Chicken, chicken, chicken. In the winter, when I'm not using the barbecue, I despair of what to do with chicken or pork. Here's an article from the Chicago Sun Times that suggests brine as an easy fix.
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Just Food Edmonton and Slow Food Edmonton Co-Host March Food Event
If you have a bulk food club, a wild food club, are involved in community supported agriculture, or are in some way linked to food production and sales outside of the traditional supermarket, there is an upcoming event you might be interested in.
It's on March 20 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Nina Haggarty Centre for the Arts (located at 9702-111th Avenue). The event, called Beyond the Supermarket, aims to create connections among organizations and individuals who produce food and are interested in expanding their reach to consumers beyond grocery stores, and even beyond farmers markets. The event is being held to coincide with Seedy Sunday, a seed-swapping event for gardeners.
For further information, go to http://www.slowfoodedmonton.ca/?p=172.You can apply to have a free booth at beyondthesupermarket@gmail.com.Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment.You must have a javascript enabled browser to submit a comment.Friday I'll be talking about Pho on Radio Active
I've visited three different Pho places recently, and I'll be talking on CBC radio's drive home show about those places on Friday at roughly 4:40 p.m.
Pho, in case you don't know, is Vietnamese noodle soup. There are Pho places all over the city, and even one chain (Pho Hoa, with four locations in Edmonton). The soup itself is fairly simply, generally made with a flavourful charred onion and beef-based broth, and thin slices of various beef cuts - from ordinary sirloin, to cuts most people don't each much, such as tendon, flank and even tripe (stomach). Pho is seasoned with distinctive spices such as star anise, fennel, and cardamom.
The fun thing about Pho, though, is the condiments. It's served with hot sauce, Thai basil, bean sprouts and lemon or lime wedges. Some say that Pho is influenced not only by French cuisine (remember that France once occupied Vietnam) in terms of its use of beef, but also by Chinese food culture. The latter theory is rooted in the fact that Chinese cuisine is big on balance of flavours (bitter, salty, sweet, sour and spicy) and that the Pho condiments give an opportunity for people to please, and balance, their own palates to their own taste.
I tried three places for Pho in my wanderings. One was Phobulous (8701-109th Street) in the Garneau area. This is a popular spot for students and is a bit more upscale than the other Pho places I tried. It also had a broad-based, Vietnamese food menu with lots of options for things to eat if you don't want Pho. I enjoyed the Pho beef broth, which was strongly flavoured with star anise (I love star anise).
The second place was Pho Tau Bay at 10660-98th Street. It was casual in the extreme, a good place to grab something quick. It closes from Monday to Thursday at 6:30 p.m., so make sure and leave yourself time. The menu here was almost entirely Pho based, and the service was speedy and efficient. The hot sauce was...hot, and delicious.
The third spot was Ninh Kieu, located just down the street from Pho Tau Bay at 10708-98th Street. Again, the menu featured lots of other Asian foods and (Pho aside), I loved their green onion cakes. By the time I went to Ninh Kieu, I had the condiments down pat, and really enjoyed mixing my soup with lots of sprouts and lemon for extra crunch and tang.
Pho is filling, and inexpensive, with all the places I tried offering big bowls for less than $10.
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Local blogger and CBC 740 radio "food explorer" Twyla Campbell recently visited this American-based chain to check out their burger fare. Here is a link to her review, on her blog at http://weirdwildandwonderful.blogspot.com/
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The Final Soup Story in our Saga
I want to thank readers so very much for all their contributions to our Soup Stories series, which wrapped up on Wednesday in the Journal. This last one comes from Louisa Bruinsma. While it's seasonal, reflecting one of Louisa's annual Christmas traditions, it is a heart-warming tale, just the kind of idea to tuck away for next year. Here is Louisa's story, and her recipe for Ginger Yam Soup.
"I am a self-professed Christmas Grinch: I don’t do gifts, though my husband makes the annual trek to Ikea on the first Saturday of December for the tree. Beginning in mid-November, we avoid stores and malls.
But -- not the carols! My Christmas is our annual Soup ‘n Sing party. Friends who love to sing are greeted by candles in the snow, the candles creating perfect columns of glowing light. Once inside the door, smells of cinnamon in mulled wine entice them further into our home. They toss coats onto our bed (not enough room in the closet), grab a mug of wine, and head to the basement. Then for an hour we sing around the piano.
