by Edith Jakobs

How many people do you know that have food sensitivities or allergies? They can cause rashes, breathing issues, ADD, digestive problems and – for those that have IBS or IBD – some of these foods can cause intense symptoms.

When visiting the Bracebridge health food store while out of town a few weeks ago, I found an amazing new product call Beat the Wheat, it’s a fresh egg pasta made in Muskoka. Adam Palubiski and Stephanie Dunn co-founded this companyin March 2010. The product contains no wheat or gluten and no salt,and  it’s very easy to cook: just boil water put pasta in for only 30 seconds and its done. This product also freezes very well, but do not thaw – just place in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. It’s a great tasting alternative to the dried brown rice pasta that is now readily available.

Next time you’re on a day trip outside Toronto/GTA, you can  find Stephanie at the famers’ markets in Gravenhurst on Wednesdays, Huntsville on Thursdays and Bracebridge on Saturdays. You can also purchase it at the Bracebridge health food store and in Port Carling at Opulence Gourmet food shop. The pasta comes in to shapes, Spaghetti and Tagliatelle

Try this meaty sauce and just pour it over the Tagliatelle or Spaghetti

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil

• 3 onions, cut into large chunks

• 2 carrots, cut into large chunks

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 cups of button mushrooms

• 3 stalks of celery, cut into large chunks

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 6 ounces of pancetta or bacon, sliced thinly

• 8 ounces of ground beef

• 8 ounces of ground pork

• 8 ounces of ground veal

• 1 can of tomato paste

• 2 cups of red wine

• 2 bay leafs

• 1 large can of stewed tomatoes

• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Pulse onions, carrots, garlic cloves, mushrooms, celery and olive oil in a food processor until finely chopped. This may need to be done in several batches.

2. Heat a large sauté pan with the olive oil and add pancetta. Fry until golden, aromatizing the oil with the rich flavour of the Italian bacon. Add the vegetable mixture and sauté until it begins to caramelize. Add ground meats and stir vigorously to break apart. Stir in the tomato paste, red wine, bay leaf and stewed tomatoes and continue to stir and break up any chunks of meat. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and all the flavours have blended. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Edith Jakobs is owner of Opulence Catering and Gourmet Food Shop Port Carling and Toronto.

Related posts:

1. Cobb Salad Wraps
2. What’s Hot in the Kitchen?
3. Fresh and local

Edith Jakobs of Opulence Events and Chef Rui have put together a series of foodie articles featuring different foods and beverages from the Spanish-speaking countries of the world. Today, we start with Mexico where the culinary scene is amazing, eclectic, much more than tacos and burritos, and well worth exploring.

“Being a caterer we always have to find the next big food trend,” Edith told us. At Opulence our clients always want change since most go to many catered events a year and they want their event to stand out and be different. Latin cuisine – distinctive flavour blends that have been around for ages – is now making an impact on the mainstream dining scene.”

“Chef Rui and I have selected for Tempo Toronto readers an amazing dish that fuses incredible Mexican flavours with lamb. This is a great dish to put on your Easter table. For this, try Ontario or Alberta produced lamb. The flavour is amazing, and it’s grown right here at home.”

Braised Spring Lamb with Vegetables and Smoked Chipotle Sauce

1 lamb shoulder trimmed and cut in 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

½ cup onion diced

1 clove of crushed garlic

½ cup carrot diced

½ cup celery diced

5 fresh tomatoes without seeds diced

1 spring fresh thyme finely chopped

1 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped

10 oz red wine

10 oz demi glace (dark beef stock)

1-2 chipotle peppers (from the tin works best)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet or Dutch oven brown the lamb pieces in olive oil (tip you don’t need the expensive olive oil for cooking). Once done, add the vegetables and fine herbs; continue browning. Add the red wine (I suggest choosing one from a Latin country) and demi glace (this is beef stock reduced: just let it simmer on your stove top for about 30 minutes this should do the trick). Cover with lid and put in a pre-heated 400 F oven for about 1½ hours or until tender. Remove from the oven once done, and let rest a few minutes. Remove the meat and put all the liquid with the vegetables and chipotle peppers in the blender until smooth, then pour over meat.

Serve with sautéed vegetables and fresh crusty bread, and enjoy.

Edith Jakobs

Owner and chief visionary officer of Opulence Catering and Event Management,

two locations: Toronto / Muskoka

Related posts:

1. Beat the Wheat
2. Fresh and local
3. Cobb Salad Wraps