Hot Shots - October 7, 2022
Hot Shots - October 7, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
Happy sunny and warm Thanksgiving long weekend! This warm weather is making for an unbelievably enjoyable start to the long weekend as well as my sisters birthday weekend!
Plans include: friends visiting from Calgary, my sisters birthday dinner at my place - Italian is on the menu, and I am thinking maybe two different types of lasagna, a caprese salad and a tiramisu for dessert? It's still in the planning phases. Then back to work on Monday, and in the evening, a full Thanksgiving feast at my Aunt and Uncles with about 15 or so family members and a few dogs as well.
It is shaping up to be my favourite kind of weekend!
I was talking to a friend recently, and as we were talking, I remembered that one of the main reasons I wanted to study the subjects surrounding the 'anthropology of food', was because all of my favourite memories that I hold close to my heart are when I am surrounded by family, friends and delicious food. And I thought to myself, 'there's got to be something there'
“Food brings people together on many different levels.
It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love.”
Giada De Laurentiis
Pomegranates!
These antioxidant rich, hard to open, but so worth it, fruits are in stock at Disco just in time for the long weekend. Coming up to us from California, they are delicious as ever. With their season starting in September and ending around December, they are the perfectly times autumnal fruit that adds a splash of colour onto any holiday table.
Pomegranates always remind me of an oil painting of a fruit bowl tucked away in a quiet corner of a museum. Anyone else? Just me? Alright, moving on.
Italian porcelain garlic!
We've got this flavour-punching garlic from Gudjonson Farm in BC, and it can be added to literally any savoury dish you are making this weekend.
If you are roasting a chicken or turkey, slather on some garlic herb butter and throw that bird into the oven.
If you are more inclined to vegetables, add this garlic together with onions, celery, carrots and your choice of veggie ground 'beef', and presto - you've got the base for shepherd's pie!
Celery
Does anyone remember a few years ago when celery juice was all the rage and everyone was having their morning shot of celery juice? I sure do! It coincided with my working at a juicery, and green juice was flying off the shelf.
Growing up, my favourite way to eat celery was 'ants on a log'. I'm pretty sure everyone I went to elementary school with had a different version of this snack, but they all had a base of celery.
Cut your celery stalks into about 3/4 inch pieces, grab your favourite peanut butter from your pantry, and spread that over the celery pieces. Then, strategically place raisins in the peanut butter. And there you have it, Sev's fav celery snack.
Venus grapes.
A co-worker of mine told me a few months ago that their favourite fruit was blackberries. However, that same co-worker, just yesterday, requested they change their favourite fruit submission to these venus grapes from Secrest & Sundance!
Need I say more?
Okay, I'll say a bit more.
Venus grapes are bluey-black in colour, developed by the University of Arkansas, very sweet and has hints of muscat and labrusca in their flavouring. Named after the Roman goddess of love, venus grapes can be used for table, juice or wine.
Here at Disco we have these lovely grapes in 8x2# clamshells and 20# bulk ready to grace your dinner table.
Brussels sprouts!
From one of my favourite farms, though I am very biased as I did my thesis research on this farm and planted last year's brussels sprouts... But, they are the most beautiful organic brussels sprouts I have ever seen.
Brussels sprouts are thought to have come from, you guessed it, Belgium, and more specifically from the lands surrounding the countries capital - Brussels.
We've got a range of weights for these sprouts, 10# from California, 20# from BC (the Laughing Crow ones) and 25# from Mexico. Take your pick!
Oranges.
Who here likes mulled wine? I know that it is a bit of a jump from oranges to mulled wine, but let me take you along my thought process.
I was walking through the tropical cooler, looking for items that would strike inspiration for my hot shots, and I came across the orange.
Different seasons bring about different memories of oranges for me, and fall and winter bring about memories of mulled wine with orange slices floating with cinnamon sticks and cloves.
While we were in Italy, there was a cafe/restaurant/grocery store named The Local. It had ties to the University I was studying at, and was a big supporter of the Slow Food movement. During the winter months, when the locals would whip out their puff jackets as soon as the temperature dropped below 20 degrees Celsius and my husband and I were running around in shorts, the smell of mulled wine would waft out of cafe's opened door and you would have no choice but to go have a taste.
The Local's mulled wine was so delicious, that I actually asked for the recipe so I could make it back at our apartment. They handed over the hand written and wine stained piece of paper without hesitation.
I miss Italy.
Red kuri and acorn squash.
Disco has a specific cooler in our warehouse that is called 'squash alley', and let me tell you, squash alley is bursting at the seams!
We've got butternut, spaghetti, acorn, delicata, red kuri, green kabocha, sugar pie pumpkin, red kabocha, black futsu, carnival acorn and orange buttercup. And they're all from BC farms! Secrest, Two EE's, Snow and Green Dirt farms. Thank you BC farmers for all you do!
Last but certainly not least, are a few more stables for your holiday long weekend feasts.
We've got potatoes, all shapes and colours. The majority of these taters are from BC, and some are from Washington and California.
Mushrooms - white, crimini, shiitake, portabella and oyster!
Root veggies - rutabaga, parsnip, celeriac root, yams and beets!
Feeling like a pie or fruit plate orrrr a crumble? We've got strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches & nectarines & plums (still from BC), and a whole bunch of apples: macintosh, gala, ambrosia, honeycrisp, granny smith, fuji, spartan, sunrise and earligold!
Anyone need last minute cranberry sauce? We've got you covered with organic cranberries in 18x227 gram boxes.
Thank you for reading along as always, I really do love to write these weekly hot shots.
I hope however you spend your weekend, you are able to relax, eat some delicious food, and see some family and friends if you so please.
I will talk to you all next week!
"The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves.
We have had our summer evenings; now for October eves!"Humbert Wolfe
Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli