When
I included Canadian cuisine on this year’s project list, I had no idea what a
treat it would be. As I recall, I almost
removed it from the list to add a more exotic cuisine (at least, to me) from
Asia or Africa, but I changed my mind when I considered that I knew nothing of
Canadian cuisine with the exception of poutine.
Considering how much I know about Mexican food, it seemed ridiculous to
know so little about our Northern neighbors.
I am so happy that I kept to the spirit of the project and explored this
unfamiliar territory, because I discovered a new-found respect and even
admiration for Canadian cuisine.
Like
the United States, Canada is a country of immigrants bringing traditions and determination to their new homeland. Its early settlers learned to survive on the
natural resources of their surroundings, which accounts for the popularity of
salmon on the Northwest coast, harp seal on the Northeast coast, and venison,
wild mushrooms, and berries in the forested mountainous regions, including the
Appalachian Mountains in southern Quebec and the Canadian Rockies in British
Columbia and Alberta. The traditions of
other cultures are evident in regions with dense populations of Canadians from
various ethnic origins. French Canadians
live throughout the country, although the largest concentration resides in
Quebec. Large communities of Chinese
Canadians live in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, and Edmonton. Other sizable ethnic groups found in dense
populations include Scottish and Irish communities on Prince Edward Island,
German communities in Saskatchewan, and North American Indians in the Northwest
Territories. These communities, as well
as many other smaller ones, brought their food traditions to these territories and
defined Canadian cuisine.
In
order to sample the best of Canada’s cuisine from various traditions, I cooked
popular dishes from different regions and ethnic backgrounds. The options abounded as I discovered a long
list of distinctively Canadian dishes. I’m
confident I selected some of the best!
Tuesday Night: Soupe Aux Pois (Yellow Pea Soup) and Bannock
Soupe Aux Pois originated in Quebec during the early nineteenth century out of
necessity to serve an inexpensive hot meal to country farmers. The soup is made with yellow split peas and
seasoned by pork fat and vegetables. I
used onions, carrots, and turnips, but other variations included potatoes and
celery. For seasoning, I added a bay
leaf, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
I simmered this soup for about two hours until the peas softened and
served it with bannock. The soup was
hearty and delicious. The salt pork
added an amazing depth of flavor without overpowering the sweetness of the
peas, onions, carrots, and turnips. Just
like most soups, the leftovers on Wednesday and Thursday were even better
because the soup thickened and the flavors heightened.
I served the soup
“as is” although I read several notes that the soup may be pureed for a smooth
consistency. Others noted that they
pureed half of the peas to create a thicker soup. I prefer the texture of the peas and did not
see any reason to puree it.
Bannock
is a simple quick bread. It originates
from a similar Scottish bread that fur traders likely introduced to the North
American Indians living on the prairies.
The basic dough includes flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and water
(or milk). Traditionally, the dough
rounds were cooked on hot rocks near a camp fire, or the dough was wrapped
around sticks and cooked over the fire directly. I used water in my batter, because I can’t
imagine the early fur traders were toting around fresh milk. The consistency of the dough reminds me of
Southern Drop Biscuits as it was ridiculously sticky. I baked my bannock on a pizza stone. I think I flattened my rounds too thinly,
because the end result was a thin bread with a tough exterior, and everything I
read about it noted that bannock is light and fluffy. As a result, I didn’t love it, but I can certainly
understand how it could serve as great filler for a hungry person by the
campfire.
Wednesday
Night: Cretons
Cretons
(a.k.a creton, corton, or gorton) is a pork spread similar to rilletes originating in Quebec from French Canadian
settlers. As soon as I read about
Cretons, I knew I would make it for this project. I was intrigued by the simplicity of the
recipe and the combination of spices used to flavor it. After reading several different recipes, I
found Bryan Eaton’s article, Good Eaton: Creton – just like Mem used to make, and I knew it would be the quintessential recipe. I love a good story, and even more, I love a
dish with sentimental value to a family.
Eaton reminisces about his grandmother’s cretons. When he was a child, she served it for lunch on
white bread with yellow mustard. She
gave each grandchild a loaf in a small aluminum pan for Christmas every year. Fortunately for the rest of us, Eaton asked
his grandmother to write down her recipe, and not only does he share the recipe
in his article, he also includes a picture of his hand-written copy, framed and
hanging in his kitchen.
Making
the dish is actually quite simple. I
mixed twice-ground pork, grated white onion, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, salt,
and a pinch of fresh ground pepper.
Then, I simmered it in a half-covered pot for about 2 hours. (The recipe says to simmer until all of the
water evaporates.) When the water
evaporated, I pressed the mixture into a loaf pan and left it in the
refrigerator overnight.
I
made this dish on Tuesday night, so it would be ready to take to a Wednesday
night meeting. I wanted to see what my
friends thought about it. I served it
with water crackers, melba toasts, and whole grain Dijon. This was AMAZING! We savored every last morsel. When I read that the recipe included ½ tsp
ground clove to season one pound of pork, I was concerned that the cloves would
overpower the dish, but Bryan Eaton’s mem knows exactly what she is doing. This recipe is the perfect balance of
flavors. I liked the texture, too. A good cross between pate and rillettes…not
as fine as pate, not as chunky as rilletes.
I will make this dish again and again.
