The Waffle

Pierre Jury has an interesting article in Le Droit today, in which he points out that after trans fats and GMOs, salt is the next target of some Food Police Forces.

Their main target?  The pickle.

I really don’t know why exactly.

I won’t deny that there is too much salt in prepared foods, but why the pickle? Why???

Thankfully Jury points out that we can still enjoy home made pickles. And, frankly, I am not worried as I am not a big salter.

All this talk about pickles, however, reminded me of what Gilles Duceppe had to say in french about the topic during the last campaign:

“If you were a pickle, which vegetable would you will be?“.

You can buy the t-shirt here.

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The lobster industry has been in trouble for some time.

From a s(h)ellfish consumer point of view, prices have been great.  At the docks, though, it’s another story. 

Now, I should point out that I like my lobster hot.  Grilled, its delicious.
Jacques Parizeau does like his homards dans l’eau bouillante, as we all remember.

But as far as hot lobsters go, I never expected this kind of hot lobster from the Conservative government.

Sexy Lobster

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Remember my pledge not to eat red meat for the month of September?

I was a last-minute addition at the Canadian Press annual golf tournament, a call-up if you will, to replace someone who was a late-scratch due to illness. 

I won’t talk to much about the performance of my team or the number of balls we lost on this beautiful day at the Mont Cascades golf course.  It was for a good cause, as the Tournament was a fundraiser for the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award in memory of the late CP photographer.  You can give here.

The chef at the Mont Cascades golf course grilling the meat

However, unbeknownst to me, the meal during the award ceremony after the tournament was going to be grilled steak.  I realized this was going to be the case when they started to grill some thick pieces of meat on the patio, as we were all enjoying cold beverages as the sun was setting over the Gatineau river.  I knew I would be tempted hard, and was hoping for other options in order not to fall off the wagon. 

I looked carefully.  Oh, sure, there was a couple of salads, some steamed fall vegetables, some vegetarian pasta, potatoes…  But the last station at the buffet table was the grilled steaks, dripping with flavour.  I could not stop myself as I saw, horrified, my hand present my plate to the friendly meat-provider.  Damn Canadian Press! Forcing me to eat red meat against my will!!!

Shame, I thought.

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Our trip to Malta included a lay-over in Frankfurt.  The same was true on the way back, so I picked our flight in order to spend some time in Germany, almost 24 hours in fact.

We had picked the City Hotel Frankfurt, on Allerheiligenstrasse in the Cultural Quarter, on the Main’s northern bank.  After checking in, we soon found ourselves wandering down Zeil, a pedestrian street from two major plazas - Hauptwache to Konstablerwache.  Since the end of the last century, it has been the city’s major shopping street.  The “Golden mile”, it is lined with well-known department stores.  It used to be known for its grand buildings but most of them were destroyed during World War II and were not rebuilt.   In fact, most of the city was destroyed, it seems. Konstablerwache was the plaza closest to our hotel, and it is where we encountered a buzy public market, around 4 pm, as we were starting our exploration.

During our time in Malta, Euronews broadcasted a report about the opening of the Currywurst Museum in Berlin.  I had never heard of this dish before, but I was quite excited about going to Germany so soon after the opening of a museum celebrating a post-war delicacy:

Wurst. Grilled. Sliced.
Ketchup.
Curry powder. Lots of it.

After flying over the Mediterannean Sea, and over half Europe, I was quite hungry. And quite happy to find, in the public market, many Germans enjoying some sausage and beer after a hard day’s work.

I’ve got to admit that it was surprisingly delicious.  The wurst was dense, juicy, warm throughout.  The ketchup was kept warm and poured over the wurst.  They were not shy on the curry powder, which partly diluted in the warm tomato sauce.  The snack came with a roll, which was fine, but was oh so overshadowed by this Berlin-born mixture.  I must try to do this at home.

After our snacks (well, mine ), we had to fill Mel’s appetite for shopping along the Zeil.  Truth is, Frankfurt is no Malta, and if I was happy with the 15° C, Mel was in a dire need of a sweater.  After finally finding something at one of the two H and Ms on the Zeil we wandered around for a while, walking through Franfurt, crossing the Main, watching the barges slowly making their way up the river.

