OT: The Food & Drinks Thread

[NotProkofievian]

I should totes make some chili.

 

[Mrb1p]

Chili is just perfect.

Throw in some more pureed tomato and basil and you get spaghetti sauce

SO VERSATILE

 

[Runner77]

Chili is just perfect.

Throw in some more pureed tomato and basil and you get spaghetti sauce

SO VERSATILE

If you have some recipes you use all the time and that health-focused and easy to prepare, don't hesitate to share here. We could all use suggestions.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Chili is just perfect.

Throw in some more pureed tomato and basil and you get spaghetti sauce

SO VERSATILE

It's so versatile, you can even use it as a laxative

jk

 

[Mrb1p]

It's so versatile, you can even use it as a laxative

jk

Semi joke

 

[groovejuice]

It's so versatile, you can even use it as a laxative

jk

Only if it's a beany chili! A nice way to eat it is by putting some unflavored tortilla chips in the bowl before the chili.

 

[Runner77]

I had mentioned the Ikea Crayfish Party during a couple of game threads last year.

It is upon us. I believe this is the info for the Montreal location:

Join us on Wednesday August 15 from 5pm to 7:30pm
for the IKEA Crayfish party with a hot and
cold buffet of crayfish, meatballs, salmon and
desserts.

Tickets available at the IKEA Restaurant checkouts.
Adults $22.99
IKEA FAMILY members $19.99
Children (12 & under) $9.99
See you there!

IKEA Montreal - IKEA

You might want to call the store to get confirmation: https://www.facebook.com/IKEACAmontreal/

 

[Runner77]

I've heard that there is a yearly Oktoberfest event outside the Montreal area but have never attended. Anyone have info on this?

Found this one online but have no idea if it's any good:

Oktoberfest de Repentigny | Repentigny | Festivals and special events - Lanaudière | QuébecOriginal

Do any of you travel to attend in other cities?

 

[Runner77]

Here's something a little off the beaten path: anyone attend Saint Anthony's Feast in Boston's North End?

Food is front and centre, naturally. But there is a whole lot of other stuff going on: Saint Anthony's Feast The North End of Boston's Official Website | Feast Schedule

99th Annual
Saint Anthony's Feast Weekend Schedule
August 23, 24, 25 & 26, 2018

I had heard about it a few years ago, someone had told me they made the trip from Montreal every year. I never made it a point to go but maybe someone here has. Feedback would be appreciated.

 

[yianik]

Ok. Chili. Anybody have a really good recipe ? I stopped at a pretty basic chili years ago because my wife liked it well enough and she gets annoyed whenever I tamper with anything that is good enough. ( She actually loves my seafood chowder and when I tinkered with it a few years ago there was hell to pay. I thought it was better, but, you know... ).

 

[ArtPeur]

I've heard that there is a yearly Oktoberfest event outside the Montreal area but have never attended. Anyone have info on this?

Found this one online but have no idea if it's any good:

Oktoberfest de Repentigny | Repentigny | Festivals and special events - Lanaudière | QuébecOriginal

Do any of you travel to attend in other cities?

I never went there but I usually attend the Festibieres et Saveurs de Chambly

Ok. Chili. Anybody have a really good recipe ? I stopped at a pretty basic chili years ago because my wife liked it well enough and she gets annoyed whenever I tamper with anything that is good enough. ( She actually loves my seafood chowder and when I tinkered with it a few years ago there was hell to pay. I thought it was better, but, you know... ).

You can't change much in a chili. You might like to change veggies or use chicken/pork instead of beef. Or go full vegan.

My last 2 chilis were wayyyyy too spicy.

I was using a slow cooker though

 

[Mrb1p]

I've heard that there is a yearly Oktoberfest event outside the Montreal area but have never attended. Anyone have info on this?

Found this one online but have no idea if it's any good:

Oktoberfest de Repentigny | Repentigny | Festivals and special events - Lanaudière | QuébecOriginal

Do any of you travel to attend in other cities?

I've done every beer fest with Unibroue. The best is either Chambly or mondial in MTL.

Chambly is packed now, though, which sucks a bit.

Rimouski is small
Quebec is big enough but it usually lacks a bit of stands compared to MTL or Chambly.
Repentigny doesnt have near the beer selection of the other two.

My guess is Van city and To is out of the question for you.

 

[Mrb1p]

I never went there but I usually attend the Festibieres et Saveurs de Chambly



You can't change much in a chili. You might like to change veggies or use chicken/pork instead of beef. Or go full vegan.

My last 2 chilis were wayyyyy too spicy.

I was using a slow cooker though

You can change A LOOOOT in a chili.

 

[yianik]

I never went there but I usually attend the Festibieres et Saveurs de Chambly



You can't change much in a chili. You might like to change veggies or use chicken/pork instead of beef. Or go full vegan.

My last 2 chilis were wayyyyy too spicy.

