Food, Travel, and Cooking!
A simple Tomato Sauce that is the perfect thing to dress either potato or ricotta cheese gnocchi. But…don’t hesitate to dress other pasta with it too. I like it on “shapes” (my name for short pasta). 2 cups tinned Italian plum tomatoes, chopped 2-3 Tbsp. each EVO & butter 1 small clove garlic, minced 2-3 […]
Up until I received “Lidia’s Italy” cookbook as a Christmas gift a few years ago, I had never tried to make gnocchi. We used to buy gnocchi from an Italian store/deli made by the owner’s wife. Delightful little pillows; so no need for me to! Sadly the closed and we were forced to give it […]
This post is to honour a good friend who I learned much from when I was a girl in her early teens and a budding cook. The first time I tasted Mary’s spaghetti sauce, I was hooked; I think I was maybe ten. It was slightly spicy, aromatic with cloves and cinnamon, the sweetness of […]
Quite simply, I love barley whether in soups or a casserole or in my version of barley risotto. It is creamy and dare I say it, “good for you”. Makes 4 – 6 Servings 1 cup pearl barley, placed in a bowl & covered with cold water for up to 6 hours 1 cup leeks, cleaned […]
Similar to my ramp (wild leek) tart but this tart has nutmeg instead of herbs. Not only is it delicious in the spring, but also in the fall and winter months when the new leeks become available. A citrus salad would go so well with the tart. Makes an 8″ or 9″ Tart Pre-baked pie […]
Stinging Nettles have become one of the very welcome early “greens” of spring. Foragers and cooks alike look forward to the many ways they can be used. Making this tart seems the right thing to do and excellent it is! Makes an 8″ or 9″ Tart Pre-baked pie shell (see below) I prefer to use […]
Ramps aka wild leeks/wild garlic, grow wild in the Northeast and Midwest of Canada and all the way down the U.S., into the Appalachians. They are a treasure only found in the spring. Only occasionally have I seen ramps that have been foraged, at our Farmer’s Market. They have a slight garlic flavour to them […]
While I was at the farmer’s market I saw stinging nettles, right then and there I decided to create a fresh pasta dish for dinner. I call this spring in a bowl! It’s very important that you wear gloves while working with unblanched nettles! Besides the sauce given here, a fabulous ragu would be great […]
My mom celebrated her 91st birthday a while ago and it got me thinking and remembering about things. The rose in the photo is one she planted years ago and is still going strong under my care. Each time it produces the first fragrant bloom I find I’m unable to stop myself from saying “hello […]
“Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May/and summer’s lease hath all to short a date.” -Shakespeare, sonnet 18. Spring meant many things when I was a little girl, in the 1950’s, Easter school holidays being high on my list as I was not too keen on school! Then there were new “Easter” dresses, […]