Salsa came on with an explosion in the early 90s. For years Canadians had been chopping up their tomatoes and onions with a soupcon of peppers, simmering it down with sugar, vinegar and spices and calling it chili sauce. All of a sudden a tangier, hotter and more aromatic sauce became a great big commercial success - and a home canner's sauce of choice. Salsa.

Not the dance and probably more accurately called a pico de gallo. But the sauce came labelled salsa ("salsa" means sauce in Spanish), and salsa it's stayed. One of the first recipes I tried and published in the magazine became the Cooking Lesson. It was straightforward and didn't require a lot of exotic ingredients to make a mildly hot and pleasing relish. Letters from readers told the story of it success among home canners and repeated phone calls every preserving season reminds the test kitchen how many readers have enjoyed our "Peppy Salsa". 

We can only imagine how many readers have spooned the salsa over grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese, rolled it up with fajitas or added it to zip up dips and quesadillas. While the pepper crop is at its most gloriously crisp and colourful, and late harvest tomatoes still available, it is wise not to waste a moment getting into the kitchen to make at least a modest supply of your own salsa. You'll be glad in December when you wrap the jars labelled "Christmas Salsa" and offer them to your best friends. Think ahead and include a recipe so your friends can make their own next summer. Maybe they'll follow your example, and share.

A word of warning, invest in rubber gloves when seeding and chopping hot peppers.

You may say that you can handle the heat, but in this salsa recipe you are working with 8 oz (250 g) jalapeno peppers and the heat accumulates to the burning point. And you never know, even if you're sure you're never going to touch your eyes or lips, you will. That fatal touch will cause your eyes to water, your mouth to burn. You will be miserable. So, before buying the peppers and tomatoes, get yourself either the looser and more awkward dishwashing rubber gloves or the form fitters available in drug stores and some supermarkets. 

While you can "chop" the vegetables, dicing or cubing them makes for a more attractive sauce.

Tried and True Salsa

When peeling a large quantity of tomatoes, cut a largish but shallow "x" in the bottom of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes, top down, in a heatproof bowl or basin. Cover with boiling water and let stand for up to 60 seconds or until tomato skins loosen especially at the "x". Lift out with a slotted spoon, chill briefly in cold water and peel.

Prepping vegetables for any salsa, sauce or relish is rather time consuming. Try to have some diversion - a friend who will help and then share the spoils, a favourite program or movie or the music that matches the salsa beat.

Ingredients:  

6 large jalapeno peppers (8 oz/250 g)

8 cups (2 L) peeled and coarsely diced tomatoes (about 8 to 10 large, 4 lb/2 kg)

3 cups (750 mL) coarsely diced Cubanelle, Anaheim or mild banana peppers (3 large, 3 lb/1.5 kg)

2 cups (500 mL) diced onions

1 cup (250 mL) diced sweet yellow or red pepper

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and diced

2 cups (500 mL) real apple cider vinegar

1 can (5-1/2 oz/156 mL) tomato paste

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar

1 tbsp (15 mL) salt

2 tsp (10 mL) paprika

1 tsp (5 mL) each dried oregano and ground cumin

1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh coriander

. On a cutting board and wearing rubber gloves, cut jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise. With a small spoon, scrape out seeds and membranes. Trim off stems; dice finely to make 1 cup (250 mL). (A little extra won't go astray, but will make the salsa a little hotter.)

. Place the jalapeno peppers in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or saucepan; stir in the remaining vegetables - the tomatoes, Cubanelle peppers, onions, sweet yellow pepper and the garlic. Stir in the vinegar, tomato paste, granulated sugar, salt, paprika, oregano and cumin. 

. Bring the salsa ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until the liquid is no longer watery and individual ingredients are cloaked in the tomato sauce, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Stir in the coriander now, or add a little chopped fresh coriander to salsa when you serve it. The flavour will be fresher and more pungent - for coriander lovers a dream come true. 

. Pour into prepared 1-cup or 2-cup (250 or 500 mL) preserving jars, leaving 1/2-inch (2 cm) headspace. Seal with prepared discs, and bands. Boil in boiling water canner for 20 minutes. (See Canning Basics below). 

. Makes about 11 cups (2.75 L) salsa.