I was using a slow cooker though

Yeah but just like in any food little differences can notch up the flavour. And I dont mean by just making it spicier because anybody can do that. For example, I chop up a good sized yellow onion pretty finely, but then add in big chunks of a vidalia onion because I enjoy those big bites of that sweet onion. I like at least one can of stewed tomatoes ( compromise with wife, so also a can of tomatoe sauce as I do not care much for crushed tomatoes) . Etc.

 

[Mrb1p]

@justafan22

Try this out:
500 grams black beans
Mirepoix+Garlic and Bell pepper (I like red, you do you.)
100 ml of EVOO
Salt/Pepper to taste
about 3 or 4 table spoons of vinegar of choice. Apple cider works great here, or use regular white vinegar, every thing works here, theres not enough quantity to change the flavor, it just gives a bit of zing.

Key is to let that tastey crap simmer for hours. I'm talking like 6 or 7.
You might want to soak your beans, all the power to you if you believe in that, I'm lazy, personally, I'll just rinse them real quick.
Cook up your vegs, when everything is dandy, put your DRAINED black beans in there, bam, cover with cold water immediatly, you'll need about an inch of water over the beans. Add in everything but your vinegar and let it cook for as long as needed. (Boil first, then bring down to a simmer for a few hours) You might need to add some water, were not scientists.

Add ham to it for extra prots and extra taste, bone-in is best, but you can do any ham, even bacon would potentially work or italian cured pork of your choice, you just want to add a bit smokiness here. Traditional calls for a ham bone, but f*** this, were inovators and who really eats ham these days ?

Should give you about five servings, depending on how much of an animal you are, even more with rice.

Per serving, without rice, it would give you something like :
550 cals
55 grams of carbs
25 grams of fat
25 grams of proteins
Vitamins and minerals THROUGH THE DAMN ROOF.

 

[ArtPeur]

My Chili (in slow cooker)

Meat
1 Bell Pepper (let's say Green)
1 big yellow onion
1-2 can of corn
1-2 can of Red/kidney beans rinsed
1-2 can of diced tomatoes with juice
1-2 can of tomato sauce
1-2 Jalapenos (or spicier)
Chili powder
Garlic
(crushed red pepper)
(cayenne pepper)

I cook only the meat first, then throw everything else (veggies diced non-cooked) in the slow cooker and let it cook on low temp for 6 hours. I probably need to drop the last two ingredients as I really made it too spicy the last two times (I really like spicy stuff but when your mouth wants to breathe fire after eating two spoons, yeah...). I like the corn, bell pepper and red beans as they give a really colorful bowl once it's served. I usually try to fill the slow cooker bowl so I can't really tell how much I put of everything

Edit. I will make it later this week, my parents are visiting me this weekend and I need to cook something anyway, I'll post the result

 

[Runner77]

I've done every beer fest with Unibroue. The best is either Chambly or mondial in MTL.

Chambly is packed now, though, which sucks a bit.

Rimouski is small
Quebec is big enough but it usually lacks a bit of stands compared to MTL or Chambly.
Repentigny doesnt have near the beer selection of the other two.

My guess is Van city and To is out of the question for you.

Are all of these Oktoberfest themed? I was really looking for that instead of beer fests.

 

[ArtPeur]

I've done every beer fest with Unibroue. The best is either Chambly or mondial in MTL.

Chambly is packed now, though, which sucks a bit.

Rimouski is small
Quebec is big enough but it usually lacks a bit of stands compared to MTL or Chambly.
Repentigny doesnt have near the beer selection of the other two.

My guess is Van city and To is out of the question for you.

I went to Chambly last year on a "rainy day", we were at most 100 on site.
Literally no line in every beer stand. I was drunk after one hour because I was just drinking non stop and didn't have to wait between fills. But I agree, it's usually so packed that it becomes less fun. There are some beers that become unavailable on the first day. I'll go again this year anyway

I really liked Brasserie du Liève last year and I got drunk especially at that stand. The guys were so bored that they were giving free refills

 

[ArtPeur]

Are all of these Oktoberfest themed? I was really looking for that instead of beer fests.

I do believe the Repentigny Oktoberfest is themed or, at least, it was early on

 

[Mrb1p]

If Black bean soup is not your thang (Shame on you, It's delicious.)

Heres a Chili guide

Choose a meat:
Beef/Bison/Pork/Turkey/Chicken/NO MEAT (WHAT ?)
(Ground works good, cubed/Short rib/Chicken thigh/etc works better, but requires more work and is harder to cook perfect, Id recommence staying close to the ground meats, at least to get familiar.)
Veggy base MIREPOIX AGAIN WITH BELL PEPPER AGAIN, WITH GARLIC AGAIN (Issa base)

Choose yo' peppers(Add it in with the mirepoix ):
Don't want it hot at all ? Skip this.
Want it perfect ? Go for Jalapenos/Poblano/Anaheim
Want it hot? Add more of those, or go for Thai peppers or scotch bonnet.
Are you stupid ? Put some Habanero or anything over that in there. (My favorites are Jalapenos, I like the taste/heat.

