Chef Paolo was invited to be a part of the Stratford Chefs School program where esteemed chefs come to share and teach some of the students in the kitchen (International Chefs in Residence). The Stratford Chefs School began in 1983, producing highly skilled and in demand graduates and on this particular evening, we were also honoured with dining with Stratford’s Executive Director, Kimberley Payne.

Dinner commenced with some Prosecco and an Amuse Bouche of airy, buttery egg and cream in a shell topped with chives and caviar.

First course was a sweet and sour eggplant Caponata with shrimp. I love eggplant, especially with seafood and Chef Paolo appealed to my Mediterranean senses.

The next course firmly had me transported to the Mediterranean with this ebon risotto of squid that was fork-tender, smelled of the sea and a black reflecting pool of risotto fully absorbed with the colour and flavour of squid ink.

The main course spoke to the Canadian ingredients available to Chef, with a pan-roasted venison loin in a blueberry sauce. My pool of sauce even looked like the province of Ontario but the flavours in the dis were made in the spirit of the Italian kitchen (fresh, local, simple).

The dessert course was a Budino (pudding) of lemon and a coffee and then petits-fours with coffee & tea.

It was back to Toronto and I soon as I got home I reviewed the photos of this refined meal and look at the Stratford Chefs School’s web site. Have a look at the upcoming events and try to attend one of these meals…they may be prepared by one of Canada’s next top Chefs!

Stratford student with Chef Paolo Lopriore

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© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Margrit Mondavi

This event came about when Sam was vacationing in Napa Valley and when he met Margrit, he offered to dedicate a private dining room to the memory of Robert Mondavi when Modus opened. Sam delivered, Margrit showed up and the evening was filled with making new acquaintences, sipping on Mondavi wines paired with a steady stream of hors d’oeuvre, a trio playing classical music with the elegant Modus Ristorante as the backdrop to this well-organized event.

This evening was cool and wet with Autumn leaves blowing down York Street, where Modus is located (SW corner of King) I checked my coat and umbrella in a spacious but discreet coatcheck room and soon after began to mingle, take photos and alternate between Mondavi wines and hors d’oeuvre. I first became familiar with the Mondavi family back in the mid-nineties when I left the financial field to run a cigar store during that whole “cigar boom” at wrapped together cigars, wine and other spirits. The Mondavi family was already entrenched in the wine business and they quickly gained a reputation for making premium hand-rolled cigars.

Napa Valley. 2002

My curiosity in attending this event was compounded by my visit to the San Francisco area (and Napa Valley) in the Spring of 2002. For those that have been to the San Francisco area – you’ll agree that this region is one of the most beautiful and most bountiful in the world with the Pacific Ocean nearby and the San Francisco Bay offering an array of local fish and seafood and  the surrounding lands offering a locavores wet dream of fruits, vegetables all year ’round.

The area around San Francisco is truly blessed and it’s immensely beautiful. The two wine regions associated with area are Sonoma and Napa and to get to these valleys, one has to drive north and out of the city, passing over the Golden Gate Bridge and soon after you pass the gorgeous and ‘one of a kind’ seaside town of Sausalito. Remember that tune by Diesel?

After Sausalito you drive further north through Sonoma then you’ll soon be in Napa Valley - where  the Mondavi Winery is located. If you go (when you go) to San Francisco you must dedicate at least one day to seeing Napa Valley, hopping from one winery to another. Napa Valley runs north-south with wineries hugging the main road that runs through the valley. There’s a train and for those that don’t want to drive – you can rent a limo and go visit Napa without getting behind the wheel.

love the big open kitchen at Modus

After we noshed on the small bites we were ushered into the Mondavi room where Margrit Mondavi was introduced by the Vincor President Eric Morham and soon after listened to Mrs. Mondavi as she related how the Mondavi winery got its start and a little bit about the beauty and ‘feel’ of Napa. Mark de Vere Mondavi’s Master of Wine soon after introduced the wines that were paired with the creations of Chef Bruce Woods.

The first course of our sit down was a pan-roasted diver scallop with cauliflower purée and pepperonata which was served with the Mondavi Fume Blanc.

The next course was a ravioli of Foie Gras, chestnut and sweet potato with a Porcini-truffle cream sauce. Mondavi’s Chardonnay Reserve 2008 is not too oakey and the slight acidity of in the wine came forward.

Our third course led off the first of three reds, this one being the Mondavi Pinot Noir 2009, paired with a duck prosciutto and fig chutney, caramelized onion and Port reduction.

The Mondavi winery is located in Oakville, Napa and we now sipped on the Oakville Cabernery Sauvignon 2008. This course was exquisite, my fave of the courses with a pairing of roasted venison loin with smoked bacon and sour cherries.

