Cooking Challenge - Ham Steak

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 10 September 2010

The Tidings Cooking Challenge is an opportunity for food lovers to try their hand at creating something together. Not all in the same kitchen, of course. Rather, try the recipe in your own time and then come back and tell us what you thought of it. You can add your comments directly underneath the post, or send a photo of your creation to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Do you have a craving for steak, but don't relish the though of forking over $30 or more for a good cut of beef? Think ham steak. It's a very tasty alternative for a quarter of the cost of the usual fare. Ham steak is thick (1/2 to 1 inch) round and cut from the centre of a cured leg of ham. It's perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Although a butcher may be willing to slice a few steaks off a ham leg for you, buying and taking home a whole one may be the likelier scenario. Not to worry, though.

Taste Chile 2010

Written by the Tidings Staff | 09 September 2010

A $39 ticket gives you the chance to mingle with wine lovers and Chilean wineries as they showcase their wines in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver at Taste Chile 2010.

Meet visiting winemakers and taste wines from wine regions across Chile from over 30 visiting wineries, each pouring up to six different wines at their table. Chilean-style hors d’oeuvres will be provided to pair with the wines on offer. Educate yourself on Chilean wines while sampling additional wines at three focus stations. After tasting your way around the room, relax and enjoy the food and wine in the Santiago Lounge while taking in the sounds mixed by a local DJ.

800 Grapes and Kraft Dinner

Written by Peter Rockwell | 08 September 2010

I'm starting to see a lot more wines at my local liquor store made with grapes I've never heard of before. How many grapes are there in the big wide wine world?

It depends on who's counting. The Mistress of Wine, Jancis Robinson, wrote a book about our favourite piece of fruit and, though I didn't actually count them (or read much of it for that matter) she apparently documents around 800. Some who consider themselves experts on that Internet thingy would have you include every hybrid and cross — along with anything round and purple — which would take the count well over 1000. That means you'd better get used to seeing more than just the classic six "noble" grapes (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir) on hip-and-happening wine labels. Start slow. Try Syrah, Grenache or maybe Viognier, then you can work your way up to Tempranillo and maybe even (cue exaggerated gasp of disbelief) Touriga Nacional.

Cayuse Vineyards' Latest Idea

Written by the Tidings Staff | 07 September 2010

ChristopheAndZeppo-1

Cayuse Vineyards, the first biodynamic winery in Washington, has just released its Cayuse 2007 Cailloux Syrah in a 3-pak. This novel marketing idea is in response to wine lovers' tendency to buy one bottle to drink now and one or two others to cellar for future enjoyment. Voilà, now you can buy three bottles right away without fearing that the product will be entirely sold out by the time you get back to the liquor store. Winemaker Christophe Baron (in the photo with Zeppo) is committed to farming without fertilizers, chemicals, insecticides or fungicides. The vineyard is actually ploughed by two horses. "Mistreating the earth kills the terroir, and you end up with soils that are sick or dead," Christophe believes. "It's a foundation you have to protect."

The Kitchen Window Epicurean

Written by the Tidings Staff | 06 September 2010

Citizens against bar codes unite! Not everything in your kitchen has to come from the supermarket. Isn't it nice to think that some things in the kitchen are under your control — not bar-coded? Well, there's a whole range of things that can actually sit together on the windowsill and add a plethora of flavours to the food you cook, and are exempt from those infernal little lines and numbers.

And that's not the principal benefit! Even though we live in the Northern Hemisphere, we can have the pleasure of growing, maintaining and using a range of herbs — yes, your own indoor herb garden. And with a bit of common sense and a few hints, it’s something anyone can do with ease. If you've not yet had the pleasure of snipping at your own thyme, parsley or basil, it's a simple task that can make you look just like those fancy chefs you see on the Food Network. The investment of a little bit of work brings tripled benefits: good scents, great flavours and it even looks good. Just a few indoor pots can supply you with herbal gifts through the whole year.

Most of the charms from fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano bring the Mediterranean flavour to your kitchen, and the marvellous magic of chopped chives sprinkled over a soup or an omelette is its own romantic reward.

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Cooking Challenge - Ham Steak

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