“Devour the District” is a restaurant walking tour offered by the Exchange District BIZ in partnership with Tourism Winnipeg’s Peg City Grub blog.   The tour commences from Old Market Square at 133 Albert St. The first stop on our “mini”-tour was the Underground Café.  We learned a bit about the history of the Silpit Building which is home to the Café (down a flight of basement stairs at 70 Albert St., hence its name).  I think that I first sampled the Café’s Spicy Tuna Melt about twenty years ago, which has become a family favourite.  Wendy, the chef and owner confirmed that is how long that they have been around.  This recent sampling was of their famous “Sun-Burger”, said to be so popular because it doesn’t “pretend to be meat”.  Only the shape is the same as a burger. The compilation of toasted sesame and sunflower seeds, two kinds of cheese, Jasmine rice, eggs and various spices is delicious even it wasn’t packed with nutritious ingredients.  Wendy describes her menu offerings as “comfort food with a twist”, comfortable indeed.

Next up was Deer + Almond where we were met by the vibrant owner and chef Mandel who embraces the “new twist” on traditional dishes, too.  His inventive West Coast Caesar Salad was made with marinated kale, tangy granny smith apple slices and big salty, shards of parmesan cheese.  He guessed correctly when he thought that we might be sampling charcuterie at our last stop and chose the refreshing and nutritious salad to complement our last course.

At the Peasant Cookery, we were greeted by two staff members and award winning chef Tristan. The Peasant takes “from-scratch” to a whole new level and is the only restaurant in Winnipeg where they do their own smoking, hanging, curing and drying of the meats on their charcuterie board.    We sampled Berkshire pork smoked salami, a Spanish-style chorizo sausage and a spicy pepperoni.  My favourite was the buttery pate, with meats still chucky rather than emulsified, so that individual flavours shone out individually if you selected a small nibble, or beautifully melded, if you take a larger chomp. 

 A daytime Devour the District tour, takes place on Tuesdays from 2-5 pm and the evening tour steps out from 5-8 pm on Thursdays.  The cost for each is $58 per person which is a very economical package.  The tours are a unique opportunity to learn some of the colourful history of the Exchange District AND sample tastes from the best bites that Exchange restaurants have to offer.  The results are a “progressive” dinner, like no other.  Recommend the tour to visitors, or take one yourself and enjoy all the historic and culinary adventures that our beautiful city has to offer. Call 204-942-6716 to arrange a tour. 

On the day that I wrote this for the Canstar community newspapers, I took along my camera without a memory card, hence my lack of photos. Thank you for the continual grace that you demonstrate towards me and this space. 

Kath’s quote: “I rose at 5 o’clock in the morning and read a chapter in Hebrew and 200 verses in Homer’s Odyssey. I ate milk for breakfast,
I said my prayers…I danced my dance. I read law in the morning and Italian in the afternoon. I ate tough chicken for dinner.”-Diary of William Byrd, 1709

Love-that is all.

There are a couple of families in our life, whose edges are so overlapping and intertwined with ours, that it is hard to see where they end and we begin. Is this true in your circles as well? Recently, we were all together to celebrate the upcoming marriage of one of the  daughters of this large brood.  Sister #2 was the host for the Sunday afternoon event.  Many hands contributed to the food and the success of the event including the bride’s best friend who joined the festivities via Skype from Austria.

The theme was a Mexican Fiesta and the gifts that were showered upon the couple were gifts that they could enjoy on their honey-moon in the Caribbean.  The bride wore a “fascinator” which was a little decorated black sombrero.  The prop did not diminish how positively glowing and elegant she appeared.

Upon arrival, there were platters of shrimp ceviche and guacamole and chips.

Sister #2 also found a recipe for a slice made of the same ingredients as chilies relleno.   The tastes were similar but way easier to eat than the classic dish.

These black bean and goat cheese quesadillas were perfection too.

Here’s a clever idea: she prepared these little to cups.

Which we then filled with our desired amounts of meat and cheese

and topped with our favourite fixings.  A mini taco bar!

But my favourite appetizer was Tequila Chicken in Corn Bread Muffin Cups.  She said that the cups lend themselves to a scoop of pretty much anything that you might choose.

