17th century showcase at Ernest’s at NAIT
There is what we eat, and then there is what inspires us. Rarely do they come together in one event. But that’s happening on Saturday, Jan. 27 at Ernest’s restaurant at NAIT, when cookbook author and NAIT instructor Kristine Kowalchuk hosts a night of dining dedicated to 17th century foods.
Kowalchuk is the author of Preserving on Paper, a delightful compendium of recipes and health remedies created by women and passed down generation to generation during what is roughly known as the early modern period in Britain. The book contains three collections of recipes attributed to four women: Constance Hall, who lived around 1672, the motherand-daughter duo, Mary Granville and Anne Granville D’Ewes, living around 1740, and Lettice Pudsey, circa 1675.
Kowalchuk edited and interpreted the three recipe books (called receipt books at that time) for her PhD thesis, spending countless hours at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., to decipher the well-worn, hand-written texts. Throughout the course of her research, and just for fun, she has also made numerous dishes from the books, including “lemun creame” and “frittars of eggs and herbes.”
I wrote a story about the book back in August. It was one of those stories that I thought about for weeks after, so fascinated was I with the lives of the four women captured in Preserving on Paper.
I expect diners on the 27th to come away similarly intrigued.
The NAIT dinner starts at 6 p.m. and will feature three courses, all based on the book. The all-in price of $105 includes wine and a copy of the book. Kowalchuk will also speak about the book, and her research. Net proceeds from the evening go to Food For Thought, a non-profit school lunch and snack program that Kowalchuk runs with her family.
For tickets, please contact Tanya Wright at twright@nait.ca or call 780-471-8685.
Oh, January can get long. So I am pleased to report a new event on the dining scene that will spark up the endless nights.
Organized by local volunteers including food blogger Sharon Yeo of Only Here for the Food, the first ever Chinatown Dining Week is being held Jan. 20 to 28. There are five restaurants participating, all offering $15 two-course menus after 5 p.m.
“The restaurants represent some of the varied cuisines that can be found in Chinatown, including Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese. Although the event is starting small, if the response is positive, we hope to expand it to more restaurants in the future,” said Yeo in an email about the event.
Restaurants taking part are the Asian Express Hot Pot (10586 100 St. Chinatown location), Cua Hua Gui Lin Noodle House (10626 97 St.), King Noodle House Pho Hoang (10615 97 St.), Taipan Cafe Restaurant (10627 97 St.), and Viphalay Laos and Thai Restaurant (10724 95 St. Stadium location).
A save-the-date notice has been posted online at edmontonchinatown.ca. Menus will be released on Jan. 8.
If you love pasta, you’ll be feeling perky at the news of Sorrentino’s special promotion, running throughout January. It’s called Back to Basics and features a three-course meal for $28, available at all six Sorrentino’s locations in the area, as well as Bistecca Italian Steakhouse and Wine Bar. To further stretch your post-Christmas dollars, there is an option to bring your own wine and not even pay a corkage fee. You can do this at Bistecca, as well as all Sorrentino’s locations, excluding downtown. This particular option, though, is only available on Wednesdays, but it applies any old month at all, not just January. There are some restrictions (you can’t bring homemade wine), so check out the website at sorrentinos.com for details.