Congratulations to Maria Iacobelli, who earned 210 out of a possible 300 points in Slow Food Edmonton’s first ever Wild Boar and Beer Scavenger Hunt! Maria and a guest will be treated to wild boar and a host of other local, seasonal dishes on July 12 at Alley Kat Brewery.

We are glad Maria looked like she had a blast taking the photos – we encourage everyone to patronize the local businesses and producers featured in the scavenger hunt. Here are a few of her photos:

Maria is an Original Fare VIP!

Maria with a pot in front of Call the Kettle Black

Maria with an Eat Local First flyer in front of Wild Earth Foods

Maria with Chocophilia, Curtis Jones and Kerstin Roos of Kerstin’s Chocolates

Maria with Chicken for Lunch’s Amy Quon and Hot and Dry Chicken

Maria eating a Fat Frank

Maria with a host of bell peppers at the City Centre Market

Maria with staff and asparagus from Edgar Farms

Maria with en Sante Wine

Maria with Mary Ellen Gruenberg from Greens Eggs and Ham and a Slow Food membership application

See you at Beer and Boar, Maria!

Irving Farm’s Bacon, Roasted Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas
(Recipe submitted by Slow Food Edmonton member Valerie Rodgers. For a version of this recipe with step-by-step photos, visit her blogpage.
  
Irving Farm’s Bacon can be purchased at City market downtown or at Strathcona Market on Saturdays. It is dry-cured, British-style with no added water, and not smoked. One pound is $8.00. Read the rest of this entry »

Slow Food Edmonton’s 4th annual Wild Boar and Beer is a celebration of local food and drink! It is a chance to sample Mayerthorpe’s Hog Wild products, as well as several local and regional side dishes. In addition, there will be beer tastings and tours of Edmonton’s award-winning microbrewery, Alley Kat.

When: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 1-4pm
Where: Alley Kat Brewery, 9929 60 Avenue
Cost: $35 for Slow Food Edmonton members, $40 for non-members, $10 for children under 10

For your chance to win 2 tickets, we’ve put together a scavenger hunt of local producers, restaurants, and independent businesses. Your objective is to collect as many points as possible! From now until June 29, take photos of yourself posing with as many of the items below as you can. Some items on the list will earn you more points than others. Remember to ask permission before taking photos with individuals!

Upload your photos to a photo sharing site such as Flickr or Picasa, and send the link to [email protected] by June 29. In the event of a tie, the name of a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be announced on June 30.

Have fun with this – the scavenger hunt is meant to encourage exploration of some of the best Edmonton has to offer. Perhaps you will find a new favourite in the mix!

We would like to acknowledge the Amateur Gourmet, and their Great New York Foodie Scavenger Hunt as the inspiration for this challenge.

Good luck!

Take a picture of yourself…

1. Holding a copy of City Palate (5pts.)
   next to Mary Bailey (an extra 10pts.)
2. With 1lb. of Transcend Coffee (10pts.)
3. Holding a bottle of Alley Kat beer (5pts.)
   dressed as a cat (an extra 20pts.)
4. With a bar of Kerstin’s Chocolates’ Chocophilia (5pts.)
   next to Kerstin Roos or Curtis Jones (an extra 20pts.)
5. Holding a package of Hog Wild Specialties (15pts.)
6. In front of Cafe de Ville (5pts.)
7. Posing with an “Eat Local First” flyer (5pts.)
   in front of Wild Earth Foods (an extra 5pts.)
8. Holding any Greens Eggs and Ham product (5pts.)
   with Mary Ellen or Andres Gruenberg (an extra 10pts.)
9. Eating a Fat Frank (5pts.)
10. Holding as many bell peppers as you can at the City Centre Farmers’ Market (1pt. each, up to a maximum of 10)
11. With a copy of the Edible Prairie Journal (10pts.)
12. In front of Call the Kettle Black (5pts.)
    holding a pot (an extra 5pts.)
13. With an Original Fare VIP card (10pts.)
14. Eating a dish at the EATery at the ARTery (10pts.)
15. With a bottle of en Sante Wine (5pts.)
16. Holding an order of Amy Quon’s hot and dry chicken (5pts.)
    with Amy Quon (an extra 10pts.)
17. Holding a Slow Food membership card (10pts.)
18. With a copy of Company’s Coming (5pts.)
    next to Jean Paré (an extra 30pts.)
19. Enjoying gelato at Leva (5pts.)
20. With cheese curds from the Cheese Factory (5pts.)
21. With a d’Lish to-go meal (5pts.)
22. Holding asparagus from Edgar Farms (5pts.)
23. With a product from Blue Kettle (5pts.)
24. Lining up at the Italian Centre deli (5pts.)
25. With a bottle of jam from The Jam Lady (5pts.)
    Holding A Jam Story print (an extra 20pts.)
26. With Sylvan Star Cheese (5pts.)

