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NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE 27-06
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November 25 – January 7
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Welcome
900 BiSTR0 0
AND IN THE BLINK of an eye, 2023 is almost over. Time to catch my breath, reflect on the past year, and give thanks for all the moments 2023 has brought. It’s also time to get in the festive spirit, do some baking, hang decorations, and relax with friends and family. In this issue, Isabelle Bulota’s photographs and recipe make us love squash all over again. Rebecca Wellman’s recipe and photography will have us craving a spicy stew. In Sweet Endings, we hit Italy for inspiration. Cinda Chavich takes us through the ins and outs of cranberries, and Gillie Easdon, Elizabeth Monk, Adrian Paradis, and Adrien Sala go above and beyond to check out new places for you to try this holiday season. Shelora Sheldan stuffs so much good information in Side Dish, and Larry Arnold’s got our wine choices covered in Liquid Assets. Our photographers—Jacqueline Downey, Elizabeth Nyland, and Johann Vincent—capture it all stunningly. In 2024, we will hit a remarkable milestone in publishing—EAT’s 25th year of bringing you the best in all things food-related. A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of our loyal advertisers and readers—we couldn’t have gotten here without you. See you in 2024!
CYNTHIA ANNETT-HYNES EDITOR
“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.” —Oscar Wilde
- Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 2360 Beacon Ave. Sidney. | www.900degrees.ca
Happy Holidays from everyone at
CITY EATS
REBECCA BAUGNIET
Happy Holidays EAT readers! Once again, we at EAT are looking forward to all the wonderful seasonal delicacies on offer around the city. It is always a joy to venture to different corners of the city in search of the treats that are only available at this time of year. We hope you have many occasions to enjoy all your favourites with friends and loved ones this season.
If the holidays suggest slurping oysters to you, you’ll want to know that Shuck Taylor’s has opened at 1324 Blanshard St. This is the Wandering Mollusk’s brick and mortar incarnation and they are serving up oysters on the shell, caviar and lobster rolls. Currently open Wed–Sat, 2:30pm–late. Follow @shucktaylors on Instagram for updates. The fall season sadly saw a couple more restaurant closures: Sherwood announced its closure in September. La Taquiera on Fort Street has also closed. Two new fast food options have arrived in town: US chain Boardwalk has opened in the Bay Centre (former location of Johnny Rockets), and signs are up at 790 Fisgard for a new location of Odd Burger, a Canadian vegan fast food chain that launched in Ontario in 2014. oddburger.com ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK.COM/COSMAA, T.A. MCKAY
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CITY EATS The Vancouver Island Craft Spirit & Cocktail Festival is taking place on Nov 4, from 6–9pm, where you can taste the spirits of Vancouver Island’s best craft distilleries at Merridale’s farm in Cobble Hill. General Admission is $55 and includes transportation, two drink tokens and admission. Tasting tokens can be purchased for $2. Pair your cocktails with canapés available for purchase from the Merridale kitchen. There will also be a pop-up liquor store, featuring the products of participating distilleries, so you can bring home your favourite new discoveries. merridale.ca Crush Plus Online Auction is the Belfry Theatre’s annual fundraiser and will be taking place from Nov 13–19. This carefully curated auction features a variety of lots including gift baskets and packages, dining, travel, and other unique experiences in every price bracket. A great selection of fine wine will be available that has been generously donated from the private collections of individuals and local businesses. To participate, register at belfry.bc.ca/crush/ If you are heading to the mainland in November or December, you can get those Glühwein mugs ready! The Vancouver Christmas Market returns from Nov 16 – Dec 24 to Jack Poole Plaza. Delight in German-style food and drinks, hop on their neon carousel, and stroll through a wonderland of Christmas shopping, music, and lights. vancouverchristmasmarket.com For the third year in a row, Sea Cider is hosting the Local Folk Fair Holiday Market. Running Sunday Nov 26 and Dec 3 from 11am–4pm, this is an indoor/outdoor European-style West Coast Fair, with thirty vendors, live folk music, carollers, gift-wrapping, wreathmaking workshops, free ornament-making station and many food and drink options, including Working Culture Bread, Bicycle Pizza, La Pasta Triestina, Discovery Coffee, Rock Bay Market and more. Follow @makesharevictoria or @seaciderhouse on Instagram for updates. The Moss Street Market will be holding their annual Holiday Market on Dec 9–10 in the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association buildings (1330 Fairfield Rd), the Garry Oak Room and the Sir James Douglas School Gym. The Holiday Market features over 70 vendors offering locally-made crafts, cards, art, clothing, jewellery, household items, plus meat, fish, winter vegetables, coffee, apple cider and much more. mossstreetmarket.com
Co m i ng So o n
Inn at Laurel Point | @duocafebakery
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
On Nov 24–25, Rancho Vignola hosts their annual Vancouver Island Harvest Sale at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney, Friday 9am–7pm and Saturday 9am–5pm. From fresh, creamy walnuts to all-natural, dried mangoes to premium chocolate covered nuts, there is something for everyone. ranchovignola.com On Fridays and Saturdays from Nov 25 – Dec 5 and every day from Dec 16 – Jan 2, visit the Winter Veranda at the Empress. Enjoy a selection of hot beverages in Christmas spirit and wellknown Christmas bites while delighting in s’mores around the fire on the veranda overlooking Victoria’s sparkling Inner Harbour. Weather dependent, walk-in only (no reservations). fairmont.com/empress-victoria/dining/veranda/
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER
FOUNDER
Gary Hynes
PUBLISHER
Pacific Island Gourmet EDITOR
Cynthia Annett-Hynes CONTRIBUTING EDITOR / COPY EDITOR
Carolyn Bateman
SENIOR WINE WRITER
Larry Arnold
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Cynthia Annett-Hynes PRODUCTION AND DESIGN
Rhonda Ganz
REGIONAL REPORTERS
Victoria, Rebecca Baugniet CONTRIBUTORS
Isabelle Bulota Cinda Chavich Jacqueline Downey Gillie Easdon Michael Farley Elizabeth Monk
Elizabeth Nyland Adrian Paradis Adrien Sala Shelora Sheldan Johann Vincent Rebecca Wellman
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Visit eatmagazine.ca for more articles, recipes, news and events. On the cover:
Hasselback Squash Styling + Photography:
Isabelle Bulota
Recipe on page 25
Buy the Book A sampling of some new books for gifting, or keeping, this holiday season.
The Coastal Forager’s Cookbook: Feasting Wild in the Pacific Northwest
chef robin kort, touchwood editions West Coast forager Chef Robin Kort approaches cooking with simplicity, skilfully experimenting with foraged ingredients like evergreen tips, seaweed, wild mushrooms, and flowers. Recipes for starters, main dishes, desserts, and drinks are organized into chapters referencing the four seasons, and are interspersed with memories from Kort’s childhood in the Pacific Northwest. Tips on plant identification and sustainable foraging will inspire cooks to head outdoors on adventures to bring wild bounty back to the kitchen. Look for Halibut with Fermented Birch, Sea Lettuce Breadsticks, Wild Mushroom Paté, and Salish Sea Dashi Hot Pot. Pencil sketch illustrations and lush photographs round out the mix.
The Coastal Forager’s Cookbook is a welcome addition to a cookbook collection and is bound to increase your love for the Pacific Northwest’s edible abundance.
