Recipes, tips and reviews
These recipes are developed, tested and re-tested until perfect. Try one at home tonight.
I used the Japanese Kuri squash which is a fiery red colour. It roasts well. You can use any drier variety of squash for this curry.
The best Scottish shortbread handed down through my family. Crumbly, sweet and buttery.
This dish has a salty, savoury sauce with a little bit of a kick. If you don't want the spice of the jalapenos, leave it out, and finely diced onion can be used instead of the shallots.
This is the one hors d’oeuvre that I keep being asked for time and time again. It’s crunchy, creamy, spicy and hits all the high spots.
Mushrooms and squash have a real affinity and this soup proves it. I like to use oyster mushrooms, but chanterelles, which I found at the supermarket this week, provide the best flavour.
The fifth taste, umami, has much to do with glutamate, an amino acid found in such foods as prosciutto, soy sauce and a number of cheeses. Umami can show up in your glass, too (fermentation is glutamate’s old friend).
When this recipe originally ran in The Globe and Mail, I received a lovely note from reader Barbara Zuchowicz. This dish reminded her of a wonderful meal she had in Italy: "It brought back joyful memories of a trip to Italy my late husband, an exceptional cook, and I took a number of years ago.
Morels can be sautéed in a little butter with garlic and served on toast, or cooked with chicken to make a heady sauce. The one issue with preparing them is cleaning. A quick rinse with warm water and a good shake in a strainer to dislodge the dirt usually works, although some people soak them, which I think soaks out the flavour.
Read MoreUse a wok or a large non-stick skillet to prepare this dish. Always heat your wok before adding oil and stir-fry over high heat. Time is of the essence, so chop and measure everything beforehand.
Read MoreThis recipe, with a sort of deconstructed hollandaise, is the ultimate asparagus experience. Dip the stalks into the eggs and the butter and savour the sensation. If you have any truffle salt, this is the place to use it.
Read MoreIf green garlic, garlic scapes or wild leeks are available, substitute them for the leeks. Artisan-made pasta, available at Italian shops or upmarket grocers, is much tastier and comes in more interesting shapes, which are perfect for this elegant dish. Parmesan gives a more subtle finish to the dish but the ricotta salata is earthier. Your choice.
Read MoreThis refreshing salad is easy to make if you have a mandolin or V-Slicer, available at most kitchen stores. The buttermilk dressing is low in calories and packed with flavour.
Read MoreThis salad has lots of flavour, but without too much heat. It is adapted from a recipe by Segar Kulasegarampillai, whose restaurant Segar in Toronto is known for its tasty intercontinental food.
Read MoreServe this outstanding salad as a first course with grilled garlic-rubbed bread or as a side dish with a simple grilled main course.
Read MoreWhen I was in Germany recently, I read about the asparagus festival they have every spring. In the list of dishes, candied asparagus was mentioned. This is my take on it.
Read MoreIf asparagus stalks are thick (and in my opinion better eating), then peel before using. Break the stalk at its natural break then peel up to the head with a vegetable peeler. I used green asparagus as it stands up best to the strongly flavoured salsa.
Read MoreYou only have to taste one bite of fresh, local asparagus to understand the joy of seasonality (and, in my case, experience nirvana). The imported variety pales in comparison with the crisp, juicy and full-flavoured spears that are now in season in British Columbia and just about to arrive in many other parts of Canada.
Read MoreOur local asparagus is finally here, and there’s no better way to celebrate than to pair it with two asparagus-loving ingredients: scallops and lemons.
Read MoreIf only thick stalks of asparagus are available, peel the stalks. Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and run under cold water until cold. If you have thin stalks, do not peel them, and blanch for only 1 minute.
Read MoreMichelin-starred chef Maria Jose San Roman of Monastrell in Alicante, Spain was in Toronto recently for the Campo Viejo Streets of Spain dinner. It was designed to raise awareness of the great food and remarkable wine of Spain.
Read MoreAsparagus means springtime. Thin stalks do not have to be peeled and they cook very quickly. If only thicker stalks are available, they have to be peeled and cooked for an extra minute.
Read MoreToronto Taste, one of the city’s original culinary fund-raisers, celebrated its 25th year this weekend. The lineup for the annual event – in support of Second Harvest’s food-rescue program, which turns surplus food that would otherwise go to waste into healthy meals for people in need – includes more than 40 chefs from the city’s best restaurants, wineries and breweries.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
