Real Food

Italian: Beyond Pasta

2009-06-06T17:12:00.020-05:00

I made a little Italian inspired meal today, and I think it really shows off what you can do with Italian food beyond pasta. On the "menu" today was: Beef Short Ribs Braised in Sangiovese, Olive Oil Roast Potatoes, and Green Beans with Chive Butter. In addition, I put together a nice antipasto plate with Coppa Calabrese, Emmi Luzerner Rahmkase (a creamy Swiss cheese), old cheddar, roasted red peppers, olives, and some nice fresh Italian bread.

For wine, I went with a Bolla Soave 2007 to match with the antipasto, and the Di Majo Norante Sangiovese 2007 I used to braise the short ribs. I also have a bottle PKNT Cabernet Sauvignon, which will pair well with the meat.

I got most of the ingredients for today's meal at DeLuca's Specialty Foods on Portage, with the exception of the ribs (from my local grocery store), and the chives (which are home grown).

Anti Pasto

Short Ribs

What you need:

Meat: Some short ribs... as many as you want to eat, some pancetta, bacon, or another cured meat (here is used copppa).

Veg: Onion, celery, carrot, crushed tomatoes

Herb/Spice: Red wine (not really a spice, I know), salt and pepper

What to do:

1. Heat some olive oil over medium high heat in a large stock pot or dutch oven, and then add your short ribs (I used about 11 because they were small) and brown on all sides. Remove from pot.

2. When the ribs are brown and you've taken them out, add two large onions chopped, a couple carrots sliced, a few celery stocks chopped, and a handful of the cured meat (chopped into small cubes) to the pot. Cook until soft and light and just turning a light brown.

3. When you think you've done the veg enough, add two cups of a relatively full bodied red wine, and two cups of crushed tomatoes to the pan. Crank the heat and bring to a boil.

4. When the liquid is boiling, return the ribs, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 2 hours or so until the meat is tender.

5. When the ribs are almost falling off the bone, remove them from the liquid and put them under the broiler until they are nice and crisp.

6. In the meantime, strain the cooking liquid, and put it back on high heat, and reduce to about a cup and a half or so.

7. Adjust the salt and pepper in the sauce, and then pour over ribs. (You can do one more stint under the broiler after you sauce them if you'd like).

8. Get up in them ribs before they all gone.

Potatoes

What you need:

Veg: Potatoes

Herb/Spice: Garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, flat leaf Italian parsley

What to do:

1. Wash potatoes, and then put in a pot of water - bring to a boil.

2. Partially cook the potatoes, and then remove and let cool.

3. When cool, smash the potatoes with the palm of your hand so they are a bit flat.

4. Put some 4 tbspn of olive oil on baking sheet, and add a few smashed cloves of garlic. Put in an oven preheated to 450F.

5. Let the garlic brown in the oil a bit, and then remove and discard. Add the potatoes, tossing to coat in olive oil. Add salt and pepper liberally.

6. Roast in the oven until brown and crispy, adding more olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

7. Toss with chopped Italian parsley.

Green Beans

What you need:

Veg: Green beans

Herb/Spice: Garlic, chives, butter, salt and pepper

What to do:

1. Make chive butter: Mix chopped chives with some softened butter, and then roll in plastic wrap and put in fridge to harden (you can then just chop pieces off for whatever your needs are. It will keep well in the freezer). Alternatively, just throw butter and chopped chives into the pot at the end of this recipe instead of chive butter.

2. Steam green beans (small pot, a little water on the bottom)

3. Add a few dabs of the chive butter, and salt and pepper to taste.

There it is! A relatively easy and cheap (depending on your wine) meal that looks classy and expensive!

Drinks.... and McNulty.

How not to "Cook/Bake" 101

2009-06-02T13:39:00.004-05:00

Those quotation marks in the title are necessary, because I don't even know what to call this. It's not so much cooking or baking as it is opening shitty store bought prepared products and combining them to make some sort of monstrosity. Really, I don't even think I need to comment more on this; but it is a great example of why the Food Network (more so in the U.S. than in Canada) is ruining people with their Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee, and sadly, the formerly good, but recently sold out Tyler Florence. I'm sorry if this post makes you sick, but it has to be done. The infamous "Kwanzaa Cake"

Maaarge....we're missing the chili!!

2009-05-30T20:40:00.038-05:00

I was recently inspired by an acquaintance (Yak, ma man!) to make some chili. I haven't made chili in a long time, which is strange, because I love it, and used to make it all the time. But while I've made it probably one hundred times, I've generally stuck to the same old style - ground beef/pork/tomatoes/chili powder/onion/kidney and baked beans. I've ventured away from this model a few times, but never anything radically different. Perhaps this is why I haven't made it in a while; it just didn't seem exciting anymore. So when Yak told me about his short rib and chipotle chili, I was intrigued. I thought to myself "I have to try that", but quickly I decided it would be even better just to come up with something on my own, a bit different than something that had been made before. So I went shopping, looked in my pantry and fridge, and decided on New Mexico Beef Shank Chili. It might just be my new soul mate.

From my perspective chili is all about the chilies you use. I'm calling this "New Mexico" because I used dried and ground New Mexico chilies (red and green) as the main spice. These peppers have a great flavour and intense fragrance, but do not bring too much heat to the chili. I supplemented them with ordinary chili powder, some cumin, and a whole dried red hot chili for some heat. I also added 3 fresh jalapenos, chopped in relatively large pieces. Those were the chilies that made the base of my chili.

I chose beef shank because it is one of the most flavourful cuts of beef, and it is perfect for low and slow simmering.

One final note. I used my slow cooker for most of this cooking. I let it go for about 8 hours. Near the end, however, I was getting impatient (and hungry) so I transferred the chili to my dutch oven, put it on the stove and turned up the heat heat. I like my chili THICK, and a slow cooker doesn't let much moisture out. So if you want to thicken it up, this is a good thing when you are about 15 minutes away from being ready to eat.

What you need:

Meat: Beef shanks x 3, chicken or beef stock

Veg: Some bell peppers - 2 to 5 - mixed colours make it look nicer, onions, garlic, a can of cannellini beans, a can of black beans, and a large can of tomatoes (28 oz).

