and was so excited to finally get my hands on Fairwinds Farm goat cheeses also at Planet Organic. Run, do not walk… run to Planet Organic and buy some. They had been out twice when I was there earlier in December, but was able to get them all on Thursday. Their chèvre is luscious! People that don’t like goat cheese like this chèvre. There were more than a few surprised faces at the appetizer counter last night. I eat a lot of feta, and theirs is also top notch. I served it with some really good olive oil and a few condiments. One I particularly like is the cassis mustard I brought back with me from France. I love it with the feta. The meat was from the Budapest Deli, and the Double Smoked Sausage was a hit. They do a fantastic job with their smoked and preserved meats, as well as with their sour cabbage.Â
I could not resist making some Tomato Bruschetta. Love garlic. Love basil. Love bruschetta. The tomatoes were from Doef’s Greenhouses because Gull Valley had no one at their booth Saturday morning at the Strathcona Market. I also made an eggplant dip or salad, Salata de Vinete, that I learned to make many years ago from a friend, as well as the Roasted Red Pepper Salad that has definitely become one of our household staples. Foolishly, I made a whack of bread. I knew that Colleen and Vince were bringing some, but wasn’t sure they’d bring enough. Wrong. They brought an incredible variety of crunchy, crusty, deeply flavourful bread freshly baked in their outdoor oven earlier in the day. Everyone took some time to huddle around the bread at one point of the evening. I make some really good bread; I do. But, mine looks anemic beside theirs. You just cannot get a home oven to the heat where a great loaf of bread can realize its full potential. The outdoor oven that Vince built in their backyard certainly does this. And, they have the knowledge, too.
So, after a really nice few minutes with mom and dad, the doorbell started ringing, and our guest arriving. What a wonderful, warm eclectic group of people. I did not get too much time to visit throughout the evening, but every time I spoke with someone, I learned something new. I love evenings like that!
Then Vanja arrived with our little piggy, still steaming hot from the spit. I wanted him “presented” but there were just too many people in the house, so I announced his arrival, and a few curious, daring souls ventured to the garage to take a peek. Many had not seen a roasted pig before. I now see a delectable meal with the crunchiest skin when I see one, where I used to see the “wee-little-piggy-who-ran-all-the-way-home”.
Now this is one good looking pig! Look at that colour. Roasted pig on a spit is traditional holiday fare for those from Vanja’s homeland (the former Yugoslavia), so a man he knows has built two stone ovens in his garage. One does three pigs on a spit, and one four. Our little fellow was the 107th pig he had roasted since December 22nd. All of his pigs come from Douglas and Gerald Maschmeyer at Hillview Acres Farm near Bruderheim.
Vince is all decked out to carve the pig… and there are the men eagerly finessing the carcass. We actually got the meat into the house, and all of the other food on the table, still warm for the buffet service.
The pig was “presented” and the crowd cheered: “Where’s his apple?” “Aw, come on! A roasted pig without an apple?” How could we have been so boorish? Where was the apple? Instantly, I grabbed one from the fridge, and went to put it into the pig’s mouth. The apple was too big. The pig’s mouth was too small. The pig’s mouth was too small? Well, open wide, little piggy! In my attempt to open his little mouth to receive the apple, I cracked his jaws. Woops! But, now we have the apple!
And you can almost see him smiling up at us he is so happy with his little treat!
Barb and Jeff brought a Rabbit Stew with apples and Calvados that was really scrumptious from here. She promises to send the name of her local producer. Amy brought Sausage and Rice Risotto that everyone was raving about. She, too promises to send the recipe, so watch the comments section. It was a full meal unto itself! Tara and Steve brought Roast Goose with such fragrant stuffing, and Braised Purple Cabbage all of which were robust in flavour and deeply satisfying. However, they arrived later than intended, so missed the runway phoodo shoot.
