Indie On the Road

Category: Food

Food related information, from finding great foodie places and outdoor markets top shopping and storage tips.

  • Poutine: French Canadian Comfort Food

    If you want comfort food, you should try poutine. Poutine is a dish of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. It’s like your favorite meat and potatoes.

    The dish originated in Quebec in the 1950s and is now a symbol of Québécois culture. it is COMFORT FOOD! As shown here (in Saint John), local is GOOD!

    Poutine Comfort food of French Canada
    Poutine Comfort food of French Canada

    History

    According to an article by Allrecipes, “Poutine is a Quebecois slang word that means ‘mess.’” In essence, it’s a beloved comfort food from Canada.

    Although there are a few Canadian restaurants claiming to have created the dish, the following is believed to be the truth about this famous comfort food.

    “Fernand Lachance, restaurateur and owner of Le Lutin qui rit in Warwick, Quebec, created the dish in 1957 at the request of a regular customer named Eddy Lainesse. This dish has become the epitome of comfort food.

    “Warwick is located near Victoriaville midway between Montreal and Quebec City in a region dotted with dairy farms and famous for its fresh cheese curds which Mr. Lachance displayed in small cardboard boxes on the café’s counter,” according to a 1997 article that appeared in The Globe and Mail. “Craving something rich and tasty, Mr. Lainesse suddenly had a brainwave. Why not put the cheese and fries together?” This rich combination certainly qualifies as comfort food.

    As the legend goes, Lachance exclaimed, “Ca va faire une maudite poutine!” (Roughly translated: “It will make a damn mess!”). This ‘mess’ turned into the ultimate comfort food for many.

    Nevertheless, he quickly added the “damn mess” to his menu. By 1962, he was topping the fry/cheese curd mixture with gravy to keep it warm.” Of course Allrecipes offers a recipe you can make yourself. If you have one, send us your receipe! Enjoy your homemade comfort food!

  • Fresh Fish and Clams in the Maritimes

    Clamming on PEI

    Travelling to the Maritimes means a great opportuinity for fresh fish. But besides eating out at restaurants, you can buy fresh fish from local grocery stores and coops to cook it up yourself. If you are little adventurous, you can catch it yourself. Did you ever try your hand at clamming? Fresh clams cant’s get any fresher!

    Fish Markets

    You can buy the catch of the day from local fish markets. Just go early. The smaller markets are usually sold out by late morning.

    While in in PEI we stopped at the coop in Tignish, Royal Star Foods Ltd. It is a subsidiary of Tignish Fisheries Co-op Association Ltd., which is the largest Atlantic lobster processor on Prince Edward Island.

    There was a wide selection, from lobsters to oysters, with very reasonable prices.

    Mussels from PEI
    Mussels from the COOP

    Clamming Misinformation

    While planning our trip, we watched some YouTube videos of PEI visitors digging clams themselves, and thought we’d want like to try finding our own once we got to the Maritimes.

    One of the first places we stayed was Fundy National Park. We inquired about places to clam (where the tide would go out leaving sand flats for digging) and were surprised that the rangers at the park didn’t have a clue. In fact one guy actually said he thought nobody had done clamming for years. That seemed odd since we had watched several videos on YouTube about clamming in the Maratimes.

    Finding Access and Watching the Tides

    By the time we got to Prince Edward Island, we learned a lot of people clammed. We learned no license is required for clamming but you need to be aware of any posted signs about potential contaminated shellfish areas, and follow the local rules about size and bag limited (maximum number per day).

    The difficult part about clamming was finding access and when. Mud/sand flats are ideal, i.e., when the tide is out there are these long stretches of exposed sand, still wet with shellfish between the surface.

    To find those sand flats, you need to watch the tides. It is kind of difficult to clam if the tide is low in the wee hours of the morning, or late at night. There are several mobile apps for listing tides in your area (e.g., tidesnearme from iPhone App store).

    Tides app for following local tides.
    Tides app for following local tides.

    We found one location near a light house where the tide was low early that morning. We drove out there, and sure enough the tide was out with a guy already there clamming about 200 yards up the sand flat. There was plenty areas to dig. We started down where there was no water or only a few inches and found razor clams, bar clams and several other types. We also found oysters lying in a couple inches of water!

    Eating Them is the Best Part

    Fresh Clams

    Whether you eat shellfish raw or cooked, fresh is the best. We enjoyed every bite.

    If you go clamming, send us a photo of your catch and tell us about it at indie@indieontheroad.net.

  • New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia

    We will be taking off for the Canadian Maritimes in a few days. Our path will be to cut across Maine to Calais to explore the Bay of Fundy, followed by a ride across the bridge to Prince Edward Island, and then on to Nova Scotia! I will be writing and posting updates to our trip and the wonderful things we discover along the way.

    Join us on the blog! Share your travel experiences. Let’s have some fun.

  • Coolidge Family Cheese Factory

    Coolidge Family Cheese Factory
    President Calvin Coolidge’s Legacy Family Business

    Cheese, cheese, and more cheese, and all handmade. Still in operation today, the Coolidge family cheese factory continues to carry on the legacy of the 30th US President Calvin Coolidge’s family, churning out artisan cheeses to the satisfaction of locals as well travelers passing through Plymouth, Vermont.

    What artisan products have you been making or encountering in your travels? How did you hear about it?

  • Four Sisters and Tempranillo

    A grape worth pursuing

    Whether they grow their own or buy grapes from other vineyards, wine businesses that produce wine that is not only drinkable but challenges your pallet, are worth checking out. On this occasion we visited the Four Sisters Ranch in San Miguel, CA for a wine tasting and were educated on a grape with which we were unfamiliar and is rarely mentioned here in the US – Tempranillo.

    An Interesting Grape Varietal

    According to winefolly.com, “Tempranillo is Spain’s number one red wine grape… In Portugal, it’s also known as Tinta Roriz and Aragonéz. Well-crafted Tempranillo wines age for two or more decades.”

    Our fascination with this varietal started when we walked into the tasting room and met another RV travelling couple who were there for the tasting as well. They had lived in Chile and Spain, and loved Tempranillo wine. On the list of wines we would taste was the Tempranillo Limited Edition 2018.

    It was full-bodied with deep, dark fruit notes, the grape’s signature leather flavors. Certainly worth it. We purchased a bottle, along with a few others that delighted our pallets.

    As members of Harvest Hosts, we stayed in our RV parked near the vines. The next morning we awoke to a beautiful sunrise and walked through the vineyard with its sprawling acres of mature vines. If you are travelling through California, add this vineyard to your travels. It is certainly worth the trip. And try the Tempranillo!

    By the way, have you ever seen a javelina? Early morning we encountered a couple small ones and a big one rummaging through the rows of vines. These pig-like animals create tremendous havoc for farms because they dig up everything. Share your story – tell us what you have encountered when visiting American farms and vineyards. There’s always something interesting.

    Dog Friendly
    Dog Friendly