Category: From the kitchen

CINCO DE MAYO

With Easter behind us, a rainy April well under way, and BBQ Season sputtering to a slow start, let’s look forward to one of our favourite “Holidays”, Cinco de Mayo!

For the past 5 years, The Piggy Market has been marking the occasion with tacos, tacos, and more tacos.  With the 5th on a Friday this year, we’re expecting a huge run of tacos, and are producing the following varieties:

Tacos Pastor – Slow Roasted Marinated Pork, with Red Onion, Cilantro, and Pineapple

Tacos Pibil – Banana Leaf wrapped pork, with Pickled Red Onion

Beef Cheek Tacos – Dave’s personal favourite, slow braised beef cheeks, with hot sauce, onion and cilantro.

Lamb Tacos – Braised local lamb, with black bean salsa and crema

Last year, we added Tamales to the list of Cinco de Mayo products, and will most likely do them again this year.  This decision has yet to be made….

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Super Bowl Weekend is here!

Super Bowl weekend is almost here, and for a lot of us that means parties at home for the game. 

What do you cook for the big game?  Chances are, we’ve got what you need in stock, whether you’re doing pulled pork, chicken wings, or chili. 

We’ve also got Korean short ribs, lots of chicken legs, pork chops and striploin steaks. Add some great local pickles, and a few loaves of bread for sopping up the juices. 

Whether you’re a Patriots or a Falcons Fan, you’re sure to have a great feast!  

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Chinese New Year: Year of the Rooster

We may be almost a month in to 2017, but the Chinese New Year has yet to begin. The year of the Rooster will officially commence on January 28th, 2017.

The history of Chinese New Year is quite storied and varies from source to source. “It is unclear when the exact beginning of the New Year celebration in China is. Normally, it was said to start from the year end religious ceremony during the Shang Dynasty (1766 BC – 1122 BC). A few believe that it started from as early as Emperor Yao and Shun (~2300 BC). At the beginning, the date of celebration varied from mid-winter to early spring. With the maturity of the solar base calendar, Emperor Wu (157 BC – 87 BC) of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220), established the first day of the first month as the beginning of the year, where it remains. According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the “Year”. The “Year” looks like an ox with a lion head and inhabits in the sea. At the night of New Year’s Eve, the “Year” will come out to harm people, animals, and properties. Later, people found that the “Year” fears the color red, fire, and loud sounds. Therefore, for self-protection, people formed the habit of posting red Dui Lian in front of their house as well as launching fireworks, and hanging lanterns at year end.”

To celebrate the beginning of the new year we will be creating some authentic Chinese dishes. From freshly made dumplings to our very own Piggy Market fortune cookies we think there’s no better way to ring in a new year of possibilities than with some delicious food. Make sure to stop by to pick some up for yourself!

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Robbie Burns Day

Every year during the month of January (on the 25th specifically) we celebrate what is known as Robbie Burns Day. For those of you who may not be familiar with who Robert Burns was, let us provide you with a little education:

Robert Burns (born on January 25th, 1759) was a renowned Scottish poet and lyricist who is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and a pioneer of what is known as the ‘romantic movement’ during the 18th century. One of his most popular poems (and songs) is ‘Auld Lang Syne’ which has become an anthem to help ring in the new year annually. After a career filled with many incredible artistic endeavours, the ‘Burns Supper’ or ‘Burns Night’ tradition was created in his honour and first celebrated five years after his passing, and has been celebrated annually ever since.

The cuisine that is usually associated with celebrating Robbie Burns day includes: cock-a-leekie soup, scotch eggs and haggis. The soup which is highly regarded as ‘Scotland’s National Soup’ consists of leeks, prunes, peppered chicken stock and either rice or barley to thicken it. Scotch eggs consist of a soft-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, coated in bread crumbs and then cooked to perfection. Finally, probably the most widely known dish would be haggis which is a savoury mix between sausage and pudding made from the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep minced with onion, oatmeal, spices, suet and stock. Traditionally all of those items would be encased within the sheep’s stomach, but we use beef sausage casing as sheep’s stomach can be challenging to source.

At The Piggy Market we’ll proudly be serving all of these traditional dishes so you can celebrate Robbie Burns Day the right way. Make sure to stop by soon to reserve your ceremonial haggis!

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Ottawa local beef

Why Butchered Meat is Best

 

By now you should know why it’s important to choose fresh ingredients over anything else. When you choose a craft butcher over the traditional option, you’ve made the decision to put quality items and freshness over everything else.

One of the reasons why someone may choose a traditional butcher over a craft butcher is fear of stepping outside of their comfort zone. Being comfortable with the choices you make is very important. Here are some of the best ways to become more comfortable with a craft craft butcher.:

‘Better Quality and Selection

Walk into a butcher shop and I guarantee you’ll see a cut or type of meat you can’t find at the average grocery store. Not only that, it will have been humanely slaughtered, properly cut and stored. You won’t find chicken breasts plumped with saline water or vibrantly red steaks gassed with carbon monoxide. And you definitely won’t find pink slime, ever.

Knowing What You’re Getting

A proper butcher can tell you the farm the animal was raised on and what part of the animal that particular cut came from. More often than you’ll even see your butcher grind or cut pieces of meat right in front of your eyes.

They Love Animals As Much as You (If not more)

If you talk to a butcher you’ll realize they have a deep respect for animals, which is precisely why they buy from farms where animals have happy lives. Their animals are fed natural diets, not pumped full of steroids or antibiotics and are slaughtered as humanely as possible. On top of that, hardly any of their animals go to waste which, to them, is honoring the life of the animal. Animals are a butcher’s livelihood and they nourish the people who support their business.’

At The Piggy Market, your Westboro Village community craft butcher and artisan deli, you’ll be greeted with a smile by Dave or one of the other very knowledgeable staff members and will encounter a memorable experience you won’t soon forget.

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Ottawa pork back ribs

Why Eating Fresh is Best

 

Eating is a necessity of life, but the approach that most people take when it comes to it could use some adjustment. While some eat to live, others live to eat…so, the question is who’s in the right? Both ways are technically correct (as it’s necessary to eat to sustain life), however that doesn’t mean that you should ever sacrifice quality in order to satisfy a need.

Being mindful of the choices you make in life is important, especially when it comes to what you consume. Eating a diet rich in foods composed of fresh ingredients can be quite beneficial to your overall health and well-being. If those fresh ingredients are locally sourced from farms/markets you’re then also supporting local initiatives which is a great way to further build communities.

At The Piggy Market we pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients that are locally sourced and making the bulk of our creations in house. All non-in house items are locally sourced as we believe in supporting our local farmers and businesses. If you want to feel good about the items you’re eating (knowing that they’re fresh and from local sources) pay us a visit..you’ll be glad you did!

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