I didn't have any sashimi-grade fish kicking around. Instead, what I had was cucumbers. Not a bad thing, as it turned out. Ingredients: 2 cups sushi rice (sushi rice is a short-grain rice that turns sticky when you cook it. You can find it at most grocery stores and all Asian … [Read more...] about Cucumber Sushi
Vegetables
Simple Dill Pickles
Finding a good basic dill pickle recipe was tricky. You don't need to can them and have them sit around for a week before you eat them if you don't want to - for "Quick Pickles" just make the brine and pour it over the pickles (preferably sliced so they absorb more of the liquid … [Read more...] about Simple Dill Pickles
Mayo-Free Potato Salad
It’s sad that most people probably don't think potatoes have a natural flavour besides maybe "starchy", and that’s hardly a flavour. That most recipes call for them to be coated in a large amount of some kind of fat to make them worth eating is not okay to me. There's nothing … [Read more...] about Mayo-Free Potato Salad
More About Montreal…and Potatoes
I was biking on the Maisonneuve bike path a few weeks ago and I saw a homeless man standing on the side of the road pointing at the ground ahead of me. Oh, he’s warning me about a pothole! I thought. How friendly and helpful! Now that’s something special about this city – the … [Read more...] about More About Montreal…and Potatoes
In the Shape of Violins: Sautéd Fiddleheads
When I first heard the translation for fiddleheads it didn't click. Tetes de Violons - "heads of violins". To me a fiddle has never meant a violin. One plays Bach and the other plays gigs and reels. But when it comes to the dirty, toxin-bearing vegetable, it's all the same. You … [Read more...] about In the Shape of Violins: Sautéd Fiddleheads
Lufa Farms First Basket: Fresh Cherry Tomato Salsa with Green Pepper, Cilantro, and Lime
I couldn't bear to cook these beautiful cherry tomatoes. So I gave myself two options: Gazpacho or salsa. Salsa won. Really gazpacho and salsa are almost the same thing (more or minus lime juice, different kinds of vinegars, or tomato juice). But most importantly, for gazpacho I … [Read more...] about Lufa Farms First Basket: Fresh Cherry Tomato Salsa with Green Pepper, Cilantro, and Lime
Indian Goes Raw: Peshawari Red Pepper Chutney
There aren't a whole lot of raw Indian dishes. Mostly you want to cook foods (except fruit) for a long, long time. Take spinach, for example. In India you cook the buh-jesus out of spinach until it absorbs all the spices you can throw at it. The only thing you really eat raw in … [Read more...] about Indian Goes Raw: Peshawari Red Pepper Chutney
When Life Gives You Lemons You Roast Jerusalem Artichokes (Part 1)…
...Or maybe that's just me. The thing is, I love lemons, but if they were all life gave me, I'd be a well-fed, yet unhappy person. Until today I'd had four beautiful items sitting in my kitchen waiting to be cooked and no time in which to cook (or 'un-cook') them. So when life … [Read more...] about When Life Gives You Lemons You Roast Jerusalem Artichokes (Part 1)…
Cucumber Raita with Parsley
This is so easy and so refreshing. You need to start with a very good yogurt to make it well, though. I love Pinehedge 3.8% yogurt. A litre of this stuff comes in a glass bottle on which you pay a $1 deposit, making it very affordable if you return the bottle. I love this farm. … [Read more...] about Cucumber Raita with Parsley
Chicken Thighs Roasted with Rosemary, Red Onions & Red Potatoes: My Roasting Bible (The Best of Fine Cooking Magazine)
2 navel oranges 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil kosher salt 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 8 baby red potatoes (12 oz.), halved 2 medium red onions, sliced into half-inch-thick circles Two 5-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 3/4 tsp. minced 8 chicken thighs (about 8 oz. each), … [Read more...] about Chicken Thighs Roasted with Rosemary, Red Onions & Red Potatoes: My Roasting Bible (The Best of Fine Cooking Magazine)