An evening with Meeru

It was chilly, but the snow hadn’t made an appearance when about 60 people made their way to the Canucks Family Education Centre at the Britannia Community Centre. The event was a fundraiser for Growing Chefs, an organization dedicated to teaching children how to grow their own food.

Meeru Dhalwala of Vancouver’s much-loved Indian restaurants Vij’s and Rangoli treated the group to a beautiful Indian dinner, a copy of her new book Vij’s at Home Relax, Honey and a funny, down-to-earth talk about the importance of food to her, her family – and to all of us.

Meeru sees cooking as an act of nurturing. She talked about a being a mother and her belief that feeding her children good food was a show of love. She also felt accomplishment when her little ones enjoyed the food she prepared.

She also told the story of how her recipe for Butter Chicken Schnitzel came about after a family meltdown over chicken nuggets. She described filling in for her husband Vikram at Vij’s restaurant one evening, insisting to a table full of burly men from Montana that they add some vegetables to their meal. She brought them a plate full of seasoned kale, which they reluctantly tasted, and actually loved.

Meeru shared her love of spices. Turmeric, she says, plays an important role in her recipes, along with cumin and coriander, which when planted becomes cilantro. (These ingredients can be found at the Indian food markets in the Main and 49th area. They’re also available at Galloway’s Specialty Foods, and the Real Canadian Super Store on Marine Drive in Vancouver.) She also shared tips such as adding mango powder to dishes for a light curry taste and using a pressure cooker to save energy and to cook up staples such as garbanzo beans and brown rice in a matter of minutes.

As the group, stomachs filled with wonderful Indian food, made their way home, the evening’s spirit and warmth, no doubt, stayed with them on the chilly trip home.

The evening’s menu:
Butter chicken schnitzel
Chickpea in star anise and date masala
Cilantro chutney
Basmati rice with cumin seeds
Naan

Coconut pudding with fresh fruits

Chai

Wines:
Whites: Sperling Gewürztraminer and Laughing Stock Pinot Gris

Reds: Argentinean Sheraz and and an Australian cabernet sauvignon/shiraz/merlot

 

Terra Madre delagate Holger Schwichtenberg

Holger Schwichtenberg and his family operate a dairy farm in Agassiz. For the last two years, the farm has been a popular stop on the Slow Food Cycle Tour, allowing visitors a chance to learn about where their milk comes from.

Slow Food Vancouver: What do you hope to gain from attending this year’s Terra Madre meeting?

Holger: Well obviously to learn about Terra Madre, the worldwide organization, more about their ideas, how they’re evolving, and what their end-goals are. Also, [I hope to] learn from the Community Supported Agriculture groups and the organic people.  But they perhaps will also learn from me that there are a lot of smaller family farms, that we’re not all these large evil corporations. I’m on my farm with my three young children and I’m a commercial dairy farmer and I’m proud of it and of what I produce and how I produce it. So I hope there’s going to be some give and take.

Slow Food Vancouver: How do you think you’ll share what you learn at Terra Madre?

Hoger: Well, certainly a lot of people are saying, “You’re going where?” You’re doing what?” “How come?” So, a lot of my farming friends will hear about what I’ve learned and what I’ve experienced. If I’m asked, I’ll do a presentation or a talk about it.

Slow Food Vancouver: What’s one goal you’d like to achieve in your own area or field of work?

Holger: I’m really big on the idea that my farm is a walking, talking billboard for my industry and that at anytime, anybody can come and see where milk comes from and how we do things. Some people will make an attempt to reconnect where their food, their milk, their butter, their ice cream, their yogurt – where that comes from and how it’s done.

I hope people will feel comfortable and confident about what I do, that it’s not all about hormones and drugs and antibiotics. That’s not what I’m about and I hope to let people know that’s not what I’m about. Whether you’re an organic dairy farmer or a commercial dairy farmer, we treat our animals well. Animal husbandry and animal welfare is uppermost in my mind and I want people to know that. The happier they [cows] are, the happier I am.

Farm house raclette

Cyclists on the Slow Food Cycle Tour were treated to rich, cheesy raclette served up by Debra Amrein-Boyes, a member of the Guilde des Fromagers Confrerie de St. Uguzon. She and her family own and operate Farm House Natural Cheeses, 5634 McCallum Road,  in Agassiz.

She’s been kind enough to share her recipe, which she says is the simplest meal ever.
1. Cut some Alpine Gold Cheese into 1 cm thick slices and warm gently in a non-stick pan over a medium heat until soft and melted, but not bubbly.

2. Scrape onto boiled potatoes and serve with gerkins, pickled onions, and a twist of pepper.

Note: a dash of paprika on the cheese before it is melted is also very popular in Switzerland where it is a winter staple.
Alpine Gold cheese is available in Vancouver at les amis du Fromage, who also rent a raclette maker.
Contact Debra:
tel/fax: 604-796-8741
email:info@farmhousecheeses.com
http://www.farmhousecheeses.com

Read more about Farm House Natural Cheeses at our Agassiz Slow Food Summer Cylce Tour site.

Your vote can help create gardens in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood

The Strathcona Business Improvement Association is hoping to be awarded $80,000 to build microgardens, planted with vegetables and native plants, throughout Vancouver’s downtown eastside. They hope their project will expand the neighourhood’s ability to produce local food, create jobs for people trying to rise above homelessness, and soften the streetscapes, making them safer and healthier places for everyone who lives and works there.

The contest is being run by Aviva Insurance, and to win the BIA needs the most votes in their category.

To find out more about the Strathcona garden project click here.

Casting your vote is pretty simple - and you can vote every day - but you do have to register first. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Aviva site and register. You will receive an email confirmation.
2. Click on the first hyperlink in the email they send. This will activate your account.
3. Sign in using your email address and password.
4. Navigate back to the Strathcona garden project page. (The easiest way to do that is to paste the link right into your browser. The link is http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf5454. )
6. Click on Vote Now.
7. Repeat everyday until October 15 when the contest closes.