Spice/Herb: Ground dried red and green New Mexico chilies, whole dried hot chili, chili powder, cumin, jalapenos [You can use any chili or combination of chilies], a splash of vinegar, slat, pepper, sugar, salt and pepper

Garnish/Fixins: Green onions, lime juice, sharp cheddar cheese

Other: Chili spoon [preferably carved from a bigger spoon]

What to do:

Let me first say one thing. I mentioned that the chilies are the most important thing when making chili. The next most important thing is to layer the flavours. I mean, you could just throw all these ingredients into a pot or slow cooker and simmer away for 5 hours and you'd have a perfectly good chili. But if you take the time to layer the flavours your chili will take on whole new flavour dimensions and complexity. In this chili, I layered the flavours in three ways. First, I add my spices (chilies, cumin, salt, pepper, sugar) in several batches throughout the cooking process. Usually three. Right at the start, once in the middle, and again at the end to taste. Since the chilies mellow out over time, each addition will give off different flavours and aromas from the chili. It really makes a difference. Second, I brown the meat. This may seem obvious, but it is a must. Lastly, I caramelized the onion with some garlic. This brings a whole new dimension to the whole thing. Now for how its done. It's really quite simple.

1. If you are using a slow cooker, but about half a cup of stock, and the tomatoes in and turn it on as high as it goes. Since it takes slow cookers a long time to heat up, and you really should cook this for at least 8 hours, you might as well start with this.

2. Throw your first batch of spices, along with all the peppers, chopped into chunks.

3. Salt and pepper, and then brown off the beef shanks in some vegetable oil (in batches if necessary) , adding them to the chili once they get a deep golden brown.

4. In the same pan you browned the meat in, add a bit more oil, and then one large or two medium onions, sliced, to the pan. Turn the heat to medium, and let them get soft.

5. As the onion are cooking, add a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and some black pepper. Mix it all in. The salt will help them soften faster, and the sugar will help the caramelization. Add in 3 or 4 garlic cloves chopped finely.

6. Turn the heat down to medium low, and let cook until they are a deep deep brown. (I added some dried ancho chili halfway through for even another layer of flavour. Not necessary though). When they are done, add them to the chili.

7. Add a splash of vinegar, the beans (drained and rinsed), and if needed, more stock to cover the meat. You can also add some tomato paste here if you want it even more tomato-ier. Let cook for 8 hours or longer (if you can stand it!).

8. At around 5 or six hours, remove the meat from the chili. It will be breaking apart by now, so make sure you dig around and get it all. Put it on a large plate or platter, remove the excess fat and the bones (but get the marrow out first!), and then shred the meat (and the marrow) together with two forks. Toss the shredded meat with your second batch of spices, then add it back to the chili. Cook for another couple hours.

9. Anytime in the last half hour, you can transfer to the stove to reduce more vigorously.

10. Add your final batch of chili spices. Taste, and adjust further. I like my chili to have a really intense flavour, so in the end I think I probably end up putting about 3/4 of a cup to a full cup of spices total (all the chilies, salt, pepper, sugar, cumin, etc.).

11. When you think it is done, remove from the heat, add a few chopped green onions, and give it a squeeze of lime. Stir and serve topped with grated cheese if you desire.

Toast or rice make good sides for chili. I used fresh bread sticks.

This chili turned out to be one of the best I've ever made (in my opinion). I'm not sure I'll ever go back to ground meat ever again. Next time, I will mix up the chilies a bit and try chipotle and ancho. I'll probably try a different cut of meat as well.

Korean Style Beef & Noodle Soup

2009-05-29T19:13:00.003-05:00

I've been on a bit of an Asian kick lately, and earlier this week I had a real desire for a good soup. So I modified something I'd made before (Korean Oxtail Soup - aka Gori Gom Tang) into a nice noodle soup with a soy sesame ginger dipping sauce for the meat. It turned out really well. Here is what you'll need.

Meat: I used beef short ribs and a large chuck steak.

Herb/Spice: Salt, ginger, garlic, hot chilies (dried or fresh), black pepper, soy sauce, dark sesame oil, some dark vinegar - balsamic will do.

Garnish/Fixins: green onions, toasted sesame seeds, dipping sauce (recipe to follow), wheat and egg noodles (as opposed to rice)

What to do:

1. Put all your meat (as much as you want) into a large stock pot or dutch oven and cover with water (7-9 cups or so), add in a few Toonie sized slices of ginger (4 or 5) and a tablespoon of salt or so. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partially cover and cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender

2. In the meantime, make the dipping sauce (Half of this goes directly into the soup and the other half is for dipping): In a small bowl, mix together a few tablespoons of soy sauce, about a third as much sesame oil, some crushed/chopped hot peppers to taste, a couple cloves of minced garlic, some black pepper, and some sesame seeds. Taste and adjust heat and soy - if it is a bit strong, you can add a small splash of stock or water.

3. When the meat is tender, remove it and take it off the bone/break into bite sized pieces.

4. Add half the dipping sauce mixture to the soup, and a splash of vinegar; taste and adjust seasoning with anything that is in the dipping sauce. If you want more ginger, you can add some minced/grated at this time too (If it seems to have reduced too much, you can add some more water at this point).
.
5. Return the meat to the soup, and simmer for a bit longer, maker sure it really is tender.

6. Add some wheat egg/wheat noodles right before you are read to eat, and wait until they are cooked (I suggest adding only as many noodles as you want to eat at that time). Alternatively, prepare the noodles separately in boiling water.

7. Serve topped with chopped green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and Asian hot sauce to taste. As you eat, dip the pieces of meat in the sauce. If you are lazy, you can just add all the seasoning mixture to the soup and eat it.

Done and delicious!

An Entry from the "Road": Where to dine at Toronto's Pearson Int'l Airport (Terminal 1)

2009-05-24T18:31:00.002-05:00

Now I've spent my fair share of time at the Toronto airport. For the past six years, anytime I've flown home to Sault Ste. Marie, I've had at least an hour lay over in Toronto. And even on days like today, where I'm just a tad early at the airport for my flight back to Winnipeg, I like to eat!

I've patronized most of the dining and drinking options in Terminal 1, which is where you'll be if you fly anywhere on Air Canada. So here is what you have to choose from, and what I've thought of them as airport dining options.

The Exchange Cafe - 2.8/5

This the place I eat at the most, mainly due to its proximity to the gates where Soo flights tend to go from. I go there often enough that one of the waitresses knows me!

The menu is pretty limited, so I usually just go with the burger, which comes topped with bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce and onion, and fries on the side. The burgers are ok, but fries are quite delicious. I've also had the steak sandwich there, which essentially is a whole, but moderately sized sirloin sitting on a bun topped with grilled peppers and onions. Its not great, but its not terrible either. Other things on the menu include pizza, some wraps, some soups, etc. The main dishes tend to be priced between $10 and $20.

There is a full bar, but the on tap beer. Selection is limited to Molson Canadian, Coors Light, and Rickard's Red. The domestic beer is about $9 a pint.

Hogtown Bar and Grill - 2.9/5

Hogtown's menu is very similar to the Exchange's. There may be some slight variations, but I'm pretty sure the food is the same. I've been there twice, and both times had the burger and fries. I don't think I could tell the difference. One thing they do have, which the Exchange doesn't, is a bit of sushi. I haven't tried it, but it looks alright for pre-made sushi.

The bar service at Hogtown is also the same as the Exchange.

One benefit of Hogtown is that it is in a really nice and open part of the terminal. The seating is out in the open, and just fenced off, so it's great for people watching. Also, if it's daytime, the sun shines through the 100 foot high glass ceiling.

Prices are on par with other places reviewed here.

Casey's On Stage - 2.8/5

I just at Casey's for the first time today. It offers a nice change from the previous two eateries. The menu is much larger, and even the things that are the same, such as the bacon-cheese burger (which I had... mainly for comparison), are a bit different.

The menu at Casey's offers lunch-type fare, such as sandwiches and burgers, but also has bigger, more dinner oriented dishes like ribs, steaks, pasta, and seafood. Additionally, the on-tap beer selections is a bit more diverse, adding Alexander Keith's and Stella Artois to the mix.

The bacon-cheese burger at Casey's had potential to be better than anything else I've had at the airport, but in the end, 'm not sure what to think. The burger seemed to be more "real" at Casey's, ingredient-wise, but its preparation wasn't that good. The way in which it was assembled basically cooked the lettuce (I guess it was right next to the hot burger). Furthermore, the "toasted bun," which was relatively fresh kaiser roll, was a bit soggy. The french fries were also way way under par, compared with those at Hogtown and the Exchange.

Overall I was not impressed, but because of the greater variety of dishes on the menu, I could see myself trying it out again. But if I want a burger, I'll be going somewhere else.

Prices at Casey's were about the same as the other two.

Now these three places don't represent every dining option in Terminal 1, but they are three of the maybe four or five "full service" restaurants available. These are the ones you will be close to if you are flying domestically on Air Canada. There are a few other smaller cafes and bars as well as the other restaurants that I have not tried out yet.

I don't know what it is, but I can't resist sitting down for a beer and a bite when I'm in this airport. Even if the food is mediocre at best, there is something about it that can make a weary traveler very happy.

I will update this post when I eat at some of the other eateries, during future lay overs.

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

A feast from the Subcontinent

2009-05-18T20:04:00.021-05:00

I've made it sort of a goal of mine to cook at least one big, ostensibly elaborate - but in fact quite simple, dinner each week during the summer. I seem to have a lot of time on my hands, and what better way to spend that time than cooking!

So today when I woke up on the holiday Monday, I decided I needed to make a good dinner. I had Indian food in my head because I haven't had it in ages. So I flipped through couple of books, and got some ideas.

I decided on 3 main dishes; two meat, and one vegetable.

I'd make Pork Vindaloo: pork shoulder braised in a dark sauce flavoured primarily with cinnamon, as well as coriander seed, cardamom, cloves, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, mustard seed, and thinned with white vinegar.

I'd also make what I'll call a Cardamom Coconut Red Chicken Curry. This dish might be reminiscent of Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken, but the spice composition is somewhat different, and I think it is tastier and superior to the two former dishes.

Lastly, I made a curried cauliflower dish with some homemade curry powder that I'd made on a previous occasion.

To go along with these dishes, I made a raita (yogurt sauce/dip), basmati rice, and I got some naan bread, as well as pappdams. Then I made a Lassi Meethi for dessert. Here is what you'll need to do this one!

Pork Vinadloo

Meat: A few pounds of pork shoulder, cut into chunks

Herb/Spice: garlic, ginger, cinnamon, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, ground cloves, mustard seed/powder, cardamom, salt, black pepper, vinegar

Garnish/Fixins: Chopped cilantro

What to do:

1. Toss a couple tablespoons of a neutral oil into a medium saucepan over medium heat, and all the ingredients except the pork, vinegar, and cilantro

2. After about a minute of cooking the spices in the oil, at the pork and raise the heat to medium high. Cook for about a minute

3. Add the vinegar, and a bit of water to cover the meat.

4. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about an hour and a half - longer if you want.

5. When the pork it tender, check the sauce - adjust thickness as desired (I like to reduce it enough that it sticks to the meat well).

6. Serve topped with chopped cilantro

Cardamom Coconut Red Chicken Curry

Meat: Some chicken pieces - preferably dark meat on the bone - I used four whole legs

Veg: a can of tomatoes, fresh chilies (jalapeno or Thai, or anything you can find), onion

Herb/Spice: Cardamom, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt and pepper, a can of coconut milk, butter

Garnish/Fixins: Chopped Cilantro

What to do:

1. Melt some butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, and throw in 2 onions, sliced - cook until soft.

2. When the onions are soft, add a couple tablespoons each of garlic and ginger (both minced), as well as a couple fresh chilies (seeded, stemmed, and chopped finely) - cook for a minute.

3. Add the can of tomatoes, liquid and all, and break up the tomatoes with whatever you are stirring with - Let simmer for 10 minutes

4. Add the coconut milk, followed by the chicken (I suggest taking the skin off if there is any; but left on the bone) - Bring to a strong simmer and let cook for at least an hour.

