March 14th

Almost started, folks. I spent all of Sunday at the Monastery with the film crew for a tech scout meeting. I hadn't actually been inside yet, and it really is as large as I imagined it. The good thing is, it has a huge kitchen which includes a professional stove (with a griddle! Pancakes here I come!) for feeding everyone. It's amazing, it's old and dusty and needs some love, and I have a stunning view of some farm fields out the window. It's interesting to see the traces left behind from when the monks still lived there, the benches in the chapel, or the outline left on a wall from where a cross used to sit, undisturbed across the decades. It was, frankly, a huge relief to get out of the city and see the countryside again.

I am brainstorming right now for ideas about what to serve people to keep them happily and adequately fed. Because not only are we feeding up to 20 people 3 times a day plus snacks, we are also providing options for vegetarians and people on a gluten-free or dairy-free diet, and have a few food allergies in the group as well. Luckily, I am prepared, since I have been vegetarian in the past myself, and have been learning for a while now how to cook for my sister, who is in the gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free category. It certainly requires some advance thought, but really is not so hard when you get the hang of it.

The Sunday tech meeting was only (only!) about 10 people for lunch, so I had scouted some gluten free breads and set out an array of sandwich fillings so everyone could craft a lunch to their preference. I also set out the potato salad that my dad makes, that never comes near a jar of mayonnaise and is delicious, and some fruit, cookies, and the best cucumbers which I can only ever find at the Hamilton Farmer's Market. They are small, curled in shape and have a dense, deeply crunchy texture and fresh taste which makes other cucumbers seem watery by comparison. They are from Ontario greenhouses, and seem to come out in late winter, and can be very cheap indeed. I am going to do some more investigative work about them, but my theory about them is they are very young english cucumbers that have been rejected because of not growing straight. I only recently saw a sign labeling them 'utility cucumbers,' which seems like a very dull name for what I consider the first locally-grown vegetable of the year, and a very fine one at that. We'll make sure we have them again.

Potato Salad Gudrunas
(vegan, gluten-free, serves a lot of
people and can be adjusted for size)
10-15 med. sized potatoes, pref. Yukon Gold
1 med. sized red onion. sliced thinly, rinsed in cold water and drained
1 jar stuffed manzanilla olives
2 tb. dried oregano
1 bunch flat Italian parsley
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper to taste

Wash the potatoes (do not peel yet) and put them in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cover and keep at a low boil until cooked, drain them and let them cool completely. When they have cooled, peel the skins off and cut them into small chunks, into a large bowl. Add the sliced onion, the drained manzanilla olives and oregano, olive oil and vinegar. Wash and dry the parsley and chop very finely, add to the salad and toss. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. The olive oil and vinegar are a start, you may find that after a few hours the potatoes have absorbed the dressing and need more. Since this salad is better if made the day before, we recommend you do so and re-adjust for oil, vinegar, salt and pepper the next day as well. I like that this version of potato salad allows the potato flavour to shine through, and is still very tangy, with the briny olives and sharp onion balancing it out.

TALK SOON

Deirdre