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A8 ◆ THE EPOCH TIMES ◆

Fresh and and Lively Lively Cuisine Cuisine Fresh

SEPTEMBER 22 - 28, 2005

The EpochTimes

Restaurant Guide

Spaghetti as It Was Meant to Be!

Dining For the Multi-Cultural Palate

By CAROLINE YATES Epoch Times UK Staff Cooking is a dance of natural ingredients, mingling chemically to produce something hopefully edible. The dance needn’t be complicated for the outcome to be enjoyable. Simple foods prepared simply can be a refreshing change from today’s heavily processed cuisine. This week’s recipe features only a few ingredients: beef and tomato for the sauce, and flour and egg for the pasta. Both take only half an hour of preparation (plus some time on their own) before they combine into a simple dish done to perfection. My husband says “the combination of texture from the pasta and flavour from the sauce is just fantastic! The pasta has a resiliency that, when it gives way, explodes into the rich flavour of the sauce.” The Ragu This recipe originates from Emilia-Romagna, the heartland of Northern Italian cuisine. The focus of this sauce is the meat, and therefore classification as a ragu—a ragu being meat with a sauce, rather than a sauce containing meat. The most famous ragu of this region is Ragu Bolognese, from the city of Bologna, which is renowned for its intricate flavours. Ours is not a Bolognese, however, because it doesn’t contain cream and large amounts of other fats. It is a lighter sauce, but by no means is the flavour less complex. Originally, this recipe contained veal, but as veal production became considered unethical, it was replaced with quality free-range beef. To complement the beef, a good pork mince (or sausage) is also used. Don’t be tempted to leave out the pork, as it really does lighten the flavour. The mixing of meats is typical of this region’s cuisine. The other important ingredient is tomato. Superb fresh tomatoes are preferred; otherwise use the best canned (preferably plum) tomatoes. Any canned variety would be better than tasteless, fresh tomatoes. This is a slow-cooking sauce, so we can use tomato purée. Purée only works well in dishes with a long cooking time. If you are tempted to reduce the cooking time of the sauce, the results won’t be as good, and you’ll need to replace the purée with extra tinned tomatoes. The Pasta The most difficult aspect of making pasta is finding a pasta machine!

African & Arabic

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Continental

Pre-Fix Dinner Available: $40 per person FLOW restaurant + lounge

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SPAGHETTI THE REAL WAY: There is nothing like spaghetti made from scratch. All you need is a little time, fresh ingredients, and lots of love.

133 Yorkville Avenue T. 416.925.2143 www.flowrestaurant.com

Mexican Cuisine You don’t strictly need one (a rolling pin will do), but a machine does improve beginners’ confidence by making it easier to produce uniform pasta. Borrow a pasta machine, or if you love fresh pasta, purchase one. Brands do make a difference. I was given an unbranded one—not only did it not have “thin” settings, but the pasta constantly jammed in the rollers until one day it just fell apart. My mother has an Imperia which has lasted over 40 years. I’ve seen them in stores for about $29.00. You might check eBay for an even better deal. Don’t bother with electric pasta machines unless you intend to open your own fresh-pasta restaurant. Now that you have a machine, all you need is flour, eggs, a pinch of salt, and you are on your way. In Northern Italian cookery, or specifically in Emilia-Romagna, fresh pasta reigns. Usually it is served as a first course, but it can certainly stand on its own as a main dish. The difference between the pasta of Northern Italy and the pasta of Southern Italy is found in the regional wheat. Southern wheat, also called “durum,” is high in protein and low in starch. This makes excellent dried pasta. Northern wheat, also called “soft wheat,” contains medium protein and medium starch. This makes excellent fresh pasta. Milling durum wheat produces “semolina,” while milling soft wheat produces flour. Some shops have semolina and promote it for pasta making. They don’t, however, distinguish that it is only good for making dried pasta, not fresh pasta. Any plain flour should be adequate for making fresh pasta.

Gluten is the magical element in pasta. It is what gives the pasta elasticity and resilience. Gluten itself is a protein, and through kneading and rolling the dough these protein strands are elongated. The more kneading and rolling you do, the lighter and more delicate your pasta will be. Pasta dough is very forgiving and there are only two ways it can go wrong—it can either be too moist, or too dry. If the dough feels tough and unyielding, it’s too dry. Knead a little water into the dough (just wetting your hands will do the trick). If the dough feels sticky, it’s too moist. To correct this, knead in a light sprinkling of flour. The perfect dough will feel satiny smooth and springy. A lot of folks are under the impression that pasta takes ages to make. Preparation of filled pasta certainly is time-intensive, but making spaghetti is super-fast. Using the pasta machine I can crank out spaghetti for four in about 15 minutes. When entertaining, guests naturally congregate in the kitchen and love to watch and assist in making the pasta. So it scores extra hostpoints for its amusement value as well. If you grew up enjoying play dough, you will definitely enjoy making pasta since it’s just as much fun and tastes far better!

Ethiopian Cuisine French Cuisine

Italian Cuisine

Nepalese & Indian Cuisine

Italian & French Cuisine

881 Yonge Street 416-963-8444 www.romaris.ca

Hungarian Cuisine

Kathmandu Restaurant

North-American Cuisine

* Remember to use organic whenever possible for better health and taste. Please share with us your favourite healthy recipe: [email protected] Attn: Living Page

Indian Cuisine

Greek Cuisine

Banjara north & South Indian Cuisine

9 only $ 1399 416-963-9360 only $ 99

Younge

Dancing with the Wind

Lunch Buffet

Bloor

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Dinner Buffet

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750 Yonge St. (Just south of Bloor)

Peruvian Cuisine

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By SUHEIL DAMOUNY Epoch Times Australia Staff On any given day, flying a kite on Bondi beach could land you a hefty fine; however during the 27th annual Festival of the Winds held last Sunday, September 11, an exception was made. The skies came alive with an array of large hand-made kites in the shape of aliens, squid, fish and dragons. This annual event is organized by Waverley Council and the Australian

Kite Flyers Association (AKS), and sees kite flyers from across Australia gathered to foster and encourage this timeless art. The AKS aims to promote safe kite flying and to share the skills of its members through workshops and meetings. AKS President Ross Leighton enjoys everything to do with kites. “I love designing, building and flying kites,” he said. Mr. Leighton has won numerous awards, including the AKS members’ choice award.

Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images

BEYOND THE PAPER KITES! A giant kite called a spin sock floats above surfers at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

AKS Vice-President Mr. Peter Stauffer has been building and flying kites for over 15 years. “I feel connected with the wind,” he said. “I fly kites during my lunch breaks at work to help me relax.” Mr. Stauffer is a five-time national champion and has represented Australia twice in France and once in Taiwan in the world kite flyers championships. “Kite flying is something which requires skill; it’s like playing chess with the wind,” he said. Ms. Dianne Delli Paoli is the owner of Airwaves, a specialized kite shop in Merimbula. Ms. Paoli has travelled all over the world, including to Turkey, Thailand and the USA, to compete in kite flying competitions. “I have been selling kites for 20 years now. I enjoy making them and sometimes one kite could take me two weeks to complete,” she said. Tony Rice is an artist and awardwinning kite designer and flyer who use kites as a medium to express himself. “I create a fantasy world filled with angels and beetles. All my kites are original and I design them myself. I even grow my own bamboo,” he said. “I regularly work with children to teach them the art of kite making and designing in various public schools.” Mr. Rice won the best all-round kite design in 1993 and 2002.

Thai Cuisine

Organic

Vegetarian

Vegetarian Haven 17 Baldwin Street tel:416-627-3636

Your Vegetarian Restaurant

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