Last week, I attended a Prince Edward Country (PEC) wine and cheese fundraiser for Third Wall Theater Company's 10th Anniversary season. The event, dubbed "Go Local-Go Loco", was held at the Wallspace Gallery (358 Richmond Road). Its caterer, The Piggy Market (400 Winston Avenue).

Go Local Go Loco with Third Wall
Me, I was on assignment for Cheryl Gain's OttawaTonite.com when I attended the event and was delighted to have the opportunity to showcase The Piggy Market's food.

Chef/owner Dave Neil provided Prince Edward County raw and pasteurized goat, sheep, and cow's milk cheeses; locally-produced smoked meat; locally-reared heritage pork rib rillette; in-house marinated mushrooms; in-house pickled red and golden beets; and in-house baked mini-Jamaican patties.

At the end of the event, Chef Neil looked visibly relieved. He then informed me, The Piggy Market celebrated its first birthday. Indeed, it was a year ago, April 10th, when Jenn and I took our first Good Friday food tour down Wellington Street West and Richmond Road. We stopped into The Piggy Market, then newly opened. Chefs Neil, Warren Sutherland (Sweet Grass Aboriginal Bistro), and Pascale Berthiaume were just profiled in the Ottawa Citizen (a local newspaper).

A year later, The Piggy Market's storefront is ostensibly the same. Pascale is still making her now celebrated ice cream.

Pascale's Ice Cream Makers
It earned the 2nd spot on Ottawa Magazine's 101 Tastes to Try Before You Die list in its September 2009 edition. She is fast becoming a household name in the city.

Pascale's Image
Her image, now synonymous with rich and natural ice cream.

The Piggy Market still stocks many locally-produced products from preserves to juices, vinegars, and pickles.

Preserves and Pickles

Juices and Vinegar

And, loyal customers keep furnishing the foodie shop with pig-related memorabilia. In fact, every pig in the store is a gift. That is with the exception of the pig paintings at the front of the shop.

Flying Pig Paintings
These painted works are being displayed by The Piggy Market. They are for sale. The price tag: $300/painting.

More after the jump...

What can I say? I am rather fond of The Piggy Market (400 Winston Avenue, just off of Richmond Road) in Westboro. Jenn and I visit the high-end foodie-shop often. Yes, there are closer by storefronts in the Wellington West neighbourhood that sell some comparable goods. Saslove's (1333 Wellington Street) sells freshly made sausages. The Ottawa Bagel Shop (1321 Wellington Street) sells Art is In Bread and raw milk cheeses. Il Negozio Nicastro (1355 Wellington Street) sells in-house made terrines, patés, and duck confit. Thyme & Again (1255 Wellington Street) sells Pascale's now legendary ice cream (for a dollar more). However, we've not developed the same relationship with these shops as we have with the owners and staff of The Piggy Market. Dave, Pascale, and Kate are wonderfully warm people, fun to chat with, and always generous with serving suggestions.

Though, even with The Piggy Market's storefront just a neighbourhood away, we always spend some time at its stall at Lansdowne Farmers' market. Why? Sometimes pricey, The Piggy Market sells nothing short of local foodie goodness.

Every week, Dave and Kate whip up special dishes with ingredients from The Piggy Market's local suppliers to supplement their regular line of products. The specials vary seasonally, so check back to the "Specials" section on its newly re-designed website often. Most weeks however, you will find classic charcuterie in the refrigerated glass display case.

Spring
Earlier this past spring, we picked up some chicken liver paté and pork terrine.

Chicken Liver Pate and Pork Terrine
The paté is milder in flavour than anything you will find at the supermarket and more refined in texture. The terrine, baked wrapped in bacon rashers, is often sold to customers as "meat loaf."

We also found goat milk feta that afternoon nestled amongst the cartons of locally-raised free-range Bekings eggs in the opposite case, beside the cash and till.

Goat Feta
More dense than traditional cow's milk feta, stronger tasting, and sharper, I like pairing slices of it with slices of terrine.


Paired Goat Feta with a Slice of Pork Terrine
Served on Jewish whole-grain rye crisp bread (unleavened bread, sold in the same aisle in the supermarket as Melba toast) and paired with a tossed salad, you've a lovely lunch or a hearty mid-afternoon snack. The brand I usually buy is Ryvita.

