OMG polenta

Something happened last night that has never happened before. I improvised a recipe – and it kinda worked! I have always been the type of home cook who follows recipes, making changes here and there to tailor dishes to my palate. I cook this way because I have to. Up until very recently, if I went off book it spelled disaster. (I'm not being modest. Actual gong shows have occurred and were then plated and served to unsuspecting family and friends.) Anyway, for years now, I have accepted the fact that in the kitchen I must do as I'm told. The backbone of what I cook must come from someone else.

Not to make too big a deal out of this (watch me do it anyway), but lately something has shifted. I've been trying new things and the wheels aren't coming off the bus. Maybe it's that I've been shopping more at local, outdoor markets and really focusing on gathering exquisite ingredients and pondering how these flavours and textures could play off each other. Maybe it's that I have spent years in the kitchen and all those hours of experience are finally starting to mean something. Maybe it's that I own a ridiculous number of cookbooks and spend a good portion of my time studying them. (Osmosis, anyone?) Who knows what exactly it is, but the point is that I came up with a new dish tonight. And it actually tasted halfway decent. 

I started by following the instructions on the package of corn grits and then let a combination of what I was craving and what was in my fridge guide me from there. When I sat down to eat, I felt unbelievably amped. Like a cross between Jay-Z (best rapper alive) and Martha Stewart (if she was slightly more emotive). As for the below, you're welcome.

Breakthrough polenta
Serves 2 (with leftover plain polenta for lunches)
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup organic corn grits
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/2 mildly spicy smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup frozen fava or edamame beans, cooked according to instructions on package
1/3 cup good quality pesto
1 teaspoon of flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

1. Set a large saucepan of water on medium heat, add salt. When the water is boiling, pour in the corn grits and stir, almost continuously, until polenta is very thick (about 25-30 minutes). If polenta gets lumpy or too thick, whisk vigorously and add hot water until consistency is creamy and smooth.
2. In the meantime, pour oil in frying pan and set over medium heat. When hot, add diced onion.
3. When onions are translucent, add mushroom and sausage. 
4. When mushrooms and sausage have browned, add edamame or fava beans and allow flavours to mingle for 2 minutes.
5. When polenta is done, stir in parmesan and butter.
6. To plate, create a bed of polenta and top with onions, sausage, mushrooms and beans. Drizzle pesto on dish and garnish with parsley. Feel inordinately pleased with yourself and immediately text your foodie friends with photos.

more brunch bliss

A chef I once met told me that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who wake up in the morning thinking about what they are going to eat that day – and those who don't. You probably don't have to guess which one I am. But you should know that left to my own devices I take things even a step further than that. I spend much of the week daydreaming about what I'll eat on the weekend. Then I go ahead and plan my entire social schedule around such hankerings. (Can I get an amen?)

It's true, the middle of the week often finds me flipping through cookbooks looking for novel brunch dishes with which to entertain myself and others. I found these Cottage Cheese Pancakes a few months ago and quickly incorporated them into my repertoire. Topped with a fresh fruit compote and a dollop of Greek yogurt, they taste a lot like cheese blintzes. But less heavy (and containing less sugar than many stir in their coffee). In short: seriously tasty, folks. And since these pancakes require such basic ingredients – and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes – you don't even have to plan all week for them. But you'll probably want to.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Adapted from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook
Serves 2
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter

1. In a bowl, mix together egg, cottage cheese, flour and sugar. 
2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and melt butter.
3. When butter sizzles, drop batter by spoonfuls into pan. Cook on both sides until lightly browned.

Strawberry Compote
Serves 2
2 handfuls of strawberries, hulled and sliced
pinch of sugar
fresh mint leaves, torn

1. Place strawberries in a saucepan, add sugar and cover with water. 
2. Heat over medium heat until the sauce reduces and thickens. 
3. Serve garnished with mint.

soup for all seasons

For many years, I did not know how to cook. It was a sad state of affairs. I desperately wanted to learn, but I had no idea where to start. I would walk down the aisles at the local market and stare longingly at jars of rustic soup. I had fantasies of stirring bubbling pots that would fill my home with mouth-watering aromas. 

If only I'd known how easy cooking was. How I learned to cook is a story for another day – but today I want to assure all you anxious newbies out there that homemade soup is very much within your reach. Seriously. Even if you have never set foot in a kitchen before, I am confident that you can make this. 

This is one of the simplest soups I know. I throw it together often in the winter, but really it's just as good in any other season. The backbone is from Mark Bittman's Food Matters. His book makes the argument that eating vegan some of the time (specifically until 6 p.m. every day) is better for your waistline, your overall health, the planet – and, not insignificantly, your pocketbook. In keeping with that spirit, I make it vegan sometimes and not others. 