All this walking made us hungry, it was getting late, so we set out to look for a place to have dinner. The heart of Frankfurt is the Römerberg, with it’s 13th-century cathedral of St Bartholomäus and the gables of the Römerplatz. And it is on the Römerberg that we looked for dinner, hoping that, despite the tourist trap feel of the place, we would be okay.  And so we picked the Zum Standesämtchen, at the “Römer” straight across the city hall.

The restaurant, open since 1983, is located in an historical building which was rebuilt after the war. An original pillar from 1543 is still standing, and the whole interior gives a very warm and restful vibe.  It was a quiet night, but you could almost hear the clashing of the Steins, the singing and the laughter of the F rankfurters into the night.

We ordered a couple of German beers with a name I couldn`t pronouce sober, and  I didn’t improve throughout the evening.

We peered at the menu for appetizers - we were quite hungry. I spotted the Weinkäse mit Musik right away, and I encouraged Melissa to order it, despite the protest of the owner. Local soft cheese, onions, vinegar. What is not too like? For my part, I ordered a hearty Kartoffelsuppe, a potato soup.

Mel felt that she should have listened to the German food expert as opposed to the French-Canadian poutine expert.  The cheese was quite soft, milky, light.  It was covered with marinated raw onions and herbs, and generously drenched in vinegar.  The onions were, in my opinion, tasty, if you like marinated vinegary onions.  But there was a lot - a hell of a lot - of it.

The soup was very flavourful.  With chicken stock and bacon as a base, there was lots of potatoes, obviously, but also carrots, onions, herbs (a bit heavy on fresh parsley). The final product was very rich, but thankfully the potatoes were not too starchy, and the texture was great.  Mel was eyeing it, and since she was blaming me for her poor choice of appetizer, I did share my soup with her, much to her content.

That behind us, we were able to focus on our main target in Germany, something she had been focussed on ever since we had landed in Frankfurt:  Schnitzel.

Schnitzel means a cutlet without bones. It is a traditional dish and is a popular part of German cuisine. Usually, it is thin slices of veal coated in breadcrumbs and fried, though other types of meat are now sometimes used.

Mel picked the classic Wiener Schnitzel but I picked the Jägerschnitzel - in her honour.

Now, I have already pointed out that this place had the feel of a tourist trap, and some had bad experiences here. But the place was empty, and therefore the cook could take his time - these schnitzels were the best we’ve ever had.

Mel’s veal was lightly breaded and nicely golden, tender and juicy.  The traditional piece of lemon was there in lieu of any sauce, giving the meat an appetizing zest.  Her dish also included small fried potatoes and a side of green beans sauteed with lardons.

My Hunter schnitzel was served with ordinary french fries and a small garden salad.  Nothing to talk about.  Served with a dark mushroom gravy and lots of mushrooms, it was dense, rich.  Very woody, touches of rosemary and parsley, I was left begging for more - and finish the sauce with bits of Mel’s schnitzel.  I do enjoy the variety in the sides, completing each dish differently.

After our meal, we were too full to move.  So we had to order more beers, and drank them while exchanging pleasantries with the owner, who was happy to be able to take some time to actually talk to some international consumers, instead of only taking their money.  Talking of money, the bill amounted to 70 Euros, 8 beers and tax included.

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Alcohol consumption in Malta is low compared to the rest of Europe. In fact, this study from the World Advertising Research Centre shows that alcohol consumption per capita is only one third of that of Luxemburg, the Czech Republic and Hungary.  Only the Swedes seem to drink less than the Maltese. The Malta government’s own figures show that 36 % of the adult population drinks alcohol at least once a week.
This goes up to 60.2 per cent for people aged between 18 to 24. Beer accounts for around half of the total alcohol consumption, whilst wine accounts for a third.

The beer market is controlled mostly by Simonds Farsons Cisk, which was founded in 1928.  Cisk is the flagship brand, with two spin-offs, the Cisk Export and the Cisk Excel.  Farsons also offers the Blue Label, the Hopleaf, the Lacto, and the Strong Ale.  They also have a Traditionnal Shandy, and they brew under license Skol and Carlsberg.  They are also in charge of most Imports and also control the soft drink market.

THIS AIN’T A CISK KEBAB

Here is the first drink we bought upon our arrival in Malta.  We had to go with the “National” beer, a Cisk.  A lager, it is fresh, crisp, rewarding.   It was selected as the World’s Best Standard Lager in 2007 by Beers of the World. It quickly became Melissa’s beer of choice in Malta, while I was a little more adventurous.  Our first Cisk was enjoyed in the Upper Barracca Gardens on our first full day in Valetta.

MALTA’S GOT NO SOUR GRAPES

Most Maltese Wines are quite young, especially if the grapes are grown in Malta. (They import a lot from Sicily and other parts of Italy.)  A few vineyards are trying hard however to establish some quality products, 100% Maltese wine, but it is a challenge. Since the vines are still young, the quality varies a lot  and even locals tend to prefer Italian wines.

Our first lunch at Cocopazzo was chased down with a bottle of white from Medina Vineyard.  The ancient walled capital of Mdina passed from a vibrant, lively place to a sleepy “city of silence” when Valletta was founded by the Knights.  The Medina Vineyards collection of wines is produced from grapes grown all over the island but predominately from those grown in the surrounding area beneath the majestic silent city. The wine was fresh and fruity, and was not too bad with our fish dishes.  It

was, however, too weak for the ravioli.

WHEN POP GOES LOCAL

We had our first - and only - Kinnie while waiting for the Marsamxett Harbour Ferry.  Farsons developed Kinnie as an alternative to the American Cola giants and other soft drinks who were building huge market shares in Europe after WWII, and it became Malta’s “National” soft drink.  Kinnie’s colour is a dark amber orange.  It is made from bitter oranges and a blend of herbs.  It’s taste, in my opinion, is not very good.  Think Jägermeister without alcohol.

A BEER UNDER THE SUN

After another day under the baking sun, we decided to stop for a refreshment at a cafe on the Piazza Regina, at the corner of Republic and St.Lucia’s Steet.  Melissa decided to stick with Cisk, but I decided to go for the Blue Label, which is a stronger ale. It was one of the first beers launched by Farsons, back in 1928. The Blue Label has a nutty flavour, with a nice mild bitter finish. The drinkability level is not as high as Cisk, in fact, most locals consider this a “dark” beer, although by all standards it is only of a  slightly amber, light bronze colour.

PLEASE DON’T STOUT ME!

In the Grotto Tavern,  I was able to sample Farsons’ Stout, the Lacto. A Milk Stout, it has the usual touch of sweetness you expect in that style of beer. A nice dark chocolaty brown body, with a light chocolate milk-like head on top. It has a silky smooth texture and next to no carbonation. Smoky roasted grain is the main aroma coming through, and you can taste it too.

I had a couple with my meal, and since it was fairly low in alcohol, I didn’t feel guitly at all. (3.8% abv)  It was, however, not easy to find elsewhere and this was the first time I had seen it available.

C’EST LA LUTTE FINALE!  GROUPONS-NOUS, ET DEMAIN…

I have got to admit that I had not seen such a concept before, and do not know why we haven’t thought of it here.  Party offices with a bar where activists, supporters and members can quench their thirst while supporting Social Justice.  Genius! The Partit Laburista has a few establishments across the country, and in Valletta (above, left ) they proudly invite tourists to come in!

The MLP lost the 2008 General Election to the Christian Democratic Nationalist Party by one seat, 34 seats vs 35. The Nationalists also have some establishments.