Incidentally, the paté and sliced terrine go equally well with the grainy crisp bread by themselves.

Pate on Rye Crisp Bread

Terrine on Rye Crisp Bread
Picking up several inches of each, some local cheese, and a grainy mustard makes a great appetizer plate for your next dinner party.

That spring also saw us take The Piggy Market rotisserie chicken to family potlucks and a picnic.

The Piggy Market Rotisserie Chicken

Honey Mustard Rotisserie Chicken at a Family Potluck
Unbelievably juicy and flavourful, it always disappears at potlucks faster than I can take a picture.

Summer
The Piggy Market is revered for Dave's in-house-made sausages, using locally-reared heritage pork. Dave even teaches sausage-making at the Urban Element (424 Parkdale Avenue). Me, I purchased his sausages for the grill.

Piggy Market Chorizo

Piggy Market Hot Italian

In the summer time, The Piggy Market also sells produce on select weekdays. We found them selling freshly picked Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan) one Monday.

Gai Lan from Jambican Studio Gardens

Gai Lan
Fresh from field to plate, we thought the gai lan picked too old. Chinese cuisine prizes gai lan for its stems as much as its leaves. As such, it needs to be picked young. What we purchased, while fresh, was very fibrous and tough.

Fall
For an autumnal treat, carefully layer sliced game terrine (this one pheasant and wild boar), sliced ripe Niagara peaches, and some of The Piggy Market's goat feta onto toasted rye bread.

Bread overlayed with sliced terrine, feta, and peaches

Neighbourhood Sandwich

Served
Like we did for Food Day Canada, this sandwich is sourced from within the neighbourhood, making it a neighbourhood sandwich. The peaches were sourced from the Parkdale Market. The terrine, Il Negozio Nicastro and the bread, the Ottawa Bagel Shop. Though, the rye bread was actually baked at the Rideau Bakery downtown. The fruity sweetness of the peaches provides a great counter point to the savory terrine and sharp feta. It was delicious.

This fall, Dave started baking Jamaican Patties. They made great edible carry-ons when I flew to North Vancouver in August.

Jamaican Patties
More on these wondrous savoury pastries will appear in another post, entitled "Snacks on a Plane."

Winter
Most recently, Jenn picked up some "head cheese" (aka: brawn) for me, essentially meat jelly that is served either cold or room-temperature. Traditional European head cheese is made with long simmered bits of meat, skin, cartilage, and tongue, each picked from the head of a pig. It is not cheese per se, but a jellied product, set using gelatin rendered from simmering the head, sometimes with added trotters.

Dave's Head Cheese
Dave's head cheese includes bits of pickled cucumber, which I feel it can do without. According to wikipedia.net, this addition make Dave's Head Cheese more German in tradition. I served it chilled and sliced with whole grain crackers.

Over the past year, Jenn and I have purchased many cartons of Pascale's Ice Cream. Dave's in-house hot smoked duck breast has graced our dinner table. The Piggy Market's locally sourced Pinge prosciutto was served as an appetizer for Christmas dinner. Its stock of vinegars, most recently a Maple Vinegar from Cabane du Pic Bois, made excellent gifts.

Good luck on the coming year Dave, Pascale and Kate. We'll be in to check on you soon.

Particulars:
The Piggy Market
400 Winston Avenue
(613)371-6124

My better half - blog editor, restaurant co-critic, and talented cook - celebrated her birthday this month. She is an invaluable member of the foodiePrints team. It is to her I turn when I try new recipes. She accompanies me to restaurants, where her fine senses of smell and taste can detect the faintest flavourings. She also happened to be the reason I started looking intently at food. What better reason is there to learn to cook than to cook for a loved one?

How does one celebrate the birthday of the editor of foodiePrints? Our friend Lou Lou started with a dinner party. I carried on with a foodie's picnic and finished with cake and ice cream.

Dinner Party:
As per the 6 months long tradition between our friends, Viv and Lou Lou, each weekend we have been attempting new recipes and inviting each other over to try the resultant dishes. If we're exhausted after a long work week, we fetch take-out and play Wii late into the evening. One Friday, we even discovered that freshly made Thai and Indian food go well together.

