pork belly adobo
Adobo is a sauce that is indigenous to the Philippines. When the Spanish colonists settled in the Philippines during the 16th century, they saw this traditional Filipino cooking method and called it adobo (from the Spanish word adobar, meaning marinade). Spanish adobo, however, is not the same as it has a reddish hue due to…
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easy-to-make homemade ricotta
It all began with a bag of shelled green peas. I was thinking sautéed spring vegetables with pasta; the Italians call it primavera. But, I did not want to use traditional pasta such as linguine, penne, or tagliatelle. And, I had a yearning for some sort of fresh sauce, too, in lieu of a creamy…
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fugazza (Argentinian pizza)
Last month Mr S and I were in Buenos Aires. I knew Argentina was originally a Spanish colony but never realized how Italian immigrants influenced the makeup of food until we visited. For sure, regional dishes can be found (parrilla) but surprisingly, day-to-day eating is dominated by la dolce vita. I read that 40% of…
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green apple sorbet with roasted pecans
Frozen desserts such as a sorbet are easy to make and a delight to eat! Traditionally used as a palate cleanser, sorbet is made up of fruit and sugar; perfect for those who are lactose intolerant or vegan. Sorbet (pronounced sor-bay) is rumored to have started back in the first century A.D. when Roman Emperor,…
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zucchini noodles with creamy avocado sauce – a vegan delight!
It’s good to shake up our eating habits now and then. For us that means meat takes a back seat and the veggies reign. When the word vegan is mentioned, the carnivores in my life shiver. And I get why. Those who were brought up eating meat and vegetables could easily cut back on the…
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prosciutto-wrapped monkfish
Over the last decade I have made a conscious effort to support farm-to-table and know your farmer or fisherman, but sometimes not knowing what your food looks like before it lands on the table is good thing! Let me explain. Take monkfish, for example, it’s one helluva an ugly fish! Its body is composed mainly…
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prosciutto and cabbage frittata
If you mention the word cabbage to your carnivore friends, the most likely response will come in the form of a scrunched up nose as they take a step backwards. But, tell them it’s encased in a prosciutto base with Parmesan cheese and suddenly you’re all buddy-buddy with them. This dish I am about to…
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cuban sandwich (a cheater’s version)
The Cuban sandwich makes use of leftover Cuban roast pork – for the uninitiated, it’s basically a delicious pork and cheese sandwich. Having recently returned from a trip to Havana, the Cuban sandwich was high on our radar. However, Mr. S and I only saw it once on a menu but never tried as it…
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baked brie with onion jam – make it tonight!
I am not mathematically inclined, but I do like to figure out how things work and have always had an inquisitive mind. If a shortcut works, well, I’ll take that route. It stems from childhood. When a problem arose, I would try to sort it out on my own before approaching my parents. I would…
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chicken noodle salad cups – entertain with ease
Salad cups are one of my favourite ways to serve as an appetizer. You can take pretty much any salad recipe and instead of serving it on a plate, shrink the portion to fit onto lettuce, endive spears, Tostitos scoops, mini fillo shells, wonton cups and so on; you get the picture. December is a…
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halloumi fries – entertaining made easy
I’ve been cooking with halloumi cheese since 2006; we were living in Hong Kong at the time. I love that city! It’s one of the few places I could go back to live. It’s a city that’s frenetic, safe to travel at night, people are generally friendly, amazing food, public transport is swift and timely,…
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greek yogurt labneh balls
How to turn Greek yogurt into a delightful soft cheese? It’s quite easy and so simple! Labneh is strained yogurt and found in Middle Eastern cuisines. Serve it with a drizzle of olive oil and top with za’atar or do what I did by rolling into balls and place in a jar with olive…
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Asian infused soup with instant noodles
For years I have been sodium-aware and have passed this awareness onto my kids. And yet my daughter, while she was in high school and in university, loved noodles in a cup or the instant noodles with a flavour pouch. While I doubt the noodles are the sodium culprit, I’m pretty sure the pouch contains…
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