Celebrate in the
FINEST
Style
let us be the centerpiece of your holiday party book your custom holiday seafood platters with us
Let’s Eat: Recipes for Kids Who Cook
dl acken and aurelia louvet, touchwood editions Cookbook author Danielle Acken and food stylist Aurelia Louvet brought together six young cooks aged 7 to 17 to help test and critique these recipes, so you know they’re kid-approved. Let’s Eat starts with kitchen basics, tools, and terminology, then puts the training to use with recipes to suit a range of tastes—more than 60 recipes to try, perfect, and receive kudos. Start with basic techniques to cook eggs, pasta, rice, and salad dressing before progressing to bread and roasts. Soon, young cooks will be fixing breakfasts, snacks, sides, and hot main courses, as well as—of course— desserts. Recipes include Spaghetti Bolognese, Sweet Potato Curry, Falafel Veggie Burgers, and Oven Baked Doughnuts, to name just a few.
This bold primer is filled with colourful photography and will prepare young chefs for kitchen success.
Together at SoBo: More Recipes and Stories from Tofino’s Beloved Restaurant lisa ahier (author) with susan musgrave; jeremy koreski (photography), appetite by random house
Chef Lisa Ahier shares new recipes from her Tofino restaurant, SoBo. Since starting SoBo out of a food truck over 20 years ago, it has become an integral part of that surf town. Using the abundance of local produce and seafood, these are Pacific Northwest recipes with Lisa’s southern flair—Chanterelle and Corn Chowder; Nettle, Clam and Shrimp Tagliatelle; Chinook Salmon with Parsnip Puffs; and Halibut Cheeks with Celeriac Cream.
ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK.COM/T.A. MCKAY
Chef Ahier brings the restaurant and town to life, interjecting stories about the people who have helped shape Sobo into the restaurant it is today. Images courtesy of the publishers.
FRESH SEAFOOD MARKET – FOOD TRUCK 250.383.7760 27 ERIE STREET VICTORIA, BC FINESTATSEA.COM
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Side Dish
SHELORA SHELDAN
STUFFED!
Instead of feeling stuffed, let us explore the sublime act of holiday stuffing. IT’S THAT TIME OF year when temptation is around every corner: the special meals and traditions, the workplace parties, the seasonal get-togethers, and all the wonderful, once-a-year indulgences that show up in the marketplace, from seductively sweet to deliciously rich and savoury. Resistance seems futile. If you’re hosting a festive party this year, a little indulgent something-something is de rigueur. Instead of feeling stuffed, let’s explore the act of stuffing. Stretchy pants optional. Moist and savoury bread-based stuffing is essential when sitting down to a big holiday dinner. A turkey or chicken is the usual vehicle to be stuffed, and I tend to lean old school with cubed bread, celery, onion, and sage as a starting point. From there, many variations on the theme exist. Sausage or bacon in the mix adds juicy, meaty richness. Chestnuts or walnuts, along with wild rice, add texture and crunch. Cornbread can step in for the bread component and can steal the show mixed with sausage, apples, and herbs. While I do like stuffing the bird, I also like to have extra, baked in a well-buttered side dish. The advantage here is that it yields a crisp brown crust that contrasts deliciously with the rich, moist interior version, thanks to the eggs that bind the stuffing together. A friend who feeds a large extended family over the holidays makes large balls of stuffing on the side, one for each member of her family. I may give this a go this year.
Ha nd m a d e E thical L o cal Trad itio nal
CURED AND SMOKED MEATS 2 0 3 2 O A K B AY A V E N U E , V I C T O R I A
250.590.PORK
THEWHOLEBE AST. C A C U R E D @T H E W H OLEBEAS T.CA 6
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
One of my favourite stuffed-bird recipes uses no bread—just cheese. Roast chicken stuffed with Boursin cheese comes from Vancouver chef J-C Poirier of St. Lawrence restaurant, and is featured in his recent cookbook, Where the River Narrows. The cheese-stuffed bird is roasted over chunky cuts of carrots, celery, celery root, onions, herbs, and garlic that turn into a luscious, sticky mass of caramelization, and the cheese, a lovely melting mass scooped out over the vegetables and slices of chicken. I’ve also tried this recipe roasted over potatoes to great accolades. For a stuffed appetizer, mushroom caps are the party champion. Dressed up with crab and cream cheese, a hit of Tabasco for kick, chopped roasted red pepper for colour, and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs, then baked—delish! If you want to get fiddly, stuffed grapes with chèvre sprinkled with chopped pistachios, or stuffed baby tomatoes provide fresh, refreshing options.
The French word for stuffed is farci, and vegetables can be the vehicle for delicious, French-inspired side dishes. Whole roasted stuffed tomatoes with savoury herbs, sausage, shallots, and fragrant olive oil is a wonderful first course, as are halved peppers—red, yellow, orange, or green—stuffed with a medley of fennel, red onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese. Onions are exquisite stuffed with cooked rice mixed with butter, cream, herbs, and a bit of cheese. They’re lovely as a side dish and exquisite served with chef Poirier’s Boursin-stuffed chicken. A hearty showstopper is chou farci, whole stuffed cabbage, beautifully realized when using Savoy cabbage with its textured, crinkly leaves. (There is great local Savoy on the Island. Seek it out.) The stuffing is not unlike what you’d see in a cabbage roll: rice, minced onions, tomato paste, and meat—be it sausage, bacon, or ham—and herbs. Once stuffed, the cabbage is braised in stock for hours. The dish takes time and skill to prepare, and many of the steps can be made in advance. And while this is the Julia Child version, you can certainly make the dish vegetarian. I recently became aware of a Ghanaian street food dish, kosua ne meko—eggs stuffed with tomato relish. Ginger, garlic, Scotch bonnet pepper, red onion, and tomatoes are mixed together using a rough mortar and pestle. The resulting relish is then stuffed into hard-boiled eggs that have been carefully sliced open lengthwise. They’re incredible! And don’t be afraid of the chili peppers. Scotch bonnets, once the seeds and inner membrane are removed—yes, use gloves by all means—impart a fruity note, akin to apricots.
Cucina Italiana
Taste of Italy
Celebrate your special evenings with us! Dinner ~ Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm 106 Superior St. | Reservations: 250.380.0088 | IlCovoTrattoria.ca
In Spanish, rellenar means to stuff. And a classic dish is chiles rellenos. Poblano peppers, roasted and peeled, are stuffed with cheese, then battered and deep-fried and served in a light tomato sauce. The chilies are also used for chiles en nogada, a rich Mexican dish stuffed with a picadillo of savoury ground meat, topped with a walnutbased cream sauce and sprinkled with fresh pomegranate seeds. You can also stuff Anaheim peppers, also roasted and peeled, and any rehydrated dried chilies, such as ancho or chipotle. One of my favourite recipes is for stuffed jalapeños. The fresh chilies are first roasted and peeled, slit down one side and seeds carefully removed, and then stuffed with a mixture of goat and cream cheeses, blended with finely chopped shallots and mint. Heated and served with margaritas, there’s no better way to ring in the festive season. PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM/MOFLES
ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK.COM/T.A. MCKAY
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Eating Well For Less
FAR-OUT FLAVOURS FROM FAR-OFF LANDS
Head to Fairfield to sample Colombian cuisine and Esquimalt for Filipino fare.