Canning Basics: 

. Ensure that you have enough preserving jars in perfect condition. Wash, rinse and air dry. 

. Always use new lids. Place in a bowl and five minutes before filling jars, cover the lids with hot, not boiling water to soften the sealing compound. 

. Before starting to cook the salsa, fill a boiling water canner about two-thirds full; add the preserving jars, letting them fill with water. Cover and start to heat about 30 minutes before preserve is ready to jar. 

. Using canning tongs, move the jars from the canner to a tray beside the stovetop. Increase heat under the canner to bring the water closer to the boil while filling the jars. 

. Using a funnel and a 1/2 cup (125 mL) metal dry measuring cup, fill the jars to within 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) of the top. If you've used the funnel and scoop chances are there won't be any salsa on the rim of the jars. Or, not much. But inevitably, some will slop over; wipe any off using damp paper towel.

. Place the prepared discs on the jars, and with a firm but not forced motion, screw on the bands until resistance is met, then tighten just to finger-tip tight. 

. Use canning tongs to transfer the filled jars safely to the rack in the canner. Lower rack into the water. Add more boiling water  if necessary so that the jars are covered by 1 inch (2.5 cm).

. Cover the canner; bring the water to a vigorous boil. Time the boiling from this point. 

. At the end of the boiling time, turn off the heat. Remove the cover and let the boiling subside. Lift the rack and with canning tongs, transfer the jars to a rack or folded thick towel.

. Let stand for a day; wipe, label and check each jar. Properly sealed jars have lids that curved down. Jars with lids that didn't snap down need to be refrigerated and relished within 3 weeks. But before you think you'll lose half your preserves, note that if you have used new lids, real preserving jars and respected the headspace and sealing gospel given above, it will be extremely rare that a jar doesn't seal properly. 

The lids are all curved down and the jars, now cool enough to label, will be stored in a cool dark spot until needed for gift giving, or to partner with the perfect extra old Cheddar and Dijon mustard grilled cheese sandwich on really chewy whole grain bread.

. It was one of those dreamed about early fall  mornings when Rose Murray and I pulled into the Old Fairgrounds in Stratford ,Ontario. Impressive white presentation tents bookended two long rows of smaller  tents. These 50 some tents, festooned with banners and flags, were stocked with garlic . In bags, bunches and braids, for cooking and planting, whole, pickled, chopped, in fudge, jellies and relishes.  Plus ceramic garlic roasters, presses and keepers. For the generalist, there were just picked eggplant, peppers, golden honey, country pies and coffee. These lines of tents were open for shoppers to browse, and also to form a wide walkway for garlic lovers to stroll or sit, savouring the day.  And with the sun shining brightly, it was as if we had arrived at a colourful medieval fair where all the jousting was edible. 

It was the Stratford Garlic Festival, the third annual, created by the Stratford Kiwanis Club as a fundraiser for its community programs. I had been asked to do a cooking demonstration, and with Rose, both of us former high school teachers, having a crowd soaking up our every word of cooking wisdom is irresistible. Besides, we're garlic enthusiasts, and as I'm from Stratford, the Garlic Festival was a way to support the community and to meet family and old friends. 

The garlic was indeed impressive. During a walk-around before our demonstration, both Rose and I became the proud owners of garlic braids - so beautiful it's a shame to break them apart, but we will. A wonderfully stinky time in the kitchen is ahead of us both. 

The Garlic Festival wasn't just about buying garlic, it was very focused on learning more about all aspects of garlic, its health benefits, its place in literature, notably in Shakespeare, and naturally, how to cook with the stinking rose. A good number of attendees had come for garlic growing advice, for example from Warren Ham who was himself inspired to grow garlic 19 years ago by an article by the dean of garlic growing, Ted Maczka, the Fish Lake Garlic Man. Among the crops that the Ham family grows on August's Harvest, their 50-acre farm north of Stratford, is garlic seed to supply individual growers, farmers and seed houses.

And once the garlic has grown and been harvested, so the thinking goes, it's a shame to simply give away the crop a few heads at a time or to sell it all trimmed and pristine. How much more impressive the garlic will be if it's braided.