The last course was a house made cocoa cavatelli pasta with some braised oxtail and a sweet, fruit and light tannin Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2008.

 Modus Ristorante is located on the SW corner of King and York Streets in downtown Toronto and Mondavi Wines are available at your nearest LCBO stores.

Special thanks to Enterprise Canada for the invite, Sam Genkov and the staff at Modus, Margrit Mondavi and Mark de Vere from Mondavi wines.

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The classic Italian-American dish consists of pounding chicken fillets into thin paillards, seasoning them then dredging in flour, beaten eggs then a breadcrumb mixture. The chicken then gets fried (browned) on both sides then transferred to a baking vessel with the tomato sauce, cheese (s) and finished in the oven. Oh, a pot of water is also placed on the stove-top to boil the accompanying pasta for the dish.

The old-school Chicken Parmesan requires you to use and clean a cutting board/work surface, three bowls for your dunking station (flour, eggs, breadcrumbs), a large skillet and a baking dish to finish the entrée. That’s a lot of washing for a dish that’s really simple. Today we’re going to simplify the cooking process without compromising the flavour too much. Yes, the old school Chicken Parmesan is still tastier but this version is both healthier, less clean-up and still a delicious and presentable meal for the “busy” mom who still has to put dinner on the table.

The One Skillet Chicken Parmesan

(serves 4)

4 chicken breasts or thighs (boneless)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2/3 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. rosemary, finely chopped

olive oil for frying

3 cups of canned plum tomatoes, hand-crushed

1 cup of fresh basil leaves, hand-torn or chopped

1 medium onion, diced

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 cups of grated Mozzarella cheese

grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

1 500gr. package of dry spaghetti

1. Trim your chicken of any fat and rinse and pat-dry. Place your chicken in between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of a meat pounder/tenderizer (or use a heavy pot) to flatten the meat into thin paillards. If the pieces are now too big, you may cut them into smaller portions.
2. Add your cornmeal and flour into a large plate/platter and add the dried oregano, basil and rosemary and mix thoroughly with a fork. Brush both sides of your chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Dredge both sides of  chicken in the flour mixture until well-coated and reserve.
3. Place a large skillet on your stove-top over medium-high heat and when hot, add some olive oil and place your chicken in the hot oil and fry on both side for about 2-3 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove and place on paper-lined towel and reserve.
4. Drain the oil used for frying and replace with a 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil turn the heat to medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and allow to sweat for about 6 minutes. Now add the plum tomatoes and white wine and bring up to a boil. Season with some salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer. Place your chicken gently into the sauce and cover with the lid (slightly ajar) and simmer for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the chicken is fork-tender.
5. In the meantime, place a pot of water on your stove-top and bring to a boil. Add a good amount of salt plus your spaghetti and cook according to package instructions (time your pasta to be ready when the chicken is done).
6. When the sauce is thick and chicken is fork-tender, uncover and place some basil leaves on each portion of chicken and top each piece with a good amount of grated Mozzarella. Lower the heat to low and cover the chicken until the cheese has melted.
7. Remove the chicken from the skillet and keep warm. Place the boiled spaghetti into the skillet along with the chopped fresh basil and toss. Add some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and divide and serve your Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. Top with some more grated cheese and serve with a seasonal salad and pair with a Yellow Tail Shiraz-Granache.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2011 Peter Minakis

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The food at Malena offers an interpretation of the cuisines of Greece and southern Italy using fish from the Mediterranean, local purveyors and offered in an  environment that’s homey (century-old home), immaculate service and able to cater to intimate dinners or groups up to 40.

The evening began up the street from Malena at the sister restaurant, L’Unita for cocktails accompanied by an array of house-made charcuterie mixed in with some offerings from local purveyors.

On this evening, it was my pleasure to bring along my friend Diane Kochilas (chef, Greek cookbook author, columnist), who was in Toronto and I was eager to show her some of Toronto’s vibrant restaurant and entertainment scene. It was also wonderful to see my other friend, chef and TV personality Christine Cushing in attendance and I immediately introduced the two ladies to each other. They immediately hit it off and the evening was off to a great start!

Diane Kochilas and Christine Cushing

The first item to arrive on our table was the slab of Greek Feta cheese and an array of olives with grilled bread.

The chef introduced a deconstructed Caesar Salad if you will. Vinegar-cured sardines topped with some lettuce, crisp pancetta and a garlic cream.

One of my favourite ingredients from the Mediterranean is sea urchin. Malena gets its sea urchin from B.C. and this crostino with avocado and sea urchin transported me back to a beachside taverna.

Another fave ingredient enjoyed all around the Mediterranean basin is octopus. This octopus was braised then grilled and paired here with root vegetable fregola, Greek yogurt & oranage agro-dolce.

Call it anything you want – it’s fried seafood and a huge platter of fried calamari, prawns, halibut cheeks and even fried gigantes beans!

