Winemaker Daniel Castaño at Toronto's Union Restaurant - The Master of Monastrell.

This week we sit down with the Winemaker behind a constant GFR best-buy selection, Mr. Daniel Castaño Muñoz of Spanish winery Bodegas Castaño.

Daniel is deadly serious about the lesser-known Monastrell varietal, and he believes that his region of Yecla is the very best place to make wines from it.

If you are having trouble viewing this video please click here.

Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… and he still feels that Castano’s Old Vines Monastrell is the best value wine on the LCBO shelves.

Mark Brand has had a meteoric rise in the Vancouver restaurant scene since he began an industry night cocktail challenge at Chambar in 2006. From there he and his partners opened Boneta, then The Diamond and Sea Monstr Sushi in Vancouver’s down and out East End. Brand, who grew up in Halifax and cut his first restaurant chops in Melbourne, fell in love with Gastown and decided to take on the challenge of a lifetime when he took over and refurbished Save On Meats, a butcher shop and deli that had seen much better days. Gastown Gamble is serialised television documentary about Brand, his wife Nico and their troop of friends and associates, who struggle to make the new Save On Meats work in its first few months. It airs on Wednesday nights on Oprah Winfrey Network Canada, and I interviewed him for the video below at their Toronto HQ at Corus Quay. We were there for a packed launch party and screening, followed by Q&A with Brand, which I moderated.

GFR videos are generously sponsored by a grant from Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company. Malcolm Jolley is a founding editor of Good Food Revolution and Executive Director of Good Food Media, the non-profit organization that publishes GFR. twitter.com/malcolmjolley. Photo: John Gundy.

Getting together with friends to watch the big game this weekend or heading back to the fire after a day on the slopes? Wintery days and rigourous sporting activity (even if just on the couch) require lots of hearty snacks and comforting easy-eating suppers that are ready to go in just a few minutes. In All The Best‘s kitchens our chefs are busy preparing all the favourites: Buffalo wings, quesadillas, pizzas, chillies, lasagnas, pot pies and of course lots of crab cakes, crackerbreads and dips.

All the Best Seven Layer Dip has become part of our Super bowl tradition. It’s a zippy layered combo of Tex Mex flavours – a layer of spicy refried black beans, topped with layers of salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, chopped black olives, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped green onions.  Serve with baskets of crisp tortilla chips…and let everyone just dig in.

Guacamole
This fresh-tasting avocado mix is an essential element of a seven layer dip and makes a delicious snack all by itself.  It’s also a popular condiment with many south-of-the-border dishes. Best enjoyed the day it is made.

2 ripe avocados
Juice of 1-2 limes
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
2 tbsp/30ml finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced (opt)
1 tbsp/15 ml chopped cilantro
kosher or sea  salt

Halve avocados, remove pits and scoop flesh from the skins. In a large bowl, using a potato masher or a fork, mash avocados until almost smooth. Sprinkle with lime juice.

In a small bowl, combine tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeno (if using) and cilantro. Sprinkle with lime juice and a little salt.

Stir about two thirds of the tomato mix into the mashed avocado. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a dash more lime juice, salt or cilantro if necessary. Spread the rest of the tomato mix on top.

Makes about 11/2 cups/375 ml

Tip:  For good flavour your avocados must be just ripe. Gently stick a toothpick in the stem end: it should slip smoothly in and out.

All the best

Jane

“…this winery manages to produce rich red wines with wonderful fresh flavours and vitality. Not to mention nourishment, mystery and drinkability. Tasty stuff that feels very real. I’ll be drinking lots of this.“

Billy Munnelly, of Billy’s Best Bottles, recently offered this commentary, a perfect description of our featured Wine of the Week. I can’t think of a better way to introduce you to the magic of a very special family winery.

It is unusual to come across a winery who can sincerely lay claim to having put an entire wine region and style on the international map. However, in a quiet and sleepy corner of southeastern Spain, we come across Bodegas Castano – a winery who has done just that!

With the introduction of wines whose quality could support prices double or triple what they’re charging, the Castano family has electrified wine lovers around the globe with the introduction of some of the world’s best value wines. As the producers of the #2 selling Spanish wine in Ontario, Bodegas Castano has a track record of making wines that people in Ontario love!

