Category of: Resources

Grilled Romaine

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

Oeufs en Cocotte (baked eggs)

May 29, 2021

Morning, have you had breakfast yet? Here is a fun one if you eat eggs. I know it as a French dish, oeufs en cocotte but it’s aka shirred eggs. Basically it’s eggs baked in cream with cheese and some additions. I added asparagus and goat cheese. There is a story behind the dish. Oeufs en cocotte is a French dish named after the dish it is cooked in. A cocotte is a flat individual baking dish... View Article

Roasted Eggplant

May 28, 2021

Roasted whole eggplant is a beautiful dish that not too many people know about. It’s very middle Eastern and in season you’ll find it served in many restaurants. Let’s first start with how to buy an eggplant. It should be heavy (ie full of moisture), with shiny skin and few if any blemishes. Lighter eggplants are already dehydrated and not advised to buy. Once you buy it don’t let it linger in the fridge to... View Article

Mezze Party

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

Thai Vegetables Spring Rolls

January 6, 2021

I haven’t posted here in a while but was inspired today to post this recipe. I am more active on Instagram @oliveoilandlemons so feel free to check my Insta account for recent recipes. This little dish came today out of nowhere. I was in the mood for Asian flavours and decided to make some spring rolls. I didn’t have wrappers and didn’t feel like making them so made them with rice paper, which is done... View Article

Cucumber and zucchini ribbons salad with radishes, ricotta, lemon and dill

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.

Vegan fat free “Opera” muffins

March 9, 2020

I call these Opera muffins because I make them on Saturday morning before we go to the Met Opera live broadcast in a local theatre. In our small town they still seem to allow patrons to bring in coffee and outside food and I have developed a ritual of getting a coffee next door and enjoying a three or four hours opera in the reclining seats of the small theatre. Being a huge opera fan,... View Article

Rose, Citrus and Cinnamon Tisane

January 28, 2020

When we were is Spain travelling for a few months I kept asking for camomile tea and could not understand why I was getting such strange response from the waiters. Eventually we were at a small bar one afternoon and I ask for ….camomile tea. Oh well, not so fast. The waiter sternly advised that I can have either camomile OR tea. I immediately understood his point. Camomile is a tisane, a beverage made with... View Article

Cauliflower and chickpeas coconut curry

January 22, 2020

Sometimes I venture into different cuisines and make a curry of sorts with what I have on hand in my pantry. In the last few days I have been working on a submission to an online food photography challenge and today’s challenge (for Saturday submission) was herbs and spices. Since I pulled out all the colourful spices for a photograph, I decided to use them in a dish for dinner, hence this curry. It’s a... View Article

Charcoal Bread Sticks

January 13, 2020

You know I like to play with my food and of late I have been interested in this charcoal idea. I made charcoal burger buns a while ago that I thought looked spectacular, but it’s not an everyday thing. I was in Toronto last week visiting our daughter and her husband who just had their first baby boy, our first grandchild. As you can imagine we are all head over heels in love with the... View Article

Gougeres (cheese puffs)

December 26, 2019

Gougeres are one of my favourite things to serve as an appetizer. They are light, airy, full of cheesy flavour, can be served plain or filled with a variety of fillings. In short, they are very versatile. To go with that, they are a little tricky to make and if you have never made them before it may take you once or twice to master them, but once you do I am sure they remain... View Article

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

December 13, 2019

I adapted this recipe from Delicious Magazine after seeing it on Laura Calder’s instagram feed. The dish consists of thinly sliced potatoes (sliced on a mandolin for even thickness) that are parboiled briefly and then arranged almost upright in a skillet, drizzled with butter (I used oil) and roasted in a hot oven until crisp and golden on top, soft and creamy on the bottom. The secret to this dish is to make the potatoes... View Article