Matthew and Anna brought the organic Lover’s Liver and Onions. Vanja was thrilled as I never cook it for him, and said it was the best liver he has ever eaten. Maria and Jeff brought the Potato Gratin with Sylvan Star Cheese and it was gone so fast that I only got a lick off of a spoon. YUM. Matthew and Anna also brought the Tridoshic Dal (Veggie Mung Bean Stew) which was an aromatic vegetarian main. I should have “snuck” some for my lunch today. They did bring the recipe, but must have taken it home with them, so I will ask them to please post it in the comments following this post. Renita’s roasted Buttercup Squash was lush and sweet and comforting and earthy. I did pack away some of this. I am making some soup just for me with it tonight. YUM.
Andreas and Mary Ellen brought their best-in-the-city Mixed Heritage Greens and a variety of their gorgeous Roasted Beets. These are like candy to me. I can never get enough, and you can see I almost didn’t get a picture of any, either. Sharon and Mack brought the most lovely, light and moist Two-bite GE&H Duck Frittatas with Valbella Bacon and Mushrooms.
Twyla ad Steve brought a Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw with Bake-apple Vinaigrette which did pair perfectly with the pork. Jo and her friend brought a nice cheese assortment, and Jerry brought some Bison Sausage from First Nature Farms, I presume! It was so special to have him here with Alexis, a young man from France, who will be working with and learning from him on his farm for a few months.
And once the apple was in the piggy’s mouth, the Trumpet had been Trumped, so to speak, and dinner was served! No one needed any prompting to get to the table of this crème de la crème homemade, hand produced local fare. What a way to celebrate the Winter Solstice!
I really missed out at the end of the evening as David and Nicole brought a gorgeous black chocolate Bavarian Torte that was so dense, so moist, and really a grand finale for our evening. Mike brought a really yummy yogurt and apple dessert that was certainly the sophisticated version of a fruit yogurt! I had my Chocolate Salami for a back=up, a couple of plates of Christmas goodies, and also served GE&H Duck Egg Zabaglione over our garden raspberries. But, Sharon (Only Here for the Food) did catch the dessert table, and you can view it on her site!
And people did not eat and run! They stayed, joked, played, visited, and ate some more. I was so pleased to get to know my fellow Slow Foodies. I hope this is the first of many Solstice Suppers… and it is at least the first of two, as Colleen and Vince will be hosting the next in their back yard this June. They will be cooking in their outdoor oven! What fun… so, if you want to participate, learn about Slow Food and join.
Hopefully, recipes and sources will “pour in” and I will update this article accordingly. For now, the dishes are done, the house is cleaned, and I am now off to set out the leftovers for dinner!
What a beautiful beginning to 2010!
OMG!!!
Look at those teeth!!!!
Now THAT is bad breath!!! AWWWW....
I bet you wished you brushed now, eh, buddy?
Beavie did have fun with our dinner guest the next morning. No doubt about it!
Hi Valerie,
Thanks again for hosting such a great party last night! Here is the recipe for the two-bite frittatas: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/mini-frittatas-recipe/index.html
Wicked pig! What a wonderful excuse to eat and drink together. Thanks for hosting! The recipe for the Red Cabbage Slaw was adapted from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Cabbage-Salad-with-Green-Apple-Lingonberry-Preserves-and-Toasted-Walnuts-356771
Liver & Onions
(Matthew)
1 1/2 lbs sliced liver*
3 onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C flour
1/2 C butter or oil**
1 C water
Roll liver in flour. Heat butter in skillet, brown liver on both sides. Add onions, garlic and simmer in covered skillet on low heat. To make gravy, gradually add water (pour some every 10 minutes). Cook until gravy thickens. Salt and pepper to taste.
