Nasturtiums, I am told, flower best in poor soil. They attract few pests, are generally happier when completely ignored and they tend to thrive under the unwatchful eye of even the worst gardeners. Thank, God – this is a plant for me. And, even better, they’re delicious. I’ve often thrown a few nasturtium leaves in […]
Whoever invented the word cornucopia must have been looking at all the leftover cobs in my fridge. The corn is so good right now I always buy too much – six cobs per person seems to be the rule of thumb, despite the fact I really do know they’ll only eat two or three. This […]
For the Boy-O-Matic Eating Machine’s 17th birthday dinner the other night I offered to cook whatever he wanted. “Prime rib?” I asked. “Ham melts,” he replied. “With mashed potatoes?” “With cheese.” “And Yorkshire pudding?” “And onions.” Ham melts it was. Favourite meals, It seems, don’t have to be elaborate. If, like my son, you love […]
Opening the crisper drawer after I have been away for a week is a lot like opening a time capsule or, an Egyptian tomb – a rush of ancient air desperate to rejoin the space-time continuum. I close the drawer quickly before something else slithers out and wonder what my family ate while I was […]
“This is the dawning of the Age of Asparagus Age of Asparagus Asparagus! Asparagus!” I’m not sure what it is about this annual refrain that gets L so annoyed. I think it’s very clever and it makes for a delightful little ear worm that stays with you all day (you’ll see). No apologies to […]
The annual plan to have rabbit for Easter dinner fell victim once again to the family veto. They don’t know what they’re missing; I love the firm, white meat, which, done properly, is a great change from other white meats like chicken or pork. This year, however, I at least got the word bunny on […]
“No, no, no” the waitress said forcibly removing the fork from L’s tightening grip. “We don’t do it like that.” We are sitting at Sip Sip, the dune-top lunch spot on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, and, up till now, everything has been perfect. The view from the terrace is right off a postcard, the […]
Sometimes lucky little things happen that change everything for the better. Things like meeting a life partner at a party that you weren’t planning to go to but got dragged to anyway; or having an errant bullet stopped by the bible you always carry in your breast pocket; or, better yet, discovering a spectacular new […]
My Fall campaign to get the rest of my home-grown beets on the menu has met with moderate success; beets now regularly colour gravies, sweeten braises and, grated, make their way into a number of dishes I won’t name here because L will stop eating them. There are still plenty in the garden so last […]
Meats, Roots and Leaves 