Rhubarb and Cod

Warm Barley Salad with Kielbasa

March 6, 2023 No Comments

Salads can be a tough sell in the winter. The weather is depressing so cozy comfort food is all we really want. And “cozy” doesn’t generally apply to a salad. And the ingredients required for a salad? Well, let’s just say there’s a reason winter produce isn’t particularly celebrated. But if your definition of the word “salad” is lenient, and it really should be because “salad” is a surprisingly broad term, you can in fact make a cozy salad. And today’s Warm Barley Salad happens to be a prime example of that fact.

Breads & Rolls, Sides, Snacks, Starters

Orange Feta Focaccia

March 2, 2023 1 Comment

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Focaccia was the first bread I ever made. And there is a very good reason for this – it’s dead simple. I mean, of course, you can make focaccia complicated. You can obsess over minute details and tirelessly perfect the process, like a sushi chef trainee making batch after batch of rice. But in my perfectly imperfect daily life, quick and dirty but delicious focaccia is all I’m after. So that’s exactly what today’s recipe is. A chill approachable rendition of an almost universally loved bread. And if you’re new to the world of yeasted doughs, this is the perfect place to start. This Orange Feta Focaccia is a confidence-building recipe.

Breads & Rolls, Snacks

Pesto Shallot Cheese Buns

February 25, 2023 1 Comment

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It’s the end of February, only carbs and cheese will do. We had a bit of a snowstorm in Toronto this week. And while we’ve been enjoying a reasonably mild winter this year, this is always the point in the season where my patience begins to wear thin. The cold feels more insulting, the snow more cumbersome, and the road salt more disgusting. And as anyone Canadian will tell you, March offers very little respite from the winter weather. The calendar may announce the arrival of Spring but more often than not the forecast has other plans. So when I hit this weather-worn state while staring down the barrel of yet more winter, I like to make things like today’s Pesto Shallot Cheese Buns to help see me through. They’re a cozy and unabashedly indulgent ray of sunshine when there is very little to be found. So let’s make them!

Soups & Stews, Vegetarian

Confit Tomato Soup

February 18, 2023 No Comments

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It’s hard to get excited about a tomato in the dead of winter. Actual tomato season is still months away and most of what you find in grocery stores right now are light in flavor and mealy in texture. Not exactly the stuff of tomato dreams. But while it may not be the ideal time for something like my heirloom tomato pizza, it is prime time for this Confit Tomato Soup. When you lazily cook anything in a vat of olive oil it’s going to be good. The confit process concentrates the flavor of the tomatoes and brings out their sweetness while reducing their acidity. In other words, the confit method transforms lackluster winter tomatoes into flavor powerhouses.