Flavours of Canada

We had the most excellent meal for supper this evening! Darren, Laurel, and Bronwyn joined us.

It's interesting how things work out... I received an email from FoodTV Canada (foodtv.ca) this week that suggested registering for the "World’s Longest Barbeque" at this Flavours of Canada website for a chance to win a prize. The barbeque, in support of Canadian food producers, was scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday July 31, 2004. So, since I'm a contest-entering web-surfing kind of gal, I clicked on the link, and then another, and then learned that my mom had registered! (I don't even know how she heard about it; perhaps through the Bison Association?)

And so we registered too, and we hope to win a prize of course (especially the Weber Genesis grill!), but the funny thing is, we would have had a barbeque on this very day, at the right time, and with all of this great food from local producers anyway!

Here's what we ate for supper today:

• Whole wheat focaccia bread (purchased at the Farmers Market today), sliced thickly, toasted on the grill, and served with Fresh Tomato Purée (recipe follows);
  
• Bison ribeye steak, marinated (from frozen) all afternoon in French Steak Marinade (recipe follows);
  
• Grilled-in-the-Husk Corn with Lime & Chili Butter (recipes follow);
  
• New potatoes and carrots, diced, tossed with olive oil and spices (Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning, a blend of freeze-dried herbs, fresh ground pepper, and sea salt), and cooked in foil on the BBQ; and (:::drum roll, please:::)
  
• Saskatoon Berry Crisp (recipe follows) with vanilla ice cream.
  

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Fresh Tomato Purée

• about 1-1/2 lbs. of fresh ripe tomatoes
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (chili flakes)
  

Core tomatoes and cut a large X on the top and bottom of each one. Pour boiling water over tomatoes to cover. Let stand for one minute. Drain. Remove skin from tomatoes, then cut into halves and remove seeds using a spoon.

Place prepared tomatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes into a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until no chunks remain. At this point, you may wish to strain some liquid out.

Serve with slices of any dense rustic bread such as Ciabatta. You may leave the bread slices as is, or toast them on the grill before serving. Spoon purée onto bread just before eating.

French Steak Marinade (for four steaks)

• red wine, about 1 cup
  
• Dijon mustard, about 2 Tbsp.
  
• minced garlic, about 2 or 3 cloves (1 heaping teaspoon)
  
• rosemary or thyme leaves, crushed between fingers, about 1 or 2 tsp.
  

Grilled-in-the-Husk Corn

Cobs of corn with husks in tact (do not remove any husk or silk before cooking)

In a preheated barbeque, place cobs on a second-tier grill rack so they are not too close to the flame. Use tongs to turn cobs often. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Remove the husks and silk from cobs before serving. Be careful—they’re extremely hot! (Heat-resistant gloves would be useful.)

Lime & Chili Butter

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
  
• 1 tsp. grated lime rind
  
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
  
• 1 tsp. chili powder
  

Stir all together until smooth. Spoon onto plastic wrap; shape into log and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm. Slice into 1/2-inch thick rounds to serve. (Refrigerate for up to two weeks.)

Saskatoon Berry Crisp

• 4 cups Saskatoon berries
  
• 1/2 cup flour
  
• 1 cup rolled oats
  
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
  
• 1/2 cup butter
  

Put the berries in a baking dish. Blend remaining ingredients (a food processor works well) and distribute evenly on top of the berries. Bake at 400° for 25-35 minutes.