Some relationships are meant to be … some will be deep and lasting, intrinsic in their ties. Others will be friendships, casual acquaintances, passerbys even. Tomatoes and basil; peanut butter and chocolate; lobster and butter. These are intrinsic pairings. When the bok choy arrived in my CSA bin, I thought I had in my head…
Avocado-Chimichurri Sauce
When a giant globe of curly-leafed parsley showed up in my CSA share last week, I visibly frowned. I really don’t like the stuff and much prefer the milder and softer flat-leaf aka “Italian” parsley I grow myself. However, I was up for my own CSA Challenge and so I considered what to make with it….
Barbecued Ribs with Root Beer Sauce and Baked Apples
There are certain things I’ll almost never order in a restaurant: steak, pasta, chicken … and pork ribs. It’s not that I don’t like or even, in the case of ribs, love these foods … it is because I’m appalled at what restauranteurs will charge for fare that I can, in almost all cases, make…
Blackened Tilapia with Grilled Salsa
Tilapia is a relatively mild fish that oddly seems to attract both those that don’t particularly like fish and even those that love fish. With the commercial farming of tilapia, it has become ubiquitous in Canadian retailers and whether you approve of fish farming or not, it does at some level represent a more sustainable…
Salsa with Grilled Summer Squash and Pineapple
The pattypans in my CSA this week presented another opportunity to really test myself and try something different. I wanted a fresh salsa that would pair well with the blackened tilapia I was making — which meant I wanted something fresh, but not overwhelmingly ‘fruity’ or sweet. I looked at that pattypan (and I think…
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Grilled Lemon
There is something ridiculously sensuous about scallops — they are buttery and soft … and when wrapped in the purity of a well-smoked, naturally cured slice of bacon, you go from sensuous to sinful again. There is a reason this is such a classic pairing — that and because it borders on mindlessly easy. Fact…
Grilled Halibut with Garlic Scape-Walnut Pesto
In addition to the fortune of fresh fava beans that showed up in this week’s CSA share, the other ingredient that thoroughly intrigued me were “scapes.” For those not familiar with what is a scape, it is the flower stem of the garlic. Remember, garlic is a bulb that grows in the soil and out…
Grilled Flank Steak Tacos
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…
“Seiglerie” (Rye Bitter), Les Brasseurs du Monde
With the sun beaming in and the thermometer, admittedly in the sun, registering in the teens, I just couldn’t bring myself to quaffe another winter beer tonight. For a night, even with the many feet of snow in our yards, I thought I’d cheat and immerse myself in the idea of spring. It’ll happen, it…
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…