So we walked in the Malta Labour Party headquarters, a prime location on Republic Street. Pictures of the workers’ struggle in Malta greeted us, along with portraits of the leaders over the years. This was no ordinary tourist trap. The menu, for one, was not particularly appealing:

But they had a fully stocked bar, and we took the opportunity to try the Cisk Excel. The place was not very busy - this was the end of the afternoon, and a few blue collars were occupying the tables at the back of the bar. The tv was loud, folks were watching what is no doubt a popular soap opera in Malta. Not the same atmosphere this guy faced. Maltese is a tough language, near-impossible to learn, so I quickly lost interest in the TV and decided to focus on my beer - and on the extraordinary stuff on the wall, from paper clippings to plaques to pictures.

The Cisk Excel is a Low carbohydrate beer. A very pale yellow color with a very clean, white foam. Quite creamy. The Excel is lighter than the Cisk. Balanced and boring is how I would characterize it. The low carbonation make this beer easy to drink, no aftertaste, no nuisance. But I’d rather stick with the real stuff.

We left, wondering when the New Democratic Party will open its own bar in downtown Ottawa.

BEER, BEER, BEER!

To complete this review, let me point out to a few other beers we enjoyed.  The Lander Bräu is imported from Italy, although it originates from Holland and is meant to be a Czech pilsner.  A pale yellow colour, small white head. Some awkward sweetness, with malt and hop hints. Boring and quite unbalanced.   The Hopleaf Pale Ale, like the Blue Label, is one of Farsons’ classic brew from 1928.  A slightly dark copper colour under a finger white head with and decent retention.  A sweet hop nose, with a subtle tangy flavour.  A bit heavy in carbonation, it tasted very nice, with ample fruits (apricot?) and not a lot of bitterness. Enticing beer, again harder to find in corner stores. A nice brew though.  We also enjoyed some Skol, brewed here under license by Farson’s.  I had first enjoyed Skol in Guinea.

IT’S A GOOD THING ITALY IS NOT FAR

When it comes to wine, even though we did find a few good local Maltese wines here and there, but they could not compete with their Italian counterparts.  Not that the local bottles were offensive, but Malta does not have yet the conditions to produce top-of-the-line wine.  Prices were reasonable, although not as cheap as France or Belgium. Some South African wines were also easily accessible, but it was much harder to find French wines, let alone South American or Australian wines.

But, by all accounts, local vineyards are improving, and have made significant steps in the past decade.  You can taste the youth and impetuosity in the products of the most ambitious producers, but most of the local winemakers are gambling on drinkability, avoiding complexity in order to distribute their merchandise now.

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One of the great things about our trip to Malta was our apartment.  Located in Valletta on Old Theatre Lane, it had a great view of the Marsamxett harbour and a well equipped kitchen.  So we were able to save money while having romantic dinners, relaxing and enjoying the views that were offered to us.

Mel loves pasta, and I was happy to oblige. Here, I made Spaghetti with a very simple tomato-basil sauce. On the side, bread with a cheddar gratin. To accompany our meal, we had a bottle of Corvo Vendemmia 2006, a very nice wine from Sicily, smooth and light in tanin.

In the background, Manoel Island and its Fort, which was built in the XVIII century and was a strong defensive position all the way to World War II, when anti-aircraft guns were deployed in and around the fort.

Another Spaghetti dish, this time I decided to be more creative. I first roasted some garlic in olive oil, then added some lardon. When everything was nicely golden, I tossed in some oregano and bits of Ġbejniet. Ġbejniet is a cheese, originating from Gozo. When you buy it, it looks like a ball of Mozzarella. Made from sheep milk, but originally from goat milk, it has a smooth texture and a subtle, creamy flavour. I was hoping it would melt a little like Mozzarella, but it remained much firmer. A bottle of Medina Sangiovese was the wine du jour. Very soft tannins, but a little acidic. It did worked with the dish, however.

Malta is a very Catholic country, and they take their Saints very seriously. Our stay began a few days before the Feast of St. Julian. So every night in the leadup to the feast, there were fireworks, from two, sometimes three different locations. Every night. And on the Saturday before the feast, the spectacle lasted for well over two hours.

