May 23, 2012
Our friend Randy just came back from Germany with a few pictures of spring restaurant dishes that he shared with me. One was a fabulous looking white radish salad served with a couple of slices of crusty country bread that looked inspiring. Of course I immediately headed to the market here in Kelowna and my fridge right now looks like a radish patch. I bought radishes of all kinds and colours, lots of them, including... View Article
May 23, 2012
Here is the third instalment in the risotto “series”. See Basic Risotto Here and Spring Asparagus Risotto here. I decided to break the “series” up a bit so it’s not all risotto because I have been cooking so many other fun things and eager to share them on the blog. So, back to risotto. Once you have made a basic risotto, adding other ingredients to it can be fun and creative. Think about what is in... View Article
May 23, 2012
Cauliflower, just like the name suggests, is a large flower belonging to the cruciferous vegetable family (think broccoli, cabbage etc). The standard cauliflower is white, resulting from the flower being hidden by the leaves wrapped around it, preventing sunlight from reaching it and making it green through photosynthesis (photosynthesis produces green chlorophyl pigment making veggies green) . It also comes in orange, purple and green colours, the result of mutation. I use it mostly during... View Article
May 22, 2012
Have you joined the quinoa “club” yet? It seems that every now and then a new trend takes over the culinary world and everyone starts cooking it. Quinoa is one such phenomenon. Quinoa looks like a grain but in fact it is a seed passed on to us through the ancient Inca culture. It’s known as the super seed and its claim to fame is the fact that it is gluten free and protein rich. In... View Article
May 21, 2012
Second instalment in the risotto “series”. Here is a special spring treat – combining asparagus and risotto for a lovely lunch or dinner. Risotto lends itself to many flavours. You can add vegetables to the risotto as it cooks, or add cooked vegetables to it at the end, when it is almost done. In this recipe I add the asparagus about half way through the cooking to allow the grains and asparagus to finish cooking... View Article
May 20, 2012
Let’s talk risotto. Risotto is a fabulous culinary creation. Creamy and satisfying yet with a little bite, it has beautiful balance and engages well with many flavours. It is very simple to make and a wonderful dish to add to your culinary repertoire. I make it often either simply, minimalist style, or embellish it with seasonal vegetables and even fruits (think pears). I dedicated a whole chapter to it in my recent (unpublished) pasta book. I... View Article
May 18, 2012
Who doesn’t like potato salad? I make a few different kinds: my mother’s recipe with just mayo, carrots, and pickles, my mother-in-law’s with hard boiled eggs, an Italian one with olive oil and vinegar and a French one with wine, olive oil, red onion and shallots. Here is my recipe for the French potato salad. The wine replaces the vinegar in the Italaian version of this salad.You need to use waxy, not starchy potatoes so... View Article
May 17, 2012
Traditionally fennel is paired with orange and there are many salad recipes combining these two ingredients with various dressings. While tradition is important, so is innovation. Here is a salad combining fennel with another citrus, grapefruit this time, and a touch of exotic with a few slices of fresh mango I picked up at the Asian market the other day. I made different versions of this salad a few times while working on my salad... View Article
May 16, 2012
Filo pastry is very versatile and easy to use. It’s true that you need to work reasonably fast to prevent the filo sheets from drying, but placing a lightly wet towel over them helps keeping them moist. Filo sheets are stacked one on top of the other, about 6 sheets per roll, and then the filling is placed on the edge and the filo is rolled up, jelly roll style, encasing the filling. You need... View Article
May 9, 2012
I had three beautiful zucchinis sitting in my fridge for the last few days staring at me with anticipation every time I opened the fridge. I finally got around to taking them out, pondering how to serve them. I decided to make them into little patties or cakes, use a few for dinner tonight and freeze the rest for another occasion. I added a baking potato to the mix, for the binding texture of the... View Article
May 7, 2012
The fabulous white asparagus is only in season for a very short time in the spring and when it’s available it is a regular guest in my kitchen. The gorgeous whitish stalks remain light because they grow buried in a mound of soil where no sunlight can reach them and make them green. The white asparagus is a bit tougher than the green. Snap or cut the stalk where it is vulnerable and breaks, then... View Article
May 2, 2012
I am launching the site with a simple recipe that has been in my cooking “repertoire” for years. It is one in a “trilogy” of pasta with cherry tomatoes dishes that I make, using fresh, roasted or sautéed cherry tomatoes. I will post the rest of the trilogy recipes soon. Instead of the traditional parmesan I use aged Mizithra, a Greek cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk. Aged Mizithra comes in a white hard... View Article
