Hot Shots - February 3, 2023
Hot Shots - February 3, 2023
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
Happy February! Welcome to the shortest month of the year.
On a very positive note, I have been noticing that when I get into my car every morning around 7:30/7:40am, there is light slowly illuminating the eastern sky, and by the time I am crossing the bridge to downtown Vancouver, there is light all around me.
The transition to spring always surprises and delights me every year without fail, as seeing the fresh, light green buds starting to appear on the ends of bare over-wintered branches, is the sign of new life, of approaching summer, and of the new growing season.
I know I am getting a head of myself, but humour me, won't you? And yes, I realize we just had a snow fall this past Tuesday in Metro Vancouver, but it's fine. It's fine. We are fine.
My friend and I met up for dinner this past weekend, and were seated at the absolute best seat in the house, by complete accident, as seen by the photo above. We were eating at Pier 7, which is a restaurant on Lower Lonsdale at the Shipyards, and we got there early enough that the dinner rush was not in full swing.
We were seated at the tip of the covered balcony, heat lamps roaring, and we had the most magical view of the Vancouver sky line and a massive yacht that has parked itself at The Quay to add to the ambiance. Truffle fries and red pepper pomodoro spaghettini was on the menu and it was delectable.
Pummelo.
Citrus Maxima! No seriously, that is the pummelo's scientific name.
Native to Southeast Asia, the pummelo has a mild, sweet taste, and can be attributed most closely to a grapefruit.
Our compliance officer, Charmaine, is pummelo's biggest fan, and is currently in our main sales office getting people to split a box with her.
She has a few go-to recipes for pummelo's, here are a few:
Mango Pummelo Dessert - link and a secondary recipe
Pummelo Salad Roll - link
Orange Pummelo Turmeric Mojito - link
And if you're feeling extra fancy, a Pummelo & Mezcal Chiffon Cake - link
Mini Sweet Peps.
One of my favourite items in our tropical cooler, mini sweet peps are so crunchy, sweet and snackable.
My aunt, who is a wonderful cook, roasts these mini peppers in some salt, pepper and olive oil, and then just eats them whole and discards the green tips!
While we were in Italy, our lunch consisted most often of sandwiches, with fresh bread from the bakery, marinated bell peppers, some meat for Jonathan, and an assortment of cheese from Giolito Fiorenzo Formaggi.
We thought this was just any old cheese store, but randomly Jonathan was texting with his Uncle back in Vancouver, and he was saying if we had time we should go check out this famous cheese shop! Jonathan googled it, and what do you know, it was the cheese shop that we had been to and was about three blocks away from our apartment.
"Giolito Formaggi is like a candy store for adults. One look at the counter and you won’t know where to start (or stop). Any concerns you had about needing a bigger suitcase are likely to become very real. On offer are cheeses well known and less known—all from small producers, the majority from Italy, a number made with raw milk. Many were bought as young cheeses before being aged on site. Alongside Parmigiano Reggiano, Tuscan Pecorino, and Gorgonzola, you’ll find local favorites such as ancient Castelmagno di Alpeggio PDO (aged in mountain caves) and creamy Langhe Robiola."
Anyways... back to mini peppers...
Those fresh sandwiches we made were one of our favourite parts of the day, and that cheese pictured below, is without a doubt the best I have ever eaten. It is a buffalo milk camembert cheese and it is bright white.
To find these photos, I had to take a trip down memory lane to our time in Italy and ooooh man, I miss it! What a wonderful, weird, crazy, enjoyable time.
Pea Shoots!
Sweet, fresh, crunchy.
Wonderful for the top of a salad, incorporated into a pesto, added into a pasta salad or sautéed in a pan with other veggies and leafy greens.
Pea shoots are a wonderful source of three chemoprotective agents: including folate, antioxidants and carotene. Folate specifically helps produce and maintain cells that protect against DNA damage. Super powered shoots!
Our pea shoots, and other sprouts, come from Eatmore Sprouts which is located on Vancouver Island, and boasts year round production.
Strawberries.
Coming up to us from sunny Mexico, these Natures Choice strawberries are available in 8x1# flats.
We had a few sunny days this past week, and when I was taking photos of the strawberries, I couldn't help but think of strawberry shortcake on a warm spring or summers day.
In the UK, strawberries are traditionally served alongside cream, which can be traced back to the 16th century and a man named Thomas Wolsey, who was the right-hand man to King Henry VIII. Strawberries and cream was served to the king at a banquet in 1509, and now is a staple at Wimbledon, one of the four major annual Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
I am a huge tennis fan, and was glued to my phone for updates from the Australian Open, which concluded this past weekend. My sister, lucky girl that she is, attended Wimbledon back while she was completing her Masters in the London, and was eating strawberries and clotted cream while Serena Williams was playing a match. Talk about a memory.
Chocolate Milk.
So creamy, so rich, so decadent. The chocolate milk from Avalon is top tier deliciousness.
Discovery stocks Avalon Dairy products, on pre-order, so if you are interested, ask one of our lovely sales team members the next time you call in. We've got milk, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, various types of cheese, and eggs.
Avalon has been a Canadian family run business since 1906, and is referred to as a dairy dynasty, producing over 6 million liters of certified organic milk per year.
After work yesterday, we took Roma for a forest walk in search of some snow. We went to one of the highest neighborhoods in North Van, Gorgeous views of the city by the way, and went for a walk to a waterfall. I felt like I had stepped into some sort of Lord of the Rings alternative universe.
One of the reasons I am so attached to North Van is the ability to be in the deep forest in a matter of minutes.
For dinner, we had a mixed greens salad, some sesame lime tofu, and the most delicious roasted veg.
I peeled about 15 yellow & russet potatoes, maybe 1-2inch so not very big, and cut them in half. Then, I cubed up some sweet dumpling squash, and cut up some small yellow onions. I boiled the potatoes quick maybe for 7 to 10 mins, and then threw the onions, potatoes and squash into a pan, sprinkled salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil and roasted at 400 till crispy.
As always, thank you for reading along & happy February!
Every week I try and find new and exciting stories and memories to share with you, dear reader, and I usually just end up on a tangent about my sister at Wimbledon, or the specific cheese I ate in Italy.
I hope you enjoy reading these Hot Shots as much as I like writing them.
Enjoy your weekend, and I will talk to you all next week!
Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli