Olives the fruit of the Gods

From time to time I attend the food and trade shows here in Vancouver. It's a great way for those of us in the industry to keep in touch with new products, technology and for me personally to see so many familiar faces. I love going up and down the isles looking at everything new or discovering things I was looking for but didn't know where to start looking.

All of a sudden I come across OLIVES. This may not be so new of an item, but I have really come to appreciate these little fruits in the last couple of years. I marvelled in how these were so fresh and had so much flavour and well 10 times better then what I have been buying in the local grocery store at times. The unfortunate thing is I can't even recommend where you can buy these from, because here I am dealing with Restaurant Wholesalers who don't sell to the public.

But my point is don't miss an opportunity to find these little gems in some Mediterranean or even little Italian store tucked away somewhere or at the fresh markets that Vancouver has to offer.Use them as a snack, cut them up in a salad, fry them with chicken or fish there is endless possibilities.

Pour yourself a glass of wine, place a small bowl in front of you and just enjoy.

Caipirinha....Capa What??

Caipirinha is Brazil's National Drink made with Cachaca Rum. I discovered this drink a few years back and decided to revisit it one night with some friends. It was a great visit.

Cachaca is a distilled spirit from Brazil that is in a class of it's own, but is often associated with rum. The difference is that cachaca is made from sugar cane juice where rum uses molasses.

Step 1: You will need 2.5oz of Cachaca, 1 Lime, and 2tsp of granulated sugar.
* Slice the lime into 8 wedges.

* Muddle the lime wedges and sugar in a highball glass.

* Add ice to the glass

* Add the cachaca to the glass

* Stir and enjoy

Tip: Consume these in moderation

BEETS...earthy flavor

Roasting beets concentrates their rich, earthy flavor...while keeping them firm and almost potatoe-like texture.

The only thing roasted beets need is a light vinaigrette to be absolutely perfect. Always roast a few extra beets to use in salads and sandwiches or in other beet dishes.

Try this: 4 medium beets(trimmed & scrubbed)

2 medium oranges

1 Tbs. sherry vinegar

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Wrap each unpeeled beet in foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast for about 40minutes or until beets are tender enough to be pierced with a knife. Cool until easy to handle.

Grate 1/2 tsp. zest from 1 orange: set aside. Trim ends away from both oranges, stand fruit upright and remove peel and pith with a knife. Holf fruit over bowl to catch juice. then cut segments from the membranes. Cut each segment in half and place in separate bowl.

Whisk together 2 Tbs. orange juice in a bowl, with vinegar, orange zest, lemon juice and salt. Gradually whisk in oil.

Peel beets by rubbing off skin under cold water. Cut beets into 1 inch pieces, and add to bowl with ornage segments. Top with vinaigrette, and toss well. Chill several hours before serving. Can be made ahead up to 2 days.

The Crab Feast in Tofino

March 18th I decided to make a trip up to Tofino with my family. A friend of mine had just finished building a cabin and we decided to take our families up there to enjoy a weekend of ocean, fun and hopefully fishing.

Living in Abbotsford made the trip a little longer then I would of liked. The whole time driving up there my children kept asking "are we there yet". The trip was taking too long for a 8 year old and a three year old to handle and they kept saying they were never coming here again. I kept telling them never say never...or at least until you see this place.

We went out on a fishing boat on the Saturday and it was spectacular. He took us out crabbing and we caught about 12 dungeness crabs in no time at all. We were also lucky to catch some beautiful spotted prawns, I was so excited about the feast we were going to have. The fisherman driving the boat took us around to see the sea lions, we fed the eagles off the back of the boat and saw some amazing senerery. He commented that the adults seemed more excited than the 3 kids that we brought along for the ride.

That night we did feast on everything that we caught, it has to be hands down the best dungeness I have every eaten. You could not have eaten anything as fresh as catching it that day. Unfortunately we had to leave the next day. My kids were asking me when we were coming back. I guess the drive was worth the experience.

The Wolf Trap

One day my wife had a friend over for the afternoon. My wife, Annette had bought a bottle of red and her friend brought over a bottle of South African, The Wolf Trap. Picture this, 2 Mom's, 3 kids, 2 bottles of wine and a Friday afternoon. Well this little unknown bottle of the Wolf Trap was a Syrah, Mourvedre and Viognier blend. It's no shy red, oozed big plum flavor with smoke and cracked black pepper.

Needless to say when I got home in the early evening that day. The 2 Mom's were feeling like they were having way to much fun, the kids had over run the living room area and the 2 bottles of wine....well let's just say...GONE. I did get to taste just a small glass of the Wolf Trap but I have bought this name again and again and would recommend to buy.

How to cook Quinoa...

Quinoa is cooked just like rice. You want to rinse off the quinoa with cold water, then you want 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 15-18minutes. Allow to sit covered for 5 min.

I prefer eating this dish more at room temperature or cold. That's why it makes a great salad. Add any vegetables... I like cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, asparagus ends and I love adding a little feta with an olive oil and vinegar base dressing. This dish is perfect to make ahead or take along when it's pot luck time.

What The Heck is Quinoa?

It's prounced like 'keen wah', and it is frequently unknown supperfood-containing a perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids. It is gluten free for all you "Celiacs" out there and a great source of protein too!

Ice Cold..Crisp..Refreshing Flavour

Okay I may not be as big of a beer drinker then my wife or some of my friends. I am a Rum drinker. But I do have to say that the Brazilian Beer " Brahma" is just that Ice Cold..Crisp..Refreshing Flavour. It's light enough that you can drink a few of them without feeling bloated but it has more flavour then some of those watered down light beers. I love the bottle too...pick some up for your next party.

Simple and Elegant

I'm always surprised at how the most comments on my food come from doing the most simplest dishes. Nothing has to be complicated to be great and "Wow" your guests.

Not to long ago we had guests over and one of the side dishes was just grilled vegetables. I took all my favorites, Bell Peppers, Beets, Butternut Squash, Fennel, Radicchio, and some Red Onion. Now the beets, fennel and butternut squash I tossed in olive oil, added a little crushed garlic and fresh ground pepper, I have really being tying to reduce the amount of a salt intake so I didn't put any on and it, and it really doesn't need it, there will be more then enough flavor when I am done with this. These few vegetables have to be roasted off first because of their hardiness.

I toss the rest of the vegetables in olive oil, crushed garlic and fresh ground pepper and then grill them on the BBQ. These vegetables do not take long to cook, leave them on till you get some nice grill marks and them remove them. It's really a couple of minutes per side and that's it.

Once all the vegetables are cooked I place them all on a cooking sheet and leave it in the fridge until I am ready for them. This definitely can be made a head of time. Put it in the oven at 350 just before your ready to serve for maybe 10-15 min just to get them back to above room temperature, these do not have to be pipping hot. Place them all on a big platter and drizzle with some balsamic reduction. Your guests will be impressed.