5. [Optional] After about an hour, I decided to remove the chicken from the sauce and take the chicken off the bone. You don't have to do this if you don't want to.

6. [Optional] Also, while the chicken was out, I added a dollop of butter, and pureed the sauce with a stick blender to bring it to a really nice velvety texture. Return the chicken to the sauce.

7. Add a handful of chopped cilantro, and stir. Also, taste and adjust the seasonings - add more of all the spices if you want to add a bit more depth of flavour. It will probably need a bit of salt.

7. Serve topped with chopped cilantro

Curried Cauliflower

Veg: head of cauliflower, trimmed and left whole

Herb/Spice: curry powder, neutral oil, lemon juice, cumin

What to do:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the cauliflower, and cook for about 10 minutes or until its tender.

2. If you are doing this an hour or two ahead, just remove it from the water and let it cool. If not, throw it into a bowl with ice water to cool it down right away. When its cool, break it into small pieces.

3. Add about 3 tablespoons of oil to a large non-stick fry pan and put to medium heat; then add the curry powder. Stir until the curry powder turns a dark. But be careful not to burn it!

4. Add the cauliflower and toss in the oil and curry powder, and add some salt and pepper. Cook until the cauliflower is coated, heated, and turning a nice brown colour.

5. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Garnish with more curry powder, some cumin (seeds if you have them), cayenne pepper (if you want to make it a bit spicy), and the juice of half a lemon. Serve!

Raita

*This is one variation on many that you could make

What you'll need:

Plain Yogurt (I like the Mediterranean style - its thicker and I think it works better)
Cucumber - grated
Cumin
Mustard Powder
Sugar
Salt.

Stir all together in a bowl. Adjusting all the seasonings to taste. It is supposed to be a cooling condiment to go with some of the hotter dishes.

Lassi Meethi

Alright, here is a bonus thing I made for dessert. Lassi is a thick yogurt based drink that can be made either savoury or sweet. Here, since it was for dessert, it was obviously sweet.

What you need:

A cup or so of plain yogurt,
A cup or so of ice cubes
A bit of cold water
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Cardamom - 1 tsp or more to taste

Blend everything together in a blender, adjusting water, ice, yogurt for desired thickness, and other ingredients for desired flavour. They are incredible.

There you have it! A holiday weekend-ending Indian fest. This all turned out very well tonight, and we demolished the food. Luckily I made a lot of everything so I'll have something to bring to work for lunch everyday this week, albeit a very shortened week!

Pork Braised in Coconut Milk

2009-05-16T16:50:00.005-05:00

While I was writing my last post a little while ago, I was also cooking up some late lunch/early dinner for myself on this fine Saturday afternoon. I had some cilantro that I bought at Organic Planet last week that needed using, so I decided to do something Southeast Asian. Since pork prices are rock bottom - this dish seemed perfect. I JUST ate it, and it was amazing.

Meat: Pork shoulder (2-3 lbs) cut into 2 inch pieces

Herb/Spice: coconut milk, a couple fresh hot chilies (Thai are preferable, but I had to go with jalapenos, because that is what I could get), a few cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, and nam pla (Asian fish sauce)

Garnish/Fixins: Chopped cilantro and green onions, some Sriracha or other hot sauce, a few lime wedges

What to do:

1. Brown off the pieces of pork in a large sauce pan, adding salt and pepper while doing so.

2. Add garlic and chilies and garlic (both minced), and stir for a minute or so.

3. Add a can of coconut milk and the equivalent of a can of water or some light stock (You can double up on the coconut milk if you want it even richer) and a couple tablespoons of nam pla.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a lower heat and simmer for about 2 hours.

5. When the pork is tender, check the liquid - if it looks like a good "saucy" consistency, its good. If its a bit runny, reduce it a tad. If its a bit thick, add some more liquid!

6. Remove from the heat, stir in a handful of cilantro and green onion.

7. Serve, topped with more of the garnish, some hot sauce, a few squeezes of lime, and some sticky or jasmine rice!

Easy Roast Chicken with a Kick!

2009-05-16T15:27:00.005-05:00

Alright folks, here is something I have tried a few times when roasting a chicken. The idea if from Mario Batali's book, Molto Italiano. He calls it the Devil's Chicken. It gives the chicken a great crispy crust, and a nice kick.

Meat: 1 whole chicken

Veg: Anything to make a small salad with. Mario suggests a cherry tomato, red onion, and parsley salad with a red wine vinaigrette (What I did the first time I made this - very good). This time I did a red and green bell pepper and cucumber salad because that is what I had

Herb/Spice: Dijon mustard, a whole lot of fresh cracked black pepper, salt, extra virgin olive oil

Garnish/Fixins: Some spicy extra virgin olive oil

What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry.

2. Rub or brush chicken with olive oil, and then sprinkle very liberally with salt and pepper - inside and out.

3. Put chicken on a roasting rack and cook for about 45 minutes - you want it to get nice and brown

4. In the meantime, mix together about two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, with about a quarter cup (yeah, that's right, a quarter CUP) of fresh cracked black pepper, and about a tablespoon of olive oil.

5. When chicken is brown, remove and brush all with the mustard/pepper mixture; then return to the oven until it is done - about 30 minutes, or until the deepest part of the thigh registers about 165 Fahrenheit with a meat thermometre.

6. Carve it up, serve with salad, and drizzle with olive oil!

Done. Easy and delicious. Try it.

Restaurant Review: The Tallest Poppy

2009-05-15T10:07:00.013-05:00

The Tallest Poppy: 3.9/5

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of having lunch at The Tallest Poppy here in Winnipeg. This restaurant, located at 631 Main Street serves up fresh, local, organic food on a menu that changes daily.

Inside, the restaurant is nothing special, but very comfortable - you would expect it to be filled with hipsters, but that was not the case at all. There are about eight tables, some minimalist decor (albeit with a very cool ceiling), the counter, and the menu board featuring the day's offerings. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and feel, with patrons coming from all walks of life from business persons to street people, to our group that was heading off to a tasting at the Winnipeg Wine Festival right after lunch. In addition to the restaurant's feel, the owner was very hands on with service and made sure we, as well as every other customer, was welcomed and had everything they wanted. Our server was also quite knowledgeable and friendly as we, jokingly, pummeled her with questions about everything from what the best thing on the menu was, to where all the ingredients came from.

