#36: picnic - July 2012

Picnic cookoff was held on the 22nd of July at McLean Park in Strathcona. Unfortunately, almost no one showed up... only three people! We didn't take a hiatus last year during the summer, as we had done in previous years, and it worked out fine and so we decided to keep them going again this summer because people seemed pretty excited, but apparently not like we thought.
We couldn't vote with so few, but we kept a record of the entries anyway.

Amanda: "Amanda + Megan sexy sandwich" sliced strawberries, pineapple mint, and homemade strawberry jam between cornbread jalapeño pancakes

Yaara: "ultra-thin for her pleasure" rice wraps filled with avocado, mango, fried tofu, lettuce, basil, & green onion, served with a spicy strawberry salsa

Jen: "but it's not oatmeal!" oat cookies made with homemade almond butter, a blueberry jam centre, and fresh sage

We shared our food with a lady who came by doing a survey about the neighbourhood and she declared us all winners.

#35: brunch - June 2012

It had been almost two years since the last breakfast-themed cookoff (tofu scram), so we went for an all-round brunch theme. It was held at Tim's place in Mount Pleasant on the 24th of June, and was not as well-attended as most cookoffs; it seems a lot of people were working or out of town. The weather was lovely, and after weeks of rain, we gladly sat on the balcony.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Jen: "heirloom fungi" mushroom & herb polenta benny with fried tofu, roasted heirloom tomatoes, and a coconut milk garlic sauce

Yaara: "circles are for squares" cornbread benny with pesto, marinated tofu, and roasted red pepper, topped with coconut sauce & green onion

Malloreigh: "Bangalore, noon" Indian-style brunch of saag paratha (spinach-filled pancake), masala potatoes with cilantro, and a coconut-chili chutney

Laryssa: "sausagefest redux" cornbread biscuits with peach-chipotle mayo, seitan sausage, roasted cherry tomato, and swiss chard

Veronica (& Fred): "gigantic Greek debt" rosemary bread topped with a tomato stew of giant Greek beans, veggies, lemon, & dill

Tim: "eat your salad" a skewer of smoked tofu, pear, orange pepper, & ginger with a maple-plum sauce

Also in attendance was Kathleen, an out-of-town friend of Malloreigh's.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jen
presentation: Yaara/Laryssa/Tim
creativity: Tim
brunchiness (most evocative of that special 'brunch' feeling): Jen
overall favourite: Jen

overall winner: Jen

best name: (unscored category) Veronica

#34: appetizers & cocktails (second edition) - May 2012

We all decided we'd had such a good time at the first appetizer & 1oz drink-off that we hosted a second one, on the 28th of May at Malloreigh's lovely new residence in Mt Pleasant. We also decided to try and start a little earlier (so that we could maybe finish eating before 11pm), and thus got to enjoy a bit of glorious sunlight at the start of our evening. We all got nicely sauced, largely due to the fact that most people didn't seem to realise that the shot glass held 2oz rather than the 1oz we had agreed on.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Amanda: "amber morning" homemade yam & fig cracker filled with basil-garlic aioli and a fresh basil leaf. The drink is mandarin tea with lemon and Ballantyne's scotch.

Jen: "Pearoshima" tempeh & asian pear salad with chives & green peas in a mustard & homemade mayo dressing, on a bed of pea shoots. The drink is a sake bomb with Sir Perry cider.

Malloreigh: "soju or truth" sticky rice risotto balls with shiitake mushrooms and a crust of panko crumbs, served with a sesame citrus sauce. The drink is soju, sake, and ginger purée with orange rind. (recipe here)

Sarah: "boozin' on the Bosphorus" Turkish-style spicy lentil-brown rice kebabs with a mint yogurt sauce, homemade feta, and a melon slice. The drink is raki (Turkish anise liqueur) with pomegranate juice & bitters.

Yaara: "shitfaced picnic" fried tofu sandwich with caramelized onions & mushrooms on kamut bread, garnished with a green olive. The drink is gin and limonata.

Bronwen: "for lemon's sake" asparagus wonton with chives, homemade kimchi, and a lemon-ginger garlic soy dipping sauce. The drink is a yuzu sake & Hendrick's gin martini with lemon.

