Indigenous Chef Stéphane Levac shares a favourite recipe
It’s the simple pleasures of authentic Indigenous cuisine that tempt the taste buds of Nova Scotia forager and Indigenous Chef Stéphane Levac.
“It’s nothing fancy, but more about what we have available to us,” says Levac, who will be one of eight Indigenous chefs collaborating on multiple events at Devour! The Food Film Fest, from Oct. 19-24 in Wolfville, N.S.
“I just came back from Italy and got that from them as well. Look around you, use what’s around you and you can create something really special.”
Chef Levac is Ojibwa and was adopted by a French family at an early age.
He and his wife Sarah Morrison moved to her hometown of Wolfville from Ottawa not long after their son was born. In his first year he did a couple of odd jobs, but it wasn’t until they catered her parents’ 40th wedding anniversary that they decided to start their own business, Frais Catering.
He has worked in the kitchen at Studio East in Halifax under Chef Ray Bear. Most recently, he has appeared on Season 9 of Top Chef Canada and was also the Chef at the very popular drink and eatery, Maritime Express Cider Company.
Growing up, Chef Levac says cooking was never on his radar.
“It’s something that I’ve developed over the years and it’s been pure intuition,” he says. “I didn’t have any early influences, nor would I say that I cook authentic Indigenous cuisine. It’s more of what that looks like to me, and guys like Chef Rich Francis inspire me to cook in that direction.”
At previous Devour! fests, Chef Levac was involved in Beyond Terroir, an event borne out of the desire to combine the vibrant Mi’kmaq history, culture and food traditions through a partnership with the Glooscap First Nation and Benjamin Bridge winery.
“I do a lot of foraging locally here in the Annapolis Valley and one of the star ingredients in my dishes for that event was the Spruce Salt that I make,” he says.
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On Saturday, Oct. 23, 1-5 p.m. at the Devour! headquarters in Wolfville, Chef Levac and master basket weaver Sandra Racine will combine their talents at an Indigenous Culinary Workshop called Basket weaving into foraging. Levac will lead a two-hour foraging expedition to explore traditional foodways, culminating in a tasting in situ of hand foraged foods.
“I’m really looking forward to this event. It gives me the opportunity to showcase what I’ve been working on over the years and also guide folks to a sustainable way of living, which is living off the land.”
One of Chef Levac’s favourite recipes is Bison Chorizo Corn Chowder.
“It’s not a traditional recipe, but it is one of my favourites,” he says. “I like the idea of using whole animals, and Bison provided not only food, but clothing, utensils and shelter, as well as spiritual strength.
“You can find Bison at Oulton’s Meats in Martock just outside of Windsor. The real star of this dish is the corn. I get mine from Anderson’s Farm I’m the Gaspereau Valley. It’s the best in the world!”
The Recipe – Bison Chorizo Corn Chowder
Ingredients
6-8 Servings
7 ears of corn, husked, silks removed
2 tbsp. Olive oil
4 Bison chorizo sausages
1 medium onion, diced
1 ½ pounds baby red potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces
3 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
4 cups good quality chicken stock
2 ½ – 3 cups 10% cream
1 tbsp. Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Step 1
With a sharp knife cut corn kernels off of the ears of corn. Use the back of your knife to scrape along the ears, pressing out as much corn milk as possible. Depending on the size of the cobs, you should have about 7 cups of corn with corn milk. Puree 3 cups of corn and set the rest aside.
Step 2
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Remove sausage from casing, add loose sausage meat to the hot skillet and cook through, about 7 minutes. Remove sausage from the skillet and set aside, reserving oil.
Step 3
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 tbsp. of chorizo oil. Add diced onion and cook until translucent. Add potatoes and thyme. Cook for one minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Add 4 cups of corn kernels and cook for another 5 minutes.
Step 4
Add 3 cups of corn puree and cream to the pot. Simmer for 3 – 4 minutes, then add cayenne pepper and cooked chorizo sausage. Season with salt and pepper. *Serve with spicy croutons.
*Note: There will be a thick layer of fat and oil on the chowder after it cools. Skim the oil into a bowl, rip crusty bread into pieces and toss with the oil. Lay the bread onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes at 375 degrees and serve as garnish for chowder.
