Anise to Za'atar

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    Lahmajoun Pizza with Arugula

    October 26, 2018
  • Interviews/ Reflections

    Anthony Bourdain, An Interview Request

    October 14, 2018
  • Breakfast/ Brunch/ Recipes

    Turkish Style Grits, a la Sofra Bakery

    September 27, 2018
  • Brunch/ Dinner/ Recipes

    Za’atar Fried Chicken and Waffles with Grainy Dijon Sauce

    September 21, 2018
  • Reflections

    Scarborough: A Love Letter

    September 13, 2018
  • Collaborations/ Dinner/ Lunch/ Recipes

    Thai Coconut Rice Bowl

    September 9, 2018
  • Baking/ Dessert/ Recipes

    Key Lime and Ginger Bars with Almond Crust

    September 4, 2018
  • Cookbook Reviews

    Deliciously complex: A review of “Arab Cooking on a Prairie Homestead”

    August 21, 2018
  • Dinner/ Lunch/ Recipes

    Maftoul and Lentil Salad with Apricots

    August 17, 2018
  • Appetizer/ Dinner/ Recipes/ Reflections

    Gohu Ikan with Cassava Chips

    August 9, 2018
  • Appetizer/ Recipes

    Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Asparagus with Garlic Mustard Pesto

    August 2, 2018
  • Appetizer/ Lunch/ Recipes

    Beer Braised Chicken Hearts and Gizzards

    July 31, 2018
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  • It's one of those smouldering hot and humid days in Toronto today, expected to hit 45C/113F when you factor in the humidity. It's 'you're living in a rainforest' levels of muggy... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I have errands to run but I'm already planning out a scoop (or two!) of this when I get back inside (into some A/C). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Mulberry Earl Grey sorbet. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Mulberries are all over Toronto, and they're easy to find: just look for the stained purple sidewalks underneath the trees. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ They're also easy to harvest too, if you know how. Best way: get your eager kids to do it for you 😂😂😂 Second best way: put a tarp under the branches and then give them a shake and all the ripe berries will fall into your tarp. Done. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now that you've got mulberries, you can make this delicious, refreshing sorbet (and I've put the recipe up on the website to help! Link in profile!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #sorbet #icecream #beattheheat #homemade #torontofood #torontofoodie #mulberries #seasonaleating #eatseasonal #eatfresh #eattheworld #healthyeating #beautifulcuisines #foodphotography #fbcigers #canadianfoodblogger #urbanorchard #eatyourcity #recipes
  • My mom came to visit recently, and told me how my uncle was now raising rabbits to sell to restaurants. ⠀⠀⠀ It triggered a memory of the rabbit hutches my dad used to have, up against the shed. That was when we had a German Shepard dog that began biting kids and my dad had to take it out back to the field with his rifle. I was about nine years old. Farm life. ⠀⠀⠀ It's funny what you remember and what triggers other memories. I don't remember ever eating the rabbits, though that was what they were raised for. ⠀⠀⠀ As I'm flipping through @andaluzfoodandtravel's book, I spot her recipe for conejo a la campiña, country style stewed rabbit. I don't remember ever having rabbit before, but I'm sure I have. ⠀⠀⠀ It fits perfectly into what Fiona writes about the food of the region: "#Andalucia is the anti-fad foodie region of Spain... its cooking is earthy and unpretentious...We're talking soups not foams, stews not molecular gastronomy, simple not cerebral, appetite-defying abundance not minimalism." That's comfort food; that's food I want to make. ⠀⠀⠀ At the butcher shop, as I get my rabbit, the butcher tells me about how when he first moved to Canada someone took him to an old school Italian restaurant in Woodbridge. He didn't know what to order so he played it safe and ordered pasta. They laughed and ordered rabbit for him and he remembers it was the best meal he's ever eaten. Memories, man. ⠀⠀⠀ Boatloads of garlic melting into Montilla-Moriles fino sherry and its hints of citrus, straw, and the seaside. Tangy olives and preserved lemons, aromatic fresh thyme. Slow cooked rabbit falling off the bone. Served with the most fluffy and aromatic of braised rice (recipe also found in the book), studded with cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves and streaked with saffron. ⠀⠀⠀ Now I'm going to remember eating rabbit, though it's not my first time. Memories are a funny thing. ⠀⠀⠀ #spanishfood #andalusianfood #andalusia #rabbitstew #foodwriting #eattheworld #eatgoodfood #foodmemories #comfortfood #slowcooking #madeinstaub #fbcigers #beautifulcuisines #foodphotography #torontofood #torontofoodie #andaluzthebook
