You came through with 397 recipes for breads, biscuits, soups and chowders that made our job of testing and tasting, and specially the final judging, a herculean task. Have you no mercy? Here's how it happened.

In collaboration with Bass River Chairs, we announced our very first Comfort Food Recipe Contest in the Fall 2000 (Vol.1 No.3) issue of Saltscapes. We provided full details, including contest rules and prizes, in the Winter 2000 (Vol.1 No.4) issue.

Well, you thought about it for a while. At first, recipes just trickled in. The response rate gained momentum as the deadline date of March 31, 2001, drew closer. We knew we had a real contest on our hands.

After an initial check through the recipes to determine that all rules were followed to the "T," we started the process of elimination. And what a job that was.

Finally, we were down to 25 recipes, about half each in the soups/chowders and bread/biscuits categories.

Enter Arne Fulton, executive chef at Rent-A-Chef, who, with the able assistance of other professionals from the New Brunswick-based Rent-A-Chef, prepared the final recipes for the judges, who were: Heather MacKenzie, executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia, Andrea Kelter of Sobeys, and Marion Stepharnoff of Bass River Chairs.

Names and hometowns of contestants were withheld from the judges, who marked each entry equally on ease of preparation, creativity and comfort value, presentation, and taste.

Imagine our surprise, then, when we discovered all the winners in this blind testing were from one province! Certainly, the response rate to the contest in general was highest from Nova Scotia. Since the semifinalists represented a cross-section of Atlantic Canada's best, however, we couldn't help but marvel that all our top recipes came from people right across the province of Nova Scotia. (Consider this a challenge for the next contest all you great cooks in New Brunswick, PEI, and especially Newfoundland!)

With the final tally in, there was no question as to the winners in this first contest:

>Soups and Chowders: Christine Mirabelli, Fall River, for Chris's Low-fat Chicken Soup for the Mediterranean Soul; Darren C. Brown, West Jeddore, for his Smoked Seafood Chowder; Paulette Surette, Melbourne, for Hearty Minestrone.

Breads and Biscuits: Christine Hanhams, Lunenburg, for her Cranberry Orange Scones;Kay Akerman, Truro, for Shredded Wheat Bread; Beatrice Munroe, Halifax, for Dill Yeast Bread.

And the grand prize winner is: Rat ta ta ta tat…

Philip Theriault, of Chester, for Philip's Favourite Seafood Chowder.

Congratulations to each of the winners. And watch for information about the second Comfort Food Recipe Contest soon in Saltscapes.

Grand Prize

Seafood Chowder by Philip Theriault

The grand prize in the first Saltscapes/Bass River Chairs Comfort Food Recipe Contest goes to Philip Theriault, of Chester, NS, for his fabulous seafood chowder.

A school teacher at New Ross Consolidated School and Chester District School, Philip loves to cook, and takes time to develop his recipes according to his own tastes, although he never has any complaints from those fortunate enough to sample his offerings.

"This recipe is one that I developed after many attempts of trial and error, watching my mother and other mothers, taste-testing in many restaurants and going by my own personal taste," Philip says.

He says his recipe is only a base and can be experimented with liberally, depending on what is in season and the whim of the moment. He prefers not to use haddock in his seafood chowder, sticking only with shellfish, but says this is a matter of choice.

"The key point to remember is to sauté the seafood gently in butter and not to overcook it," he says. "And, the longer the chowder sits after being mixed, the more flavourful it will be. Like stew, it's always better the second day."

View this recipe in our recipe index.

Soothing Soups

First Prize

Low-fat Chicken Soup for the Mediterranean Soul, Christine Mirabelli

With her entry, Low-fat Chicken Soup for the Mediterranean Soul, Christine Mirabelli, of Fall River, NS, proves that there's nothing like chicken soup to provide comfort while keeping up with the latest food trends. But, was she surprised with her first prize placement? No way!

"I just knew I was going to win," she said when we called. "This recipe is so good, I knew it was a winner." Still, she was happy that the judges agreed. "I first concocted a version of this soup after Christmas, and it got rave reviews. I probably made it four times between Christmas and New Year's to give as gifts. I kept refining the recipe each time until I arrived at this final combination," she said.

A warming treat on a cold winter's night, she says it's wonderful to eat in front of a blazing fire while watching the snow fall.

"It's also comforting for me to know that it fits in well with my New Year's resolution to cut our family's fat intake."

View this recipe in our recipe index.

Second Prize

Smoked Seafood Chowder by Darren Brown

Darren Brown, of West Jeddore, NS, says his winning recipe is rooted in his very soul, having enjoyed it often as a child. Nowadays, he often travels out of the country during the winter months, and celebrates his homecoming with family and friends at what he calls a Good Friday Martinique Beach Walk, Chowder and Chat.

