Ask me for my all-time favourite thing to eat and the answer would probably have to be tomatoes. Not crayfish, not chocolate, not caviar. Nope, just plain old tomatoes. I love them fresh on a thin pizza base with truckloads of basil. I love them in a simple tomato sauce for pasta. And, if they’re really ripe and juicy, I [...]
People aren’t all the same and that’s probably a good thing. I can’t begin to image how epically boring a place the world would be if they were. Unfortunately this different-strokes-for-different-folks thing is a bit of pain when it comes to writing recipes. Take my friend Betty (not her real name, as she would NOT be amused). She pecks at [...]
Sometimes life gives one a bit of a wallop. It’s not nice, but it happens. And when it does, I want comfort food. I lock the front door, put on my ugly trackie pants that make me look like a baby elephant, and hit the kitchen to whip up something that will make me feel all warm and fuzzy. [...]
Occasionally I get the chance to escape my office just shy of five. I close the door behind me and hit the streets for a gentle stroll with my imaginary dog (Merlot won’t tolerate a real one). One notices many things on these lazy constitutionals. My neighbour’s sweet peas will be blooming soon. The people a few houses over have [...]
There are few foods I find sexier than pasta. Possibly because images of a youthful Sophia Loren, clutching a bowl of spaghetti to her quite delightful bosom, come to mind whenever I think of pasta. Unlike us, Italians don’t drown their pasta in sauce. One of my 5-minute favourites is just garlic, red chilli and tons of flat leaf parsley, [...]
I feel about tomatoes the way I feel about chicken. Mostly disappointed. They just don’t live up to my childhood taste memories. I used to think it’s a trick of time – that maybe tomatoes were mediocre even back then. Then I visited Italy, and rediscovered the tomatoes of my youth. Sweet, juicy, ripe, red. I ate them diced and [...]