  • I've been working on my pan pizza game recently. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ I had been trying to improve my thin crust pizzas, trying to get that perfect snappy, blistered crust but, the reality is, you need HIGH heat and I have an old oven in an old rental house kitchen. And, I also have a lot of people to feed. I wasn't getting it right; it wasn't working for me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, pan pizza is the obvious solution here. My oven only needs to go to 425F (it does, phew) and I can make large sheets of pizza to feed a crew. The crust I've been making is airy and bubbly with a bit of chew (let's call it foccacia adjacent) with olive oil to give it that golden, crispy casing around it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ It's been a hit here, and is now what the kids request when I make pizza. It's adaptation and cooking for a my own family's requirements at its finest 😂 ⠀⠀⠀⠀ This one I pulled out of the oven a couple days ago. Homemade tomato sauce, covered in grated mozza, then layered with slow cooked carnita pork, fresh sliced pineapple (yes, I guess I am Canadian after all... 😂), pickled banana peppers, and red onion. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ Pan pizza for the win. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ #panpizza #squarepizza #detroitstylepizza #homecooking #feedfeed #eatfresh #eatgoodfood #fbcigers #homemadepizza #comfortfood #bakefeed #pizzalove #canadianfoodblogger #onthetable #familymeal
  • Last week my wife brought me a basket of #gooseberries back from the farmer's market (she knows my love language 😂) and, after snacking on a few, I got to thinking on what I could make with them. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ I immediately got to thinking of a chutney, as I've used other tart fruits such as rhubarb or green plums with great success. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, here's the gooseberry chutney 😍 ⠀⠀⠀⠀ I started from @chefheidifink's recipe (found on her site) and went from there. I liked the warming spices she included in hers, like allspice, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, but wanted to supplement them with some spicier elements. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, into the spice packet went fresh ginger, white peppercorns, and pul biber. And it's a beaut: tart fruits with nicely balanced sweetness, warming spices with a low and slow heat that creeps up on you. Perfect with the Bengali samosas I get from the bakery down the street (which are chili and coriander heavy - which makes me think coriander would be a welcome addition, and more chili too) and great on sandwiches as well! ⠀⠀⠀⠀ #eatlocal #farmersmarket #gooseberry #chutney #homecooking #preserving #recipes #eattheworld #foodphotography #instafood #fbcigers #canadianfoodblogger #eatwiththeseasons #lovelocalfood #torontofood
  • "Anytime I'm eating spicy noodles in a bowl, I'm happy." ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This bowl of happiness is the spicy pad kee mao (Thai drunken/drunkard's noodles) from @dianakuan's book #RedHotKitchen. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Fresh rice noodles stir fried in nam prik pao, oyster sauce & soy with some chicken and vegetables (onion, pepper, mushrooms) and topped with Thai basil. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Satisfying, slurpable, spicy. Everything you might need after a night of drinking or just for one's general happiness. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #noodlelove #noodlebowl #padkeemao #thaifood #spicyfood #cookbooklove #anthonybourdain #drinkingfood #drunkennoodles #eattheworld #homecooking #eatfresh #feedfeed #onthetable #instacooking #sendnoods
  • This year I grew these beautifully dark purple Malaga radishes in the garden (from @bakercreekseeds), but the rest of the family are not big fans of radishes. So, what to do? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The answer: cheat. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Which is pretty much what adding bacon to vegetables is... 😂😂😂 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Is there anything that doesn't taste better with bacon?! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I sauteed these radishes up with bacon, then added a couple splashes of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt & a handful of chopped parsley (a @bonappetitmag recipe from @brad_leone). Done and delicious. The kind of simple yet fresh eating that summer is best at. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #summereats #eatfresh #homecooking #radishes #malagaradish #bonappetit #sidedish #bakercreekseeds #recipes #foodblog #foodphotography #eatrealfood #eeeats
  • Famed Galician food writer and journalist Julio Camba wrote in 1929 that “Spanish cuisine is full of garlic and religious concerns. The garlic itself, I'm not entirely sure is not a religious concern, or at least a superstition… that is to say, that the same garlic serves to frighten both witches and foreigners.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Spain remains one of the world’s foremost producers and users of garlic, so when I picked up @andaluzfoodandtravel's new cookbook from @interlinkbooks, “Andaluz: A food journey through Southern Spain,” I was drawn to the garlic. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This is the lomo al ajo cabañil, pork loin and potatoes in garlic sauce, drawn from a dish served in the province of Almeria in Andalusia. It’s hearty fare, with a distinct vinegary acidity and a potent garlic kick. It was delicious and your breath after eating it should ward off witches and anyone else close by! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Andalusia is an area of Spain that was ruled by the Moors for eight centuries, leaving a distinct Muslim influence behind. And, yet, here I am making pork… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Fiona writes that dishes like this were fueled by the reconquista and subsequent Spanish Inquisition when Catholicism was violently imposed on everyone in an attempt to stamp out both Islam and Judaism. Pork became an important symbol in asserting Catholicism: both Jews and Muslims are religiously forbidden to eat pork, so eating pork became a sign that you had indeed converted. Leading to a cuisine full of pork and of religious concerns… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, this dish has a bit of everything that Camba was writing about: a lot of history, religious violence, and garlic. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #spanishfood #andalusianfood #andaluzthebook #foodwriting #foodphotography #eeeats #eattheworld #almeria #homecooking #comfortfood #eatfresh #cookbooklove #cookbook #beautifulcuisines
