Five years ago during my undergraduate music degree I sat at a dining room table with my teacher wrapping dumplings. He explained how to wet half of the edges of the dumpling wrapper just enough so that the opposite side could be lifted up over the filling and pressed against the … [Read more...] about The Art of Making Dumplings
Because Indian Food Is Supposed to Be Ugly: Sweet and Sour Eggplant
Maybe if I'd had some more fresh coriander for garnish this wouldn't have looked so gross? I wouldn't have cared if it had been delicious, and as much as it wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. I even bought the right kind of eggplants for once; the long, lighter purple, skinny … [Read more...] about Because Indian Food Is Supposed to Be Ugly: Sweet and Sour Eggplant
Stir-Fried Cabbage with Dried Chilies, Star Anise and Ginger (Yunnan Lajiao Baicai)
I house-sat once at a chef's house. I found myself in a kitchen where bones took up most of the freezer, grinders and ice cream makers and food processors lines the tops of the cupboards, and the spice cabinet rivaled my own. The recipe books, however, far surpassed my collection … [Read more...] about Stir-Fried Cabbage with Dried Chilies, Star Anise and Ginger (Yunnan Lajiao Baicai)
Haitian Mango with Lime, Salt and Chartreuse Verte
I'm such a cheat, and not just on my fruit guy. All my locavore pride goes out the window when I buy Haitian mangoes. Walking into a fruit store at Jean-Talon for me is like waving a lit cigarette in front of a former smoker. I just can't resist. What's been stopping me mostly … [Read more...] about Haitian Mango with Lime, Salt and Chartreuse Verte
Chicken Pho’ Ga: What I almost did correctly
I've spent the last 7 years of my life away from Newfoundland exploring different kinds of foods. In my undergrad, once a month I'd take myself out to a (cheap) restaurant as an escape from residence meals. So, of course, it had to be the best restaurant I could find for the … [Read more...] about Chicken Pho’ Ga: What I almost did correctly
Vanilla Almond Chicken
I was told about this recipe for a good year before I made it. When you get an offer to come to someone's home and make a dairy-free, creamy dish with vanilla, you take it. I don't know how it took me a year and a plane ride home to Newfoundland to do it. Unfortunately I had to … [Read more...] about Vanilla Almond Chicken
“Raw” Cranberry-Pecan Spread for the Montreal “Raw” Foodists Meetup
Montreal "Raw" Food Potluck, January 2011. If you think "raw" food sounds complicated, well, it is, but the recipes themselves are usually ridiculously simple - Take a bunch of roughly chopped (or not at all) ingredients and blend. It's the kitchen two-step. The tricky part is … [Read more...] about “Raw” Cranberry-Pecan Spread for the Montreal “Raw” Foodists Meetup
Refined Quebecois Food = Less Fuss Than French, Just As Much Butter: Not-So-Seared Scallops in Orange Butter Sauce
Scallops in Orange Butter Sauce When you're in Newfoundland and you don't feel like cooking, you make seafood. It's so ridiculously easy and takes about 15 minutes from start to finish if your fish is thawed. You can put this orange sauce on anything from mackerel to char (which … [Read more...] about Refined Quebecois Food = Less Fuss Than French, Just As Much Butter: Not-So-Seared Scallops in Orange Butter Sauce
Indian Sambar in Newfoundland (aka Turkey Detox Food)
I've made a lot of sambhar, but I figured my family might be all turkey-ed out after Christmas and no-meat-Mondays weren't quite good enough. So I introduced my family to masala dosa and, more importantly, to sambhar. Ingredients: Sambar Powder2 tbsp coriander seeds 2-4 small … [Read more...] about Indian Sambar in Newfoundland (aka Turkey Detox Food)
Melomakorona: Greek Honey-Soaked Cookies
I thought these were going to be easy... ...and it's not that Melomakarona are 'hard' to make, so much as they're time-consuming. You need to shape each one by hand and then place them in batches in hot honey syrup. I figured they'd be like baklava where you pour the syrup over … [Read more...] about Melomakorona: Greek Honey-Soaked Cookies