For this meal, even though I decided to stick with pasta, I mixed it up a bit, going for penne this time.  The sauce is a tomato-chili base, with garlic and oregano.  I topped the dish with lardons and fresh green peppers.  Vegetables were easy to find in Valletta, and all kinds of little outlets were offering them in fairly wide varieties.

We enjoyed our penne with a bottle of Cape Quarter, a Shiraz Pinotage from South Africa, as the sun was setting on the islands and numerous boats were coming back to  the harbour. I had never had a South African wine before, and this one was quite pleasant, lots of dark berry flavours including blackcurrant.

Right in front of the Grand Master’s Palace is Valletta’s covered market, the Is-Suq, which has various stands and stalls where you will find fresh vegetables, fish, groceries, meat, herbs and spices.  It is quite busy in the morning, as is the rest of merchant street.  However, the longer you wait, the less merchants there are .  We wandered there a few times, especially when we were craving meat. We got two huge steaks - the Suq’s butcher basically had half a cow on the counter, and asked us how thick.

I cooked the meat in olive oil, adding just a few spices as I wanted to maximize the pure meat flavour.  Then, I reserved it, and caramalized some shallots and garlic in the jus. When that was done, I deglazed with some red wine.  The meat was not the most tender I have ever eaten, but the meat was oh! so fresh.  Obviously, they had not aged it 30 days here, and the taste was very powerful.  On the side, we have yellow courgettes, baked with fresh tomatoes, herbs, and finished with a blend of fresh cheese.

The view at night was spectacular.  The lights from the more modern buildings and hotels from Sliema were reflecting on the water, making our dinner even more enjoyable.  The wine, a Bacchus Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, was bold enough to go well with our meat, but again, this Maltese Winery can only improve with time.

One could think we would have gotten tired of pasta, but the atmosphere just was right for more and more.  With cheese bread on the side, it was simple enough not to take too much time, but I could find a twist everyday to make every meal very different.   This time, I picked three fresh maltese sausages.  Maltese sausage are made from minced pork, mixed with spices and herbs. They are air cured and are often served and eaten raw. Melissa was unpleasantly surprised when she was served some with a platter of Maltese Antipasto at Giannni - but I personally didn’t mind it, though the texture is somewhat strange. So I fried them slowly, sliced them, and served them with penne and a spicy tomato sauce.  Fried like that, they were quite tasty, but gone was the mushy raw meat texture.  And Mel was happy, so much so that she didn’t realize they were the same.  In fact she stated that this was the best pasta meal I made in Malta, and thankfully I made them before our escapade to Sicily.

We had a bottle of Rosso di Puglia with this meal, a solid, full bodied Italian wine. We finished it under one of the most spectacular sunsets yet, where pink and red colours were brought out by the clouds, which were present more than normal. Just spectacular.

We usually had lunch away from home, but from time to time we would have a light lunch at the appartment. Or sometimes, we would come back early from an afternoon of touristing, and we would put together a nice snack platter.  Cured meats and cheese are easily available in Malta, lots of varieties, some local made, some imported, but everything very fresh.  Add to that a fresh bunch of grapes, a cool bottle of white wine, (and, quite frankly, very cool AC!!) and there you have it! A Maltese snack at its best. We would eat slowly, enjoying the different flavours, the spices, the aromas, the textures, while looking at the ferry go back and forth in the harbour…

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So our Honeymoon was set for Malta.

Why Malta, you may ask?

Well, we wanted something different, with nice weather and historic things to visit.  Located in the middle of the Meditaranean Sea, Malta seemed perfect. And it was relatively easy to get to, Ottawa-Frankfurt-Malta and hop!

Food in Malta is not renowned as gourmet cuisine, but it is reasonably priced and there are plenty of locations to choose from. Foreign influences still play a major role in the local cuisine. The islands’ proximity to Sicily leads inevitably to many pasta dishes and pizzerias; the Brits also left their mark - fish and chips, obviously.  The Mediterranean stamp is there, with olive oil being omnipresent, and fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes and green peppers, are commonly used. Fresh fish is easily found and proudly offered.  Abundant, it comes poached, steamed, braised or grilled.

