Three Sticks of Celery

Celery, often languishing at the back of the fridge, needs a shout out. I love it. I use it not only when making stocks or garnishing a caesar, but add it to many salads for extra crunch and for its delicate perfume. It's loaded with vitamins and is a welcome food in sickness or in health.

Lately, I've been using it as a solo ingredient in salad, slicing it fine with the aid of a mandoline - the slicer not the musical instrument.

Add half a lemon peel, chopped fine, and make a lemon-mustard vinaigrette.

I toss in some chopped curly parsley - that other culinary foot soldier - and toss with vinaigrette.
Absolutely delicious. If you want to add protein, I've also enjoyed this with the addition of tuna or crab.

Give celery its due.

Random acts of torture and enticement

The sun is hot and the sand feels so good between my toes. The beer is ice cold and a plate of freshly shucked oysters has just been brought to our outdoor table.

Hanging out at a cafe in Oaxaca city's zocalo, a plate of peanuts is bereft without the requisite lime, salt, and roasty chunks of garlic.

Sometimes, I order up extra garlic. Each clove offers up a gooey caramelized paste.

And Javier Olivo, at his restaurant Olivo's in Oaxaca is true to his Spanish roots by crafting his own cured jamon.This broad is ready for a holiday.

Pears

Pears. I've got about eight left.

The change in weather has me baking like a fiend, using up a big bag of pears country friends had gifted us with.

Pear tatin, with my trusted short crust pastry dough came first.

Followed by an upside down skillet cake with the addition of candied ginger.

Then I used up some of the leftover pastry dough to make pear-coconut-ginger empanadas.

Tonight, I thought I'd try a pear and gorgonzola quiche.

Come here my precious.

And this has nothing to do with pears, but last night I watched Jamie Oliver's very first episode of the Naked Chef, when he was 23 years old. And I was inspired.

What is it, you might ask. Pork chops massaged with a smashed up mixture of lemon peel, thyme, salt and garlic. I threw some thick slices of potato on top. It's baking while I write.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy

The Artisan and the Markt Deli

Eat Local. Eat Better., reads one of the signs inside the Markt Deli, the newest offering in North Nanaimo.
The man behind the creed is chef Ryan Zuvich, who has led a solid career cooking throughout Europe and Vancouver before setting up shop in Nanaimo.

The menu is savvy charcuterie, made on-site with quality ingredients sourced from area farmsteads.


The selection changes with what's available and with the whim of the chef. Zuvich currently had on hand six kinds of sausage drawn from his repetoire of 16, four types of bacon, including a fennel and chile variety based on a guanciale recipe, pates and terrines, soups, sauces and vinaigrettes ready to take home, along with chicken pot pies and sausage rolls. It's strictly meat, fat and spices, with no fillers and cheaters like the tough silver skin I've seen used in other "artisan" sausages.

"Farming methods are number one," says Zuvich, of his products. " I want to know my farmers, and I want to know how the animals are treated."

To this end, he is centrally located to numerous farms that raise quality, organic produce and to many farmers that humanely raise animals.

The breakfast sausage made with mace, nutmeg and pepper.

I purchased a few things for home including a juniper and rosemary sausage that was punchy with spices but not overbearing. It was a spectacular addition to braised red cabbage and apples.
Zuvich is also being assisted in the kitchen by another Vancouver ex-pat, Matt Shepheard,who most recently lent his expertise at the Andrey Durbach's trio of restaurants. (Vancouver Island has seen an influx of Vancouverites lately, and it's very pleasing to see Victoria and the Island being injected with new energy).

The Moroccan sausage is spiced like a Merguez and it's safely waiting in my freezer when I make a batch of couscous. Other sausages included tarragon and shallot, a garlic and parsley, and fennel with coriander.

A smoked sweetbread and veal tongue terrine was another prize winner. It came wrapped in bacon, and was jewel-like with fat and luscious ingredients, lightly smoked, again balanced, not overbearing.

The groaning board can be rounded out at Markt by nicoise olives, gherkins, chutneys and these amazing artichokes with stem attached. Never seen these available before.

Lovely, delicious things line the shelves, from lentils du puy, salts, mustards, white beans, and other fine condiments.

Seasonal dinners are held once a month at $85. with wine or beer pairings. September features an Oktoberfest feast and I will try and attend. If you can't stay for dinner, light lunches are available at a few tables or out on the steps.

Ryan Zuvich and Markt is set to enjoy great success.

I'll be back, and you need to go there.

102-5281 Rutherford Rd., 250-585-5337

A Taco Party Vegetarian-Style

When meat's not your thing, you can pull together a rather tasty display of vegetarian fare without relying on soy nuggets or other aberrations of nature. You won't even miss the carne. Okay, you might, but a shot of tequila might help you forget.

Here's the lineup:

The Fillings:

Roasted anaheim chilies, cleaned and cut into workable pieces

Potatoes with sauteed onion, roasted anaheim and tomato

Sauteed shitake and field mushrooms with garlic and chipotle en adobo

Velvety black beans with epazote

The Condiments

Salsa fresca with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and cilantro

Shredded cabbage

Pickled onions

Grated cheese

The Conditions

Any excuse

Some friends

Proceed.

Pickled onions are so dead easy. Slice them thin and cover loosely with fresh lime juice, salt and a bit of Mexican oregano. Stir occasionally and let sit a couple of hours. Do this one first.

Roast the chilies on a comal or cast iron flat top until evenly blistered. Let them sit in a bowl until cool - it's not necessary to let them sweat in a plastic bag.

Peel and slit the chilies, removing the inner membrane and seeds. Slice into workable pieces.

Saute garlic in olive oil, add mushrooms, salt and 1/2 of a large chipotle en adobo, seeds removed and chopped.

Cook a couple of local potatoes, slice and saute with onion, one of the sliced roasted poblano peppers, 1/2 of a chopped tomato, and salt to taste. By golly, here you have the colours of the Mexican flag. Major points.

Whether you cook your black beans from scratch or use the canned variety, simmer them with some fresh epazote. It's easy to grow, and es muy autentico. Once cooked, or heated and simmered, and cooled a bit, whip the beans up in a blender until velvety smooth.

As you might know, I've spent a lot of time in Oaxaca, Mexico and have grown accustomed to some of the flavours there. One of them is black bean paste. This delicious paste, made from heirloom organic beans, is often smoothed on a toasted tortilla (tostada) topped with anything from sliced avocado, tomato and string cheese, to more carnivorous designs.

Use the paste at home on tortillas that have been overcooked or on freshly made, or toast them with or without a bit of oil. You can use this paste as a spread like one would use butter or mayonnaise, and it makes a welcome addition to the taco party table.

Let's get this party started. Salsa fresca is basic and easy to make, chopped onions, jalapenos or serranos (seeds removed if you can't take the heat), cilantro leaves only chopped, salt to taste and chopped fine white onion ( optional).

Set up your fillings and condiments in small bowls, and start heating up tortillas.

Have friends gather round and make their own tacos, mixing and matching ingredients as they see fit.

Buen provecho!