As the aphorism goes, when life throws you lemons, make lemonade — but when Sicilians give you oranges, make a salad. For the past few months, since Ben’s passing, I’ve largely immersed myself in my writing. There has been the occasional burst of photography, but mostly I’ve been immersed in my writing. That’s because with…
Watercress Salad with Smoked Salmon & Roasted Beets
If there has been one theme in my cooking this CSA season, it has been beets and, specifically, roasted beets. I’d be lying if I said there was “something” about roasted beets that is magically comforting — no, there is something very specific about roasted beets I love, how their flavour is transformed, how the…
Roasted Red-Kuri and Beet Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
When the red kuri squash turned up at the CSA pick up a few weeks ago I thought only for a few minutes about what I was going to do with it — then turned back the clock a couple of years to the first red kuri squash I received and decided to reprise what…
Tri-Coloured Potato Salad with Feta-Mayo & Bacon-Crumble
We humans have more in common with honey bees than we give them credit — both our species are attracted to colourful food. The inspiration for this has been a few weeks coming. It all started when I received “red” potatoes in my CSA… or at least, I thought they were red. But when I…
Carrot and Apple Slaw with Chevril Vinaigrette
A simple side salad designed to pair with my recent Scallops with Sorrel Butter, this is so easy — and quite frankly healthy as well — that you may want to find other things to pair it. In fact, the recipe is so easy, it hardly even needs a recipe. The inspiration came from the…
Fennel and Green Apple Slaw
If you’re one of those people who hates the common coleslaw that adorns most summer tables because you hate cabbage, here’s a game changer: fennel. Now I know some of you may be shaking your heads and walking away at the word fennel too: “I hate black licorice,” you say. Trust me, the flavour of…
Roasted Corn Salad
What’s the difference between a salad and a salsa, besides the language? The difference is “sauce” (which is what salsa translates). With the end of summer and the end of fresh corn nearing, I was craving corn to form the basis of salad number four in my five course salad night … and I wasn’t looking…
Grilled Fennel and Orange Salad
When the fennel showed up in my CSA share last week, I knew what salad number three was going to be in my five course salad night. I also knew I wanted citrus in it as a change of pace, even though the flavour isn’t exactly in season. But because of the season, I wasn’t…
Watermelon Salad
Those who’ve read my posts for a bit know that my values around food are hugely influenced by eating local and in season. I love the purity and simplicity of certain foods and dishes … which is why I unapologetically posted my own caprese salad a few days ago. When a whole watermelon showed up…
Insalata Caprese with Balsamic
Ahh… the flavours of the Mediterranean. There is an elemental purity to Mediterranean food which is hard to describe and which can really only be experienced. So elemental is it, that it is a challenge in my experience to fully participate outside of the region itself. You can taste the fire of the sun, the…