Autumn Forage

Produce is absolutely perfect right now, and it's off to the Saanich farms to stock up. Mars is always the first stop as their prices are best. It's a tiny shack set up on a vast acreage run by the long established Mars farming family.

Mrs. Mars, always in gum boots and always smiling, is well into her 80s, and still works the back breaking tasks of a farmer. Her energy and vitality is awe inspiring. I love the part when she tallies up the provisions with a pencil and pad of paper, doing the math out loud; 5 plus 8, carry the 1, etc.

Farmers' fields are dotted with orange everywhere in Saanich right now. The pumpkins are ready, in a myriad of shapes and sizes.

Next stop, Michell farms for extra produce goodies, and where they have a u-pick pumpkin fest going on as families get ready for Halloween.
Michell's, another long time farming family, is open all year. Mr. Michell, the patriarch, still works the fields, along with his farmhands, constantly bringing in loads of produce on a fork lift, or even sweeping the floor on the store's interior. Awesome!

Everything is tidy and presented with such care.

Each bunch of Rainbow Chard has a moist piece of paper towel at their ends to keep them fresh.

Savoy cabbage is always enticing. I try to get my fill before they run out and/or I'm sick to death of cabbage and root vegetables - usually around the January mark.

Lately, I've been digging a Savoy cabbage salad, sliced super thin and tossed with capers, chopped parsley and tossed in a red wine vinaigrette.

We scored some exotic pole beans today for next year's planting.

Incredible!

Borlotti Bean Soup with Roasted Pumpkin

With the coming cold weather comes cravings for comfort foods. Long simmering stews, roasts and other hearty pleasures of the table beckon. That includes soup and those beans at the back of the cupboard begging for attention.

Take one cup of Rancho Gordo's borlotti beans, rinsed, and put on the stove with plenty of hot water to cover, add half of an onion and two garlic cloves. Bring to the boil and simmer, adding - when you get a chance - two chopped up ripe tomatoes and a bunch of fresh sage, chopped.

Meanwhile, cut up half of a pumpkin, season with salt and pepper, and bake at 350 degrees until just done.

Once the beans are done, add salt to taste and chop the roasted pumpkin - peeled, of course - into smaller pieces and add to the soup.

In hot oil, fry fresh sage leaves until crispy. Drain on paper towel.

Serve the soup in warm bowls and garnish with the crispy sage leaves.

Simply filling and delicious. Each crispy leaf imparts a delicate yet direct sage-y hit adding both texture and flavour.

Ken Gordon Makes Kick-Ass Espresso

Street Level Espresso is a tiny space that sits maybe 8, with some room for standing. Sandwiched in between the iconic Dutch Bakery and a shoe repair in the downtown core, Street Level attracts a diverse and devoted crowd in search of a good hit of caffeine made by Ken Gordon, aficionado of the bean.

I go for the macchiatos, others for the mochas, the cappuccinos or the lattes. The menu is simple, all bevvies are double shots and one size. It fits all.

Personable, funny and deeply creative, Gordon has been making great coffee for the last 22 years. His career has been enhanced over the years with stints as a courier, cook, guarder of Christmas trees, karaoke host, women's roller derby referee and trapeze acrobat. He's also an escape artist, able to wiggle his torso through a tennis racket - although he's a bit rusty at the moment - and can get out of a straight jacket hanging upside down. I'm not sure if this has made him better at making coffee but it has made him a fascinating individual. He is currently studying modern dance, is a confirmed espresso drinker, a whiskey and cocktail aficionado, involved in cycling culture and a staunch supporter of the Island Chef's Collaborative. Oh, and I do believe he speaks a variety of languages.

His coffee shop is part club house/meeting place where you can enjoy a cup of java and shoot the breeze with Gordon or one of his cohorts. Maybe kick back and listen to some tunes from Ken's record collection .....

.....buy a Lomo camera (he also teaches pinhole photography and can answer questions about the process), or maybe enjoy some breakfast cereal.

Gordon's fan base encompasses chefs, artists, musicians, dancers, suits, writers, a reformed bank robber and a suitable assortment of scallywags. He notes that a visit from Jim Murray, author of the Whiskey Bible, was one of the most memorable at the cafe. "He was able to detect the country of origin of 3 out of the 5 beans in the (coffee) blend," says Gordon, " and said it was the best espresso he'd had in years - better than France."

The coffee at Street Level is sourced from Discovery Coffee, a local roastery. "It's got a nice spice and limey-ness to it" he says, " I'm able to pull cinnamon and cardamon notes out of the flavour profile."

That said, I think I'll have another macchiato.

Me Hearties

Pork. Season. Sear.

Saute chopped celery, onion, garlic and carrots.

Add white wine. Season. Add the seared pork. Add chopped cabbage, sage and chopped up lemon peel.

Cover. Bake at 350 degrees until beautifully tender. Half way through cooking, top the dish with thinly sliced potatoes.

While waiting, make a salad of thinly sliced Savoy cabbage, apples and celery. Toss in a mustardy vinaigrette, and top with sliced beets and chives.

Serve dinner.

Octopus - A Right of Passage

Fear Eats the Soul, is the title of a Fassbinder film that tells a story of a life half lived. The cooking of octopus has that kind of spell over me; fear of the unknown, a cooking life half lived.

You see I've never quite grasped the concept of preparation. Asking various chefs and home cooks, no one has given me a definitive answer. Cook it for hours, some say, other swear by cooking it with a wine cork, but most often the informal survey suggests beating the hell out of it to tenderize. Whatever answer, it has always filled me with intrepedation. But really, I've cooked pig's ears, tripe and even procured and cooked up a calf's foot, right? Right.

So staring at the ice filled bins at Satellite Fish in Sidney the other day, I looked fear right in the eyes and laughed.

Octopus is a bycatch for the majority of fisherman and is hard to come by fresh for the average consumer. That and the fact that chefs with their coveted sources quickly snap up any supply of the cephalopod before anyone else. I wonder where they were this day? Maybe at the Chef's Congress bonding over foie gras and beer? Hmmm.....

I purchased a nice long leg (arm) - perfect for a beginner - and set all those years of conflicting reports on methodology to rest.

I gave the arm (leg) a good rinse and marveled at its firm cool flesh and curious suction thingies.

Now to braise. Reading that octopus contains a lot of water, I didn't immerse it but only lined the bottom of a deep pot with liquid to get it started, and threw in some garlic and oregano.

Over medium high, with the lid on, sure enough the leg started to exude water - wow! - enough to braise. I let it go for an hour. I pierced it several times to check for tenderness.

When I felt it was tender enough, I took it off the heat and let it sit until cool enough to handle.

I sliced it and tossed the slices in a mixture of fresh red hot chilie, chopped lemon peel, garlic and fruity olive oil. Pan seared, they were beautifully tender, not falling apart, but still maintaining a fleshy slightly springy texture.

I can't believe how ridiculously easy that was. I patched up a piece of my soul today.