Food, Travel, and Cooking!
T Being able to enjoy a perfectly grilled/barbecued piece of meat, chicken or fish is the best! To test steaks and chops for doneness with an instant read thermometer, try inserting it sideways instead of from the top for a more accurate reading. Please, please, please don’t be tempted to cut into the meat to […]
You’ll find that Tuscan home cooks and chefs make an aromatic salt such as this one. It’s terrific on pork, chicken for starters. But experimentation is half the fun… You can reduce the recipe by half but it does store well in an airtight container in the fridge or you might want to share some […]
You’ll love that you can make your own homemade pasta, trust me! Years ago a neighbour loaned me her hand-crank pasta machine. I was a little nervous but the fettuccine turned out so well I was really impressed! This meant, that we had to rush out and get the machine! We used it for a […]
Somehow or other we always seem to be on a “quest” to find wonderful things that are made in the country where we are visiting. At times it can be crazy making and means doing “homework” before we leave on a trip. Because I enjoy this kind of research, it’s kind of fun for me. […]
Whenever I think Spring radishes are front and centre! Slices of baguette Softened butter Worcestershire & Tabasco, you can substitute some anchovies if you like them. Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper New radishes such as French Breakfast, sliced – save the small young leaves & add to a salad Snipped chives Combine butter […]
Gnocchi only needs a light touch with sauces such as the following ones. Sage Butter Sauce (Version 1) 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter 8 large fresh sage leaves (or the equivalent if leaves are smaller) Freshly ground black pepper This will make enough butter sauce for 1 batch potato gnocchi Put butter into a sauté pan […]
This delicious egg dish can be served for a brunch, lunch or a light main coarse. It’s very good! Makes 6 Servings 2 lbs. asparagus, trimmed (see below) 6 thick, large slices of country style bread 1 Tbsp. vinegar 6 eggs 6 Tbsp. eggs, slightly softened 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved very, very thin Method: […]
This recipe for pesto uses roasted hazelnuts, a nice change. Local hazelnuts are always available at Farmer’s Markets in the Lower Mainland. But you could use toasted slivered almonds, or Mediterranean pine nuts (they are pricey) or pistachio nuts. I can’t recommend using Asian pine nuts due to their weird, unpleasant aftertaste. The addition of […]
A simple Tomato Sauce that is the perfect thing to dress either potato or ricotta cheese gnocchi. But…don’t hesitate to dress other pasta with it too. I like it on “shapes” (my name for short pasta). 2 cups tinned Italian plum tomatoes, chopped 2-3 Tbsp. each EVO & butter 1 small clove garlic, minced 2-3 […]
Up until I received “Lidia’s Italy” cookbook as a Christmas gift a few years ago, I had never tried to make gnocchi. We used to buy gnocchi from an Italian store/deli made by the owner’s wife. Delightful little pillows; so no need for me to! Sadly the closed and we were forced to give it […]