Apricot and Olive Focaccia with Honey & Pistachios

Apricot and Olive Focaccia with Honey and Pistachios
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Summer may be winding down but I’m going to keep the picnic and patio food coming. As a Canadian, I am hearty when it comes to cold weather. I will gladly sit on a patio deep into November. And if apricots were in-season that far into the fall, I would happily eat this Apricot and Olive Focaccia while I did it. This bread is studded with fresh apricot wedges and Kalamata olives before being baked to golden perfection. It is then glazed with honey while it’s still hot and sprinkled with crushed salted pistachios. Focaccia may be traditionally billed as a starter but this focaccia eats like a meal. In fact, I ate half of this for dinner and it was a solid choice all around.

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Puttanesca Potato Salad

Puttanesca Potato Salad with Olives and Capers
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Today I bring you a briny, creamy hybrid of a dish, that I’m almost shocked worked out so well. Say hello to the Puttanesca Potato Salad. What you’re looking at here is tender baby potatoes dressed with a sauce of blistered cherry tomatoes accented with anchovy and dry vermouth and studded with black olives and capers. The salad is finished with a dollop of mayo and fresh parsley and dill. The result is a pitch-perfect mash-up of a rudely named pasta dish and a much beloved and indulgent BBQ side. This is such a good one, so let’s dive right in.

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Prosciutto and Brie Panzanella with Cornichons

Prosciutto and Brie Panzanella with Cornichon
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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.

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Malt Vinegar Potatoes with Caramelized Shallot Yogurt

Malt Vinegar Potatoes with Caramelized Shallot Yogurt
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This is the closest you’ll ever get to eating chips for dinner and having it be socially acceptable. These Malt Vinegar Potatoes with Caramelized Shallot Yogurt do an excellent impression of a bag of Ruffles and french onion dip. I know I talk up a lot of my recipes because, well, it’s my job. And I mean everything I say about them. But sometimes I wish I could accurately express how much I like a particular recipe without sounding like a broken record. I am not just in like with this recipe, I am full-on, hills-are-alive in love with this recipe. So let’s talk about it!

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