Discovering Canada: Hope, Resilience and Beginnings at Halifax Pier 21

 

I've travelled to many places, but somehow, exploring my own country has always taken a back seat. It's funny how we can travel thousands of miles to discover other cultures, yet overlook the incredible stories, landscapes, and history waiting to be discovered right here at home. It's time to change that. And what a beautiful place to begin... 

My first real exploration of Canada outside of Quebec is to the Maritimes in Halifax, NS and Pier 21, one of the most significant immigration sites in Canadian history. Between 1928 and 1971, nearly one million immigrants arrived through Pier 21, many seeking safety, opportunity, and a new beginning. 

Standing there in Pier 21 Museum, you can't help but reflect on the courage it took to leave behind everything familiar and start over in a new country. I found myself reflecting on a simple but profound question: Would you leave everything behind to start a new life somewhere else?

Imagine having to walk away from your home, your familiar surroundings, your treasured possessions, photographs, family heirlooms and the little things that make a house feel like home. If you could only bring a few belongings, what would you choose?

Pier 21 Immigration Museum

The museum's exhibits offer glimpses into the personal journeys of those who made that difficult crossing. The objects they carried may seem ordinary, but each holds a memory, a connection to family, a culture, or a life left behind.

And it got me thinking about the difference between belongings and belonging... We may leave behind almost everything we own, but what we carry within us remains: our memories, traditions, identity and hopes for the future. And while finding a new home can be a long and difficult journey, finding a sense of belonging is perhaps the most meaningful part of all.

Because home isn't simply the place where we live. It's the place where we feel we belong. ❤️

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site Museum

Among the stories that bring Canada's immigration history to life is that of the Hadhad family from Syria, founders of Peace by Chocolate. After war destroyed their chocolate factory in Damascus, the family eventually found refuge in Nova Scotia, where they rebuilt their business with the support of their new community in Antigonish. Founded in 2016, Peace by Chocolate has become an inspiring story of resilience, entrepreneurship, and the sweetness of a second chance. You can watch the 2021 dramedy based on their story on Prime.

Visiting the flagship store on Waterfront

The Peace by Chocolate flagship store at Queen's Marque on the Halifax Waterfront is much more than a chocolate boutique. Opened in 2021, it celebrates the Hadhad family's remarkable journey from Syria to Nova Scotia. Its beautiful Syrian-inspired design, including the distinctive turquoise archway, pays tribute to their roots while symbolizing a new beginning in Canada and the message of peace.

Homage to Tareq Hadhad, Peace by Chocolate's founder

That same year in 2016, here in Toronto, we were also welcoming Syrian newcomers with open arms and was when Newcomer Kitchen Canada established. These stories remind us of the difference a welcoming community can make when people are given the opportunity to rebuild their lives and find a place to call home which our organization continues to do to this day...

For more photos, see our FB post

Through my extensive time in food and working with different communities, I've seen how sharing our cultures, stories and traditions can bring people together and create a sense of belonging. This visit was a beautiful reminder of that connection. 

There's so much beauty, history, culture and food to discover in Canada. It's about time I started exploring more of it. So grateful and honoured to have spent the adventures with my lovely longtime childhood friend Marilyn.

You bet I'll be covering Nova Scotian food favourites and must-haves next 😋.

Cajun Seafood Boil with Ultimate Garlic Butter Sauce

There is something wonderfully indulgent about a Louisiana seafood boil. A big pot filled with seafood, corn, potatoes and all the good things, followed by a generous coating of garlicky Cajun butter. It looks like something you'd order at a restaurant, but the truth is, a seafood boil is surprisingly easy to make at home, and so much cheaper too.

Lobster Seafood Boil

This was actually my second time making a Cajun seafood boil at home due to a request from my youngest. The first time, I went all out with whole lobsters. The next time, I switched things up and used frozen crawfish tails. Both versions were delicious, but I love how adaptable the  boil is- using whatever seafood you enjoy or whatever happens to be available and affordable.

