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
August 24, 2019
I mentioned on my Instagram feed (@oliveoilandlemons) that I became intrigued by activated charcoal as an ingredient to make breads black. The look of the black bread is so dramatic and would make a beautiful background to colourful toppings. In terms of what it is and whether it’s safe to consume I read a couple fo articles but do not claim any particular knowledge of the product so do your own research if you... View Article
July 28, 2019
This summer my rooftop garden has an abundance of herbs and flowers and I am incorporating them into my food every way I can. I have already pressed them into sheets of pasta and now a similar treatment with this special bread crisps. Carta di Musica means music sheets in Italian. It describes a Sardinian crisp bread rolled so transparent that you could read music sheets through it. I am sure they mean opera... 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
January 20, 2019
As soon as we arrived in Sydney (and even before) I was looking for cooking classes teaching Asian cuisine. I was interested in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, whatever I could find. From watching hours of Masterchef Australia I knew that there is a major Asian influence on Australian cooking, likely because of the proximity to South East Asia. From watching the show it seemed like almost everyone knows how to cook Asian food... View Article
November 2, 2018
Grilling the eggplant over flames gives it a charred smoky flavour that you don’t get by roasting it in the oven. Same thing for the grilled bread. The blackened, caramelized strips on the flatbread are a good accompaniment to this eggplant dish. Having said that, if you do not have access to a grill you can still make this dish successfully roasting the eggplant in the oven and cooking the bread in a... View Article
August 30, 2018
Radishes and butter is a classic French “thing” but I have never had them with za’atar before. I found this recipe in Alison Roman’s book Dining In from which I have been cooking lately and thought I’d share it here, slightly adapted to my own kitchen. Za’atar is a middle eastern spice blend made with fresh thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, sumac and salt. You can make your own or buy a good za’atar at a middle eastern... View Article
July 30, 2018
Summer garlic is wonderful to roast and use in dips or mix with butter for garlic butter. It has a fresh flavour, different than when it is dried for winter storage. I use it as a base for pizza , not too much, just a few smears on the dough before drizzling with sauce, on crostini, in pasta dishes, add to cheese platter or serve on its own with bread and let people squeeze out the... View Article
July 26, 2018
I have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen and lately also trying dishes I have never made before. We recently spent a week in the BC mountains hiking and biking (Sun Peaks, post to come) and our days consisted of all day hikes (or biking) and then dinner at night at one of the several restaurants in the small Austrian style village. Food mostly left some to be desired except for one... 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 8, 2018
Always curious about unusual ingredients, I picked up black chickpeas on our travels and finally got around to using them. I think I brought these back from Italy, where they are known as ceci neri (black chickpeas) but I believe some variety also grows in India. When dried they look small, black and wrinkly but these littles legumes pack a lot of flavour, dare I say even stronger flavour than the regular chickpeas. I... View Article
March 3, 2018
Yes Argentina is known for its asado (meat cooked over fire) but empanadas have long been the mainstay of its cuisine. Empanada, meaning “wrapped in bread” is said to have been imported to Latin America with the Spanish who made a special double crusted pie filled with meats or vegetables. Once it landed in Latin America, this delicious morsel adapted to local style and ingredients and became what it is today: an individual pastry that... View Article
