Streetsville tagged posts

I often think of the women of my church as the Divas Who Dish Divinely. After countless bake sales, church luncheons, and casseroles for friends in need, years of practice have perfected their “from-scratch” recipes and turned them into best-in-show treasures.

The Divas Who Dish Divinely (AKA Streetsville United Church Women) will be dishing up some delicious food again at the 46^th annual Streetsville United Church Harvest of Crafts Sale, this Saturday October 26, 2013 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Streetsville United Church.

Olive the Streetsville United Church Harvest of Crafts Sale because it invites the surrounding community to come together under one roof. Our fundraising efforts help support various local outreach programs. And of course, the food is delicious.

Our all-day café offers you a spot to sit, chat, and replenish your shopping-weary soul. Several women make their own batches of chili con carne and chicken soup, then combine them all into one heavenly pot of chili and one ethereal pot of chicken soup. Sandwiches, salads, and homemade desserts are made with care.

Make the baking table your first stop: delectable pies, cakes, cookies, and squares are all made from scratch and sell out quickly. Our local harvest is preserved in pretty jars to enjoy throughout winter. The sale is brimming with creative and witty, inexpensive crafts made by the talented Streetsville United Church Women. Local artisans offer a variety of unique, handcrafted gifts. There is always a special find in the Attic Treasures collection of gently-used modern and vintage finds. Come and get your Christmas shopping done early.

After working all day at the craft show, while the aroma of simmering chili wafts from the kitchen, I come home tired and craving chili. Here is my recipe.

Chili Con Carne

This classic chili simmers for five hours but it is much more flavourful cooked slowly and lovingly on the stovetop than abandoned in a slow cooker. Start it early in the day, refrigerate overnight, and reheat gently the next day to further deepen the flavour. If you have two large pots, you can double the recipe and stock your freezer with chili to warm up the chilly months that lie ahead.

I learned this old Southern tip from my friend, Bill, (who learned it from his friend from Kansas City): gently stir in a tablespoon of peanut butter near the end of cooking to smooth out the acidity and round out the flavour of the chili. For years I made this recipe without the peanut butter and still loved it, so if there is a peanut-allergy concern, leave it out.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

About 2 pounds (1kg) extra lean ground sirloin

2 yellow cooking onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 yellow or orange sweet bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 28 fl oz/796 mL can diced tomatoes

1 19 oz / 540 mL can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed, drained again

1 28 fl oz/796 mL can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 tablespoons ground chili powder, to taste

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 bay leaves

Finish:

1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter

Freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt, to taste

Few dashes of hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Piri Piri), to taste

Optional Garnishes: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, hot sauce, chopped avocado, fresh cilantro leaves, tortilla chips, or garlic bread.

Directions:

1. Heat a large heavy pot over medium heat; add onions and ground sirloin and brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring frequently, just until meat is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except peanut butter; stir. Partially cover with a lid; simmer for 4 3/4 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. To finish, stir in peanut butter and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 more minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
5. Let cool and then refrigerate overnight to allow flavours to mellow further. When ready to serve, reheat gently. Serve hot with your choice of optional garnishes.

Harvest of Crafts Sale Hours: Saturday October 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Free Admission. Appreciate your support.

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Weekly news tidbits too tasty not to share.

Restaurant News/Food Events:

The veal parmesan at Andiamo Pasta Plus is incredibly tender. Olive it! It’s on the special menu for Taste of Streetsville, which ends October 6th, 2013.

Sweet Notes:

While the Danish Pastry House is preparing to move to their new location in the Shops of Oakville South, they will need to have a few closings at their current Port Credit location to facilitate the move.  They will be closed October 2, 3, 5, 8, and 9^th 2013.  Read more here: www.danishpastryhouse.ca.

Grocery Store Finds:

Did you spot the Rustichella d’Abruzzo pasta shown in the Pantry Essentials article of the Food & Drink Autumn 2013 issue (page 26)? Extrusion through bronze molds gives this pasta a coarser texture that allows it to absorb any sauce better. I served the pappardelle the other night – my tomato sauce clung to every strand.

I found a wide range of Rustichella d’Abruzzo pasta at this gorgeous, tiny grocery store in downtown Oakville.

