Happy Mothers Day - A Bit Late

Yeah, I was gone for a while...that happens when viruses destroy your hard drive. A fun experience I must tell you about, or maybe I will just talk about food and wine! Lets talk about a simple yet elegant wine and food pairing, the classic red wine and steak. Mother's Day is the perfect day for this, my mother does not like anything other than seasoning salt on her steak. This is my favorite way to have a steak.

The setting...a table. White tablecloth, simple and elegant.

The dog...Dijon, falling asleep...such a hard life!

The steak, a huge Canadian AAA t-bone with great marbling, perfect for the grill. Seasoned with seasoning salt and cooked to medium rare. The potato, baked on a BBQ and then topped with butter and sour cream. The wine, a syrah with a splash of viognier...the Vina Maipo Grand Devocion 09...dark plum and cocoa with a subtle hint of apricot.

Oh, whats that you say, another contender? Oh yes, in swoops black cherry ice cream with a fresh strawberry. You know what, lets drizzle in a little Provenance Merlot Chocolate Sauce because that definitely won't improve anything!

In the end, it was a tough night. I never came to a decision on the best part of the meal. I will call it a draw. You will have to ask mom for the tiebreaker. Happy Mother's Day to all!

Saturday Night - Try Something New

Well, this is my paycheck for rent...so the next two weeks are a very tight budget. This also means I can not afford to go out! However, as I am sure anyone who follows me regularly will know that this does not stop me from eating well. I had two ingredients I had never worked with in my kitchen, so I decided to use them.

The first item was a cross rib roast, commonly referred to as a pot roast. While I have definitely had my fair share of pot roasts, I have never actually cooked one before. After a bit of research, I learned I should cook it for a few hours with some liquid to help keep it moist. I had a great rub to use so I was ready to go.

The second ingredient was celery root. I have never cooked with this, and as far as I can remember I have never eaten it either. Celery root has a lighter taste than the stalk and is less fibrous and more starchy. I decided to mash it with potatoes!

My spice rub consisted of dry mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika and kosher salt. You should put quiet a bit on the meat, it needs to season the whole roast.It is important to sear the meat on all sides, I added a handful of carrots and some chicken stock for moisture and then it went straight in the oven at 325F where it sat for about two and a half hours.

Next I began to peel the celery root, and this is not an easy feat! Then I cut it up and put it in some salted water. I let this cook for about 5 minutes before I added the potatoes to the mix. I mashed it all together with a nice bit of butter and it was ready to go!

Finally, the roast was ready to go. The meat was moist and tender and very flavorful from the spice rub. The potatoes were spectacular, creamy with a slight taste of celery. The baby carrots were tender and flavored form the juices of the meat. Most of the liquid had evaporated, leaving a concentration of delicious jus.

This was a great dinner, fairly easy to cook. It was not something complicated, just something new to try on a Saturday night. It made me feel better about staying in:)

Tour du Chocolate - A Delicious Way to Spend a Few Hours

So, this month was Chocolatefest in Winnipeg. There are 25 restaurants that are participating with their own chocolate dishes. April 16th and 17th was Tour du Chocolate, for a mere $5 you receive all the chocolate offerings from The Forks Market. There were 21 vendors involved and it was a fun way to spend a few hours. For you chocolate lovers, it is a lot of chocolate...you will be in heaven...for everyone else, it is a lot of chocolate so be prepared!

My roommate and I went, for the price we knew it would be a great time. The Forks Market puts on quite a few events each year, and I have always enjoyed the ones I have gone to. It is wise to come early as they only sell a limited number of the passports. I must stress again that this is a lot of chocolate, it was just enough to have everything, anything else would have been too overwhelming. All the vendors were great but there were a few that stood above the rest.

The Almond Tree provided chocolate for fondue, I chose to have a fresh strawberry dipped in dark chocolate. It was amazingly delicious, a great way to start the sampling!

The next stop for us was Fergies Fish n' Chips where we had a Deep Fried Mars Bar. Yes, you heard it right. It was warm and contained melty, gooey Mars bar with a crisp batter on the outside. It just screams delicious, very rich! This could be a fun dish to bring home and share with a significant other...I am just saying;)

On to Caramel Crepe, they were offering a delicious Vida Crepe. This was a crepe made with a chocolate batter. It was then topped with a luxurious Grand Marnier chocolate sauce and almonds. The crepe was good but the sauce was amazing. I would eat it drizzled on...a spoon! It was so good, wow!

Next we went to Danny's All Day Breakfast. I have always loved their hash brown poutine(if you do not know what poutine is, ask a Canadian, it is so good!), so I knew this would be good. It was not a disappointment, they served us Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes and they were wonderful. The batter contained the bananas, which is how I prefer it. It was light and fluffy and the bananas were nice and sweet. Then on top was a delicious chocolate sauce with chocolate chips. What a sweet breakfast, literally!

The next stop was Chile, and we did not even have to leave the building! The Chilean Corner had Palmiers, a Chilean pastry often found in pastry shops. It was delicious with a wonderfully flaky texture and a light chocolate coat on the tip. The taste reminded me of butter cookies, the ones I was addicted to as a child but only got at grandma's house. Anything that brings back pleasant memories, is good in my books!

The next item we had was very chocolaty, it was good but a lot of chocolate! Tall Grass Prairie Kitchen is a great local place and all the ingredients used are local and often organic. This was a Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding. It was soft with a wonderful texture and plenty of banana goodness.

Next, we visited Italy with CasaBella Deli & Market. I really enjoy the sausages they make and their meat is all local. I have never had any baked goods from them but the Italian Chocolate Amaretti was wonderful. Crunchy on the outside and soft inside they were chocolaty with a hint of what I believe was amaretto. It was superb!

The next place had a wonderfully refreshing dish, it was savory! This was amazing timing as I was beginning to bore of all the sweet dishes, I do not have much of a sweet tooth. Grass Roots made this unbelievable Manitoba Bison Mole Chili. It was spicy, a nice heat on the finish with nice bits of tender bison meat. This was definitely the highlight of the festival for me! I could have eaten 2 bowls.

Last, but certainly not least, another local delight. Locally made hard pretzels dipped in chocolate. They were a nice light finish to a super chocolate day. These were courtesy of The Almond Tree again!

My roommate and I had a great time. We spent $5 each, tried some amazing dishes, what could be better? It was definitely a delicious way to spend a few hours!

Pork Shoulder Blade Roast - Slow Cooked Heaven

Time for another lesson from your host, the Food and Drink Man, and tonight's lesson, pork(oh what a surprise)! Tonight we are going to talk about a very popular cut, the shoulder blade however you may not realize how popular it really is. The shoulder blade is my favorite cut for several reasons:

1. Cost - Usually one of the lower priced cuts of pork, I usually pay about $15 for a 9lb roast
2. Taste - Very flavorful due to extensive marbling, should be cooked low and slow
3. Simple - Great cut for slow cookers, can cook all day while you work
4. Versatile - Throw it in a slow cooker, pop it in the oven or slowly smoke it for hours

The majority of my exposure to pork shoulder was through barbecue, but it is used by almost every food culture. In fact, my favorite version, carnitas originated in Mexico and I used this very style with this roast, but this post is not about carnitas so I will stop there! This cut is very popular in street food too, but you may not realize it.

Sausage - I am going to have to blame Anthony Bourdain again on this one. Something about grinding pork and putting it in a tube that just seems right! Okay, so some may not appreciate that imagery as much as others but when properly seasoned, sausage can have some of the most amazing flavors. So many different varieties, but I bet you did not know that most of it comes from the shoulder blade.

Gyros - Yes, believe it or not but the pork version of gyros is often made with shoulder blade steaks. Stacked on a vertical rotisserie, gravity does the work basting everything in delicious pork goodness! Shave a bit off into a pita, yogurt, onions, peppers and olives. A bit of feta cheese, the ultimate street food!

Tacos - I already touched on carnitas, which is shredded pork shoulder. You will also find tacos made with shaved pork, using shoulder blade steaks roasting on a spit. Filled with a bit of avocado, tomato and cilantro and then topped with queso fresco. Sounds like a great snack to me!

Sandwiches - This is where I first got my start, pulled pork sandwiches. The ultimate in delicious, pulled pork starts as a shoulder blade roast which is slow cooked for hours until the meat can be "pulled" by hand. The meat is pulled and mixed with a house made sauce, put on a bun and topped with coleslaw. Oh sweet comfort.

That picture is meat mountain, taken after shredding the roast. Most beautiful mountain I have ever seen! The roast was slow cooked at 200 F for 12 hours, if using a pot or a slow cooker, do not add any liquid, there is more than enough in the meat itself, trust me on this one. After I shredded the meat, I mixed it back with all the juices from the cooking and fresh garlic, mustard and pepper. Then into the oven to crisp up the ends of some of those yummy pork bits.

In the end, I made a simple sandwich! Two slices of toasted bread, cheese, a little mayo and Sriracha...and of course pork. Now doesn't that look good? So get yourself a shoulder blade roast, and you too can experience slow cooked heaven.

Value Wines - Always a Great Buy

They say money does not buy happiness but I disagree. I believe money will not buy love, but there are many things I can do with money that make me happy. Money buys groceries so I can eat every day. Money buys clothing and you all know why we wear clothing so I will spare you that bit of imagery. Money pays rent so I have a home to live in and it also bought the awesome bed I sleep in every night!

Money is a double-edged sword though, most of us are limited to the amount we have. We love to spend it but then we must justify the worth of what we purchase. For me, and many others I know the greatest feeling is when you get "more than your money's worth". In a society where the cost of everything is rising, finding a great buy can make you feel good.

This rings true when I am shopping for wine as well. The value wines I am going to talk about are all under $15, however it is important to understand that good value does not necessarily mean you are spending very little money. You can spend a lot of money on a car, a house, or dinner for that matter but the question again is, did I get more than my money's worth?

Would I pay more money for this bottle of wine if I had to? When the answer to these questions is yes, I am happy. I tasted 3 different wines this week, two which I had never tried before. Now I hear you asking, how and where do I find these "value wines"? The answer is very simple, ask! When I go to an MLCC(Liquor Mart) or a private wine store, I ask for the opinion of the resident wine drinker. They have been good recommendations too! Just ask what is a good value wine to try. A knowledgeable clerk will know where to go right away so keep that in mind.

I went with a reliable blend from Chile first. Dona Dominga makes a wonderful cabernet/carmenere blend which I first tried at a local wine and cheese festival. At $10.29 a bottle for the 2009 vintage, this is a wine I can enjoy everyday after work or with dinner. With notes of blackberries, black currants, coffee and black pepper. Very complex and would work well with a variety of spicy or meaty dishes. Think flame grilled or barbecue, that's my kind of food! Affordable, great for cooking and drinking. What more could you want?

The next bottle was The Penascal Estate Tempranillo from Spain. The 2007 is very spicy, yet not overwhelming. Nice notes of cedar, blackberry and strawberry with a nice bit of cracked black pepper on the finish. The tannins were still biting a bit so I have a bottle I am cellaring. This was an amazing buy at $12.39 and I can't wait to revisit it in a year.

The last was another tempranillo from Spain. This one was not as good as the last one but still nice. Bonal Tempranillo had notes of pepper, black currant and raspberry. Fairly soft tannins and nice fruit the 2008 vintage would be good with a nice tomato based pasta dish and is a pretty good buy at $10.59 a bottle.

In the end, I was happy with all the wines I bought. What is even better, I did not have to drain my bank account to get a bottle of wine I enjoy. I will continue my search for the greatest value wine, because good value is always a great buy.

Taco Time!(Not the Fast Food Joint)

There is a place called Winnipeg, it can be very cold there. Where does one find warmth when it is so cold? Mexico! Although not all of us have the ability to go to Mexico on a whim of hunger:( What else could one do to get some heat in this cold Winnipeg winter?

How about a taco? They originated in Mexico, that is a good start! I am feeling a little warmer already. They sure do love their chorizo out there and I do too so why not make my own. You know what I like? Sauteed vegetables, I think I will bring them to the party as well!

The taco has been a favorites of mine since I was a child, really I have an obsession for Mexican food...but that is for a whole other blog. When I think tacos, I think of a little truck or restaurant. Freshly made, simple ingredients like home made salsa and guacamole with soft corn or flour tortillas. Well, now that this idea was in my head there was no turning back. I leaped out of my chair(slowly, after about 10 minutes) and headed for the door. I raced down the stairs(waited for the elevator as 18 flights of stairs are not as fun as they sound) and I was off to the grocery store!

For all you cooks out there, my blog is not meant to be a cookbook. You will very rarely(if ever) find a recipe on here or around my apartment for that matter. I believe that great cooking requires mixing great flavors you love. Keeping that in mind I will almost always give the ingredients however it is up to you to determine what portions you need.

My trip to the grocery store was uneventful and unexciting however I got some great ingredients, which is all I needed. I brought back some mushrooms, to be sauteed in butter and chili powder with a little fresh garlic. Traditional, maybe not. Delicious, yes! This was to be my first condiment.

My second condiment was a little more authentic. A delicious mix of peppers, onions, garlic, zucchini and chili powder. Sauteed in butter with a little addition of ground cumin made it so much better!

You know I have to make salsa and it is all about simplicity here. Freshly diced tomato and red onion with fresh garlic, lime juice and fresh cilantro. Of course, we all know I love avocado so there has to be guacamole.

