I have a “gift” of being entirely swept away by books and movies.  This can be a difficult burden when I despair over the sad ending of a movie or the conclusion of a book, even if it had a happy ending, but simply because I will miss the characters as part of my life.  The great part though, is that when I read a story set in a foreign place, it is as if I am living there too (this really saves money in our travel account).  So too, when I read well-written descriptions about food, I can smell and savour and ridiculous as it may sound, feel “full”.

These are the hills of Sicily (not Tuscany) where we have traveled.

I have just finished this wonderful accounting of a couple’s desire to live a simpler life and their move to rural Italy to do so.  It is entitled “The Hills of Tuscany-A New Life in an Old Land”.  I have a crush on Ferenc Mate.  He is originally from Eastern Europe (like my Dad), lived for a while in Canada (the best country in the world!) and then the Caribbean, Paris and New York (all of my favourite places on earth).  He writes so beautifully about very simple pleasures which ring so true for me.  He also loves abundantly-his wife, his little piece of property and food!  Here is his description of dinner at a little Tuscan Trattoria.

 

The food was as simple as the place.  For appetizers there were assorted crostini-fire-toasted bread, some smeared with chicken livers, others with sauteed mushrooms.  Then of course came pasta.  We both had pici– a homemade, hand-rolled, unevenly thick spaghetti-Candace with a sauce of wild boar and I with a sauce of mixed wild mushrooms.  We were slow in eating, savoring every bite, and looked up as the little girl’s Mamma came and asked if the sauces were fine.  Candace complimented her on the food and apologized for eating so slowly.  A big smile broke on her face, “Piano, piano, con calma,” she said.  Slowly, slowly, with calm.  The came the meats: for Candace roasted pheasant with parchment-like brown skin, and for me wild boar stew marinated in red wine and juniper berries and tasting like heaven, and a plate of Tuscan white beans drenched in olive oil and crushed garlic, and a salad.  And we kept emptying wine glasses, toasting the little girl, her Mamma, Tuscany, the boar, the beans, the toasts.

We ate, with calma, and drank, with gusto, and the little girl and her doll had said good-night long ago, led upstairs by Nonna, Grandma, from behind the bar, and then Mamma went up, too, to say good–night, and we swooned from the heat of the fire and the wine, and thank God Nonna came back and brought us two espressos to bring us to, then she quickly thought it over and brought two glasses of grappa, to sink us once again.

As we left, they both came and said good-bye-handshakes and smiles as if we had been acquaintances for years.  Then we went out into a silver flood of moonlight.

We breathed the night air deeply, utterly content.  And it wasn’t just the food and the wine, but also the family.  There was something heartening in three generations together there-at home.  We felt as if we had dinner at someone’s house.  And the place was so honest, unpretentious, that you knew what counted was not the walls and floors, but the people they comforted.  And it felt reassuring that the vegetables came from their gardens, the wine from the small vineyard across the road, and that the boar and the pheasant were hunted by Grandpa.  We talked about this as we ambled in the moonlight.”

For a moment, didn’t you feel as if you were there with the heat from the kitchen, the smell of roasting meats and basking in the attention of this Grandma and her daughter?   Come back for a couple more installments in the days to come.

Kath’s quote: “Arm in arm in the autumn light, calmed by the warmth and the pitcher of red wine we had at lunch, we ambled in contented silence up the hill towards the piazza where the mosaic facade of the cathedral blazed like a million tiny stars.”-Ferenc Mate

Love-that is all.

We have enjoyed many celebrations and meals over the past four days and I managed to take a break from recording every detail of everything that we ate and drank (for your sake and mine).  The abundance in our lives was apparent by the bounties under the tree.

We are so blessed to host so many family members for dinner that I could not fit everyone into a single picture and even then, I neglected to get Daughter #2 and my 86 year old Mom to squeeze in.  They sat to the far left and right (and D was still in the pantry opening wine).

