Eggplant Torte
/The nutritious and meaty eggplant is a late-summer favourite and, along with vibrant green Swiss chard, is the star of this outstanding crustless pie.
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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.
The nutritious and meaty eggplant is a late-summer favourite and, along with vibrant green Swiss chard, is the star of this outstanding crustless pie.
Read MoreThese corn puddings are a creamy soufflé topped with meaty portobello mushrooms with a touch of miso to really bring out the flavours. Serve with a zucchini slaw on the side.
Read MoreCooked plums are under appreciated, but these squares will have you on the bandwagon. Small Italian prune plums work best for this recipe.
You might think you can use any pasta shape to make a dish, but the right shape can really elevate the flavour. This savoury shrimp pasta was ho-hum when my food testers and I made it with penne, but when we switched to orecchiette, a pasta from Puglia, Italy, it was a completely different dish.
Read MorePresentation changes your viewpoint of a dish. Taking three elements and stacking them as in this salad make it a visual winner.
Read MoreLess widely known than its Spanish counterpart, Portuguese cuisine is having a renaissance.
Read MoreThis is a unique, mouth-watering sweet potato dish. Here I used Korean hot sauce as it is mellower than other hot sauces.
Read MoreThis dish is multifaceted. Dab the sauce over the sprouts or serve it on the side. I also used it as a veggie and dip at a cocktail party.
Cauliflower is the new hot vegetable and it changes form depending on how you cut it and cook it. It can be fried, grilled, roasted, smoked or seared. This Italian-inspired dish was everyone’s favourite. You can also toss it with pasta for another meal.
Do not dress this salad until just before serving as it will wilt a bit.
Read MoreImagine cooking without salt: It’s like reading in the glow of a Bic lighter. Salt is the culinary light switch, amplifying and sharpening everything. The following composed salad, featuring pickled fennel, gives the mineral plenty of room to strut its stuff. As for what sort of beverage to serve with it, follow one of the cardinal rules of pairings: salt loves acidity. Sodium’s dry tingle begs for a mouth-watering beverage.
Read MoreThe 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).
Read MoreThe French call that earthy taste goût de terroir. The term is often trotted out in passionate exchanges about wine, where it is code for such nuances as stone, chalk, graphite and damp soil. But it also aptly describes the humble, rooty, soil-infused quality of fresh Brussels sprouts.
Read MoreHerbs, like spices, vary in potency. You’ve got to know when to go easy or go crazy. When it comes to parsley, the more the merrier. An entrée such as this one calls for a companion beverage with lively acidity. After all, herbs give lift to a dish; a crisp beverage carries it to victory.
This potato soup is a traditional Ecuadorean starter.
Read MoreThis tasty tart tastes similar to cheese cake, but the texture is more pudding-like. Serve with caramelized apples. Corn flour is available at health-food stores.
Read MoreCaramelized apples
Read MoreCheese and Date Biscuits
Read MoreThese are the tastiest empanadas, and pastrami is such a trendy ingredient right now. If making ahead, they will keep three days, refrigerated without baking.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.