the constant hunger

Case Study: Le Local

In the heart of the Old Port of Montreal lies a modern yet rustic space that serves contemporary French fare with a huge dollop of Quebecois creativity. Executive chef Charles-Emmanuel Pariseau balances richness and freshness in every dish. I had the pleasure of indulging in a delicious lunch with my sister. 

We both opted for the prix-fixe menu. She started with a creamy root vegetable soup and I opted for the green salad. For my main course, I had Dorado accompanied by vanilla-infused sweet potato mousseline and garden vegetables. A bottle of rose wine completed the meal. 

What an amazing way to spend a Friday afternoon. 

Le Local is located at 740 William St. near McGill Ave. http://resto-lelocal.com/ 

Chelsea Market and the Seafood Meal

It was Saturday morning and I was up early trying to decide what I'd be making for dinner. I had a craving for fish and some kind of pasta. My husband suggested pasta with clams. Perfect.

"How about I go down to Whole Foods while you play hockey?" I said. "Why don't you wait for me and we'll go to the Chelsea Market?" he said. Even better.

I've been living in New York for two years now and I still hadn't set foot in Chelsea Market. So we got on the M23 bus and made our way there. Now, the market is not the outdoor vegetable and fruit-centric place that I've been accustomed to. It's small, fancy and pricey. 

For the purposes of our dinner we visited the seafood shop. After much debate, specifically me saying how expensive everything was, we settled on a beautiful halibut fillet and some cockles and clams. 

 A fish...just chillin'

Next stop...Buon Italia, a little Italian grocery store. We picked up some pasta (Setaro), a few slices of coppa and the world's most delicious cheese, robioletta a 3 latti ( a creamy cheese made from sheep, cow and goat's milk). Heaven!

Dried goods at Buon Italia

The dinner was kept simple, allowing the freshness of the day's catch to come through. My husband was in charge of the pasta with clams. They were steamed in white wine, olive oil, garlic, chillies and flat-leaf parsley, and then tossed with the pasta.

I took care of the halibut. I started by blending fresh basil with some olive oil in my mini food processor. I cut the halibut in perfect portions. I seasoned the halibut with salt and pepper, then smothered it with the basil-infused oil. I carefully wrapped the fillets with parchment paper, making sure it was well sealed to allow proper steaming. I baked them for about 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

 Photo by Williams-Sonoma

Our seafood feast was a success. The pasta was delicious and garlicky. The halibut was buttery soft.  

Shrimp and Tomato Pasta

 

At the request of a reader, a delicious pasta dish made with cherry tomatoes. I didn't actually make the dish, my husband did since his specialty is pasta. I did try to get the exact recipe, but I kept getting shooed out of the kitchen. He firmly guards his culinary secrets. I did manage to sneak a peek and this is what I was able to decipher.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (roughly 5 cups)

1 big bunch of fresh, chopped basil 

1 lb. shrimps, peeled and deveined 

4-5 cloves of garlic (2 whole, the rest chopped)

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt and pepper

olive oil

linguine or any other long pasta (enough for 2 people)

1. Heat some olive oil in a sauté pan and add the two whole cloves of garlic. Remove when garlic has browned and discard. This is only to flavor the oil.

2. Add the shrimps, season with salt and pepper and sauté until pink. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

(don't forget to get the salted water boiling for the pasta)

3. Toss in the cherry tomatoes in the hot pan, season with salt and pepper and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the wine and let simmer until the juices from the tomatoes are released and the smell off the alcohol has evaporated. You can always add more wine, if you desire.

4. Return the shrimps to the pan with the tomatoes, along with the chopped garlic and basil. Let all the flavors simmer and meld together for a couple of minutes. 

5. Once the pasta is al dente, drain and add to the simmering sauce. Toss together and serve immediately.

 

I think the success of this dish was the amazing pasta we used. We found the Setaro pasta at an Italian grocery store. It's dry pasta, but cooks in a couple of minutes and you're able to get that al dente texture that is sometimes difficult to achieve with fresh pasta. 

Good cookin'!