Our server asked us to choose one of the four main course on offer. Seeing as how I was seated with Christine & Diane, we strategically ordered different dishes so as to sample more of the entrees. Diane ordered the seared branzino (lavraki in Greek) fillet with fennel, rapini and a white anchovy vinaigrette.

There also was a Berkshire pork chop on offer and I believe only one person out of many seated at the table ordered it. It seems many are opting for lighter fare. Myself, I ordered the sheep’s milk gnudi (ricotta gnocchi) with braised rabbit and crisp parsnip. The gnudi were tremendous – light and delicious!

Christine ordered a whole sea bream (tsipoura) that was grilled to perfection and served with tomato-braised gigantes beans, braised horta and Tzatziki.

Throughout the evening, we were drinking Sigalas Assyrtiko from the jewel of the Mediterranean, Santorini. Malena’s sommelier Zinta Steprens was also on hand and it was wonderful to chat with her and see that she was so passionate – especially when it comes to Greek wines.

Up next was dessert: a trio of desserts! We were served a glass of Moscato sweet wine from Limnos and out came the cannoli, Greek Loukoumades and wonderfully refreshing lemon meringue tarts in phyllo cups.

cannoli

Loukoumades are a fried yeast dough topped with syrup/honey and nuts

lemon meringue phyllo tarts

L’Unità
134 Avenue Road, Toronto
www.lunita.ca
Twitter: @lunita_enoteca

Maléna
120 Avenue Road, Toronto
www.malena120.ca
Twitter: @malena120

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2011 Peter Minakis

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

This dish is very accessible, most pragmatic (make it your way) and did I mention filling and delicious? In essence, this sauce is a mushroom and tomato sauce served on your choice of pasta but I recommend trying fettucine for this instance…it suited the thick, chunky sauce. The title “Mushroom Bolognese” refers to mushrooms as being the main ingredient of the sauce – no meat here…other than meaty mushrooms. Mushrooms are the protein here, the star, the feature in this recipe (which I’m sure will be added to your family’s meal rotation).

I first saw this recipe in my RSS feed of friends’ blog posts but I can’t seem to find the blog post that inspired me to try this dish out. If you’re out there, send me a note – leave a comment…I want to say “THANK YOU” to Elaine of the Italian Dish Blog! While I was looking for Mushroom Bolgnese ideas, I found many and another inspiring dish I came across was from Emily Richards, of Food Network Canada and Canadian Living Cooks fame. Many of the mushroom bolognese dishes have similarities and others have their own unique flare to them.

I chose Fettucine pasta, added the broth from re-hydrating some dried Porcini mushrooms, some white wine to add more depth to the sauce and dried Greek oregano (I couldn’t resist). Put your own twist to this substantive vegetarian pasta dish and if you love mushrooms…go ahead and splurge on a variety of mushrooms. I opted to use Cremini (more flavour than white button mushrooms) and some Oyster mushrooms and the dried Porcinis. How could this dish not taste good?

Fettucine With Mushroom Bolognese

(serves 4)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion (1 cup) diced

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 carrot, peeled and passed through a box grater

1 stalk of celery, finely diced

2-3 bay leaves

3 cups of assorted mushrooms, chopped (I used Cremini & Oyster)

1/4 cip dried Porcini mushrooms

2 cups hot water

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

2 cups of crushed (canned) plum tomatoes

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 package (500gr) of dry fettuccine noodles

coarse sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

grated Parmesan cheese

1. Place a large skillet on your stove-top over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, onions, garlic, carrot, celery, mushrooms and bay leaves and saute for 8-10 minutes while stirring. Season with some sea salt and fresh ground pepper and reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer the vegetables for another 5 minutes or until almost all the liquid has cooked off.
2. In the meantime, to rehydrate your dried mushrooms, boil 2 cups water and place in a bowl with your dried mushrooms and cover. Allow to steep for 10 minutes and pour the mushroom stock through a fine mesh strainer and chop and add the re-hydrated mushrooms along with the wine, grated nutmeg and bring to a simmer and reduce the liquid to half. Add some more salt and pepper to taste.
3. Now add the crushed plum tomatoes, thyme leaves and bring back to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick (about 30 minutes). Adjust seasoning once again with salt and pepper, stir in the dried oregano and remove the bay leaves.
4. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil then season well with salt then add the pasta, stir until the water comes back to a boil and cook according to package instructions. Strain the pasta and add to the mushroom sauce (place under low heat if sauce has cooled) and toss to coat well. Divide and plate, top with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
5. As a wine pairing, I’ve been really enjoying this Yellow Tail Shiraz-Grenache from Australia. I’ve had this wine with pizza, a traditional spaghetti & meat sauce and with this Mushroom Bolognese.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.