sumptous moose stew

Perhaps moose stew, or stew in general, doesn't sound particularly sumptuous or something that can be remotely sexy. Maybe moose is more likely to bring up memories of some cartoon-like character or an animal that is apt to wreck vehicles. Surely, moose is a little rare; it's not like you can get it in the grocery store. Fortunately for us, a good friend gave us several cuts of moose, and this roast turned into stew has been the favorite dish so far. The roast was an odd candidate for a stew, as it was some of the leanest meat I have ever seen in my life, but I also wanted to use a few of the turnips received from the CSA bag a few weeks back. Certainly, it won't be possible to recreate the dish with moose all the time, but I will definitely try this again with beef as soon as the weather is cold. You are likely thinking I'm crazy for making stew in the middle of summer, but it did work out that I made it on a very cold and rainy day. Thanks Calgary... Find yourself a cold and rainy day, and enjoy this dish as much as I did! Moose Stew Serves 8-10 1, 2-3 pound roast of moose, or beef cut into 1-inch cubes 3 medium onions, thinly sliced extra virgin olive oil half bottle of full-bodied red wine salt small can of tomato paste 3-4 cups of plum tomatoes in their juices 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh chopped rosemary 1 tsp herbes de provence 1 tsp of ground ginger sprinkle of turmeric 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1.5 inch cubes of peeled sweet potatoes, about 6 cups 1.5 inch cubes of unpeeled turnips, about 2 cups 4-6 carrots, halved, and 2-3 inches in length 1. Pre-heat a deep-sided saute pan, on medium-high heat with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the meat in batches, adding a touch of salt here and there, and be sure to keep the heat until meat is browned and not to overcrowd the pan to prevent steaming the meat without caramelization. Remove the meat from the pan, and set aside. 2. Add another 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and add the sliced onions. Allow the onions to caramelize, and then add the wine. Scrape any lovely brown bits on the bottom of the pan into the mix. 3. When the wine has evaporated, add the meat back into the mix, as well as the tomato paste, plum tomatoes, chicken stock, and the herbs. Allow to simmer on medium-high heat on the stove until the liquid has cooked down. Add a couple teaspoons of salt, I used coarse sea salt. 4. Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. 5. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips to the pot. Cover with a lid, and place in the oven for at least 3 hours. Do not stir once the vegetables are tender, or the sweet potatoes will disintegrate. 6. Best served in bowls with a bottle of wine, and a fresh green salad or gently steamed green beans. Enjoy!
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Korean or Hawaiian or Confused Beef

Yeah, so it doesn't really know its true identity. But who truly does? Apparently, ancestry isn't as true as it one thinks if you go back 1000 years either. Pretty neat when you figure we are all much more connected than we even thought. Things to figure out one day.... This beef is pretty darn good however, and of course, I wouldn't want to disappoint you by making something tremendously difficult these days. There's always time for that later. The best part is that it is easy to make the beef in a large batch, and freeze most of it, or even half of it in the marinade, and cook up the goodness another day. Just be forewarned that the salty-sweet-heat combo is extremely addicting, so you might or might not end up with leftovers. Do be sure to freeze the flank steak for a while, or thaw it for awhile, before slicing it into thin pieces. It makes it a lot easier to work with, and effortless to slice it thinly. It should be virtually frozen, but not quite hard as a rock. It is absolutely stellar when paired with my Chinese Five-Spice Rice, and given a healthy bit of Sriracha on top, much more than pictured above for sure. As my cousin Leanne said, who was over for dinner, "you haven't put enough until your nose is running." So get squirting that stuff, because it is certainly enlivening, and awesome to have at home, not just at restaurants. GO GET SOME. Check out the cool broccoli. Flowering already, but still good. Anyone know its true name? It was grown by Thompson Small Farm, who are weekly at the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Farmers Market. I owe my thanks to Cheryl Arkison, of Backseat Gourmet, for it, who offered up her Community Supported Agriculture Box last week. What fun! I also got a chance to meet Jenn Chic, and pick up a few cookies and a sticky pecan bun for Jeff. Yum on both accounts! Korean or Hawaiian Style Beef Serves 10 6.5 lbs flank steak, thinly sliced 1.5 cups soy sauce 1/4 cup sesame oil 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp fish sauce 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp white vinegar 2 tbsp minced ginger 5 cloves minced garlic 1. Divide the flank steak among large bowls, or zip bags if it is to be frozen immediately. 2. Combine the soy sauce through garlic and mix thoroughly. 3. Spoon or ladle the marinade over the beef, and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours before cooking. Freeze most of it, unless you have a lot of friends or a large family! 4. To cook, pre-heat a cast iron pan, griddle, or wok on the barbecue or stove, on medium-high heat. Add the beef in batches, so as not to steam it, but to give it a good brown colour on both sides. 5. Serve immediately with rice, a green vegetable, and some sriracha hot chili sauce on top.
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food, oh food, what are we to do?

It seems that every food we put in our tummies these days has some sort of complication. Is it organic? Is it grass-fed beef? Was that tomato irradiated? Well it looks like things aren't going to get any simpler anytime soon....well at least in terms of what is fact and what is fiction. So recently, I've been following the blog posts of the Haphazard Gourmet Girls and their efforts to blow many foodie myths out of the water. Literally. Like their interview with Trevor Corson, Sushi Superman. Did you know that the Japanese consider toro as a garbage fish? Or how about eating fish that is not too freshly caught, because it needs time to develop flavour. Well it shouldn't be twitching anyways. Nifty. I also love their post about beef and wine. How could two foods, which are pretty elemental in the history of Western Civilization, have so many conflicting fallacies involved? How should the cows be cared for? And are they really cared for the way we are told? And does Wine Spectator have a clue about what they are doing, or are those ratings just a bunch of hooey? Oh, and in case you had any poetic sensibilities for what you thought was chianina beef? If you thought that the nearly mythic beef at Dario Cecchini's macelleria in Panzano was actually chianina beef, well think again. After reading Bill Buford's book Heat, you too will discover that the beef comes from Spain. It is all in how the beef is raised apparently, and the type of cow itself is of little or no concern. hmmmm. Drinking bottled water? Watch this: And, then in case you aren't sure that food has really gone to the dogs, well take in this flick of one of my favourite food writers, and food expert, Mark Bittman:
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