Memories of Chiang Mai

Thailand is an exotic fragrant place. The Thai people are so warm and kind and peaceful. As I meandered through the Chiang Mai night markets, shopping with my eyes and snacking from stall to stall. I watched artisans craft incredibly detailed works of art from the thinnest sheets of tins and stumbled upon carts upons carts filled with traditional souvenirs of Thailand and some not so traditional chochkas like knock-off Premier League kits.

Thai ingredients are so readily available in the supermarkets these days. Our taste buds have become more global and it is reflected in the selection at the grocery store. I remember walking up and down the aisles of a Wal-mart grocery store in a suburban neighbourhood several years ago and to my surprise, I found an array of Indian and Thai ingredients. I guess there was a time when Italian food was considered exotic. Baby, we've come so far.

If you are having difficulty locating lemongrass or lime leaves at the regular grocery store, (and I do!)- try an Asian supermarket. They may have it in the fresh produce aisle or you might be able to procure it frozen. It is really worth the venture because it adds a rich layer of complexity which is unparalleled. You can buy these ingredients fresh and chuck them in your freezer in a freezer bag. They keep.



Thai curries make great vegetarian meals. Although, chicken, turkey and beef are also great with red curry. We have been receiving organic vegetables on a weekly basis and I have found that this is a great way to make sure this gorgeous produce gets eaten.

Vegetable Red Curry

1 tbsp red curry paste – more if you dare!
3 lime leaves
1 lemongrass stalk – halved and bruised slightly
1 can coconut milk (I use a lower fat brand)
1 medium red onion
2 small blocks of soft tofu (or 2 chicken breasts)
1 large carrot
1 medium eggplant
1 large green bell pepper
1 large acorn roasted squash*
2 tbsp of noc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)


1. Heat a medium sized saucepan on medium heat, add the red curry paste and coconut milk. As the curry melts into the coconut milk, prepare your vegetables by dicing the red onion, the eggplant, and green pepper. Peel and slice the carrots into quarter inch discs. If you roast the acorn squash the night before, take it out of the fridge, scoop out the flesh and break up into small chunks. Add the vegetables to the pot, place the lid on the pot and turn down the heat to a low simmer.

2. Simmer on a low-medium heat for 15 minutes until the carrots cooked but still firm. Cut the tofu into small dices and add to the pot alongside 2 tbsp of the Vietnamese fish sauce. Give it a quick stir to incorporate the tofu, being careful not to break up the tofu. Don’t be put off by the smell, it’s pungent! It does lend the curry a salty, briny, rich flavour.

3. Serve on a bed of rice and enjoy!

*In the autumn, the farmers markets have an abundance of squashes. To prepare them, I give them a quick wash, slice them down the middle, and scoop out the seeds and innards. Place the squash on a baking tray, add two heaping spoonfuls of brown sugar and bake in a 350 degree oven for at least an hour. Leave on the counter to cool slightly. Once cool, scoop out the flesh and add to your favourite recipe. Be sure to add the amber brown sugar syrup to the recipe. It makes the red curry shine!

Weekday Stir Fry

This summer Ryan and I signed for a half share of a Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA). We used to have organic vegetables delivered to our condo but stopped when our lifestyle changed. Since we bought the house, we have been more conscious of our ecological footprint and how we live and the decisions we make daily impacts the world around us. I read an article about CSA and found one that delivers to our neighborhood. It seemed like an appropriate answer to the our need for fresh food and we liked the idea of supporting a small scale farm doing something we believe in.

The depot is a ten minute walk from our house and down the street from a new farmer's market. We walk to the farmer's market first to top up on the meats, fruits and cheese, and then off to the depot to pick up our weekly vegetables.

Serves 4
Stir fries are one of the fastest and healthiest ways to bring a meal to the table – and you usually have all the ingredients right at home. This recipe is almost vegetarian. And you shouldn’t roll your eyes if you aren’t inclined that way because you don’t believe it’s a meal without meat. Give it a try.

If you’re wondering why I have used quinoa which is a high-protein grain instead of rice (and boy do I love rice!), it's a nice change and still just as satisfying. Quinoa has a nutty and crunchy texture and it is a delight, even if it is unusual pairing for a stir fry.

1lb block of tofu
4 baby bok choy – rinsed well (or use 4 c of bagged baby spinach)
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp malt vinegar
1 tbsp corn starch + 2 tbsp of water mixed thoroughly to make a slurry

1 tsp black sesame seeds

2c quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2c vegetable stock

1. Add quinoa and stock into a saucepan and cook on medium-high
2. Quickly chop vegetables into bite size pieces.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok, once the oil shimmers, add vegetables and sauté quick, once the greens have wilted, add tofu, fish sauce, oyster sauce, & vinegar.
4. Once warmed through, stir cornstarch and water together and add to vegetables. The cornstarch will turn the liquid cloudy, once it heats, the cornstarch transforms into a shiny translucent glaze. Stir to coat vegetables & tofu. Turn off heat and plate. Sprinkle black sesame seeds on top of stir fry.

