Written by Rosemary Mantini | 18 February 2009

Want to jazz up your everyday pork dishes? How about giving wild boar a try? Popular throughout most of Europe, dishing up boar isn’t a very common occurrence here in North America. Not too gamey, wild boar is actually sweeter in flavour, and definitely more tender, than pork. These members of the pig family are generally raised on farms in North America, and fed a diet of grass and grains like domesticated pigs, so the meat cooks just like pork.

Not every grocery store carries boar meat. But once you find it, you’ll be able to choose from many of the familiar cuts, such as cutlet, chops or sausage. It is very lean meat. Cook it at a low temperature (about 300°F) for a long period of time, until it’s done (about 185°F).

Wild boar can be roasted, barbecued, pan-fried or smoked. I put a shoulder roast into my slow-cooker and braised it in wine, stock, vegetables and herbs for four hours until all of the flavours had infused through the meat.

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 04 February 2009

As horrid as it looks, octopus belongs to that family of foods (like fiddleheads, monkfish or frogs’ legs) that must be tasted to be fully appreciated. Long enjoyed in Europe and Asia, North Americans have been slow to embrace this delicacy. Being somewhat more squeamish than our global neighbours, we’re more likely to be put off by the sight of eight suction-cupped tentacles reaching toward the top of the fishmonger’s tank. Although octopus can grow into very large alien-like sizes, you should seek out smaller and more tender specimens, usually weighing up to 2 1/2 lbs. Nowadays, you won’t have to worry about going toe-to-toe with a live one either. Most fish markets sell whole or pre-cut frozen octopus.

Preparing and cooking octopus is pretty simple, too. Begin by cutting the tentacles into 1-inch rounds. Place the pieces into a flavourful sauce and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. As long as the cooking temperature remains low, you won’t have to worry about turning your special effort dish into rubber. The trick to melt-in-your-mouth octopus is long, slow simmering.