If there was one dish that is my signature summer food it would be a potato salad. I make a lot of potato salads in season using whatever I have on hand or what I find at the market that is fresh and interesting. With my gals home for the weekend eating a couple of dinners at home was a given. One dinner was more “formal” with plated dishes that stretched over a few courses,... View Article
So I had the pickled beets from another recipe and wanted to use them with the rest of the Quinoa that I had cooked the day before. Since I sliced the beets very thin I thought they would be good as carpaccio layer under the quinoa, and then topped it with roasted asparagus and beautiful green Onion I got at the market the other day. I wasn’t quite sure how to plate it so tried... View Article
Sometimes when I make gnocchi I leave them smooth and pillowy instead of pressing them against a gnocchi board or a fork to create ridges. I know that traditionally gnocchi have ridges where the sauce can cling and settle in the grooves, but it’s also okay to leave them smooth, like little pillows. I make gnocchi often, being the starch lover that I am, and I have a few different ways to serve them. One... View Article
Just to vary the theme a bit from pasta and potato salads I thought I’d pull out the quinoa from the pantry and see what I can do with it. I had the Bob’s red Mill tri-coloured quinoa variety, meaning red, white and black little grains (seeds, actually) and I thought they’d make a nice background for roasted cauliflower. Since the weather improved here (not by much), lighter dishes are appropriate and this salad-like plate... View Article
Beets and gorgonzola is one flavour pairing that was meant to be. The smooth, creamy, slightly pungent gorgonzola set against the sweetness of the roasted beets, nutty oil and sweet and tangy balsamic crema, you have to try it to understand. The added layer of walnut oil and crunch of walnuts make this a completely irresistible salad. I cut the beetroot into equal size cubes, toss them with the dressing and then distribute the cheese... View Article
Local farm cucs are not yet available here but I found these little ones the other day at the store and made this fresh cuc salad to go with a pasta dinner. I still had the elongated French breakfast radishes from this recipe and a bag of gorgeous wild watercress from our local forager Scott Moran, so I combined them with the cucs together with lots of fresh dill from my garden. Instead of cutting... View Article
I have been thinking of making a carrot cake for some time, never getting around to actually doing it. I thought maybe making carrot muffins would get this out of my culinary “system”. We’ll see how it goes. These muffins are moist and not too sweet, letting the rich and creamy topping take a prominent role. I used the same topping for vanilla cupcakes I made a couple of days later. Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups... View Article
My trip to the local market today did not yield much. A couple of bunches of garlic scapes, a few small new carrots and local walnuts was almost all there was. However, thanks to our local professional forager Scott Moran I also got wild watercress, cattails all peeled and ready to use and a pound or so of wild morel mushrooms. I know what to do with the morels and wild watercress, check upcoming posts.... View Article
Whether you cook vegetarian or not, well cooked beans from scratch are good to have in your cooking repertoire. This simple bean dish using fresh thyme from my garden is an easy way to cook them and yields a dish that has lot of flavour. True, beans are not a quick fix because they require soaking. To soak or not to soak, that is the question. I have heard and read that you can do... View Article
The ricotta I picked at the market the other day from Bella Stella Cheese and used with the pappardelle was also good on crostini with garden herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, figs and balsamic crema. Ingredients: 6 slices bread of your choice Olive oil 2 cups ricotta Salt and pepper A handful of fresh summer herbs (chives, dill, parsley) Micro greens 3 ripe figs Balsamic crema (I used fig balsamic) Directions: Brush the bread... View Article
If you have a food processor you can whip these vegetarian burger patties in no time. Push the flavour up a notch with hot chilli sauce and add texture with crunchy vegetables and nuts. Serve as burgers with the usual trimmings, or simply as patties with the tahini sauce and a salad. Ingredients: 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 can organic chickpeas 2 scant cups oatmeal 1/2 an onion, chopped 1 teaspoon cumin 1 egg... View Article
You know that saying that you can never be too thin, too rich or eat too much pasta? Well, the last part is my ad lib but that’s how I feel. I am always ready for a delicious and comforting steamy bowl of pasta. I was at the farmers market this week and picked up fresh ricotta from a local organic cheese producer, Bella Stella Cheese from Lumby, BC. The Swiss born Igor and German... View Article
