"Chop Chop" - Review of a Cooking Magazine for Kids

Even though the school year has ended, it doesn't mean kids can't learn over the summer holidays more about cooking and the food they eat. "Chop Chop" is a food magazine for the "chickaDee/Owl magazine set that focuses on nutrition and easy to make recipes, along with games and puzzles, food facts, and interviews with celebrities, and both child and professional chefs. Published quarterly, it is both critically acclaimed and trendy enough for young elementary school foodies (few recipients of the James Beard Foundation Award for Publication of the Year have recipes for avocado toast AND a recipe featured in "Bon Appétit" (yes, this basic children's recipe was featured in an adult cooking magazine as a thing)). If you're looking for a cool addition to a child's summer reading list, check to see if your local public library carries it.

What’s in Season: Teriyaki Steak and Berries

You don't have to love fruits and vegetables to take advantage of the local farmer's market. Do it to support local business and farmers; do it if reducing your carbon footprint is a concern to you; or do it to try a new recipe using produce you can certain of its freshness and quality. Inspired by a recent trip with my son's class to Proulx Sugar Bush and Berry Farm,  this month's featured ingredient is the strawberry.  A member of the rose family, strawberries are a great source of vitamin C, fibre, and potassium, and are best when picked ripe. Though usually made into preserves and desserts, strawberries can be found in salads during the summer, as a great way to highlight the burst of colour and flavour that can add to foods. If you're looking for a light summer dish, you can't go wrong with the recipe below.

Ingredients:

4 cups torn spinach leaves
4 cups torn romaine leaves
3 cups halved strawberries
2 cups sliced white button mushrooms
375 g top sirloin grilling steak, about 1 cm thick
45 mL seasoned rice vinegar (4% acidity)
45 mL canola oil
25 mL teriyaki sauce
20 g toasted sesame seeds
10 mL finely minced gingerroot
10 mL honey
2 green onions, diagonally sliced
fresh ground black pepper

1. In small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the rice vinegar, canola oil, teriyaki sauce, ginger, honey and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Sprinkle both sides of steak with pepper to taste. Place on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill for about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare or until desired doneness. Remove to a cutting board and let the meat stand for 5 minutes before thinly slicing across the grain.
3. In large bowl, combine the spinach, romaine, strawberries, mushrooms and green onions. Set aside about 25 mL of dressing, and toss the salad with the remaining dressing. Arrange the salad on either a platter or on salad plates; top with the beef, and drizzle everything with the reserved dressing and a sprinkling of the sesame seeds.

A Night at the Urban Element

One of my birthday presents this year was a hands-on cooking lesson at the Urban Element, an open concept kitchen and communal dining area located in Hintonburg. The original plan was for me to take the Knife Skills class they offered, but it was sold out so my wife enrolled me in "Springtime in Latin America" instead. It dawned on me as I made my way there that this was the first time I've been in a classroom learning to cook since I was in Home Ec. class at Alta Vista P.S. Luckily I'm a lot more interested in food than I was in elementary school, so I was excited to see how the evening progressed.

Once there, I was greeted by the host, Rachel, and led to the area where the lesson was to be held. I liked the wood, brick, and stainless steel throughout the cooking area; it was hard to believe the building was once a firehouse. Settling into an available spot, I saw it was a full house, about 16 in total. It was a good mix of people, everyone from hardcore foodies to a family of four, to newbies like myself. As we all introduced ourselves, I learned I was one of two guys there whose wives thought they could use a culinary skills update - are they subtly trying to tell us something? We were then introduced to our instructors, Devin, UE's Executive Chef, and his sous-chef Tessa. Listening to the two of them, you could see that they were passionate about food and cooking. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and I was excited to jump into the lesson until I heard the number of dishes we had to prepare. Tortilla soup; gulf shrimp and sea bass ceviche with 'leche de tigre'; Argentinian beef empanadas; tacos with crispy chicken thighs topped with Mexican mole sauce; tres leche cake with dolce buttercream and Malbec meringue - that's a lot for one guy to do in three hours. However, I was relieved to learn that we were to separate into teams, and head to different stations around the cooking area to prepare the different parts of the meal. With all the prep work done beforehand, and Devin and Tessa helping finish anything if time becomes a factor, I felt more confident we would finish our goals.

Hearing Aarón Sánchez talk about mole sauce on "Chopped" for so long, I immediately made my way to that station. After introducing myself to the two people already there, we all started chopping up and mixing the ingredients. The recipe needed a charred shallot, so I grabbed some tongs and charred it with the flame from a hotplate instead of using the cast-iron skillet we had access to. My partners gave me some funny looks when I did that, but they were not concerned enough to complain about it. There was a complaint though about the amount of jalapeño needed for the sauce. Having to adjust spicy food to sensitive palates sucks. I don't want or need an insanity pepper level of heat in my food, but I do want enough to know that it's there. In order to maintain harmony with the team, we erred on the side of caution. Once the sauce was bubbling, we started on frying the chicken thighs for the tacos. Because I was standing the closest to the deep fryer, I ended up cooking most of the chicken thighs; hindsight being 20/20, I should have moved to a different station to learn how to cook something new. Fortunately, that opportunity came when I was put on tortilla making duty. As I rolled and shaped the dough, I noticed that as spacious as the cooking area was, it filled up pretty quick with everyone buzzing around working. With all different components being made, and the calls of "Behind you" as people passed from one spot to another, I realized this is the closest I'll ever get to cooking on a line (stop snickering actual line cooks - I know what I did in the class is nothing compared to what you do every day). If only food culture was as big back in the day as it is today, maybe working in a kitchen would have been a reality instead of a dream...

Once the majority of the cooking was completed, we were asked to return to our seats while Devin and Tessa plated everything. We got to sample some wine while we chatted among ourselves; I would have preferred a cerveza, but I made due with what they poured in my glass.  Finally, it was time to eat. We started with the soup, it was silky and peppery all at once. I got what was said at the start of the course about the layering of flavour, and the fried corn tortillas sprinkled on top added a nice crunch to the dish.

Next was the ceviche, and it blew me away. Light, refreshing, tasty, I now get why Action Bronson raves about the stuff. Like the tortillas in the soup, I was loving the fried plantains that topped the dish, so much so, I plan to add more crunchy texture to the foods I make. I may not make the version that was made that night, but I will make the ceviche recipe found in my favourite cookbook at some point this summer.

The next plate was the empanadas, and though my first bite was just a mouthful of the baked pocket, once I got to the filling inside, I liked what I was eating. I'm not big on raisins or olives but mixed in with the other spices, it adds a nice sweet-salty flavour to the beef.

Without breaking my arm patting myself on the back, the chicken tacos and tortilla came out beautifully. The buttermilk-brine-and-dredge technique for fried chicken makes all the difference, and now that I know I can make a passable tortilla, I have to find that breakfast taco recipe on the "Sin City" DVD that Robert Rodriguez says he made for the actors during the filming.

We ended the meal with the tres leche cake. I'm not much of a dessert guy, but it's hard not like something that light, sweet and fluffy. I was sorry when I finished my last bite, as I had a blast cooking and eating that evening.  I'd recommend going to Urban Element if you're looking to expand your cooking skills, looking for a fun date night experience, or if you want to treat yo' self to a cool foodie experience. With their approachable chefs and state-of-the-art cooking studio, it will definitely change your views on cooking in a classroom.