"Remembering" What's In A Name...

Today is, of course, Remembrance Day.  The day that Canadians have set aside to remember those who have fallen or served our great country in the military, past & present.  My own father served in WWII & there are so many stories that I could share.  This year, I will choose to write about my name.  I know that sounds selfish, but I encourage you to read on.

I am the fourth child born to Roy & Vera Bartley, an insignificant fact it seems, as many are born fourth in the birth order.  The only thing that makes it significant is that my father is a WWII veteran & most people my age would have been born to men who were quite a bit younger.  However, I am the only daughter of the four children that my parents had, & more noteworthy, I am 12 years younger than my youngest brother.  Now, my mother would dig in her heels & attest to the fact that she never had a single child that she had not planned or wanted…I buy the "wanted" part but maybe…just maybe, the "planning" part was a little off.  Be that as it may, I guess they knew I was, indeed, a girl &, indeed, their last.

I believe my father played a part in naming all of my brothers, but he definitely made the decision on how I would be named.  You see, my father served in the Regina Rifles Regiment in the second world war.  He trained with his specific company, in that regiment, for four years before going into his first active battle on D-Day.  Those men became like brothers to him.  He wanted to leave some kind of a tribute to them…to remember them, so I guess he left me.

I am named Regena.  I am named after the Regina Rifles Regiment; for the men that my father so proudly served with.  My mother changed the spelling from an "i" to an "e" & for that I have suffered long.  No one seems to think I know how to spell my own name.  Legal documents have been changed, high school jackets, driver's licenses, Starbucks cups,…an endless list.  And, suddenly, with the change of one letter, no one can pronounce it either… Maybe, somehow, the frustration with my name is fitting.

I am named, first of all, for men.  (There were not women in my Dad's regiment.  I don't even think women served in active combat, in those days.)  My name is forged in pain & suffering & loss.  In hunger & cold; fear & thirst.  In camaraderie, laughter & trickery.  In loyalty, honour & courage.  In grief, faith, & triumph.  I carry, in my name, a little piece of history & a big piece of my father's heart.  I know, without doubt, he thought of those men every day of his life - the men of the Regina Rifles Regiment.

And so, on this day, & every day…I remember them & I honour them by this, my name…Regena Dyan Liski (nee Bartley)

                                             MY NAME SAKE:  The Regina Rifles...

Nuts, No Problem!

Several days during the week, I walk down Gellatly Road enjoying the beautiful new parkway all along the Okanagan lake, as the water begins its assent into West Kelowna.  The Rotary Park beach is home to the most scenic of dog beaches.

Even with my iPhone, I was able to capture the sunbeams beginning their cloudy-day breakthrough.  Shaq (my little Havanese/Bichon buddy) is not crazy about the water, but loves the leash-free romp in this dog paradisio.

I walk past the Cove resort & turn my path around at the Gellatly Nut Farm beginning the big circle back to where my little truck is parked.  Today was nothing new…except…that I noticed the workers were out & about at the Nut Farm.  Having Shaq with me at the Nut Farm is a problem as he is not allowed inside her fences. We can skirt around her statuary of magnificent trees & bathe in their shade or tapestry of colour, at this time of year, but we cannot enjoy the crunch of leaves, on the winding paths, beneath her hooded canopy.

This I understand, but today I would have loved to be a rule-breaker just to ask if the bounty of this year's harvest might still be for sale. Instead, we boogied our way around our usual course of exercise & made tracks back to the truck.  I wheeled off to the nearest Savon Foods to get the few groceries I needed & the cash that I suspected would be necessary to make a purchase of the Okanagan's finest nuts. Then we whisked our way back, & I dashed over to the failing little house where the nut-pickers  manage their tiny little storefront.  Today, they worked out front on a dilapitated picnic table, gloves on & sleeves pulled up, fully committed to the cause.

