Posts filed under ‘Local food’
Apple crostata
Crostata is the Italian name for a free-form pie. You roll out the crust, place it on a pan, pile on fruit and then fold up the edges. Much less work than fitting pastry into a pan and crimping the edges. I’ve been wanting to make one for ages and I’m proud to say I finally did.
I’m a latecomer when it comes to pie appreciation. When I was growing up I didn’t like it at all, and it’s only in the past few years that I’ve developed a taste for it. Pie for me is like olives in that I’ve always liked the idea of it much more than the actual taste. I know that’s a strange comparison, olives and pie, but it is the same phenomenon. Peanut butter and jam sandwiches are another thing I didn’t like as a kid, but as an adult I’ve discovered an affection for them. Olives and I are slowly becoming good friends – the idea has finally planted itself in my taste buds after a long campaign of telling myself to learn to like them – and I think the tides are turning with the cause of pie as well. (more…)
Beets, squash, kale and chickpeas…together at last
There’s nothing like a week off work to spur on more blogging. I’ve been looking through a few photos I took in recent weeks and found this one of a veggie dish I made for a holiday dinner with friends. I started with an ingredient that everyone seems to love: roasted beets. I also had butternut squash, a fresh bunch of kale, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and shallots, all things that have come to be staples in my kitchen one by one over the past few years, so that’s how this dish came to be.
Uplifting day-glo colours, healthy veggies, a bit of protein, and aside from the messiness of beets it’s a snap to make.
Gnocchi with chanterelle mushroom sauce
We hosted a dinner party on New Year’s Eve and with that I decided to tackle a long held goal: to make homemade gnocchi. I consulted several recipe books for different variations on how to make the actual gnocchi pasta and landed on Mario Batali’s version, along with a sauce inspired by my affection for chanterelle mushrooms.
Mink Chocolates Artist Series Bon Bons
You can count me among those who would prefer to sit at home all day munching on bon bons. I guess receiving bon bons at work is the next best thing. These lovely confections, Mink Chocolates’ ‘Artist Series Bon Bons’, were given to me as a gift of thanks after a recent festival. Aren’t they charming? The yellow rainboots and the pretty rose are my favourites (I know, you never would have guessed). (more…)
Cornucopia Food and Wine Festival
If you ever have a chance to marry someone who works in the wine industry, I would recommend it. I happened upon this quality by accident and after the fact, but I think if I had to do it over it would be requisite. There are no obligatory rubber chicken dinners in that business; it is all champagne and truffles, amuse bouche and demi-glace, sparkling water or still. I am always delighted to be the tag along spouse, especially when it means going to events like Araxi’s 30th anniversary bash at the Cornucopia food and wine festival. (more…)