I highly recommend it!
Thursday
Night: Ginger Beef
Ginger
Beef is a Canadian Chinese dish that originated in Calgary, Alberta. As I read through lists of “Top 10 Canadian Dishes”
online, Ginger Beef consistently held a spot near the top. Its popularity and inclusion on these lists
intrigued me. I mean, I love our Chinese
American General Tso’s Chicken, but if someone asked me to list my “top 10
American dishes,” I don’t think it would even cross my mind as a candidate
because I think of it as Chinese food.
Upon
further research, I quickly realized the significance of Chinese food to the
culture of Alberta when I discovered that The Royal Alberta Museum is currently
hosting a traveling exhibit, Chop Suey onthe Prairies, to celebrate Chinese restaurants in Alberta. (That’s serious.) The museum’s website includes a brief history
of “Ginger Beef” which explains how Chef George Wong of Silver Inn conceived
the dish to appeal to the tastes of Calgarians:
The dish's inventor, George Wong, was a traditionally trained Chinese chef
whose specialty was Northern Chinese food, sometimes referred to as Peking
style. His career as a chef took him to London, England where he worked in
relatives' take-out restaurants.
In 1974 Wong moved to Calgary and married Lily Cheung, one of two sisters
who owned the Silver Inn. The sisters intended to open a Chinese restaurant
serving authentic Northern Chinese food, but for the first year found themselves
serving hamburgers and grilled cheese alongside their Chinese dishes.
Calgarians were not yet ready for Chinese dishes that went beyond chop suey,
fried rice or egg drop soup.
"Deep fried shredded beef in chili sauce" was one of the dishes
that Wong introduced to his new customers. Inspired by an orange peel beef dish
from Hunan province in China, he adjusted the seasonings to create a pub dish
that had been popular when he worked in England. The dish was sticky and sweet,
the way that most English people liked their Chinese sauces, and its spiciness
went well with beer. To make his dish appeal to Calgarians, Wong battered and
deep fried the beef. Even though he used very little ginger, Calgarians
attributed the dish's slightly spicy taste to ginger and 'ginger beef' was
created.
Royal Alberta
Museum, Chop
Suey on the Prairies. Retrieved from
http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/events/exhibits/travelling.cfm?id=52
So, I set out to make Ginger Beef for
dinner on Thursday night, and it was just as good as I had expected. Without a doubt, this dish is the BEST
version of take-out Chinese I have ever tasted.
The sauce had a great balance of sweet, salty, and spicy elements, and
it successfully complements the crispy beef with carrots, celery, and chili
peppers. Another Canadian winner!
Friday Night: Poutine
and Butter Tarts
Without a doubt, poutine and butter
tarts are the most popular dishes in Canada.
They top everyone’s “best of” lists, and both represent simple ideas
that culminate in satisfying flavors.
I began my Friday evening with a
Unibroue Don de Dieu, and it was so smooth and delicious that I wondered how I
had never before had any of Unibroue’s brews.
The flavors were complex, yet the beer never felt heavy. Hints of citrus, apple, and honey gave it a
refreshing quality. A perfect way to
begin my evening.
While poutine is simply French fries
and fresh cheese curds covered in brown gravy, its Canadian legacy makes it so
much more than just a fast-food or greasy-spoon dish. The dish originated in Quebec in the 1950s,
and since then, many variations have developed.
When I visited Vancouver a few years ago, I was shocked that poutine
could be found on almost every menu.
Even Burger King offered poutine with a combo meal. Whether you stick to a purist’s poutine or
branch out to a more idealized version (still have a special place in my heart
for Sustain’s Duck Poutine with foie gras demi, duck confit, and feta cheese),
it’s just plain good eats!
I decided to go “old school” with my
poutine. I hand-cut the potatoes and double-fried
them for a perfect crispness. I layered white
and yellow cheddar cheese curds on top and smothered it in beef gravy that I
spiced-up a bit with shallots, garlic, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire
sauce. Delicious…a perfect Friday-night
junk food dinner!
Butter Tarts originate from the English
Canadian settlers. Common in pioneer
Canadian cooking, these tarts are perfect examples of combining a few simple
ingredients for an amazing result. The
crust is a simple butter crust made of flour, salt, butter, egg yolk, vinegar,
and ice water. (Not all of the recipes
included vinegar in the crust, but I learned many years ago that vinegar is the
key to a no-fail flaky pastry crust.)
The fillings range from “liquidy” to “gooey” depending on the ratio of
sugar to syrup (corn or maple). I made a
filling of brown sugar, maple syrup, egg, butter, and vanilla. The most controversial element of a butter
tart recipe seems to be the addition of other ingredients to the filling. From what I understand, raisins are
acceptable, and I used them in mine. The
inclusion of pecans, walnuts, coconut, and/or chocolate chips is highly debated
in butter tart circles, so I did not include those ingredients in mine. They reminded me of pecan pie without the
pecans. I made them in miniature muffin
cups, and the final tarts were perfect sweet bites.
This week’s adventures changed my mind
about Canadian cuisine for life. I had a
blast cooking and eating these dishes, and I will definitely be repeating many
of them. For sure, cretons will be a
staple on cheese platters for future dinner parties at home. Of course, I’ll be making an extra batch for
me to eat before the guests arrive…
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