So thought the Kiwanis Club organizers who asked garlic farmer Bryan Mailey to show a crowd of over 300 delighted attendees just how you have to place the bulbs and their stalks and twist to get an attractive braid.

One of his own braids - with 9 or more bulbs is Mailey's gift of choice - and who wouldn't want to receive a braid featuring firm fat heads of garlic  to hang in the kitchen as decoration and inspiration for cooking. Say for a lovely appetizer featuring goats cheese and roasted garlic.

Roasted Garlic Strudel

Roasting garlic sweetens and tames its intensity. Here roasted garlic and fresh herbs play off creamy goats cheese. Slice and serve on small plates as a pass-around appetizer, or cut the slices thicker and serve on dressed salad greens for a sit-down starter. The strudel is best when freshly baked and just cooled to room temperature.

1 head garlic

1 tsp (5 mL) extra virgin olive oil

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) soft goat cheese 

2 tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp (30 mL) thinly snipped fresh chives or green onion tops

1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh rosemary or thyme

1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground pepper

4 sheets phyllo pastry

1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted

. Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper or leave ungreased; set aside.

. Trim the tips off the the garlic buds. Place garlic, cut side up, on square of foil. Drizzle with oil. Wrap loosely and roast in 375°F (190°C) toaster oven or oven until golden and tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool. (Make-ahead: Wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

. Squeeze roasted garlic into a medium bowl. Add goats cheese and mash until combined. Stir in the basil, chives, rosemary and pepper; set aside.

. Place 1 sheet of phyllo pastry on work surface, keeping remainder covered with a damp towel to prevent the sheets from drying out. Brush the sheet with butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo; brush with butter. Repeat with the remaining phyllo, and almost all of the butter.

. Spoon the goat cheese mixture along 1 long side, leaving 1-1/2 inch (375 cm) border on each side; fold these sides over.  Roll up firmly but with a little slack.

. Place seam down on the prepared pan. Brush all over with remaining butter. With a serrated knie, score top diagonally though phyllo into 8 to 12 portions. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.)

. Bake in centre of 375°F (180°) until golden and filling has started to  push up through the score marks. Let cool on pan on rack for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours before slicing along score marks. 

. Makes 8 to 12 servings. 

Tip: To make the top surface of the strudel more attractive, you can sprinkle it with a little sea salt. Maldon is a good choice. Or, over the surface of the first buttered phyllo sheet, sprinkle finely chopped basil or parsley. Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo and filling according to the recipe. When you roll up the phyllo, the outside will have an attractive pattern.

Stratford Garlic Festival 2010: For more information about the 2009 Festival, check out www.stratfordgarlicfestival.com, and when available, next year's Garlic Festival slated for Saturday September 18, 2010.

Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival, September 26 and 27, 2009.

So, you missed the Garlic Festival. You still have a chance to taste what this city located in a one of Ontario's finest agricultural areas has to offer. Lots! Bring your appetite and enthusiasm. Both will be matched by what the Festival has on the menu - and on tap.

There will be a Farmers' and Artisans' Market, a traditional pork roast, free outdoor concerts in the park along the Avon River, craft beer, Ontario wine, and demonstrations with tastings in the Stratford Chefs School's Learning Centre. On Sunday,  Savour Stratford Tasting features local and celebrity chefs such as Jonathan Gushue (Langdon Hall),  Jamie Kennedy of JK Kitchen and Jeff Cump, a graduate of the Stratford Chefs School. Cump has been getting loads of press recently, not only because of his commitment  and leadership in Slow Food and raves for  his food at the Ancaster Inn where he is the executive chef, but as the co-author of  Earth to Table - a magnificent cookbook published by Random House.

For full details about Savour Stratford, including a calendar of events, musical entertainment, location and tickets, visit www.savourstratford.com

And why not? A little over a week ago I sat down to a wedding dinner at Langdon Hall Country Inn, on a hillside overlooking the Grand River in Cambridge, Ontario. Chilled bowls arrived, cupping the most beautiful green pea soup, slashed across the top with a bold stroke of creme fraiche and a trail of what turned out to be prosciutto crumble. 

"This chef", I thought to myself, "loves vegetables. He lets them speak for themselves'. The soup was icy cold as behooves a warm evening and at the first spoonful there was silence at our table. Even the bride and groom focused their bliss on the perfect essence of peas - delicate but summery, a touch sweet yet refreshing. Nothing spoiled its simplicity.