This dish is brilliant in how adaptable it is. You can make it with water, chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water and a vegetable bouillon cube. You can add canned beans or chickpeas. Canned tomatoes or fresh both yield delicious results. Chili flakes give it some spice. Cooked sausage or grated parmesan dress it up, especially on day two or three when you may be getting bored of it. Cooked potatoes give it heartiness. Cooked macaroni instantly transforms it into comfort food. Parsley lends it a springtime freshness. You get the idea. You have loads of options here, so feel free to choose your own adventure.

Basic Vegetable Soup
Adapted from Food Matters
Serves 4-6
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced or put through garlic press
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 cups of water or stock
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or one can of roma tomatoes with juices
4 to 6 cups of quick-cooking vegetables (such as zucchini, green beans, corn, kale ect.)
1/2 cup of boiled, chopped potatoes
1/2 cup of chopped parsley

 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and then add the garlic. When the garlic starts to smell fragrant, add the onion, carrot and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the stock, tomato and remaining veg; bring to a boil then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the veg are very tender, 15 to 20 min. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve, ideally with a loaf of crusty bread.

sweet nothings

Like small children, I would prefer to have dessert after every single meal. But we can't all get what we want all the time, now can we? And anyway, we wouldn't enjoy it very much if we did. 

The truth is that I don't feel great when cakes are in regular rotation, and I'm not a fan of struggling into tight clothing. Plus, whenever I overdo anything it gets a bit dull and mindless. So as much as I would like to follow every summer salad with a chocolate torte, these days I'm trying to save indulgences for special occasions. But that doesn't mean I can't satisfy my sweet tooth on a daily basis – and really savour the experience. Call it having your cake and eating it too. 

I have discovered that you can eat something sweet every night without throwing yourself out of balance. The secret is to trick yourself with fruit-based, healthy concoctions. (Thank you, Mireille Guiliano.) This is easy to pull off during the summer, when markets are brimming with all things juicy. Behold this little slice of heaven:

Peaches & Cream, the remix

Serves 1 delighted diner

1 peach, sliced in bite-sized pieces

1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon of milk

pinch of cinnamon

several mint leaves, torn

1. Turn on the broiler of your oven.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange peach slices on top and sprinkle a pinch of sugar on each piece.

3. While the peaches are caramelizing under the broiler, thin the yogurt out with the milk and stir in the cinnamon.

4. When peaches are browned slightly and bursting with flavour, remove from oven. Cool slightly, drizzle with cinnamon cream and sprinkle with mint. 

lovely lentil salad

This is my confession: I have lunch issues. For real. I never know what to eat. Breakfast is simple and dinner is fun – but what exactly should one eat for the midday meal? I don't like eating out, and especially not on the run, so I always try to pack something. But at best, these brown bag provisions are uninspired. At worst, totally unappetizing. A few pieces of fruit, a halfhearted sandwich. Yawn. The utter boredom leads to not eating. And then, later on, scarfing down fistfuls of whatever candy is on offer at the office. 


So you can imagine my delight when I found a truly stupendous lentil salad dressing recipe over at one of my fave blogs.


At first, the dressing seemed overly complicated (9 spices, really?) but it turned out to be easy peasy to whip up. When I tasted it, I had a bit of a Eureka moment. The dressing is intensely flavourful, with just the right amount of heat. And so this lentil salad has swiftly become a standby. What I like most is how much you can vary the recipe. Sometimes I scatter the seasoned lentils over mesclun, other times aruglula. I add some roasted red peppers, goat cheese or parsley. Sometimes I just eat the lentils plain, with a side of cut veggies. The options are endless. All that's required is a jar of this delicious dressing in the fridge and some lentils on hand, and viola!, goodbye lunchtime doldrums.


Lovely lentil salad
Adapted from My New Roots
1 cup of green lentils (or, better yet, fancy French Du Puy lentils) 
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Rinse lentils. Fill a pot with water, bring to a boil. Boil lentils for approximately 20 minutes or until al dante. Drain.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
3. Toss the lentils with the dressing, to taste. (Store leftover dressing in fridge; will last a few days).  
4. Serve the lentils over greens of your choosing. Add whatever else you like. Smile as people in your lunchroom admire your gourmet handiwork. 

icing on the cake

If I care about you, I will bake for you. And, sooner or later, chances are good that I will make you these cupcakes. I have been baking them for years. I've whipped them up for office celebrations, dinner parties, kids' birthdays – and once, for a wedding of 60. It remains one of my favourite ways to express affection for family and friends. 

The recipe is as simple as it gets. And almost as quick as one of those soulless, synthetic boxed cakes. In short, the perfect gift to give.  

