A fusion of Asian and Mexican flavours, these tacos should be illegal. What makes these work so well is the tight and perfect fit between the sweet and crunchy exterior of the meat which is married with the sweet tang of the papaya-mango lime salsa and the creaminess of the guacamole, both of which infuse…
Salmon Carbonara with Asparagus (Pasta)
The weather in Ottawa the past few months — indeed, dating back to last fall — has been akin to some kid flicking the weather “light switch” on and off repeatedly. On Monday, many people here still needed their furnaces — and a few days later summer suddenly has arrived and we are under a…
Tagine with Merguez Sausage and Winter Vegetables
You may have noticed that for the past month at least I’ve been pretty much in a “winter” theme. Something about going cross-country skiing and shovelling snow that screams comfort food — and there are fewer better examples of comfort food than any stew. One of my very favourite stews is tagine, a North African dish so…
Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (redux)
If you love moist, tender cookies, here’s a great gluten-free cookie recipe that everyone is sure to love. Trust me – no one will notice the absence of the wheat flour – they’ll just be going, “Mmm, wow, what are these delicious cookies?!” And, yes, that is “banana” in the title of the recipe. What…
Maple Glazed Salmon with Thai Basil and Meyer Lemon
Here’s a dish that is great any time of year: either done in the oven or, if the weather permits, on a cedar plank on the barbecue. What puts this dish over the top in my opinion is the Meyer lemon zest. When I first concocted this, I used regular lemons. Then, a few years ago when…
Braised Red Cabbage with Apples
Few cooking techniques are as decidedly “winter” as braising. The method telegraphs a slow, lazy day of cooking — and it proclaims comfort food … and nothing says Sunday dinner better than braised comfort food. If you’re even the slightest bit ‘iffy’ about cabbage, trust me, this will make a convert of you. Anne has dubbed this…
Cookbook Review: Baked Elements
Baked Elements: Our Ten Favorite Ingredients Authors: Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito Price: $37.5o Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang (September 1, 2012) ISBN: 978-1584799856 So this is a review that has been a long time coming … and no, it isn’t because my blog was taken over by a crazed beer sampler. Really…
Rösti-Potato Quiche with Caramelized Leeks
If you’ve had potato pancakes (or some version thereof), love fondu, and think the inventors of raclette should simplify things by getting rid of a kitchen applicance you use once every two years, I’ve got good news for you in this recipe. And, yes, this was my eclectic inspiration for this recipe — that and…
Roasted Red-Kuri Squash Salad with Walnuts in Maple-Mango Vinegrette
Inspiration comes in all forms. In this case, it is a squash from my CSA share that has been tempting my creativity for a few weeks. I’ll confess, until this squash (delivered by agricultural storks) arrived in my kitchen, I had no idea that a “red kuri squash” existed, let alone what it would taste…
Asian Noodle Salad with Napa and Daikon
This recipe deserves a bit of a backstory as well … and I’ll write a separate entry on this another day. But, in brief, over the past month or so, I’ve been getting a “magic bounty” of organic veggies through a community share agriculture (CSA) program sponsored by Juniper Farms located near Wakefield, Quebec. This is my first…