Recipes, tips and reviews
These recipes are developed, tested and re-tested until perfect. Try one at home tonight.
I used the Japanese Kuri squash which is a fiery red colour. It roasts well. You can use any drier variety of squash for this curry.
The best Scottish shortbread handed down through my family. Crumbly, sweet and buttery.
This dish has a salty, savoury sauce with a little bit of a kick. If you don't want the spice of the jalapenos, leave it out, and finely diced onion can be used instead of the shallots.
This is the one hors d’oeuvre that I keep being asked for time and time again. It’s crunchy, creamy, spicy and hits all the high spots.
Mushrooms and squash have a real affinity and this soup proves it. I like to use oyster mushrooms, but chanterelles, which I found at the supermarket this week, provide the best flavour.
The fifth taste, umami, has much to do with glutamate, an amino acid found in such foods as prosciutto, soy sauce and a number of cheeses. Umami can show up in your glass, too (fermentation is glutamate’s old friend).
When this recipe originally ran in The Globe and Mail, I received a lovely note from reader Barbara Zuchowicz. This dish reminded her of a wonderful meal she had in Italy: "It brought back joyful memories of a trip to Italy my late husband, an exceptional cook, and I took a number of years ago.
Made with whole-grain Kashi cereal, this spin on Rice Krispies squares is a big hit with kids. Some even like it better than the traditional version, on which this recipe is based. You can use any whole-grain cereal but I like the Kashi Seven Grain.
Read MoreRinse the quinoa before cooking it to remove the powdery residue. Wash it under cold water until the water runs clear. You might be tempted to put wasabi in these rolls, but its flavour doesn't work well with the quinoa. I used avocado (which kids don't usually like) but you can fill them with anything you wish.
Read MoreI make steel cut oatmeal every week and microwave it for breakfast each morning. This recipe came as I experimented with the leftovers. The kids loved them served with maple syrup.
Read MoreUse mild white turnips for this soup, not the yellow waxed rutabagas.
Read MoreBuy boned, butterflied lamb legs for a sophisticated but easily carved dinner. These legs take no time to bake. Lamb fat congeals at a low temperature, so it's important to heat the plates before serving the dish. Most of the fat is on the outside rather than in strips marbling the meat so, if desired, cut off the fat after cooking to save on calories and saturated fat.
The slight licorice taste of the fennel is an excellent accompaniment to lamb.
Read MoreThis cake is almost like marzipan in texture - soft and very moist. It may be used as a Passover dessert, too - just substitute margarine for butter.
Double-smoked bacon adds a special twist to this recipe, but good-quality ordinary bacon works just as well. Serve the tart as a first course with a scattering of arugula. If wild leeks aren't available, the white and light green parts of conventional ones, thinly sliced, can also be used.
Read MoreServe this citrusy dish with a side of asparagus.
Read MoreServe this citrusy dish with a side of asparagus.
Read MoreA charlotte is an English dish similar to a brown betty. Serve this one with lemon-ginger gelato or vanilla ice cream.
Read MoreChester-born Michael Howell is a favourite homegrown Halifax chef. His restaurant, Tempest in Wolfville, is one of the best in the province. His fried fish is lightly battered and nicely crispy: Howell uses haddock, the most popular fish in the area. The sparkling water in his recipe must be as cold as possible to keep the batter light and prevent it from absorbing too much oil. Place in a hot oven for a couple of minutes to reheat.
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Jason Lynch of Restaurant Le Caveau at the Grand Pré Winery in the Annapolis Valley is a spirited young chef who likes to challenge your taste buds while keeping his emphasis on regional products. You can buy high-quality harissa in tins or tubes in Middle Eastern grocery stores.
Read MoreOne of my favourite restaurants in Rome is Trattoria Monti, which is owned by a family from Le Marche. The menu there was reflective of the nearby region, featuring fresh pastas and game in winter. It doesn't change much, as locals are staunchly devoted to their favourites - something we found in many of the family-run trattorie that characterize much of the dining scene. We had a huge tortello al rosso d'uovo, a large ravioli-type pasta filled with ricotta, spinach and a deep-orange egg yolk that breaks as you cut into it. It's a decadent dish, so one tortello per serving is enough.
Read MoreThis recipe is a great Roman favourite, dating back to the cucina povera tradition. It can be prepared with any pasta, although tagliatelle or a slimmer version called tonnarelli work best. Although the sauce is often made with grated Pecorino alone, we found that version to be quite salty, so we opted for this mixed-cheese take from the St. Regis Grand Hotel. It is best to freshly grate the cheese.
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This recipe is inspired by a dish I had at La Rosetta, an upscale restaurant in Rome that serves only fish. It's expensive but charming, offering exceptional fresh fish simply prepared and a great wine list. To make our version, we used passata, which comes in bottles and is essentially Italian puréed tomatoes.
Read MoreThere is no lobster in the sauce, but it was traditionally served over lobster (and sometimes shrimp), hence the name. Deep-frying the mushrooms is a technique I learned from the restaurant chef at New Sky in Toronto. It adds wonderful texture to the dish. Substitute stir-fried shrimp for a flavour change.
Use a medium curry paste for this recipe as it best balances the sweetness of the hoisin sauce. Mix the steamed bok choy into the dish or surround the dish with it.
Read MoreA Scottish-inspired frozen toffee bar, this is a decadent favourite in my family. I love it with marinated balsamic strawberries, which help to cut the sweetness. You can cut this recipe in half and make it in a loaf pan if desired. Cut with a warm knife and refreeze what you don't eat--we like to break pieces off directly out of the freezer for a quick treat.
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© 2018, Lucy Waverman.
