Hot Shots - December 9, 2022
Hot Shots - December 9, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
The rain has descended on our coast, just in time for our friend from the UK to come and visit. Luckily, he is used to this winter weather. He is one of my fellow Masters students that I met while studying in Italy, and this is his last week in a month's long North American trip. He first landed in New York, then went to Philadelphia, Arizona, California and now up to us in Canada.
I love having visitors, as it gives me a chance to show off Vancouver and all it has to offer. We've got a day trip planned tomorrow to the Sunshine Coast, will do a stop at Brickers Cider, drive up to Madeira Park, take a stroll through Cliff Gilker Park and maybe hit Persephone Brewing. Then, a Saturday morning brunch with my parents, and figuring out logistics for an evening with three planned events: a birthday party, a Christmas party and an office Christmas party. When the heck did we get so busy? Tis the season, I guess!
Then Sunday, a Christmas market at the Italian Cultural Centre, and my cousin's birthday. I am getting tired just typing this.
Our Christmas tree is up, presents are slowly covering our kitchen table, and the holiday music has started. It's full out holiday prep and I am soaking it all in.
Buddha's hand.
A little scary, a little spooky, a little...funky.
Buddha’s hands start growing in an oval shape, and have a purple/brownish hue. As it ripens, the hand turns golden yellow, and starts to extend its long finger like pieces. Their skin emits a lemony lavender scent, and inside is usually void of pulp, juice and seeds.
This unique citrus fruit is available late fall through till winter. Benefits include: excellent source of vitamin C to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and increase collagen production within the skin.
In many Asian cultures, the Buddha’s hand symbolizes happiness, good fortune and longevity. Specifically, in China and Japan, this citrus is placed on Buddhist altars as an offering. Legend has it that Buddha prefers when this fruit has its 'hand' closed as it more closely resembles praying hands.
A recipe I came across is 'Buddha's Hand Vinaigrette'
1/4 cup olive oil or grape seed oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 Tablespoons Buddha’s hand zest
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme , minced
1 clove minced garlic
Combine all ingredients together, mix well & enjoy!
Bell Peppers.
We've got red, orange, and yellow peppers in house from Green Earth Produce in 11# cases, and red and green peppers from One Republic in 22/25# cases.
My two most common uses for peppers are raw in salads, or stuffing them with either rice, quinoa or my personal fav: orzo.
I like to do a Greek orzo stuffed pepper, with the filling being orzo, sliced kalamata olives, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, spritz of lemon, chopped up Italian parsley, and cubed feta. Toss that all in the cleaned out peppers and slide those into the oven. Bake till the smell is delicious. Very specific, I know.
Jicama.
Also known as the Mexican turnip, jicama is the tuberous root of a vine that produces blue or white flowers and pods that are similar to peas. This vine can reach heights of 13 - 16 feet when supported properly, and the root can weigh up to 44 pounds.
The biggest jicama root ever recorded was found in 2010 in the Philippines and weighed a whopping 51 pounds. Having been brought to Asia by the Spanish, jicama has been found at archaeological sites dating back to 3000 BC.
Baked Jicama fries are a common recipe to make, as well as raw and sliced thinly in a salad.
The jicama we have here at Disco is from Mexico in 20# cases from Progressive Produce.
Dragon fruit.
There are four different colours of dragon fruit, white, pink (pictured above), red and fuchsia. Ours come to us from Covilli, who grow this fruit in the Sonoran Desert.
Their Instagram, @covillibrandorganics, has a few posts about their dragon fruit, and a specific one caught my eye: a marinated dragon fruit bowl. Take a look at their Instagram and get creative.
I took this dragon fruit into the staff kitchen, cut it open and started to position it to take a photo. A few of my coworkers came in and we all talked about how gorgeous dragon fruit are. Then of course came the taste test. We concluded that dragon fruit has a similar taste and texture to a kiwi. I don't know if that is a common opinion, but I was finally able to place my dragon fruit taste buds firmly in the kiwi category.
Grapefruit.
As stated in many weeks of Hot Shots, I love citrus.
Grapefruit was always a staple in our fruit bowl (oh my gosh, did anyone else ever play that game? I'll get into it in another Hot Shots) growing up, as it was my dad's fav fruit. There is something very nostalgic about a halved grapefruit, the little sections carved out, and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Juicy, tart and then a sweet finish with the sugar.
A quick and easy salad I like to make every so often is grapefruit, radicchio & arugula with a fresh vinaigrette.
We have star ruby grapefruit in 10x4# bags and 56ct from Natures Bounty and have more citrus incoming soon.
Staff appreciation: Gio!
Gio started at Discovery back in 2019, and is part of our driver's team.
He grew up in Bogotá, Columbia, and in 2018 made his way to New York City. He spent about four months there, but was not feeling like this was the place for him. Once he arrived in Vancouver, he knew this was the right fit.
One of the fruits that he misses the most are Columbian grown avocados. Luckily, we have delicious options for avocado's here at disco.
Gio says that one of his favourite parts of Disco are the staff, and speaks very highly of his team lead, Pia. When he first started at Disco, he was a bit nervous that the language barrier would hinder his ability to excel at work, but he talks of Pia's patience and kindness as he was getting his footing and being trained.
Thank you for all your hard work, your sunny disposition and for choosing Vancouver as your home away from home. Disco would not be the same without you, Gio!
Tonight's menu calls for pesto pasta, caprese salad and I might dabble in some biscotti's for dessert. My dad has a killer recipe for biscotti's, so I may have to go get that from him this evening.
He has a few key recipes that bring back so many memories of growing up. Mainly: banana chocolate chip muffins, biscotti, spanakopita, and more recently: risotto.
Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli