I am not sure why we don’t eat more duck; it’s juicy, it’s lean (once most of the fat layer is rendered in the cooking process) and it’s easy to make, especially the breast. Except for the time the whole bird I was roasting on the barbecue rotisserie caught fire (there is so much fat […]
“You’re going to give those away, right?” L asked as I stood admiring the row of jars, jewels really, still hot from the canner. I had been expecting some resistance to the notion of a crowd of pickled beets lined up in the cold cellar just waiting to sneak themselves onto the menu and into […]
I find quail a little bit intimidating because I really don’t know how to eat them. There isn’t a whole lot of meat to begin with and picking out all the flavourful flesh is difficult without getting your hands into the action. Fresh quail are cooked fast and hot in a 500 F oven for […]
My sweet tooth fell out years ago and my favourite part of Halloween has nothing to do with the high-fructose corn syrup that will have my daughter on a high-fructose high for the next week or so (unless the dog gets the candy again, in which case we get low-fructose histrionics). Halloween just wouldn’t be […]
Rhianna P’s guest blog didn’t tempt me even for a minute to run out and buy a jar of Ovaltine, but it did get me thinking of the comfort foods of my own youth. And, for me, a bowl of milky sweet (with a hint of saltiness), porridge in the morning always makes me feel […]
I haven’t even seen a jar of Ovaltine in decades, but guest blogger Rhianna Padamsey is reliving her youth with this look at the chocolatey drink. – ska The onset of fall inevitably conjures up a variety of images: scarves, long slow braises, extra blankets, changing leaves, pumpkin spice lattes.. However, it’s not often – […]
As a baseball fan who supports another team in the American League East, I’d like to trim the fat off the New York Yankees payroll. But since I’m powerless to do that, I settle for trimming the fat off some New York fries. This recipe is almost as easy as figuring out which players used […]
I never thought that almost-raw tuna could be considered a comfort food, but I’m coming around. On busy weeknights (and even the odd weekday lunch when L and I sneak home for a bite) this straight-forward dish is a light and elegant meal that I find myself craving. Done right, tuna is a rich but […]
I make a couple of batches of this simple jelly every year because it helps out in so many ways. I use it as a glaze for pork or chicken. Mixed with white wine and a little stock it is a great braise for carrots or squash (I reduce it to a thick glaze after […]
We are lucky to have a great source of artisan bacon (among many other delicacies) in our neighbourood but it’s probably too close (and too delicious) for our own good. I often buy a pound a week and that’s raised our consumption by at least four times what we used to eat when we bought […]
Meats, Roots and Leaves 