The national  dish of Malta is fried rabbit. But you can also find rabbit in stews and in pasta. Interestingly enough, we failed to see any rabbits around the islands. Another regional meat dish is bragioli. It is made with thin slices of beef wrapped round a minced meat, egg and bacon stuffing.

Other local delicacies include Gbejna, a sheep’s milk cheese, served either fresh or half-dried. It comes from Gozo, it looks like boccocinni, but it is much more firm. Also, the Maltese bread, called Hobz, is very crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, and is heavily consumed on the islands. Ftira is another bread, higher end, denser.

After visiting Malta’s National War Museum and walking around the city, it was time for lunch.  We picked Cocopazzo, a small place, located on Triq Nofs in-Nhar, which was recommended in our guidebooks. We were not disappointed.  We were hungry early, so the place was not really busy.  Colourful, cozy, unpretentious, with great service and great food.

From left to right:  Cocopazzo’s cozy atmosphere; complimentary bread pieces, oven-toasted with herbs and olive oil; we shared some delicious rabbit stuffed ravioli to start; I went for the mixed fish grill (red snapper filet, tuna filet, swordfish, shrimp - quite dense) served with fresh vegetables, 20€ ; Melissa went for the fried calamari on a bed of greens, fresh and tender, 13€; and it all came with a side of steamed vegetables, more food than we could consume.  The total bill was 56€, before tip.

Our second meal out, the next day, was after a 10 km walk, from Sliema’s waterfront back to Valletta, through Gzira, Ta’ Xbiex, Msida, Pieta’, Hamrun and Floriana.  It was a long walk under the baking sun of Malta, and we were ready for something civilized. We just happened to end up in front of Valetta’s 5 star hotel, the Phoenicia, so we went in to enjoy lunch on The Phoenix’s terrace, which had a nice view of  some of Valletta’s fortification system.

I went for the classic Maltese Ftira, left, another local bread. Totally mediterranean,  with tuna, onions, capers, tomatoes and black olives.  Plenty of olive oil to bring everything together.  It came with a little basket of potato chips and a mini-salad, for 7€.  Melissa picked the Chicken Baguette, garnished with bacon and smoked cheddar.  It was served with a mediterranean salad for 8.50€.  Despite the 5 stars, and sharing the terrace with Ladies and Gentleman directly out of Falcon Crest, this was a nice lunch and not too pricey.

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Malta being very close to Sicily, we had to take the opporunity to visit the Italian island.  It was easy enough to do, since Virtu Ferries Ltd. is offering a regular route from Valletta to Pozzallo or Catania.  We decided to take a package which included transport from Pozzallo to Taormina to Mount Etna before coming back to Pozzallo for our return to Valletta, for a little over 100€.

The Maria Dolores departed from Valletta around 7 am. It takes about 90 minutes to sail on the Mediterranean Sea all the way to Sicily. The sea was calm, the Catamaran was fast. Impressive. Not so impressive was the movie they played en route…

Our first stop was in Pozzallo, a major port in Sicily with magnificient beaches.  As it was still early, the whole group went for breakfast at La Perla, a Pasticceria on Via Dell’ Arno.

What a pleasure for the eyes first, then for the nose, as soon as we walked in. Sweet delicacies, fresh pastries, all kinds of specialties were on offering.   Melissa picked something that looked like a “pain au chocolat”, which she described as being closer to a brioche filled with a Nutella like filling,    With it, the obligatory coffee, a cappucino that almost looked appetizing to me.   As for me, I settled on a pastry stuffed with rice, cheese and a spicy tomato sauce. Deliciozo!

After breakfast, we set of in the direction of Taormina, going through the Sicilian landscape and admiring the agriculture, the rich architecture and the amazing incapacity for Italians to drive properly.  Taormina is a very popular touristic destination, with over a 100 hotels for about 10 000 citizens.  Built vertically, going up a very steep hill, it offers spectacular views of the beaches on the Ionian Sea, beaches that you can access via a funicular.

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