Char Sui Back Ribs with Crushed Peanuts

Char Sui Back Ribs with Crushed Peanuts
Jump to Recipe

It’s happened. I saw my first back-to-school ad this week and it immediately inspired dread. While I haven’t attended school in, erm, quite some time, I still feel joy at the end of June and sadness when September hits. That’s some solid childhood programming right there. And every year I feel indignant when people lament the end of summer when the season is barely over a month old. We wait for summer all year here in Canada, let’s not hasten it out the door, shall we? So in an effort to keep the good times rolling, I give you the most summer-friendly food I can think of – pork back ribs, Char Sui Back Ribs to be exact.

Continue Reading

Prosciutto and Brie Panzanella with Cornichons

Prosciutto and Brie Panzanella with Cornichon
Jump to Recipe

Spring has finally arrived in earnest. And in true Ontarian fashion, we’ve skipped spring and have gone straight to summer. Well, not quite. I’m sure we’ll take a quick dip back into depressing temperatures before summer truly arrives. But for the time being, my fellow Torontonians and I are enjoying plus 20°C weather as only sun-starved Canadians can. Pouring ourselves onto packed patios in deeply seasonally-confused outfits. As for me, this surprisingly hospitable weather has inspired some intense salad cravings. I know, not what you’ve come to expect from me. To be fair, I’m craving salads like today’s Prosciutto and Brie Panzanella, so I’m not completely off-brand here.

Continue Reading

Chorizo Kale Salad with Fingerling Potatoes

Chorizo Kale Salad with Fingerling Potatoes
Jump to Recipe

Salads rarely inspire backflips. At least that is my experience. I know there are people who adore salads and I am so happy for them. But I am sadly not one of them. But I do believe in the virtues of frequently munching on leafy greens. So when my body starts screaming for spinach and/or kale, I keep my tastebuds happy by adding a hefty dose of either cheese, nuts, meats, or carbs. I rarely put all four into a single salad because that sort of defeats the purpose of having a salad. But in the case of today’s Chorizo Kale Salad with Fingerling Potatoes I pulled meat and potatoes off of the bench and unsurprisingly they took the baby kale base to a whole new level. The chimichurri dressing certainly didn’t hurt either.

Continue Reading

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup with Fennel

Jump to Recipe

The first day of spring may be a hop, skip, and a jump away. But the weather here in Toronto clearly didn’t get the memo. As I write this snow is falling outside my window. Thankfully, the ground isn’t cold enough for the snow to accumulate in any major way. So I doubt I’ll have to take a shovel to it, but man, it’s still kind of crushing. And I know this isn’t the last of the snow, not by a long shot. That’s why I’m keeping my winter boots at the ready and recipes like today’s Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup in my back pocket. Let’s face it, we have at least another month of soup season ahead of us, so let’s dive right in.

Continue Reading