Calgary’s Inaugural Swine and Dine Dinner at Charcut Roast House

Swine and Dine Calgary
Tomato salad with chicharrón and ‘1000 Island’ dressing kicked off our Swine and Dine dinner at Charcut Roast House this past Saturday.

After months of success in Edmonton, Alberta Pork decided that this fall it was time to bring the ‘Swine and Dine’ dinner series to Calgary. And what better place to kick off a pork-focused event like this one than at a restaurant like Charcut Roast House who are all about local producers and suppliers from their produce to (of course) their pigs!

Connie DesousaThe dinner was limited to 40 seats and sold out quickly. You could tell everyone in the room was excited to see what co-chefs John Jackson and Connie Desousa would be serving them for dinner. Either Desousa or Jackson came out with each course to explain their dishes and chat with everyone in-between their forkfuls of food.

Swine and Dine Calgary menu

The coziest table in the house at this popular downtown eatery is always their large communal table next to the bar. When you’re sitting there, you are a little more elevated than the rest of the restaurant, so it’s easy to see all the action from the open kitchen in the back to buzzing dining room. It also makes for a nice opportunity to mix and mingle with strangers that you know that you already have one thing in common: food!

Tomato stew CharcutFollowing the first course (the tomato salad pictured at the top of this piece!), everyone was served a big bowl of tomato and bean stew, loaded with a rich, house-made sausage and tender octopus and a crispy piece of bread to soak up all the broth-y goodness. Seeing as it’s getting chillier, I think everyone appreciated the comfort they found in this second dish.

Pork chops CharcutAdmittedly, this picture doesn’t really do this main course justice, but if we were filming video this night, the exciting sight to see was definitely watching John Jackson carve these tomahawk pork chops table-side. After being sliced, the tender chops were finished off with a little pan jus and some shaved truffles. For truffle fiends, Desousa also worked the room shaving a few more on top for anyone who was keen. Of course a pork chop is nothing without some accompaniments, so there were roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower, along with a rich cheddar polenta!

Dessert platter CharcutLast, but not least…dessert! These fun dessert platters were served up to the tables for all to share. At my table, the bacon chocolate chip cookies were definitely the big hit, but the pie, ice cream and cute little fondant piggy cake were happily devoured by all.

And that, my friends, was our first Swine and Dinner dinner event in a nutshell. The second one is set to take place in November at Farm, so we’ll share more (likely delicious) details about that evening as soon as we have them!

A New Year of Eating: 5 Pork Dishes in Calgary to Try in 2013

We’re already ten days into 2013. So, what have you been eating? You aren’t one of those people that attempt a drastic diet and work out regiment this month, are you? Everything in moderation is always a good life philosophy, so if you’ve been reasonable all year, than no need to torment yourself.

With a new year comes new adventures, challenges and, most importantly, chances to dine out with your friends. Since we love pork, we’ve picked out five great dishes around Calgary that you should make a point of trying out in the next little while. They will not disappoint.

 

1. ‘The Hammer’ at the Pig and Duke

A giant kielbasa sausage stuffed with guiness cheddar is wrapped up crispy bacon, stuffed in a bun and drizzled with aioli. Not exactly low on the calories, but if you’ve got a hangover after some Friday night shenanigans, this will make you infinitely better bite after bite.

(1312 12 Ave SW, pigandduke.com)

2. ‘Pork Trio’ at downtownfood

Tender pork loin and belly in an Asian-style barbecue sauce are topped with fried pork rinds and served with a kohlrabi puree and mushrooms. A comforting dinner plate that’s sure to hit the spot on a cold winter’s night (if we have any of those left, hopefully not!).

(628 8 Ave SW, downtownfood.ca)

3. ‘Pork Belly Ramen’ at Anju

There is ramen to be found in this city, and then there is Anju ramen. This giant bowl of rich, spicy goodness is packed with Korean flavour. Kimchi, noodles, braised pork and vegetables sit in a hot broth, finished with a healthy dollop of creme fraiche. I’ve never look at a bowl of ramen the same way again.

