I was inspired to roast a whole stuffed pumpkin while at an orphan Thanksgiving. All us food- and circus-lovers (longer story) without family in Montreal came together for a potluck on a day meant for being with people you love. I knew a grand total of two people at the potluck … [Read more...] about Whole Roasted Pumpkin with Brown Rice, Barberries, Cranberries and Sorrel
All Recipes
Roasted Cauliflower with Red Onions and Grapes
Roasting is highly underrated. There's really nothing like sticking a big tray of vegetables in the oven and letting it brown to soft, chewy, crispy perfection. And it's so easy. Any idiot could do it. Okay, maybe not the kind of idiot who tends to leave the oven on. I had one … [Read more...] about Roasted Cauliflower with Red Onions and Grapes
Spicy Sichuan Bitter Melon Stir-Fry with Shrimp
I really thought this was a bitter melon. It started growing in my garden. Actually, it just appeared mysteriously on a vine one morning, after presumably spending at least a couple days hiding under some leafy vines on my trellis. I had planted bitter melon, but I'd also planted … [Read more...] about Spicy Sichuan Bitter Melon Stir-Fry with Shrimp
Italian Marinated Eggplant Antipasto in Olive Oil
I gave a canning class today where we made pink grapefruit marmalade and carrot and cauliflower giardiniera. And if you've never heard of giardiniera, you're not alone...and you're not Italian. Italians have some great pickled vegetable recipes, one of the most popular being … [Read more...] about Italian Marinated Eggplant Antipasto in Olive Oil
Harrief: Some Seriously Funky Red Pepper Paste
When you meet a fellow preserver, one thing generally leads to another...and you end up talking about fermented pepper sauces. It's almost inevitable. So when I met the chef of Lapin Pressé, a very cute sandwich shop on Laurier Ave. and he found out I give canning classes, … [Read more...] about Harrief: Some Seriously Funky Red Pepper Paste
Zucchini Pickles and the Mighty Squash
It was a heck of a zucchini season, wasn't it? If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't feel bad. For anyone who had giant leaves draping over trellises, weighing them down to the point of collapse, their two-foot-long fruit dangling above the ground, you get it. … [Read more...] about Zucchini Pickles and the Mighty Squash
Dry-Brined Fish with Roasted Tomatoes
What do you do with the leftover salt and sugar cure from your homemade gravlax? Why, make dinner, of course. If you add it to other fish or meat and let it sit about 30 minutes it soaks into the flesh and does a mini-cure. Then you rinse off the cure and roast the fish fillets … [Read more...] about Dry-Brined Fish with Roasted Tomatoes
How to Cure Salmon – The Cheap and Easy Way
You're supposed to drown the fish in vodka. Most recipes think so, anyway. Or gin. Or any high-proof alcohol that can seek into the fish's flesh and denature it. Denature: to cook without heat. Like what happens when you ferment cabbage into sauerkraut. But in this case there's … [Read more...] about How to Cure Salmon – The Cheap and Easy Way
Horrible Mistakes, Getting it Right, and Peach, Tamarind and Tarragon Pie
Have you ever made a horrible mistake? I'm talking worse than starting a grease fire when your confit cooking goes awry. Worse than overcooking fish. Even worse than deflating mousse. Actually, if you type "disaster" in the search bar of my blog you'll come up with a whole slew … [Read more...] about Horrible Mistakes, Getting it Right, and Peach, Tamarind and Tarragon Pie
Chocolate Sourdough and Dried Apricot, Fig, Date, Cranberry, and Apple Turkey Stuffing
This is what you need to make tonight for Thanksgiving. First, Bonnie Stern had a stuffing recipe up for Rosh Hashannah, and it seemed like a waste to stuff turkey breasts with it. You have to cut open all the breasts and you can never get enough of the delicious filling in … [Read more...] about Chocolate Sourdough and Dried Apricot, Fig, Date, Cranberry, and Apple Turkey Stuffing