Macondo Colombian Kitchen
1109 MCKENZIE ST., UNIT E-D, 250-893-2831, @MACONDOCOLOMBIANKITCHEN
AT THE COOK STREET Village food court, you can step outside British Columbia for a moment and instead enter Colombia by paying a visit to Macondo. The four owners, two cousins and their spouses, all work there and are keen to share anything you might want to know about Colombian culture. Vital to try for a bite of Colombian flavour is an arepa, a sturdy pancake made of cornmeal that holds delicious toppings. Mine was a Carne Asada for $12.50. The firm but fluffy arepa was topped with mozzarella cheese, strips of grilled steak, swirls of both green sauce—a mix of avocado, cilantro, lemon, and a bit of vinegar—and a smattering of “hogao,” a Colombian salsa with tomatoes and onions. It tasted like a cross between an excellent pizza and a taco, with the Colombian sauce adding some spicy pizzazz. The authentic way to eat an arepa is by picking it up and eating it like pizza so every bite has flavours from every layer. I failed in this cultural quest and resorted to a knife and fork, but I was not mocked by the kindly staff person, who said, “It takes years of experience.”
There is also some tender cooked plantain banana, absolutely delicious red beans, and a house-made dry pork sausage seasoned with Colombian spices. (The entire kitchen is gluten-free and there are options for vegetarians.) The third category is dishes made only for special occasions. These are served on weekends at Macondo, and I was there on a weekday, but I will be back to try the Friday and Saturday special of Ajiaco, which is chicken with three kinds of potato, and the Sunday special of Cazuela, a seafood soup from the coast. Don’t leave without trying a drink or dessert. I had my first-ever taste of Lulo Juice made from a Colombian fruit not unlike a lemony passionfruit. And the coconut lemonade was a white and frothy delight. These both go for $6. The dessert I tried was called Salpicon for $7. This jumble of banana, watermelon, cantaloupe, and apple has papaya juice and a sparkling soda called Colombiana poured over it, which is then topped with condensed milk and vanilla ice cream. This combination may seem unlikely, but all together the components create a fun, sparkly, creamy, fruity concoction.
The other main menu category is rice bowls. I had the Paisa Rice Bowl for $14. The rice is topped with a mound of finely ground beef, seasoned with garlic.
FIND YOUR HOLIDAY SPIRIT OR WINE... OR BEER...
Whether you are looking for a special bottle of Champagne to share at New Year’s, that perfect six-pack for a family gathering, or a once in a lifetime bottle of Scotch for a loved one - we have all of your bases covered. Visit us at 919 Douglas St, Victoria or shop online at strathliquor.com ELIZABETH NYLAND
Colombian juices. Arepas: Pork Belly (chicharron), Shrimp, Plantain 8
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
ELIZABETH MONK
Benjamin’s Café
and then add this creation to the soup. Despite all the ingredients, this has the comforting flavour of a classic homemade chicken noodle soup with some lemony and spicy accents.
614B GRENVILLE ST. NEAR ESQUIMALT RD. 778-265-2566, BENJAMINS-CAFE-RESTAURANT.BUSINESS.SITE
Dishes over $20 are for sharing, and you need fewer than one per person. The one I tried was Pork Lechon Paksiw for $23.85, crispy pork belly stewed in a pork liver sauce and seasoned with garlic, onion, vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. The pork liver sauce is surprisingly similar in texture and umami taste to a rich Irish stew. I could eat it with a spoon.
ERVIN MALIWANAG AND HIS wife, Lorian, brought such popular Filipino food to parties that friends started asking them to cater. This was the inspiration they needed to open their bustling restaurant in June this past year. When I went, the former Italian restaurant was filled with Filipino people, and Ervin tells me they make up 75 per cent of the clientele. Clearly a niche is being filled by this restaurant!
For people not into liver, or pork, there is also a tuna dish and a beef stew for sharing. Other European-inspired dishes include Filipino spaghetti, chicken cordon bleu, and Western-style breakfasts.
You can order individual dishes, or you can order larger platters to share. An allday meal in the Philippines is “silog,” meaning a meal of fried rice and egg. Mine was specifically called Tosilog, for $15.80, which featured delicious chicken in a sweet barbecue sauce made with Filipino banana ketchup, a common condiment there. On the side was a little mound of “aotara,” a shredded salad of papaya and carrot with a vinegar sauce. I asked how Filipinos would use the sauce and was told that some people dip their meat into it while others pour it over the whole bowl. So, freestyle!
Halo-halo, a vibrantly coloured dessert for $12, has a bit of everything! At the base are colourful cubed coconut jellies, along with jackfruit, banana, red beans, and tapioca pearls. In the middle is shaved ice mixed with condensed milk, and on top of that is a layer of cornflakes. (I told you it has everything.) Atop the cornflakes are a scoop of purple ube (similar to taro) ice cream and two cubes of flan. The name translates as “mix-mix” and it comes with a long spoon for just that purpose. When I was eating this, I felt like a child who got to choose all the flavours of ice cream and popsicles at the ice cream truck, then mixed them all together. It was really fun to eat!
Another individual dish is Chicken Lomi for $16.80. This chicken soup has thick egg noodles and features lobster balls, ground pork, crispy pork belly, a hardboiled egg, and pork liver (which can be taken out if it’s not your thing). There’s a bit of food theatre with this dish, as it comes with a fun condiment bowl that has a tiny green lemon in it called a calamansi. It also has a chile and some soy sauce. According to taste, you can squeeze the lemon in the soy and crush the chile,
This is a humbly appointed restaurant offering outsize flavours and an authentic experience, well worth trying.
ELIZABETH NYLAND
Crispy Pork Kare Kare, Ben’s Best Pork Sisig, Pork Lechon Paksiw, Ben’s Best Lumpia, Lomi 9
Liquid Assets
CHEERS! LUSH LATE FALL FLAVOURS
Larry Arnold’s list of 10 luscious wines has intriguing picks for both cold weather imbibing and seasonal gifting. Meyer Family Vineyards Okanagan Valley Chardonnay 2022 BC $29.00 This small, family-owned winery just outside Okanagan Falls has produced a blend of fruit handpicked from vineyards in the Naramata Bench, Osoyoos, and Okanagan Falls. This is a scrumptious Chardonnay aged for six months in a mix of older, neutral French oak barrels and stainless steel. The nose has a delicate floral perfume with a hint of lemon zest and pear skin. Fresh and clean on the palate with juicy peach and apple flavours, nicely balanced with a soft creamy texture. Meyer Family Vineyards Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir 2022 BC $34.00 Blending fruit sourced from four blocks of Pinot Noir spread throughout the valley, winemaker Chris Carson has crafted a fresh, juicy, medium-bodied Okanagan Pinot Noir that’s hard to resist. The pronounced nose of red cherries, raspberries, and spice is nicely balanced with supple fruit, a soft silky texture, and a blush of fine-grained tannins. Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Blanc 2022 France $19.00 In a province awash with Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, who drinks Bordeaux Blanc in this century? To be honest, I don’t know, but after sampling this tasty blend of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle, I think I might just start! Very expressive with attractive citrus and floral notes on the nose, subtle fruit flavours, crisp acidity, and a fresh, clean finish.
Louis Latour Mâcon-Lugny Les Genièvres 2020 France $40.00 Les Genièvres is one of the best vineyards in the tiny village of Lugny, located in the Mâcon region of Burgundy. With its limestone soils and warm climate, the vineyard produces Chardonnay that is among the most coveted in the region. Pale yellow with an attractive floral bouquet, it is medium-bodied, with ripe fruit flavours nicely balanced with soft acidity. Musella Amarone della Valpolicella 2016 Italy $71.00 I generally gravitate to the many lighter reds of the Veneto region, but this gentle giant was a real eye-opener. This blend of organically grown Corvina (45 per cent), Corvinone (50 per cent), Rondinella (5 per cent), and Oseleta (5 per cent) is semidried (appassimento process) to concentrate the sugars and everything else found in the fruit. It is then fermented and finally aged for 12 months in varying sizes of oak cooperage. Coming in at a whopping 15.5 per cent alcohol, this is not a wine for the infirm or those gifted with a genteel palate. The light colour does not do the intensity of this behemoth justice! Very powerful and full-bodied but silky smooth nonetheless, with layers of dried fruit, nuts, and spice on the nose and through the palate. Very rich with great complexity and a long silky finish.
maison cookware + bakeware all the best tools for your kitchen!
WINE & C HEES E C ATE R I N G ELEG A N T & E A S Y Home or Office Parties • Group Reservations Book the Bistro exclusively for your event Cheese Boards • Gift Baskets • Gift Certificates 778.265.6229 • www.laperobistro.net 1028 Blanshard Street, Victoria 10
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
maisoncookware.com
#1-6332 Metral Drive, Nanaimo 250.933.1800
LARRY ARNOLD
Bodegas Bhilar Rioja Alavesa Lagrimas de Graciano 2020 Spain $29.00 Bodegas Bhilar is a small boutique winery in the Rioja Alavesa. The husbandand- wife team of David Sampedro and Melanie Hickman strive to make terroirdriven wines and work only with indigenous grapes. And although they make a number of different wines, Lagrimas de Graciano is the only mono-varietal they produce. The grapes are destemmed and pressed before undergoing fermentation with indigenous yeast in concrete vats. The young wine then rests for six months on its lees before bottling and release. Deeply coloured with anise, violets, and a pronounced earthy fecundity on the nose, this unique, biodynamic Rioja Alavesa, is very polished with dark fruit flavours and plenty of character. Bodegas Gallegas Gran Alanís Ribeiro 2021 Spain $24.00 As Kermit Lynch, the patron saint of wine vendors, proselytized sometime during the last century: “When purchasing wine, smart money always looks where no one else is looking.” And I ask you, who, on the west coast of Canada, seeks a bottle of white Ribeiro to wash down a bucket of gooseneck barnacles? This blend of Treixadura (85 per cent) and Godello grapes is fermented then aged for six months on its lees. It is fresh, clean and medium-bodied with a nose redolent of ripe pear, green melon, citrus, and a chalky minerality. The slightly creamy texture has gobs of fruit, zingy acidity, and a long juicy finish. Robin Ridge Similkameen Valley Chardonnay 2021 BC $24.00 Another pick from a small family-owned winery, this one just outside Keremeos in the beautiful Similkameen Valley. This is not a big fat butterball Chardonnay. It is crisp and clean, some might even say elegant. Medium-bodied with juicy peach, citrus, apple, and vanilla flavours, the wine has a soft creamy texture.
Luis Segundo Correas Valle Las Acequias Bonarda 2016 Argentina $27.00 If you have always believed that a Bonarda is a spicy Italian sausage redolent with garlic and anise and found in the deli counter at your favourite uptown supermarket, think again, bucko! This Bonarda is more often found growing alongside Malbec in the high mountainous vineyards of the Argentine Andes. Deep purplish black in colour, it has an intense nose of raspberries, strawberries, violets, and smoke. Full-bodied and dry, its lush fruit flavours have a bright acidity and more than enough soft tannin to round it out. Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Rouge 2020 France $20.00 The 2020 vintage was the 90th anniversary of this hugely successful Bordeaux blend. Created in 1930 by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Mouton Cadet is predominately Merlot with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This medium-bodied wine is a deep ruby colour with layers of blackberry, cherry, and spice aromas. The fresh fruit flavours are nicely balanced with a blush of fine-grained tannins. Lots going on here! Who says you need to pay big bucks to enjoy a lovely glass of Bordeaux? PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM/DESIGN56
LET VICTORIA’S HIDDEN GEM MAKE ANY NIGHT A DATE NIGHT WITH THAT SPECIAL PERSON, OR AN EVENING TO CELEBRATE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
www.littlejumbo.ca
778.433.5535
Down the hall, 506 Fort St, Victoria, BC 11
DINNER IS BACK!
www.nourishkitchen.ca for reservations! community@nourishkitchen.ca for information! eat with people you love
Reporter Tourist Wine Bar OEB Breakfast Co. Shuck Taylor’s Oysters on the half shell at Shuck Taylor’s JOHANN VINCENT
12
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
W ORDS
Gillie Easdon Adrian Paradis Adrien Sala PHO T OGR A PH Y
Johann Vincent
Tourist Wine Bar
1 0 0 2 B L A N S H A R D S T. , V I C T O R I A HELLO@TOURISTWINEBAR.COM
A unique, accessible wine list, an ever-changing menu, and a community of cool people. ONE OF THE INTERESTING things about Tourist Wine Bar is that all of the glasses of wine are the same price—just twelve bucks. What’s the big deal about that? Well, as Guy Ferguson, co-owner and spearhead of the wine program, explains, it eliminates price bias—meaning a customer doesn’t decide on the quality of a wine based on how much it costs. Instead, it’s about discussing it and going in a direction based on the description; a democratization of taste. But glasses of wine aren’t really the main feature here, according to Ferguson. He’d much rather a bottle landed in front of you. In a former career he travelled extensively, and on his work trips to Europe, Japan, and hubs like New York City, he’d always take time to explore unique wine bars where the culture was to try new things. At some point in that exploration, he fell in love with natural wines, which is what you’ll find at Tourist. He’s gone to great lengths to build a list that is unlike any other in town and, thankfully, isn’t priced out of this world. JOHANN VINCENT
“We price our bottles significantly under a typical restaurant markup, which is very much by design,” says Ferguson. “I want our bottles to be accessible.” And they are. In fact, everything feels accessible at Tourist Wine Bar. Located on the corner of Broughton and Blanshard where Clarke & Co. once stood, the completely renovated space is cool and inviting. Where previously the room was Sean Partlow (L) and Guy Ferguson (R) dark, now it is bright and open with windows along two sides. The bar seating feels like a home kitchen too, built at a comforting height that encourages settling in and relaxing. With tables along the Blanshard-side window, and more seating outside, it’s an intimate but busy room that has had a lineup almost every day since opening in July. Ferguson is one of four partners in Tourist, with two being more behind the scenes and the third a friend, Sean Partlow who is a landscape architect, trained chef, and the owner of Back in Five plant shop. Together these two travelled the world and explored restaurants, being tourists and essentially carrying that mentality home. And Tourist Wine Bar is a little like going travelling. Each week you can expect something new, with the menu changing based on what’s exciting and available. They use meats from Farm & Field Butcher just across the street, and as much local veg and ingredients as possible. There are some permanent items on the menu of course, like steak frites ($34) and a burger ($15), but there is a lot of room for experimentation outside of these hits. For example, I really enjoyed the grilled broccolini and sardines last time I was in. And on Sundays they do service from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. using all the ingredients of the week to create something different alongside local pastries and coffee. They are also doing regular chef takeovers by other local chefs, who are able to create a menu for one night that is entirely refreshed. JOHANN VINCENT
