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.
Tom Colicchio includes a recipe in his for caramel ice cream in the book, 'wichcraft (Clarkson Potter, $32), which is great to make if you have an ice cream freezer. If you don't, buy a good-grade caramel ice cream and used it instead. Substitute canola oil for grape seed if desired.
This juicy sandwich is perfect with a cold beer on the deck. Cutting the tuna grilled side down means it does not break apart. Buy pickled Italian peppers or cherry peppers. Recipe adapted for The Globe from Tom Colicchio's 'wichcraft (Clarkson Potter, $32).
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 MoreThe idea for this rich, complex dish comes from an excellent restaurant in Phoenix called Cowboy Ciao. Buy ready-made polenta that comes in a roll. The mushrooms are left whole or torn into large chunks.
Read MoreIn South Korea, chefs are reinventing what is basically a meat-heavy cuisine. This is a vegetarian version of bi bim bap, a dish that usually includes ground or barbecued beef. If you have access to a Korean or Asian store, you can buy all the ingredients for this recipe (including the hot sauce) already prepared. All you have to do is cook the rice, top with pre-bought ingredients, add an egg and mix together.
Read MoreCold soups are a snap to make and easy to present; shooter glasses make it a lovely little starter before dinner while larger glass mugs, martini or water glasses give it a summery feel. Rim the glasses with salt or some pesto and add a stick of cucumber to peek out of the glass. The mint pesto gets a little dark when it sits for too long so make it right before dinner if you want the brightest green colour. The taste will not change either way.
Read MoreGarlic scapes, which should be coming on the market this week, have a subtle garlic flavour that matches halibut beautifully. If they still have not arrived at a market near you - this has been a cold few weeks - use green onions and 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic. Serve a salad with this dish.
Anchovies are so trendy right now, appearing in all sorts of dishes as a background taste. I love them. But if you want less anchovy flavour, soak them in milk for 30 minutes before using. This is one ingredient where price matters: Usually, the more expensive anchovies are of a higher quality.
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This extra-easy dish comes from my grandmother and is not rich or too sweet. It is similar to a light, very moist cheesecake. Serve with strawberries on top.
Read MoreThis is a great way to take advantage of the gorgeous rhubarb and local strawberries appearing in the market. A country tart is a freeform tart. Roll out the pastry, fill the tart and fold over the extra pastry in a freeform style.
Pulled pork is a favourite in the southern United States and it's easy to see why. It is southern comfort food at its best: Whole pigs (or parts of them) are slow-cooked for many hours over a charcoal pit and the accompanying barbecue sauce, which is more vinegar than tomato, is the perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of the pork. The pork is cooked until very tender, then pulled or chopped and served (usually as a sandwich). It's a great way to feed a crowd.
Oysters are always a great treat but even better when you don't have to shuck them yourself. While cooking on the barbecue, their shells open a little way - just enough to easily remove them.
Read MoreYou could use chicken breasts for this salad, but thighs make a much juicier sandwich. It would also work well with leftover chicken.
Read MoreThese scones are full of flavour and are terrific for a picnic served with a basket of strawberries. The recipe comes from Roberto Granata, the chef/owner of Mela Café, a little Italian vegetarian spot at 7A Yorkville in Toronto. He uses all organic ingredients in his sandwiches and pastas, and they are very tasty.
Read MoreWrap this burger Vietnamese-style, in red lettuce leaves and a soaked rice paper wrapper. I buy Thai sweet chili sauce at the supermarket.
Read MoreServe these burgers in tortillas or on naan bread, topped with the spiced mint butter.
Read MoreThe meat mixture in this recipe will be soft and juicy but will hold together if you turn it carefully on the grill. Serve on a whole wheat bun topped with remaining salsa. The salsa also works well with grilled chicken or fish.
Read MoreThis is a very simple but full-flavoured mousse. You could also make it with strawberries, wild blueberries or cherries.
Read MoreThe first real grand aioli I experienced was in a village in Provence, where everyone in the town contributed to the feast and we all helped ourselves to the star attraction: a magnificent garlicky dip. Le grand aioli is all about garlic ("aioli," in fact, comes from the French words for garlic and oil).
Although a traditional aioli is made with egg yolks and olive oil, I started mine with olive oil mayonnaise (not the light one) because egg yolks can be an iffy raw ingredient in the summer.
To start off your feast, make these quick hors d'oeuvre with a Mediterranean twist. If you can find creamy feta cheese, it makes the best filling.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
