Listen to your mother
Indigenous chef ’s cookbook shows importance of storytelling and maintaining history
Chef David Wolfman loves to talk.
Not long after he arrived at the Star’s test kitchen, I knew all about the early life of the famed chef, whose TV show Cooking with the Wolfman just ended an eightseason run on APTN in February.
I heard of his childhood growing up in Regent Park and how he played chess at the local library; how he got his first restaurant job at age 14 at the 24-hour Fran’s diner at Yonge St. and St. Clair Ave.; and how he saw a whole cow for the first time as a George Brown culinary student. And I learned how proud he was of cooking for and hiring from his community when he ran the Indigenous catering company, Lillooet, in the early ’90s.
It’s this chatty nature that helped him source the breadth of recipes in his debut cookbook, Cooking with
the Wolfman: Indigenous Fusion (Douglas & McIntyre, $29.95). He, and his wife and co-author Marlene Finn, weren’t just looking for recipes, they were looking for the stories surrounding the dishes: how they hunted, gathered and preserved their food, and how meals played a role in ceremonies and celebrations.
Wolfman, whose father is a Russian Jew and mother is part of the Xaxli’p First Nations community in Lillooet, B.C., had an early interest in food, watching his mother cook and helping around the kitchen. After high school he enrolled in cooking school. “I went back home to my mom’s reserve when I was 21 to learn about Indigenous foods after getting the basic culinary skills at George Brown,” says Wolfman, now also a culinary instructor at the school. He then spent years prodding his family and elders for stories about traditional cuisine.
“I learned a lot more about specific regional food and preparations, like how salmon and seafood is a big part of the Xaxli’p because of where they are,” he says as he slices through a hunk of elk shoulder for his Mango and Raisin Curried Elk Stew.
Wolfman says the book is a way to preserve his Indigenous culture and traditions — much of which is passed down orally — for future generations.
“My cousin was doing Indigenous studies and I would tell her about the stories my mother told me about her childhood and way of life,” he says. “My cousin asked if I wrote them down because our parents aren’t going to be around forever. I told her that the next time my mom was telling a story, I’d ask her more and get her to elaborate. The stories would then get more colourful and grand. It’s the lesson of taking the time to listen to your elders.”
The book title’s fusion aspect comes in two stages. Wolfman adapted the recipes for the average household kitchen (for example, he cooks bannock in the oven rather than the traditional open fire and uses an electric smoker, rather than a smokehouse, for cold-smoked salmon). He also fuses Indigenous ingredients with the French cooking techniques he learned in culinary school as well as combining other influences and techniques he picked up throughout his career.
Recipes include the elk curry, which he came up with after thinking the strong, gamey taste of elk would pair well in a curry he learned to make while cooking at the National Club, a private downtown Toronto clubhouse. There’s also deer lasagna, poutine topped with hominy and salmon pizza.
“It’s neat when I talk to youths and say that we’re making pizza but with our food, whether it’s smoked fish or buffalo,” he says. “I’m making the food from the international cuisines I grew up eating in Toronto, but also paying respect to our customs and traditions.”
Mango and Raisin Curried Elk Stew
Elk can be found at butcher shops including Sanagan’s Meat Locker, White House Meats as well as the Healthy Butcher (I got fresh elk shoulder from the latter’s Queen St. W. location). Elk isn’t commonly displayed on the counter, so ask the butcher or call ahead to check on stock. Deer also works.
If you cannot find elk, or aren’t fond of the gamey taste, use goat or stewing beef. Fresh lime leaves can be found at Asian grocers, and dried ones are sold under Loblaws’ PC Black Label Collection.
This recipe calls for cheesecloth, which can be found at kitchen supply and dollar stores.
Star Tested 6 whole cloves 2 dried or 4 fresh bay leaves 3-inch cinnamon stick, split in half 1 lime leaf 1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried red pepper flakes 2 lb (900 g) elk shoulder, cut into large chunks 1 tbsp (15 mL) kosher salt 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) black pepper 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil 1 large yellow onion, diced 3 tbsp (45 mL) curry powder 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup (250 mL) apple juice 1 cup (250 mL) 3.25 per cent (homogenized) milk 28 oz can (830 mL) diced tomatoes with juice 1/2 cup (250 mL) raisins 3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped mango, plus more for garnish Juice of 1/2 lemon 2 tsp (10 mL) minced fresh ginger 2 cups (500mL) no salt-added beef broth, plus more as necessary 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped chives, for garnish
Cut two pieces of cheesecloth measuring 6 inches by 6 inches (15 cm by 15 cm). Lay them on top of each other and place cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, lime leaf and pepper flakes in centre. Tie cloth into a bundle using kitchen string. Set aside.
Season elk with half of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat a Dutch oven or a large, heavybottomed soup pot over low heat for 10 minutes. Increase temperature to medium-high. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) of olive oil. Add half of elk to pot and sear until browned and slightly caramelized on all sides. Transfer to a bowl. Add another tbsp (15 mL) of oil and sear remaining elk before transferring to bowl.
Add remaining oil and sauté onion until it begins to soften and turn translucent. Add curry powder and garlic. Continue to sauté for two minutes, using a wooden spatula to scrape fronds from bottom of pot.
Deglaze pot with apple juice, continuing to scrape off browned bits from pot. Return meat to pot. Add milk and spice bundle. Stir and bring to a boil.
Add tomatoes with juice along with raisins, mango, lemon juice, ginger and remaining salt and pepper. In a small saucepan, heat beef broth to a gentle simmer and add to pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for two hours or until meat is fork tender, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until curry reaches desired thickness. Discard spice bag. Garnish with chopped mango and chives and serve with bread or rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings. karonliu@thestar.ca