Tourist Wine Bar is an opportunity to disappear into the excitement of travel from the comfort of home while enjoying unique wines, delicious food, and a community of cool people. ADRIEN SALA
Steak Frites and Charcuterie Bowl 13
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In a city whose inhabitants love their late-morning meal, OEB Breakfast Co.’s over-the-top approach is sure to be welcome. NOTHING EMBODIES VICTORIA’S FOOD culture quite like standing in line waiting for brunch. With a host of old classics and trendsetters already in the brunch scene repertoire, this city will soon be welcoming another big name. At the time of writing, OEB Breakfast Co. was set to open mid-November at 856 Yates St., between Blanshard and Quadra. Starting in Calgary in 2009, OEB now has 18 locations across Canada, spreading its over-the-top approach to breakfast and brunch to eight Canadian cities. “We are really excited about joining this community and bringing our elevated approach to the most important meal of the day to the neighbourhood,” says Rob Pawley, OEB’s managing partner for BC. The province is known for its brunch and breakfast scene, adds Pawley. “Victoria specifically probably has more breakfast locations per capita than anywhere else.” OEB’s founder and executive chef Mauro Martina opened the first location after working in Michelin-starred restaurants across the world. Martina is still the creative drive behind the organization, bringing his flair for chef-inspired brunch dishes to everything they do. “You can get a traditional eggs benedict or a classic breakfast, and they’re great, but you can also explore unique offerings you probably won’t find elsewhere,” says Pawley. The company brings a local flair to each location it opens. The Vancouver Yaletown location, just steps from False Creek, has a marina feel to it. The new Victoria spot will have notes of the Inner Harbour and subtle nods to the surrounding natural areas in its design. The menu will have many of the same upscale staples its clientele has come to love, blended with excellent local and unique ingredients. The Gold Digga Breakfast Poutine, for instance, comes with tallow-fried herb potatoes, Saint Cyrille cheese curds, brown butter hollandaise, microgreens, and truffle buried under two beautifully poached eggs. “The difference is in the ingredients,” says
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French Toast Trifle 14
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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Soul in a Bowl Pawley. “It starts with our eggs, which come from our own flock of free-range, flaxseed-fed hens to provide one of the best eggs I’ve ever tasted.” OEB isn’t shy about including bold and high-end ingredients on its menus. Other items include wild blue crab eggs benny, Maritime lobster breakfast poutine, and a sous-vide duck confit that comes with raspberry vinaigrette, two sunny-side eggs, and hand-pinched perogies. Another innovation is the option to digitally check-in, rather than stand in line for a table. “You can check in on your phone and go about your day before you get notified via text when your table is ready,” says Pawley. No more waiting in a cold lineup for a weekend table. With Victoria being declared the “Brunch Capital of Canada,” it’s no surprise the streets are flush with choice options when it comes to your most important meal of the day. As a city that thrives on brunch, surely OEB will fit right in. ADRIAN PARADIS
IMAGE COURTESY OF OEB
Lobster Shrimp Crepe
Slaters
FIRST CLASS MEAT 1983 LTD.
Happy holidays from our family to yours! 250.592.0823 ∙ 2577 Cadboro Bay Road 15
Discover Our New Seasonal Dishes Come in and try one of our new seasonal dishes at The Palms.
We have weekly features and specialty paired dishes with signature wines by the glass or bottle. Stop in to visit Victoria's best new date night spot.
Now booking staff parties, Christmas parties, and special moments at The Palms. Book your next big party online today. 4pm to 11pm Sun – Thurs 4pm to 1:00am Fri and Sat thepalmsrestaurant.ca 1450 Douglas Street • 250.383.7310 16
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Shuck Taylor’s Jess Taylor has spent years building authentic relationships with sustainable suppliers and shucking a sweet place into people’s appetites for local seafood. “PERFECTLY SHUCKED, IT SHOULD seem like the shell disappeared, and the oyster is in its natural habitat.” Amid the cluttered room, metal stools and chairs upended on tables awaiting set up, Jess Taylor speaks of the oyster with conviction, respect, and care. We’re meeting about “shellfish-forward” Shuck Taylor’s on Blanshard, in the old downtown location of Shine Café. It’s soft opening Week Two. Over the past five years, The Wandering Mollusk, Jess’s mobile oyster bar, has enjoyed guest appearances at venues like Whistle Buoy and Blue Grouse, and reams of private functions on the Island and Mainland. Jess also launched the wildly popular Seafood Boil Buckets (Ragin’ Cajun Prawn, Mussels from Brussels, and more) that folks pick up fresh and cook over a campfire, flame, or stovetop. As he juggled commissary kitchens, pop-ups, and events while exploring licensing the Boil Buckets nationwide, it became clear Jess needed his own space. “Vancouver Island needs a West Coast identity regarding seafood,” he asserts. Where the hell are the dedicated oyster bars, Victoria? The clam shacks? Look where we live! Island-born Jess didn’t even consider oysters until he was 30, “and I grew up near Baynes Sound!” (That oyster, clam, and cockle haven between Denman and Vancouver islands.) Something had to change.
speaking with guests about merroir and shellfish with the weight and passion usually reserved for charcuterie, wine, and beer. Merroir is the marine version of terroir. However, waters are fluid, everchanging with the tides and the moon. Fanny Bay oysters from opposite ends of a cove don’t taste exactly the same, “You are getting this little filter that drinks seawater all day—it’s nice, sexy, and refreshing when done well.” My son and I sit at the bar the next afternoon to enjoy the casual, welcoming vibe and watch Jess shuck. It’s 4 p.m. and already half-full. We order four oysters, two 12 gram caviar bumps, the broiled oysters with chorizo and shrimp butter, the Connecticutstyle lobster roll, Nonny’s non-alc pale ale, and a Dad’s root beer. The oysters arrive: a Sun Seeker (Desolation Sound), Kumamoto (Puget Sound), Raspberry Point (East Coast, PEI), and a Fat Bastard (Willapa Bay, WA). They come with fresh horseradish, house-made chimichurri, habañero carrot, and red wine shallot mignonettes, along with “That Other Sauce”—fantastic, yummy, and not too hot.
“We are connected to salmon here but have no identity or connection with shellfish. Since Covid, more locals are exploring the Gulf Islands and cool tiny communities. Those communities are where much of this shellfish comes from. I want to be the person who ties it all in.” And so, Jess has opened Shuck Taylor’s. Who better to take the helm than a past Rodney’s Oyster Bar alumni? He spent years deepening his understanding of shellfish, building authentic relationships with sustainable seafood suppliers (like Finest at Sea, Evening Cove Farms, Taylor Shellfish, Diana’s Seafood, and High-Gear Seafood, to name but a few), and shucking a sweet place into many people’s appetites for whatever tasty thing he set upon next. “I wanted to take my experience at Rodney’s and make my own experience for people with staff who know and care about oysters.” His vision embraced
The Wandering Mollusk’s owner, Jess Taylor,
1 3 2 4 B L A N S H A R D S T. , V I C T O R I A 250 - 634-3233 S H U C K TAY L O R S . C O M
lobster roll is placed before us, fresh poached meat shaped like a chubby baby’s arm in a hot, squishy Irene’s Bakery bun.
