Rhubarb and Cod

Smoked Trout Croquettes with Beet Labneh

March 30, 2024 No Comments

Well, I guess it’s time to call it – I am a croquette addict. I can’t stop making them, eating them, thinking about them. What I love best about them is their versatility. They can take on just about any flavor profile you care to impose on them. They have a place in multiple cuisines, so it is well within the limits of “authenticity” to use far-from-home flavors and ingredients. The croquette, croquetas, korokke, etc. is truly a blank canvas ripe for creativity and adventure. Okay, maybe I’m overselling the croquette as a whole. But I am confident I am not overselling these Smoked Trout Croquettes with Beet Labneh. These beauties are a bright spot in the already gleaming croquette genre. So let’s make them!

Poultry, Soups & Stews

Smoked Duck Split Pea Soup with Swiss Chard

March 25, 2024 No Comments

Jump to Recipe

Spring is here at long last, so why doesn’t it feel like it? Well, it could be in full swing where you are, but here in Canada we recently shoveled our way out of a snowstorm. I wish I could say this was a freak incident. It is not. If you grew up in Canada, you’ve had your heart broken by a late March blizzard. You’ve probably also been burned by the ever-charming April version as well. So if spring snow is par for the course for us hearty canucks, we should be fine with it, right?! No. We’re grumpy and impatient as all hell, or at least I am. The only upside I see to this bonus winter is the opportunity to squeeze a few more comfort foods into the season. Dishes like today’s Smoked Duck Split Pea Soup.

Eggs, Pork, Salads

Guanciale Chickpea Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing

March 20, 2024 No Comments

Guanciale Chickpea Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

Jump to Recipe

This Guanciale Chickpea Salad is a play on an Italian Antipasto Salad. It features crisp gem lettuce, olives, sliced red grapes, pickled shallots, torn fresh mozzarella, and chickpeas tossed in a preserved lemon vinaigrette and topped with seared slabs of guanciale and hard-boiled eggs. This salad may seem a little disjointed and it certainly does have a lot going on. But I think you will find that each forkful makes a certain sense. This dish hits all the notes: salty, sweet, savory, sour, tart, and meaty. No two bites are the same. And while this dish has a lot of moving parts, it is a cinque to make. This salad isn’t a side or a starter, it’s definitely a main course.

Beef, Pasta

Salisbury Meatball Orzo Skillet

March 15, 2024 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Spring may be on the horizon but it’s not quite on our doorstep. So I’m still in comfort mode. And today’s Salisbury Meatball Orzo Skillet is my current favorite cozy indulgence. This recipe borrows its flavors from the American diner and TV dinner classic- Salisbury Steak. A meal that has been beloved by many for over a hundred years. Today, we’re going to take the storied steak and turn it into meatballs, introduce it to orzo, and marry the two in the dish’s classic mushroom onion gravy. It may be a simple recipe but it is beyond satisfying, so let’s make it!