Executive Chef Jonathan Gushue proved his admiration for vegetables as the meal progressed, and graciously agreed to share his simple but splendid summer soup. I have served it twice in the last week, to surprise that it's so good... and surprise that it's made out of peas! As for getting the right peas for the soup, if, unlike Langdon Hall which has gardens that provide fresh peas to the kitchen, a good produce store, roadside stand or farmers' market is the best bet for buying fresh peas in their pods. Lacking all of the above, choose frozen peas - one of the few vegetables that freezes well. Avoid the multi-sized peas and zero in on the packets of small peas. They retain the lovely sweetness of summer and are worth the extra pennies.

You can make your own bold design on the top of the soup with a plastic squeeze bottle filled with creme fraiche or sour cream.

Chilled Sweet Pea Soup

Serve in wide bowls, white if possible,  so the creme fraiche and crumble make a dramatic statement. You don't need a lot of soup - a half to three-quarters cup  (125 to 175 mL), depending on your bowls,  is plenty to start a summer party dinner. 

1 tbsp (15  mL) butter

3 shallots, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

4 cups (1 L) water or vegetable broth

4 cups (1 L) shelled peas

1/2 tsp (2 mL) vegetable oil

3 thin slices prosciutto 

2 tbsp. (30 mL) fine dry but fresh breadcrumbs

1/3 cup (75 mL) creme fraiche or 30% sour cream

. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and garlic; fry gently, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. 

. Add the water; cover and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the peas; cover and bring back to the boil. Boil for about 4 minutes or until peas are tender. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

. Puree with an immersion blender, or in batches in a stand blender or with a food mill. Set a sieve over a large bowl; set the bowl in the bottom of the sink. Being careful not to burn yourself, pour the pureed soup into the sieve. Press the soup through the sieve, working the mash well to get as much of the tender peas through the sieve as possible. This gives the soup its texture. 

. Chill soup; cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Taste, adding salt if desired, keeping in mind the prosciutto crumble scattered over the top of the soup.

. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet. Over medium heat, saute the prosciutto until crisp. Let cool; pat off any fat. Chop coarsely and whiz in a clean coffee grinder or small food processor until the prosciutto is in very fine almost whispy pieces; set aside. (Note that you can chop this finely, but it won't be quite as delicate as Chef Gushue's.

. In a small dry skillet, toast the breadcrumbs until golden; combine with the prosciutto. (Make-ahead; cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)

. To serve, check the soup for thickness and saltiness. If you used vegetables broth the soup will not need any salt, but made with water, it will. Also check for thickness; whisk in cold vegetable broth or even milk, if a thinner soup is preferred.

. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Swirl with a generous stroke of creme fraiche and a line of prosciutto crumb crumble. Serve any remaining crumble to add to the soup.

. Makes 6 servings. 

Tip: Use a small plastic squeeze bottle with a wide opening tip for stroking the soup with creme fraiche.

Fresh Pea Mash - aka Fresh Pea Crostini

This slightly rough puree atop homemade toasts or melba toasts evolved out of an idea volunteer historic cook Vi Cardella suggested for an appetizer menu served at an Ontario Wine Society event at Campbell House Museum in Toronto. Suits vegetarians, is not expenseve, and in cooking world where so many cooked dishes are brown, these emerald green crostini stand out - for looks and for taste. One-bite size is recommended.

Spoon the seasoned mashed peas on toasted baguette, garnish and pass around. Or, spoon the mash into a bowl, topped here with sour cream or creme fraiche and sprinkle with snipped chives. Guests can dig down and scoop up enough to mound on crackers or melba toast. For the picture I sliced a whole wheat baguette and with a cookie cutter, cut out rounds which I crisped in the oven. A little rustic looking, but tasty.

2 tbsp (30 mL) butter

1 shallot, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 cups (750 mL) fresh peas, or frozen small peas

2 tbsp (30 mL) water, vegetable or chicken broth (for non vegetarians),  (approx)

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1/3 cup (75 mL) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (real Parmesan cheese)

1 tbsp (15 mL) sour cream and mayonnaise

20 slices ficelle or thin baguette, whole wheat if available 

Garnish:

1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream

Fresh chives, and chive blossoms, if available

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and garlic; mix well. Cover and sweat* the vegetables to soften them, and encourage them to share their suble flavours with the peas.