Michael: "radler senfational brezel" mustard, vegenaise, soy & sriracha dip with pretzels. The drink is pilsner and carbonated lemonade.*

Gabi: coconut milk grilled mango and pineapple with coconut milk ice cream and (seen in below photo) flambé rum. The drink is a Coke float with coconut ice cream.

Gabi and Michael both competed for the first time. Also in attendance were Tim, Jo (sp? a friend of Amanda's), and Kaylie.
* Michael didn't expect his entry to be taken seriously because he used store-bought pretzels, but he did happen to serve up at a time when everyone was drunk and craving salty snacks. He also told us a very nice bit of history about German bicyclists and beer and pretzels.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Amanda
presentation: Gabi
creativity: Malloreigh
best appetizer: Amanda/Malloreigh
best drink: Sarah
best pairing: Sarah

overall winner: Amanda/Malloreigh

best name: (unscored category) Jen

#33: pizza (second edition) - April 2012

Our first-ever redo of a cookoff theme was held at Blühaus on the 21st of April. Apparently everyone was eager to heed the new rules, because we had a whopping 11 entries! Jeff made a 'house crust' for people who didn't feel comfortable making their own, and all crusts were wheat-free (most were spelt unless otherwise specified). It was a fairly warm day with a promising bit of sunlight, and everyone was quite happy to smoke outside and drink plentiful amounts of beer. We also decided to do portraits of competitors with their food, as with the pie-off (Yaara and Tim were the only odd ones out who did not make pan pizza).

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Yaara: "funny things with black sesame" calzone filled with caramelized onions, fried tofu, and pine nuts, topped with black sesame & mozza and served on a bed of spinach with a tomato-coconut dipping sauce

Steph: "Fernando" chili with kidney beans, mushrooms, and chipotle sausage, with cheddar on top and a garlic-chive sour cream dip

Amanda: "I fucked your mom last night" tomato-mango-cilantro sauce and chili-spiced mushrooms topped with a salsa of red onion, roma tomato, grape, radish, and cilantro

Dan: "I need a dope beat" avocado-banana-chile sauce with red peppers, caramelized onion, tomato, and cheddar

Laryssa: "sausage fest" smoky pineapple sauce topped with soy chorizo, pineapple, thai chili, basil, & caramelized onion; served with a creamy garlic dipping sauce

Jen: "the baconator" garlic mayo sauce topped with homemade coconut bacon, tomato, cracked pepper, and arugula

Jeff: "pizza names are for chumps" gala apple, homemade cheese, spicy maple-candied pecans, and arugula tossed with lemon oil

Tim: "big booty banana cake" panacón (deep-fried green plantain) crust with a white bean mushroom sauce, topped with mango, tomato, garlic, and red onion

Sarah: "korma chameleon" garlic buttered crust with korma sauce, green peppers, pineapple, spinach, and mozza

Jamie (aka Cat Stache): "cat kibble" rosemary-infused crust with tri-colour peppers, sun-dried tomato, fried onion, asparagus, portobello mushroom, and cheddar

Nina: "the moment of awakening" sorghum-tapioca flour crust with rosemary, topped with pesto, red pepper, artichoke, portobello mushroom, and homemade cheese

Steph and Jamie both competed for the first time. Also in attendance were Malloreigh, Amanda's friend from work, and a friend of Dan's whose name I can't remember.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Yaara
creativity: Tim
presentation: Yaara
best sauce: Sarah
best crust: Tim
overall favourite: Jen

overall winner: Jen

best name: (unscored category) Tim

just for good measure, a close up of the winning entry:

#32: tarts - March 2012

This cookoff was held at Amanda & Laryssa's on the 7th of March, just over two weeks after the February one, so that Jeff Downer could attend while he visited from Boston. We were a little disappointed to find that there were only four competitors (the same amount as the very first cookoff), yet three times as many people in attendance. As a result, instead of being too full to move, we actually ordered Indian food after the competition because we were all still hungry.
We also decided that newcomers MUST compete on their second attendance, and that regulars should not sit out more than one cookoff in a row if it can be at avoided — in order to keep things interesting and varied, not to make people feel unwelcome or intimidated. The idea is for all of us to be trying new things, challenging ourselves, and improving our cooking skills.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Jen: "even artichokes have hearts" white bean, spinach and artichoke in a peppered spelt & coconut oil crust with a kalamata olive and gluten-free cracker garnish

