Last week my travels took me about 2 1/2 hours southwest of Toronto to Stratford, Ontario. Despite my urges to go seek out the old Justin Bieber haunts (he’s from Stratford), I resisted and went directly to The Old Prune restaurant to taste the creations of Chef Paolo Lopriore from Siena’s Il Canto in the [...]
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending an evening with Margrit Mondavi and the just one-month young Modus Ristorante. Margrit Mondavi is the widow of Napa Valley wine pioneer Robert Mondavi. Modus Ristorante is owned by Sam Genkov who you may remember from Restaurant Makeover (“I’m watching you”) where his Bravi [...]
One aspect of the kitchen that I’ve really never enjoyed is washing pots, pans – doing the dishes. Sometimes it can’t be avoided and other times I might even forego making something that requires alot of clean-up…depends on my mood I suppose. Sometimes I also crave a dish but I don’t want the huge clean-up [...]
I recently was invited for a preview/tasting of Malena’s Spring menu. The name Malena was inspired by the movie (starring Monica Belluci) and the cuisine is reflective of the ingredients that surround the Ionian Sea. The Ionian is the body of water that lies between Italy and Greece and hence the concept of the two [...]
If you saw the Pork dish I made last night, you too would want to have a vegetarian dish as a follow-up meal. I’m also really excited to share this recipe for a Mushroom Bolognese sauce. This pasta dish is for those that love mushrooms and you’re looking for a way to serve them as [...]
Recipe update from October 2007: I love this soup kitchen classic and I make it at least once a year during soup season. It’s winter and we have soup season! I don’t tinker much with this Rocco DiSpirito recipe other than to use what leafy greens are available in the market. It could be escarole, [...]
The first real cold weather has finally arrived and although I didn’t put on a pair of Long Johns, I did tuck in for a comfy evening by the fireplace, a book and a glass of wine. The glass of wine afforded me the ability to use it for making this warm bowl of mushroom [...]
My friend Allesandro Spiliotopoulos has just released this short comedy called “To Fukari ti Jenia” or “The Box of Geaneology”. This short is shot entirely in Gracecanic, the dialect spoken by a small minority located in some remote villages in Calabria. Below is the link to click and watch. If you have time, please register [...]
This past summer (both in Canada and Greece), I found myself experimenting with different pizza dough recipes. I was looking for something easy, great tasting, [...]
This dish is for all of you who are looking for a quick pasta dish that’s flavourful, easy and without the need to get the kitchen all off hot and steamy with the the thermometer outside reaching some higher numbers. The warm weather demands easier dishes without sacrificing flavour. This dish contains a no-cook sauce [...]
