Celebrate the bounty of Canada’s unique food traditions and abundant local ingredients this week. Aug. 3 is Food Day Canada, an annual celebration where Canadians can share their food and food stories with each other.
It started about 10 years ago with Anita Stewart (www.anitastewart.ca), who has a way of fanning the flames of passion that underlies the pride every farmer, fisher, chef and home cook feels about the food he produces. Through her writing, speeches and books, she has helped us define Canadian cuisine.
It’s not something that you can define in one dish or even one meal. It is regional and reflects an area’s ingredients, landscape, climate, culture, people and history. It is evolving through agronomic research, our continuing tradition of immigration and the creativity of our chefs.
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In Lloydminster, I will be celebrating with a barbecue for family and friends featuring my husband’s favourite hamburgers, grilled chicken, Mom’s homemade buns and relish, salads made with lentils and whole grains and vegetables fresh from the garden. Dessert includes fresh saskatoon and raspberry crisp.
There are many great Canadian cookbooks to explore:
The Flavours of Canada by Anita Stewart shares stories and recipes from each culinary region of Canada.
Anita Stewart’s Canada also shares fabulous food stories and recipes but is based more on our classic Canadian ingredients.
Canada’s Favourite Recipes by Rose Murray and Elizabeth Baird is a collection of recipes from passionate foodies across Canada. My Grannie Mann’s mincemeat is on page 264.
The New Canadian Basics Cookbook by Carol Ferguson is the home cook’s guide to cooking just about everything. It has a great reference section and would be a wonderful gift.
I tried to choose recipes that reflected each region of Canada and a variety of ingredients.
Visit www.fooddaycanada.ca for ways to celebrate the day or follow and post on the Food Day Canada Facebook page www.facebook.com/foodday or Twitter @fooddaycanada and #FoodDayCanada.
- This delicious, easy to make self-saucing pudding from the Laurentians in Quebec is laced with maple syrup and is a perfect winter dessert served with a bit of table cream. Options include inverting it onto a glass plate to let the sauce ooze over the warm pudding or adding nuts or dried fruit to the batter.
- Pudding:
- 1 c. granulated sugar250 mL
- 2 c. all purpose flour 500 mL
- 2 tsp. baking powder 10 mL
- 1/4 tsp. salt 1 mL
- 1 c. milk 250 mL
- 1/4 c. melted butter 60 mL
- Sauce:
- 3/4 c. maple syrup 175 mL
- 3/4 c. brown sugar 175 mL
- 1 c. water 250 mL
- 1/4 c. butter 60 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla / maple extract 5 mL
- In a bowl, stir or sift together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk and melted butter, stirring to make a thick batter. Transfer to a lightly oiled eight cup(2 L) glass casserole.
- To make the sauce, stir together the maple syrup, brown sugar, water, butter and vanilla or maple extract in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the pudding base.
- Bake in a preheated 350 F (180 C) oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbling and golden.
- Serves six.
- Across Canada, apple cider vinegar is often made in small, artisanal batches. In Cambridge, N.S., Boates Farm, www.boatvin.com, produces a balsamic style apple cider vinegar.
- This recipe can be used on salads and is great when fresh sliced fruit added to the greens.
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar 30 mL
- 1 tbsp. grainy or plain Dijon mustard 15 mL
- 1/3 c. balsamic style apple cider vinegar or any other fine apple cider vinegar 50 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper 2 mL
- 1/4 c. finely chopped green onion or garlic chives60 mL
- 1 c. canola oil 250 mL
- 1 tbsp. poppy seeds 15 mL
- In a food processor, combine egg, sugar, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and green onion. Process until smooth.
- With the motor running, pour in the oil slowly in a steady stream. Stir in poppyseeds and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Makes 1 1/2 cups (375 mL).
- 1 1/4 c. granulated sugar300 mL
- 1/4 c. all purpose flour 60 mL
- 1/4 tsp. salt 1 mL
- 3 tbsp. orange juice 45 mL
- grated rind of one orange (optional)
- 1/4 c. melted butter 60 mL
- 3 eggs, separated
- 2 1/2 c. diced rhubarb 625 mL
- 9 inch deep dish pie shell 23 cm
- In a large bowl, combine one cup (250 mL) of the granulated sugar with the flour and the salt. Stir in the orange juice, rind, if using, and the melted butter to make a paste-like consistency.
- In a small bowl, gently beat the egg yolks and then stir into the orange juice mixture. Add the diced rhubarb and stir to coat thoroughly.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup (60 mL) sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold into rhubarb mixture, taking care to incorporate thoroughly but not to deflate the egg whites.
- Pour into the pie shell and bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 375 F (190 C) oven.
- Reduce heat to 325 F (160 C) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes more, or until golden brown and the centre is set.
- Serves six to eight.
- 1 lb. ground lamb450 g
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour30 mL
- 1 c. beef stock250 mL
- 1tsp. dried thyme5 mL
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley60 mL
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce15 mL
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 – 1 1/2 c. frozen peas and carrots or fresh peas250 – 375 mL
- 6 – 7 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter125 mL
- 1/4 – 1/2 c. buttermilk 60 – 125 mL
- In a skillet, fry the lamb until it starts to brown. Stir in the onion and garlic, continue cooking until the mixture is well browned. Stir in the flour and cook for 20 to 30 seconds. Whisk in the stock and cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Season with the thyme, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir in the peas and carrots or the peas. Transfer to a lightly oiled medium-sized casserole.
- Scrub the potatoes, quarter them and cook in a large pot of boiling salted water. When tender, drain and whip in the unsalted butter and buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and mash coarsely and spread over the meat. Run a fork over the top to get ridges that brown nicely when cooked.
- Bake, uncovered at 375 F (190 C) for one hour, until it is golden on the top and bubbling around the sides.
- Serves four to six.
- Vanessa Currie is a potato researcher and a fabulous cook.
- This recipe, from Fred Gordon of Elora, Ont., spans his family’s culinary history.
- 6 veal shanks (about 3 lb.)1.5 kg
- all purpose flour, as needed, for dredging
- 2 tbsp. canola oil 30 mL
- 3 c. dry white wine 750 mL
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt 7 mL
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste 15 mL
- peel of one lemon
- 1/2 c. parsley 125 mL
- 2 – 3 garlic cloves
- Dredge the veal shanks in flour, shaking off any excess. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, brown veal thoroughly on both sides. Add wine to almost cover the meat. Sprinkle with salt and cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low for 50 to 60 minutes or until the veal is tender.
- Stir in tomato paste and add more wine if the mixture is too dry. Cover and cook gently for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the gremolata. Remove the lemon rind with a vegetable peeler. Mince finely with the parsley and garlic with a mezzaluna, a sharp knife or in a food processor. About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle the gremolata over the veal. Cover and heat thoroughly.
- Transfer shanks and the sauce that has formed to a wide serving bowl and serve with warm crusty bread onto which diners can spread the marrow.
- Serves 6.
- Perfect in its simplicity, ossobuco is true Italian country cooking. It’s good with buttermilk mashed potatoes. The essential flavouring is called gremolata, a mixture that always has lemon, garlic and parsley in it. Some cooks add anchovies. It is quickly minced with a mezzaluna, a two handled rounded knife, which is becoming more widely available in Canada.
