Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
From Ancient Remedy to Beloved Dessert – A Spice Route Treasure – Rhubarb’s roots stretch back thousands of years to the mountainous regions of northern and central Asia (China, Mongolia, and Siberia), where it was cultivated primarily for medicinal purposes. The Chinese prized it as a digestive tonic and laxative,
Holiday!
A little bit of r&r is on the cards, but I’ll be back to my regular posting on Monday, 23rd July. Cheers!
Grilled Polenta Vegetable Sandwich
Cornmeal, the golden-yellow polenta, is a culinary staple in Northern Italy. Polenta is a neutral flavored dish that can carry other flavors. Using a medium grind cornmeal will yield the best results. Look for ‘stone ground’ cornmeal on the label. For more cornmeal recipes, check out food blogger, ‘Foodie Chick‘ for her Weekend Cookbook Challenge…
Warm Avocado and Chorizo Salad
This is an easy main meal to make especially now that summer is here! The avocado has been around for thousands of years and is rich in potassium (helps regulate blood pressure) and vitamin A (helps your eyes). Avocado paste can be applied to the skin to help with rashes and to smooth rough skin.…
Gyoza with Kaffir Lime Leaf
I usually associate Gyoza (aka potstickers) as a Japanese dish but its origins are Chinese and was introduced to the Japanese in the 1700’s. There are many ways to cook Gyoza (deep fried, boiled, steamed) but the most popular is pan fried. This recipe is adapted from Herbaceous (a cook’s guide to culinary herbs). Kaffir…
Scallops with Sauce Vierge
Sauce vierge is the Mediterranean version of a tomato salsa. This no-cook and no frills sauce is fabulous with shellfish. Also great with clams, grilled tuna and pasta. Use fresh herbs, good extra virgin olive oil and sun-ripened tomatoes. This recipe is adapted from BBC’s Good Food magazine. Scallops are a good source of B12,…
Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
This a traditional dish of Rome which became popular after WWII when many Italians were eating eggs and bacon supplied by troops from the US. In the original recipe, cream was never an ingredient. For more information as to the origins of this recipe, click here. What I like most about this recipe is that…
Pea and Parmesan Risotto
Risotto (little rice) is a classic dish of Northern Italy. This recipe is from BBC Good Food magazine. Originally risotto was eaten by the poorer working classes of Italy. It was just rice cooked in a broth with whatever other ingredients were available (usually not much) and was used as a means of a cheap…
Swordfish Involtini with Couscous
Involtini is an Italian word used to describe small bundles of food stuffed into a rolled food wrap. Usually I use chicken, beef or eggplant to stuff so I was interested to see how the swordfish would work in this regard. This recipe is adapted from ‘What to Drink with What you Eat‘ by Andrew…
Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng Festival)
The dragon boat festival is a popular annual event held in various venues throughout Hong Kong. The biggest venue is held in Stanley where there are over 140 teams. The special boats, which measure more than 10 meters, have ornately carved and painted “dragon” heads and tails” and each carries a crew of 20-22 paddlers.…
Vegetarian Timbale (timballino vegetariano)
I have been a fan of Italian food for a very long time and I enjoy learning why certain foods were used in one region of Italy and not in another. Vegetables were often used to replace meat when it was scarce or too expensive (or both). After eating this dish you’ll forget all about…