Tag: ottawa craft butcher

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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A New Year’s to Remember

The end of the year is nearly here which means that if you haven’t started planning for how you’re going to ring in the new year that now is as perfect of a time as any! Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to spend a lot of money in order to create the best memories, but it does mean that that the more thought and creativity that is put into things, the better start to 2017 you’ll have.

Here are the steps to creating a memorable new year’s eve:

“Keep things cozy and host a party at home

(Unless you really want to ring in the new year out somewhere fancy, in which case we recommend Origin Trade!)

No need to go out and rent a space for your party. Hosting at your house or apartment is not only affordable, it’s also more comfortable for both you and your guests. It also  gives you the opportunity to actually enjoy the party yourself and connect with all your guests. Limit the invite list to a handful of close friends.

Ask everyone to bring their favourite drink

This strategy can also liven up the party by giving guests a variety of new drinks to try. Also, know in advance how everyone who has been drinking plans to get safely back home. Is public transportation available? Is someone a designated driver? Or can guests crash at your place for the night? Don’t wait until 1 a.m. to decide how to handle an obviously impaired guest.”

Most importantly make sure that the menu is fresh, varied and delicious (which is where we can help out greatly). Whether you plan on snacks and lighter fare (cheese boards/charcuterie, Jamaican patties, etc) for your guests to nibble on, or want to go all out for a full and hearty meal, we have everything you need to ensure that it will be a success.

The Piggy Market family wishes you and yours a safe happy and healthy end to 2016 and start to 2017!

 

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Roasting the Perfect Holiday Turkey

 

The holiday season is here, which means creating wonderful memories with friends and family over delicious food and drinks. We love getting to be a part of different festive celebrations in various communities throughout the city through the fresh and local offerings we provide. Our ready to eat (or simple reheat and eat) options are great, but it’s the things like cooking a turkey to perfection from start to finish which can sometimes be tricky…which is why we want to be as helpful as possible!

Here are some steps to ensure you cook the perfect turkey this holiday:

  • Tuck wing tips underneath body of turkey.
  • With fingers, separate skin from turkey breast. Stuff softened butter under skin.
  • Season the inside cavity of the turkey with salt.
  • Using kitchen twine, cross the legs together and tie them securely.
  • Season turkey all over with freshly ground black pepper.
  • Put turkey into roasting pan. It’s ready to roast.

Important Note: If you’ve brined your turkey cook it for 15 minutes/lb at 350 degrees. Non-brined turkeys should be cooked for 20 minutes/lb at the same temperature. It’s also suggested to cook the turkey breast side down for the first hour and then flip it breast side up for the remainder of the cooking time. Also, if you’re going to make stuffing, cook it on the side; refrain from stuffing your bird before cooking it as raw juices will drop into the stuffing, and you will need to cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, which will overcook the turkey.

Make sure you stop by The Piggy Market this week to get a fresh Scotch Line turkey and our famous stuffing to help make your holiday feast a memorably delicious one!

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