So, it’s with a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm that I introduce you to a new product today from the Castano family of wines – the 2006 Pozuelo Reserva.

Tune into the video edition of our Wine of the Week:

The 2006 Bodegas Castano Pozuelo Reserva is a fascinating wine that brings together the best of old and new; it’s a blend built around the local indigenous grape (Monastrell), but also includes familiar favourites like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. It is available at LCBO Vintages shops across Ontario now and is a wine you can enjoy today, and for years to come.

Click Here to find this wine at an LCBO Vintaes shop near you.

Three things to know about how the grapes for this wine were grown: 

#1:  The grapes for this wine come very old vines in the Castano family vineyards, ranging between 40 and 60 years old. These old vines yield fewer grapes than younger vines, but this is a classic quality vs. quantity dynamic; the grapes from old vines are riper, more flavourful and offer superior complexity to the fruit taken from younger vines.

#2:  These vineyards are “dry-farmed” meaning that no manual irrigation takes place. Dry-farming produces better wine because the grapes harvested from these vineyards have less access to water and therefore offer more concentrated and complex flavours and aromas.

#3:  While this portion of southeastern Spain is a pretty hot part of the world, the slightly higher altitude of the Castano family vineyards allows for a climate where we see a significant shift in temperature between day and night. This produces wines with superior balance, acidity and structure than wines grown at lower altitudes.

Three things to know about how this wine was made:

#1:  Like many wines grown in the south of France, perhaps most notably in the southern Rhone Valley (i.e. Cotes du Rhone, Chateauneuf du Pape, etc), this wine is a blend of several different red grape varieties. The resulting wine exhibits balance and complexity that is difficult to attain with single varietal wines.

#2:  This wine was aged in American oak barrels for 24 months prior to bottling. This process contributes complexity and richness to the wines, aswell as allowing for the better integration of the various varietal components.

#3:  Fermentation of the wine takes place in small and medium sized tanks, allowing for the careful blending of small lots of wine. This artisanal approach to vinification allows the winemaker to achieve the perfect balance and aromatic qualities in each wine.

Tasting Notes:

“Castano is located in the blazing heat of the south of Spain but this winery manages to produce rich red wines with wonderful fresh flavours and vitality. Not to mention nourishment, mystery and drinkability. Tasty stuff that feels very real. I’ll be drinking lots of this. Yes, it’s from the same winery as La Casona, the $8  bargain at regular LCBOs.”

Billy Munnelly – Billy’s Best Bottles 

“Monastrell, aka Mourvèdre, is the star here, comprising 70% the blend with 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot making up the balance. Aromas of smoke, licorice and herbs intermingle with rich dark fruits. The palate is dry, medium bodied and nicely structured, with great balance. More rich fruit throughout, with good tannins working to create quite a pretty, round and soft-styled wine. Pair it with bison burgers, or ribs in a zesty sauce.”

LCBO Vintages Tasting Panel

Food Pairings:

The Bodegas Castano Pozuelo Reserva is a wonderful alternative to wines like Cotes du Rhone or Chateauneuf du Pape. This wine is a natural choice with anything off the grill – from steaks, to burgers, to grilled veggies or lamb chops. You can also enjoy this wine with red sauced pastas, firm cheeses and or lasagna. It is a balanced and giving red that is drinkable now, and can stand to age another 12-18 months in the cellar.

Andrew Hanna is a third generation wine importer and Director of Sales & Marketing at John Hanna & Sons Ltd., one of Canada’s oldest independent wine merchants. He spends his days scouring the earth for handcrafted wines that tell a story about the people and places in each bottle, while sharing these delicious discoveries with wine lovers across Canada.

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'Kamikaze' Bruce Miller and 'Chief Burger Head' Andy O'Brien at The Works, Oakville

Andy O’Brien liked the burger so much he bought the company. The Works is rapidly expanding throughout Ontario, from its original locations in Ottawa. Like their restaurants, which stress locality, O’Brien and team do things differently from the way they select franchisees to how they train their staff and set up their casual, table-service restaurants: no bars, no TV’s, no reservations. After a burger lunch at The Works’ newest location in Oakville (I had a “Ring of Fire”, one of dozens of hand-formed burger combinations to choose from), I interviewed O’Brien for the video below as they prepare to open a Toronto location on the Danforth this spring.

