Canadian Nom

I haven't had a butter tart for years. On a whim, I bought one at a farmer's market a few weeks ago, and POW!, the butter tart bender began. Since then, I have frequented many-a-butter-tart-shops, including The Bus Kitchen, Coffee Time, Treats, and Hannah's Kitchen. I've eaten raisin butter tarts, coconut butter tarts, but I seem to choose pecan butter tarts most often.

Fast forward to a different day. On a whim, I purchased a bag of Monforte's goat cheese curds at a Saturday market. Normally I buy them on Thursday, and eat them one-by-one while working at my desk in the office. But now I had them at home, and when I suggest eating them one-by-one, M shakes his head. A great idea starts to take shape... and POW! "No", he says. "We will make poutine."

Fast forward again to this morning. Daylight Savings Time blesses us with one extra hour, and we use the time to make two uniquely Canadian foods: poutine and butter tarts. Take that, Canada's Food Guide. Today is a day of eating brown-coloured, greasy carbohydrates.









The russet potatoes are boiled, and cut into fry shapes. While olive oil is heated up in a skillet, the mushrooms, onions and garlic are chopped up and cooked into a mushroom gravy. Potatoes are added to the oil, and deep fried until golden brown. The fries are blotted with a paper towel, tossed with salt and pepper, and arranged on a plate. Room-temperature cheese curds are added, and the hot gravy is poured on top. We both grab a fork each, and two heaping plates of vegetarian poutine are demolished in less time it takes to watch one episode of South Park.

While M succumbs to a food-induced coma, I get to work on the pecan butter tarts. The pastry is modified to a gluten-free version, using brown rice flour and tapioca starch. I opt for a corn syrup free filling, and substitute any shortening for mo' butter. These are BUTTER tarts, dagnabbit... though I am slightly put-off by the sheer volume of butter needed for this recipe. I also wonder what ingredients some of those cafes use, when a butter tart costs only a buck.









The tarts come out of the oven, golden hot and still bubbling. Unfortunately, the gluten-free flour blend I used didn't have enough gusto, and the pastry crumbles apart before I can even pop them out of the tin. Yet still, om nom nom.

Canning Party Potato Salad

Yessiree, nothing says summer like potato salad. Aside from potatoes, you can really put anything you want in it, depending on how you feel and what you have.

This is the recipe for the potato salad I made during the canning party, using almost all things bought fresh at the market that morning; the potatoes were dug up a few hours earlier. Measurements are approximate; I like to taste as I go.

Simple Potato Salad
Season: Mid summer

Ingredients:

2 lbs new potatoes --- a mix of red and white, even a yam if you're feeling it
4 onion top sprigs --- the green part, sliced thinly
A few fronds of dill --- chopped
4 tbsp vegan / regular mayonnaise
1 tbsp mustard
1 generous pinch of cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional add-ins:
1/2 diced sweet pepper (e.g. green, or red/orange for colour)
Handful of sprouts (e.g. daikon)
Corn kernels

etc.

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the whole potatoes, and boil until tender but not too soft. Drain water and cool potatoes in a cold water bath. Chop into chunks; I like skin-on. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard and cayenne. Add in with the potatoes, and toss in the onions and dill, and any other add-ins. Scoop out a portion into a bowl, pour a glass of wine, sit outside, and enjoy the summer.

How-To: Sprout in a Jar

Guess who's bizzzack---??? I've been busy moving, and vacationing, and unwinding from all the moving and vacationing, that I've been ignoring my lil' P-a-J for too long.

Let's talk about GROWING FOOD already. For a blog about local food, it's about frickin' time.

Jar sprouting: me love. With some common kitchen equipment, a tiny bit of apartment space and a little time, you too can help sprouts emerge from their hard shells and enter the real world. Not only is it fascinating to watch, but sprouting seeds improves its digestability and nutritional value. So go ahead and eat your cute little sprout babies.

You can sprout many dry beans or seeds from your local bulk store (e.g. chickpeas, wheat berries, quinoa), but the yields likely won't be as high as if you used seeds specifically sold for sprouting. I usually buy Mumm's brand, since this seems to be the only brand available in Toronto. You can buy a variety of Mumm's seeds at many shops, including Toronto Sprouts, The Big Carrot and Essence Of Life.

Before you start, check to make sure the seeds can be sprouted by the jar method.

Tools:

Wide-mouthed glass jar (I usually use a 1L mason jar)
2 tbsp sprouting seeds (my favourite: daikon radish seeds... spicy like wasabi! And they grow little white root hairs that look creepy and neat)
J-cloth or cheesecloth - cut to fit over the top of the glass jar opening
Elastic band
Medium-sized bowl

Directions:

Add 2 tbsp seeds into the jar. Secure cloth onto top of jar with elastic. Rinse seeds by adding water to jar (through the cloth), and draining water. Fill jar again to cover the seeds. Let seeds soak for 2-6 hrs. Drain water, invert jar, and prop on an angle in the bowl. Twice a day, say, when you wake up and before you go to sleep, add some water to the jar, swirl, drain, invert and prop. In 3-6 days, you'll have a jar full of sprouties ripe for the eatin'.


Home-Style Potatoes with Daikon Radish Sprouts
Season: Autumn or winter

I adapted this from The Veganomicon cookbook's "Diner Home Fries" recipe. You can change it up a bunch of ways.... add/sub chopped peppers, turmeric, cumin seeds, chili peppers. Serves 2 as a side dish.

Ingredients:

2 medium sized potatoes --- sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
1/4 onion --- chopped
a handful of fresh daikon radish sprouts
oil for frying
salt and pepper

Directions:

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to boil. Add potatoes, and cook on medium heat until firm but can be pierced with a fork (10-15 mins). Drain.

Heat oil in a skillet on med-high heat. Add potatoes, arranging in a single layer in the skillet. Cook until nicely browned (7-10 mins), and stir to brown the other sides, adding oil if needed. Add onions, stir and cook for 3 mins. Add sprouts and cook 2 mins until onions are transparent. Add salt and pepper to taste.