Butter Cake (adapted from The Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook)

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Line muffin tins with paper cups.

3. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.

4. In a separate bowl, cream butter.

5. Gradually blend in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.

6. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with the milk. Make 3 dry and 2 liquid additions.

7. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown and cake springs back when lightly touched (a toothpick should come out clean).

8. Cool and then spread with basic butter icing.

Basic Butter Icing

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups icing sugar

1 1/2 tbsp milk or cream

1 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter.

2. Gradually blend in icing sugar.

3. Add milk (or cream) and vanilla.

best ever chocolate chip cookies

Growing up, my dad always said that the only constant in life was change. But, as it turns out, the only constant in my life is Jon Stewart. That, and chocolate chip cookies. To my mind, there are few things in the world more comforting – more steadfast – than warm cookies and a tall glass of milk. And a side order of deliciously smug political satire.

I copied this recipe from a friend (I think she got it from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook) about 12 years ago and have carried it around ever since.

I'm moved cities, I've moved jobs, new people have come into my life – but I've always made these cookies. They're the perfect combination of crisp and chewy, and are generally a hit with kids and adults alike. I skip the nuts, but at Christmas, when I bake a tin of treats for everyone that I'm close to, I add cranberries.

When I take these cookies to parties, I often reserve a small amount of dough in the fridge. That way, when I get home, I can crank up the oven and indulge in a late-night treat. It's nice when some things stay the same, no?

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/8 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Cream butter and add sugars. Beat until light and smooth.
3. Add vanilla and egg.
4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda.
5. Add dry to wet. Stir until combined.
6. Add chocolate chips (and nuts, if using).
7. Drop spoonfuls on a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.

no-fuss supper (after a fancy weekend)

I don't know about you, but nine times out of ten I prefer home food to restaurant food. It tends to be healthier, cheaper and more delicious. It's nourishing and comforting and uncomplicated. Plus, for me, it usually includes vegetables, which I suspect are the answer to every problem in life. 


Still, the social world is not conducted in my kitchen, and so every now and then (read: at least once a week) I find myself donning a dress and marching off to the hot spot du jour to sample award-winning cheese plates and handmade donuts. I relish these outings. I like the energy, the excitement, the polish of the patrons, the boisterous table talk. And, occasionally, one even winds up getting served superb food. Last night, for instance, during a long dinner on a breezy patio, I drank pink lemonade and ate the juiciest burger I've ever had, with salty fries and a tiny little salad designed to make me feel better about the fries. Followed by two decadent desserts. 


But after such brazen indulgence, I am back to craving home food. Tonight I wanted something refreshing and light. Preferably requiring only one pot, because it's Sunday and I sure as heck don't feel like doing dishes.


I came across this Gourmet magazine recipe while looking for a way to recreate my favorite Whole Foods orzo salad. The first time I made this dish was something of a revelation. As in: really?! I defy you to find anything more lovely than lemon rind marinated in olive oil. And the way the fresh dill compliments the buttery orzo? Forget about it. You can serve this over a bed of spinach, or, if that feels like too much trouble, eat it plain. It's best enjoyed on the couch watching Chelsea Lately. 


Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup orzo
1 and 1/2 cups crumbled feta (6 ounces)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Toss together oil, tomatoes, dill, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large serving bowl.
2. Let stand 10 minutes. Breathe in the seductive citrus scent and daydream about lemon orchards in Italy.
3. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in a pot of boiling, salted water until al dente.
4. Drain orzo and toss with tomato mixture. Add feta and toss again. 
5. Send me silent blessings for introducing you to this recipe.

ridiculously simple banana bread

I often change the names of recipes that I find, because I don't feel that the wording quite captures the essence of the dish. But how could you even think about changing a recipe's name when it includes "ridiculously simple" in it? After all, the only thing that I love more than cooking is cooking something that manages to be both delicious and ridiculously simple at the same time. And this banana bread pulls off both quite nicely.

This is my mother's recipe. (Which originates, I think, from Susan Mendelson's Mama Never Cooked Like This. Which is kind of hilarious, if you think about it, because my mama did actually cook like that.) Anyway, when I pop this in the oven, my kitchen smells all homey and childhood memories of warm loafs and lots of butter come wafting back to me. My Mum can def whip up a mean banana bread.

The beauty of this recipe lies in its moistness, and – no surprises here – its utter simplicity. When you notice two bruised-looking bananas hanging out in your fruit bowl looking all forlorn and forgotten, chances are very good that you will have what you need in your cupboard for a little on-the-spot baking action. Plus, it takes less than 10 minutes to get in the oven. I know, because I just timed it.