  • This is not your grandmother’s Vietnamese food. And that, according to @andreanguyen88, is the point. ⠀⠀ In an interview on her book #VietnameseFoodAnyday she says, "I don't want to cook like my mother used to, because she doesn't even cook that way anymore.” ⠀⠀ So, one of the recipes that I wanted to try was her ‘fusion’ of Vietnamese tofu with pomegranate molasses (common in Middle Eastern cuisine) in place of tamarind. I can get tamarind easily enough but I wanted to try it this way! ⠀⠀ Fusion is a much-maligned term that means an array of things to different people. Mostly, it’s a mess of appropriation and forced marriages. ⠀⠀ But at its heart, the term fusion is trying to map out the ways we build relationships with food that is different than ours. What is the framework that helps us relate to one another? ⠀⠀ Instead of fusion, I’m drawn to ideas that the Cultural Rhetorics Theory Lab describe as ‘constellation.’ A constellation “allows for all the meaning-making practices and their relationships to matter. It allows for multiply-situated subjects to connect to multiple discourses at the same time, as well as for those relationships to shift and change.” ⠀⠀ We all move but we move in relationship to one another. We create new constellations, new frames of reference, and new connections to one another. This recognizes that people and cultures are not static – they are dynamic and changing. ⠀⠀ Food, then, is always changing as well. We create relationships with ingredients, places, and people. These grow, develop, shift, rotate, and move with time. We bring a wide array of experiences, encounters, knowledges, ideas, inspirations, and talents to the ways in which we prepare and think about food. We come to learn about difference and mutuality in particular ways. Constellation is about recognizing our relationships to food and one another and how these matter. ⠀⠀ So, this is Andrea’s Spicy Pomegranate Molasses Tofu and her Smashed Cucumber and Shrimp salad. The sweetness and tanginess of the molasses balances the spice, and the cucumber and shrimp brings a funky, cooling counterpoint. It was a delicious glimpse into Andrea's relationship to food and Vietnam.
  • The food I ate as a white boy growing up on the Canadian prairies didn't prepare me for truly spicy food. I mean, I liked the spicy salsa from the supermarket or spicy potato chips so I liked spicy food, right? It wasn't until I lived and travelled elsewhere that I realized what truly spicy food was 😂 ⠀⠀⠀⠀ And sometimes you need, as Anthony Bourdain called it, that "ass burning goodness" 😂 It's an itch I now like to scratch. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ Which is one of the reasons I had picked up @dianakuan's book #RedHotKitchen. The title gives it away, but it's a book all about the capsicum and the Asian hot sauces that utilize it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ But the first one I chose out of the book was the Japanese yuzu koshu, a bright, citrusy and not overly spicy sauce. It's delicious and I'll be making it many more times, but next out of the book needed to be something with a little more kick. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ So I bought my one pound bag of dried Thai spur chili peppers and went with the Thai chili jam, nam prik pao. And, oh, let me tell you about the smell first (because that's what hits you first). It's rich with umami. It's earthy and fishy and full of warm, toasty pepper notes alongside the garlic and onion and tangy tamarind. It's robust and jammy and I couldn't wait to dig in. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ The first dish I made with it was this spicy squid salad where the rich, jammy, spicy character of the sauce is set against the bright freshness of tomatoes, cucumbers and mint. It's a very summery salad. And, while it wasn't ass-burning, it was plenty spicy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ It was enough to, halfway through the plate, set your lips on fire, your brain popping on all cylinders, and to initiate that drop of sweat that forms on the edge of your hairline. By the end of the plate my sinuses are starting to loosen up and all my senses are on that jangly full three-bell alert. It was very very good and scratched that itch in a supremely satisfying way.... ⠀⠀⠀⠀ #spicyfood #thaifood #eattheworld #eatfresh #summersalads #foodphotography #homecooking #asianfood #eeeats #buzzfeast #foodblogger #foodie #lovefood #f52grams #f52cookbookclub #cookbooklove