Oh, to be riding my bike to this little gem of a store! It’s filled with gourmet goodies, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

 
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Hot Off The Olive Press: Weekly news tidbits too tasty not to share.

Headline News:

Get ready for a foot-stompin’, heart-pumpin’, old-fashioned-Streetsville-good-time at the 3^rd annual Streetsville Ceilidh, held at Vic Johnston Community Centre. Reunite with old friends and make some new ones. Community fund-raiser. Good old down-home meal, live entertainment, dancing, auctions. Saturday September 21, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets on sale now www.streetsvilleceilidh.com. See you on centre ice!

St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market: Despite the recent fire that destroyed the main building, the outdoor market and Peddlar’s Village will continue to be open Thursdays and Saturdays. For more information, click here to visit the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market website.

Phase I of the redevelopment of Streetsville Village Square has been completed and Main Street has reopened. Phase II has been rescheduled to spring 2014. For more details, please click here to visit the City of Mississauga website.

Food Events:

Enjoy a Taste of Streetsville, September 9th through October 6th 2013. Order from the Taste of Streetsville  $25 prix fixe menus at participating restaurants and 50 cents from every meal will be donated to the redevelopment of the Emergency Department at Credit Valley Hospital. Visit the Taste of Streetsville website for more details and a list of participating restaurants. What a great way to try out the wonderful restaurants Streetsville has to offer and support the Credit Valley Hospital at the same time.

Restaurant News:

Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza in Streetsville looks as though it’s getting closer and closer to opening day. Take a stroll by the restaurant and try to catch a glimpse of the beautiful interior taking shape.

I shared a spot of tea with my friend Christine recently, whose amiable British charm instantly wins over everyone. With the birth of several royal babies in my extended family (and oh yes, in the Royal Family too), we had a lot to talk about. Like a couple of birds, we perched ourselves in her enchanting backyard garden cottage.

Her garden cottage is so pretty and so tiny, it’s the perfect spot for a cup of tea or a midsummer night’s dream.

Her cottage is as dreamy as her delightful shop, Three Wishes, which Christine fills to the brim with the prettiest one-of-a-kind finds for home and garden.

I love Christine’s collection of shabby chic and antique furniture and accessories, all white and whimsical.

Look at this door that Christine turned into a chalkboard. The petticoat chandelier on the left would be darling in a little girl’s room.

In celebration of the royal babies, Christine and I enjoyed Ginger Tea Punch. My best friend’s mom, Mary, first served it to me at the baby shower she and her daughter hosted to celebrate the birth of my son. Olive it so much, it is now the only punch recipe I keep in my recipe files. It is light and refreshing and not too sweet, unlike most punches. Mary and her daughter are both talented cooks and lifelong friends. Mary and my mom shared a room in the hospital where Mary’s daughter and I were born, three days apart. We’ve been best friends ever since.

Mary’s Ginger Tea Punch

Makes about 12 cups

A light and refreshing punch. This recipe makes enough for a party. You can easily cut the recipe in half  but I am unable to find 1L ginger ale bottles. Be sure to make the lemonade ice cubes or ice ring (if you are serving it in a punch bowl). When the ice melts, it adds to the flavour of the punch.  The ice ring will stay frozen longer than the cubes.

Ingredients:

4 cups water

6 tablespoons white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

8 tea bags

1 2L bottle ginger ale, well-chilled

Lemonade to make lemonade ice cubes or ice ring

Directions:

1. The day before serving, pour lemonade into desired shaped mold (ice cube tray or Bundt pan) and freeze overnight, until ready to serve punch.
2. Several hours before serving, bring the water, sugar, and ground ginger to a rolling boil. Stir with a whisk. Add the teabags (do not stir), remove from heat, and steep for eight minutes. Gently remove teabags (without squeezing them) and refrigerate brewed tea until well chilled.
3. Just before serving, place brewed tea and ginger ale in a large container such as a punch bowl. Stir. Add lemonade ice. Serve immediately.

Here are my three wishes for you:

1) A few free moments to yourself to enjoy these beautiful, fleeting summer days.

2) A dreamy, enchanted space to steal away to (drop by Christine’s shop for some inspiration and a lovely chat).