Since it was around noon on a Saturday when we went, the menu was a mix of breakfast and lunch dishes. On the menu that day were a number of sandwiches (roast chicken and pork) served with ruffled potato chips, their classic style breakfast, a breakfast sandwich, an egg strata, and a several other things.

All of the Tallest Poppy's sandwiches are made with their fresh homemade challah, which I thought was exquisite! They serve this bread as their toast as well. I chose the roast chicken sandwich, which had pieces roast dark meat chicken, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes, cheddar cheese, as well as some mayo. It was awesome. One of my dining-mates also had this sandwich, and claimed, with absolutely no reservations, that it was the best sandwich he'd ever had in Winnipeg. It's incredible how something so simple can be made so special by using fresh, high quality ingredients, and really good bread.

Overall I had a great experience at this neat little eatery, and will definitely be making a return visit. If you want something fresh and tasty, I suggest you check it out. Try going in and just asking them to "make something good" and you won't be disappointed!

Prices at the Tallest Poppy are extremely reasonably, with almost everything on that day's menu coming in at under $10 (The sandwiches were about $6). The Tallest Poppy also does family style fixed menu brunches, that include several courses of whatever the chef decides to whip up for that day. I haven't tried it yet, but I definitely will.

This is so good I don't know where I am...

2009-05-03T19:50:00.032-05:00

or remember my name.

Today, for the first time, I made my favourite dish to eat in the world: Mole Poblano (pronounced "mole-ay") [In reality, this probably isn't very "Poblano"; it's more just a way to make a dark mole, which is characteristic of that from the Peubla region]. This is a labour intensive, time consuming Mexican dish that is more complex than probably anything you've ever tasted. The version I made was relatively simple (a slight variation on Mark Bittman's recipe in The Best Recipes in the World), but traditionally these recipes will have over 30 ingredients, involving as many as 10 different kinds of chiles.

Mole Poblano is the dark, rich sauce made primarily from a variety of fresh and dried chiles, tomatoes, onions, garlic, stock, and unsweetened chocolate or cocoa. It comes together as a rich, dark,velvety sauce that is a match made in heavan for chicken; or even better: turkey (So tonight I did both chicken and turkey with my mole).

You may ask: if this is your favourite thing to eat in the world, then why is this the first time you've ever made it? I might answer: I've never been able to get the variety of dried chiles necessary. The actual types of dried chiles you get isn't all that important, because pretty much every family in certain Mexican regions have their own recipe. What is important is that you get a variety. I had my mom pick up some for me in Florida recently. I four types of Mexican dried chiles: Whole dried chipotles (aka smoked jalepenos), ground ancho chiles, ground red New Mexico chiles, and ground green New Mexico chiles. I also got some whole dried Thai bird's eye chiles, but those are for another entry!

If you can get a few types of dried Meixcan chiles, you can make Mole Poblano. This is also probably a spot to mention that there are countless varieties of mole which you can make (just google it!), but Poblano, or from the region of Peubla, is my favourite.

I served my turkey/chicken Mole Poblano with some slow cooked beans, and "Arroz Mexicano" (aka Mexican rice").

Here's what I did.

Mole Poblano

Meat: Turkey and chicken legs, chicken broth/stock

Veg: Whole canned plum tomatoes, jalapenos, onions

Spice: Cinnamon, dried chipotle pepper, dried ground ancho pepper, dried ground red and green New Mexico chiles, bay leaves, thyme, cliantro, unsweetened chocolate, salt and pepper

Garnish/Fixins: Cilantro, fresh tomatoes, hot sauce, corn tortillas

1. Put the fresh and dried (chipotle) jalapenos in the bottom of a hot, dry stock pot, and char them a bit, but not too much, then remove and put aside.

2. Reduce the heat under the stockpot, add some extra virgin olive oil, and then the onions (chopped), garlic (minced), and about a quarter cup of chopped cilantro - cook until onions are soft.

3. In the meantime, stem and seed the fresh jalapenos, and cut into pieces.

4. When the onions are soft, add about a cup and a half of chopped tomates (canned will be better if the fresh ones aren't that good), about 2 cups of chicken stock, the cinnamon, thyme, bay leaves, the fresh and dried jalapenos, all the rest of the chiles. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for a while.. maybe half an hour.

5. Once its had time for the flavours to blend, add about 1 ounce (one full sqare of baker's chocolate) of unsweetened chocolate, and stir while it blends in. Continue to simmer.

6. At some point after its simmered a bit longer, either use a stick blender to puree the sauce, or allow to cool slightly, transfer to a blender, and puree. Continue to simmer the sauce.

7. At this point preheat your oven to 400, and then put some olive oil on a baking sheet, and the pieces of poultry, as well as some salt and pepper. Throw it in the oven and cook for about 10-15 minutes, and then turn the broiler on to brown the skin. Once its pretty nice and crip, transfer the meat to the simmering sauce. Allow to cook for about 20 minutes..

8. At this point, the chicken/turkey skin will be a bit soft, so I removed it from the sauce, and put it back under the broiler until it gets all nice and almost "grilled" looking. All the while continuing to simmer the sauce.

9. Now I added more chicken stock throughout the sauce cooking, especially to help cook the poultry. But in the end, you want it to be thick, so while the poultry is browning under the broiler, reduce the sauce on high heat until it coats the back of a spoon - or even thicker if you want. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

10. Take the poultry out of the oven, put on a serving platter or something big enough to carry it, and top with a generous portion of the mole, and the garnish with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds.

11. Get your fixins together: Wrap corn tortillas in foil and heat in oven/toaster oven for about 10 minutes (Corn tortiallas NEED to be hot, or they will crack); Slice a couple tomatoes (I salt and peppered them, gave them a squeeze of lime, and topped with some cilantro as well), more chopped cilantro, hot sauce, and the left over mole sauce.

12. Assemble tacos with pieces of the poultry that you've torn off the bone (shredding it a bit is the best) - I like to top it with extra mole, hot sauce, cilantro, and tomatoes. Sometimes I like just the meat and sauce on the corn tortilla alone.

