March 20, 2014

Spain – Vermut en Grifo: Vermouth on tap with fried almonds and olives

When we travel I watch for and try to learn about local customs, especially in food and culture. One of the customs I noticed here in Spain is that the locals stop at a bar for a glass of vermut (vermouth) on tap as an aperitivo before lunch or dinner. Bars here by the way are not just for drinks. It’s a general term for places where you can stop by for coffee, lunch or dinner,... View Article

March 17, 2014

Free Form Spring Lasagna

It has taken me a long time to make the adjustment from cooking for five to cooking for two. I had to completely change my thinking and uncharacteristically begin to “think small” in the kitchen. Lasagna is one of those dishes that needed an adjustment. The large pans of lasagna no longer made sense for just the two of us. I am not a big fan of freezing things. Once it’s in the freezer it... View Article

March 16, 2014

Quick Rice and Veggies

It’s good to be back in my kitchen. I am slowly adjusting to being back and “having” to cook for the two of us after three months of restaurants, markets, cafes, tapas bars, cooking classes and foodie tours. I am going to cook some of the foods we experienced on the trip but for now I want to cook “my” kind of food, simple and vegetarian. My daily style of cooking at home is focused... View Article

March 13, 2014

Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

So it’s spring and I am cooking with asparagus again. I am posting this together with the white asparagus recipe in another post in celebration of a new season and a new crop of veggies. This is what’s nice about cooking a vegetable-centred cuisine, there is always something new and exciting. Asparagus is one of my favourite vegetables, green or white. I consider it a delicacy when used in season and as soon as the... View Article

March 13, 2014

White Asparagus with Warm Macadamia Pesto

As I write these words asparagus spears in France, Holland, Spain, California and elsewhere are beginning to push out from below the soil reaching for the first rays of sun to fuel the photosynthesis process and turn them green. This is true for green asparagus but not so for white. White asparagus, the same species as the green, remains white because it is grown in the dark under a mound of soil (and sometimes black plastic... View Article

February 27, 2014

Paris – What Parisians Line Up For

Generally speaking I don’t line up for anything, even if it’s good. I have no patience I guess. I’ll get it another time or not at all. And even if I find myself in the inevitable short line now and then I want it to move fast. Let’s move it people. But in Paris it’s different. I noticed that Parisians do line up for things they consider worthwhile, and do so patiently and agreeably. Food... View Article

February 26, 2014

Spain – Stuffed Dates with cheese and walnuts

I haven’t been posting many recipes lately so I thought I’d offer this simple one to go with my last post since we drove through date palm groves on the way up from Marbella to Barcelona. Here is a simple but delicious way to make a different kind of “tapa” that I have seen served here and sold in food stores. You can serve it as  part of a tapas offering or with a cheese... View Article

February 26, 2014

Spain – Drive from Marbella to Barcelona (and chasing a single olive tree harvest)

It was hard to leave Andalucia. The blue Mediterranean, olive groves, white villages, fragrance of orange blossoms and unique sense of culture lure you with their beauty, enticing you to stay. We loved our few weeks in Andalucia, travelling to many cities and towns along the coast and farther inland, exploring the history, culture and food. Many of these places I haven’t yet written about but will in upcoming posts. We explored Andalucian cuisine, both at... View Article

February 24, 2014

Spain – Costa del Sol: Malaga and a towed car adventure

I hate to tell this to my Canadian friends who are experiencing minus 20℃ temperatures right now but we just came back from spending a balmy plus 20℃ degree day on the beautiful Costa del Sol on the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain. Life  sometimes is not fair:). We are staying in Puerto Bañus, the flamboyant community on the west side of Marbella (moving to Marbella tomorrow) and travelling up and down the Costa del... View Article

February 16, 2014

Spain – Costa del Sol – Mijas and Sugared Almonds

The Costa del Sol consists of several towns built from the beach to the hilltops above. There is hardly a break between towns and you can drive from one to the next without really noticing you left one and entered another. It’s a major tourists destination and there are probably hundreds of thousands of hotel rooms in the various resorts as well as apartments and homes as far as the eye can see. One interesting... View Article

February 12, 2014

Spain – Marbella and Puerto Bañus

Picture this. You arrive at Marbella’s harbour on your super yacht. You are whisked away by the on-board helicopter to your hilltop sprawling estate (it covers the entire top of the hill). Your chauffeur is polishing your Bentley at the end of the driveway and your personal assistant is putting together the list of social invitations for the week for you to choose from. Yes, this is life. Not my life, but somebody’s.    ... View Article

February 11, 2014

Spain – A Drive to Marbella

We left beautiful Sevilla on a Saturday, driving down to our next destination Marbella on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. It’s a beautiful drive through rolling hills , agricultural landscape and picturesque white villages cascading down the hillsides along the way. The independent community of Andalucia (one of 17 such communities under the Spanish constitution) has 8 provinces within it and we were driving from the province of Seville through the Province of... View Article