Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World. -Christopher Columbus
Pesto is a sauce of the Old World. It’s also simplicity at its best. Its name comes from the method used to prepare it: by pounding using a mortar and pestle. Okay, so perhaps the use of a mortar and pestle does not exactly conjure up the notion of simplicity when we can use a blender instead. Which ever method you use, 4 ingredients later, you end up with Italy’s most prized sauce.
Continue reading “basil pesto”
After about 3 weeks of no rain, the skies turned grey this weekend and the rain came down much to the delight of parched lawns here in Montréal. Unfortunately, this meant not going on a picnic, or a good hike, or bicycling. Fortunatley, weather such as this calls for staying indoors and making soup. Not a brightly coloured autumn soup or hearty winter soup, but a soup that makes good use of summer’s bounty. A broccoli soup! Whereas my husband and our eldest son can’t get enough of it, my two daughters will gladly exchange their soup for a roasted version of broccoli! I won’t argue with that. In the end, broccoli is good food.
Continue reading “the pleasures of summer’s bounty: broccoli soup and roasted broccoli”
There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance- pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that’s for thought. -William Shakespeare
I love summer mornings when I can wake up with the sunrise and the world (it seems), as well as my loves, are still asleep and quiet. And I have time to sort out my thoughts. I do this best in my kitchen while measuring and weighing, mixing ingredients and watching something great come together.
In this quiet solitude, I take out my hurts and pains; so many shades of blue. I weigh and measure them as I do my ingredients. Some remain raw and heavy as they were the day they happened and I sink them quickly into the deepest, darkest oceans of my thought. In these quiet mornings, I look for answers. That never seem to come. But a walk in my garden always lifts me up; on dew laden grass, barefoot. I hear bird songs over scents of rosemary. I see the miracles of petals and leaves, and small creatures, and the beauty of life and decay and the fragility of it all.
Life is fragile. We are fragile. And we damage easily. But the thing about life is that another morning still comes and begins a new day with a new sunrise and if we are lucky enough to have that, then we should be grateful and make the most of it; weighing and measuring what we have and making something great out of it. Continue reading “shades of blue: breakfast blueberry oatmeal muffins”
The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk. -Marcus Tullius Cicero
Hummus is a humble food. At first glance, it really doesn’t come across as all that impressive. Its recipe, simple; its appearance, quite bland. But don’t be fooled. Hummus is not just a tasty, super healthy food but an excellent substitute for the many unhealthy snacks and spreads we have around these days.
Continue reading “hummus, the humble spread of our ancestors”
Blogging is still a new thing for me, so is photography. If there is a right way and a wrong way to be a food blogger, then I’m certain that I err on the side of the wrong way. This is how a photo shoot normally pans out in our home: John, my husband, and I make dinner and we are just about ready to eat when I will realize “Hmm… this looks good, let me take a few photos.” I send the kids off to do whatever they were doing and quickly gather a few ideas and props and ask John to help out. After a short while, one kid yells out “Mom, are you done? I’m hungry!” This is followed by a more endearing “Mommy, I hungry” from my not-quite-a-toddler-anymore. At this point, my husband gives me that look. (After over a decade of marriage, we communicate quite well with our eyes.) That look asks me “Can we just eat now? While the food is still warm?” This is followed by my pleading eyes that say “Please, a few more clicks? I know I can get this right.” And I continue to fumble some more with my camera. By the time we sit down to eat, the food has gone cold and we need to reheat everything in the microwave. I’ve got to figure out a better way of doing this!
I hope you enjoyed this little peak into my blogging adventure. Here are the photos of one such episode which feature a simple and delicious meal idea: grilled balsamic vegetables, oven roasted potatoes and grilled pork with chimichurri sauce. The notable ingredient here is the chimichurri sauce which is used both as the marinade for the pork as well as a dipping sauce for the grilled pork and the roasted potatoes.
Continue reading “an easy summer feast with chimichurri sauce”
After enduring a long winter, as soon as the weather warms up in Montréal, layers of clothing come off and all attention turns to the outdoors. Terasses open up, bicycles and convertibles hit the streets, parks become bursting with laughter, and no one wants to be stuck indoors toiling away in a hot kitchen. Every Montréaler has his or her favourite grill recipe. Here are a few of my family’s favourite.
I love the simplicity and flavors of this meal. It brings together Greek and Moroccan cuisines and best of all, everything except the rice can be prepared outdoors using a grill.
Continue reading “mediterranean fusion: grilled chicken, tzatziki and roasted pepper salad”
coniferesetfeuillus.com 