Beans

What you need: A bag of dried red kidney beans (what I used) or black beans, some cumin, several cloves of garlic, a couple lime wedges, water, and some time!)

What to do:

1. If you have time, soak the beans overnight - this will greatly reduce the cooking time.

2. Then put beans in a sauce pan, cover liberally with water, and bring to a boil

3. When it comes to a boil, add a tablepsoon of cumin, and a few smashed garlic cloves

4. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until beans are tender (at least an hour --> I cooked mine for 3.5 hours to get them to a glorious texture - they weren't pre-soaked) - You will likely have to add more liquid to keep the beans covered (either water or broth)

5. I chose to take a potato masher to mine about 2 hours in to release all the starch and break the beans up.

6. When they are nice and broken down and in a big mass; they are done.

When they are ready, add another tablespoon of cumin, a couple minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and a couple squeezes of lime. Combine and serve!

Arroz Mexicano

What you need: long grain rice, an onion, some garlic cloves, a couple tomatoes, chicken broth, and a bit of oil.

What to do:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, and add rice. Stir until the rice is golden brown.

2. In the meantime, puree the tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a paste in a blender/food processor.

3. When the rice if brown, add the puree to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.

4. Add the broth (about twice the amount of rice you have; i.e. one cup of rice and two cups of liquid), bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until rice is tender - about 20-30 minutes)

5. Toss the rice with a fork - or "fluff" it, I guess is what its called, and serve!

That is it! A great Mexican Sunday dinner here in Winnipeg. Andrew and I just gorged on that. I wanted to make this in honour of my favourite restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie closing - Los Mexicanos. Mole is pretty much the only thing I ever ordered there. It was amazing there, although tonight's turned out to as good, if not better! I am very happy. Now I can make this again and again (until I run out of chiles, at least).

Best. Meal. Ever.

Mobile Blogging

2009-05-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

I'm just seeing how this mobile blogging works.

I'm currently chilling at the Hogtown Bar and Grill in Terminal 1 of Pearson International Airport in Toronto. Just had a burger and a few overpriced beers - but it always tastes extra good at the airport! This should make my flight to Winnipeg much more enjoyable. It already made the lay over bearable!

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Restaurant Review: Bali (Sault Ste. Marie)

2009-05-02T10:46:00.005-05:00

Bali : 3.5/5

Last night I had the pleasure of having dinner at what is one of the best restaurants in the Sault since my favourite place of all time, Los Mexicanos, closed a couple months ago. Bali is a rare place in the Sault offering something more than generic Italian food.

Bali provides a variety of Indonesian, Chinese, and maybe a hint of Malaysian dishes in its new dining room at 523 Queen Street. The new location is quite a bit larger, and is decorated with Indonesian art. The decor really gives you the sense that this is a family run restaurant, and that the food is the main event. It really is family run, because the staff while I was there was the two young children doing service (except for alcohol, which is served by the parents), and the two parents in the back cooking and occaisionally coming out to see if everything was ok.

I had the pleasure of tasting 5 different dishes off the menu, and a few bottles of Tsing Tao beer.

Chicken Satay Appetizer
Tasty offering of six chicken skewers served with a tasty penut sauce, and a thick, sweet soy sauce. The chicken was moist, the sauce tasty, and it was served on a stick: very good starter.

Beef Rendang
I got this dish extra spicy. It could have been hotter, but it was still delicious. Thin strips of beef and pieces of carrot cooked in a flavourful cocanut sauce with a whole bunch of South-East Asian spices. Best dish of the night.

Lemongrass Chicken
Pieces of chicken cooked in a frgrant lemongrass sauce. It was very good, but my only issue was that the sauce could have been thicker, as it did not stick that well to the chicken or rice. However, I ate the sauce kind of like a soup at the end, and it was great.

Pork with Asam
This was the lone dry dish we got while we were there. I believe it is pork cooked with tamarind paste until the paste is reduced. The dish takes on an interesting smokey flavour as well. It was also very good

Tofu Dish (I can't remember what it was!)
This dish was tofu in a sauce that I think had oyster sauce in it, as well as peas and fava beans maybe? I don't know. I didn't really like this dish that much. It tasted great, but it soft tofu and I am not a big fan of that texture

There you have it. I would say that anyone in Sault Ste. Marie looking to go for dinner, or get take-out should definitely try out Bali. Even if you go with some of their more Chinese offerings, it still WAY WAY better than any other Chinese restaurant in town.

In addition to the quality of the food, it is very reasonably priced, with most dishes under $10. The two kids provide suprisingly efficient service, and everyone there is very friendly.

Check it out, because it would be a shame to see another great ethnic restaurant go down in a city with so few to start with.

Doing my (very small/likely irrelevant) part to encourage people to go to Mexico

2009-04-30T15:08:00.017-05:00

Mexico is going through a rough couple of weeks with this swine influenza. As soon as this 24-hour news network induced panic subsides, I assume that their tourism industry will continue to struggle.

I don't, however, know how people could resist going to a place that has such amazing food! I remember being in Playa del Carmen several years ago. It was 6 a.m, and the locals were all huddled around small food carts scattered around the centre of town. The smells were wonderful, and the taste even better. I love REAL Mexican food - as opposed to Tex-Mex, which usually puts people off Mexican food. That is a real shame.

So I've decided to take this opportunity of being home with my family (and having access to a new grill!) to make casual Mexican dinner for them. Last week I made fish tacos, which were incredible. That time, I used cornmeal dredged and fried pieces of Red Snapper. They were so good, that I decided to give them a go again, but this time, I used grilled wild cod. Here's what I did:

Meat: Wild Cod (But any firm white salt-water fish will do - Halibut, Snapper, Grouper, etc.)

