Barbara-jo's Italian Wine Tour

Barbara-jo is currently in Italy living out one of her dreams: picking grapes and making wine. She is working on the farm of Renato Finocchio, one of the wine producers represented by Farmstead Wines. You can watch some of Farmer Barbara-jo's adventures and insights on various clips on the Farmstead Wines blog: her first impressions and picking grapes for the first time.

Pound Cake from The Baker

A few weeks ago, Mark wanted to make something for tea time. On hand were butter, sugar, eggs, flour and this delectable pound cake recipe from The Baker by Leanne Kitchen. This beautiful baking book features a good range of savoury and sweet baking recipes.

The recipe makes lots of batter but calls for only one-8 1/2" round cake tin. To avoid an overflowing cake tin, Mark recommends using two-8" cake tins or 2 loaf tins. The batter can also be baked in mini-muffin tins for 18 minutes. This pound cake has a basic buttery, homey flavour but the recipe includes many intriguing variations including espresso and caraway pound cake.

Pound Cake from The Baker by Leanne Kitchen

375 g (13 oz) unsalted butter, softened

375 g (13 oz/ 1 2/3 cups) caster (superfine) sugar

1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
6 eggs
375 g (13 oz/ 3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
60 mL (2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup) milk
Icing (confectioners') sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F/Gas4). Lightly grease a 22 cm (8 1/2 inch) round cake tin and line the base with baking paper. [This recipe makes enough batter to fill 2 cake tins. The batter will overflow if you use only 1 tin!]
Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until just combined and almost smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing over the surface. Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Just before serving, dust with icing sugar.
Pound cake will keep for up to 1 week, stored in a cool place in an airtight container, or can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks.

Serves 10-12

A sampling of variations:
To make orange pound cake, add 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest to the creamed butter mixture and use 60 mL (2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup) orange juice instead of the milk.
To make caraway seed cake, add 1 tablespoon caraway seeds to the creamed butter mixture before adding the flour.

Raw Zucchini Salad with Green Olives, Mint and Pecorino

Summer is a fleeting phenomenon in Vancouver. To embrace the taste of summer, I made a refreshing zucchini salad from newly released A16: Food and Wine by Nate Appleman. Based on the popular San Francisco restaurant, A16 features recipes that burst with flavour with little fuss. Besides the recipes, A16 features valuable information about wine and food pairings and each recipe gives a suggestion for an Italian wine to accompany each dish.

Raw Zucchini Salad with Green Olives, Mint and Pecorino from A16: Food and Wine by Nate Appleman

1 1/2 pounds zucchini (3 large or 6 medium)

Kosher salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup green olives, pitted and sliced [I left them whole]

2/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped

Block of aged pecorino for shaving [I used a honey and hay aged pecorino affienato from Les Amis du Fromage]

Freshly ground black pepper

Trim the ends of the zucchini. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick ribbons. Toss the ribbons with about 1 teaspoon salt, place in a colander set over a bowl, and set aside for 10 minutes. The zucchini will wilt and soften as the salt leaches out moisture.

Rinse the zucchini under cold running water, pat dry, and place in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, olives, parsley, and mint and toss to coat the zucchini evenly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Be careful not to overseason, as the olives are salty.

Arrange the salad on a platter, distributing the olives evenly. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of pecorino over the salad. Finish with a grind of pepper and serve immediately-this salad becomes soggy if it sits too long.

Pair with Verdeca (Puglia)

Serves 6

Annual Sale Underway

Our annual book sale began yesterday and will continue until Monday, September 22nd. All of the books in our Main shop and Granville Island locations are 20% off, unless otherwise marked. All of our tools are also on sale, including knives and pots. Tom Douglas' Rub With Love spice rubs and sauces are 50% off. We have also marked all of our greeting cards at 50% off. We hope you are able to stop by this weekend for a look.

Vij Family's Chicken Curry

My first time cooking curry from scratch was with Vij's: Elegant & Inspired Indian Cuisine. I can't pretend that my version was very elegant, but I was definitely inspired by Vij's thorough instructions and delicious recipe. I was a little bit worried that I wouldn't be able to find all of the exotic ingredients for the Vij Family's Chicken Curry, but I had no trouble finding every last spice. Although the recipe calls for a stick of cinnamon, I pinched my pennies and just used the powdered cinnamon waiting in my cupboard at home. Within moments of cooking, my apartment was filled with the aromas of an Indian kitchen. My dinner guest could smell a new scent in the air each time I added a different spice to the increasingly colourful mixture. This recipe leaves the taste of India in the air and perfectly tender chicken on your plate with just the right amount of spice.