Crawfish Tails Seafood Boil

And as luck would have it, my lobster boil happened to land on September 25th, National Lobster Day. I couldn't have planned that better if I tried!

The beauty of a seafood boil is that the cooking process itself is incredibly simple. You are essentially creating a flavourful broth and then cooking your ingredients in stages (according to how long they need to cook), allowing everything to soak up all that seasoned goodness. For my broth, I use Old Bay and Cajun seasoning, with cayenne if I want some extra heat. But there are a few ingredients that really make the broth special: onions, lemons, bay leaves and beer- yes beer 🍺.

If there is one thing you absolutely need for an ultimate seafood boil, it's the sauce- a garlicky rich and savoury Cajun butter sauce is where all that flavour really comes together, that gets poured over the cooked seafood while holding some back for individual dipping bowls for further sopping.

And the best part is digging in true boil fashion- get messy with plenty of napkins nearby. Spread everything out on a big platter or right onto a table lined with parchment or butcher paper, grab some crusty bread for soaking up the extra sauce, and devour away.

Cajun Seafood Boil

Serves 4 to 6

2 lbs. small potatoes or medium potatoes, cut in half

4 fresh corn on cob, chopped into 4 to 5 pieces (use a cleaver)

6 whole (1-1/4 lbs.) live lobsters

1 lb. jumbo shrimps (shell-on)

1 lb. mussels on the half-shell

1 lb. crawfish (frozen whole, or tails), optional

1 lb. Polish or Andouille sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

The Spicy Boil Broth:

2-1/2 gallons of water

1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning

3 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

1 to 2 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes

1 can or bottle beer (optional, adds depth)

2 large onions, halved

2 heads of garlic, halved

2 lemons, halved

5 bay leaves

The Ultimate Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce:

2 cups unsalted butter

8 to 10 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

3/4 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

3/4 Tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning

1 Tbsp. paprika (for colour)

1 cup reserved boiling broth

Look for live fiesty lobsters at your fish monger.
Remove the elastic bands just before cooking.

Whack crawfish tails with the side of cleaver to loosen shells.
This also helps the butter sauce to seep into the tails.

Essential Add-Ins for a complete seafood boil

In your largest pot, bring water, beer, onions, garlic, lemon, bay leaves and broth seasonings to a roaring boil. Let it boil for five minutes so the spices open up.

The seasonings that make the boil Cajun authentic!

Beer adds depth and deliciousness

Add the potatoes, cover and let cook for 10 mins. Add the corn; cover and let cook for 5 mins. Add the lobsters, one by one, head in first. Cover and cook for about six minutes.

Add the shrimps, cover and boil for 2 mins. before adding the mussels and crawfish tails. Cover and cook for another 3 mins. or until the lobsters are bright red and the potatoes are fork-tender. Reserve 1 cup seafood broth for the sauce. 

Meanwhile, while the boil finishes, in a saucepan over medium heat, pan-fry the sausage slices until golden and set aside. Melt the butter in the same saucepan over medium-low heat. Saute the garlic until fragrant about 2 mins. Stir in the sauce seasonings and 1 cup of reserved seafood broth. Simmer for 3 mins. or until slightly thickened.

Carefully remove the lobsters onto a large platter. Strain the remaining boil a metal strainer, discard the loose boiled onions, garlic, bay leaves and set aside. *I keep the lemon halves for extra flavour squeezing tableside. Dump everything into a large platter or turkey pan, add the sausages, then pour in all/ half the sauce and keep some for individual bowls. I like to serve my whole lobsters separately, so I then top the platter with them in true luxury gourmet feast fashion. 

Well, will you just look at that!!!

Crawfish Tails Seafood Boil ready for feasting

Always need the extra scrumptious sauce for dipping

And perhaps this Cajun seafood boil is a little prelude to what’s to come.

There’s a lot more crustaceans, mollusks and fins on the horizon; my next culinary adventure is taking me to a not-too-far destination where the ocean, local traditions and some seriously good seafood are part of the story. Stay tuned... The next seafood chapter is going to be a very Canadian one 🇨🇦🦞.

