Edmonton’s Bagel Maker

Just past the old Chinatown gate, there's a small, slightly shabby noodle restaurant. It's tucked in next to a Korean BBQ spot in a building with a strange, pastel unicorn mural on the side. And there, once a week, you can buy Montreal-style bagels from an old, stooped Chinese man named Siu To.

 
Siu To is 72 years old, but there's no doubting the sparkle in his eye. He's the owner of Noodle Maker, a ramen noodle restaurant that's about a year old. I've never eaten there. But I had the chance to visit Siu while he was baking bagels.

I think this cultural collision can be summed up in this photo:

 
Siu learned how to make bagels about thirty years ago. He says it was a happy accident.

I’m not going to tell you the story here. Instead I invite you to listen to the story I did on Siu To for CBC radio. You can find the link here. It’s really better when you hear his voice telling it.

But I will let you know that Siu To is once again selling his bagels at Noodle Maker. He only bakes them once a week, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday. You can call the restaurant, or follow him on twitter to find out when they’ll be fresh. He’s @Noodlemakeredm.

And no, I didn’t taste one of Siu’s bagels, because of course they’re made with wheat flour. But he gave me two paper bags full to take back to my colleagues. The smell wafting out of those bags was intoxicating, and the brown paper curled at the tops from the steam. My colleagues, one of whom is from Montreal, told me the bagels tasted like the real thing.

Noodle Maker restaurant
9653 102 Ave.
Edmonton
780 428 0021

In the right place

It has been a crazy couple of weeks around here.

Tomorrow night is a big event in my husband's life - his final voice recital for his Master's of Music degree at the University of Alberta. He'll be singing an hour-long program of music, from classical to 20th-century, in five languages, accompanied by piano.

Solo recitals are always a big deal for musicians, but this one is especially important for several reasons. J has spent three years working on his Master's degree, after starting out in music theory and switching to voice performance after one semester. It's the culmination of nine straight years of post-secondary education, which included several shifts. He started out as an accordionist in Paris, then moved back to PEI to study organ, started taking voice lessons, took on voice as a major, and then started out in theory here in Alberta.

He's definitely in the right place now. I truly believe singing is what he was meant to do. See and hear him on stage and you'll agree with me.

But the craziest thing about tonight's recital is a more recent change. Last summer J was in Austria for a five-week training program in German song and poetry. He worked with some of the most famous classical singers and coaches in the world. It was there he learned that he's not actually a baritone, the voice type he'd been singing as for seven years. It turns out he's a tenor! (Tenor is the highest male voice type, followed by baritone and bass.) Needless to say, this was a surprise. He's spent the past nine months adjusting to this new reality, learning new repertoire, and tackling many technical challenges with his ever-supportive teacher and coach at the U of A.

You could say tonight is his Edmonton debut as a tenor. At age 26, he's considered a very young tenor, and his voice will still change a lot in the coming years. But tonight he gets to show it off in a program of beautiful, challenging music.

J's parents arrived in town today, and my mother, a classical musician herself and a huge fan of his, flies in tomorrow morning. Many of his friends and colleagues will be there tomorrow night too.

J started working full-time a few weeks ago, so he's been preparing for the recital on top of a 9 to 5 job. I am also playing piano for one song cycle on the recital, so I've been practicing extra-hard and we've been rehearsing together.

On top of all this, (were you wondering if there was a food element to this story?) I'm preparing and baking the food for the post-recital reception.

I have to admit there's some pressure about making this reception delightful in every way. But I think all the pressure is coming from me. At UPEI, where J did his undergrad degree, student recital receptions were kind of a big deal. Everyone tried to have the best one, most enlisting the help of their mothers and friends to cook and bake up a storm. The last reception I created like this one was for an organ recital J did back in 2007. I remember baking sugar cookies two ways, preparing chocolate-dipped strawberries, smoked salmon crostini and goat cheese-sundried tomato dip, all in our tiny red kitchen on Pownall Street in Charlottetown (the original little red kitchen, incidentally).

That reception was a ton of work, and this one has been too. But it's work I enjoy. I love the planning process - deciding what to make for a balance of foods and flavours, which foods work best in a reception setting (all cold food that's easy to pick up and eat), having enough options for the vegetarians.

And of course it's all gluten-free.

The biggest challenge, for me, is trying to figure out how much food to make. I really have no idea how many people will come to the reictal - it's hard to predict these things when it's free and you don't need to buy a ticket. I'm erring on the side of making too much instead of too little, but it may be that we are foisting off platters of cookies and crackers on our friends at the end of the night. 

In terms of preparation, I am just about where I want to be at this point. The baking is done, and tomorrow morning I'll finish up the things that will not keep so well. It's going to be a bit of a blitz, with J's parents coming over to help me wrap dates in prosciutto and stick feta and tomatoes on skewers.

