Why Leos are the best kind of people
Remember this little guy? He came for dinner on the weekend. Dad turned… ummmm…. 40, so we threw a little party. One thing I can say for sure about Leos, (because I am one,) is that they LOVE their birthdays. Jer-dawg is no exception, and my gift of a suckling pig was well received. I talked sweetly to him for a few minutes, took out all his bones, then brined him for a few days in a cooler that we kept under the kitchen table so everyone could keep a close eye on him. On the day of the party, I phoned up to the big house and asked Dad to pull Expo Ernie out of his brine and dry him up a bit so I would have an easier time rolling him up…. this is what I found when I arrived.
Little Expo Ernie, all hung out to dry. Thanks Dad. Auntie Marg was less than thrilled to find a boneless baby pig on her clothes line.
From there we rolled him up and threw him on the grill. He languished over a low flame for about four hours, and came out crispy, golden and DELICIOUS.
Expo Ernie was just a little guy, so we also grilled a whole sockeye salmon and a boat load of sweet corn from Chase. I don’t care what you coastal dwellers have to say about it…. the very best corn comes from Chase.
One more pork shot to finish you off….
And of course, who would I be if I didn’t come bearing cake as well as pork? If you know Jerry at all, you’ll know about his affinity for ice cream…. this is what 18 lbs of ice cream cake looks like…
While Expo Ernie was the guest of honour, (sorry Dad) the cake did steal a little of the spot light. We tried our best, but only managed to get through about half of it… if you’re passing through, give Jerry a shout. He MIGHT be willing to let you have a piece.
August slaughter
Better than a new tie
This is why I am the favourite. It’s Dad’s birthday, so I bought him a little pig.
Stay tuned to find out what we decided to do with it! Here’s a hint….
what a happy little guy
And one more to keep you guessing….
Afternoons by the pool are nice this time of year
The party is Sunday, check back next week to see how dinner turns out!
Consider This An Invitation To The Second Sunwolf Supper
From The Vault: Paella
From the B.O.T.E. vault, it’s the lost paella post. I was a much different person back then.
The Spaniard, a man named Alberto, sat me down and told me to forget everything I’ve ever heard or read about Paella and listen to him.
“The rice is very important, alright?” he half-whispered to me. “I will say it again just so you understand. The rice is very important. It is called Bomba and it is from the birthplace of Paella: Valencia, Spain”.
Angelo’s School Of Anchovies
Angelo taught me how to clean and cure anchovies and I thank him for that.
I was checking out of this little hotel in La Spezia, when I noticed him, the owner, cleaning some little fish at the makeshift bar. He had about 20 or 30 of them soaking in a bowl of water and was removing the bones with his fingers and then placing them in a colander set on a plate.
Simple Flavors Of Summer: More Love Letters
What’s with me and zucchini lately?
I have deep urges for zucchini. It’s strange because I never payed this member of the squash family too much mind until recently. I wouldn’t say I hated it before, I just never placed it in the holy stratosphere of things that grow in the dirt. But now I do! When it has been treated properly, that is to say not cooked to shit in some stew of turds, it has the ability to sing right alongside the big guns of vegetables.
A major moment in my realization of the power of zucchini came in Rome a couple of months ago. I had gotten a slab of pizza at a bakery called Forno Campo de’Fiori (located in piazza of the same name), and on it were two things: zuchinni flowers and cheese. The flavor was deep, earthy and full of umami – I had to do a double-take. Were there some mushrooms on this pizza I hadn’t noticed? Nope, just those two things. My life was changed forever. If you are ever in Rome, you have to go to this bakery. Follow the link above and check out the video of all the stuff they make.
Through some deep thinking and experimenting, I have determined that for zucchini to impress it must be paired with few other ingredients. It’s just too mild to fight with too many other flavors.
I made this little salad at work the other day and though I might share it with you: Take some baby zucchini, cut them in half, toss them with olive oil and salt, and throw them under the broiler cut side up. When they have cooked through and are beginning to brown, put a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese on top. Place them back in the broiler until nicely golden brown. Separately toss some blanched green beans and cherry tomatoes with a tomato vinaigrette (pureed tomatoes with olive oil and a little bit of nice vinegar). Throw it on a plate. A generous crank of freshly ground black pepper is a must.
This may sound boring to some, but it’s not. These are the simple flavors of Summer.
Bella Italia
Three random pictures from a recent trip to Italy.
“Tonno locale” in Palermo.
Fashion in Bologna.
Lunch in Venice: Fresh spaghetti with zucchini and prawns.
The Sunwolf Supper Series
Butter On The Endive and The Sunwolf Outdoor Centre held a dinner party last week.
My friends Jake, Jess, Slater and Tanya recently purchased the Sunwolf Outdoor Centre. The property, sitting right on the Cheakamus River in the Squamish Valley, includes ten cabins, a conference centre, and a small licensed cafe with seating for 50 . Not long after they purchased the property, I went over to check it out. The second I saw the cafe I was in love; it is nestled under a massive walnut tree with the seating outside on beautifully weathered picnic tables. During the day they provide lunches for sun-burnt river-rafters and the odd wandering local, but at night the cafe sits empty. Hearing this I had a crazy idea: what if I rented out the space one lovely summer evening and held a dinner? I ran it by the Sunwolf crew, and 3 weeks later it was reality.
Simple Flavors Of Summer: Squash Stigma Salad
Owen Lightly’s simple flavors of summer.
Yesterday at work I was feeling a little bit loopy. Long weekends in Whistler are insanity and this one had taken its toll on me. In my head I escaped the situation by creating an alternate reality in which I was in the process of writing a cookbook called “Owen Lightly’s Simple Flavors of Summer“. The book will be an instinctual reaction to the beauty of the summer bounty and the dishes will basically invent themselves.
Squash blossoms are on our menu right now and before we stuff them we remove this weird looking little protrusion from the base of the female flower. It looked tasty so I put it in my mouth, and god-damn if it wasn’t a sweet little morsel. I saved about a hundred of them and put them in the fridge for a post-service salad. A little bit of olive oil, lemon, a few watercress leaves, salt and pepper and I had a revelation on my hands. Sweet and mild, they had that beautiful earthy squash flavor which has got a hold of me lately. These are the flavors of summer.
I learned later this little nubbin is called the Stigma and it is where the bees land to pollinate. If they are not pollinated the fruit and flower will fall off of the plant and die. Save the bees!!!! They are very important.
Outstanding In The Field
I recently had the pleasure of cooking with Araxi at a really cool event called Outstanding In The Field. Basically, a group of nice people travel around the U.S. and Canada in a big red bus putting on large dinners on organic farms and other unique venues (I heard they did one on a beach somewhere). It was founded by artist and chef Jim Denevan in 1999 and keeps getting bigger each year. I was so stoked on the concept and the people running it that I went down to Vancouver the next day to help my friends at Refuel with their Outstanding dinner at UBC farm. A lot of attention is paid to the producers of the food and many of them are at the dinners ready to answer questions and fill people in on what they’re products are all about. Awesome. Check out this little video I made of our day.