. Stir in the peas and water. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until peas are tender and broth has evaporated, about 5 minutes.For fresh peas you may need to add more broth to keep the peas moist.

. Add the cheese, stirring to encourage it to melt in with the peas. Let cool slightly; puree in food processor until still slightly chunky. Whirl in the sour cream and mayonnaise. (Make-ahead: Transfer to airtight container and let cool in refrigerator. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 1 day). 

. Meanwhile, toast the slices of ficelle just until golden; let cool. Spoon pea mixture onto toasted slices, Top with a dollop of sour cream and a dusting of snipped fresh chives, and possibly some separated chive blossoms.  

. Makes 20 pieces.

* Sweat: to cook over low heat in oil or butter to draw out juices and flavours of a food, usually vegetables, without browning. A cover is usual when sweating vegetables for a soup, stew or mixture like this mash of peas.

Pea Mash Crostini with Mascarpone

Instead of layering the pea mash, sour cream and chives onto a toasted slice of ficelle, spread the toasted slice with mascarpone or cream cheese (about 2/3 cup (175 mL), add the pea mash and garnish with  chive flowers, snipped chives or thinly slice green onion, the white part for contrast. If you fancy a red and green colour scheme, finely dice enough red onion to make 1/2 cup (125 ml). Soak in cold water for 15 minutes; drain and pat dry. use to garnish the pea mash. 

What You Need to Know about Fresh Peas in their Pods

. Choose crisp bright green pea pods that are well filled with medium-size peas. Avoid a combo of bulging pea pods and thin hardly filled pods. The peas will be of different sizes and will not cook evenly.

. Plan to cook fresh peas the day you buy them - the longer they are from harvest the more of their sugar has turned to starch. If life deals you a delay in enjoying the peas, wrap the pods in a clean kitchen towel, enclose them in  plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 2 day. Won't be quite the same, but better than no fresh peas at all.

 . Cook peas, covered, in 2 inches (5 cm) boiling water until  tender, about 2 to 5 minutes. Or steam for about 8 minutes.

 . 1 lb (450 g) whole peas in their shells yields about 1-1/3 cup (325 mL) shelled peas.  

Shelling peas is fun to do at the end of a warm afternoon, on the back porch, and with kids who will eat almost as many peas as they shell and drop into the pot.

These plump tender mussels are of the hightest quality. The curry/ginger/garlic/cream broth is wonderful to slurp. Try a dry Riesling to complement the curry flavours and the mussels.

Fabulous mussels grow in PEI...and the best mussels dishes are cooked right in downtown Charlottetown, steps from the water. The name of the place is Flex Mussels and the chef partner in the stylish/casual eaterie is Garner Quain. He began his career steaming these tasty blue mussels Mytilus edulis with a mussel and fry shack back in 2005, in nearby Summerside.

Chef Quain serves 23 different steamed mussel dishes, priced from $16 to $20 per pound, depending on the ingredients that swim along with the bivalves. Flavours are as different as  you  taste in Thailand, India, Peking, Provence and Ireland and with ingredients from saffron to wild mushrooms to lobster to enhance the plump mussels. Other "not mussels" are available - seafood includes PEI oysters, Kim Dormaar's pepper smoked salmon, PEI oysters, fish and chips, halibut with hummus and the classic Maritime sandwich, lobster rolls. So nobody is left out, there are meat and poultry dishes, but in an eatery called Flex Mussels, go for the mussels. And there's always room for a round of hand-cut fries.

As a mussel aficionada, I had a delicious time with the Bombay Mussels - the restaurant's most popular steamed mussels. There was just enough curry, ginger and garlic-flavoured broth to scoop up with the empty shells, and soak up with slices of an excellent baguette.

This tropical combo of mango, ginger and coriander complement fresh sea-seasoned mussels.

Bombay Mussels

This makes a lovely supper for two - or appetizer course for four. The recipe has been slightly adapted. 

