October 23, 2015
Here is another pre-scheduled post because I am either en route to or just arrived in Italy and wanted to keep you entertained and informed. I made the recipe just before I left for Milan, with only you in mind:). This is an easy hummus, or a sandwich spread, or a vegetable dip that is worth having in your repertoire. I make it with canned organic garbanzo beans and one roasted red pepper (freshly roasted... View Article
September 29, 2015
If you were to look in my freezer one thing that you would always find is a bag with candied buts, often hazelnuts. I use them as an extra item to add to salads, savoury grain dishes, along with cheese, desserts, over breakfast oatmeal, in pancakes or waffles, I’ll stop here but you get the picture. Sometimes I buy instead of making them and we have a few good sources for buying them prepared, but... View Article
September 25, 2015
I am alone at home for the week but that doesn’t keep me away from the kitchen. Sometime in my evolution as a wife and a mother I fell in love with cooking and begun an affair with my kitchen. I was lucky to have a wonderful, warm and comfortable kitchen at Trail’s End (our previous home) where I could acquire culinary skills, express my artistic abilities and develop a style of my own. As in... View Article
September 9, 2015
When we were in Spain we were lucky to be in Barcelona during the calçot season and I wrote about the experience here. Calçot is a type of scallion or green onion, only it is grown in a special way that makes it much thicker, more like the size of a slender leek. It is a specialty of Catalunya and the Calçot from Valls in Tarrragona (a province of Catalunya) has a a DOC status... View Article
August 12, 2015
One of the local organic farms here grow lovely baby artichokes and whenever I go there I clean up their daily harvest of these little gems. Today I thought I’d cook them to a golden crispiness in olive oil, although I forgot about grilling them, that would have been good as well. So many options, so little time. Trimming a full grown artichoke is a bit of an undertaking but well worth it. The little... View Article
August 5, 2015
Roasted garlic is useful in the kitchen and very easy to make. Roasting makes the garlic mild and slightly sweet and the texture becomes creamy and spreadable. Use it to: Spread on a pizza before piling other ingredients Fold into mashed potatoes Add to pasta Add to sauces Add to soups Serve as a spread with crostini Make roasted garlic oil Add wherever a mild garlic flavour is desired Keep in mind it is... View Article
April 27, 2015
I have been waiting for artichokes to arrive and they finally have. Nothing says spring to me like these compact soldiers wrapped in protective layers of thorny armor. I have written more about them here. Once you get past the initial intimidation this not-so-familiar vegetable tends to cause, you find that it really is a rather simple affair to work with. You slice it through the middle, peel back the thorny leaves around the stem... View Article
April 17, 2015
I was organizing my pantry the other day, determined to simplify and use what’s there. I am not a “shopping list” shopper and inevitable my pantry gets filled with stuff that excites me one moment and then languishes on the shelves, forgotten. One of these items was a bottle of Asian dipping sauce that looked enticing so I thought I’d make a few salad rolls to use the sauce with. They are always fun and... View Article
April 6, 2015
The simplest way to prepare artichokes is to boil them in lemony water and serve with lemon butter. To eat them you peel back each leaf and scrape the fleshy part at the bottom of the leaf with your teeth. It’s not the most graceful way to eat but can be quite interesting, raising the leaf to your lips, closing your teeth on the flesh and slowly pulling the leaf back with the silky, fleshy... View Article
January 26, 2015
Last week we headed west of the Mayan Riviera to Merida to explore the Gulf of Mexico side of the Yucatan Peninsula. The Yucatan Peninsula separates the Caribbean sea from the Gulf of Mexico and includes three states: Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche. The Yucatan is home to the Mayan people and is distinct from the rest of Mexico by its culture and cuisine. The new double lane highway from Cancun to Merida now has... View Article
January 26, 2015
One item that appears on almost every plate here in the Yucatan peninsula are the brightly coloured pickled red onions. If you look at any cook’s kitchen here you are sure to find a jar or a dish of this lovely condiment hanging around to be used with just about every food other than dessert. There are various ways of making these pickled onions but what is unique here is that they make them with... View Article
January 14, 2015
Don’t be mad at me. I am writing this post sitting on a lounge chair on the beach at Chac Al Hal Bay with my toes in the cool white sand and gaze occasionallyat the unparalleled view of turquoise waters, a few palapas and a fishing boat or two in the distance. The Christmas crowd has come and gone and the resort village is back to the few die hard regulars that fell love with... View Article