  • Living in Korea for a year, we ate a lot of Korean food. Obviously. But, I didn't cook much. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We lived in a small apartment with a small kitchen, eating out was relatively cheap, we loved eating Korean food but it seemed intimidating to cook, and when I did cook it was often 'tastes of home' that I couldn't easily get in Korea. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But one of the things I did learn how to cook when I lived there was haemul pajeon (seafood and chive pancake). It was one of my wife's absolute favourite Korean dishes and one we wanted to learn so we could share it with friends and family back home. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We asked Bora, a Korean friend and colleague of ours, to teach us how to make it. She agreed, under one condition: that we teach her how to bake cookies (my wife had baked her cookies in our little toaster oven earlier in the year!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Fresh squid was procured from the street markets and carefully dissected. Buchu (Korean garlic chives) was bought and washed. And together we fried pajeon and baked cookies in out toaster oven. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I've made pajeon a few times in the more than a decade since, it's something we still love. This one has shrimp, squid (the squid I bought pre-cleaned this time 😂), carrots, and buchu (made via a @maangchi recipe this time) . Dipped in a soy/vinegar sauce, served with an array of banchan (side dishes to share), it's a favorite treat of ours that the kids are also learning to enjoy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And, I hope somewhere Bora is still baking cookies.... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #koreanfood #pajeon #homecooking #eattheworld #beautifulcuisines #seafood #maangchirecipe #koreanfoodlover #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #foodblogger #eeeats #buzzfeast #yahoofood
  • I believe there's something important about spontaneity, in life and in the kitchen. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As a younger man, I thrived on spontaneity and that 'fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants' mentality, mostly because I could. Life got busier and more complex - as it's prone to do - and I had to learn to organize and plan better. Spontaneity wasn't going to cut it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In the kitchen, I also try to plan out my meals now. I go through the week, make meal plans, write out ingredients I need as to minimize grocery trips and to try and ensure I'm using up leftover ingredients before they go bad. Planning has a place. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But there's something about spontaneity, about jumping into something without knowing where you'll land, in being forced to improvise, that is a great teacher. I like being forced into a learning, creative position, to be placed in a position where I must think outside of what I know. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, often at the grocery store I'll deviate from the list. I'll grab something that I know is in season and I won't be able to get later, or an ingredient I've never used before (or maybe never even heard of before!), or something I've not used in a long time, to bring home and spark my curiosity. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The last time I was at the grocery store, a big bright package of kumquats caught my eye. So, I bought them. I've used them a few times, but it's been some time since I had, so I was looking for something new to do with them. And I happened on @nerdswithknives recipe for kumquat ginger syrup which seemed perfect for summer drink making. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, now I have a beautiful jar of kumquat ginger syrup in the fridge to further experiment and improvise with! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #homecooking #homecook #fruitsyrup #kumquat #eattheworld #eeeats #canadianfoodblogger #summerdrinks #drinkstagram #preservingfruit #kitchenchronicles #foodblog #foodblogger
  • A feast from @dianakuan's book #RedHotKitchen! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ People often ask what I've been cooking or what ingredients I'm really loving and when I reply 'yuzu!' they often don't know what I'm talking about. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit (though they can be grown other places, as they are in California) that in appearance looks like an overgrown lemon, and in flavor dabbles somewhere between a lemon or lime with the heady perfume of a clementine or even bergamot. It has this unique, intoxicating olofunctary presence that cannot be mimicked 😍 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In Red Hot Kitchen, recipes are grouped by hot sauce - nine Asian hot sauce recipes and a number of dishes you can make with each of those sauces. I was immediately drawn to the last grouping - the Japanese yuzu kosho hot sauce. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A simple blend of citrus rind, yuzu juice and chili peppers, it's a bright, citrusy sauce that perks up food without being overly spicy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here's three of the dishes I made with it: ginger chicken gyoza, soba noodle salad, and miso soup (with added enoki mushrooms). In each, the citrus brings a unique element, though I think the miso soup is where it shone best, giving a bright citrusy twist to the classic smoky umami of the dashi/miso combo. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #yuzukoshu #yuzu #japanesefood #gyoza #cookbooklove #cookingathome #homecooking #eattheworld #eatfresh #spicyfood #beautifulcuisines #eeeats #asianfood

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