Of all the baking and roasted meats and gravies, I think the crowning glory was Sister #3’s traditional Christmas dessert that she made especially for The Frenchman (but we all got to enjoy).  If you get “sugared out’ over the holidays, this is a lovely alternative as it is rich and meaty with nuts and butter but not overly sweet.

This single blossom appeared on a south facing window sill this week.

Love-that is all.

I feel that it is appropriate that I set the stage here.  I do not profess to be skilled in any way to produce delicious Mayan fare (I leave that to Sister #3 and BF Laura).  But I have been traveling to the Yucatan for over 20 years and I have sojourned to Isla Mujeres (which is a culinary gem) for eight consecutive years.  When we do so, we live like the locals, purchasing our fresh ingredients in the markets and dining primarily at loncherias.  There is not a single multi-unit restaurant on the island and we hope that it stays that way.  There are some ex-pats who have brought along their spins on Mexican recipes, but we find ourselves gravitating to the food from the locals.  So what I am saying is, we know good Mexican food!

I have tasted great Mexican food in my travels to Minneapolis, New York and else where in Canada.  Surprizingly, Saskatoon has a couple of really good places.  Restaurants in Winnipeg have earnestly tried and there are a couple of dishes that I enjoy at a couple of spots, but we just can’t seem to get it perfect.  By “perfect”, I mean with just the right amount of cilantro so that the flavours sing in your mouth balanced by just enough fire provided by the abundant variety of chilies and freshly squeezed lime juice, that I think makes everything taste better (even my beloved French fries).

Suffice it to say, the bar is set very, very high.  We have watched with interest as the Modern Taco Company has renovated a little place in our neighbourhood that has been a German bakery and then The Frenchway Cafe.  Last weekend as D was out walking the mutt, he saw a line snaking out the front door and we knew that the long awaited spot had opened.  Someone offered to hold onto the dog, so that he could go in and have a look around.  Since we didn’t have any plans for dinner that evening anyway, we called Sister #2 and husband and made a date.

The place has been absolutely transformed but looks vaguely familiar.  It has the same flow as Unburger and Saigon Jon’s for instance.  You enter the premises and look up towards the menu boards (including a long list of cervesas and tequilas) before placing your order at the counter to the front of the open kitchen.   The place was busy but we managed to get a table so I plunked down to reserve it.  I love watching my food get prepared so next time I may opt to sit at the stools that face the grill.

We started with  a spicy tomato & roasted jalapeno soup garnished with pico de gallo and avocado crema

and tortilla chips, with more pico de gallo & guacamole.

We also added a side of slaw with jalapeno vinaigrette.

For our mains, we choose tequila shrimp, composed of grilled shrimp, slaw and  chipotle crema,

pulled jerk chicken, caramelized pineapple, cilantro.

You can order a single variety for a trio or

a platter of three of a kind.

The tacos taste fresh, with high quality ingredients.  You can tell that the tortillas themselves are freshly made. Do they taste exactly like the ones that we enjoy while on vacation?  Of course not, but they are pretty darn good.  And besides we would have to have our toes in the sand and be sitting under a palapa on the Caribbean to replicate that taste.

Kath’s quote: “One morning, as I went to the freezer door, I asked my wife, ‘What should I take out for dinner?’ Without a moment’s hesitation, she replied, ‘Me.'”-anonymous

Love-that is all.

This was one of those evenings where you arrive at the appointed hour and in what seemed like moments later, it is time to go.  The time was precious and wonderfully spent with old friends to celebrate the joys of the past year with optimism for the one ahead.

The main floor of Deseo Bistro was jammed packed with merrymakers doing exactly what we were doing and the room felt alive with the energy of fellow Winnipeggers.  Our server was cordial, efficient and very attentive, even though he thought he had not been.  He came and apologised to us at one point for needing to focus on another party.  Truth was, we did not even notice.