It really is who you know that counts. What a gift to have accomplished musicians like Dr. Joachim Segger (piano professor from The Kings University College) and Dr. Marnie Giesbrecht (his wife, organ professor at University of Alberta) willing to accompany the singing. I book them as early as I dare, since Christmas is the busiest time of the year for musicians.
At our first Soup ‘n Sing, we sang the old traditional carols, and made a feeble attempt at the Hallelujah Chorus. Over the years we became bold enough to attempt more Messiah pieces. And last year Joachim and Marnie brought choral sheet music which we sight read. One year a jazz musician performed some wonderful renditions of carols, and, each year, Joachim and Marnie (also known as Duo Majoya) treat us to Mozart for four hands.
It used to be the custom in old city missions for residents to listen to the preacher before they could eat in the soup kitchen. But we make people sing before they can eat their soup. Soup is the menu, self-serve: pea soup, borscht, ginger yam, and a favourite from my good friend, Donna --spicy peanut soup.
Other treats miraculously appear on the buffet table (think parable of the loaves and fishes): a tray of veggies, my friend Evelyn’s signature cinnamon buns, Maria’s amazing pie. It’s great to have friends who hail from the “what-can-I-bring” school. It makes entertaining easy. (You only need to put those candles in the snow and clean the bathroom! And – be sure to check with the neighbours about where your guests can park, particularly when the windrows block the street.)
For what is Christmas without carols? My husband and I grew up in Dutch immigrant families, and the lump that develops in our throat when we sing the Dutch carol “Ere Zij God” (Glory to God) does make it seem like there is some hope for peace in the world.
Soup ‘n Sing Ingredients
Dozen tea light candles in the snow
Plonk for mulled wine
“What-can-I-bring” friends who love to sing
Gifted friends who play piano
Sheet music for singing
Copies of Messiah
Hearty appetite for soup
Tolerant neighbours who will share parking in front of their house
Louisa’s Ginger Yam Soup
Melt app 2 TBSP butter in a large soup kettle.
Add ½ tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you don’t like spicy food), app 3 TBSP chopped ginger, 3 cloves minced garlic and stir together until translucent.
After mixed, add 1 Litre of chicken stock.
While this is cooking, peel 2 medium size yams. Cut into chunks and add to soup mixture
Cook until soft, then puree everything in blender or food processor.
Just before serving, add 1 can of coconut milk and a ½ lime. Cook just until boiling point.
Garnish with either fresh chives or parsley. (If you enjoy a spicier and more colourful addition, add one green jalapeno pepper cut very fine, just before serving.) Add a half lime to the pot for some extra zing.
Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment.You must have a javascript enabled browser to submit a comment.Foodie and TV host Nicola Crosbie Sells Delux Burgers for Charity
Every month, Delux Burger Bar has a Celebrity Chef who designs a signature burger for that month. 
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Organic Box Burgeoning
Even as we spoke, Danny Turner, who started the organic food delivery system with his wife Miranda back in April, had to run because a shipment of beets, shallots and onions from two family farms near Coaldale (near Lethbridge) had just arrived, and his unloading guy had gone home for the day. 
With some 500 regular customers (people ordering shipments to their home at least every two weeks), the business is very nearly to the point where the owners can give themselves a salary. Danny expects to hit 400 weekly deliveries this month. Last April, when first we spoke, the business had 120 customers.
"Momentum is starting to carry us," says Danny of the unexpected growth. "It's word of mouth."
Danny and Miranda Turner are thirtysomething parents of two small boys who wanted to build a business that would both support their family and an organic food delivery system. For roughly $50 a week (including a charge for a sustainability fund to purchase emission offsets), customers of the Organic Box can pick from among a number of organic items to be delivered year-round.
Where possible, those products are local (they have a dozen local producers), but the Turners also carry things like organic oranges and bananas, and try to find those nearest to home. For instance, the oranges come from California, not Florida. The Turners strive to have all products certified organic, but also have some producers who use organic practices, but aren't certified.
The Turners were inspired in their effort by their time living in San Francisco, where the local food movement has been big for years. Plus, Danny's thesis for his master's degree at Oxford University in England examined a business model that is now the backbone of the Organic Box.
For more information, go to theorganicbox.ca,or phone 780-469-1900.
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