All Drew Can Eat Sushi

A Halloween lunch should be spooky theorizes Drew, but when his publisher invites him to lunch Drew does not quibble about the atmosphere or lack of gastronomic ghoulishness. "Sushi or Thai?" asks Sean.

"I'm good with either," replies Drew. "With a slight preference for sushi today."

"Sushi it is," says Sean.

They meet at Masa Sushi, 15 Charles St E, for the all you can eat sushi luncheon. At first Drew is sceptical, years ago he ate often at this location and mainly because it was filling and cheap, not because of quality. In those bygone days the offerings were arranged in a buffet which always leads to the temptation of filling up on noodles. Walking into Masa, Drew is pleased to see that there has been a full renovation. Instead of a dark almost-cafeteria ambience (which actually would have been more suitable to Halloween) everything is bright, golden and faux-Buddhist palace. And there is no longer a buffet, one orders from a menu and everything is prepared fresh and delivered to the table.

And the price is still great: $11.95 per person.

Sean orders a lot of food and Drew adds a few items to the order: Sean is extremely health-conscious but Drew has a passion for all things shrimp and deep-fried, so Dynamite Rolls have to be included. The sushi is fresh, tasty and copious - Sean and Drew didn't realize that each order included six to eight pieces. However the food does all disappear. Only the tempura disappoints as it just a little greasy.

For $11.95 one can't expect sashimi and that is Raul's big grudge against sushi restaurants in general. "It's impossible to eat $11.95 worth of rice," he notes. "So it's almost never a bargain. I'll get some sushi-grade tuna and make us a feast for half the price."

"Fine by me," says Drew who is too stuffed and content to care. His only pressing concern is how he will find room for Halloween candy.

Salad with Chicken, Cashews, Daikon Salad and Pomegranate

After a few days of hearty beef stew, Drew is craving greens. "The stew is amazing but a nice light salad would be a treat. And it wouldn't hurt to eat some more vegetables."

"I was thinking the same thing," says Raul. "How be I add cubes of chicken breast for protein?"

"Sounds great," agrees Drew. "And some of the Daikon radish concoction for flavour?"

"Ideal," enthuses Raul. "And we have a pomegranate for crunch and colour. Dressing?"

"Caesar?" suggests Drew. "There's some in the fridge already."

Raul wrinkles his nose. "That will just not go with the radish. Something light and Asian-influenced and don't worry about it, I'll figure out something."

Drew loves pomegranate but usually doesn't bother because of the mess. Fortunately Raul has discovered a way to extract the seeds with ease. He slices the whole pomegranate in half and submerges the halves in a bowl of cold water. With his fingers he scoops out the heart of the pomegranate. The seeds sink to the bottom and all the surrounding fleshy mesocarp floats to the surface. He scoops off the excess and strains the seeds. Voila.

Raul broils two chicken breasts, cubes them and lets them cool. He shreds lettuce and scoops on a good helping of the Daikon radish salad. The cubed chicken goes next and then halved grape tomatoes, handfuls of cashews and the pomegranate seeds. There is so much flavour in the Daikon radish salad that nothing else is needed but Raul splashes on a few drops of Nuku Cham Vietnamese Salad Sauce.

"Each bite is different," raves Drew. "And those radishes have a great kick."

"Proper kimchi - we didn't add any cabbage - marinates for three days before eating," notes Raul. "This batch is just hitting its prime."

At the delicious Delicious Food Show

Raul is not at his best in the morning and rising at 6am to head out into the cold and dark does not bring out the best in him. But nothing - absolutely nothing - keeps him from rushing to the Delicious Food Show to not only peruse all the fantastic foodie fantasies on display but to see Martha Stewart herself. They meet up with Drew's boss Sean who is an accomplished chef and an enthusiastic foodie.

First up is a collection of food trucks, parked in a circle indoors, that are part of a fundraising project for Mount Sinai Hospital. Not only can one dine on Buster's Sea Cove's lobster rolls and key lime pie but a portion of the proceeds goes to a good cause. Calories and no guilt.

Soda Stream flaunts it's flavours mojito and margarita and for the Delicious Food Show, though unfortunately not until later in the day - it is extremely early in the morning, they are adding alcohol. All dutifully taste the pink grapefruit flavour and it is refreshing and lives up to the company's motto of "We love bubbles." Also loving bubbles are the Dairy Farmers of Canada who are pairing cheeses with beers. The Ivanhoe Horseradish Cheddar doesn't need to be paired with anything, the gentle kick it provides just after chewing is taste treat enough.

