We all know this dish as “chicken cacciatore” but it’s really “cacciatora”. The origins of the dish are northern Italian and the story goes, the hunter’s wife might have cooked this dish on the eve of the hunt as fuel for the chase. I’ve tried many versions of this dish but I like this one [...]
I’ve had my eye on this dish for awhile. We’re at the end of summer and here in Ontario the harvest is in full swing. Grapes are at their peak and this next dish marries sweet with savory. As you can see, we have a show-stopper here but this ain’t just another pretty dish it [...]
This is an Italian classic but I first tasted this dish when I visited the Greek island of Corfu in 1988. The Italian food Caribinieri will insist that this dish NOT contain any cream. Lucky for the Italians, I can pull off this dish without cream but if you’re the type that likes it in [...]
In 1889, the pizza was named after Margherita, Queen consort of the kingdom of Italy. The pizza bears the three colours of the Italian flag: red tomatoes, green basil and white mozzarella. To this day, the citizens of Naples still debate, argue, compete for what is the most authentic pizza, the best ingredients and argue [...]
I don’t think I’ve shown you the herbs that are grown in my garden and in the end, used in the dishes I make. Photographed and currently growing are Genoa basil, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, mint, Greek oregano, thyme, sage, chives, Greek basil, French tarragon and lemon thyme. The Genoa basil was produced by using the [...]
Most of you who are food enthusiasts (freaks) like myself, you’ve noticed by now that many items on your grocery bill have gone up. One glaring spike in prices is with lemons. Limes I can find for 6 for $1, oranges are decently priced but lemons? The best deal I’ve found so far this year [...]
At the pub where I imbibe my many alcoholic beverages of choice, sits a CD jukebox with an eclectic array of tunes. One of the CD’s in there is by William Shatner…yes, Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame. The dude also dabbled in some “music”. I’m not sure if his musical tangent was sarcastic or [...]
Yesterday, I was greeted with the return of seasonal, warm weather. The weather was very important and some friends and I played “hookie” and ditched work for a day at the amusement park, Canada’s Wonderland. This amusement park is situated just north of Toronto and my return was long overdue…25 years! We hit the roller [...]
When the weather is this good, it’s hard to blog or catch-up on my friends’ kitchen action but here I am…adding to the din. Last week, Martha Stewart lined up a whack of celebrity chefs to show off and show the viewers quick and easy recipes that you & I can can whip up in [...]
As in blue cheese, that is. During one of my recent food shopping adventures, I was lucky to find some English Stilton for a very good price. Stilton is one of the family of blue cheeses and as the saying goes, “the stinkier, the better”. I have two dishes for you today, the first being [...]