JOHANN VINCENT
Oysters on ice at Shuck Taylor’s Jess demonstrates holding the oyster to flick the meat gently into your mouth. “Do I bite it?” my son inquires. “Yes. That’s where the flavour is.” The oysters are bright, salty, and fresh. Next, Jess brings a tin of Northern Divine Organic Canadian Caviar— creamy, salty, gorgeous, and also Ocean Wise certified and sustainable. More, please. The broiled baby shrimp with slivers of chorizo and oyster is rich, savoury, the mix of textures satisfying. Then, the
JOHANN VINCENT
shucking at his new brick and mortar location
The lobster is caught on the East Coast, then placed in a high-pressure vacuum that sucks the knuckles and claw meat from the exoskeleton. Vacuum-sealed raw, it’s then sent over to Shuck Taylor’s chef Josh Szuch (Oak Bay Marina, Little Jumbo) to craft this impossible heaven. It’s served with frites and coleslaw with a creamy bite. You pour a tiny pitcher of melted butter over the lobster roll, then wrap hands around it, lift it to your happy mouth, and bite. As I type this, I pause to relive and relish that moment, butter slipping down the fingers—simple, decadent, and grounding. You can’t be anywhere else but there when you bite that lobster roll. My son, 13, ticks caviar, lobster, and fresh oysters off his “things I haven’t yet tried,” and looks forward to returning.
The Nice List
These are by no means complete lists. Consider them a starting point. G E T YO U R B I R D OR BEAST
Farm & Field Butchers 250-415-8373 1003 Blanshard St Slater’s First Class Meats 250-592-0823 2577 Cadboro Bay Rd The Chop Shop at the Root Cellar 250-477-9495 1286 MacKenzie Ave 778-265-8166, 271 Cook St The Village Butcher 250-598-1115 2032 Oak Bay Ave LET SOMEONE ELSE COOK THE TURKEY
Jess feels confident the West Coast is starting to come into its identity with seafood. “My hope is that [past employees] start their own oyster bars. It’s a sign of success if people have learned something tangible from you and are changing the future.” Places like Nimmo Bay, where you can free-dive for your dinner, are just the start. Jess, a free diver and spearfisher, seeks an intertidal feast in Shuck Taylor’s future (and yours). Think razor clams, uni (the edible part of the sea urchin), geoducks, barnacles, and cold Dungeness dishes featuring the crab butter. (That’s the yellow stuff, called hepatopancreas and also known as the “mustard,” which is often considered a “yuck” but is really a “yum.” ) One of Jess’s mentors and now peers, Renee Erickson of the Sea Creatures family of Seattle restaurants, is already deep into this. She hosts beach dinners where the table is moved up the beach as the tide comes in.
Blue Crab Restaurant 250-480-1999 Coast Victoria Hotel
So, how is Shuck Taylor’s going so far? Well, Jess blew through 1,600 oysters and a whole tin of Northern Divine Organic Canadian Caviar during limited hours in the first week. Rock Bay Market’s Ryan Malcolm set up a beautiful bar, and conservas (canned seafood delicacies) are coming soon.
E N T E RTA I N I N G — GO OUT OR BRING THE GOODS HOME
Last words from Jess? “An oyster should never be flipped. And always make sure your oyster is fresh. Buy from people you trust.” GILLIE EASDON
Fathom 250-380-4458 Hotel Grand Pacific Niche Grocerant 778-432-4243 Broadmead Village Roast 778-433-6639 Victoria Public Market Snug Pub/The Dining Room 250-598-4556 Oak Bay Beach Hotel The Palms 250-383-7310 Hotel Rialto
Finest at Sea, 27 Erie St
Lifestyle Markets 2950 Douglas St 343 Cook St 9769 Fifth St, Sidney The Whole Beast 2032 Oak Bay Ave
900° Bistro 2360 Beacon Ave, Sidney Aura Restaurant Laurel Point Hotel Il Covo 106 Superior St L’Apéro Wine & Cheese Bistro 1028 Blanshard St Little Jumbo 506 Fort St Nourish Kitchen & Café 225 Quebec St Spinnakers Brewpub 308 Catherine St The Teahouse at Abkhazi Gardens 1964 Fairfield Rd PICK UP GIFTS FOR YO U R PA L S O R F O R T H E PA RT Y
Ash Refillery and co. 250-388-4566 101-200 Cook St Maison Cookware+Bakeware 250-933-1800 1–6332 Metral Dr, Nanaimo Moss Street Holiday Market Dec 9–10, 1330 Fairfield Rd SaltSpring Kitchen Co 250-931-6000 319 Upper Ganges Rd Vessel Liquor 778-265-8375 1609 Fort St Victoria Public Market 1701 Douglas St
Zero Lush 778-557-5935 Strath Liquor 250-370-9463 919 Douglas St For extra Santa points, pop a gift card from one of our advertisers into a stocking or greeting card.
ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK.COM/T.A. MCKAY, MORRISON1977
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holiday Give the Gift of Experience!
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Oak Bay Beach Hotel 1175 BEACH DRIVE, VICTORIA 250-598-4556 TOLL FREE: 1.800.668.7758 OAKBAYBEACHHOTEL.COM
Add Blue Grouse Wine to your Holiday List
Afternoon Tea at the Inner Harbour
Treat loved ones to a timeless gift of elegance with Afternoon Tea at the Pendray Tea House. Nestled in Victoria’s historic Inner Harbour, the Pendray invites guests into a world of Victorian charm. Sip on finely brewed teas, savour handcrafted pastries, and unwind in an atmosphere of classic elegance. A gift of cherished moments, delightful flavours, and an escape from the everyday —a festive experience that lingers long beyond the holiday season.
Discover the perfect holiday gift for wine enthusiasts with Blue Grouse Wines, nestled in the heart of the Cowichan Valley. Blue Grouse offers a delightful range that embodies the region’s terroir and elevates your celebrations. Whether it’s for a cherished occasion or for sharing with loved ones by the table or fire, these wines make for a thoughtful, local, and sustainable gift choice.
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Chocolate!
This holiday season, share some joy in every bite with organic plant-based chocolate, made here in BC! Viva Cacao chocolate bars and barks are perfect for host gifts and stocking stuffers. These dairy-free, glutenfree and refined sugar-free goodies are chocolate you can feel good about! Find holiday gift bundles online, or in a store near you.
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VIVACACAO.CA | @VIVA.CACAO SLOCAN, BC
ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK.COM/ALEKSANDARVELASEVIC
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EAT SPONSORED PROMOTION
This project is suppor ted Program; delivered by by the BC Government’s Buy BC Partne rsh MNP LLP with fundin g from the Government ip of British Columbia.
gift guide Beautiful Items from Around the World for Your Home
For us, it’s all about the tactile, materials first. Filling your home with objects that really feel. In the shop, you’ll find skincare made close to home, plush mohair blankets, vintage Hungarian vases, glassware hand blown in Cape Breton and Paris, dishes and cookware from France, beautiful linens and more. Visit us on Salt Spring Island or shop online.
Rhubarb Designs
115 FULFORD GANGES RD #3107 SALT SPRING ISLAND, BC 250-537-8873 RHUBARBDESIGNS.COM
A Winter Collection for the Holidays
Remember the best cheese board spread you ever had? Maybe we were there. Since 2012 we’ve been spreading the love for jams, preserves, and hot sauces that elevate the everyday. Our Winter Collection contains four varieties that make entertaining an instant success. Winter Wonder Jam, Apple & Fig Spread, Red Fresno Pepper Jelly, and Cranberry, Sour Cherry & Port Preserve all add panache to cheese & charcuterie boards and the collection makes a perfect gift.