Substantial and time-appropriate noshes are found at the Piller's booth where a gluten-free breakfast sandwich is actually delicious. Appropriate because Piller's is the sponsor of the "Naturally Delicious" section of the Delicious Food Show. Chef Steve, clad in tight black shorts and clogs, gleefully hands out half sandwiches and we gleefully gobble them down. He notes that the ham, while having no chemical additives, is spiced and flavoured because, "You all need a bit of garlic to get you going in the morning."

The "Naturally Delicious" section is a bit disturbing because of the relentless fear of gluten, Drew wonders if across the street at Screemers there is a gluten creature that jumps out and terrifies anyone who dares to eat. This fear hits its peak at The Tea Emporium which proudly trumpets gluten-free tea. They are also offering special tea cocktails, alas we only try a Jasmine Flower Mocktail that is delicious but would have benefited from a dash of spirits to quell Drew's now overwhelming conviction that he will be glutenized out of existence. He is fascinated though by the concept of muddling and watching the mocktail-maker brandish a big wooden stick to smash up citrus is a combination of the culinary and linguistic arts that amuses him immensely. Raul, of course, is already an accomplished muddler.

Some of the healthy foods are quite tasty with Vicky's Artisan Flatbreads getting an enthusiastic thumbs up and the pumpkin and protein powder drink from Vega is a smooth autumny concoction that tastes so sinfully good it shouldn't be healthy. Also a fabulous fluid is the 100% Pure Wild Blueberry Juice from Van Dyk's by Nature. Drew's mom insists that everyone should eat a half cup of blueberries a day in order to ward off all ills. This juice makes it a breeze and they also offer all sorts of intriguing recipes including a Wild Blueberry Chutney that is supposed to be best when paired with seared Nova Scotia scallops.

Special mention has to go to the Kale Kickers from benourished and their relentlessly charming and enthusiastic representative. It takes real skill and handsome charisma to get Drew to put a withered looking green sprig in his mouth first thing in the morning. That it was tastier than a potato chip or popcorn was a pleasant surprise and it is the one item that Drew forced Raul, who remember is not a morning person (especially when it comes to food), to try. Drew's favourite is the Spicy Lime while Raul lauds the Sour Cream & Onion Ring.

Enough healthy eating. Drew digs into a steak and bacon Kanga's Aussie Meat Pie and the juicy gravy-laden goodness and buttery crunchy crust is hearty enough to scare off any gluten goblins. Following it with a chocolatey Tim-Hortons-has-never-achieved-this confection from Jelly Modern Donuts is the, pun intended, icing on the cake. And the ones that are crowned with candy corn are hilarious, nostalgic and succulent.

Raul's favourite finds include Hot Bunzz Street Cuizine because of the brilliant concept of combining a vegetable, a meat and a dessert into one tasty package and The Pie Guyz who have a Tandoori Chicken Pot Pie that is absolutely tantalizing. He is also fascinated with Cedarlane Culinary's Sous Vide Supreme. He is sure that room could be made in the kitchen for one more appliance, especially one that would dramatically change R&D's eating habits for the better. He stares wistfully again and again and repeats repeatedly that Christmas is coming.

Martha Stewart's Q&A is inspiring and, exhausted and with full bellies, R&D head for the exit. But first they stop to sample, on Sean's recommendation, Sabra's Roasted Pine Nut Hummus. It is exquisite. And on sale: there are bargains as well as samples at the Delicious Food Show. Sean buys himself two containers and gifts R&D with two. While Sean and Raul discuss how best to make homemade crisps for dipping, Drew waddles back to the Sabra booth to sample the guacamole. Best to be fortified for the ride home.

The Delicious Food Show runs until Sun, Oct 27 at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place. deliciousfoodshow.com

Pumpkin Ale Chicken with Daikon Salad, Broccoli and Rice

Raul sets butterflied chicken breasts to marinate overnight in Drew's autumnal favourite, Great Lakes Brewery's Pumpkin Ale. He bought the first bottle because the label made him laugh but discovered he loved the taste - a smooth ale infused with real pumpkin and spices. Raul adds a few more spices to the beer to accentuate the flavours: white pepper and Botanica's Fine Herb mixture. Drew happily polishes off the remaining ale.

A simple process follows: toss on the bbq and enjoy.