A Saturday before Jenn's birthday, Lou Lou invited us over to her place. There, she surprised us with quite the spread:

Lou Lou's Dishes
Clockwise from bottom left: stewed goat with sweet potato vermicelli noodles, stewed goat without noodles, turkey breast Thai green curry with young sugar snap peas, and fried rice with corn and green beans.

While everything was good, the stewed goat dish with sweet potato vermicelli noodles was by far the standout.

Stewed Goat with Noodles
The goat pieces came pre-chopped and bone-in from an Asian mega-mart in the Scarborough area. Lou Lou froze the pieces, intending them for a special occasion. To make the dish, she started by frying up some pantry dried spices (including some curry powder) and added sugar. Then, she added the goat meat and dashes of several prepared sauces. She was vague about which ones. I tasted some soy. Once everything was coated, she added enough water to cover and simmered the dish on low for three hours. Since neither my better half nor I have ever tried goat, she fished out some pieces for us to try before adding a little more water and the vermicelli noodles.

Sweet Potato Vermicelli Noodles

Stewed Goat
The noodles expanded almost magically in the cooking liquid, filling the pot. The flavours of the reportedly Northern Chinese dish were intense: sweet and savory, peppery, spicy, and slightly pungent. The texture, while not meltingly tender, just barely held together.

Goat meat does not have the strong flavour of lamb, but tastes different than beef. This red meat is somewhat sweeter.

When I first peeked into the pot, I thought Lou Lou had cooked up a batch of pig's trotters. Happily, I was wrong. It was much better. I will definitely attempt the recipe when again the temperature causes a frost warning. I should be able to find some goat meat in our local Chinatown.

For the green curry, Lou Lou used condensed coconut milk in a tetra-pack, which I've yet to come across in Ottawa.

Condensed Coconut Milk

For dessert, Jenn and I brought our attempt at Chef Rick Bayless' Olive Oil cake.

Picnic:
The next day, Jenn and I skipped breakfast and packed plates and utensils into a knapsack with a thermos of water and a stack of whole grain crackers. Around noon, we set off on foot to pickup provisions for a picnic in the park that divides Westboro Village's shops from its residential area. My intention was to have us enjoy a couple hours of quiet time, snacking on some locally made delectables for a late afternoon lunch.

On our way down Wellington Street, we stopped at the Ottawa Bagel Shop (1321) and Il Negozio Nicastro (1355). At the Bagel Shop, we picked up a loaf of white Art-Is-In bread and a portion of a Quebec-made raw milk cheese.

Bread and Cheese
Cost: $7.77 including taxes.

While we perused the artesanal meats and cheeses at Il Negozio Nicastro, we found ourselves spoiled with too much choice. We took some notes of things to try, but left empty-handed. That is, save for its business card.

Il Negozio Nicastro

A trip to through Westboro Village would be incomplete without a stopover at the Piggy Market (400 Winston Avenue). There, we picked up a 2 finger-wide slice of chicken pate and, as requested by Jenn, a rotisserie chicken. When last we went to the Piggy Market, co-owner Dave Neil didn't have a rotisserie setup.

Roasted Chicken and Chicken Pate
Before anyone asks, the pig container is actually a sandwich container that my better half picked up at the Dollar Store. Dave got a kick out of it when I asked him to forgo the butcher paper and deposit the pate into it.
Cost for Chicken and Chicken Pate: $35.02 including taxes.

Having only plastic utensils, leftovers from years of re-using them for my lunches, we discovered that one of the most important things to pack for a picnic is a sharp metal pocket knife. It would have made quick work of slicing the cheese and portioning the chicken. Instead, we made do with the serrated butter knife.

The raw milk cheese had a full flavour that I used to only associate with authentic parmigiano-reggiano.

Raw Milk Cheese
It also smelled somewhat strongly, but its sharpness and nuttiness were paramount! And yes, I eat the less substantial rinds of semi-hard cheeses...

The chicken pate actually had a mild offal flavour even though it more than likely included no liver.

Chicken Pate
It was extremely finely ground and smooth, spreading easily over crackers.

The chicken was simply the finest rotisserie chicken we've ever eaten. While it may have costed several times that of a mega-mart equivalent, the chicken was exquisitely succulent, both dark and light meat cooked to perfection.