SOLD OUT
Slow Food members can obtain a password by emailing [email protected]
SOLD OUT

14 June, At Alley Kat, 3-5pm. All welcome (Members and Non-members alike!). Bring a good, clean, fair snack to share.
www.alleykatbeer.com

It’s spring, it’s asparagus season in Alberta, and this is the perfect time to launch a new department on the this website. Recipes! To kick it off, here are three asparagus recipes from Edgar Farms. This local product is available right now at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market and the City Market on 104th — both on Saturdays.

Divine Grilled (or Roasted) Asparagus
We love grilled or roasted asparagus. It takes on a bronzed patina, and the natural sugars become slightly caramelized. Trim one bunch of fresh Alberta-grown asparagus (if the ends are not already snapped off), brush lightly with a good quality oil, season to taste with salt and pepper. Either place on a hot grill (diagonally so the spears don’t fall through the grate), or in a preheated 450º F (230º C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice until they are slightly browned and soft. The tips will be slightly crispy. Serve warm. Serves 4 to 6. Courtesy of The Edible Prairie Journal

Cold Asparagus with Seasame-Ginger Vinaigrette
From Edgar Farms’ Asparagus Cookbook

1 pound (450 g) Edgar Farms’ fresh asparagus
1 tablespoon (15 mL) toasted sesame seeds*
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons (30 mL) rice vinegar
2 tablespoons (30 mL) orange juice
2 teaspoons (10 mL) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) red chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) sesame oil

*To toast sesame seeds, put them in a small skillet and heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just golden. Watch carefully. Or, buy already toasted sesame seeds.

Bring lightly salted water to boil in a medium skillet. Add asparagus and cook for 5 minutes or just until tender-crisp.

Immerse asparagus in ice-water to stop the cooking action. Pat dry and arrange on a platter.

In a blender, combine the dressing ingredients (reserving half of the sesame seeds) and blend until thoroughly combined.

Pour dressing evenly over asparagus, sprinkle with reserved sesame seeds and serve cold. Serves 4.

Asparagus with Blue Cheese
From Edgar Farms’ Asparagus Cookbook

1 pound (450 g) Edgar Farms’ fresh asparagus
2 teaspoons (10 mL) red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chives, minced
4 tablespoons (60 mL) blue cheese, crumbled
White pepper, freshly ground if possible

Preheat oven to 375º F (190º C).

In a small bowl, mix red wine vinegar, olive oil, chives and blue cheese. Steam asparagus spears for 5 minutes, and drain well.

Arrange hot spears on an oven-proof serving platter. Pour blue cheese mixture over as-paragus and season with plenty of white pepper to taste. Bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is hot and just starting to melt. Serve hot. Serves 4.

This month’s books are “The Ethics of What We Eat” by Peter Singer, and “Heartburn” by Nora Ephron. For more info, please click on Slow Food Book Club link on the right. Please note start time is 5:30 pm (it’s okay if you are late).