Edible Vancouver Island March/April 2024

This is a fascinating deep-dive into one of Canada’s most ubiquitous–and overlooked–food traditions.

ruminates on the gentrification of today’s Fisgard Street. The poorly translated Chinese street signs and excess of Hello Kitty tchotchkes feel inauthentic to her. The question of “fake” versus “real” Chinese culture persists as Hui travels east to Newfoundland, interviewing restaurant owners faithfully serving Chinese-Canadian classics, like chow mein and ginger beef. Hui seeks to understand the pervasiveness of these dishes, which are far removed from traditional Chinese fare. In the midst of her research, Hui discovers a closely kept family secret: her parents had owned their own Chinese restaurant in the 1970s. The discovery sparks a race to unravel the story of her family’s migration from poverty-stricken Guangdong, China, to the Legion Café in Abbotsford, B.C. This is a fascinating deep-dive into one of Canada’s most ubiquitous–and overlooked–food traditions. I loved this book so much, I purchased two more copies to give to friends for Christmas.

finestatsea.com VICTORIA Seafood Market 250.383.7760 VANCOUVER Seafood Market Grocer + Deli 604.266.1904 • V I S I T U S • WILD • SUSTAINABLE • WEST COAST Bring sh stock to a gentle simmer in a high sided sauce pan. Season it with remaining tsp of crushed garlic and another tsp of kosher salt. Gently place your halibut bundles in the simmering stock and cook covered for 6-8 min, depending on the thickness of your llets. If stock level is low in the pan and doesn’t cover the bundles all the way, ip over half way through cooking. When halibut is cooked, remove from stock and set aside. Put remaining 1/3 of mushroom mixture in the stock with mussels and the par cooked pasta. Cook until mussels pop open. Add the lemon zest and parsley. Serve in a bowl with all the broth, topped with poached halibut. Poached Halibut with Swiss Chard and Pappardelle INGREDIENTS 2x 150g portions of Wild BC Halibut, skin removed 200g Saltspring Mussels 1 bunch swiss chard, largest leaves possible 3 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 shallots, thinly sliced (approx. ¾ cup) 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp crushed garlic 3 tsp kosher salt 2 cups sliced mushrooms METHOD Put on a small pot of water and bring to a gentle boil. While water is coming up pull the stems o swiss chard leaves and set aside. Blanch the leaves for 30 seconds then remove and cool quickly with cold water. Discard the blanching water and re ll the pot with fresh water for pasta cooking. Cook pasta for 1 minute less than package directions. Strain, rinse, toss with remaining Tbsp of olive oil and set aside. Thinly slice the chard stems and set aside. In a medium pan over medium heat sauté the shallots in 3 Tbsp olive oil. Once translucent, add 1 Tbsp garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the mushrooms and chard stems and cook until tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Take your blanched chard leaves, divide them in 2 and lay them at to create 2 sheets of leaves, about 3 times the size of each halibut portion. If the leaves are smaller you will need to overlap them to create 2 large sheets. Divide mushroom mixture into 3 parts. Divide 2/3 of the mixture between the 2 chard sheets, top with your halibut potions and season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Wrap the chard sheets around your halibut and tie each bundle with 2 pieces of twine. Everything up to this part can be done ahead of time and left in the fridge until you are ready to cook and serve. Serves: 2 3 cups Finest At Sea sh stock 150g pappardelle Zest of 1 lemon 1/3 cup chopped parsley Pepper to taste *4x 25cm lengths of butcher’s twine

4 Lost Feast: Culinary Extinction and the Future of Food by Lenore Newman (ECW Press, 2019) Lenore Newman investigates culinary extinction in a gripping narrative that dances between culinary memoir and historical non-fiction. From her perch as Canada Research Chair at the University of the Fraser Valley, Newman delves into the paradox of food diversity becoming jeopardized

by industrialization and ecosystem loss.

Hailing from a fishing family on the Sunshine Coast, Newman infuses familiar locales (such as Vancouver’s Granville Island Market), personal anecdotes and shared meals with friends into her scientific unravelling of food history. While the book raises the alarm on “loving our food to death,” it maintains an intimate, conversational tone. Newman’s research is presented in an approachable format that will fascinate anyone with questions about food security. This book satisfied my nerdy, history-loving sensibilities, as Newman’s research is presented in an approachable format that will fascinate anyone with questions about food security.

Gabrielle Plonka is an avid non-fiction reader and freelance food journalist.

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