Vij Family's Curry from Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine by Vikram Vij

1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups finely chopped onions (2 large)
3-inch stick of cinnamon
3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 Tbsp chopped ginger
2 cups chopped tomatoes (2 large)
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
3 lbs chicken thighs, bone in
1 cup sour cream, stirred
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (including stems)

Heat oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and saute for 5-8 minutes, until onions are golden. Add garlic and saute for another 4 minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the oil separates from the masala. Remove and discard skin from the chicken thighs. Wash thighs and add to the masala. Stir well. Cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes, until the chicken looks cooked on the outside. Add sour cream and water and stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times, until chicken is completely cooked. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Cool curry for at least half an hour. Transfer cooled chicken to a mixing bowl. Peal the chicken meat off the bones. Discard the bones and stir chicken back into the curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly. Stir in cilantro.

Choux au Fromage from Breakfast at The Wolsely

To start off our summer picnic series, Mark chose an elegant recipe from Breakfast at The Wolseley by A.A. Gill. These delicate morsels are a variation on choux pastry often used for sweets such as profiteroles and eclairs. The choux au fromage would be a exquisite addition to a late summer picnic or an early fall brunch or cocktail party.

Choux au Fromage from Breakfast at The Wolseley
125 mL water
125 mL milk
125 g butter
6 g (or about 1 tsp.) salt
125 g plain [all-purpose] flour
6 large eggs
200 g Emmental cheese, diced, plus more for grating
5 g (or about 2 tsp.) black pepper
1-2 g freshly grated nutmeg

In a saucepan, bring the water, the milk, butter and salt to the boil.
Add the flour all at once and beat with a wooden spoon over the heat for a full minute.
Remove from the heat and continue to stir for a minute to allow it to cool slightly.
Place the paste into a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed. Whisk the mix for a minute to cool slightly, thereby avoiding the immediate 'cooking' of the eggs as they are added. Continue to beat the paste and begin incorporating the eggs one by one. Once all the eggs have been added, cover the surface with cling film and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C [375 degrees F] or gas mark 4. Add the diced Emmenthal, pepper and nutmeg to the dough paste and stir well.
Spoon the paste onto baking sheets (30g each for mini pieces, 110g for larger pieces) and great a little more Emmental on the top of each piece.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until they are a golden-brown colour.

Makes 10 large pieces or 30 small ones

Save the Farm Online Auction

Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks and Farmstead Wines has launched an online auction where 100% of the net proceeds will be entrusted to the Save the Farm Campaign.

The online auction launched on September 10 and will close the morning of Saturday, September 20^th. The highest bidder will be awarded a homemade five-course dinner for eight prepared by Barbara-jo McIntosh, and Anthony Nicalo. In honour of UBC Farm, the evening’s menu will feature sustainable local ingredients from the Farm paired with Farmstead Wines, a selection that promises natural and sustainable production.

The Save the Farm Campaign works to raise awareness around the benefits and essentials of sustainable local farming. The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm started this campaign when development threatened to decrease the Farm’s size from a healthy twenty-four hectares to as few as five hectares. The consequence would be fatal to the Farm’s current use as a functioning organic farm that provides sustainable nourishment to local Vancouver communities, advancements in food policy, farming research and youth learning programs.

Farmland Flax Cookies from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

At today's Feast of Fields event we'll be serving Farmland Flax Cookies from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book by Elizabeth Baird and the Canadian Living Test Kitchen. These delectable cookies are a sneak preview of the wonderful baking featured in the book.

On Monday, October 20 at 6:30 p.m. you can have a chance to learn to bake with Elizabeth at our Living to Bake event. Tickets are $95 and include a copy of the book, a selection of baked goodies, and a fun and information-filled evening. Call 604-688-6755 to register.

Farmland Flax Cookies from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2/3 cup flaxseeds
1 tsp. baking soda

Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper or grease; set aside.
In bowl, beat together butter and brown and granulated sugars until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, oats, flaxseeds and baking soda; stir into butter mixture to make a soft dough.
Drop by level tablespoonfuls (15 mL), 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on prepared baking sheets. Bake in top and bottom thirds of 350 degrees F oven, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool on pans on racks for 2 minutes. Transfer to racks; let cool.
(Make-ahead; Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.)

Makes about 40 cookies

Flavor Bible at Salt Tasting Room

We're delighted to be hosting an evening with Karen Page and Andrew Dornenberg, authors of Culinary Artistry, on Wednesday, September 24th at 6:30 p.m. at the Salt Tasting Room. Their new book, Flavor Bible, will be the focus of the evening while Karen and Andrew explore some of the thousands of ingredients and flavour combinations referenced in this guide.

The evening includes a copy of Flavor Bible, a flavour-packed tasting and tip. Tickets are $75. Call 604-688-6755 to reserve a spot.