*liver from TK Ranch http://www.natural-beef.net/tkranch.html (available at Planet Organic)
**butter from Organic Meadows because its only ingredients are organic cream and bacterial culture 🙂 http://www.organicmeadow.com (available at Planet Organic)
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Tridoshic Dhal (Veggie Masala Mung Bean Stew)
Adapted from Todd Caldecott, Clinical Herbalist/Ayurvedic practitioner
(Tridoshic means that this recipe is beneficial for all 3 body constitutions in Ayurveda: vata, pitta, kapha. Which constitution are you? http://www.toddcaldecott.com/ayurveda_forms.html )
Part 1: Masala recipe
In a skillet on medium heat:
1 tbsp ghee*
Add:
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ajwain
…until mustard begins to pop.
Then add in:
1 Tbsp coriander seed powder
1/2 Tbsp turmeric
1 tsp hing/asafoetida
…and stir fry for another 30 seconds or so.
Add any vegetables to the pan and cook until done. Suggested veg: onion, carrot, zucchini, grated beets, portabella mushroom, squash, your favourite.
Part 2: Mung Dhal recipe
In a medium pot, rinse 1 cup washed mung dhal** in cold water, drain. Repeat until rinse water is clear. Add 3 cups of water to mung dhal. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently as the dhal has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn, and reduce to a simmer.
In a separate large heavy bottomed pan, heat:
3 Tbsp ghee
1-2 Tbsp ginger root, minced
… Stir this mixture in the pan for about one minute
Add in:
2 chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Sautéfor another 2-3 minutes until the cilantro is bright green and wilted.
When the dhal has attained a homogenous, thick soupy consistency, add the tomato/cilantro/spices and the masala vegetables. Add a can of coconut milk if desired. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to let the flavours come out.
*ghee is a “clarified butter”, naturally balanced in omega3:omega6 ratios. Very easy to make. Take 2 lbs of butter and heat in a pot until melted, and its just starting to bubble, then reduce to low and let sit uncovered for 30 minutes. When the butter is clear, take a spoon and skim the surface of milk solids until it is perfectly clear. Pour the contents of the pot through some cheesecloth into a clean, dry mason jar, and then discard the congealed dregs at the bottom. You now have something as close to real ghee as possible.
**mung dhal refers to split yellow mung beans. They are the easiest bean to digest. Available in bulk from most Indian grocery stores. All spices above are also available there too!
For everyone asking about the Locavoria Food Order, here’s the scoop:
“Local food that is well-raised and well-grown.”
Organized by Pam McKinnon-Coco, Sarah Cashmore, Wendy Sauvé.
Email locavoria@gmail.com “attention Pam” to get the producer product list.
Place an order one Wednesday.
Pick up your order the following Wednesday from one of 3 locations (Pam’s house, Sarah’s house or Wendy’s house).
Producers: (seasonal producers not listed here)
Amber Lane Farm (Herman and Alice Bulton)
Breadland Organic Whole Grain Bakery (Agnes and Csaba Nemeth)
Halwa Farms Organic Produce and Grains (Vince Halwa)
Lola Canola (Patty Milligan)
Prairie Mill Bread Co. (Owen Peterson)
Sunshine Organic Farm (Sherry and Ed Horvath)
Teamwork Farm (Vern and Cindy Rosene)
Also, since Mary Ellen was mentioning it quite a few times, if you are not on the Greens Eggs & Ham mailing list, you should be!
greenseggsham@xplornet.com
“Ocean Odyssey Inland and Careit Urban Deli have our freezers stocked with all non charcuterie products, both routinely have duck eggs for sale as well. Careit Urban Deli usually has our potatoes, beets, Mixed Heritage Greens and will soon have our Mixed Heritage Spinach for sale. Each of our products can be ordered through us and delivered to either retail site.”
Ocean Odyssey Inland
10027 ““ 167 St. Edmonton 780-930-1901
Careit Urban Deli – Crestwood
9672 – 142 St. Edmonton 780-709-1933
Thank you so much, Anna! I can see that I missed out on some pretty rich conversations – thank goodness for the sharing the day after!XO
Brilliant story, brilliant party.
I love the pig.
Here is my recipe for the Black Chocolate Brandy Cake (along with some notes!!)
