A Spring Stew

A recipe for those last chilly nights

A mixture of textures and flavours make this simple stew a hit.

It is an absolutely glorious May day here in Montreal, complete with bright sunshine, perfect cool/warm temperatures, and blooms galore. It’s that time of year when you get caught wearing sandals at night when others are cautiously wearing boots, and the frost-free date is completely ignored by overly enthusiastic gardeners who must get in those rows of annuals ASAP!

It has been a gorgeous spring, but the warm weather we experienced last month has been shy to make a comeback. It’s so cold this year that Quebec wine makers were burning fires in their vineyards last week in an attempt to beat Mother Nature who decided to hit us with below-zero temperatures. What a stressful 24 hours they experienced!

Domaine St-Jacques

Domaine St-Jacques on Instagram: “NUIT DU 17 au 18 MAI 2023 Une nuit dont on se souviendra! Nous sommes équipés de 5 machines à vent pour protéger nos vignes de potentiel gel printanier. Mais celui-ci était particulièrement difficile. On est entré 15 au champ une nuit entière à littéralement courir pour allumer/alimenter des feux sur nos 23 hectares de vignes. La famille et l’équipe ont tout donné pour sauver nos vignes toutes bien débourrées afin de pouvoir mener à terme leurs bourgeons primaires. Résultat—> POSITIF on a tout donné et ça a porté fruit. On est encore sur l’adrénaline du moment vécu. On ne se souhaite évidemment pas ça, mais ça marque et ça nous tient énormément à coeur. On est chanceux d’avoir la meilleure équipe au monde, sans eux, rien de tout cela n’aurait été possible. Un gel de 22h à 6h. Relève tes manches et va chercher ta lampe frontale 😅🔥. . . NIGHT OF MAY 17 to 18, 2023 A night to remember! We are equipped with 5 wind machines to protect our vines from potential spring frost. But this one was particularly difficult. 15 of us entered the field for an entire night, literally running to light/fuel fires on our 23 hectares of vines. The family and the team have given everything to save our vines, all of which are well budded, in order to be able to bring their primary buds to fruition. Result—> POSITIVE we gave everything and it paid off. We are still on the adrenaline of the moment lived. We obviously don’t want that, but it marks and it is very important to us. We are lucky to have the best team in the world, without them none of this would have been possible. A freeze from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Roll up your sleeves and get your headlamp 😅🔥.”

May 18, 2023

As for cooking, I have so much on my plate these days that getting food on the plate each night has been a challenge. The easy way out has resulted in an excess of meat, because meat is really the simplest ingredient to prepare. A salad will always be more work than a grilled pork chop.

But in this in-between season, a good month before most our local produce starts to make an appearance, I’m kind of at a loss of what to cook. Tired of braised dishes and not quite ready for the grilling season, I’ve been in search of inspiration.

Lying in bed one night, I dreamt up a recipe to bring some of my favourite flavours and textures together. I thought of a risotto, but with plenty of mix-ins. I didn’t want it to be meat-focused but I did want it to be lush and comforting, the kind of dish you don’t necessarily eat at the table but gobble from a deep bowl sitting on the sofa.