The evening started with Deseo’s own versions of Bloody Caesars which had a wonderful kick and warmed up the evening.  Every couple decide to share a small plate including the Crunch Salad which I had tasted on other occasions and totally regretted not doing so again.  The crunch is contributed by celery, edamame, pistachios, peanuts, crispy onions and distinctively by jicama, a taste which I can’t get enough of especially when it is enhanced by lime and cilantro, which this was in abundance.  It also includes mojito vinny-huh?  I have no idea what that is.

D and I shared the Black Truffled Gnocchi which was an inventive combination of crisp black quinoa, black garlic and black boar bacon.  The tones were dark and earthy and you could taste the forrest.

I then went ahead and ordered another pasta for my large plate which was a seafood spaghetti topped with a poached egg and D chose the Monk-fish.

Mine was rich and creamy and D’s was light, so tastes from each plate were a satisfying combination.  Both were from their special features.  Our meals were lovely but I was fixated on another regret which was that I had not ordered the same dish as one of our friends – Roasted Brussel Sprouts. 

Marcona almonds, bacon, ginger, ponzu dressing and feta created a sweet and salty combination, which my readers know I love.

There were oohs and ahhs from other place settings at the table where Lamb Albondigas and Mussels & Chorizo were being tucked into. 

But the happiest of all was the birthday girl who loves pork as much as I do and after much deliberation decided upon the pork belly.  I had described it from my other tastings as being a veritable loaf of meat and even though I obviously remembered the portion incorrectly, she was overjoyed with her choice.  Perched  on top of the slowly roasted pork was a Serano wrapped prawn mousse and was accompanied by crisp chicken skin and  parsnip puree.  The tastes were complemented by both romesco sauce and sherry syrup.  At one point I heard her declare that it was the best meal that she had ever had at any restaurant (and this from a world traveller).  High praise, indeed.

A couple of after dinner liquers  and desserts were enjoyed.  In the mean time, gifts were shared as well as the tales of future Christmas adventures.  The love amongst us was evident and it was a memorable way to celebrate the many of life’s blessings together.

Kath’s quote: “It is a curious fact that no man likes to call himself a glutton, and yet each of us has in him a trace of gluttony, potential or actual. I cannot believe that there exists a single coherent human being who will not confess, at least to himself, that once or twice he has stuffed himself to bursting point on anything from quail financiere to flapjacks, for no other reason than the beastlike satisfaction of his belly.” –M.F.K. Fisher

Love-that is all.

While recently working with CJ Katz on the promotional tour of her gorgeous cookbook “Taste: Seasonal Dishes from a Prairie Table”, I made strudel for my very first time.  The phyllo dough that can be purchased from the freezer section of your favourite grocer, is very close to the “stretch dough” used in authentic strudel AND so much easier than attempting this art form from scratch.

Also reminiscent of Viennese Apple Strudel is the inclusion of bread crumbs.  These help absorb some of the extra juices, released from the cooking fruit.  This version includes both cranberries and apples which creates a gorgeous Christmas themed dessert.  And you can make it ahead and freeze it if you wish. 

I did so and then reheated it and served it with ice cream.  Doing so also offsets that tangyness of the cranberries (and in my case the apples, which I had left soaking in lemon juice for too long).

A really helpful tip included in this recipe is to make diagonal cuts (to allow the steam from the fruit to escapes while baking) to represent a portion size.  This way the strudel will be far easier to serve without decimating the flaky crust.

We are often too full for pie and Christmas pudding after dinner but this dessert is light enough to tuck into later in the evening.

Kath’s quote: “Oh!  All that steam!  The pudding had just been taken out of the cauldron.  Oh!  That smell!  The same as the one which prevailed on washing day!  It is that of the cloth which wraps the pudding.  Now, one would imagine oneself in a restaurant and in a confectioner’s at the same time, with a laundry nest door.  Thirty seconds later, Mrs.  Cratchit entered, her face crimson, but smiling proudly, with the pudding resembling a cannon ball, all speckled, very firm, sprinkled with brandy in flames, and decorated with a sprig of holly stuck in the centre.  Oh!  The marvelous pudding!”-Charles Dickens

Love-that is all.