Flavourful Saskatoon, April 15, 2019


Local Happenings
Kids ages 8-12 are invited to learn how to make soup on Wednesdays from 4-6 pm, May 8-29, at the Mayfair branch of the Saskatoon Public Library.

If you’re at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, check out the new vegetarian pie options from Scratch Provisions: Caramelized Pearl Onion with Gruyere and Fresh Thyme and 5 Bean Chili and Cheese. Or, you can order quiche, such as Spinach, Dill, and Goat Cheese, from Prairie Pie Company for pick up on April 20.


In the Kitchen
Here’s how to tell if your eggs are still too good to eat: “If eggs sink to the bottom of a bowl of cold water and lie flat on their sides, they are very fresh. If they are less fresh but still good to eat, they will stand on one end at the bottom. If they float to the surface, they are no longer fresh enough to eat. This is because as the egg gets older, the size of the air sac inside increases, making it float.”

Never got around to making a gingerbread house for Christmas? Then why not make a gingerbread birdhouse for Easter?

Add some international flavour to your Easter dinner with a spinach and egg pie from Italy or custard tarts from Portugal.


Food for Thought
This is impressive. A zero-waste supermarket, a dairy farm, and a restaurant are pioneers in eliminating plastic – not only from their products but in how they run their operations.

It’s about time! The federal government is planning to lift trade restrictions making it difficult to move alcohol from one province to another.

I’m delighted to hear that mushroom broth may soon replace bone broth: “This plant-powered broth has comparable nutritional benefits, helping to improve gut health, boost the immune system and remineralize the body. Mushroom broth also has a beautiful savoury, nutty umami flavour. Delicious as a hot or cold drink, it can also be used wherever you would typically use stock, such as making soups and cooking grains.”

“It’s taken me a while to get there, but finally I’ve reached a conclusion: where food and drink is concerned, luxury is hell,” explains Jay Rayner, moving from the “deformed miseries of breakfast in bed” to tasting menus, “The truth is that few chefs have enough good ideas to sustain that many plates and if you do get something good, it’s tiny and therefore gone far too quickly” to fancy hotel afternoon teas, “those assault courses of patisserie, finger sandwiches and bloating that leave you overloaded with carbs, and facing up to the reality of a long, unstructured evening because dinner is now out of the question.”

And – for fun – a poem that is also a recipe for a hearty salad dressing.

Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post articles about food that is good, clean and fair; travel; and books. You may also enjoy EcoFriendly Sask profiling Saskatchewan nature/environmental initiatives and events.

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Photos: Aix en Provence markets

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