SaltSpring Kitchen Co
319 UPPER GANGES RD, SALT SPRING ISLAND, BC V8K 1R7 SALTSPRINGKITCHEN.COM
Sustainable + Eco-friendly Gifts
Give the gift of local, sustainably made goods for everyone on your list! Eco-friendly, refillable products for the cooks, hosts, and candle lovers in your life. Candles, kitchenware, gift boxes, bath products, jewelry, stocking stuffers and so much more. Visit us today! Eco-tip: Refillable/Eco-Friendly products for cooking prep, eating, and cleanup afterwards.
Ash Refillery and co. 101 – 200 COOK ST 250-388-4566 ASHREFILLERY.CA
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RECIPE + S T Y LING + PHO T OGR A PH Y
Rebecca Wellman 20 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Chicken and Peanut Stew This hearty, African-inspired stew is slightly spicy and completely addictive.
H
ere we are, well into the cool season and ready for those soups, stews, and warming fireside meals that take the chill off the late fall months. While this is a stew that is best made the day ahead (as most are), it comes together fairly easily. It also freezes well, so make a double batch for a week or two down the road if desired.
Chicken and peanut stew is African-inspired and has many iterations. This version, thanks to the yogurt marinade, turns into a thick and creamy, slightly spicy stew that goes well over rice but can also be eaten over couscous or chunky mashed potatoes. The tomato onion chutney is something you may have seen in my other recipes. It is optional, but I highly recommend it for its cooling, crunchy texture, which perfectly complements the peanut and mild spice.
Chicken and Peanut Stew Serves 4 to 6
For marinated chicken:
¾ cup plain yogurt, at least 2% fat 1 156-mL can tomato paste 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1 inch fresh ginger, minced 1 jalapeño, minced 1 Tbsp ground, toasted coriander 2 Tbsp ground, toasted cumin 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 kg chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut in half or thirds, depending on how big they are
For stew:
¼ cup olive oil 1 large onion, diced 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin slices 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 540-mL can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 Tbsp smoked paprika 2 tsp chili flakes 1 796-mL can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade) 2 tsp salt, or to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste ½ cup natural crunchy peanut butter (100% peanuts) 1 bunch spinach, tough stems removed Cooked white rice, brown rice, or couscous for serving Roasted peanuts, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, and lime wedges for serving
Stir in the tomatoes and all of their juices, and the chicken stock. Season well with salt and pepper.
Combine yogurt, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat well. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Serve over rice or couscous with roasted peanuts, cilantro, green onions, lime wedges, and tomato onion chutney if using.
When you are ready to cook the stew, remove the chicken from the fridge and let sit, still covered, at room temperature for about half an hour. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and red pepper and cook, stirring, until onions are translucent, 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the chicken and all the marinade to the pot. Continue stirring until chicken is opaque, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, then add the paprika and chili flakes. Stir and cook all the ingredients together for about one minute, until spices are well incorporated.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat, and simmer for about 1 hour or until the mixture has reduced and thickened. Stir in the peanut butter and the spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted, 2–3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if required.
Tomato Onion Chutney (optional): I love adding multiple textures and flavours to the toppings on my soups, stews, and curries, and one of my favourites is a very simple combination of diced fresh tomatoes, sweet onion such as Walla Walla or Vidalia, and green pepper or jalapeños. Add enough white vinegar to barely cover the ingredients and season generously with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before eating or keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days
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Our temperate west coast climate is perfect for growing these tart little fall fruits whose health benefits go far beyond their nutritional value. ed may be the classic colour for holiday décor, but the tastiest seasonal splash of red is cranberry sauce, that glistening condiment served with every turkey dinner. The reason we love to eat cranberries with turkey may seem obvious—the bright tart flavour and colour of these winter berries punching up the traditional plate of brown roasted meats, gravy, and mash.
cranberry farms in the province, producing 1 million barrels (100 million pounds) of cranberries annually, about 12 per cent of the North American crop. While the largest cranberry farms in BC are found in the Fraser Valley, cranberries are also grown by six producers on Vancouver Island, including at Yellow Point Cranberries near Ladysmith.
But the root of that marriage is in First Nations culture. Cranberries are native to North America, the perennial vines found growing in boggy wetlands from the poles to the tropics. And indigenous people have long used cranberries in their traditional medicine, dried them for pemmican, even used the leaves for tea or as a tobacco substitute.
Like most BC cranberry farmers, Yellow Point’s Grant Keefer ships most of his berries to Ocean Spray, a co-operative of 700+ growers that markets fresh cranberries and cranberry products across North America. Keefer also sells a portion of his fresh crop directly, under the Yellow Point Cranberries label, and produces a variety of cranberry products on the farm, from unsweetened juice to sauces and jellies, and cranberry baking mixes for scones and brownies.
They likely shared that knowledge with the original colonists—the first reference to serving cranberry sauce with turkey appearing in an American cookbook in 1796. And according to local historians, indigenous people traded cranberries at the Hudson Bay post in Fort Langley in the mid-1800s, the berries packed into 100-pound barrels for shipping (still the way cranberries are measured).
“Pretty much all of us are Ocean Spray growers, and our fruit will go there for making juices and sauces and (dried) Craisins,” he says. “People should understand that they are supporting cranberry growers in BC no matter where they buy their cranberries—even if it’s just Ocean Spray—because that’s a cooperative and all of us growers are members in the company.”
Functional Food, from Farm to Table
Keefer sells his fresh berries through farm markets and smaller Island retailers, too, including The Root Cellar and Red Barn Markets in Victoria, or via their PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM/GESHAS Yellow Point Cranberries website and farm store.
The temperate west coast climate is perfect for growing these tart little fall fruits, with the first commercial crop grown in BC in 1946. By 2020, there were 74 22
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Cranberries are still traditionally served with holiday meals and turkey dinners, but today the cranberry has officially been dubbed a “functional food”—with demonstrated health benefits beyond nutritional values—containing antioxidants and other components proven to defend against bacteria that cause ulcers and gum disease, treat urinary tract infections, and reduce inflammation. So you’ll see cranberries on menus year round, whether strewn across a spinach and goat cheese salad, whirled into a smoothie, or tarting up your favourite healthy kombucha brew.
Harvesting the Cranberry Crop
Cranberries are one of only three native North American fruits with any significant commercial value—the others being grapes and blueberries. The low-lying fields look scrubby as you’re driving by but, up close, you can see that they are covered in low bushes, about six inches tall, like a wild, sprawling groundcover. They’re commercially grown in purposely constructed bogs, fields that are surrounded by dykes so that they can be flooded for harvest. When the berries ripen in the fall, the fields are flooded with 1–2 feet of water, then mechanical harvesters drive over the plants, beating the bushes with big rotary beaters to dislodge the berries. The fruit floats up to the surface where it’s collected, and the water is drained back off the fields.
