A guest post from our good friend, the founder and editor of www.spotlighttoronto.com, Suresh Doss
I’ve been making this for years when I want a quick breakfast but also something different from scrambled eggs or an omelette. The recipe is very simple, here is what you need to re-create it.
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Herb gardens are going crazy all over town and we want you to make use of that bounty in every meal. Here we present a series of recipes and ideas for putting all those delicious plants to good use.
Mint is not just a garnish for your dessert plate. It is so hardy and comes back every year so you’ve got to find ways to use it up. The chocolate mint pictured is in it’s third year. No special fertilizers or anything, it sits in a planter in the sun and bursts forth every spring. Continue »
Herb gardens are going crazy all over town and we want you to make use of that bounty in every meal. Here we present a series of recipes and ideas for putting all those delicious plants to good use.
I’m a total maniac for dill but I really only use it in the summer when it’s fresh and in my face. The tallest herb in the garden, with fronds that tickle your ankles reminding you that potato salad sucks without dill and so do bagels with lox, borscht, tuna salad, pickles, perogies and sour cream, dolmadakia, tartar sauce…. Continue »
We’re reposting this wonderful blog post from Communal Table. This husband/wife team of communications professionals write a blog dedicated to their passion for food. This post features an ingredient that is well represented on Fiesta Farms’ shelves; canned fish (who knew there were so many kinds?). Thanks for the ideas guys!
Neil and I absolutely love shopping at Fiesta Farms in Toronto. It’s a bit like our foodie Disneyworld. The place is filled with amazing ‘food finds’, so it’s fitting to write my first Food Find post about a product we discovered on our last trip there.
The variety of interesting ethnic foods at Fiesta Farms is amazing. Never would have I imagined that the canned fish section would be so appealing. Actually, when Neil spotted his first tin of ‘Calamary’ stew I think I scoffed at the thought and told him to put it back. But the adventurous food-lover in him pressed on and I’m so happy he made us buy some because it’s delicious and adds so much to a quick and easy pasta!
We’ve tried two different kinds now, and particularly enjoyed this one. Your initial gut reaction might be “Ew, gross!” but if you’re into food, try it out and you’ll probably be as pleasantly surprised as I was.
Here’s a really quick pasta dish we threw together tonight that impressed us both.
Linguine with Portuguese ‘Calamary’, Lentils and Garlic Scapes.
2 garlic scapes, chopped (or 1 garlic clove)
1/2 can of lentils
1 tin of Portuguese style ‘calamary stew’
Frozen spinach, thawed and drained
White wine
A few fresh basil leaves, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
Crushed chili flakes (a few pinches)
S&P
Sautee the garlic scapes and chili flakes in a bit of olive oil. Add the ‘calamary’ with a bit of the oil/sauce from the tin and sauté. Add in a few splashes of white wine and let it cook off for a few minutes. Add the lentils with some of the lentil liquid, then add the spinach. Let it all amalgamate for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and you can add a bit of water to make it saucy.
Mix in cook pasta (we used linguine) and season again with salt and pepper to taste. Plate the pasta and add a good amount of freshly chopped parsley and a drizzle of good olive oil to finish.
Not a clubhouse, or a BLT, not ham & swiss or tofurkey and tomato. We’re talking about a different kind of sandwich people! The greatest sandwich you could ever have in the blazing heat of summer. Ice cream sandwiches!
Bake your cookies late at night. It sounds crazy but it is much better than cranking the oven in the heat of the day. Continue »
Most of us buy fresh lemons, not only because we prefer to squeeze our lemon juice fresh but also for the added bonus of all that zest. Nevertheless, I like to keep some of the bottled stuff on hand just in case.
This is the best bottled lemon juice I’ve found, it doesn’t have that chemical aftertaste you often find with this product. Grown in the shadow of Italy’s Mount Etna, these organic Sicilian lemons benefit from the volcanic soil. They are hand picked, squeezed immediately and the juice is stored in glass bottles.
There is one recipe I always use bottled lemon juice for and it is perfect for summer. You can make it ahead and bring it out to wow your guests at the end of the meal. Continue »
Spring is just around the corner yet the subtle threat of snow is still in the air, so it’s time to cram in the last of those starchy comfort foods while you still can. Soon it’s going to be salad city, this might be your last chance to jump on the gravy train.
Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food, whether in marinara or swedish, with gravy or sweet & sour. Served over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes or polenta, meatballs and starch belong together. There are so many ways to prepare them and each one so simple. What follows is a recipe that goes perfectly with flannel pyjamas, slippers and beer. Continue »
If you’ve just spent your whole weekend forecasting field goals, glazing chicken wings and cracking cold ones, all while wearing your beer-drinkin’ helmet, then maybe you should take it easy tonight.
Super Bowl weekend can take it out of you. Once all the gorilla millionaires have cleared the field to go sip champagne in a private jet, you’re left vacuuming up Chex Mix while your buddy crushes empty beer cans on his forehead. After cleaning up and popping a few Tylenol for that nagging hangover, you deserve to take it easy.
Make supper as simple as possible, and try to get a few veggies in there meat-head. Continue »
You don’t need a wood-burning pizza oven imported from Italy. You don’t even need a pizza stone. Great homemade pizza can be had with a regular old cookie sheet and an electric oven.
If you have mayo, plain yogurt and sour cream in your fridge then you pretty much have Ranch dressing.
So, you have pizza and homemade Ranch, now this is where the magic happens.
Some strange alchemy occurs when the pizza is cut into sticks and dipped in the Ranch. A taste sensation so amazing you may have to lay down for a bit. Continue »
Eggplant is the star of Caponata, a cooked Sicilian salad. Our favourite is the version from Naples, Italy called Cianfatta, which makes use of the salty, briny deliciousness of capers and olives. Zucchini, red pepper, basil and currants are added for a final dish that sparkles with sweet, sour and salty delights. Continue »
