Campagnolo part one: Saturday brunch

The delicious braised pork belly crepes. Whoever came

up with this dish deserves thanks.

It was my birthday a short while ago, and we decided to try Campagnolo again. I'll leave that for Campagnolo part two, but while we were browsing their menus, I noticed that they did brunch, and at very reasonable prices considering the quality they put out for dinner.

The menu is very short: only seven items, with four sides. They offer three different frittatas ($9 - $10.50) and four other breakfasts, or colazione ($11 - $12). Each main comes with one side, or contorni.

The frittata with pancetta, spinach and goat cheese looked too good to pass up. With a side of roasted potatoes, it didn't disappoint. The frittata itself was a little flat, but the pancetta (Italian bacon) was perfectly crispy. The potatoes could have been a little more flavourful, but they were still quite good.

Eggs with tomato on country bread.

My friend tried the frittata with potato, fontina and black pepper, and was quite pleased. The eggs with tomatoes on country bread was quite large (3 eggs) and looked delicious. But the winner of the morning was definitely the braised pork belly crepes (crespelle) with mushroom cream sauce. Tender pork, rich sauce, light crepes... delicious. I am really looking forward to a return visit.

The spare yet warm interior.

Campagnolo

1020 Main St. (just north of Terminal)

Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 - 2:30

604.484.6018

Homemade granola

You can see that I don't keep the tidiest kitchen all the time. This was around 11pm,
and I just didn't want to clean before I started baking.

While in Toronto in December I saw that my friend had made granola. Over the past year I've thought about it, said we should do it, and then nothing. The other day I decided to get off my ass and make some granola, like we used to when I was a kid. I grabbed the Rebar cookbook off the shelf (thanks, Bex, still got it) and got to work.

Well, got to buying ingredients, anyway. The making didn't happen until midnight-ish, because neither my lovely girlfriend nor I could sleep, and I decided to make the most of my time. It was oddly satisfying to stay up making granola. Here's the recipe from Rebar, a lovely little vegetarian restaurant in Victoria that people love.

3 c large flake oats
1 1/2 c barley flakes
1/2 c oat bran
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 c pumpkin seeds
1/2 c sunflower seeds

1/2 c veg oil
1/4 c water
2/3 c maple syrup or honey
1 tsp vanilla

1 c dried cranberries
1/2 c dried blueberries

Dry and liquids. Warm water means the honey mixes more easily.

Mix the first eight ingredients. Whisk together four wet ingredients. Combine the two thoroughly. Bake on two cookie sheets for about 30 min, stirring occasionally to ensure even baking. Add fruit and store.

This is actually with only half the granola, but it looked so pretty.

I made a few changes: Almonds instead of hazelnuts, some cashews, only a few pumpkin seeds, raisins instead of blueberries, and no coconut. I used honey, and warm water makes it easier to mix the liquid ingredients. And just like that, a big can of homemade granola. So simple, and so rewarding.

Time and corn flour

So I have a bit more time on my hands lately, and I've started to garden rather than bake. So there will be a distinctly gardeny feel to this, but I do intend to continue baking.

This morning we were hungry and had nothing to go with eggs, so I thought I would make some sort of corn cake or bread or something. I started with two eggs, some oil and honey and salt, whisked together. Then about a cup of corn flour (not meal) and half a cup of spelt flour and a teaspoon of baking powder. It seems like I ended up with corn pancakes.

Photos to follow. 

Crepe update

"Leaving you honey bronzed and very desirable" (Snik sun tan cream description)

I made crepes this afternoon, following the arrival of my mom's much-anticipated recipe:

Blend/beat/whisk:
3 eggs
1 c milk (whole milk, which is standard for me)
2 T oil*
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Beat in:
2/3 c flour (I used a tad more)

Cook on medium heat, about 1/3 - 1/2 cup per crepe.

These turned out as I was hoping: taste like my mom's, feel like my mom's. They're a bit spongy in comparison to the last batch I made, because of the higher egg:milk:flour ratio, but I think it makes them better.

* I used olive oil, because I don't have any other around, but I really don't see the problem with it. Some people feel that its taste is too strong, and it overpowers some dishes. I like the flavour.

Served with bananas, yoghourt and syrup.