Succulent Dark Meat

Dark Meat Served on a Cracker

Extremely Juicy White Meat
Jenn and I are still trying to figure out what went into the glaze that coloured the chicken's skin. It tasted strongly savory and sweet with a tart almost tomato-y-ness...We saw what looked like bottles of organic ketchup under a work bench at the Piggy Market, but that can't just be it...I surmise that the chicken must have been slow roasted to produce the wonderful textures. Perhaps it was brined beforehand...

I should note that bagpipers and uniformed cadets marched down the street during our picnic. They were escorted by two police cruisers, who blocked traffic.

cadets
With the elderly veterans gathered around a nearby military memorial, we figured they were commemorating a battle from World War II.

As for the cake and ice cream, they will follow with a recipe in another post , so stay tuned!

Update: Clearly, I need to get my taste buds checked. Sundays are Honey Mustard rotisserie chicken days. I just got back from the Piggy Market, having picked up a pair of smoked duck breasts and a loaf of Art Is In bread for appetizers this evening. The following is the weekly schedule as of May 17, 2009:

• Thursday - Mystery day (Dave makes whatever flavour of chicken he sees fit)
• Friday - Citrus
• Saturday - Jamaican Jerk (this WILL be the next rotisserie chicken I buy from the Piggy Market)
• Sunday - Honey Mustard

Update 2: I just got back from the Piggy Market (June 6, 2009), where Dave listed the ingredients of his chicken pate to me. There is liver in it, but other ingredients are added to complement it and ensure a creamy smooth texture. I bought another 1 inch loaf for supper.

Particulars:
The Ottawa Bagel Shop
1321 Wellington Street
(613) 722-8753

Piggy Market
400 Winston Avenue
(613) 371-6124
E-mail: thepiggymarket@gmail.com

While I am extremely grateful to be employed, cubicle life keeps me from enjoying much of the morning sunlight. After March's daylight savings time change, the sun rises as I hop out of bed to start my morning routine. After taking a crowded bus to the office, one of my cube's walls butts up against the windows, effectively blocking the sun.

It being sunny this Good Friday, what do you think my better half and I did to enjoy it? We took the opportunity to wander from the beginning of the Wellington Village to the end of the Westboro Village. We ate at our favourite restaurant for breakfast. We stopped by the local butcher's to set aside something for tomorrow's dinner. We picked up some sweets for Easter. And, we checked out a newly opened purveyor of artisanal meats and ice cream.

Aroma Meze:
First off, we checked to see if Aroma Meze had opened its doors. I have heard good things about its downtown location, so I have been faithful about checking each week.

Old Destination Hair Signage Still Up

Not Open Yet
Next: bunny

Bunny for Easter:
This year's new year resolution is to visit our local butcher's, Saslove's (1333 Wellington Street), more often. Today, that's where we purchased a whole rabbit. For Easter, I decided to forgo the more traditional lamb or turkey and chose to serve the Easter Bunn..er rabbit. The staff at Sasloves found the idea somewhat disturbing, but not at all uncommon. Of the 3 fresh rabbits in the case, we chose one at random, paid for it ($20.62 before taxes), and asked to set it aside for pickup later on that afternoon.

Saslove's

Rabbit for Easter
Next: breakfast.

Breakfast at John's:
Jenn and I can't say enough good things about John's (1365 Wellington Street). To us, it is "hands down" the best place for breakfast in Ottawa. It's lunch isn't too shabby either, but breakfast was extended today past 11:00 am to accommodate those of us who slept in.

This time around, we sat at the bar and chatted with longtime restaurant owner John, whose young granddaughter was visiting the restaurant. Jenn had her regular, the 2 egg breakfast: scrambled eggs; sausages, not bacon; and dry toast with jam. Me, I asked the waitress for whatever she had just served one of the booths across from us. It turned out to be the breakfast club.

Breakfast Club $9.95
It tasted as good as it looked, with wonderful textural and flavour contrasts. Its bottom layer had melted shredded cheddar. Its top, a thin spread of real mayonnaise to protect the toasted bread from the tomatoes. There was plenty of bright tomato, crisp lettuce, fried egg, and salty bacon in every bite. A hallmark of breakfast at Johns, the home fries were not at all greasy. They were however seasoned with paprika and made to order. The beans, on the other hand, more than likely came from a can. I'm not holding the beans against the meal. It was wonderful and filling.

