One of our guilty eating pleasures, when we find ourselves at home, has got to be pizza. I know I’m not alone when I say we eat pizza at least once a week. For the longest time, we’d order from Firewood on Cambie St. to get our weekly fix, but for a large pizza, there isn’t much left from $30.00 after taxes and tip.

Now, I simply reach into the freezer to locate a ball of pizza dough. I keep three or so balls of frozen dough on hand at any given time and simply pull one out on the morning of a “pizza day” to thaw. Calabria Bakery makes a very good frozen dough that can be procured from a number of different retailers including La Grotta on Commercial Drive or Bossa Foods on Victoria for about $2.00 a piece. Cheap at twice the price for the amount of time it saves!

I’ve also taken to doing our pizza’s on the BBQ instead of in the oven. It keeps the heat out of the kitchen, affords more time outside and did I mention that it’s incredibly easy to do!

After a trip of a lifetime to Sicily last fall, I truly embraced the “less is more” pizza esthetic that is so common there. Just a few simple ingredients, with freshness being key, are used. In raiding our fridge, I’m often working with less than fresh ingredients to make my pies, but the results have been pretty spectacular none the less.

Now, if I could only make a descent bottle of white, I’d really have it all at a fraction of the usual attendant costs.

One of my all-time favourite salads has to be the venerable Nicoise Salad. This beautifully composed French salad is what springs to my mind when new potatoes come into season.

While this salad must have tuna (canned or fresh), boiled eggs, nicoise olives, green beans and new potatoes to be worthy of the name Nicoise, I tend to go “off book” and include other things like marinated mushrooms or crispy bacon for added depth and flavour.

Anyway you dice it, this salad that eats like a meal- perfect warm summertime fare.

This is Julia Child’s classic recipe…

Ingredients
1 large head Boston-lettuce leaves, washed and dried
1 pound green beans, cooked and refreshed
1-1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 or 4 ripe red tomatoes, cut into wedges (or 10 to 12 cherry tomatoes, halved)
3 or 4 “boiling” potatoes, peeled, sliced, and cooked
Two 3-ounce cans chunk tuna, preferably oil-packed
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
1 freshly opened can of flat anchovy fillets
1/3 cup small black Niçoise-type olives
2 to 3 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Vinaigrette
1/2 tablespoon finely minced shallot or scallion
1/2 tablespoon Dijon-type mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup excellent olive oil, or other fine, fresh oil
Freshly ground pepper

We took in an inspiring talk by Michael Pollan at UBC Farm. The event was superbly organized by Barbara-Jo of Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks. Michael was promoting the paperback release of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
His only Canadian stop!
Here’s a quote…

“But if real food — the sort of food our great grandmothers would recognize as food — stands in need of defense, from whom does it need defending? From the food industry on one side and nutritional science on the other. Both stand to gain much from widespread confusion about what to eat, a question that for most of human history people have been able to answer without expert help. Yet the professionalization of eating has failed to make Americans healthier. Thirty years of official nutritional advice has only made us sicker and fatter while ruining countless numbers of meals.”

I’ve always been a slightly conflicted meat lover. Don’t misunderstand, I love meat. I love the flavours, the textures, the gorgeous aromas… quite frankly everything! The conflict for me arises in how meat is raised. Like any industry, increased scale begets efficiencies that create lower costs for producer and consumer alike. While this is the natural order of things, my dilemma lies in how animals are treated.

For anyone who has read the Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan, they will have enough first hand accounts of factory farms and the dangers of a subsidized mono-crop cultures to last a lifetime.

So how do you reconcile the rights of individuals to reasonably priced meat with the rights of animals to live unfettered lives?

One possible answer to the question is to eat local, but eat less. Smaller producers typically charge more for a their product, so eating less of the good stuff helps offset the extra cost. Put your over-sized dinner plates away, and invest in a mid-sized plate. Something in between a salad or side plate and a full sized one. The next hurdle is to limit yourself to just one helping.

Here are a few other reasons for eating locally.

Community
A virtuous circle is potentially created when consumers buy from local producers. Building sustainable communities through sustainable food production at a grassroots level is the goal.

Food Security
Like a well diversified portfolio, putting all your eggs in one basket is a very risky strategy if the goal is financial security. The same is true with respect to food security. Having smaller, federally regulated, local growers actively producing the bulk of our food will minimize risk of large outbreaks of food contamination.

Health
There is something else in play that cannot be overlooked and that’s the numerous health benefits associated with eating less meat. While the connection between eating too much red meat and heart disease is not conclusive, there is a connection. Hedging your bets by cutting back on red and processed meats, and switching to legumes, grains and white meat for your protein needs is wise choice. In general, animal proteins (meat, fish, poultry, milk, cheese, and eggs) are considered good sources of complete proteins. Complete proteins contain ample amounts of all essential amino acids. Though they’re technically considered a class of vegetables, legumes combined with rice are an excellent alternative to meat since they provide both fiber and together form a complete protein.

While I’m still conflicted about eating meat, I don’t think I’ll be going full-veg anytime soon. I can say with confidence that eating less meat has made noticeable improvements in my overall health and well being.

The movie “FRESH” will be screening in Vancouver on June 10th at UBC Robson Square as part of a North American tour.

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.

Watch the trailer and order tickets: FRESH SCREENINGS

Date: June 10th
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver

Panel to follow screening:
Philip Solman (Moderator), Publisher of Edible Vancouver
Valerie Roddick, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Planning
Paula Luther, Project Manager, Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Project
Tara McDonald, Executive Director of Vancouver Farmers Markets
Karen Rideout, Faculty of Land and Food Systems at University of British Columbia
Ana Joanes, Director & Producer, FRESH

Michael Pollan’s immensely readable book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals”, written in a “Columboesque” investigative style, is aimed at the heart of 21st century omnivores- US!
In tracing food back to its original “inputs”, Pollan learns some fascinating, not to mention alarming, things about how food is produced. We have the benefit of coming along for the ride and learning through him.

Pollan’s four meals are the obvious ones like a McDonalds “feast” consumed while hurtling down the freeway to a supposedly organic lunch purchased from “Whole Foods”. These are the familiar and predictable, but where it gets interesting are the meals that involved a stint on a truly organic farm (Ployface) and the final meal that he “hunts and gathers” himself.

So what is a feasible, sustainable and ultimately healthy “food system” for humans going forward?

There are no easy answers, and Pollan is a skilled enough writer to not presume them, but rather to expertly frame the debate.

I couldn’t resist posting this little video. I’d be the first to admit that “rap” eludes me for the most part but this is positively brilliant. Their energy, cleverness and musicality are undeniable.

I presented my little cooking demo for EPIC: The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo. on Saturday, May 9. The premise for the demo was recipes my mother taught me. As fitting for a sustainability expo, the food needed to be local, so I chose rhubarb and just coming into season. Rhubarb is perfect in both savoury and sweet dishes. Its great on ice cream or with fish and chicken.

Here are the recipes I used…

Irish Soda Bread
4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. cardamom (optional)
4 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup raisins
1 egg
1 ¾ cup buttermilk
combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and spice
cut in butter with pastry cutter, then add raisins
beat egg and add 1 ½ cups buttermilk
mix gradually into dry ingredients, adding remaining buttermilk if needed to make a rather stiff dough which can be handled
turn dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes
halve the dough, shape each half as a round loaf
place on a greased pan
with a sharp knife, cut a deep cross in the centre of each loaf
bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes

Rhubarb Compote
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
6 cups chopped rhubarb
1 strip orange rind
¼ tsp. cinnamon
combine all ingredients in a stainless steel pot and stir gently
bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until rhubarb is tender, about 10 minutes
remove from heat and let cool – discard orange rind
store in the fridge for up to 5 days

Crème Fraiche
French crème fraiche, like English clotted cream, results from a specific method of cream production that both thickens the cream and gives it its characteristic nutty flavour, similar to, but much more complex than our sour cream. This homemade crème fraiche is a delicious facsimile of the real thing. You can flavour it with vanilla and sweeten it lightly to taste, whip it, and generally substitute it for heavy cream.

combine in a small saucepan and heat to 110 degrees F
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. buttermilk

Pour into a jar and keep in a warm place loosely covered, until the cream is thickened and has a pleasant, mildly sour flavour. This may take as little as 6 to 8 hours or as long as 3 days. Do not allow it to stand so long that the flavour becomes acidic or ammonia like. Cover and refrigerate. The cream will thicken further when chilled. Crème fraiche keeps refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.

The Vancouver Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) played host to Buffet Blowout 2009 at CanAm Importique in Burnaby. Three of Vancouver’s top caterers teamed up with three of the best design/decor companies in the city for the industry fundraiser benefiting the Jody Horn Fairy Wellness Foundation.

We were paired up with the dynamic duo of David Light and Maurizio Peta of Debut Event Design for our challenging theme of “playground”. Truth be told, the other two themes of “carnival” and “beach” had captured our imaginations in the beginning, but we soon got into the playful spirit by channeling our childhood memories. Central to our display was a large sandbox filled with raw sugar that had guests digging for hidden treasures. Our signature Watermelon Bites sat on swings under a gorgeous and beautifully lit tree, and the rest of the “playground” menu featured upscale variations of childhood favourites.

David and Maurizio did a fabulous job with playful decor, artful lighting and vivid hits of colour. A video projection of carefree childhood days projected onto gossamer like curtains added to the ambience.

A heartfelt thanks goes out to Dorothy Semko, chef Tracy Lydster and her assistants Nick & Jeanne. A job well done!

<img I’ll be presenting “All Things Rhubarb” at the cooking stage of EPIC: The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo, Saturday May 9 at 3:30 PM. Epic takes place at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, and is Western Canada’s only green consumer tradeshow and eco-marketplace.

The premise for my presentation, fitting for the weekend of Mother’s Day, will be “Recipes My Mother Taught Me”.

My mother, while never known for her cooking prowess, did have some interesting culinary habits. Being a true “Blue Noser” from Kent, Nova Scotia, she had us picking dandelion greens along busy Toronto thoroughfares. I was always terrified a classmate would see me in horror as they rolled down the street in the back of their parents station wagon. Although I felt a little like a migrant field hand, I did learn to love greens!

Growing up, we always had a patch of rhubarb tucked away in the backyard. It never ceased to amaze me, that a plant that received so little care and attention would return each year healthier than ever.

Our prolific patch joined forces with every fruit combination imaginable, and if it wasn’t baked into pies, crumbles or cakes it was “put down” or rather stewed and canned for those long T.O. winters.

Interesting Facts
Unbeknown to most, rhubarb is classified as a vegetable not a fruit. Stage actors also use the word “rhubarb” repeated asynchronously in a low or murmured tone to provide background voice ambience in crowd or party scenes.