Tag Archive: Vegetables

Red and golden beet salad with walnut-balsamic vinaigrette

August 6, 2015

Cooking is an aesthetic experience. Before I even start to cook I may browse through beautiful food images in books and magazine and get inspired by an image, a colour, a combination of ingredients, a table setting. It’s already beautiful. Then I landscape the countertop with the cooking ingredients: colourful vegetables, fresh herbs, exotic spices, crusty bread, beautiful bottles of oil.  The cooking itself is also aesthetic: flames rising to touch food on the grill,... View Article

Pasta with summer zucchini and red pepper

July 21, 2015

Here is a quick and simple pasta recipe that I make with fresh market vegetables. This time zucchini and a sweet red pepper combine with short pasta  to make a light dish that can be served warm or at room temperature as a summer meal on the patio. A good baguette, a drizzle of olive oil and crisp green salad with a simple vinaigrette is all you need to go with it, if anything at... View Article

Israeli salad

July 11, 2015

A salad in Israel is a ritual. They have it with every meal, including breakfast but it is not necessarily the green leafy salad we are used to here (although they do have green leafy salads loaded with good stuff there as well). The traditional Israeli salad is made with ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, sweet red pepper and a sweet and pungent white onion and then you can add lots and lots of chopped flat... View Article

Potatoes and broccolini Sauté

June 7, 2015

Here is a simple dish to make with either baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes. I steam them first and then sauté in olive oil. I add the broccolini towards the end of the cooking so they finish cooking together. You could cook the broccolin i sep[arately and combine them at the end if you wish. If you don’t have broccolini you could use red pepper or broccoli instead. There are two camps in culinary circles... View Article

Joy Road Alfresco Dinner and Grilled Local Asparagus recipe

May 26, 2015

I just came back from another fabulous dinner event at God’s Mountain Estate in Penticton, a dinner catered by the incomparable Dana and Cameron of Joy Road Catering. These signature events they call alfresco dinners are held throughout the season (May to October) at the B&B overlooking beautiful Skaha lake. This evening it rained when we arrived and Dana and her team set the long table under cover on the porch overlooking the lake, so... View Article

Orzo with radicchio, broccolini and Feta

May 21, 2015

I haven’t spent much time in the kitchen this week. I have discovered the Apex Trail leading up to the top of Knox Mountain and got completely hooked on the hike and the area and have been going there every day. I hope this enthusiasm continues through the summer and fall because it is such a good workout in a gorgeous setting with spectacular Okanagan views. I do pack a lunch, enjoy it on top... View Article

Artichokes alla romana – it’s spring

April 27, 2015

I have been waiting for artichokes to arrive and they finally have. Nothing says spring to me like these compact soldiers wrapped in protective layers of thorny armor. I have written more about them here. Once you get past the initial intimidation this not-so-familiar vegetable tends to cause, you find that it really is a rather simple affair to work with. You slice it through the middle, peel back the thorny leaves around the stem... View Article

Asparagus with Soy caramel – from Mollie Katzen Heart of the Plate

March 31, 2015

Once in a while I like cooking with Asian flavours and asparagus lends itself beautifully to Asian flavour profile. One of my favourite recipes was from Barbara Tropp’s book, it was either China Moon or The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking. I no longer have either of these books and a quick peek on Amazon shows they are selling for almost $200 each, likely because they are long out of print. Of course I had... View Article

Grilled zucchini with herbed crumbs

March 21, 2015

I am a little under the influence of opera at the moment. The London Royal Opera broadcasted their Flying Dutchman Wagner’s opera to movie theatres worldwide and of course I never miss a performance if I can help it. This production ended on a tragic note, with the doomed Hollander taking off to the raging seas believing, mistakenly, that his last hope for redemption, his beloved Senta, was unfaithful, therefore unknowingly punishing him to eternal... View Article

Roasted cauliflower with chickpeas, pine nuts and tahini sauce

February 18, 2015

A while ago I attended a special dinner at Mission Hill Winery in Kelowna. The dinner was held in their Chagall room where a long table was set with linen, flowers and crystal and dinner was served family style. The Chef served a dish of roasted cauliflower and chickpeas that was just my kind of food. I adapted it to my vegetarian cooking style omitting the prosciutto that he draped over the dish. I didn’t... View Article

Merida: Oliva Kitchen and Bar and Chopped Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

January 28, 2015

I have taken a liking to salads that are composed of many vegetables, all finely chopped and tossed together in a harmonious pile. They are easier to eat than a large leafy salad and the flavours blend together so nicely with the dressing, just my kind of thing. I have had one such salad recently on a side trip to Merida last week. We went there to take a cooking class at Los Dos cookings... View Article

Puerto Aventuras – Rajas Poblanas from Chef Danny at Latitude 20

January 22, 2015

The weekly cooking classes at Latitude 20 restaurant are packed every week. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn authentic Mexican and other South American cooking from the knowledgeable Chef Danny and meet other people in the community who clearly have an interest in learning about local cuisine. Although no reservations are required to attend the class (you can just show up) Danny is never phased by the number of people (anywhere from 20 to almost 40)... View Article