Malloreigh: "flaming bag of dog poop" string-tied filo pockets filled with shiitake mushroom, red pepper, onion, and pepper leaves with a purée of red pepper, sunchoke & garlic

Amanda: "a caravan in Morocco" fig reduction & black tea-poached pears in a pastry crust with pumpkin seeds and garam masala

Nina: "full moon nut job" garlic, pistachio, & cashew* in a spelt filo pastry with a sauce of raspberry, cranberry, peach, lemon, & ginger

*Nina sacrificed votes here because she forgot about the nuts rule, and Amanda couldn't taste her entry.

Also in attendance were Jeff D, Jeff Z, Steph, Sarah, Kajin, Kevin, Katie (I think?), Kaylie (later), and perhaps someone else I'm forgetting.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Malloreigh
presentation: Malloreigh
creativity: Amanda/Nina
best crust: Jen/Amanda
overall favourite: Malloreigh

overall winner: Malloreigh

best name: (unscored category) Nina


Malloreigh's entry being plated

Amanda plating

#31: Mexican food - February 2012

Mexican-off was held at das Blühaus on the 22nd of February. We took care to make everything gluten-free after accidentally poisoning Yaara with seitan at the last cookoff, but alas, she was stuck at home with a migraine the day of. Nevertheless we all stuffed ourselves to the point of bursting and drank until the wine ran out.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Jen: "gastronomical digest" tortilla soup featuring black bean, corn, zucchini, and red pepper; topped with pepperjack Daiya, lime juice, avocado, and homemade chili-garlic tortilla crisps

Dan: "carnitas" corn tortilla filled with spicy pulled pork-style dried rubbed jackfruit with caramelized onions and mushrooms, topped with mango black bean salsa

Nina: "¡hot tamale sunrise!" tamale pie: bean, corn, and tomato base with a polenta topping and cilantro garnish (I apologize for the brutally bad focus on this photo)

Laryssa: "molé, muthafucka!" spicy chocolate tempeh, nuts, & seeds in a cheesy corn quesadilla topped with mango salsa and cilantro-lime sour cream

Kaylie: "a la vergäs" fig, oyster mushroom & candied spicy almond in a mini taco with pickled onion, crispy fried potato, and garlic cream sauce

Malloreigh: "the ugly do-over" mango guacamole with fire-roasted tomato salsa and homemade tortilla chips

Amanda: "ribbed sugary cocks" churros rolled in chili-cinnamon sugar and dipped in dark chocolate sauce


also in attendance were Jesse, Steph, and Sarah.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Amanda
creativity: Kaylie
authenticity: Jen
presentation: Kaylie
overall favourite: Dan

overall winner: Kaylie

best name: (unscored category) Amanda

recipe: chipotle cider sausage & apple chili

Jen's chipotle cider chili with Southern Comfort cornbread

INGREDIENTS
-1/2 each red & white onions, diced
-6 garlic cloves, minced
-4 vegan chorizo sausages (I used Field Roast brand, if you're making your own you'll need about a pound)
-5 or 6 sliced white mushrooms
-1 large or 2 small apples, cored, peeled, and diced
-2 cans dry cider (you could also use pilsner or ale if you prefer)
-28oz can peeled tomatoes with their juices
-1/2 each 19oz can of kidney and black beans
-1 to 2 tablespoons chilies in adobo sauce, chopped roughly
-chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste

yield: one big-ass pot of chili, enough to feed at least six hungry people

1. Cook the onion and garlic in oil for about 6 minutes. Remove sausage from casings and add it to the pan, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon (it will break up easier once it's warmer, so don't worry if you're having trouble at the start). Cook 4-5 minutes.

2. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, chili powder, and chipotles. Stir for 1 minute, then add 1.5 cans of the cider along with the apples. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. While this is happening, you can drink the remaining half-can of cider.

3. Add the tomatoes, breaking them into smaller pieces. Add the beans, cover partially and simmer at least 1/2 hour. Add more salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream and serve with cornbread.

My Southern Comfort-infused cornbread was made using the Veganomicon skillet cornbread recipe, swapping out 1/3 cup of the milk for SoCo.