They were, indeed, closed for the season but were more than willing to sell me a few of their wares due to my chance luck in finding them at their post.  "Nuts, no problem! If we are here, we would be happy to sell you some nuts!" Two male counterparts seemed to be part of the Nut Farm entourage, one riding a tractor through the trees gathering leaves & the other doing general maintenance.  The female representation seemed to be doing the real busywork of the day washing, sorting, peeling & gathering…an almost reminiscent picture of days gone by.  Both of the gals were, at the least, 10 years my senior & were regaled in nut farm attire. This included heavy jackets, head gear to keep out the wind (better known as toques in Canada) & denim down to their feet which sported well worn sneakers.  As they busied themselves with my purchase requests, they shared how the farm's upkeep is strictly done on a volunteer basis & how they really are part of the man/womanpower simply because they love the place.   Nut sales & community donations are the basis of all upkeep.  This had been an unusual year as the first real chill & wind (wind is a very important component of a nut farm) had not brought down all the nuts.  And now that the farm is officially closed for sales, more nuts are dropping & they are trying to salvage some of them.  I am not sure to what end, other than to make the day of passers-by like me…

I decided on 5 lbs of the robust Manoka walnut & amounts that I am not certain of with the other nuts.

Heartnuts named for their obvious shape but not limited to their satiny smooth shell & earthy colour; Black Walnuts of a variety that are difficult to eat but when sliced through make the most beautiful organic buttons of which I laid claim to two sets;

and Buartnuts which also have a heart-like shape but a more rugged & rippled shell than does their brother Heartnut.

The Black Walnuts will adorn my festive decorating as their sole purpose, however, all the others are edible.  The Manoka's, though they are not sufficiently dry, have been tested by husband Darrell's impatient but pleased pallet.  Their sheer size would suggest needing a proportionate cracker, but it is quite the contrary.  You can actually pry the shell open with your fingernails if desired.  The Buart & Heartnut are considered hard nuts & need to be struck, quite precisely, where the shell halves meet, with a hammer.  I believe, at our house, they will remain as lovely & appreciated decor only!

Cinderella Curry Bowl

You know the old phrase "up to your elbows…" Well, that is literally what I was up to in pumpkins & squash this weekend.  I had the whole collection of my beautiful decorator gourds piled high, by the front door, to go out to the dumpster when I heard a still small voice saying that I should check to see if any or all of them were edible.  Actually, the little voice sounded oddly like my mother who was very pragmatic & hated to throw away anything of value - nutritionally or otherwise.  I like to call it the "saving syndrome." I don't scoff at all at this syndrome.  In fact, I think many of us would do well to be more stricken with it.  So, I trudged off to the phone to call the little market where most of the decor came from.  Here, I must quickly plug My Country Garden where the little fellows closest to my decorator heart came from. My Country Garden is a little roadside stand a ways out on K L O Road in the Mission area of Kelowna.  They have a most amazing array of produce, as the season permits, but, in the fall - the most incredible display of pumpkins, squash & gourds.  Also, while growth prevails, you can pick your own bouquet of flowers from the rows & rows of flora.   Only, Miss Cinderalla remained.  I could not remember the spot, on my way home from wine tasting in the Pentiction area, where I had stopped & bought her, so Google saved the day.  All, were not only edible, but considered to be highly sought after & highly nutritious.

I gathered up my best carving fortitude & my sharpest knife & set about the task.  I Facebooked & whined a little as I went along & some friends commiserated or offered solutions to my sore wrists.  The solution several people offered was to leave the flesh on the skin & simply roast it.  When tender, the flesh comes easily off the skin & can be canned or frozen with ease.  I, of course, had to complicate said situation by wanting to mainly use the contents for savoury dishes like soups & curries.  Therefore, I wanted to freeze the flesh in a cubed form.  I did freeze a bag or two absolutely plain to attempt a pie, or more probably, some loaves or muffins. For the record, whether it is Better Homes & Gardens approved or not, I removed the flesh from the skin, cut into reasonable sized pieces, tossed in a swish of EVOO, seasoned slightly with Montreal Steak Spice & roasted for appx. 30 mins at 400 degrees.  I then portioned into Ziploc bags & froze for my cooking pleasure.  What follows is a little glimpse of the process & my first (most delicious) recipe made with the Cinderalla pumpkin.  The recipe is loosely based on the Ymir Curry Bowl from my best-loved Whitewater Cooks series & hence the slight name change to accommodate big bright orange Cinderelly!!

If you can possibly get your hands on some of this, you will not be disappointed. When I checked, there are many recipes online to make your own.  It is a delicious accoutrement to the Cinderelly Bowl.

