September 2, 2021
This is a no-recipe salad you can whip up in no time and it goes well with many dishes. I know it as an Israeli salad and there it is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. To make dice tomatoes and cucumbers and chop an onion, combining them in a bowl. Quantities are up to you. Make sure you keep all the juices from cutting the tomatoes in the bowl. Add a big handful of... View Article
May 29, 2021
What kind of salad do you like? This is a bitter greens salad with ripe fresh figs, Gorgonzola dolce, caramel walnuts and a honey vinaigrette. Not too bitter…not too sweet…it is just right….Use radicchio, endive and some other mild greens for balance and colour (not arugula, it will be too much bitter). Toast walnuts with a little sugar in a skillet until sugar melts and caramelizes around the walnuts. Let them dry on parchment .... View Article
May 29, 2021
Not much kitchen work this morning as we were planting a few more herbs and edible flowers on the rooftop patio. I did fire up the grill briefly for this grilled romaine with croutons, Parmesan and capers crunched up in a skillet, all nicely married with a simple vinaigrette. Going to enjoy it outside. To make, heat up a grill or a grill pan (preferably ridged) to high heat. Cut the romaine in half vertically... View Article
May 28, 2021
I haven’t blogged in ages but thought I should put all my instagram recipes to the blog for ease of searching. I use the blog, at least in the past, as my own little cookbook reminding me of recipes I made and I my kids use it now and then to make things they remember from home. I believe that I have disconnected the mailing list at least temporarily now that I am doing an... View Article
May 21, 2020
Spring salads are so good because this is the time farmers get their first greens and the quality os superb. This is a simple salad made with thinly sliced ribbons of cucumbers and zucchini, beautiful local radishes and local fresh ricotta, all brought together with fresh dill, shoots, lemon and dill oil. If you are not inclined to make dill oil use good olive oil.
September 5, 2019
Sage pesto Here is an easy recipe for a pesto that doesn’t use basil and goes well with vegetables. Sage grows in my rooftop garden as a perennial that comes back strong and vigorous every year. In fact I had to cut it back early in the season to prevent it from going too wild. I make this pesto much like a basil pesto but changed the core ingredients to sage and pistachios or walnuts... View Article
July 17, 2019
This year we have a profusion of nasturtiums growing on our rooftop patio. They are edible (no pesticides here), and peppery flowers and leaves and can be incorporated as garnish or otherwise into food I cook. Here are a couple of simple ideas that are easy to execute and fun to make and serve. Nasturtium butter Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature 3 tablespoons or so chopped nasturtium flowers About 3... View Article
May 18, 2018
A good lunch salad is an art and takes a little imagination but it doesn’t have to be complicated. I was leafing through a Donna Hay cookbook last night when saw a fennel and chicken salad and decided to translate it to a vegetarian version and change the dressing. I liked the croutons idea so went with that. The fennel has to be sliced thinly, like they do in Italy, and then marinated for... View Article
October 25, 2017
I never tire of potato salads and although I make them mostly in the summer when potatoes are garden fresh, this year I am extending the season as the weather is not that bad. My friend Philly gave me a bag of organic potatoes the other day and I made good use of them, transforming some into a leek and potato soup and the rest into this delicious salad. I usually steam potatoes rather than... View Article
May 15, 2017
When vegetables are fresh and tender in the spring I like to combine them with lentils to make different salads. The idea here is to build a few layers of flavours and textures so every bite has a surprise. This salad is good served warm or at room temperature. Today I had crisp white baby turnips fresh from the market and thick local spring asparagus from Osoyoos in the south Okanagan. For a tangy note I... View Article
January 18, 2017
Salads are always welcome as part of lunch or dinner, and sometimes they make lunch or dinner. This is a refreshing winter salad incorporating the segments and juice of a pink grapefruit into both the salad and the dressing. The salad itself is a blend of winter vegetables and greens, meaning it does not call for tender summer salad leaves but rather for sturdier vegetables like green and red cabbage, romaine, red peppers, celery, carrots... View Article
October 27, 2016
Roasting peppers transforms their flavour and texture and makes them versatile and adaptable to many dishes. I almost always have roasted peppers in the fridge, marinating in a little olive oil and flavoured with garlic, salt and pepper. I add them to grains and legumes, use them to top pizza or bruschetta and to make sauces and soups but my favourite way to eat roasted pepper is as they are an a salad. Since the... View Article
