February 2015 – the good karma cook

Last weekend my boyfriend and I went to the Sorauren Farmer’s Market which is a part of the West End Food Co-op, and occurs every Sunday from 3-7pm (located @ 50 Wabash Avenue). It may seem kind of strange to go to a farmer’s market in the middle of February, but we braved the bitter cold and trekked out into the frigid tundra that is the city of Toronto. It was a quick streetcar and bus ride away, and as we followed the signs we found ourselves looking at a rather industrial building. Is that where the market is? Nope! Just an abandoned factory. The market was actually in the tiny little building hiding behind it.

The market had a very small, cozy, community vibe to it. On the main floor tables were set up peddling whole grain freshly made noodles, local honey and royal jelly, apples galore, and some seasonal vegetables (which is not the best variety to choose from given the time of the year). Nevertheless, there were bushels of carrots and turnips and butternut squash. Upstairs it was light and airy, and the booths continued to overflow with sustainable, organic goodness. The most tempting were the baked goods.

My boyfriend and I were particularly drawn to a man selling artisan bread, from the bakery de la terre. The bakery is the brainchild of Chef Jan Campbell-Luxton, who specializes in organic breads and pastries. de la terre uses locally produced ingredients, and supports the local food movement by purchasing their flour and produce from small independent farmers in and around Vineland, Ontario.

I was also particularly attracted to this booth by earth + city, a local Toronto company that produces seasonal food that is vegan, organic, gluten-free and mostly raw. All of their ingredients either come from various Farmer’s Markets or local farms. Their display offered different spreads to sample such as a Kale Pesto, Beetroot Hummus, and Curry Onion Hummus. They also had smoothies, green wraps, and a bunch of baked goods. I purchased the tasty Curry Hummus to take home and eat along with the bread.

The hummus was very lemony and fresh tasting when eaten with the potato sour dough bread, which had a rich, dark, earthy crust, and was super moist and soft on the inside. Overall, visiting the Sorauren Farmer’s Market was a great deal of fun and I look forward to visiting again in the summer when the market will be outside and abundant with fresh produce.

Since moving to the St. Clair West neighbourhood of Toronto, I pass Roast daily during my streetcar commute. I decided to visit this butcher shop and fine food vendor this weekend to see what they have to offer. Roast’s interior is clean and modern, and features a large selection of local and organic meat, packaged rubs and marinades, and a variety of made in-house dishes such as rabbit stew and chicken pot pie. After chatting with the friendly staff, I mentioned how I was hoping to prepare French dip sandwiches and was recommended a blade roast. This cut of meat comes from the chuck section of a steer or heifer. Since the muscles on this roast are used frequently by the animal, it is a tough cut of meat that is most suitable for long and slow cooking submerged in liquid. Perfect for making French dip sandwiches! I got a 1.47kg roast (just over 3 pounds) for $19.00/lb.

For this recipe I used my mom’s technique that she uses to make pot roast. First, I thinly sliced an onion and some mushrooms, smashed a couple cloves of garlic, and placed them in the bottom of my slow cooker.

I prepared a beef bouillon cube in three cups of hot water and added in a quarter cup of low sodium soy sauce and a dash of Worcheshire sauce. Next, I seasoned my blade roast with salt, pepper, and dijon mustard before placing it in the slow cooker.

I poured in the beef stock, added sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf, and set the crock pot to high.

Seven hours later the meat was super tender and falling apart beautifully.

To make the sandwiches, I cut up a baguette that I got from Pain Perdu before lightly toasting it in the oven. I strained the mushrooms and onions from the jus and shredded the roast.

When the bread was nice and toasty, I piled on the meat and vegetables, topped with provolone cheese, and placed into the oven to broil until the cheese was melted.

Overall, I found preparing this meal was very simple and if I were to sell this sandwich in a restaurant I would charge $14.00 (for two, as pictured). This dish could be served in a fast paced restaurant if the meat was prepared in advance by slow roasting overnight.

Month: February 2015

A Trip to the Market

Preparing a Roast from Roast