Duqqa:  an Egyptian treat made of spices & nuts that is most delicious alongside your favourite loaf with some exceptional EVOO

The Cinderella Curry Bowl 

A curry that definitely leans into the Thai side.  Smooth but intense flavour!!

2 tbsp EVOO
2 white onions, diced
3 carrots, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced (I LOVE my new microplane for this job - it's sturdy & sharp & just makes me happy using it!)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced (never sub the spice for fresh!  You can finely chop, or whiz in your food processor,  a whole piece of ginger from the store with a little vinegar & keep it in the fridge for weeks, in a sealed container, to use when fresh ginger is called for.  The vinegar does not change the taste but acts as kind of a preservative.  Always peel it first.)
1 red pepper, diced
1 tbsp red curry paste (I like Patak's the best)
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin
3 medium potatoes, diced (or…you know when you roast those little baby potatoes for company & you overshoot the amount by about a pound…freeze them & they are perfect for such a time as this! And, alongside, your pumpkin that is already to go, it cuts down your cooking time exponentially!)
2 cups (or so) of Cinderalla pumpkin, yam or squash of your choice, diced
1 stalk lemongrass (just the tender white end) trimmed & finely chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves                                                                                                                                
*I put the lemongrass & lime leaves into a little cheese cloth bundle & tie it off with string.  I could not get fresh leaves on short notice today, so I had to use my dried ones & a big bite of lemongrass or lime leaf is not pleasant, fresh or dried.  So, after they have done their business in the dish, you can pluck the little packet out of your curry & discard*

2 tbsp fish sauce
juice & zest of 2 limes (& again I used my most handy & much LOVED microplane)
3 - 14 oz. cans of light coconut milk
1 - 19 oz. can chickpeas
2 cups chicken stock (I am fortunate enough to have an instant boiling water tap - *because the "much-loved hubby is strictly a tea drinker* & so I just swear by the "Better than Bouillon" product.  A teaspoon or so in 2 cups of boiling water is amazing & you are not always left wondering what to do with the rest of the 1L container of stock)
4 tbsp cilantro, chopped

In a large stock pot, sauté onions, carrots, garlic, ginger & red pepper in the oil. When soft, add curry paste, garam masala, & cumin.  Add potatoes, pumpkin, & lemongrass/lime leaf packet.  Saute for 5 mins.  Add fish sauce, lime zest & juice, coconut milk, & stock.  Bring to a boil if you are lucky enough to have potatoes & squash in the freezer already cooked - or - simmer until potatoes are tender. Squash will be done by then too.  Add chickpeas & cook for 10 more mins.  Serve over Yellow Basmati Rice & garnish generously with cilantro.  Serves 8 - 10 people!!

Yellow Basmati Rice

2 cups basmati rice, rinsed & well-drained
3 1/2 cups chicken stock (or, again, stock made with "Better than Bouillon")
seasoning packet made up of:  1/2 cinnamon stick (or if you can find cinnamon sticks in the Indian cooking section of your grocery store, they are larger & can be broken into smaller pieces.  Then, use about 3 small bits) 3 whole cloves, 1 pod of large dark brown cardamom, 3 pods of the smaller regular cardamom.  I know this sounds crazy & like a lot of work, but believe me, the taste of the rice is soooo worth it!  What I do is, while I am at it, I cut up many little squares of cheesecloth & make several of the packets tied up with string, so that they are at the ready when I get the urge to do a curry supper.
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp tumeric

Heat the EVOO in the saucepan & add the seasoning packet.  Turn your heat back a bit & let the spices infuse the oil a little. Turn the heat back up & add in the rice. Constantly stir the rice in the oil until every kernel looks coated - just a couple mins. Then, add the chicken stock & turmeric.  Stir for just a min or two.  Pour all of the rice, stock, & the seasoning packet into a baking dish sprayed with Pam.  Cook in the microwave with a lid on for 10 mins on PL 8.  I have never had it "not" cook in 10 mins, but every microwave is slightly different, so put back in, for a min or two at a time, if the rice does not come out perfectly in the 10 mins suggested.  Remove the spice packet & enjoy with your Cinderelly Curry!!

Pictured is the Cinderella Curry Bowl & a bit of the process involved in its arrival…Hope you give it a try!!