September 3, 2016
With the abundance of ripe and delicious tomatoes out now we use them every day in some form: salads, sauces, jams, gazpacho, tarts and more. We haven’t tired of them yet and by the time we do, it will be the end of their season and we will move on to something else. This is the beautify of eating seasonal food, before you have had your fill, they are gone. Since for me a meal without... View Article
August 31, 2016
Here is a recipe for yellow beans using the tomato vinaigrette from the previous post. Serve it warm or at room temperature but not cold as the oil in the dressing needs to be liquid (it thickens in the fridge). Yellow beans are soft and buttery and the acidity in the vinaigrette compliments them beautifully. Substitute green beans if you don’t have the yellow variety. To cook, steam the beans or cook them in boiling... View Article
August 26, 2016
Summer beets are completely different species than their winter counterpart. In the summer beets are fresh, cook quickly and their natural sugars come forward in a subtle and delicious way. I prefer roasting beets (unless I intend to pickle them) as roasting brings out their flavours beautifully. I don’t trim them too much before cooking, to avoid the juices from running and some of the flavour with them. It’s not a bad idea to wear thin... View Article
August 18, 2016
The larger zucchini that have grown to a considerable diameter can be used for many things, one being a base for mini “pizza” rounds. This is kind of fun as an appetizer and if you use prepared toppings, it’s not that much work to prepare. I had small jars of pizza sauce and artichoke pesto from William Sonoma that I needed to use and were perfect for this little recipe. You can get more creative... View Article
August 16, 2016
Cauliflower has a love-hate affair with foodies. Some love it some don’t. I am on the love-it camp and especially so when it is roasted. Roasting cauli brings out wonderful flavours, completely different than when you steam it. The cauliflower “steaks” became trendy a while back and it’s not a bad way of preparing them. You cut the cauli into thick slices through the stem and end up with beautifully shaped floral portions that you... View Article
August 10, 2016
Corn in Kelowna is wonderful. We get it directly from the growers, freshly picked that morning and still cool from early morning breeze. The season for corn is fairly short so we try to take advantage of it and include corn in much of our summer cooking. Corn should be cooked soon after you buy it as it tends to convert its sugars into starch and loses the crisp texture and sweet flavour quickly. I... View Article
August 1, 2016
Part of the fun of cooking is discovering what fruits and vegetables are in season and focusing on seasonal produce while it is available and in its best form. Although today we can get almost all produce all of the time, fruits and veggies are best when they are local and in season. One of the summer pleasure are beets in all their varieties. Lusciously red and golden or playfully candy striped beets are available... View Article
May 23, 2016
One of my go to dishes in Indian restaurants is Aloo Gobi, a vegetable dish made by cooking potatoes and cauliflower together with spices and a little water. Traditionally I think they add green peas at the end. I didn’t have any peas today but I added a couple of tomatoes to the dish, not necessarily authentic but it worked for me. For us a dish like that is a simple dinner but of course... View Article
May 11, 2016
Mashed potatoes are nice to play with now and then. They make a good canvas for a variety of flavours. Being the starch lover that I am I make them often and try to vary them once in a while, this time with cauliflower and a little steamed kale. I cooked the potatoes together with the cauliflower (you can cook them separately if you wish) to save on washing another pot. When they were cooked... View Article
March 2, 2016
If you haven’t been using fennel in your cooking I encourage you to try it. It has a crisp texture and anise-like flavour that may take getting used to but once you do, it’s very attractive. Fennel makes a beautiful base for a salad and pairs well with citrus, pomegranates, olives, celery, Belgian endive and a few cheeses, such as parmesan, pecorino and mild blue cheese. For a salad I like to slice it thinly... View Article
February 27, 2016
Small potatoes and tender green beans pair well in this easy salad for a lazy day in the kitchen. I made a big bowl of it and kept it out of the fridge for a help yourself lunch or snack for the day. A drizzle of olive oil, splash of white wine vinegar (optional) and liberal sprinkle of pink Himalayan sea salt is all this salad needs for a dressing. Of course you can embellish... View Article
February 22, 2016
One interesting thing I observed in Italy is that they do not mix foods on a plate. Vegetables, at least in restaurants, are served on separate plates and generally brought to you in sequence, not all together. I am told by my Italian “crew” here that in private homes they do serve more than one thing on a plate, but not in restaurants. So, trying to extend our Italian adventure right here in my kitchen,... View Article