During our meal, John told us that his restaurant is "famous" in Ottawa for its club sandwiches. After re-thumbing through the menu, we discovered that John's serves a long list of club sandwiches, all on platters for $9.95 each. Having thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast club, I can understand why patrons would like John's club sandwiches. The next time I dine at John's, it's going to be for lunch and I'm ordering the smoked meat club. There is also a tuna club, ham club, chicken club, turkey club, and much more.
Next: Loeb

Loeb's renovations:
The Loeb in the Wellington Village had announced its renovations weeks in advance. Apparently, after Metro's purchase of Loeb from the former Provigo a decade ago and Loeb becoming a subsidiary of A&P in 2006, Metro has decided to include all stores under its banner. Already, the Loeb website has been subsumed by Metro's. Jenn and I surmise that the scheduled renovations at Loeb are to add the Metro branding to the store itself.

Loeb's side signage had been taken town

Street signage has a placeholder for something else
Next: Sweets

Easter Sweets:
With the sheer number of Easter chocolates in the stores, it is difficult not to pass an easter weekend with sweets. As such, Jenn and I stopped by Truffle Treasures (314 Richmond Road). There, we picked up something to taunt the bunny with ($6.95) and some hand made candy chews ($0.65 each), one lime and the other lemon.

Chocolate Carrot and Citrus Candy Chews
While I have read that the truffles are of "contentious" quality, the candy chews were pleasant, not cloying sweet and gently flavoured with citrus.
Next: Wesboro's newest foodie destination

Piggy Market:
Having read about it in the Ottawa Citizen last week, I was excited to visit the Piggy Market. According to its profile, it is a butcher shop, a local food store, a caterer, and purveyor of ice-cream. If you think this an odd combination, go visit the store at 400 Winston Avenue, just off of Richmond Road.

Road Signage

Store Signage
There, you will find that its owners, Pascale Berthiaume, Dave Neil, and Warren Sutherland, have opened a foodie's paradise of a "general store", selling everything from classic charcuterie and artisanal meats to preserves and premium ice-cream. All goods are locally sourced, most within "100 miles" of Ottawa. Everything is made fresh and with care. Best of all, Dave (don't call him "sir") Neil and Pascale Berthiaume are enthusiastic about their products and extremely friendly.

Berthiaume makes high quality ice cream with real cream and natural flavourings like vanilla from vanilla beans, which she is proud to show off along side her Italian-made stainless steel ice cream makers. When she's not making ice cream, she happily doles out samples and answers questions, even those from a wide-eyed and slightly giddy writer of foodiePrints.

Ice Cream Makers

Sample Vanilla mixed with Malted Chocolate
Hers is not Philadelphia-style ice cream. The half litre containers that bear Berthiame's name and likeness contain ice cream that is made with eggs. This means that the ice cream is rich, carries flavours well, and has a very slow melting profile. This is full flavored ice cream the way the French and the Italians like it. It is not aerated like supermarket ice creams, heavy not light on the tongue. Jenn and I sampled vanilla and malted chocolate flavours. Without exaggeration, we were relegated to giggly children, tasting ice cream for the first time. Damn, it's good!

Jenn and I dropped a tenner for a tub of Passion Fruit Ice Cream to spring on friends this weekend.

One Tub of Passion Fruit Ice Cream
Next time, we're torn between vanilla or the salted caramel. We may end up buying both...

Neil, former sous chef from the Sweetgrass Aborginal Bistro, fills his display cases with mouth watering products. When we visited, he was doling out pulled pork in plastic containers. He fills his display cases with delicacies that those of us who enjoy charcuterie can only read about.

Meat Display
What caught my eye were the cured meats, freshly made sausages, and duck confit. Now that I think about it, his duck confit looked like the "real thing", dry cured duck legs that were slowly cooked in fat and left to cool. How do I know? They're not individually plastic wrapped and sport a thick layer of duck fat. That does it! I'm going to pick up a pair for dinner tomorrow!

All-in-all, I think the day was well spent!

Business Cards follow after the jump.

More after the jump...