(507 10 St SW, anju.ca)

4. ‘Porchetta Benedict’ at Cucina

A list of delicious pork dishes is never complete without a breakfast entry. Try this morning plate at Cucina. Perfectly poached eggs sit atop garlic braised pork belly topped with a rich rosemary hollandaise sauce and pepperonata. Bennys are on almost every brunch menu around town, but this one definitely stands out from the pack.

(515 8th Ave SW, eatcucina.com)

5. “Pig’s Head Mortadella’ at CHARCUT

Don’t let the title scare you. This charcuterie offering at Calgary’s most meat-centric restaurant is a beautiful start to any dinner. Studded with pistachios and served with grainy Brassica mustard, you’ll be craving more mortadella faster than you can say: “Oh my god, I just ate pig’s head!”

(899 Centre St S, charcut.com)

Cure For The Cold Autumn Weather: A Recipe for Confit Pork Poutine


Mmmm…..poutine….

Now that October is here and we’re experiencing some less than pleasant weather, it’s time to embrace the comfort foods we know and love. Calgary’s Passion for Pork restaurant week kicks off this Monday, October 16th. There’s a whole list of awesome restaurants that are taking part and one of them is Blue Star Diner. Blue Star’s executive chef, Drew Masterman, shared his recipe for Confit Pork Poutine with me earlier this week.

 

Definitely more than a few steps to go through to whip up this dish, but if it’s a cold day out there (which it most likely is). Nothing will hit the spot quite like this rich, appropriately cheesy, pork-centric poutine. Check out the recipe!

Drew Masterman’s Confit Pork Poutine

What you’ll need…

2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, pat dry with paper towel and cut into 1/2inch cubes
1/2 tsp fresh chopped sage
1/2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1/4 tsp ground chili powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3 bay leaves crushed
1/2 Tbsp course salt (the gravy, curds and fries will be salted so be careful not to over salt)

1/2 large sweet onion chopped
1/2 medium red beet chopped
4 garlic cloves peeled
1 fresh rosemary sprig cut in half
1.5 Liters melted pork lard

4 fl oz melted butter
5 fl oz flour
6 cups chicken stock
1.5 Tbsp grainy mustard
1.5 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1.5 Tbsp medium body red wine
1/4 tsp truffle oil
couples dashes of cinnamon
Course salt & cracked pepper to taste

6 cups french fries of choice (roasted baby potatoes would also be perfect)

2 cups cheese curds

*Note: Your regular grocery store may not have cheese curds regularly stocked. Look to a specialty cheese shop like Janice Beaton or Springbank Cheese Co. to find some great quality curds to make this poutine the best it can be!

Cooking Method

-Preheat oven to 275F
-Gather all ingredients.
-Mix all herbs and spices in large bowl add pork and gently mix together. Can leave in fridge to season overnight for best results.
-In ovenproof pot, place pork on top of vegetables, garlic & rosemary.
-Poor melted lard over pork to cover by approx 1/2-1 inch and braise pork for 4 hrs turning every hour.
-Remove pork with slotted spoon and strain pork fat through a sieve into a measuring cup, allow juices to separate and discard solids after 15-20min and or ladle off fat from red juices. Poor fat over pork and refrigerate till needed (can be stored for up to 6 months). Reserve red juices for gravy.
-In sauce pot add butter, flour and cook on medium heat till a golden brown roux forms, add red wine and reduce slightly for a syrupy consistency.
-Slowly add 6 cups chicken stock, 4 floz pork juices, reduce till gravy has a thick consistency, add mustard, vinegar, truffle  oil, dashes of cinnamon. Season to taste .

 Serving

-Portion out french fries or roast potatoes onto plates

-Top with generous amount of the confit pork, curds and gravy

Enjoy!!!