Mamie Taylor’s chef gets his veggies—along with Italian sausage

    1 of 11 2 of 11

      One of the first things Tobias Grignon tells the Georgia Straight during an interview at Mamie Taylor’s (251 East Georgia Street) is that he was born in his parents’ back yard. The executive chef of the Chinatown restaurant credits his bohemian upbringing on Gabriola Island with helping him find his way into the kitchen.

      “It can get pretty boring in the winter, stranded on an island like that with not a lot of sports and not a lot of activities. So when the rainy season hits, you spend a lot of time at home,” Grignon says. “My dad has always been a very good cook—very rustic, very hippie-ish type of food. I grew up eating a lot of Indian food, a lot of vegetarian food, but my dad’s ability to put together flavours has always been excellent. He’s a wonderful cook, and he taught me about seasoning at a very young age.”

      After graduating from culinary school in Nanaimo, Grignon moved to Vancouver and started his career in hotel kitchens. He worked for the Delta and Fairmont hotel chains before ending up at the Wedgewood Hotel & Spa, cooking with executive chef Lee Parsons for three years.

      “Working for him really refined my idea of what I do,” he recalls. “My style was all over the place, and working under him focused me.”

      Grignon continued to develop his skills at French and Italian restaurants before helping to open Mamie Taylor’s last summer. The restaurant labels its offerings “Modern American cuisine”, which is based on comfort food, Grignon explains.

      “We take a couple of the classics and do what we consider to be the ulti­mate versions of them. We have a hamburger that we’re very proud of and a fried chicken,” he says. “A grits dish is a staple of our menu, but it changes from time to time both seasonally and inspirationally.”

      On his days off, Grignon tries to eat healthy meals, which he says can be a challenge for people in the restaurant industry.

      “The chef lifestyle is notoriously bad. We have terrible diets. People think, ‘You must eat so well—you’re surrounded by all this beautiful food and you know exactly what to do with it at all times.’ But you end up just eating fries because you’re so busy,” he says.

      When Grignon is cooking for friends and family, he gravitates toward simple meals full of fresh vegetables, like the dish below. He recommends tossing vegetables in olive oil before broiling them to help retain their crunch and lock in flavour. Grignon says that this healthy main course, finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a heap of grated Parmesan cheese, pairs well with a light red wine such as Pinot Noir.

      Tobias Grignon’s roasted vegetables with Italian sausage

      Ingredients

      2.2 lb (1 kg) Brussels sprouts, stems removed, halved
      1 crown of broccoli, cut in large florets
      1 bulb fennel, cored and cut in wedges
      1 pint (550 g) cherry tomatoes
      2 red bell peppers, seeded and cored, cut into large triangular chunks
      ½ lb (227 g) white or brown mushrooms, halved
      ½ cup (125 mL) pitted green olives
      3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
      1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seeds
      1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano leaves
      2 tsp (10 mL) salt
      Fresh ground pepper to taste
      3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
      1¼ lb (568 g) Italian sausage, parboiled until just cooked
      4 Tbsp (60 mL) balsamic vinegar
      2 stems fresh basil, leaves torn
      Parmesan, grated, for garnish

      Method

      1. Move oven rack to highest position. Preheat oven broiler.
         
      2. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with olives, garlic, fennel seeds, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread vegetables across a large baking sheet. Nestle sausages between the vegetables. Place tray in oven for 5 minutes.
         
      3. Carefully remove baking sheet from oven and flip sausages over. Put tray back in oven and cook another 5 minutes, or until sausages are cooked through. (Watch carefully when cooking under the broiler to avoid burning.)
         
      4. Transfer vegetables and sausage to a large platter or divide between 4 plates. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over top. Garnish with basil leaves and grated Parmesan.

      Yield: 4 servings.

      Recipe has not been tested by the Georgia Straight.

      You can follow Michelle da Silva on Twitter at twitter.com/michdas.

      Comments