Black Chocolate Brandy Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened Black Cocoa Powder*
1 1/2 STRONG brewed coffee
1/2 cup Cherry Brandy**
1 cup unsalted butter cut into chunks
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs***
2 tsp of vanilla
*Black Chocolate Powder can be had at Bosch Kitchen Center. If they don’t have it, no problem, the cake is fine with “ordinary” good quality Chocolate Powder
**You don’t HAVE to use Cherry Brandy, any alcohol you like is just fine. I just REALLY like Cherry!!
***Duck Eggs from Mary Ellen and Andreas are ideal!!
Preparation:
Put oven rack in the middle of the oven and pre-heat to 325F. Butter Bundt pan well. (I use a silicon pan. I think it really makes it moist!!)
Heat Coffee, Brandy, butter and Chocolate Powder in a 3 quart saucepan over low heat til butter melts. Remove from heat and add sugar and whisk til sugar is dissolved. It can take a while!! Transfer the mixture to a BIG bowl (to aid in cooling) and cool AT LEAST 5 mins.
Meanwhile, whisk together flour, soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk eggs and vanilla in a separate little bowl. Go to your cooled chocolate/sugar/butter mix and add a little bit at a time of this mix to your egg/vanilla mix… a few tablespoons should do. (The eggs gets used to warming… then, when you add them into the chocolate mix, they won’t cook!!) After you have “warmed” the eggs up, add them to the chocolate mix. Now, add the flour mix and whisk til it’s combined. The batter will be really thin, runny and kind of bubbly. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to be!! 🙂
Pour into your Bundt Pan and bake for AT LEAST 40 minutes. This cake is “odd” about baking times… in a silicone pan, I’ve been known to bake it for 65 minutes!! I apologize for the vagueness of the baking time. It has been different EVERY time I’ve made it and I have no good explanation as to why.
****tips**** the cake actually tastes better if you make it the day before serving. The Brandy smooths out nicely and it gets really moist!! Serve the cake at room temperature. It doesn’t taste as wonderful cold. Also, it really should be served with Creme Fraiche. I have a simple recipe for making ones own Creme Fraiche, if anyone is interested.
How do you make your crème fraiche, Nicole? I make mine by adding a tablespoon of vinegar to one cup of heavy cream. I let it sit on the counter overnight, and voila! I am interested in other recipes!
My French Granny was a dedicated Creme Fraiche maker and insisted there was but ONE way to do it!!
A GLASS jar with a lid
2 cups heaviest cream available (50+% was her choice)
3 tbsp of full fat buttermilk (no skimping on calories for my granny!!)
Put the cream in a pan and warm just to take the chill off… kind of “tepid” you’d probably say. Put it into the glass jar and add the buttermilk. Leave it on the counter, out of the sun, for 24 hours. Take the lid off the next day and give it a good swirl. Put it into the fridge for 24 more hours to thicken up. It will REALLY thicken!!
That’s it. Good for about a week. You can whip it, sweeten it or salt it. Or just eat it that way. Amazing stuff!
***when I make mine, I get all my milk supplies from Planet Organic so it’s local AND organic. Just like when I was MUCH younger!!
Thank you SO much Nicole! Sounds fantastic…. do you know where I could get a 50% plus heavy cream in Edmonton? Because if you do, I am there – and making this immediately. It sounds diving!
Hi Valerie,
Oh, I DO know a place!! 🙂 Go to Planet Organic in Old Strathcona and look for the little glass bottles from, I think… Avalon Dairy… 52%!!! They are not “local”. They’re from BC I believe, but they are organic!! Only little problem with this suggestion is that on occasion, PO is sold out of Avalon Cream. BUT, they have another Dairy… that carries 50+% cream and it comes in small plastic bottles!!
Thank you, Nicole!
I am making this and will write about it. YUM!!!
It was a great feast! Thanks to Valerie and Vanja for hosting and all the Slow Foodies for the excellent dishes! Check out my blog for a slideshow of our bread making day.