GFR videos are generously sponsored by a grant from Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company. Malcolm Jolley is a founding editor of Good Food Revolution and Executive Director of Good Food Media, the non-profit organization that publishes GFR. twitter.com/malcolmjolley. Photo: John Gundy.

As the new year begins, we at All The Best have strengthened our resolve to provide lots of new, interesting dishes for our customers. We’re always looking for foods that taste delicious , of course, but also foods that offer good nourishment and help us feel good too.

We know that as far as nutrition goes, fruits and vegetables provide huge benefits – they’re essential for maintaining good health and protecting against disease. We’re recommended to have 7 to 10 servings every day. This can be a challenge, especially during our Canadian winter, when fresh local produce is in short supply and popular imports can be expensive.  All The Best can help. You’ll find that our weekly menus are packed with tasty vegetable options. This month we include our spicy tofu and spinach curry, maple roasted squash, sautéed garlic rapini, sesame-glazed bok choy, a dynamite roasted butternut squash risotto with walnuts, curried beet and apple salad, kale braised with tomatoes… and more.

Dark green leafy kale is one of our favourite vegetables at this time of year. A simple pan-steaming with olive oil and garlic quickly wilts the vigorous greens while preserving their hearty texture and assertive flavour.  A slow braising of kale with additions of such flavourings as onions, garlic, pancetta and sun-dried tomatoes yields greens that are tender and milder in flavour. Chopped kale is a delicious addition to a hearty bean soup.

To tempt you into more healthy kale enjoyment, we include here a recipe for a tasty winter salad of beets and kale. This dish is part of the seasonal menu of Cava Restaurant in Toronto. Chef Chris McDonald, creator and owner of Cava, was kind enough to share his recipe with us.

Cava Roasted Beet Salad with Kale, Currants and Montforte Toscano Cheese
Fresh, crinkly, deep green leaves of Lacinato kale (also called black kale ,’cavolo nero’) are ideal for this salad.

For each serving:
11/2 ozs (40g) kale, well washed, trimmed and cut in fine slivers
1 tsp (5ml) finely chopped shallots
1 tsp (5ml) currants that have been plumped in caper brine
Honey Vinaigrette (see below)
4 ozs (125g) roasted, peeled beets, sliced
1 tbsp (15ml) coarsely grated Toscano cheese

In a mixing bowl, combine kale, shallots and currants. Drench with well-whisked vinaigrette. Allow to sit for 5 to 15 minutes to allow the vinaigrette to “cook” the kale.

In the mean time, drizzle beets with vinaigrette and arrange on individual plates or on a platter. With a slotted spoon or fork, lift kale and garnish out of the vinaigrette and distribute evenly over the beets. Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the salad and serve.

Honey Vinaigrette
1 ¼ cup (300ml) extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup (175ml) red wine vinegar
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
3 pinches salt kosher salt
1-2 tbsp honey, to taste

In a bowl, whisk all ingredients together until blended. Set aside. Store vinaigrette in a covered container in the refrigerator: it keeps indefinitely. Makes approx 3 cups (750ml)

Tip: To trim kale, place each curly leaf flat on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, slice down on both sides of the stalk and central rib with a sharp knife. Or fold leaf in half and rip out the stalk and central rib. Discard. Roll up the leaf. Cut across the grain into fine slivers (chiffonade).

Stay well and all the best for 2012,

Jane.

James Beard Award-winner Jennifer McLagan has always been a chef’s cookbook author, so it’s no surprise that in the months following the publication of her third book, Odd Bits, that her core audience would reach out and ask her to join them in an ad hoc series of dinners. To date, McLagan has been in Montreal at Grumman 78 (run in part by Pied de Cochon vets Gaelle Cerf and Marc-Andre Leclerc), Victoria at Dan Hayes’s London Chef studio for a dinner for the city’s chefs and Vancouver at a Vancouver Club event also featuring Karen Page and Andrew Dornernberg as well as Neil Taylor’s Cibo Trattoria.

McLagan is set to return to Montreal for a dinner at Le Morgon, where she and chef Patrick Plouffe will be filmed for a Radio-Canada TV show, but first she’s bringing it all back home for a dinner at Toronto’s Parts & Labour with collection of young cooks knows as The Group of 7 Chefs, on Monday, January 30.

