Hot Shots - December 2, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli

Hello all,

I am back in the work groove now, having been away on Hornby Island this past weekend. The island was, as expected; beautiful, deserted, refreshing and relaxing.

Walks in Helliwell Provincial Park, Big Trib, Whaling Station, Mount Geoffrey and delicious food at Lixs, The Hummingbird Bread Co., the CO-OP (hello Lorraine & Emile!) and the new restaurant at Fords Cove. The island was very empty, and was sunny every single day. I don't know how we lucked out! But it was a wonderful weekend.

On the Saturday, there happened to be a Winter Studio Tour around the Island, with about 21 stops. We visited close to 10 studio's and were able to buy some art, soap, essential oils, cards and a few preserves.

Some delicious food that was consumed:

Fords Cove Restaurant: veggie burger & a falafel wrap.
The Hummingbird Bread Co.: a white chocolate and cranberry muffin, sourdough dark chocolate brownie and a caramelized garlic and onion galette.
Lix: top notch cappuccino & latte (oak milk or regular milk).

On the journey home, there are 3 ferries involved in getting from Hornby to the mainland, was very smooth until we got to Departure Bay in Nanaimo. The sailing we were set to be on was the 3:20pm ferry, and we got there just around 2pm. While we are at the ticket booth, the attendant tells us that the sailing will likely be an hour late leaving due to the fact that they are waiting for another officer who is coming over from Tsawwassen.

Normally this would be inconvenient, but we parked, brought the pup up into the front seats with us, got some blankets, and put on some episodes of Portlandia and then switched over to VEEP.

We eventually got on the ferry, and were greeted by a gorgeous sunset and some humpback whales. Worth it.

Onions & garlic

A classic culinary staple, but now I am on the hunt to make a galette with these two star ingredients like the one I had on Hornby.

It was so good and flaky and tows the line perfectly between savoury and sweet. Oh man, I would make the trek back to that mysterious island right now if it meant I could get my hands on one of those pastries.

This galette is being added to my list of 'would travel to *xxxxx for this dish" list.

The list thus far:

San Francisco, USA - Eggplant Parmesan - mysterious, very "Midnight in Paris" sneaky restaurant that only appears once every four years or something like that
London, England - Szechuan Green Beans - Yauatcha in Soho, near Carnaby Street
Bra, Italy - Gnocchi al Castelmagno - Osteria Murivecchi
Hornby Island, BC - Caramelized Garlic and Onion Galette - Hummingbird Bread Co.

Okay, now that I am starving, time to move on.

Red Grapes.

The perfect gift to bring to a holiday gathering, as they can be eaten as an appetizer, maybe on a charcuterie board? Alongside some cheese and crackers? Or, it can be used as a light and refreshing dessert alongside something decadent and rich.

Whenever I see grapes, does anyone else think of that scene in the movie Ratatouille when Remi's brother is hiding in a bunch of asparagus and eats all those grapes and something hits him and they come shooting out of him like a grape canon? Or when Remi is eating cheese and grapes and a flavour explosion is going on behind him? No? Just me? Alright then.

These grapes are from Sunview farms, down in California, and the crunch on these grapes is unbelievable. Fresh, full of sweet flavour, and a beautiful colour. Available in 19# cases.

Potatoes.

And not just any potato, a mixed fingerling medley in a 20# case, or a 10x1.5# bag, from Poplar Bluff Organics in Alberta. These caught my eye this morning as I was wandering around the warehouse, and I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Yellow, beige/light pink, purple and red all in one bag? I can smell them roasting with rosemary as I type.

The light pink: pink fir/anya fingerling
The deep purple: violetta fingerling
The red: amarosa fingerling
The yellow: jazzy fingerling

There is a flavour, texture and colour for everyone. Try roasting them all for a a dish with a variety of colours, you could mash a few, make a potato salad, get really fancy and slice them super thin for a pizza topping? Scalloped potatoes?

Poplar Bluff has been an established farm since 1985, and has been producing organic veggies for over 37 years.

Cranberries.

Most of you receiving these emails have likely booked cranberries already with our sales team, but there are a limited about of cases up for grabs for those who have not pre-booked. If that is you, call in and start warming up that stove for your cranberry sauce!

For Christmas, on my mom's side of the family, we usually gather at my Aunt and Uncles place. There, that duo will cook up the most scrumptious holiday feast, and because my mom, dad and I are veggies, we usually bring something with us to add to the meal. Maybe a vegetarian shepherd's pie, or roasted root vegetables, or a hearty salad, but always always always: we bring the cranberry sauce.

Cranberry sauce is usually just some sugar and cranberries cooked together, but I think it is the orange juice and zest that separates the 'good' to 'delicious' sauces. Citrus just makes everything better.

Or, if all else fails, just whip up some cranberry orange muffins.

Kiwis.

And they're local!

These kiwis come to us from Peninsula Kiwi, which is located on the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island. Last week was their first harvest, and we have these fresh fuzzy guys in the warehouse ready to be eaten.

Kiwis are usually a fruit that I don't think about buying at a grocery store, but every time I have one, I am reminded they are absolutely one of my favourite fruits. They are tangy, but sweet, and the perfect size for a quick snack.

Staff appreciation: Bridget!

Bridget was the first person I met on my very first day at Discovery, and she had just started a few months before I did. Her start date was the June 21st (hello, solstice) 2018, in the sorting department. Currently, she is our fearless sorting team lead, and she and I have started an official unofficial book exchange/book club! It first started with a few Amor Towles books, A Gentleman in Moscow (which coincidently has a lot of importance surrounding the solstices) and Rules of Civility.

Then we ventured a bit into pop culture, both finishing the Matthew Perry memoir in the last week or so.

Next on the roster for me is the Padma Lakshmi memoir, lent to me from Bridget, and she is currently reading Alan Doyle's book Great Big Sea.

Now, getting back to produce...

Bridget's favourite fruit, that she looks forward to every holiday season, are the satsumas and mandarins that fill boxes and line the walls of our coolers starting in the winter months. She calls them "sweet nuggets of citrus happiness" and I don't think there was ever a better description of this delicious variety of citrus.

Everyone enjoy your weekend, stay warm and safe.

This weekend is going to be family filled on Saturday. and Sunday will bring some holiday baking with my sister-in-law and another friend, and we are going to try out some new recipes, and top it off with a Holiday Cranberry Aperol Spritz!

There was definitely a Christmas tree purchased last night, and some decorating of said tree will be happening this evening.

Enjoy your first December weekend, and we will chat next week!

Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli

Hot Shots - December 2, 2022

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