Veg: Tomatoes, cabbage, onion

Herb/Spice: Cilantro, garlic, limes, salt, and pepper, fresh jalapenos

Garnishes/Fixins: Flour or Corn tortillas (the smaller the better), Pretty much everything above except the fish is a garnish (or will be made into a garnish)

What do to:

1. Make a "Pico de Gallo" aka Fresh tomato salsa: Chop and seed the tomatoes, and throw them in a bowl

2. Finely dice the onion, and jalapeno, and chop the cilantro - add to the tomatoes

3. Squeeze the juice of a couple of limes into the salsa

4. Salt and pepper to taste (Pretty much everything here is added to taste) - Set aside for at least 15 minutes to let flavours combine

5. Shred the cabbage

Photo: (Shredded cabbage, guacamole, cilantro, limes, jalapenos, and Pico de Gallo)

6. Mince a few cloves of garlic, and mix with the juice of a lime or two, and some salt and pepper - use this to marinate the fish (Not for more than 10 minutes, or the lime juice will "cook" the fish)

Photo: Marinade without the fish

7. Remove fish from the marinade, put on a hot grill and cook until fish flakes easily with a fork.

8. Time to put together your fish tacos! - freshen up the tortillas if necessary, and then add some a couple small pieces of fish, some cabbage, a spoonful of Pico de Gallo, and any more cilantro, jalapenos, or lime if you so desire. Wrap it or roll and the get up in them fish tacos!!

These are a classic, and delicious in my mind. I served them with some homemade guacamole (avocado, tomato, garlic, lime, salt and pepper mixed up) and chips (you can also eat any of your left over fresh salsa!), and some nice cerveza (I bought Sol and Negra Modelo - I LOVE Dos Equis, but the Beer Store was out).

Try it! Also, you can make a nice lime/garlic mayo to go on them if you want too. And if you don't have a grill, the cornmeal fried way is pretty traditional. If you don't like frying, just sear of the fish in a pan with bit of oil.

ALSO! If you like Mexican food, stay tuned for my first attempt at making my FAVOURITE Mexican dish: Mole Poblano. I just got a variety of dried chiles, which I've never been able to get before. This should come within a week or so!

Celebrity Chef Sighting

2009-04-28T21:14:00.003-05:00

So I was sitting in the Winnipeg Airport yesterday waiting for my flight to Sault Ste. Marie (via Toronto), when I look up, and who do I see but David Adjey of Restaurant Makeover fame getting off a flight from Toronto. Sadly, he walked out of the secure area before I could ask him a question, or to get a picture....or challenge him to a cooking duel!

For those of you who don't know, before being on Food Network's Restaurant Makeover, Adjey worked in some of the top restaurants in the world, was named California's Best New Chef by Frommer's, and also appeared on Iron Chef America, where he tied Iron Chef Michael Symon (Oddly enough, he is the second Canadian chef to tie an Iron Chef on that show!).

I believe he was in Winnipeg for "Centrex", a hospitality industry tradeshow at the Convention Centre.

One from back in the day: Sancocho

2009-04-26T23:30:00.002-05:00

Alright, I'm starting to get the hang of this blogging thing... maybe too much so because this is my third AND LAST, post of the day. I felt like dropping another recipe, and there is something I made last summer that I think I am going to make again very soon. It's Sancoho. This is a Colombian chicken stew that you can slow cook on the stove or in a slow cooker (but prefer the heat control of the stove for something like this) - I think you're going to start to see a trend in a lot of my cooking methods, haha - taking something cheap - give it the low and slow treatment - and badda bing some of the best food you've ever had.... But back to the Sancocho. I think I first got the idea to make this when I saw Tony Bourdain eat it in the Colobmia episode of No Reservations. I saw it and immediately said to myself "I want to eat that." So I looked at pretty much every recipe I could find on the web, and then made my own from what I thought sounded good, and came up with this! Pictures Below.

Meat: Chicken pieces on the bone, oxtails, and short ribs

Veg: Plantain, as many types of potatoes as I can find, yuca/cassava if you can find it (I couldn't, but I'll try harder next time), corn on the cob, onion, garlic, green onion, soffrito (tomato, onion, and green pepper), and red pepper.

Herb/Spice - Garlic, cilantro, oregano, olive oil, turmeric, cumin, salt, and black pepper.

Garnishes/Fixins - cilantro, green onion, and black pepper.

1. In a medium skillet, cook up the soffrito in olive oil with some garlic, cilantro, cumin, turmeric, oregano, and the red pepper until its all soft.

2. In a large stock pot, brown off all the meat

3. Then, put all the red meat (not the chicken), the cooked mixture of veg, and some more cilantro into the pot and cover with a mixture of cold water and chicken broth (or just one or the other if you want).

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until the meat is tender (about 2.5 hours), adding the chicken about an hour in (giving it about an hour to an hour and a half to get all fall off the bone good.

5. With the chicken, add the plantain (sliced)

6. With about 40 minutes left, add the potatoes (cut into pieces) and the corn (cobs cub in half)

7. Salt and pepper to taste

8. When its done, serve garnished with green onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

This is a great meal for cold or warm weather. In the winter, it will warm you up, and in the summer it just cries for some mojitos, caparinias, or a good South American/Caribbean beer. The only thing I'd do differently, is that I will toss some avocado in at the end next time.

Try it, and I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Some books I've been meaning to pick up

2009-04-26T22:35:00.004-05:00

These are some cookbooks that I really need to get very soon. They are all highly regarded in their areas or approaches, and look great to me. This is in order of which books I'd like to get the most/first. Lets take a look!

Wild, Wild East: Recipes and Stories from Vietnam by Bobby Chinn - I saw this book at McNally-Robinson a few months ago, and started reading it. Its in that narrative style that I really like in a cookbook, and the forward (at least I think its the forward) by Anthony Bourdain sings high praises of the man, the book, and his cooking. I love Vietnamese food, and think this will be a great addition to my collection of go to books!

Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Rick Bayless - I've read in countless places that this book is the holy grail for authentic Mexican, which in my mind, is one of the world's top 2 or 3 cuisines. Once you've had authentic Mexican, you can NEVER go back to the Tex-Mex crap they serve at Carlos & Murphys (or Carlos & Pepe's for any Montreal readers!). I crave a great Chicken or Turkey Black Mole! Must get this book!

Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman - When I first heard Ruhlman wrote this book, my first thought was: I need to make my own cured meats. So, I am going to pick this up and hopefully take a crack at making proscuitto and salami. This would be the biggest culinary endeavour I will have embarked on in some time.

