When it comes to cooking, Chef Scott MacKenzie of Calgary’s River Café relies on communication to stay inspired. “Most of my influences come from the seasons and what grows around us. I find you must really stay on top of what is rooting and shooting by chatting with the farmers,” he says. This helps you discover if they’re planting anything new, and what they’re excited about.
River Café’s menu is about as seasonal as it gets, and some of Chef’s favourite dishes are fish, like Arctic Char, Sablefish, and Halibut. “From the butchery to putting it on the plates, every single step is so delicate and so much care is put into them.”
While we can’t go straight to the source for the fish, we certainly can for red fife wheat, and Chef Scott uses it in his recipe for this very prairie Red Fife Risotto.
“This is a unique and fun way to use red fife,” he explains. “It’s also very universal as you can go any direction you want with flavouring and garnishes.” For the best results, pickle the vegetables in their prime. “The better the ingredient you start with the better it’ll turn out after the preserving method.”