Me in the paper again ( Ottawa Citizen )
Doing the right thing for a charitable cause can sometimes be as easy as having dinner.
And going out to eat is something most people do well.
Small wonder the annual A Taste for Life dining-out event to support Ottawa-area HIV/AIDS programs and services has taken off to involve 46 restaurants, up from the original 15 eateries when it was launched a decade ago.
Now in its 11th year, the event takes place Wednesday.
“This is an easy, simple way to support people living with HIV and AIDS, and the money stays in Ottawa,” says Martha Scott, development consultant at Ottawa’s Bruce House, a care centre that helped start the program in 1999.
She’s so right. Diners go to the website www.atasteforlife.org to find a list of participating restaurants. They choose one, call for a reservation (highly recommended, even though the event is on a Wednesday, normally a slow night at many restaurants), then enjoy the evening. There are no extra charges; diners will pay what they normally would.
Where the money is made is from the restaurants, which will donate 25 per cent of their proceeds that evening to Bruce House and the Snowy Owl AIDS Foundation. Last year, A Taste for Life raised $85,000 in Ottawa. In 10 years it has expanded to 20 communities across Ontario, which have together raised a total $1,251,600.
A sad note this year was the death on April 18 of former National Arts Centre executive chef Kurt Waldele, who with former Citizen food editor Kathleen Walker and former Café Henry Burger chef/owner Robert Bourassa lent the support needed to get the event going.
“Without their help, it would have been very difficult to get off the ground,” Scott says. “So we are saddened this year to hear of Kurt’s passing, and we are reminded of all his good works.”
Among the event’s longtime supporters is Charles Part, chef and co-owner of Les Fougères restaurant in Chelsea.
“We do it each year because we like to be involved in the community, and to give back some of what we’ve been fortunate to receive,” Part says.
In fact, several of the original 15 restaurateurs are still involved with A Taste for Life, including La Roma chef Ian Cherry, Ian Thomson of Café Paradiso, and Richard Kletnieks and Brandy Nieto of Savana Café.
We asked Thomson and Kletnieks to share some easy spring and summer recipes that will be on their restaurant menus Wednesday.
Kletnieks offered grilled plantain plank with mahi mahi and red papaya salsa.
“Here we’re keeping fresh ingredients with summer flavours,” he says. “The sliced plantain is crispy on the outside but still tender inside, and the fish is really moist. Then you have the sweet and spicy salsa bringing it all together.”
Thomson’s warm tomato tart with gorgonzola, walnut pastry and baby greens is also a play on early-summer flavours. When I made it at home, I used Sun-Tech tomatoes from Manotick for maximum, crisp flavour that becomes even more intense with time in the oven.
“It’s a light summer tart,” Thomson says. “The only fat component is the gorgonzola.
“You’ve got sweet caramelized onions on the flaky walnut pastry, then fresh basil and tomato. So it’s rich, it’s sweet, it’s tart and nutty — all with different textures at the same time.”
You can also make the tart a day head, then cool it for six hours at room temperature before refrigerating it overnight. To reheat, bring the tart to room temperature for one hour, then add the gorgonzola and bake in a 325 F (160 C) oven until the cheese is melted.
“I’d serve it with a light summer salad and a nice glass of wine or wheat beer,” Thomson says.
How to participate
When: Wednesday, April 29
Where: 46 area restaurants
How: Go to www.atasteforlife.org to find a list of participating restaurants. Reservations are
highly recommended.
Cost: There are no extra charges; diners pay what they normally would.
RECIPES
Warm Tomato Tart with Gorgonzola, Walnut Pastry and Baby Greens
Serves 12
7-1/2 ounces/212 g (2 sticks) butter, cubed, refrigerator cold
1-2/3 cups (9 ounces/255 g/400 mL) flour
3 ounces (85 g/1 cup/250 mL) chopped walnuts
1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon (total 55 mL) water, refrigerator-cold
2 tablespoons (25 mL) vegetable oil
6 medium onions, or 2 large Spanish onions, total 1 pound (450 g), sliced thin (best to use a kitchen mandolin)
Salt, pepper
Small handful fresh basil leaves
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick
Walnut or olive oil, to taste
14 ounces (400 g) gorgonzola cheese, sliced 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick in rectangles about 1- by 1-1/2 inches (2.5- by 4-cm)
Fresh microgreens
White balsamic vinaigrette
1. Place butter, flour and walnuts in a food processor and process until you achieve a coarse grain. With motor running, add water and process only until the dough comes together, then stop. Do not overmix. Wrap dough in food plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Roll out dough and place in 11-inch (27.5-cm) flan pan (best with removable bottom). Refrigerate 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Place aluminum foil on bottom of pastry tart and completely fill the tart shell with dry navy beans to bake “blind.” (Baking blind holds the pastry shape in the oven. You can reuse the beans in other “blind” pastry baking applications, but they are no longer fit to eat.) Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until visible edges of pastry are lightly browned, then remove to cool to room temperature. Remove dry beans and foil.
4. In a large frypan heat vegetable oil and sauté onions on medium heat until they wilt, about 15 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low to caramelize and turn onions a golden colour, about 15 to 30 minutes longer. They will significantly reduce in bulk. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then arrange onions on bottom of pastry tart. Place fresh basil leaves on onions, then arrange tomatoes to cover; drizzle lightly with walnut or olive oil, then return tart to oven to bake 20 minutes.
5. Remove tart from oven, top with sliced gorgonzola, then return to bake about 3 minutes longer, or until cheese is slightly melted. Remove to cool at room temperature, then slice tart into 12 portions.
6. Serve with fresh microgreens and white balsamic vinaigrette.
Source: Chef Ian G. Thomson, Café Paradiso
Grilled Plaintain Plank with Mahi Mahi and Red Papaya Salsa
Makes 12 hors d’oeuvres
1 plantain
1 teaspoon (5 mL) and 2 tablespoons (25 mL) vegetable oil, divided
Salt, to taste
1 mahi mahi fillet, 4 to 6 ounces (140 g), or substitute talapia or halibut
Pepper, to taste
For the salsa:
1 cup (250 mL) red papaya, diced 1/4--inch (5 mm)
1 lime, juice and grated zest
1 tablespoon (15 mL) cilantro leaves, sliced very thin into chiffonade
1 sweet pepper, diced 1/4-inch (5-mm)
1/4 cup (50 mL) red onion, diced fine
1 tablespoon (15 mL) sesame oil
1 tablespoon (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon (15 mL) serrano pepper, minced (may use other chili pepper)
Salt, to taste
1. In a bowl toss together all salsa ingredients and allow to sit at least 1 hour before serving.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Peel plantain and slice 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick on the bias so each piece is about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long. Toss plantain slices in a bowl with 1 teaspoon (5 mL) oil and season lightly with salt. Grill on barbecue or heavy grill pan about 30 seconds on each side, just long enough to get grill marks, then place on baking sheet and bake in oven about 10 minutes, until they are firm enough to remain flat when picked up.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut mahi mahi into 1-inch (2.5-cm) square cubes. Preheat a non-stick frypan on medium heat, add remaining vegetable oil. Season fish with salt and pepper, then sauté cubes about 3 to 4 minutes; flesh should be soft to the touch. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. To assemble, place fish on plantain planks and top with salsa.
Source: Chef Richard Kletnieks, Savana Café
posted by Ian G Thomson at 2:17 AM
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