October 29, 2015
Brussels sprouts begin to appear in the market at the end of the season, still clinging to their long thick stalks. It’s a thing of beauty and although I know not everyone likes them, I can’t resist them, they are so delicious. they are also pretty versatile and can be used raw in salads thinly sliced or with their leaves peeled pulled apart. They can be sautéed in butter or oil and served with lemon... View Article
September 21, 2015
I cook with seeds and grains often and thought I’d make something with quinoa for dinner. A trip to a produce stand nearby yielded a beautiful, lush shallot and a bunch of carrots that were so fresh the soil was still clinging to them. I wanted to keep things simple so I cooked the shallot in a little olive oil, added the quinoa and stirred to get it coated with the oil. I then cooked... View Article
September 17, 2015
Fresh peas have a short season and I wasn’t expecting to find any on my last market trip but what do you know, here they were. They looked crisp and fresh so I bought a large bag and brought them home. I sat with a bowl like an old fashioned mamma and shelled the cute little peas wondering what to do with them. By the time I finished shelling I knew they were going into... View Article
September 3, 2015
Vine ripe summer tomatoes are the sine qua non of my kitchen. Can’t be without them and regularly buy more than I can use. After all there are only two of us eating here, yet I buy enough for an army. You want to come over? You’d think that at my age (almost 30….NOT) I’d learn some balance but as the saying goes, A BALANCED LIFE IS A LIFE WITHOUT PASSION, and I cannot be... View Article
September 2, 2015
The bitter endives and sweet roasted beets go together nicely in a salad, balanced by the sweet and pungent gorgonzola and candied nuts. I make shredded salads like this quite often, combining whatever vegetables I have with the contrast of crunchy, sweet nuts. My system is to keep a couple of bags with candied nuts in the freezer so I can take a few when I need them and add to the salad without the... View Article
August 27, 2015
Soft inside, crispy on the outside, golden and delicious these are perfect for dinner, lunch or a snack, kind of instead of French fries. Some flavours simply go together and potatoes, olive oil, rosemary and coarse sea salt is a marriage made in culinary heaven, so simple yet so good.I shake a little paprika over the potatoes as well because i like the colour that it lends the roasted potatoes, reddish, golden, roasted. The type... View Article
August 25, 2015
A lesser known bean variety and one you should put on your market list is the yellow Italian flat beans that are available for a short time during the summer. For reasons that escape me, they are called wax beans. Young and fresh Italian beans will be flat and smooth. If they have bumps over the beans inside then they are beginning to age and will not be as tender. Since they are “Italian”, I... View Article
August 22, 2015
It is hard to describe peppers as summer food since they are available all year and in fairly good quality, but peppers grow in warm climates and are best in the summer bought at a farmers market from the grower. Red, yellow, orange, purple and green, sweet bel peppers are indispensable part of summer cooking. Chopped into salads, cut in strips for a stir fry, roasted over open flame, stuffed with grains and baked or... View Article
August 20, 2015
Is celery a seasonal vegetables? I wonder. It’s one of those vegetables that sits in the background, always available. Celery seldom gets to play a major role in recipes and we usually treat it as an aromatic, one of the vegetables that create the flavour base for soups, stews and sauces. True, it is known as a low calorie veggie, good for the snacks category for its crisp crunch, low calorie and high fiber content but... View Article
August 20, 2015
I have taken to entertain friends for a glass of wine and appetizers instead of long, multi course dinners. It gives me a chance to visit rather than be up and down preparing, plating, serving and clearing. Not that dinner entertaining is over, but now when the weather is good it’s easy to say “come for a glass of wine”. So far no one filed any complaints. Since I keep my kitchen mainly vegetarian I... View Article
August 13, 2015
Roasting a cauliflower transforms its flavour and texture, and I am sure would convert even my friend Val to loving this veggie. The sugars in the cauli caramelize and lend a smoky-sweetness that is very enticing. Cauli comes in many colours, from white to orange to purple and green. Each has a slightly different flavour profile and unlike purple beans or purple asparagus, they keep the colour during cooking. The colourful variety makes a beautiful... View Article
August 12, 2015
One of the local organic farms here grow lovely baby artichokes and whenever I go there I clean up their daily harvest of these little gems. Today I thought I’d cook them to a golden crispiness in olive oil, although I forgot about grilling them, that would have been good as well. So many options, so little time. Trimming a full grown artichoke is a bit of an undertaking but well worth it. The little... View Article
