LOCAL FLAVOUR: Big boots, big goal

Bill Shokar’s got big boots to fill. As do the rest of the fire fighters at the New Westminster Fire Department, many of whom will be trying to stuff their boots with money to support Muscular Dystrophy research in their annual Boot Drive this weekend. It’s a cause near and dear to fire departments around the province whose association with the Muscular Dystrophy Association goes back more than 50 years. In New West, a team of about 15 firefighters crawled the city’s pubs on Friday night, looking for patrons willing to bend their elbow to drop donations into their boots. Accompanied by a bagpiper and a drummer, they were hard to ignore in even the loudest establishment. Today, firefighters will be deployed, boots in hand, to the city’s shopping centres, like Columbia Square, Royal City Square, Royal Square Mall and the Westminster Centre. Their goal, says Shokar, is to raise about $10,000. Fueled by his Asian lettuce wraps, a firehall favourite, he’s confident they’ll reach it.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

Serves: 4

1 head iceberg or butter lettuce

1 lb lean ground beef

1 Tbsp cooking oil

1 large chopped onion

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tsp minced pickled ginger

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 eight-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 Tbsp pure sesame oil

Asian chili pepper sauce (optional)

Method

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry being careful not to tear them. Set the aside.

2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in one tablespoon cooking oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium in necessary. Drain and set aside to cool.

3. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chili pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in the water chestnuts, green onions and sesame oil. Continue cooking for two minutes.

4. Now add the ground beef and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat.

5. Arrange the lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter and pile the meat mixture in the centre. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito.

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