“Do you love me?” Yes I do … “Are you my father?” Yes, I am … “Who is my mother?” Hard to say … there is a bit of inbreeding “What?” There are your brothers and sisters in you … “How does that happen?” I helped it happen … [Raised leaf-brow] “So how was I…
A Review of Tomato Bread
pa amb tomàquet a perfectly constructed crust is halved and sliced soft, slender, rustic cracked of Catalan wisdom toasted under the Barcelona sun oiled with the green, fresh garlic august, pungent rubbed into the empty yeasted pores the sharp crumb, boar tusks, peaks of wheaten teeth grate ample tomatoes ripe from the thirsty vine sweet,…
Sex upon a Vine
Seed of my hands Red fruit of my toil A child of my lands Umami bred of soil A poison apple forbidden flesh a stained chapel in wedding dress Woven heirloom culinary ring born of June bloom my pasta’s king You’re sugar and sweet gob smacked bitter acid in mince meat sour before the heat…
Heirloom
Portal to our past Tomato Inheritance Indeterminate.” Gorgeous and fully ripe, this is one of the newest beauties from my heirloom tomato garden: a “Russian Cossack.” An indeterminate tomato, it falls between a salad and beefsteak depending on the actual tomato and with a beautiful green-gold stripe against the orange/red skin, the tomato is…
Roasted Tomato Soup with Parmesan-Thyme Croutons
Childish memories were never more adult …. If you’re like me, tomato soup is synonymous with not only “comfort food,” but it is synonymous with childhood. And yes, for many of us in North America, it is also synonymous with Campbell’s condensed tomato soup. Hands up — please be honest now — hands up who…
Chorizo and Quinoa Jambalaya
Homer Simpson said it best: “Mmmm, sausage.” Homer-erotic subtext aside (sorry, couldn’t resist the puns), I think the world would be a happier place if we ate more sausage. Certainly, it is an ingredient I adore and based on the popularity of my Tagine with Merguez Sausage and Winter Vegetables, one of my first posts,…
Chili (con carne)
Chili is one of those dishes that is as varied as are our fingerprints. Every home cook or chef has their own version following one theme or another and it’s one of those few dishes that uniquely has competitions centred around it. However, you don’t need a chili cook-off and you certainly don’t need a…
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Who doesn’t love Lady and Tramp? What kid doesn’t enjoy slurping spaghetti? Who doesn’t love a meatball (spicy or not)? With all due love to vegetarians in my life, I gave you my my almost vegan tourtière — now, this is my chance to indulge the carnivore in me … and the Italian in me which I’m…
Marinara Sauce … from harvest to scratch
There is making things from scratch … and then there is making them from harvest to jar or, in my case, from seed to jar. And as satisfying as all my preserves have been, there was nothing more satisfying than making my own marinara sauce with the tomatoes I grew myself. While the recipe that…
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…