Scalloped Potato and Sweet Potato Gratin with Fresh Herbs
(From Bon Appetit Nov 08 with some changes)
Yield: Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds medium potatoes
1 1/2 pounds medium red skinned sweet potatoes
2 cups heavy whipping cream from Avalon Dairy **
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups (packed)coarsely grated Sylvan Star smoked Gouda ***
preparation
Mix all herbs together in bowl.
Mix sea salt and black pepper in another small bowl.
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Peel and cut potatoes into 1/8 inch rounds and place in bowl of water. Repeat with sweet potatoes. Combine cream, butter and garlic in medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Butter a 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish. Drain potatoes, the pat dry with a kitchen towels. (very important) Transfer potatoes to baking dish in 4 layers sprinkling each layer with herbs, salt and pepper mixture and cheese. Pour cream mixture over gratin press lightly to submerge potatoes as much as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. This can be made earlier in the day and left in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover gratin tightly with foil Bake 30 minutes. Uncover bake until top is golden and most liquid is absorbed about 20-25 minutes longer. I find broiling on low for a few minutes at the end helps absorbed any excess liquid and gives it a nice golden top. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve.
** Avalon Dairy Cream is available at Planet Organic
*** Sylvan Star smoked Gouda is available at Sobey’s Urban Fresh or Paddy’s International Cheese.
I get my potatoes from Greens Eggs and Ham in the summer at City Market and in the winter from one of the many vendors at Strathcona.
oh I forgot a couple of things with the above recipe
I try to keep the mince garlic from getting into the gratin. If you use good fresh garlic the cream mixture will be just garlicky enough.
also, you can get Green Eggs and Ham Potatoes at Careit Urban Deli outside of City Market season
The party was fantastic! We spent the next day talking about all the great food and company.
Thank you again.
You are a doll for adding this. Thank you. I believe that was the problem with mine. TOO much garlic – and a couple of other things. Mine did look gorgeous though. I will write about it, and what I have learned from you with YOUR recipe. And, I will be using your recipe from now on. XOXOXO
Facebook Message from Mike:
Mike Johnson January 18 at 5:45pm
Valerie,
I am not sure how to post it, so if it’s not that much of a bother, I will type it out here and then you can add it. You may even have a picture of it.
Name: Yogurt cheese and Apples
Ingredients
filling
4 apples pealed cored and chopped into slices.
1/2 cup dark rum
2 tbsp pear ginger jam
1 tbsp honey
1tsp cinnamon
cheese cloth.
topping
1 250mil container of yogurt
Aprox. 1/2 cup reisling wine (I subsitued it with a maple wisky)
1 tbsp white sugar
This recipe can be altered and the proportions are estimates as I put it together differently every time!
Instructions:
Filling.
Peel, core, and chop apples into slices. Add to saucepan and cook over medium heat. Add rum, jamb, honey and cinnamon as soon as the apples start to turn soft, reduce till sauce can coat the back of a spoon. Add a little corn starch if it doesn’t thicken before the apples turn soft.
Add filling to a bown and top with topping. Serve immediately
Topping
Take yogurt and place in folded cheese cloth. hang over a bowl or the sink for aproximatly 8 hours or until all liquid is drained from the yogurt. Remove yogurt from cheese cloth and place in a bowl mix add wine until creamy. Add sugar to taste.
Hopefully this is legible.
Thanks again for hosting a wonderful dinner. I am still trying to take off the pounds I gained that night!
ummmm!! good thing the pig was dead or it would have been so long little beavie. and then what would your blog readers do without the comical beavie posts??? you always do such an amazing job hostessing (and vanja too!!!) such wonderful parties. the bruschetta looks to die for and WOAH!!! what a pig!!
Thank you for inviting us too – it was an amazing evening – such gooooood fooood and very nice people. We really enjoyed it all.
What about the recipe for the pig?
Would it be possible to get the contact info for the guy who roasts these pigs? that would greatly appreciated.