Here is the menu:

} Cinnamon sugar cookies
} Chocolate chip-walnut bars
} Lemon ginger bars
} Pumpkinseed Brittle
} Hummus with vegetables and crackers
} Tomato-feta skewers
} Prosciutto-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese

I've been doing all my baking lately - and everything for this reception - using a new-to-me GF flour blend. It's from Gluten-free Girl, one of the most popular and authoritative GF voices writing online. Her blog has been around forever, and she has published two cookbooks. I greatly admire her drive and her work in raising awareness about celiac disease. So far, her flour blend works very well.

I'm off to cut the lemon bars. If you're free tomorrow night, come hear my husband sing! I promise it will be a fantastic performance, and if everything comes together, the reception should be decent too.

The recital is at McDougall United Church in Edmonton – 10025 101 st., 7:30 pm on Thursday March 31st. Admission is free.

A visit to the Italian Centre

I definitely feel different now that the weather has shifted in Edmonton. Spring is not quite here in full force, but the months-long funk of minus twenty temperatures has lifted. The feeling I had of being chilled even while inside is gone. Birds are singing. The sun feels warm on my back, and the streets have turned slushy. I'm still wearing my winter coat, but I know that things are changing.

Our habits are changing too. In the past month or so, we've started doing the majority of our grocery shopping at the north side Italian Centre. I had been there many times before, but it was actually a comment on this blog that got me inspired to start shopping there regularly.

When I did, I realized how nice it is to shop there compared to the large Save On Foods I used to go to. It's a smaller store and feels centred in the community. I love hearing people speak Italian as I walk through the aisles. It's a lot easier to find staff to help you if you need something. And though it's small, it carries much of what we eat on a weekly basis. The produce is fresh and varied, lacking only in a few areas like greens (which surprises me, since when we were in Italy greens were everywhere), and much of it is cheaper than at Save-On. And the deli is fantastic, carrying many gluten-free meats and sheep's and goat's cheese.

Most of all, I really like the feeling of supporting a local business. I know the vegetables and fruits come from far away, but more of my money is staying here in Edmonton. 

So I thought I'd take you with me on my shopping trip this week.

I like to walk to the store if I have time. It takes about twenty minutes from our apartment.

There is a beautiful cafe, Spinelli’s Bar Italia, attached to the store. If you feel like sipping a cappucino while you shop, that is definitely an option.

It's going to be a busy week for both J and I, so I planned simple meals, including turnip and potato patties, parsnip soup (with parsnips I picked up at the city market last weekend), and rainbow peanut noodles.

I really like their selection of bulk mushrooms, including oysters and shiitakes. When I started eating these I realized how much delicious flavour they have compared to the average button.

Cheap B.C. apples and a great assortment of hot peppers.

At the deli: a huge selection of meats (many gluten-free) and cheeses. This place is packed on a Saturday afternoon.

Prosciutto is one of our favourites. Just look at that beautiful vein of white fat … Although on a sad note, I found out that it is NOT gluten-free!

They carry a great variety of pasta, including many gluten-free kinds which are not astronomically expensive, and delicious canned tomatoes.

There is also this Italian brand of crackers and cookies, with varieties that are gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free. They didn’t have any gluten-free ones this time, so they’re not in this picture, but the crackers remind of of Stoned Wheat Thins with a hint of rosemary. There are also gluten-free tortillas, seen at bottom left.

Doesn’t this toffee chocolate crunch look amazing? I just noticed it for the fist time, and it’s gluten-free! It comes in four or five flavours, but I’ve been craving pistachios lately so I zeroed in on these. I decided not to splurge this time (they’re 9 dollars), but I definitely will in the future. I noticed since this trip they also sell these at Planet Organic.

It wouldn’t be an Italian store without a wonderful selection of olive oil. I like looking at the pretty labels too.

Laden with my shopping bags, I wait outside for the bus home (it conveniently leaves from right in front of the store and drops me right in front of my building). I look over at the statue of Frank Spinelli, the founder of the Italian Centre, in Giovanni Caboto Park. Frank looks pretty lonely, sitting at his table surrounded by snow, but I hope the park will soon be filled with green and buds and running children.

Here’s to Spring!

Turkey Tetrazzini

I grew up in a home with a great love of food. But my parents approached food and cooking with completely different attitudes.

In our house, my Mom stayed home to look after my sister and me, while my Dad worked full-time. So Mom cooked all the weeknight dinners, and Dad cooked on the weekends, including all the big family meals.

Mom often made casseroles (this was the 80s after all) and one-dish dinners. I found out much later that she made a point to cook one vegetarian supper every week. One of her favourite cookbook authors was Jane Brody, the ultimate 80s health guru, whose books include The Good Food Book - Living the High Carbohydrate Way (can you believe how much things have changed??).