'Em cute tasty tails

Next time, we will do the butcher paper-lined table experience!

Nom Nom

Full Recipe:

Cajun Seafood Boil

Serves 4 to 6

2 lbs. small potatoes or medium potatoes, cut in half

4 fresh corn on cob, chopped into 4 to 5 pieces (use a cleaver)

6 whole (1-1/4 lbs.) live lobsters

1 lb. jumbo shrimps (shell-on)

1 lb. mussels on the half-shell

1 lb. crawfish (frozen whole, or tails), optional

1 lb. Polish or Andouille sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

The Spicy Boil Broth:

2-1/2 gallons of water

1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning

3 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

1 to 2 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes

1 can or bottle beer (optional, adds depth)

2 large onions, halved

2 heads of garlic, halved

2 lemons, halved

5 bay leaves

The Ultimate Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce:

2 cups unsalted butter

8 to 10 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

3/4 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

3/4 Tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning

1 Tbsp. paprika (for colour)

1 cup reserved boiling broth

In your largest pot, bring water, beer, onions, garlic, lemon, bay leaves and broth seasonings to a roaring boil. Let it boil for five minutes so the spices open up.

Add the potatoes, cover and let cook for 10 mins. Add the corn; cover and let cook for 5 mins. Add the lobsters, one by one, head in first. Cover and cook for about six minutes.

Add the shrimps, cover and boil for 2 mins. before adding the mussels and crawfish tails. Cover and cook for another 3 mins. or until the lobsters are bright red and the potatoes are fork-tender. Reserve 1 cup seafood broth for the sauce. 

Meanwhile, while the boil finishes, in a saucepan over medium heat, pan-fry the sausage slices until golden and set aside. Melt the butter in the same saucepan over medium-low heat. Saute the garlic until fragrant about 2 mins. Stir in the sauce seasonings and 1 cup of reserved seafood broth. Simmer for 3 mins. or until slightly thickened.

Carefully remove the lobsters onto a large platter. Strain the remaining boil a metal strainer, discard the loose boiled onions, garlic, bay leaves and set aside. *I keep the lemon halves for extra flavour squeezing tableside. Dump everything into a large platter or turkey pan, add the sausages, then pour in all/ half the sauce and keep some for individual bowls. I like to serve my whole lobsters separately, so I then top the platter with them in true luxury gourmet feast fashion. 

Portuguese Octopus Rice (Arroz de Polvo Malandrinho)

 

Ola 👋 Reminiscing one of my favourite food memories from Lisbon 🇵🇹... a humble bowl of tender, melt-in-your-mouth Portuguese octopus rice, arroz de polvo 🐙🍚. Perfect for fall comfort just around the corner.

Heavenly arroz de polvo at Lisbon's best sunset rooftop resto Chapito a Mesa.

Beautiful rooftop view during sunset 

Savoury arroz de polvo at Lisbon's Maria Catita.

So naturally, being Susan's savour-it (favourite), I had to recreate it; And for such a seemingly luxurious dish, it is a cinch to cook. But I have to say, it was three times to charm.

There is something so beautiful about this dish. It is simple, rustic Portuguese cooking at its best. Just a few ingredients, but every one of them matters. Octopus/squid, rice, onion, garlic, tomato, white wine, olive oil and herbs come together in a deeply flavourful broth that tastes unmistakeably of the sea. 

Traditional arroz de polvo is meant to be malandrinho, a wonderfully Portuguese style where the cooked short-grain rice stays loose and saucy, almost like a thick, brothy rice stew. It isn't about slowly coaxing starch into a creamy consistency or finishing with butter and Parmesan in a traditional risotto. The flavour comes from the broth itself, and octopus remains the star.

My little secret? Start with frozen raw octopus or large squid 🐙. Note *freezing breaks down the muscle fibres for the ultimate tenderness. The process is simple: simmer the octopus in water first. This releases incredible deep-sea flavour, creating a broth that is intensely savoury, briny and surprisingly slightly sweet. Then use the liquid bronze to cook the rice, so every grain becomes infused with the ocean.