Kath’s quote:  “A simple enough pleasure, surely, to have breakfast alone with one’s husband, but how seldom married people in the midst of life achieve it.” -Anne Spencer Morrow Lindbergh

Love-that is all.

I am entranced by symbols: a heart shaped stone reminds me that I am loved, turquoise fabrics, vases and pottery remind me of the solace that I find while sitting by the sea, branches and sticks teach me that I am a small part of a greater whole and the flowers in my garden, that we are all part of a continuum of life.  In the culinary fiction that I devour, when symbols are set in meals lovingly prepared, I am particularly satiated: like a convergence of all that I feel and am.

Angelina’s Bachelors in the first novel by Brian O’Reilly but foodies may already know him as the writer of “Dinner-Impossible“.  His wife is his recipe collaborator and together, they have created a lovely summer read.  Here is my favourite excerpt:

“You have my baccala?” asked Angelina.

“Baccala, that’s the salt fish, cause God’s word gives a flavour to the world.”

Each of the fishes traditionally had a special religious reason for being served at the feat, and Angelina ran through the checklist with Angelo as if reciting a liturgical call and response at mass.

“Clams and oysters?” asked Angelina.

“‘Cause God is your armour from trouble,” said Angelo.

“Calamari?”

“‘Cause God can reach out his arms and find you everywhere you go.”

“Got my eels?”

“‘Cause God’s Word goes so quick like a flash to your ears.” Big, white paper packets of wrapped fish landed on the counter with each benediction.

“The smelts?”

“Even the smallest will be the biggest when Kingdom comes.”

“And the flounder?”

Angelo looked at her and playfully tapped one eye.  “God’s eyes are always open.”

She reached over and shook his hand and put all of the packages into her basket.  “Thanks Angelo, merry Christmas!”

The old man blew her a couple of kisses as he looked for his next customer.  “Ciao, baby.  Buon Natale.”…page 179-180

 

Soon, things were heating up in the kitchen.  The first course was a variation on a French recipe that hand been around since Escoffier, Baccala Brandade.  Angelina created a silky forcemeat with milk, codfish, olive oil, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.  She squeezed in a couple of heads of slow roasted garlic a drizzle of lemon juice, and a shower of fresh parsley, then served it as a dip with sliced sour-dough and warmed pita-bread wedges, paired with glasses of bubbly Prosecco.

The second course had been a favourite of her mother’s-called Angels on Horseback-freshly shucked oysters, wrapped in thin slices of prosciutto, then broiled on slices of herb-buttered bread.  When the oysters cooked they curled up to resemble tiny angels’ wings.  Angelina accented the freshness of the oyster with a dab of anchovy paste and wasabi on each hors d’oeuvre.  She’d loved the Angels since she was a very little girl; they were a heavenly mouthful.

The third course was grilled Marinated Unagi, or fresh water eel, over Arborio Rice Patties.  Angelina marinated the eels all day and flash-grilled them just before serving them on rice-patties laced with Asiago cheese.

This was followed by a Caesar salad topped with hot. batter-dipped, deep-friend smelts.  Angelina’s father used to crunch his way through the small, silvery fish like French fries.  Tonight, Angelina arranged them artfully around mounds of Caesar salad on each plate and ushered them out the door.

For the fifth course, Angelina prepared a big pot of her Mediterranean Clam Soup the night before, a lighter version of Manhattan clam chowder.  The last two courses were Parmesan-Stuffed Poached Calamari over Linguine in Red Sauce, and the piece de résistance, Broiled Flounder with a Coriander Reduction.

The atmosphere was like backstage at the dinner rush at a good restaurant. p186-187

Their fest reminded me of the endless little plates of fish that we enjoyed at La Barcaccia in Monterosso, Italy for our last lunch in Cinque Terre.  The courses are pictured above.

Kath’s quote: “Oh, better no doubt is a dinner of herbs,
When season’d with love, which no rancour disturbs
And sweeten’d by all that is sweetest in life
Than turbot, bisque, ortolans, eaten in strife!-Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Love-that is all.