 
Mom made sure we were eating healthful foods. We accompanied her on trips to the health food store where she ladled natural peanut butter into plastic containers. I remember snacks of GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts) and ants on a log, and there were never chips or pop in our cupboards. I barely knew what Joe Louis and Passion Flakies were, besides seeing the occasional glimpse in my friends' lunches. But I never felt like I was missing out. She baked treats a lot, and we always had delicious homemade cakes on our birthdays.

My Dad's meals were nearly always the protein-starch-vegetable formula, though he was also a big salad guy. He loved meat, and he loved seafood even more. His food was simple but always delicious. He loved to barbeque, often year round, and in the summer there was always fresh shellfish like lobster and clams.

 
My Dad's cooking was all about pleasure. His primary concern was not health, but taste. He fried his fish in bacon fat because it tasted damn good. He liked mashed potatoes with lots of butter and milk, grilled onions and mushrooms, steamed swiss chard with a side of mayonnaise (which as a child I thought looked absolutely disgusting). I never really talked to him about it, but I think he tried to bring out the real tastes of foods. My Dad died more than six years ago, and I really wish we could have had more conversations about eating and cooking.

I loved the meals both my parents made, and I realize that I've incorporated bits and pieces of both their styles into the way I cook today. I'm definitely interested in cooking for health, and in the benefits of vegetarianism. When I plan our daily meals I am conscious of making sure we have enough vegetables and fibre. I'm not a big casserole person, but even when I'm cooking with meat I gravitate towards quick, one-dish meals.

But I think my real love of cooking comes directly from my Dad. My Mom loves and appreciate food, but I know cooking isn't always her favourite thing to do (maybe because she was the one churning out reliable weeknight meals for years!). I love experimenting with new flavours, and I don't mind spending a long time in the kitchen to make a fabulous meal.

 
Mom always had a stable of meals in rotation on our dining room table. It's a smart idea - I'm sure I'll be the same way when I have kids. Since we're still in our freewheeling childless days, J and I often try a new recipe every night of the week. But I would love to eventually have about 25 recipes that I know and love, that we can make quickly and easily for weeknight suppers.

Lately I have been fondly remembering these weeknight meals from my childhood. I think it's because Mom made our favourite things over and over, imprinting their delicious flavours on my memory. Creamy baked macaroni and cheese, Italian fish casserole with noodles and tomatoes, shepherd's pie with a crispy cheese topping ... I think we all have these childhood food memories. The food might have been simple, plain or maybe even mediocre, but it's the memories that make it special. I remember the casserole dishes she always used for certain foods, and taking the leftovers for lunch in little plastic thermoses that kept it warm until noon.

 
I think my Mom's food actually tasted good, though. I don't think I've elevated it in my memory to undeserved status. Which is why I want to start recreating some of those meals in my own kitchen. The first one was Turkey Tetrazzini, an Italian-esque supper she made many times, often with leftover turkey or chicken. It's an easy meal that comes together very quickly if you're using leftovers, and you can adapt it in any number of ways. We used delicious rice pasta we brought back from Italy and leftover turkey from our belated holiday meal with J's parents back in January. I know these photos don’t make it look like the most appetizing dish, but I promise it tastes good!

I was curious where the name Tetrazzini came from. It sounds vaguely like a kind of noodle, but the casserole is made with spaghetti. It turns out this is a completely American dish, invented either in San Francisco or New York and named after an Italian opera star named Luisa Tetrazzini. Oh well. It doesn't have to be authentic to be delicious!

 
Turkey Tetrazzini

Adapted from Jane Brody’s Good Food Book

I was inspired by the wikipedia article, which says it's traditional to use almonds in this dish. My mother never did, but they added a nice flavour and texture element. You could also add leftover cooked vegetables such as broccoli, peas, or green beans.

½ pound spaghetti
½ pound mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
I Tb. butter or margarine
2 Tb. Flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups milk, cow's or unsweetened soy
2 tsp. soy sauce
½ cup shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese (optional)  
1 green pepper, seeded & diced
4 or 5 sliced scallions
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 cups cooked turkey (about ½ pound), cut into small cubes
¼ cup grated Parmesan

Cook the spaghetti in salted, boiling water until al dente and drain well.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, sauté the mushrooms in the butter, stirring them often, until they are just tender.

Stir in the flour, salt and pepper, coating the mushrooms. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce, and simmer the sauce, stirring it, until it has thickened somewhat.

Add the Swiss or Cheddar, green pepper, and scallions to the sauce, and mix the ingredients well. Stir in the almonds, turkey and spaghetti, combining well. Pour the mixture into a greased 2-quart shallow casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the Parmesan.

Bake the casserole, uncovered, in a preheated 350º oven for about 20 minutes or until it is heated through. Raise the heat to 450 and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is browned.