Are you going to use ground chilies ?
If so, choose 'em from your own taste, Id rather Chipotle than anything else, ground em yourself if you want the ultimate flavor, if you want it easy, just buy some already grounded, or skip that part.

Choose if you want to put some extras in there
Corn ? Yum.
Kidney beans/Black beans/What ever beans ? Yum Yum. (Your veggie meat, use Kidney/Black and white)
None? Fine by me.
Shrimps ? Damn thats good, but don't mix it with meat other than red, it's weird.
Beer ? Now you're talking.
Tortilla chips ? Hell yeah.

Now here comes the tomato question, as a kid that grew around italians, I have a hard time with this one. Just basically choose the tomato base you prefer. Whole tomatoes work better, but anything that fits your boat, if you want it fast, just take some base tomato sauce and send it. You want the ultimate ones ? San Marzano that you cook yourself. You want the best of both world ? Find a can of San marzano and blitz it.

Beef goes well with cumin
Turkey/Chicken goes well with smoked paprika or paprika and liquid smoke
Pork works well with... Maple syrup ! (Don't hit me pls, its delicious.)
Veggie option works well with all of the above

Chop up fresh basil and or Cilantro and throw this in there

Don't forget the salt and peppa to taste
Dont forget the boil+simmer for a while while skimmin the fat traditional technique

Quantities don't matter as much, just work with what you want to yield. about 6 cups of liquid for a kilo of meat or so.

Don't hate on me if you burn your whole house down and your chili tastes like Bergevins butt, this is not a recipe but a guide.

 

[Runner77]

I do believe the Repentigny Oktoberfest is themed or, at least, it was early on

We don't have anything in Montreal like LeHab says is going on in Kitchener where it's more widespread.

 

[Mrb1p]

Are all of these Oktoberfest themed? I was really looking for that instead of beer fests.

Oh, no theyre not, sorry about that.

Not sure I would classify the Repentigny one as Oktoberfest themed... Aside from a few guys/girls in costume, theres not much there.

 

[Mrb1p]

I went to Chambly last year on a "rainy day", we were at most 100 on site.
Literally no line in every beer stand. I was drunk after one hour because I was just drinking non stop and didn't have to wait between fills. But I agree, it's usually so packed that it becomes less fun. There are some beers that become unavailable on the first day. I'll go again this year anyway

I really liked Brasserie du Liève last year and I got drunk especially at that stand. The guys were so bored that they were giving free refills

I think that was on Monday. I was there on saturday and it was absolutely crazy. Ill go sunday this year, hope it's not a super sunny one.

 

[QuebecPride]

Are all of these Oktoberfest themed? I was really looking for that instead of beer fests.

During the Oktoberfest, the Siboire usually has a pretty cool event, you can buy a 1L buck for 20$, and you can fill it for dirt heap (5-10$, depending if you go on Mon-Wed or Thurs-Sun). If you have a buck from a previous year you can bring it and fill it up for that price as well. Waiters are dressed in typical Oktoberfest fashion as well. But of course it's nothing compared to what you would see in a tent in Bavaria by that time. Now I've only been to their Sherbrooke locations, but they opened a year or two ago on Saint-Laurent in Montréal and I'm pretty sure they carry on the tradition there.

As an aside, has any of you tried their Montréal location? How do you like the place and the beer compared to other Craft breweries?

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

So I'm gonna mix a bit of the tv/film thread with this thread as it regards both threads.

I got kinda tired of hearing about Parts Unknown. You geezers in the other thread just can't stop yapping about it. About Bourdain too. Bare with me, I'm just kidding. Anyway, when I get annoyed with a cultural item that people keep pushing, I'm like an immovable object. I don't budge. But you guys, you old Bourdain-loving geezers, you're like an unstoppable force. And what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? They both yield (and yes, I stole that one from All-Star Superman). So I yielded. This has happened to me before with GOT. Oh gawd it was annoying always hearing about GOT for 4 years. Two extended versions of Tolkien trilogies was enough medieval and fantasy for one decade, for me. I was like, no way jose. And then I met an unstoppable force. My ex. And now I'm a huge GOT fan.

Anyway, unto Parts Unknown. I was making a quick supper last night, didn't feel like making anything, so I just hate chicken nuggets and fries. I was up for something really tasty, but without any motivation to do it. So, when this happens, I like to watch cooking and food shows while I eat a mediocre meal. The meal just tastes better this way. I'm weird, I know.

So I go into Netflix and Parts Unknown shows up in my suggestions, I guess because last week I watched that Bradley Cooper movie where he's a cook. So I start watching it. Burma in the first episode, and a reference to Orwell and his policing days in Burma. Oh, you. Bourdain knows how to reel in nerds and non-conformists. But then he got to the food. Oh Mary, mother of... ****. My chicken nuggets didn't taste any better because what I was seeing seemed so ****in good.

And then the show on Koreans. OMG.

I can't watch that show again until I settle my pressing need for some genuine Korean.