¡Ándele! ¡Ándele! ¡Jaiba! ¡Jaiba!

Spring used to come in like a lion 'round these parts, but mostly it just arrives in fits and starts these days, feinting and dodging, teasing and mocking.  Sure, you'll get some warm, toasty days every now and then, but there's sure to be a few bitterly cold days (and nights), too.  And like our friend at the dépanneur down the street says, "You can't be sure of anything until May 15."  And even then...

 fig. a:  printemps québécois

Anyway, signs of spring usually begin sometime in March in Montreal (like most places in the Northern Hemisphere), but, foodwise, it takes a while to see a whole lot of rebirth going on.  With the exception of maple syrup, most of our spring flavours tend to show up in May and June.

Which is why snow crab is of such importance to people like us.  Not only are we enormous fans of crabmeat, but snow crabs are one of the earliest spring arrivals, and snow crab season is really the only time of the year we can get fresh, live, and regional crab here in Montreal.  Officially, the season is said to last from April to November, but our experience has been that in actual fact it's a very short season, lasting no more than about 6-8 weeks.  But, oh, is it ever sweet.  Or, at least, it can be.  And it's going on now.

Just how excited about snow crab are we?

Well, Michelle and Seth have been preparing a lovely snow crab pasta dish as part of their Quebec Spring/Printemps québécois menu at the Foodlab.  It features handmade/housemade tagliatelle cooked to perfection and tossed with a medley of spring vegetables (string beans, peas, shallots, and the first of the cherry tomatoes from our friends at Birri Brothers), herbs (chives and parsley), a generous helping of snow crab meat, and a beautiful crab cream.

And here at home we've been going to town on our very favourite tacos in the entire world:  tacos stuffed with salpicón de jaiba.



 fig. b & c:  crab tacos!

We've featured this recipe before, but it's an absolutely essential one, and a great way to stretch your crabmeat a little further, because, god knows, those snow crabs are tasty, but they can also be quite costly.  Here it is again, revised and updated:

Salpicón de Jaiba 

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup cooked, shredded crabmeat
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1/8-1/4 tsp crushed chili pepper blend (some combination of ancho, pasilla, arbol, chipotle, and/or New Mexico grande chiles)
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion gently until translucent.  

Add the celery and sauté for about one minute.  Add the fresh chiles and sauté for 30-60 seconds.   

Add the crabmeat and fry until it is warmed through and begins to brown ever so slightly.  The mixture should be rather dry--remember, you're going to be placing it in a taco. 

Lastly, take the mixture off the heat, add the cilantro, salt, and chili blend, and toss, allowing the flavours to mingle for a minute or two before serving.

Serve with hot tortillas and plenty of fixings, like pico de gallo, sour cream or crema, hot sauce, and limes.

Makes enough to fill at least 8-10 corn tortillas. 

[based on a recipe from Diana Kennedy's The Essential Cuisines of Mexico]

Might seem a little strange to make Mexican tacos with Quebec crab, but, trust me, a little cultural exchange can be a good thing.

 fig. d:  Juan Carlos, the Mexican crab

 fig. e:  Jean-Charles, the Quebec snow crab

Go, Crabs, go!

aj

This is what quincaillerie sounds like, 2nd rev.ed.

Stay safe & strong, brothers and sisters--and keep putting your kitchenware to good use.

AEB

p.s.: thanks to nitavideo1 for the footage

p.s. 2: the scene in Montreal on May 22nd

p.s. 3: the scene in Montreal by evening time: "May 22 update #3:  Mile End and perhaps the whole city is banging on pots and pans right now!"

p.s. 4: vive les casseroleux!

p.s. 5:  this is just how big (and beautiful) the casserole movement has become.

Let them eat well!, 2nd rev. ed.

With the streets of Montreal still very much occupied by the events of "Maple Spring" and the struggle over the Charest administration's proposed tuition hikes--Quebec's very own contribution to the international debates over austerity economics--you'd be forgiven if somehow you'd overlooked the fact that this Saturday marks the inauguration of Food Revolution Day internationally.  But there it is.  Note it on your calendars, and make an effort to take part, if you can (and if you care).

What, exactly, is Food Revolution Day?  Well, it's an initiative of the Jamie Oliver Foundation (JOF), a clarion call on the part of Jamie O to "stand up for real food."

 fig. a:  FRD

 fig. b:  FNB

The event's logo might look strikingly similar to Food Not Bombs' iconic clenched fist, but Food Revolution Day (FRD) is a somewhat more genteel (and somewhat less punk rock) occasion that nonetheless has some substance to it.

 fig. c:  Jamie needs YOU

As you might expect, the rising rate of obesity (a major bugaboo of Jamie's) is one of the main issues FRD is meant to address.  Part of the message here is to encourage people to make better food choices and learn to cook from scratch, instead of relying on the convenience foods and the processed foods that have contributed to this crisis.  But it's also about encouraging people to demand better food options, in school, as well as in general, and to address issues of food inequity around the world.  How can you get involved?  Well, the JOF recommends everything from throwing or attending an awareness-raising food event, to hosting your own dinner party (no processed foods allowed!).  But they're also hoping you'll donate money to the cause of food education.

 fig. d:  AEB Raspberry Social

Here at "...an endless banquet," we've been advocating in favour of food events, the art of the dinner party, the development of good food habits, and the creation of sensible and sustainable food policy from the very get-go, so perhaps it's not surprising that Michelle got asked to participate in a local Food Revolution Day event.  There are a number of FRD happenings taking place this weekend in the Montreal area--you can check this handy interactive map for more details--but one of the more active local organizers is Appetite for Books in Westmount.  They'll be organizing not one, but two events for the occasion:  a Bake Sale on Food Revolution Day itself, and a Boxed Lunch Sale the day before, on Friday, May 18th.  That's the one that Michelle is helping out with--the Boxed Lunch Sale.  The idea is that Appetite for Books will be putting together a whole slew of Jamie Oliver-inspired boxed lunches, featuring ingredients from Fruiterie Atwater, les Douceurs du Marché, and Boucherie Westmount, tea from DavidsTea, and "a special dessert by famed pastry chef Michelle Marek," and they'll be on sale at the bookstore from noon until they last.  Sound tempting?  I thought so.  Minimum donations on the boxed lunches are $10, and all the proceeds will go to the Jamie Oliver Foundation's food education efforts (as will the proceeds from Saturday's Bake Sale).  So, go ahead--by a FRD Boxed Lunch for yourself, your friends, your family, your co-workers, whoever.  Eat well, get the word out, and support a good cause, all in one go.

Appetite for Books, 388 Victoria Ave., Westmount, (514) 369-2002

aj

p.s.  If all of the above isn't enough to satisfy you, there'll be a Real Food Market taking place on Sunday, May 20th, from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM.  The line-up includes such local hot shots as Michele Forgione, of Osteria Venti fame, and, yes, Appetite for Books (in case you weren't able to make it out to Victoria Ave.).  The fun takes place at Espace Réunion (6600 Hutchison) in Outremont, and 5 bones gets you in the door (with all the proceeds going to the Jamie Oliver Foundation, naturally).

p.s. 2  One last thought:  maybe, if we Canadians throw enough, er, weight behind Food Revolution Day, we can get the Jamie Oliver Foundation and others to put pressure on our feeble domestic food policies (as I understand things, funds raised from this first FRD will go to address food education issues in the UK, the US, and Australia only).  As a UN official suggested earlier this week, we clearly could use some help.  Urgently.