2 lb (1kg)  mussels

1 tsp (5 mL)  vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

1 tsp (5 mL) finely chopped gingerroot

2 tbsp (30 mL) mango puree or finely diced mango

1 tbsp (15 mL)  mild curry paste, Patak recommended

1/4 cup (50 mL) white wine

1/2 cup (125 mL)  whipping cream (35%)

1/4 tsp (1 mL)  sesame oil

4 full sprigs of fresh washed coriander (cilantro),  roots removed and chopped

Half lime

1  crusty French baguette, sliced.

. Check mussels, discarding any that don't close when tapped.

A little gape is not unusual for cultivated mussels. Always keep them in the refrigerator until just before cooking.

Fresh live mussels close obediently - give them a minute or two just to be sure. Discard any that continue to gape.

. Pull out and snip off any beards and rinse; set aside. 

There's no mistaking the "beard" the common name for the byssus of a byvalve mussel. According to The Food Encyclopedia (Jacques L. Rolland and Carol Sherman, Robert Rose publisher) the byssus is "made up of a network of silky filaments it secretes and uses to adhere to rocks."

. In 4 to 6 quart (4 to 6 L) saucpean, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, mango and curry paste; fry for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. The goal here is to warm the ingredients just enough to ‘awaken’ them. Exercise caution, as excessive heat makes the curry bitter.

The combination of fresh ginger, garlic and mango is aromatherapy of the most enchanting kind.

 . Stir in the wine, and using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot smooth.  Add the cream, sesame oil and half of the coriander. Bring to a boil over high heat; add the mussels. Stir to coat evenly.

A wide saucepan with a heavy bottom is the best for cooking mussels. There's room for the mussels to open, and covered, the liquid comes back to the boil immediately, steaming the mussels quickly, without toughening them.

. Cover and  steam for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring gently midway, until the mussels have opened wide. Discard any that have not. 

Be sure to check mussels at the beginning of the suggested time.

. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a warmed serving dish. Reduce the sauce by a third or to desired consistency, about 2 minutes Meanwhile, squeeze the fresh lime over the mussels. Pour the reduced sauce over mussels and garnish with remaining chopped coriander. Serve immediately with plenty of crusty baguette.

© flex musssels, inc. 2008

Mussel Pointers:.

When choosing fresh mussels, first shop in a fishmonger's or grocery store with a high turnover. Look for tightly closed shells and a sweet ocean salt-water fragrance. If a slightly open mussel does not close in response to a light ‘tap’ or squeeze, discard it.

The clerk at the fish counter will often wrap your mussels in a plastic bag. Keep in mind that mussels need air. So, as soon as you get home, transfer the mussels onto a rack in a shallow bowl and refrigerate, uncovered in the lowest part of your fridge. Plan on eating fresh mussels the day you buy them. If you have to wait, cover the mussels with a light clean tea towel you've wet and wrung out. Mussels will last a day or two in your fridge.

Although today’s cultured mussels arrive at the market cleaned, you may find a few that still have their “beards”, the super-strong threads that mussels use to attach themselves to rocks in the wild, or to the long mesh socks in which they grow when cultivated. Pull the beard out and towards the pointed end of the shell. Cut off on the sharp edge of the shell, or snip off with scissors. Then rinse the mussels in cold water. Gone are the days when you had to scrub mussels - Canadian farmed mussels, whether from Iles de la Madeleine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland or PEI are prescrubbed - a few minute to check and they're ready for the pot. 

The key to making great mussels is speed.  Have all of your ingredients ready before you cook the mussels. To prevent overcooking and toughening, work with  high heat and a short cooking time.

Don’t overload a pot with mussels. For this recipe and others that include 1 to 2 lb (500 g to 1 kg) mussels, use a 4 to 6 quart (4 to 6 L) saucepan with a heavy bottom and tight-fitting lid. If you're cooking in quantity, consider making several batches 

Flex Mussels is at 2 Lower Water Street (PO box 25008), Charlottetown PEI C1A 9N4. You can call 902-569-0200 or email at info@flexmussels.com. Check the website www.flexmussels.com where you can watch the musselcam - mussels do grow slowly so you'll need to check back often.

Ricardo Larrivee has the kind of boy next door look and charm that has made him a print, radio and tv star. But his work is not just personality and appearance, his recipes are rigorously tested and edited.

