Tag Archive: Spring

White Asparagus with Blood Oranges,Hazelnuts and white Balsamic vinaigrette

May 7, 2012

The fabulous white asparagus is only in season for a very short time in the spring and when it’s available it is a regular guest in my kitchen. The gorgeous whitish stalks remain light because they grow buried in a mound of soil where no sunlight can reach them and make them green. The white asparagus is a bit tougher than the green. Snap or cut the stalk where it is vulnerable and breaks, then... View Article

Pasta with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Mizithra

May 2, 2012

I am launching the site with a simple recipe that has been in my cooking “repertoire” for years. It is one in a “trilogy” of pasta with cherry tomatoes dishes that I make, using fresh, roasted or sautéed cherry tomatoes. I will post the rest of the trilogy recipes soon. Instead of the traditional parmesan I use aged Mizithra, a Greek cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk. Aged Mizithra comes in a white hard... View Article

Breakfast Tartine

May 2, 2012

Tartine is a French way of saying open face sandwiches. “shall I make you a  tartine” is so much more alluring than “shall I make you an open face sandwich”, is it not? Don’t they understand romance? Tartines look so beautiful and are flavourful and satisfying. When making tartines I prefer to use Poilane bread if possible, imported from France, or another good quality country loaf, home made or from a good bakery. Poilane is... View Article

Artichokes

April 18, 2012

Artichoke is truly a spring treat. Available for only a short time in early spring (let’s forget the dehydrated specimen lingering in the produce section other times of the year), you have to watch for it and catch it when it’s in its prime. I always think of an artichoke as a mysterious vegetable. Round and plump, enclosed in a protective thorny armor it challenges you to get close and discover what’s inside. One of... View Article

Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

April 18, 2012

A simple pasta dish that I make often and toss with just cherry tomatoes and garlic sauteéd in olive oil while the pasta water is heating up. If you have cherry tomatoes of different colour use them to make a rainbow effect. What could be simpler? Ingredients: 1/2 lb spaghetti 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 basket cherry tomatoes, halved 3 garlic cloves, halved 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino 1/3 cup basil or parsley, chopped... View Article

Asparagus

April 14, 2012

Asparagus – spring One of the sure sign of spring is beautiful, crisp and green asparagus popping up at the farmers markets. It’s true that you can get asparagus almost all year but there is nothing like farmer’s market asparagus in season. Asparagus is a branch of the lily family. It is planted deep in the ground and has a short growing season limited to a couple of months, barely. Asparagus is planted in trenches... View Article

Gnocchi with Sage Butter and Parmesan

April 13, 2012

A simple dish of white potato Gnocchi tossed with butter, sage and Parmesan. To add a touch of colour I still chop up a bit of flat leaf parsley for garnish. When making this recipe for just two people I use half to make the gnocchi with sage and Parmesan and freeze the other half, uncooked, to use another day. Ingredients: 1 recipe gnocchi made with white skinned potatoes 3 tablespoons butter 4-5 sage leaves,... View Article

Potato Gnocchi Basic Recipe

April 13, 2012

Here is a recipe for basic potato gnocchi. Some gnocchi recipes call for russet (baking) potatoes, some for white skinned ones. I prefer regular boiling potato variety. You do need the potato ricer though. It helps mash or rice the potatoes into perfect texture for making the gnocchi. See image in the general entry about gnocchi and under the kitchen Gear tap above. Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb. potatoes (about 2-3 potatoes, depending on the type... View Article

About Gnocchi

April 13, 2012

Every culture has its dumpling and they form an integral part of their peasant cuisine. They are inexpensive to make, hearty, filling and bring home cooked comfort to your palate and your soul. Jewish mazzo ball soup is made with mazzo ball dumplings (kneidlach), Hungarians make their delicious spatzle, grated directly over a pot of boiling water, Chinese have their pot stickers, Ukrainians their perogies and Italians have their gnocchi. All these little treasures begin... View Article

Soft Polenta Primavera (Polenta with Spring Vegetables)

April 13, 2012

Here is a twist on the traditional pasta primavera. Same topping, finished with cream is served on top of a bowl of steamy, creamy polenta. A few shavings of Parmesan or pecorino finish this up nicely. Polenta is so easy to prepare and so versatile, I am surprised it hasn’t caught on more in every day cooking here. Ingredients: 4 cups water 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1 cup cornmeal 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup grated... View Article

About Polenta

April 13, 2012

Polenta is simply cooked cornmeal of various textures (fine, medium or coarse grind). Traditionally it was cooked in a large copper lined pot over the hearth and when ready, the polenta was spilled onto a wooden board near the fire to be scooped into your bowl together with the meat or vegetables it was served with. As romantic as this sounds, polenta can be easily cooked on top of the stove in a regular pot.... View Article

Skillet Cabbage, Kale, Broccolini and Corn

April 13, 2012

Vegetables are so fun to cook. Most of us cook and serve them on their open but mingling them can produce a fun unexpected and delicious combination of textures and flavours. Cabbage can be combined with potatoes, grains and other vegetables. It is a part of almost every international cuisine and is good flavoured with Mediterranean, Asian or eastern European flavours. I slightly undercook the cabbage and kale because I like to retain their colour... View Article