Cranberries destined for the whole berry, fresh market are “dry harvested” beginning in late September (in time for Canadian Thanksgiving), using harvesters that are pushed like big lawn mowers across the short plants, their rotating teeth gently combing the berries up into a bin on the back of the machine. It’s a mechanical version of the historic dry rakes or toothy wooden scoops once used to harvest cranberries from the low-lying plants by hand. The “wet harvest” happens later in the season, with berries delivered to Ocean Spray for juicing and drying. “When you see fresh fruit, it’s not actually been in the water,” says Keefer, “but water harvesting is much more efficient. We do fresh, too, but there’s a huge lot more labour involved.” A field of floating crimson cranberries is a stunning sight—so much so that some growers now offer harvest tours, literally letting people wade in for cranberry selfies and family photos to add to their social media feeds. If that’s on your bucket list this year, keep an eye on Yellow Point Cranberry’s website, says Keefer. “It’s hard to say exactly when the harvest will be, but we’re not flooding until November,” he says. “It’s a crazy, busy time on the farm, and just a threeor four-day event, but a beautiful time to visit.” W ORDS
Cinda Chavich
It’s always great to buy an extra bag (or two) of fresh cranberries to throw in the freezer for future desserts, bakes, and sauces. Dried cranberries are also always in my pantry, to add to cookies, granola, gorp, or just for noshing. Here are some other ideas for cooking with cranberries: WHIRL a thin-skinned orange (peel and all) with a 12-oz bag of fresh cranberries and ½ cup sugar in the food processor for almost instant fresh cranberry sauce. Refrigerate overnight or serve right away. COMBINE fresh cranberries and apples in your crisp recipes, topped with buttery crumbs and seasoned with cinnamon. MAKE a cranberry mignonette for Island oysters (fresh or fried) with chopped fresh cranberries, green onion, balsamic vinegar, and coarsely ground black pepper. THINK about cranberry curd (instead of lemon curd) for pies or tarts TRY a steamy hot toddy with orange spice tea, cranberry juice, orange juice, honey, and cinnamon, plus a shot of whisky or orange liqueur MAKE a white chocolate bark studded with red dried cranberries and green chopped pistachios. SUBSTITUTE dried cranberries for raisins in recipes for scones or oatmeal cookies. You can even try stirring some leftover cranberry sauce into your muffin batter before baking. ADD fresh (or frozen) cranberries to citrusy marmalade or raspberry jam recipes, or make spicy cranberry chutney with ginger, garlic, and hot peppers — all tasty and colourful homemade gifts. COMBINE cranberry juice, white wine, sliced oranges, and orange brandy for a ruby-red holiday sangria to serve with soda water and ice. You can even add whole cranberries to ice-cube trays for a festive touch. (see Cinda’s cranberry biscotti recipe pg. 27)
PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM/KONGXINZHU
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RECIPE + S T Y LING + PHO T OGR A PH Y
Isabelle Bulota 24
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023
Loaded Hasselback Butternut Squash
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This Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe uses a simple technique to add flavour and tenderness to a favourite holiday vegetable.
he hasselback cooking method refers to the slicing of something (often potatoes) into thin, even slices not quite all the way through. This allows for more surface area for marinades to seep into every slice, resulting in a tender and flavourful dish. I’ve used the method to cook a butternut squash that will enhance your holiday gatherings with a festive spirit and a harmonious blend of flavours.
Squash 1 large butternut squash 1 Tbsp olive oil Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste 50 g prosciutto slices
Marinade 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp maple syrup 2 tsp balsamic vinegar Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Toppings 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves ¼ cup goat cheese (optional) Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the skin off the squash using a peeler, then cut the squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Rub each half with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the squash halves on the baking sheet, cut side down. Drop the prosciutto slices on the baking sheet around the squash. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the squash begins to soften. This initial roasting will make it easier to create the hasselback cuts. While the squash is roasting, prepare the marinade. Combine the garlic, olive oil, maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar
in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together until wellcombined. Remove the partially roasted squash from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Set the crispy prosciutto aside. Using a very sharp knife, carefully slice through the squash at ¼ inch intervals, crosswise, without cutting all the way through. You can place two wooden spoons or chopsticks on either side of the squash to act as a barrier and prevent cutting through. Carefully place the scored squash halves back onto the baking sheet with the scored sides facing up. Brush half of the prepared marinade over the top of each squash half, ensuring that it seeps into the cuts. Return the squash to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven and brush with the remaining marinade. Roast for another 20 minutes or until the squash is cooked through. Meanwhile, place the pumpkin seeds, crispy prosciutto, and thyme on a cutting board and chop coarsely together. Once cooked, remove the Hasselback butternut squash from the oven. Top with the goat cheese and the prosciuttopumpkin seed mixture. 25
JACQUELINE DOWNEY
ee
Italian Lemon Drop Cookies
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Yield 2 dozen
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature ½ cup sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 1 Tbsp lemon juice, about ½ a medium-large lemon 1 Tbsp lemon zest, about 1 medium-large lemon 2 cups all purpose flour 1 Tbsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
Glaze 1½ cups confectioner’s sugar 2 Tbsp milk 2 Tbsp butter, softened to room temperature 1 Tbsp lemon juice, about ½ a medium-large lemon 1 Tbsp lemon zest, about 1 medium-large lemon 26 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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Finali Dolci! O n
riginally served at weddings in southern Italy, anginetti are now a holiday staple in North America. Not as sweet as some other holiday treats, these light, cake-like cookies, with bursts of lemon throughout and a lemon glaze for a hint more sweetness, are a must-have at any time of the year. And they take only 35 minutes, start to finish. CYNTHIA ANNETT-HYNES
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicon baking sheet. In a stand mixer (or in a bowl using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, lemon juice, and zest, and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl a third at a time and mix on low speed. Dough will be sticky. Drop dough onto baking sheet 2 inches apart in about 1 Tbsp portions. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until bottoms just start to brown. Let cool on the cookie sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack with a sheet of tinfoil under it and continue to cool.
Make the glaze by combining all ingredients in a stand mixer (or in a bowl using a hand mixer) and beat until incorporated. Thin with a little water or milk if glaze is too thick; it should be honey consistency, or slightly thinner. Once cookies are almost completely cooled, dip the top of each cookie three-quarters of the way down into the glaze. Place back on cooling rack to let extra glaze drip off and the glaze to firm up. Decorate with extra lemon zest, colourful sprinkles, or leave plain. Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you are planning on freezing the cookies, don’t glaze them before freezing. Freeze for up to 2 months. Once unfrozen and at room temperature, cookies can be glazed and decorated.
Celebrate Holidays the
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hese classic, double-baked Italian cookies are a treat to serve with coffee and an elegant way to end a meal. They’re also extremely portable (i.e., good for sending or giving) and with red and green ingredients, so beautifully seasonal! This recipe makes a big batch.
Cranberry, Pistachio, and White Chocolate Biscotti Yield 4–5 dozen
¾ cup softened, unsalted butter 2 cups granulated sugar 3 eggs 3½ cups sifted pastry flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ cup lightly toasted pistachios (or slivered almonds) ½ cup dried cranberries 1 cup white chocolate chips plus extra for dipping or drizzling (optional) Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine the pastry flour and baking powder. Gradually add half the flour mixture to the batter, beating to incorporate. With a wooden spoon, mix in the nuts, cranberries, and chocolate
chips. Stir in the remainder of the flour mixture and incorporate. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and separate into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into a rope about 12 to 14 inches long. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the ropes side by side, leaving at least 3 inches of space for the dough to expand into slightly flattened logs as it bakes. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the logs are firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let them cool for 20 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut each log on an angle into ½-inch-thick biscotti. Lay the biscotti on the baking sheet, cut side down, and return to the oven for 5 minutes on each side to brown lightly and crisp. If desired, drizzle melted chocolate over the biscotti once they’ve cooled, or dip one end of each biscotti in melted chocolate and chill until chocolate sets.
Enjoy festive drinks fireside, attend a Holiday Movie Night, indulge in a variety of culinary delights, and ring in the New Year in style with an iconic celebration. Whether creating new traditions or cherishing long-lasting memories, experience the epitome of holiday splendor at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel this winter season. OAKBAYBEACHHOTEL.COM
Recipe from The Guy Can’t Cook by Cinda Chavich. 27
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