The seven young chefs (Beast’s Scott Vivian, Buca’s Rob Gentile, Cowbell’s Mark Cutrara, Globe Earth’s Kevin McKenna, Parts and Labour’s Matty Matheson, The Stop’s Chris Brown, and The Tempered Chef’s Bertrand Alépée) will, naturally enough, cook seven courses using seven interesting parts on an animal. McLagan will be on hand to curate and speak to the meat.

Tickets are available here.

David Farnell and Lulu Cohen Farnell at Real Food For Real Kids.

For over six years now David and Lulu at Real Food For Real Kids have been revolutionary in changing the way that children eat, enjoy, and understand food.

Through providing a growing number of childcares, camps, and schools with healthy, nutritious, made-from-scratch, (often) local food, this passionate couple show that there is a world outside of the processed foodstuffs that are unfortunately the norm for so many a young child growing up in the Greater Toronto Area.

Last year Good Food Revolution visited them at their Dovercourt Road headquarters to find out the secrets behind their well-deserved success story.

If you are having trouble viewing this video please click here.

David Farnell gives a tour of the Real Food For Real Kids production kitchen.

Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… and he had to get up SUPER early to film those vans being loaded up BTW.

Navigating the subtle differences between the wines of Burgundy can be a daunting task. Trying to determine whether to purchase a Beaune 1er Cru from the Clos des Mouches or Clos des Feves vineyard, in some abstract context can clearly leave one with more questions than answers.

Today, I’ll do my best to strip away some of the pretense and focus on a few ways to help you discover the kind of pleasure in Burgundy wines that has attracted leading wine enthusiasts for centuries.

Tune into the video edition of our Wine of the Week:

The 2008 Domaine Chanson Beaune 1er Cru “Teurons” is an outstanding introduction to the finest wines of Burgundy. It is available at LCBO Vintages shops across Ontario now and is a wine you can enjoy today, and for years to come. Simply click on the bottle (below) to find this wine at an LCBO Vintages shop near you.

Three things to know about how the grapes for this wine were grown: 

#1:  After a beautiful spring, the weather at the start of the 2008 summer was quite demanding.  August brought plenty of sun and wind, which aided concentration of flavours.  The harvest began in mid-September under perfect Indian summer conditions.

#2:  Pinot Noir is notoriously hard to grow – and even more difficult to grow well. The yields from Pinot Noir vineyards can be as little as 10% of what could be harvested from the same acreage planted to other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz.

#3:  Many wine producers in Burgundy purchase grapes to make their wines. Chanson owns an unusually high percentage of their own vineyards, meaning they can control the important quality decisions throughout the production process. This wine is made from grapes grown on a 4 acre parcel of the Teurons vineyard, owned by Chanson.

Three things to know about how this wine was made:

#1:  Chanson Winemaker Jean-Pierre Confuron is one of Burgundy’s most talented and respected artisans. His touch is evident in all of Chanson’s wines with a distinct focus on extracting finesse, balance and minerality from the grapes they harvest each vintage.

#2:  Chanson has been making wine in Burgundy since 1750. Their roots as a quality wine producer are as deep as the old vines they own, scattered across this, one of France’s most noble wine regions.

#3:  Grapes enter the fermentation vats in whole bunches for improved temperature control, gradual release of the sugars, and a more refined tannic structure. Cold pre-fermentation maceration is followed by a long alcoholic fermentation for greater depth and expression of the wine’s structural elements. Finally, this wine spent 15 months in oak barrels before final blending and bottling.

Andrew Hanna is a third generation wine importer and Director of Sales & Marketing at John Hanna & Sons Ltd., one of Canada’s oldest independent wine merchants. He spends his days scouring the earth for handcrafted wines that tell a story about the people and places in each bottle, while sharing these delicious discoveries with wine lovers across Canada.

CONNECT:

We want you to join in on the fun, by heading over to the Be Happy Facebook page and taking the pledge to support healthy oceans or uploading a picture of your silly fish face. On “Fish Face Fridays” we will be highlighting the most popular fish face of the week, so get out there and get your friends to vote for your best fish face! Facebook fans will also have access to easy and delicious recipes and ideas for preparing seafood at home, ask questions from sustainable seafood experts, dive into fishy trivia, or get a laugh from one of our fishy jokes.