Pasta & Bean Soup

(Serves 4 – 5)

There are few things that I would rather have after a walk or returning from skiing on a cold winter’s day. The combination of beans and pasta tastes delicious; the two food complementing each other perfectly.

LARGE SOUP BOWLS

This soup is a nutritious & satisfying meal in itself. Serve with fresh wholemeal or crusty white bread and follow with fruit.

8oz (225 g) dried kidney or haricot beans.

1 oz (25 g) Olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 stick celery finely chopped

2 tablespoons (2 x 15 ml) finely chopped parsley (fresh is best)

2 oz (50 g) smoked bacon. (Unsmoked if you wish)

14 oz (397 g) can chopped tomatoes with their juice

2.2 pints (1 liter) beef stock – home made or water & 2 stock packets

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

6 oz (175 g) Conchiglie (shells) or Fafalle (twists) pasta

Fresh grated Parmesan (or mature cheddar) cheese

Put the beans in a large bowl, cover and leave to soak overnight. Boil for at least 15 minutes the next day, before using. You can substitute for pre cooked cans of beans if desired

APPLE DESIGN SOUP BOWL

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion, carrot, celery, bacon & parsley until softened – then add the garlic for the last 2 minutes. The bacon should be just turning brown. Now add the tomatoes, stock and boiled and drained beans. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer until the beans are tender – about 3 hours, but possibly less, depending on the beans.

FRENCH ONION SOUP BOWL

Scoop out a good cupful of the beans and puree in a blender or though a sieve. Put back into the soup and add salt & pepper. Bring to the boil again and add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender (al dente) – about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

SALMON DESIGN SOUP BOWL

Serve in soup bowls with grated cheese and more freshly grated black pepper.

Note: the soup should be very thick. You may have to cook it uncovered if there is too much liquid, or add a little more stock if it has reduced too much during cooking.

SOUP or BRIE BOWL

All these beautiful bowls and the tureen are hand made in British Columbiaby some of Canada’s finest pottery artists. The pottery is available from Side Street Studio, Oak Bay Village, Victoria, B.C. or on line at www.sidestreetstudio.com

SOUP TUREEN & LADLE (BOWL)

Therapy for the Winter Blues

Len Menard writes; “I spent a good part of my working career in the floor covering industry, both selling and installing.  I retired in 2003 on disability due to back problems, and my wife and I moved fromSurreywhere we had lived for 30 years, to the peaceful sea side City of Powell River.  This city maintains much of its original small town flavor and is a haven for hundreds of very talented artists and musicians”.

MAPLE BURL & TURQUOISE BOWL

“My wood all comes from local sources such as urban foresters and local land owners who have to remove trees.  Like every other turner I’ve ever met, I have a great reverence for wood, and feel a duty to reveal the best in each piece I turn.  Often this requires a lot of extra time and effort to include natural defects that create the distinct one of kind look of the piece.  I also spend a great deal of time on my sanding and finishing to ensure that each piece gets the finish that will best compliment the grain and colour of the piece.

MESQUITE & TURQUOISE BOWL

I use Tung oil to finish the great majority of my work.  I put on anywhere from 3 to 5 coats of oils with drying and sanding between each coat.  This method requires at lot of time however I like the deep sealing and hard wearing, lustrous finish that this method provides.  The final finish is a coat of museum conservator’s wax which prevents fingerprints from showing on the surface”.

YELLOW CEDAR BURL BOWL

“Turning not only brings me pleasure and fulfils the desire to create something beautiful; it is also a therapy for the winter blues.  I’m back to singing and playing guitar again since I moved here, and I go out to the farmer’s market to perform every Sunday, as well as doing most of the festivals that occur here every year”.

SPALTED BIRCH BOWL

You can see more of Len’s beautiful work at www.sidestreetstudio.com

Maeva Collins writes;

‘Pit Fired pottery is the oldest known method of firing clay and the ultimate source of all the modern firing variations used by potters. Each vessel is burnished twice, once when it is leather hard and then again when it is bone dry.  This picture shows the second burnishing.  Various shapes and sizes of agates, quartz stones etc. are used’. 

‘After the second burnishing, the pots are bisque fired in an electric kiln to cone 012.  If they are fired any higher it would cause the pots to loose their shine.