Cold nights = comfort food - Quebec style

Sigh, it is already mid-October and I have found that it is time to start wearing season appropriate footwear. I tried to stay away from the warm comfort foods in my bid to keep the cold weather at bay but it was inevitable, I live in Canada. I gave up when I put on socks today.

In response to the cold day, I didn't want to get out of bed this morning. It was warm and billowy. But there was a whole day ahead, I could stay in bed or I could have something to show for it. And so I decided to choose the latter and make a turkey tourtiere. (Tourtiere is a classic French Canadian meat pie filled with peppery ground pork surrounded by a buttery tender crust.) French Canadians know a thing or two about the soul-sustaining foods that will keep you going through the LONG Canadian winters. And while mid-October isn't exactly the dead of winter, it felt cold and gloomy outside. We needed to have something to lift our spirits today. Besides, it's Sunday, so why not spend a little time in the kitchen to create something that is so comforting, indulging, buttery and utterly delicious. And, if you pair it with a tomato salad, it doesn't feel like you have given in entirely to the autumn night and to winter's looming approach.




Turkey Tourtiere (adapted from Gourmet Magazine Cookbook)
1 lb ground turkey
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 small onion finely diced
3 garlic cloves finely diced
1/2 tsp of allspice
1 tsp of salt
1/2c of chicken broth
1/2 tsp of pepper
2 tbsp flour (add extra if there is alot of liquid)

2 pie crusts (this is a double crusted pie)
1 tsp of milk

1. Warm 1 tbsp of olive oil in pan, add ground turkey, onion and garlic and saute until the onions are soft and the meat is no longer pink. The meat should be crumbly with no large lumps. Add the chicken broth, salt, allspice and pepper. Once it comes up to a simmer, sprinkle the flour over top and incorporate into the meat mixture. It should thicken immediately, turn down the heat and but it should still stay on the heat to ensure that the flour is cooked.

2. Cool the meat to room temperature.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Tumble meat mixture into the prepared pie crust and ensure that the meat is smoothed out so that the filling is about uniform. Do not pat down the meat.
4. Carefully place the second crust above the first shell and crimp the edges with a fork. Slash the top of the crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the milk onto the top of the crust. Place on larger baking tray.
5. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until crust is golden brown. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes one pie.

Summer in a Jar - Easy Peach Cake

I recently discovered canning or "putting up." My first foray into canning was went the peaches were sweet and fragrant. The purpose of canning seems romantic to me: taking what is the best of summer's fruits and vegetables and putting them into gleaming shiny jars to hold onto summer for just a bit longer. And when the days grow shorter, and the temperature is cooler, opening up a jar of preserves transports you back to the heady days of summer. That's why I wanted to can. Summer in a jar.

The kitchen was a mess but it was lot of fun. Ryan, my future husband, insisted that all this hot water and bubbling mess was dangerous and ordered me out of the kitchen while we processed the jams. In total, we made four half liter jars of peach lavender jam. It was sublime, sugary, and heavenly. In order to test the jam for doneness, we put the jam onto a cold saucer. If it the jam doesn't roll around the saucer, it will set and its ready. But we got carried away... We really liked the jam and kept putting spoonfuls onto the plate.

In the end, I should have read the recipe more clearly... the recipe called the jam "spoonable" which means it won't set. But we ended up using it over ice cream. It makes an excellent topping. Today, I found another use for this gorgeous summery jam... on top of a easy summer cake.



I was inspired by Martha Stewart's recipe found in the September 2007 issue. Ashamed, I didn't have any fresh fruit on hand but had alot of this gorgeous luscious jam. We had a dinner party to attend and I thought a simple summery dessert would be an appropriate offering to the host.

I am the worst baker but oh so well-intentioned. I have a tendency to overmix and the result is usually a baked hockey puck. However, this cake turned out beautifully. It was dead easy.


Inspired by Martha Stewart - Easy Peach Cake
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4c sugar
1/2c whole milk
1/2c vegetable oil
1 large egg
5 tbsp peach lavender jam (or whatever peach jam you have)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp cold butter

(In case you're curious Martha lays down halved plums cut side up)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 2 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Whisk together flour, bp, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together 3/4c sugar, milk, oil and egg. Fold into flour mixture
3. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, and smooth tops. Dot the batter with spoonfuls of jam.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon over top. Dot with butter. Bake until tops are golden, about 30 minutes. Cool and enjoy.


