September 9, 2015
When we were in Spain we were lucky to be in Barcelona during the calçot season and I wrote about the experience here. Calçot is a type of scallion or green onion, only it is grown in a special way that makes it much thicker, more like the size of a slender leek. It is a specialty of Catalunya and the Calçot from Valls in Tarrragona (a province of Catalunya) has a a DOC status... 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
September 1, 2015
Regardless of what the calendar says, it’s definitely fall when foraged mushrooms are popping up at the farmers market. I went to our Kelowna market on a rainy Saturday morning looking for my friend Scott Moran, the local forager, and I was not disappointed. Scott has a small booth at the market with only a few items available each week, depending on what he foraged in the last couple of days. You never know what... 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 26, 2015
I don’t make a lot of soups in the summer with two exceptions: tomato soups and corn soups. Making a soup with fresh tomatoes or fresh corm is a special treat that I reserve for summer cooking. A farmer nearby grows small round tomatoes that are juicy, sweet and delicious. I put a bunch of them in my Le Creuset pot with olive oil, onion, garlic and stock and a while later I have a... 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 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 19, 2015
Summer is slipping by like sand through my fingers. Can we be nearing the end of August? The hydrangeas are beginning to show signs of the approaching fall as their colour turn antique rose and on my last trip to the market there were pears and a few winter squashes alongside ripe tomatoes, cucumbers and yellow beans. I love fall but not ready to give up summer just yet. There is still summer foods to... 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