Ratio by Michael Ruhlman - This book kind of represents my whole approach to food. You don't need recipes for everything. You just need to know ratios, and flavour combinations. With that, you can do anything. I think this will be an important book to have in the repertoire.

The Album Au Pied de Cochon by Martin Picard - I lived in Montreal for four years. I REALLY loved that place. The food scene there was probably the best in Canada. Au Pied du Cochon is a kind of a mix between the fancy and the humble. With a heavy focus on foie gras, duck, and other French home cooked classics, this restaurant is a miracle. I mean they have a foie gras poutine... how can you argue with that... unless maybe you are a cardiologist. In any event, this book is the mad man behind Au Pied's cookbook from the restaurant. Its full of great photos, and seeing what something should look like in the end is always a big help.

Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating by Fergus Henderson - I think this is a must have for anyone who wants to experience real food. I also think Fergus Henderson is probably the best person to guide us into the world of eating from nose to tail.

Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient by Jennifer Mclagan - Really just to add to my McLagan collection, which currently consists of Bones. I don't really know much about this book.

The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Can't have bones and fat, without meat, and this is the book for that.

Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen by Jose Andres - He's the man when it comes to Spanish cooking (unless you are talking Ferran Adria... but he's on a whole other level), and I've read great things about this book.

Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America by Jose Andres - Same as above. I love throwing tapas parties. A few friends and I put on two this year, and they were tonnes of fun. I'm always looking for new ideas

The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen by Michael Ruhlman - This, like Ratio, is another technique or preparation style book. It's always good to improve on the basics.

I think these are all great books to have on hand, and I can't wait to get them and start reading. That is one of the reasons I really like the more narrative style of writing in some of these books. You can in fact just sit down and read them. Even guys like Batali and Bittman who give pretty detailed comments at the start of their recipes help a lot with this. So that is something I look for in a book, although it obviously wouldn't prevent me from buying a cookbook. I look for reputable chefs in their type of cuisine, and well regarded food writers. One of those two things, and you probably won't be disappointed.

Real Food

2009-04-26T21:48:00.006-05:00

Alright, here we go. I am blogging. I never thought I'd see the day. But here we are. Anyways, that aside I decided to start this food blog to contribute to the already great number of food blogs that have helped me out in my time of need when looking for that perfect recipe, or preparation. I cook enough that I get really engaged in my cooking, and I hope some people can try some things I make, give me feedback, as well as give me your ideas and recipes.

Today, after feeling the effects of a late night on the town in Winnipeg, I decided to make the classic french stew/boil "Pot-au-Feu". Earlier in the day, all I wanted for dinner was pizza, but as I came to life over the course of the day, I craved something that I could slow cook on the stove for a few hours. I pulled out my 4 core cookbooks. I'll just go into a little aside here on my favourite cookbooks! I use cookbooks for ideas, inspiration, and sometimes exact recipes. My go to books are:

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman -This book is a must have for EVERYONE, in my opinion. It had over 500 recipes, which are all relatively simple, from all over the world. There is a strong focus on Asian cuisine, which is great. The book explains ingredients, gives lots of variations on its recipes, has a region/country based index (best thing ever), and has sample menus divided by region/country. It is awesome.

Molto Italiano by Mario Batali - I just got this book this past Christmas, and already have read through it a couple times. It has about 300 recipes or so, and covers every Italian classic you could ever want. Most straight from the various regions across Italy, and others the New World variations. A good pickup for anyone that likes Italian food. Mario is the man when comes to everything Italian, as far as I'm concerned.

The Les Halles Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain - This the bible of bistro cooking. I use it anytime I have the urge to cook French food. Giving us the the recipes from Les Halles in Manhattan, where he used to be the Executive Chef, Bourdain narrates the recipes with his famous witty prose and don't mess with a classic mentality. Get it.

Bones by Jennifer Mclagan - All about cooking things on the bone (and cooking the bones!). This book has lots of recipes with GREAT pictures. I haven't made that many things from this book, but it often inspires me to cook something on the bone... although that is almost always.

Sorry for that aside. Anyways, I picked up Bourdian's Les Halles Cookbook, flipped to the "Big Classics" chapter, and saw Pot-au-Feu. I scanned the recipe to make sure I could get everything, or at least think of a reasonable substitute. This is often a problem if I don't want to run around to a bunch of stores, because the walking distance grocery store is pretty terrible. Regardless, I was able to get something to put together this, slightly different based on what I could get:

Meat: A bunch of beef short ribs, a large beef cross rib steak, and a couple beef shanks

Veg: Onions, green onions, celery, garlic, some red and green cabbage, potatoes

Herb/Spice: Cloves, bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, and bay)

Garnishes/Fixins: Hot prepared mustard, dijon mustard, medeteranian sea salt, fleur de sel, pink himalayan salt (haha, I got a thing of three different finishing salts for Christmas), black pepper, sweet gerkins, fresh baquette

What to Do:

1. Put all meat in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil

2. Remove the meat, pour out the water, and wash the pot (I don't know why, but Tony seemed pretty adamant about it in the book)

3. Put meat back into the pot, along with the onion (2 of em', halved with two cloves stuck in each end), the green union (chopped pretty large), celery (chopped), garlic (smashed), and the bouquet gari. Salt and pepper it up, then cover with cold water and bring to a boil

4. Simmer on medium low for about 2.5 hours (at least - when the shortribs are tender, everything else should be too)

5. Add the cabbage (cored and cut into wedges) and potatoes (peeled and cut into pieces) in the last 40 minutes of cooking or so.

6. Serve that steamin' heap of meat and a big plate with all the garnishes, and serve the broth as a soup on the side. Eat that mo-fo UP! Ya'heard?

That is it. Its pretty easy. And VERY tasty. The meat just falls apart, and that that was on a bone will cease to be on that bone. Yeah.

I drank some wine with this to start. An Australian Shiraz, but halfway through I realized that beer might be better. Eating the meat with the mustard and bread reminded me of German food, and it just cried out loud for beer! So I poured a Half Pints Little Scrapper Ale. It went well. Andrew (my roommate), and I a feasted for a while, until we could eat no more. It was awesome. Now I'm leaving to go to Sault Ste. Marie for a few days, so Andrew will have enough food to keep him going for a week!