Ricardo Larrivee is a neat guy. Passion to burn. Talent to project his love of food and its importance in the lives of Canadians. He wants everyone to know how to cook, and he wants everyone to sit down together and eat.

No time! Too much going on! You counter. According to this father of 3 whose successful Ricardo and Friends plays on Food Network Canada, whose magazine Ricardo and cookbooks are bestsellers, everyone deserves an hour to have dinner with family. About  half of it to cook, the rest to eat and spend time with these people you love most. Sitting around the table, Ricardo recounted, there might not be a lot of talk at the beginning. You know the situation: "What happened at school today", parent asks. Child's answer: "Nothing" and so it goes, but after a few minutes, real conversation began as food gets passed around and everyone relaxes. Kids learn how to help and to enjoy food, even as they take the requisite "one bite" of something new.

Ricardo was in Toronto recently to promote his newest cookbook, Ricardo, Meals for Every Occasion (Whitecap, $35), and together we had a public conversation as part of the arts program of First Canadian Place. He talked about how eating together generates conversation not just with family. For example, the idea for the handsomely photographed book, came out the kind of glow-time around the table at the end of a dinner with friends. They found themselves discussing the sometimes awkward, sometimes challenging entertaining situations they found themselves in and needed solutions. What do you do, for example, when people arrive before dinner and stay on? Or, stay over. What do you serve people who come from Europe and think Canadians eat wild food all the time. What's on the menu when the guests are always late, or when someone important, say your boss is coming for dinner, or when it's men only and they can't be trusted to follow a recipe?

Ricardo takes a lighthearted approach to these situations and the food, but the solutions are practical with just that touch of inventiveness that gets someone turning  the pages of the book have regular "Great idea" moments, as she patches a sticky onto the page.  Here are a couple of "Great idea" stickies you too might enjoy too.

A quick and easy appetizer tray with Dukka in the bowl at the top, and the Red Bell Pepper Spread bottom left. Good bread, olives and extra virgin olive oil give guests something to nibble on while you, the host, gets cracking with dinner.

Red Bell Pepper Spread

When friends and family drop in...and stay, a few quick recipes go a long way to keeping you smiling and still happy to see them. You love them, after all. Ricardo claims this recipe is too simple to be a proper recipe and tried adding all sorts of things. Eventually he gave up and went back to the original 4 ingredients. "Sometimes, simpler really is better."

4 red bell peppers, halved and cored

1/4 cup (50 mL) olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 With the rack in the top position, preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2 Place the peppers on the baking sheet, skin-side up. Brush lightly with some of the oil. Broil until the skins blacken, about 15 minutes.

3 Place the peppers in an airtight container. Let cool and slide the skins off.

4 In a food processor, puree the peppers with the remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with mini pitas, spread on slices of baguette as hors d-oeuvres or as a dip for crudites. 

. Makes 1-1/2 cups (375 mL).

Dukka

Strange name for a seed and nut combo originally written about by Claudia Roden in her landmark book, The Book of Middle Eastern Food  back in the late '60s. The book introduced North African and Middle Eastern food to a world that knew very little of its delights. In England, it created an enormous interest  and caught on in Australia. When she and I were both in Adelaide, Australia for the first Tasting Australia conference/celebration in 1998, she was intrigued to see one of her recipes from the book, the recipe for dukka, so popular and widespread, with so many variations - and so far from its origins. Ricardo tasted dukka in New Zealand, and comments that it's a way better paired with olive oil than the usual oil and balsamic.  "Super classy" is Ricardo's description.

2/3 cup (150 mL) whole blanched almonds

2 tbsp (30 mL) sesame seeds

2 tsp (10 mL) turmeric

1 tsp (5 mL) onion salt

1 tsp (5 mL) celery salt

1 tsp (5 mL) cumin

1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander

Cayenne pepper to taste

Olive oil

Cubed bread for dipping

1  Using a mortar and pestle or a small food processor, crush the almonds into small pieces. Add the remaining ingredients except the olive oil and bread and mix well. Transfer to a small bowl. Pour the olive oil into another bowl. Serve with bread cubes that diners dip first in the oil and then into the dukka. 

Serves 6 to 8

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