Posts by The Culinary Chase

It’s difficult to keep everyone out of the kitchen while these cookies are baking in the oven. Cookie is derived from the Dutch word koekje, meaning “small or little cake”.  According to culinary historians, cookies were born as test cakes. A small amount of cake batter was baked to test the oven temperature. The earliest…

Gnocchi (pronounced nee-okkee), are Italian dumplings and are most often made with potatoes, although they can also be made from flour, squash, cheese or even polenta. They’re fantastic with all sorts of sauces, from a simple summer tomato sauce to the richest winter meat sauce. Gnocchi recipes date back to the twelfth century and are…

Zest is one of my all time favorite cookbooks. It’s full of delicious-looking food and the book is broken down into segments according to flavors such as Savour (rosemary, basil, sage. parsley, mind and thyme), Tang (lemon grass and lime), Seasoned (salt and pepper), Piquant (chili and ginger), Zesty (oranges and lemons), Aromatic (cumin and…

This is the way I enjoy crabmeat. For me, unless you are talking about Alaskan King Crab, the joy of eating crab is flattened by the tedious and laborious work required for the little amount of meat you get.  Crab is one of the most delicate of seafood tastes and is rich in minerals such…

I enjoy reading the food blog of my Greek blogging friend, Peter.  His stories and recipes of all things Greek always remind of when we vacationed there.  Obviously I’ve had chicken, tomatoes and potatoes before, but the way Peter combines them with the spices he uses makes it very different to what I grew up…

Chocolate (cacao) was cultivated in Mexico, Central and South America and dates back to around 1100BC. It was not until the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs that chocolate could be imported to Europe in the 16th century and before that no one in Europe had ever heard of chocolate. The first chocolate house opened in…

It seems like forever since I last had a Chinese meal. Pork belly is very popular in Chinese cuisine and it was in Hong Kong that I had my first introduction to this humble cut of meat.  If you are still not sure what pork belly is, it’s where our bacon comes from. Braising makes…

Making your own pesto is quite easy and using a mortar and pestle is by far, the best way to achieve a good-tasting pesto. The circular movement of the pestle squeezes rather than crushes the basil leaf thereby helping to release its aromatic oils. In John Dickie’s book, Delizia!: The Epic History of the Italians…

I love homemade preserves and grew up with my Mom making her own jams, jellies and assortment of pickles. The idea of preserving the flavor of fresh produce from our garden and the taste kept my Mom very busy between August and September. For some, it’s a hobby as well as a sense of accomplishment.…

Tenderstem (aka broccolini) is a member of the Brassica family and related to Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage and is is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. Tenderstem originates in Japan.  The flavor is sweet, with notes of both broccoli and asparagus. For more tenderstem recipes, click here.  A deliciously light meal that was…