"We've walked the beach under brilliant warm sunshine, have been pelted with rain and have even been lightly snowed upon, but we always return to West Jeddore for steaming bowls of chowder and well-seasoned chats," he says. On these occasions he likes to make the chowder in a slow cooker.

"I can put everything in the crock and clean up the peelings early in the morning, switch the cooker on low and strike out for Martinique Beach," he says. "When the gang returns to my home, the air is perfumed with a light scent of smoked warmth and comfort. Bowls are quickly and effortlessly filled, and both chowder and chat are thoroughly savoured."

View this recipe in our recipe index.

Third Prize

Hearty Minestrone by Paulette Surette

Paulette Surette, of Melbourne, NS, loves to use the herbs she grows in her garden, along with the Swiss chard that just keeps on producing until well after the first frost. So, when she found a recipe for Hearty Minestrone Soup in the Herb Companion magazine (February/March, 1992) she started experimenting and came up with a winning combination.

"A minestrone can be as individual and variable as the seasons, and each time you make it, it will have a different character," she says. While she always includes onions, carrots, garlic and some kind of greens in her soup (even Boston lettuce on occasion), she sometimes uses fresh tomatoes instead of canned, rice instead of pasta, and, when a vegetarian meal is preferred, she'll leave out the sausages.

"If you use fresh tomatoes, peel them first, and if you want heat, add some hot sauce, and don't be afraid to experiment with different herbs, such as basil or thyme," she says.

View this recipe in our recipe index.

Bread'n'Butter Basics

First Prize

Cranberry Orange Scones by Christine Hanhams

Christine Hanhams, of Lunenburg, NS, took first prize in the Breads and Biscuits category with her cranberry orange scones. "Over the years I have doctored my own biscuit recipes with bits and pieces of recipes I found in magazines to arrive at this wonderful creation," she says.

With no formal training as a cook, Christine learned the basic skills at her mother's side and went on to become the family bread maker. "I make all kinds of bread-white, whole wheat, brown, onion, cheese-and while I have used a bread machine, I prefer doing it the old way," she says.

Of all the breads she makes, Christine ranks her Cranberry Orange Scones as her favourite. "Lard is what makes the difference. I've tried them with shortening but the texture wasn't nearly as nice."

And so she considers these scones as a treat to be enjoyed two or three times a year.

View this recipe in our recipe index.

Second Prize

Shredded Wheat Bread by Kay Akerman

Kay Akerman of Truro, NS, captured second prize with a recipe she found in her late mother's notes.

"This is a soft brown bread with a fine grain, and delicious," she says of her Shredded Wheat Bread. Chef Arne Fulton, who, along with his colleagues at Rent-A-Chef prepared the recipes for judging, was most impressed with the bread that he had tasted for the first time. Of course, Arne comes "from away" and would hardly know the regional appreciation for this wonderful bread that turns up, although less frequently now, in local cookbooks.

But, who originally thought to use shredded wheat biscuits, the popular cereal developed in 1892, as the base of a bread? In my own files, there is a recipe for New Brunswick Shredded Wheat Bread, that appeared in Margo Oliver's column in Weekend Magazine, on March 9, 1974. And, Bluenose Cookbook, published by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Yarmouth YMCA (no date given), includes a recipe. Still, the search for the originator of the idea was on. Through all the conglomerates that owned the product, Saltscapes asked questions that nobody could answer. The origins for shredded wheat bread remain a mystery.

As for Kay Akerman, she credits her mother, who baked her own bread almost until the day she died at age 90.
 
"It's the top favourite of my family," says Kay, who has hopes that her 14-year old grandson Matthew will eventually take up the pleasure of bread making.

View this recipe in our recipe index.

Third Prize

Dill Yeast Bread by Beatrice Munroe

Two Nova Scotia women were surprised and thrilled to hear that dill yeast bread was a winning entry in the Breads and Biscuits category.

Beatrice Munroe of Halifax has been making the bread for several years, after clipping the recipe from the Pictou Advocate. Janice Murray Gill, of River John, NS, developed the recipe for the food column she used to write for that newspaper. When Beatrice entered the bread in our Comfort Food contest, she credited the original source as "a Ms. Gill." Food people know that Janice is an expert on bread making. Her book, The Great Canadian Bread Book (McGraw Hill Ryerson, 1993), is a classic.

"It is an incredible loaf, and definitely my favourite bread," says Beatrice. "I make it often to go with pasta. Of course, you add dill to your own liking. I like lots!" Her daughters, who are married with children, also make and enjoy this delightful bread.

View this recipe in our recipe index.