This cake wasn't meant to be saved, make it the day you plan to eat it.

Summer Lovin'

It's September now, but summer days are still here in spirit. It's been colder outside these days and I am not quite ready to accept the autumn. Looking back at this summer, I think my best culinary discovery was not a new thing, but rather a rekindling of my love for tomatoes. I had grown so accustomed to the hard, grainy, tasteless tomatoes found in the grocery store, that I had given up on them. However, I remember the day at the Farmer's Market when I saw the curiously beautiful "black cherry tomato," and I couldn't resist. I popped one straight into my mouth and I was transported to my youth when tomatoes grew in my mom's backyard, and we would sneak out into the backyard to eat my mom's crop during the Brady Bunch. The cherry tomatoes were so juicy and fresh, we would gobble them up and when my mom would go out into the backyard, she would find her vegetable garden raided by her children.

A colleague of mine, who happens to be Italian, told me that Italians only eat tomatoes when they are ripe and that's why there is such a profound tradition of canning tomatoes to enjoy throughout the year when the snow is on the ground and the sun is now where to be seen. Perhaps next year, that will be on my to-do list!

This summer, I fell in love again and we feasted on the meaty beefsteaks, gorged on the workhorse romas and snacked on the sexy cousins, the marble-sized orbs, cherry tomatoes.

Several weeks ago, I was in Montreal and found myself in heaven at the Jean Talon Market. Bushels upon bushels of roma tomatoes, hand-tied chilis dangling from tarpulin roofs, and large buckets filled with fragrant bunches of basil. Of course, it was absolutely frustrating trying to walk through the aisles and not buy anything to take home! Oh and the heirlooms! I almost cried when Ryan told me they wouldn't be able to make the train ride home two days later. Sigh.

However, all that pent-up demand drove me straight into the arms of the farmer's at the St. Lawrence North Market the following Saturday. I bought a small basket of romas. Oh boy, did we enjoy those bad boys.



Roma Tomato Salad
5 roma tomatoes - cut into 8ths
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
4 basil leaves, chopped roughly
grinding of salt and pepper
1/4 c of large caperberries
2 tbsp of goat cheese

1. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil, basil and lemon juice together.
2. Season with salt and pepper, as you like.
3. Top with crumbled goat cheese and caperberries.
4. Enjoy!

Arriba Arriba

I love salsa. But then again, who doesn't? I read somewhere that salsa has over taken ketchup as the #1 condiment. Is it any wonder? As a kid, I greedily munched on nachos generously dipped in the large club-size jar of salsa and I thought I was in heaven. I loved the salty crunch of the nachos contrasted by the tangy piquante salsa. Oooh heavenly. I would eat way too many and my mom would get angry when she found me on the floor moaning partially with glee and with some regret for having eaten that one last chip.

When we went to Mexico several years ago, I realized we had not even touched the tip of the iceberg of what Mexican cuisine was or could be. Real mexican food is fresh, clean-tasting, pungent and sweet. It is truly night and day from the food that is passed off as Mexican at home. We enjoyed our Mexican resort holiday although it is not our typical vacation. It was a nice week to get away and sit in the sun and wash off the weariness of a icy February in Toronto. We reclined like scaly lizards poolside sipping on slushy drinks and wondered what we would have at our next meal. Resort food isn't usually something people write home about. However, the food at this resort wasn't bad at all. I squealed with delight with the mounts of guacamole and the hot crispy nachos straight out of the fryer. I live for guac and I could have eaten it all week.

Yesterday during our weekly jaunt to the North Market, we found a half pint of tomatillos for $1. How could I resist? I had seen Tyler Florence make a gorgeous tomatillo sauce for enchilladas this week and I was already inspired. The tomatillo sighting put me over the top.

Salsa Verde
1/2 pint of tomatillos (about 5 medium sized)
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 small white onion, cut into chunks
3 cloves of garlic - rough chop
juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of olive oil

Peel the brown papery husks and wash the tomatillos. It's abit sticky so washing them makes it a little more pleasant. I don't know what would happen, but it takes off the dust and dirt from transport. Chop the tomatillos roughly.

Heat the olive oil and add onions, garlic and tomatillos. Saute until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes (I bet if you had extra roasted tomatoes, it would really create a nice depth to the salsa), sugar, and salt. Once heated through, take off heat and whiz in a food processor. Pulse it so you still have large chunks.

Refrigerate until cold and serve with nachos.

Makes 2 cups

It's very addictive. We gobbled this up greedily even though we were stuffed from Sunday supper.