It is one of those dishes that reminds me why I love travelling for food. You taste a place, bring the memory home, and then start playing in your own kitchen. Lisbon inspired me. My kitchen took it from there 🇵🇹💖

Portuguese Octopus Rice (Arroz de Polvo Malandrinho)

Serves 6

2 lbs (1 kg) octopus or giant squid tentacles, preferably frozen *see note above

1 medium onion, unpeeled and halved

3 bay leaves. divided
8 cups of water

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red or yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped 
½ cup dry white wine

2 cups short-grain rice, preferably Carolino or Italian 
6 cups reserved hot octopus cooking broth, plus extra as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Fresh flat-leaf parsley or kale leaves, generously chopped

If you can't find octopus, giant squid tentacles are just as good!

In a medium pot, add the cleaned octopus with the halved onion, 1 bay leaf and 8 cups of water.

Add the excess brown liquid in package. Flavour on flavour.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the octopus is tender when pierced with a fork *no need to add salt at this stage. Remove the octopus from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.

Do not discard the broth! Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve it. This essential rich, bronze and slightly pink cooking liquid is what gives the rice its distinctive depth of flavour.

Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces, leaving a few tentacles whole if you want a more dramatic presentation.

In a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions, garlic and 2 bay leaves. Saute until softened, translucent and fragrant about three minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they break down and soften, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the white wine, let it bubble and allow the alcohol to cook off for two minutes. Add the chopped octopus to the saucepan, stirring to coat them in the aromatics. Stir in the rice.

Pour in the 6 cups of reserved hot octopus broth; bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover; let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. 

During the last two minutes of cooking, stir in finely chopped kale if using, or parsley. The rice consistency should be thick and saucy. The dish is ready when the rice is cooked through. Add more broth if it needs it. Serve hot with a drizzle of EVOO at the table.

The dish should be saucy. If it seems dry, add more reserved hot broth.

Such a beautiful dramatic dish to present at the table for family or friends. Serve by itself as a hearty bowl or alongside fish and other accompaniments. This lovely was made using arborio rice which is an alright substitute for carolino or Italian rice but its a bit too starchy, and if you don't eat it right away it continues to absorb liquid and gets mushy. 

First attempt albeit dry (with Arborio rice) served with pan-fried salmon.

Missing our Lisbon girl's getaway trip in May (In Cascais)

Full Recipe:

Portuguese Octopus Rice (Arroz de Polvo Malandrinho)

Serves 6

2 lbs (1 kg) octopus or giant squid tentacles, preferably frozen *see note above

1 medium onion, unpeeled and halved

3 bay leaves. divided
8 cups of water

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red or yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped 
½ cup dry white wine

2 cups short-grain rice, preferably Carolino or Italian 
6 cups reserved hot octopus cooking broth, plus extra as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Fresh flat-leaf parsley or kale leaves, generously chopped

In a medium pot, add the cleaned octopus with the halved onion, 1 bay leaf and 8 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the octopus is tender when pierced with a fork *no need to add salt at this stage.

Remove the octopus from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.

Do not discard the broth! Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve it. This rich, slightly pink cooking liquid is what gives the rice its distinctive depth of flavour.

Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces, leaving a few tentacles whole if you want a more dramatic presentation.

In a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions, garlic and 2 bay leaves. Saute until softened, translucent and fragrant about three minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they break down and soften, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the white wine, let it bubble and allow the alcohol to cook off for two minutes. Add the chopped octopus to the saucepan, stirring to coat them in the aromatics. Stir in the rice. 

Pour in the 6 cups of reserved hot octopus broth; bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover; let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. 

During the last two minutes of cooking, stir in finely chopped kale if using, or parsley. The rice consistency should be thick and saucy. The dish is ready when the rice is cooked through. Add more broth if it needs it. Serve hot with a drizzle of EVOO at the table.