Ridiculously Simple Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of brown sugar 
2 eggs

1. Sift together flour and baking soda.
2. Mix together bananas, oil, sugar and eggs.
3. Stir the wet into the dry, until well combined. If you like nuts, you can add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Ditto chocolate chips. (I hear that diced crystalized ginger and chocolate is a killer combo.)
4. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for about 1 hour. Watch the loaf after 50 minutes – if it begins to get too dark, test with a toothpick. When toothpick comes out clean, you are ready to take out. 
5. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

I often freeze this in pieces in saran wrap that can be defrosted and taken to work to be enjoyed with a morning coffee. Infinitely more yummy – and more healthy, and cheaper – than those awful cardboard-tasting baked goods that haunt coffee shops everywhere. This also makes a great gift when you are invited to someone's house for dinner, or if you feel like surprising a friend when you turn up for tea. 


Seriously, 10 minutes is all it takes. You'll never shell out good money for horribly dry packaged banana bread again. Promise. 

i say tomato

There's two things I love about summer: (1) people cruising around, windows down, blasting their own personal anthems and (2) tomatoes. As soon as the temperature rises, I crave loud rap music and juicy tomatoes. 

So, in the summer months, I often play Lil Wayne and make slow roasted tomatoes – which, if you haven't had of them before, are essentially a tiny little bite of heaven. Seriously. And super easy to make. You take roma tomatoes, toss them in olive oil, season and then bake them for hours and hours and hours. (Air conditioning is obviously a pre-requisite for this endeavor.) 


The tomatoes come out bursting with flavour, and are the perfect addition to salads, pastas and sandwiches. You could serve them with a nice triple cream brie and a crusty baguette for a light snack (a low cal treat, ha!), or else plop them on a homemade pizza. Or you could just eat them standing over the stove – as I tend to do.

Here's the recipe, from Molly Wizenberg's wonderful food memoir, A Homemade Life.


Slow Roasted Tomatoes (ala Weezy Baby)

20 ripe tomatoes, preferably roma
1 tablespoon of olive oil
a pinch of sea salt
a pinch of ground coriander

Preheat the oven to 200F.

1. Wash the tomatoes, cut off the stem end, and halve them lengthwise. 
2. Pour olive oil into a small bowl over tomatoes, and toss with your hands. 
3. Place them, skin side down, on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and ground coriander – about a pinch of each for every four to six tomato halves.
4. Bake the tomatoes until they shrink to about 1/3 of their original size but are still soft and juicy, 4 to 6 hours. (I usually let mine go for the maximum time.) Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

lazy sunday pancakes

The Digable Planets once had some wise words about Sunday mornings: "Searching for a relax, pullin' from the jazz stacks/Cause it's Sunday/On the air is incense, sounds to the ceiling/Tried to get this feeling since Monday."

Exactly, right?

There's nothing that I enjoy more on Sunday mornings than chilling out. Ideally over a good brunch. The problem is that (a) not many spots can actually pull off a decent brunch and (b) hitting one of the ones that can requires changing out of your pajamas. (Did you know that in Vegas, this fab restaurant Simon does a PJ Brunch on Sundays? Unfortunately, some especially bold folks take PJs to mean lingerie, which can obviously be a little awkward. Flannel please!)

Anyway, I am not a fan of dragging myself out of the house to shell out twenty bucks for pasty pancakes doused in synthetic corn syrup. So I often just make my own.

This recipe is my mother's and I've been eating it since I was little. It's a whiz to whip up (five minutes!), and super duper delicious. The batter is very thin, so these pancakes turn out almost crepe-like, which means you have permission to eat a whole stack of them if you so desire.


You can add fruit – blueberries or thinly sliced strawberries or banana – or chocolate chips, but I have to say that I prefer them plain. They are best enjoyed with real maple syrup and a dab of butter, with a strong cup of coffee and the newspaper. (Feel free to blast the very apropos "Sunday Morning" by K-OS.)

A note for the health-conscious: you can substitute whole wheat flour and the pancakes will still be tasty, but the consistency will not be as light and thin. And, vegan friends, I'm afraid that soy milk is absolutely out of the question; it makes the flapjacks all gummy and unappetizing. 

Five Minute Pancakes

1 1/2 cups of flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cups of milk, or more
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1. Sift together dry ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, milk and oil.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Beat until smooth. If needed, add more milk until the batter is quite runny.
4. Fry pancakes in a very hot, buttered pan until lightly browned and slightly crispy.

The best thing about this recipe is that makes 4 servings, so chances are good that you will leftover batter and can take a little of your lazy Sunday with you into Monday morning. The only thing better than five minute pancakes, after all, is two minute pancakes.