My guacamole is simple, just the way I like it! Fresh avocado, tossed with diced tomatoes, red onions and tobasco! With a squirt of fresh lime juice and some salt and ground pepper, I was ready to rock!

Beans have always been a staple, and a favorite of mine. I had every intention of making the refried black beans from scratch but upon learning the time it would take to make, I went for the canned variety! I know, I know, for shame! No! Believe it or not, I actually enjoy canned refried beans and will almost always accept it as a substitution for homemade.

Last, but certainly not least! The chorizo, seasoned with plenty of chili powder, cumin and a handful of other spices. It had a nice kick to it, but the heat does not linger. It will be a great addition to the already amazing list of delicious taco fillers I made!

Now that everything is all prepped, it is time for assembly! This is the fun part. Tortillas MUST be heated before use, if you do not heat them they will break into pieces and your tacos will suck! Why, because they won't hold the filling with gaping holes! I prefer to heat mine in the oven for about 30 to 45 seconds. The microwave is an acceptable alternative, however you will not get any crunchiness like you would from one that was toasting in an oven.

I like a little bit of everything on my taco. First, the delicious bits of pork were centered on the tortilla. Next, a bit of grilled vegetables and mushrooms and a nice dollop of refried beans. Lastly, some fresh salsa and guacamole and then a small amount of shredded cheddar and sour cream! The plate needed some green, so did I and I went with spinach. It goes well with everything!

This is what I call a taco! Mind you, the pictures were tough to take. I could not figure out how to display the tacos without putting them between other items. Any suggestions on how to photograph this meal easier would be totally accepted! If not, jusk bask in the deliciousness of these pictures...and maybe make a batch for yourself, just make sure you don't forget to invite me! Then it can be Taco Time for you too!

Que Syrah, Syrah - A Delightful Wine Experience with Acacia Vineyard

Well, it was the end to another long work week. I had some co-workers over after work for a few drinks as it has been a busy week for us all. This was definitely a night to pull out a "special occasion" wine. It took a while to decide, but I chose to go with the wine I brought back from my last visit to Napa.

I was in Napa in early February and decided to stop at my favorite carneros winery, Acacia Vineyard. For those of you who have not yet experienced a single vineyard wine by Acacia, you need to do so immediately(immediately after you finish this blog of course)! Matthew Glynn is the senior winemaker at Acacia and he has been getting great scores on the pinot noir and chardonnay he has been producing, most notably the Sangiacomo Chardonnay and the Winery Lake and Lone Tree Vineyard Pinot Noirs.

Before I start to sound like an advertisement, let me talk more about my visit to Acacia. The drive alone is beautiful, on a road that winds through various rolling hillside vineyards. The curves and lack of traffic tempt the rally driver in you, however smarts always prevail so this last part is just a dream.

I have now visited Acacia twice and have brought back a bottle of this each time. Now you are dying to know, what is this wine you speak of? The one which caused you to go off on a tangent before even mentioning the wines name! The most delicious syrah I have ever had with exceptional fruit and spice, but still no name. Tell me you demand! Okay, I will tell you. The wine is none other than the Scott Ranch Syrah.

What??? You have never heard of it? Well this is a very limited production wine so I would be more suprised if you have heard of it. I first tried the 07 vintage during my first trip to Acacia Vineyard last year and it was amazing so I had to bring a bottle back to my hotel for dinner.I have only had one other syrah which was similar to this, that was the Jade Mountain Syrah Mount Veeder Paras Vineyard 03 which I may add is also spectacular.

2007 was a great year overall in California. This certainly shows in the wine which was a delightful experience for us all! I was the only one in the group who has tasted this before and I was almost as excited to hear other opinions on this wine as I was to taste it. What was my opinion you ask?

Acacia Vineyard Syrah Sonoma Coast Scott Ranch 07 is an experience in a bottle, I definitely recommend decanting this wine as it will most certainly contain sediment. The color was dark and rich, almost like a dark plum. What a great start, I chose to let this breathe about 20 minutes and it needed it. It started out overpoweringly spicy but after breathing it was complex. Delicious flavors of currant, pepper and plum alongside aromas of vanilla, anise and cedar notes. The finish was long and the tannins were definitely smooth.

I was not alone and eyeryone loved this choice. The special occasion was not the particular night, rather that it was spent with friends who can appreciate a great wine. While we finished the only bottle I had rather quickly, I was reminded of a certain line from a song, "Whatever will be, will be". This is true, because while I may not get another bottle from this spectacular vintage. The experience is what made it worth it, que syrah, syrah!