September 16, 2019
For me bread is the thing when it comes to food. Without bread I hardly feel like I have eaten and I never serve a meal without it. Usually it would be a good sourdough from a bakery, or a great crusty french baguette, or an epi baguette with the crusty wheat shift style “elbows ready to be pulled apart. I love them all and do not discriminate but occasionally I like to... View Article
May 27, 2018
I picked up a head of black garlic at the market the other day. It is one of those exotic ingredients that have been popping up on restaurant menus and food literature and although I bought it before, this was my first attempt at using it. The head of garlic is completely black and soft to the touch. When you break it open the cloves are large and black and taste caramelized and tamarind-tangy.... View Article
May 13, 2017
Naples left a lasting impression on me. There is something about this place that speaks to you, or shall I say sings to you, belting out arias from every street corner with drama, tragedy and romance all intermingled in a timeless opera of real life. We didn’t stay there long but just long enough to know that I have to go back. Pizza in Naples (Napoli in Italian) is extraordinary: thick and chewy crust, sweet,... View Article
May 13, 2016
The kitchen for me is sort of a classroom where I can venture to learn anything that interests me at the moment. Today “lesson” was scallion pancakes that have intrigued me for quite sometime. As it is with most things, once you actually do them you realize that they are not that complicated and only require curiosity, some work, skill and willingness to try. Scallion cakes are part of Asian cuisine and I have seen... View Article
March 21, 2016
I have written about street food in Rome in this post. The two most popular street foods are pizza bianca and pizza rosa. Last night I made pizza dough just for fun and let it rise in the fridge overnight to develop flavour. today I thought I’d make pizza rossa to remind me of what it was like to have it in Rome. A dough based on 3 cups “00” flour made 4 elongated pizzas.... View Article
September 3, 2015
I can never resists fresh, ripe figs when I see them. More often than not I enjoy them fresh on their own but I also make a few things with them. They are nice roasted and served with salted orange caramel, added to salad or on top of a pizza. One thing to keep in mind about figs is that unlike other fruits, they don’t ripen sitting on your counter. They have to be picked... View Article
July 25, 2015
I brought back a flat of fresh, ripe green figs from the Italian market in Calgary. Ripe figs don’t last too long so I need to use them fast. I made a simple dinner today and thought that a couple of small pizzas with figs and a honey drizzle would be nice as part of dinner, and they were. I made them very simply, with gorgonzola on one pizza and goat cheese on the other.... View Article
May 3, 2015
I love making pizzas, and sometimes they work better than others, depending on many variables. Pizza is really about the dough. The dough needs time to ferment and develop flavour. The best pizzas are from dough I make a day in advance and let it rise in the fridge overnight, but this takes pre-planning and is not always possible. I often make a quick pizza dough and that works fine as well, but if you... View Article
February 22, 2015
I am on a bit of a roll here in the kitchen. I should spend as much time exercising. I had pizza dough that I purchased from a local Italian market in the freezer and took it out last night to thaw overnight in the fridge. This afternoon I rolled it out and made a simple pizza with tomatoes and basil and this little pear and gorgonzola flatbread just for fun, no special occasion. Pear... View Article
August 28, 2013
I am still on a bit of a roll with pizza on the grill and this crisp bread is just another form of pizza shaped into a rectangle and cut crosswise to serve with a glass of vino. This crisp bread ended up on the boat and enjoyed on a sunset sail (minus the wine, we don’t drink and sail:) on the beautiful Okanagan lake. It was just the two of us on the boat... View Article
August 20, 2013
I was up at the Mission Hill Winery store a while ago and bought one of their chef’s heirloom tomato jam in a jar. I finally got around to opening the jar and liked the sweet and tangy, honeyed flavour. I can think of a few ways to use it but today it is going to top a quick pizza I am making on the grill in my outdoor kitchen. I didn’t make the dough... View Article
July 16, 2013
What? Potatoes and pizza? I am in. I have had a few potato pizzas here and there, the most memorable one at the exquisite Crazyweed in Canmore a while back. At Crazyweed they call theirs Bella Pizza and it has pesto, rosemary-crusted potatoes, mushrooms, charred onion and parmesan. It’s not the most common combination for pizza topping but a delicious and satisfying one just the same. If you are a foodie you look for new... View Article