‘A 3” layer of shavings is put on the bottom of the pit and then the pots are nestled into the shavings’.  ‘Each piece is layered with combustibles such as dog food, pine needles, fine sawdust, coffee or anything else that is available’.

‘Paper and kindling is added on top and the fire is started.Usually I use alder and maple firewood, simply because that’s what is available’.  ‘More wood is added until I’m happy with the amount of hot embers’. At some point the metal lid is dropped and the fired is allowed to burn down for at least two days. 

‘Most of the combustibles will have burned away but there is usually enough ash to protect the pots’. ‘It’s so exciting to see the finished process’.  ‘The fire leaves flashes and patterns as does the combustibles; each pot wears the result of its experience during the firing’.

‘Many more hours are spent washing the pots and then they are left to dry.  When completely dry they are finished with a coat of paste wax and a good polishing to protect them’.

‘My pit fired pots have a high sheen and that is very important to me as the high shine seems to give the pieces some depth rather than the pattern from the fire just being on the surface’.

Maeva lives & works on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and you can see more of Maver’s fabulous work at www.sidestreetstudio.com

TENDER LOVING CARE FOR YOUR HONICA JEWELLERY

 Once you own a fine piece of Honica jewellery, please take a moment to read these suggestions for proper care.

TOFINO BLUE NECKLACE

 Each piece of Honica’s hand made jewellery is dipped in an anti-tarnish coating to protect and maintain the finish. Do not apply hair spray, perfume or other sprays and cosmetics while wearing jewellery as this may affect the finish.

DANGER ZONE BRACELET

Handle and store gently! Do not stuff unprotected jewellery into pockets, a purse or suitcase as earring backs may be loosened or bent and the jewellery may become scratched or broken.

CLASSIC BLACK ONYX BRACELET

Makeup and natural skin chemical affect jewellery finishes over time. Occasional wiping with a soft cloth and warm soapy water will prolong the life of your brass jewellery. Sterling silver may be cleaned as needed with good quality silver cleaner.

ELEMENTAL AMBER NECKLACE

Check for loose clutch backs on your earrings – if they become loose or worn please replace them to avoid loss.

PASSION FOR PURPLE BRACELET

 We hope that you will enjoy your Honica jewellery for many years to come!

www.sidestreetstudio.com

Potter & Jazz Musician John Robertson writes:

“As a self supporting professional potter and since graduating from art school in 1976, my partner Harriet and I moved to Cobble Hill and  established our studio; Cobble Hill Pottery in 1988.  We have enjoyed our life of carrying on a time honored traditional handcraft with a huge scope for personal creative experimentation and fun!”

            “During my career I have followed my passion through the clay world, working in earthenware, reduction stoneware, and raku and primitive firings. This current body of work consists of high fired, reduction stoneware, glazed in a palette of personally formulated glazes perfected during my years of experimentation. I enjoy utilizing brushes I construct consisting of various animal hair glued and wired to bamboo, to apply combinations of oxides and under glazes to enrich and enliven the glazed surfaces.”

     “My work is mainly thrown on the wheel, altered and trimmed while damp, then bisque fired once dry. Some of my regular production items are made by flattening clay with a slab roller and then formed over a plaster or Styrofoam hump mold; while damp they can be decorated with stamps I have carved from wood or plaster.  After the initial bisque firing the foot of each piece is coated in glaze-resistant emulsion and then dipped into the liquid glaze. At this point the oxide brush work, scraffito, glaze-on-glaze, wax- resist brushwork, or other decoration is done. The downdraft propane kiln is then carefully loaded, taking all of its idiosyncratic hot and cold spots (where only certain glaze combinations will reach temperature) into account”.

“An overnight warming is started  to lessen the occasion for pots cracking and then a 12 hour firing to reach maximum temperature of 2350 degrees F., the kiln is then quick cooled to 1800* to achieve the desired glaze effects. The kiln needs at least 24 hours to cool before it is opened, the pots removed, the bottoms sanded to ensure furniture friendly texture and carried to the showroom. From there each piece of pottery will set out into the world.”

“When time allows I also work in other mediums, painting, mixed media wall pieces, assemblages with wood and metal. These are a creative outlet as well as fun. The other passion in my creative life is as a jazz musician playing the string bass with different jazz bands in the Cowichan Valley and Victoria area”…

You can find more of John’s beautiful and functional work at http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=80499