3) Good friends, old and new, to treasure for a lifetime.

‘The best of British to you’ (good luck)!

Love,

Olive

Three Wishes

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What better way to celebrate the arrival of summer than under a perigee supermoon (the closest and largest full moon of 2013)…

with an equally spectacular strawberry tart?

My Strawberry Tart is a simple but elegant way to showcase the fragrant, local field strawberries that I picked up at Streetsville Farmers’ Market on Saturday.

Based on the gorgeous fruit tarts popular in France during festival time, my recipe is an easy and relatively healthy summer dessert that looks almost as stunning as a tarte aux fraises from a fine Parisian pâtisserie. After listening to the utterly charming audiobook French Women Don’t Get Fat (read by the author herself, Mireille Guiliano), I learned that the fattening pastry cream, that is often spread over the base of a tarte aux fraises, is not necessary. Great, because I am not crazy about pastry cream, but olive strawberries!

There are a few easy steps to this tart. You can make the simple syrup required for the coulis well in advance. It keeps for 2 to 3 weeks in your fridge and can be used to dress a fruit salad or to sweeten homemade lemonade or ice tea.

Bake the crisp, shortbread cookie crust in the morning, filling your kitchen with a delicious aroma, then set it aside to cool. It has a hint of ground almonds, which you can replace with flour if there are allergy concerns.

Later (at least two hours before you want to serve the tart), fill the tart with a concentric arrangement of the prettiest, similar-sized, scarlet-coloured strawberries you can find. Then make the coulis and glaze the berries immediately. The berries will glisten under the coulis; both will perfume the air with sweetness. Refrigerate the tart for at least two hours to allow the coulis to set. It’s best eaten the day it’s made but it is still good the next day or two, with a softer crust. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream if you wish.

You can use other seasonal fruit instead, such as raspberries, peaches, or apricots (but not kiwi, pineapple, papaya, or figs). Make sure you use the same fruit for the coulis.

Olive’s Strawberry Tart

Simple Syrup:

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat gently until sugar has dissolved, stirring a couple of times. When the sugar is completely dissolved, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Boil for 5 minutes. Cool before storing in a covered jar in your fridge for up to 2 to 3 weeks. Can be used to dress a fruit salad or sweeten homemade lemonade or ice tea.

Shortbread Cookie Crust:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of the inside of a 10” round tart pan with straight, fluted sides and a removable bottom.

Mix the flour, ground almonds, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl with a whisk until combined. Cut in the butter by rubbing the flour mixture and butter between your fingertips, until the mixture blends into coarse crumbs. Knead gently with your hands to form a ball.

Distribute pieces of the dough evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Using the heel of your hand, pat the dough to cover the bottom and sides evenly. Make sure there are no gaps. Bake on the middle oven rack for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely before adding the fruit.

Strawberry Filling & Strawberry Coulis Glaze:

2 quarts of strawberries, washed, dried thoroughly, and hulled but left whole

Pick out the best-looking, similar-sized berries and arrange them on top of the crust in an attractive, concentric pattern, with their tips pointing up and their hulled ends pointing down.

Note: You will need approximately 1 ½ quarts of strawberries to fill the tart and for the coulis but buy 2 quarts just to be sure and to allow you to pick out enough of the best berries for the tart. You will need 1 ½ cups of strawberries for the coulis.

Coulis Glaze:

Prepare the gelatin sheets according to package directions, first following the Basic Directions and then the Cold Preparation Directions.

Meanwhile, purée the raw strawberries with a squeeze of lemon juice in a food processor. Add the simple syrup and blend. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, rubbing through with a rubber spatula. Discard the seeds and remaining pulp.

Before the gelatin begins to set, fold the gelatin into the strained coulis; then immediately pour the coulis evenly over the tart to glaze each berry. Refrigerate the tart until the coulis is set, about 2 hours. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Note: I learned the basics of simple syrup, coulis, and glazes from the Gordon Ramsay Desserts cookbook. He uses many interesting ingredients to whip up different variations of flavoured stock syrups, coulis, and glazes. It’s well worth checking out the cookbook, available from the Mississauga Library. I modified his recipes for Stock Syrup and Coulis to fit the requirements of this recipe.