Shop with a Chef: Brenda Cortes Castrejon of Doña Cata

By Murray Bancroft

Brenda Cortes Castrejon insists she’s not a
classically trained chef—and it shows: her honest, simple food reflects training rooted in family recipes, years of practice and rural Mexico. Castrejon’s widowed grandmother, Doña Cata, opened a meat shop and tacqueria in Villa de Ayala, Mexico—birthplace of Emilio Zapata, the revolutionary—that she would operate with the family for 45 years. She passed on her butchering skills, love of cooking, and, eventually, her well-guarded recipes to Castrejon.
On September 2, 2006—the day after her late grandmother’s birthday—Castrejon opened Doña Cata in East Vancouver (5438 Victoria Dr., 604-436-2232). She buys epazote, a savoury herb, at Los Guerreros Latin Market (102-3317 Kingsway, 604-451-7850). She sautés it with mushrooms and jalapeño peppers, and serves it over corn tortillas with mozzarella cheese. On the Drive, Castrejon shops at El Sureno Market (1730 Commercial Dr., 604-253-5017) for poblano chilies—she removes
the skins and stuffs the chilies with pork,
almonds and raisins, swimming in red tomato cream salsa. Fresh tomatillos and
jalapeños from Horizonte Imports (604-597-5089) are used in eight different varieties of salsa (her favourite combines green and red tomatoes, peanuts, chipotle and spicy chile de arbol). All are available for purchase at Doña Cata. Castrejon benches the overplayed Caesar salad for diced cactus leaves (also available at the restaurant) tossed with tomato, onion, cilantro, lemon, canola oil and feta cheese. And to drink: she suggests Horchata, made with cinnamon, sugar and water; or ground melon seeds, milk, cinnamon and sugar. Ole!

Mini Review: The Market

Skip Costco—for your next dinner party for 10, or 200, hit The Market Gourmet Foods. It’s the retail outlet for the Whitefish Group, a brand management company that imports dry foods and beverages and distributes them to restaurants and grocery stores around the city. (Whitefish introduced Seattle’s Best Coffee to Canada in the early ’90s, and also designed and built Yaletown’s George Ultra Lounge.) Sparkling water, olive oils, pasta, herbal teas, even gourmet cake mixes are available in singles, case lots or entire palettes. Pull into the drive-through lane and the helpful staff will load your car. 450 W. Second Ave., 604-708-0173. Open Monday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Whitefishmarket.ca.

Hot Buy: Cook Sharp

Most travelling chefs can get down to business in any kitchen—so long as they have their knives. From the weight in your hand to the rocking motion of the blade, a knife becomes an extension of your arm. If your kitchen holds a burial mound of dull blades with dishwasher-grey handles, listen up. The classic, yellow-handled Chef’s knife from Henckel will not only sharpen your skills but replace at least five of those dullards in your knife block. Used by many pros, this staple blade slices and dices at a price you won’t have to make in three easy installments. Dunlevy Food Equipment ($26.60, eight-inch; $30.40, 10-inch), 60 W. Seventh Ave., 604-873-2236. Dunlevyfoodequipment.com.—M.B.

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