Raul serves the moist and flavourful chicken with blander rice and simply steamed broccoli. Of course the addition of the carrot and Daikon radish salad adds a real bite and Drew is grateful for the extra bottle of pumpkin ale to wash it down with. A bit of heat soothed with a slug of pumpkin brew.

Bbq and Halloween are blended into a perfect taste treat.

"Now if we only had Halloween chocolates for dessert," says Drew. "Oh wait. I just happened to drop by Rexall for some Russell Stover samplers in their little pseudo-coffins decorated with ghosts and black cats and leering Frankensteins and . . ." And pumpkins.

Raul rolls his eyes but doesn't comment. Sometimes Drew's easily distracted eye does find a true treat.

Huevos Fagiole II

"I just don't feel like another breakfast sandwich," moans Raul. "I think we've been eating too much bacon."

"How can one eat too much bacon?" wonders Drew, oblivious as always to health concerns and totally obsessed with flavour.

"What about those Huevos Fagiole you made?" asks Raul. "That was a taste treat."

"I can make them," offers Drew as he looks up briefly from the computer.

"You have too much work to do," says Raul diplomatically. "How did you make them?"

"I just heated the fagiole, made little pockets in it while it bubbled and then popped the eggs in to pouch," says Drew. "Just be sure to put the lid on the pot so that the eggs heat from the top as well."

"A lid," ponders Raul under his breath. "I can improve on that."

Raul hits the fagiole until it is bubbling then ladles it into onion soup bowls. He makes a small indentation and then pops in the eggs. The bowls are then placed in the oven - heat from above! - and bakes them at 350 degrees until the eggs are poached to perfection and visual excellence.

"What a great idea," says Drew as he digs in.

"There is always room for little tweaks of improvement," notes Raul proudly.

Rice Noodles with Shrimp, Daikon Salad, Vegetables and Cashews

Raul's browsing at the Gerrard and Broadview markets pays off with a hefty huge (and surprisingly inexpensive) Daikon radish. Radish not only provides lots of healthy benefits but is a tasty vegetable. Raul plans to make a form of kimchi but decides to settles for a simple salad.

He grates the Daikon using a mandolin and grates a bunch of carrots while he is at it. He covers the gratings with vinegar, water, salt, and chili pepper flakes and lets it sit.

He boils broad rice noodles while he stirfries some chopped vegetables. He adds the noodles and a Pad Thai sauce and, at the last minute, a handful of shrimp. As soon as the shrimp change colour he transfers it to bowls, layers on the Daikon salad, chopped green onions and a heaping of cashews.

Every bite is a slightly different flavour and there is a huge textural contrast between the chewy noodles and crunchy salad. Drew rises to get some pepper but stops dead in his tracks when a bit of radish explodes in his mouth. "Wow," he exclaims, "that is a tasty heat that lingers! And healthy. Bravissimo!"

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies

There are no cookies left in the cookie jar but Raul is ready to remedy that dire situation. "What kind would you like?" he asks.

"Peanut butter," pipes up Drew. "Or maybe oatmeal."

"What about peanut butter and oatmeal?" asks Raul. "That way we get taste and texture treats. Or . . ."

"Or?"

"Or what about peanut butter oatmeal and chocolate?"

"Do we have chocolate?"

"We do," reassures Raul. "Now that the computer is working again can you google me a recipe. Just so I can make sure that the ratios are correct."

Drew dutifully googles and finds hundreds of recipes for a combo he had never knew existed. "There's tons," he says. "But here is a Martha Stewart one that looks amazing. And it is Martha Stewart. I love her Halloween recipes and ideas. And it is Martha Stewart." 

"That's the one," says Raul. "Print it."

Martha Stewart's peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate chip recipe, along with some lovely photos and commentary, can be found at marthastewart.com but here are the basics. R&D are out of natural or organic peanut butter  - "It is all natural from Kraft," insists Raul - but that is the only major deviation from the doyenne diva's recipe.

Ingredients:

• • 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups salted whole peanuts
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Put sugars, butter, and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla.

3. Reduce speed to low. Add oat mixture, and mix until just combined. Mix in peanuts and chocolate chips.

4. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to two days.

"Now those are some fancy schmancy cookies," raves Raul proudly. "Me and Martha are a good team."

Drew agrees but is unable to talk because his mouth is full but gives an enthusiastic, two chocolate-smeared thumbs up.