September 16, 2013
Once in a while I make fritters. I don’t deep fry them in oil but rather cook them on a lightly oiled electric griddle, much like you would cook pancakes. They are delicious and can be served as an “entree” of a vegetarian meal, or if you make them small they are nice as an appetizer. I posted other fritters recipes a while back here and here and they generated a lot of traffic on the... View Article
September 15, 2013
Beets are abundant n the markets right now and I have been taking advantage of this and buying them in red, yellow, pinkish and the striped varieties. (It’s kind of like buying clothes I like, give me one in very colour:). I roast them, make them into a chilled soup, add them to salads, pickle them or shred them and bake in foil with a pat of butter, salt and pepper. Summer beets Pickled beets... View Article
September 14, 2013
Eggplants come in a variety of shapes and colours. The dark purple or black is the most widely available eggplant but there are pink, white and even striped varieties. Have you used the striped pink eggplants before? I believe it is called Listada di Gandia. There is some controversy about its origin. Some say it came from Spain, others say from France. Regardless, it is mostly considered now an Italian variety. I guess the Italianos claimed it... View Article
September 4, 2013
I like simple foods but the food needs to taste good and look pretty. Tartines lend themselves to all these requirements: they are simple to prepare, flavourful and look so beautiful. Tartine is a perfect lunch. You can add a bowl of soup or pair it with a salad for lunch or serve it by itself as a lunch, light dinner or even a snack. I love tartines so much that I have a special... View Article
August 27, 2013
Earlier this season I planted a little flat leaf parsley seedling on the patio and somehow, in no time it grew into a huge plant with beautiful flat leaves packed with flavour. Who knew these herbs can grow like that? In Calgary I could barely make it survive. Now I have several herbs in the rooftop garden and can step outside at any time to pick fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, basil (green and purple, sorrel,... View Article
August 15, 2013
Ever since we bought our rooftop abode in Kelowna a couple of years ago we have been talking about having an outdoor kitchen installed on the north side of the patio. I like to cook and thought it would be nice to have an additional kitchen outdoors that would be handy for entertaining, perhaps informal cooking classes for friends, food photography or just for us to have fun with it. Roasted corn with ancho-chili butter... View Article
August 8, 2013
Broccoli salads were not part of my cooking repertoire until recently. I don’t know why I never made them before. Maybe it is because of the mushy broccoli salads on buffet tables, I have seen too many of those. Once I started making them though I cannot seem to stop. Broccoli can make a beautiful crunchy salad that is full of flavour and family and friends seem to enjoy it. There are never any leftovers.... View Article
August 5, 2013
During the summer I make many vegetarian salad dinners and because most people are so concerned about having a visible protein as part of every meal (I am not) I add a legume salad to appease the uninitiated (and also because I love legumes:). Lentils are wonderful legumes that pair well with many vegetables and dressings and are very easy to cook. For salads I prefer the smaller lentils, preferably the du Puy variety, because... View Article
July 29, 2013
My sister-in-law Tali is visiting from overseas and needless to say I put her to work in the kitchen preparing some of my favourite foods from Israel that she is an expert in making. Tali is a natural cook who knows instinctively what goes with what and how much of this or that to put in the dish. We have been having fun cooking in the kitchen for our group of 7 (vegetarian and non-vegetarians).... View Article
July 16, 2013
What? Potatoes and pizza? I am in. I have had a few potato pizzas here and there, the most memorable one at the exquisite Crazyweed in Canmore a while back. At Crazyweed they call theirs Bella Pizza and it has pesto, rosemary-crusted potatoes, mushrooms, charred onion and parmesan. It’s not the most common combination for pizza topping but a delicious and satisfying one just the same. If you are a foodie you look for new... View Article
July 11, 2013
Here is the recipe for the potato vegetable salad that I prepared for the Diner en Blanc the other day. As far as I am concerned it’s a full meal deal but also makes a nice substantial salad to serve alongside other foods. Make it with small new potatoes cut in half or quartered and add corn, green peas, green beans, radishes, green onion, shredded radicchio and whatever else strike your fancy. I like adding... View Article
July 9, 2013
I have written about fava beans here so I will not repeat the information except to say that Fava beans are a special summer treat that requires a little work. Not only you have to remove the beans out of their comfortable, cushiony pod, but you also need to pop each individual bean out of its protective waxy shell. But , you have done more difficult things and I assure you your effort will be... View Article
