Food Wine Sleep

The Italian words for garlic and oil are aglio and olio respectively. Not hard to see where this dish gets its name or its ingredients for that matter. If you love both of those things on their own you will love them together in this recipe. Someone once asked me what are the things I could not do without in the kitchen and after my knives of course, I would whole heartedly say I wouldn't even want to be a chef without quality olive oil and fresh garlic. Most people I know make their aioli with raw garlic but I like to roast the garlic first to give it that sweet nutty flavour as well as that lovely garlic flavour. Like I said you can throw out your jar of plain o...

Antipasto or Antipasti literally translates to before the meal and is served as an appetiser/first course. It is such a social way to eat; a group of family or friends standing or sitting near this communal platter and everybody sampling everything together as they chat and catch up. Italian's have eaten like this for centuries and although there are no real rules as to what you put on your antipasto platter, I prefer to stick to the things that have most likely been served on antipasto platters just as long. Think of this not so much as a recipe but rather a list of ideas that you can stick to or stray from.

Frittata is one of those items you can make when all you have in the fridge are eggs and a few bits and pieces; it's entirely welcoming to your creativity. This particular recipe is one that I created one morning when I had a relatively bare fridge. I had had a few friends over for dinner the night before, or should I say "I had had a few friends over for wine the night before". We ended up drinking a disproportionate number of bottles to food. That's what I love about my friends, they are so enthusiastic about my food, they always bring what ends up being one bottle per person, far too much but who am I to complain. Anyhow this one morning I woke up and not...

Carpaccio is a traditional Italian dish and lends itself incredibly well to modern healthy eating. Although Carpaccio traditionally refers to a first course of thinly sliced raw beef, named in honour of the Italian renaissance painter, Vittore Carpaccio, you can now find many modern interpretations using raw seafood and uncooked vegetables, (see tuna Carpaccio). In this dish however we are going with the original; beef. Carpaccio is a perfect option to serve your guests if you want an impressive first course that will take only seconds to prepare on the day. You can prepare all the parts for beef Carpaccio the day before, allowing you to use the time on the day to mingle...

Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles used to like to drink in a bar in Venice Italy, called Harry's Bar. However, this establishment is not known for it's past famous clientele but rather it's owner, Giuseppe Cipriani. In fact it is probably more accurate to say that his bar is really actually famous for his drink invention, The Bellini, rather than him or his clientele. After creating the famous drink using white peach puree, Italian sparkling Prosecco wine and raspberry or cherry juice, Giuseppe felt the colour resembled the colour of the toga worn by a saint in a painting by one of his favourite Venetian artists, Giovanni Bellini. Whatever the tru...

This is a very versatile dish. It can be served as a first course; all it needs is a sprinkle of fresh shaved Parmesan cheese. It also makes a great main course accompaniment for lamb, game, poultry or beef. The only down side to this dish is you won't be able to eat it without a nice glass of red nearby, I find a relatively mellow merlot works nice with it.

This is one of my favourite desserts to prepare when having guests over for dinner as it can be completed entirely on the day before and leaves time to focus on other parts of the dinner on the night. On top of this early preparation ease, the quality chocolate, the creamy texture, and the accompaniment of chocolate's perfect match; raspberries, ensures it is always a big winner with guests and never fails to impress. It is quite an adaptable dessert as well; if you are not a fan of Cointreau, feel free to substitute with any other liqueur you may like or simply some vanilla extract. However if using vanilla use only about 1/2 tsp as it is much stronger in flavour than an...

I was on the phone to my friend Trevor the other day back in Canada, and as well as the usual catching up on each others distant lives, we talked food for a bit. During this conversation Trevor asked me how to make fettuccine Carbonara, as he had attempted it the night before and ended up with as is often the case, fettuccine a'la scrambled eggs. I explained to him the trick was to toss the warmed pasta through the egg mix away from the stove and by doing so the heat of the pasta will warm the egg sauce enough to cook it but not actually scramble it. I was thankful for that conversation because it is a classic dish I hadn't made in ages and since that phone call I have re...

Fresh pasta is so easily done one actually wonders why it is not used more often. Fresh egg pasta is essential for all homemade filled or stuffed pastas such as ravioli, agnolotti and tortellini and more. Ribbon pastas like fettuccini, pappardelle and cappellini (angel hair). Alternatively if you do not have a pasta machine, then you can roll the dough as thin as poissible with a rolling pin, cut the pasta it into ribbons, or any other shape you like, by following the side of a ruler with a pizza wheel inb the exact shape you desire.

Sardines are abundant in spring and summer and are also at their most flavoursome during these months. In this dish the beautiful flavour of this fish is paired with the natural sweetness of freshly roasted red pepper. A perfect dish for the seasons first alfresco dinner and since you can make the sauce ahead of time, quite a simple dish to prepare on the day. Serve it as a first course or add a couple more sardines and some fresh sliced baguette and serve it as a main course at lunch. The combination of flavours in this recipe allows it to stand up to a substantial white wine and I would recommend it with an unoaked chardonnay.

This dish is on the top of my list for summer entertaining dishes. It sits there proudly for a couple of reasons, firstly, it's always a crowd pleaser and secondly, most of the work is done the day before! Unlike many dishes that deteriorate from being prepped too early, this recipe benefits from it. The beans need to be soaked for at least 24 hours and the herbs will permeate the chicken better if marinated longer rather than shorter. In addition doing all the work so far in advance will once again leave you more time to entertain and enjoy the summer weather for yourself. Bon apatite.

Now that winter is upon us once again, I thought it was time to pull out one of my favourite winter recipes; Minestrone Soup. This soup always takes me back to my childhood, working as my Dad's helper in his electrical business. In particular a re-wiring job he did for an old Italian lady back in Vancouver named Mrs Sorrechi. She was a lovely woman of sizeable physical proportions as well as a woman of sizeable compassion. Something I was acutely aware of as a boy working in the freezing cold at her house. Now, I recall as a kid (as I'm sure every kid does) cringing whenever an unfamiliar grown up would kiss, make cutesy faces or hug me. But with Mrs Sorrechi I never mind...

Although not overly extravagant or involved to prepare, Osso Buco is, and always has been a real treat to make. Is it the joy from making that delicious sauce? A sauce so tasty that adding a piece of crusty bread and a bowl is all that is needed to make a meal. Or is it the almost maternal care used when keeping an eye on the whole thing in the oven? Or maybe it's the taking of an otherwise tough piece of meat and turning it into something that is melt in your mouth tender? Whatever it may be that makes me enjoy preparing Osso Buco so much, I am certain of at least one thing; making it is a distant second to the pleasure I get from eating it. All I need is one glass of...

As I've said before, "I love spring!" A time when menus virtually write themselves. How can one not incorporate strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries and blueberries into at least one course of a dinner menu. In this dish I've steeped more than stewed; blueberries, raspberries and boysenberries in a light sugar syrup to accompany the delicate panna cotta. Even if I'm only cooking for four I still tend to make this recipe for six, a little snack for the cook pre dinner...ssshhhh.

If you don't love quality extra virgin olive oil and saut�ed golden garlic, then you won't understand this recipe. Those of you that do, well you'll know exactly what a simply magnificent Italian creation this is. I have said it numerous times before and I stand by my words to this day, "If there were no such things as good extra virgin olive oil and garlic I would not have become, or continue to be a Chef!" They are my absolute 2 favourite ingredients and in this dish, the Italians let these ingredients shine in simplicity.

I usually make pesto when basil is at its best, fortunately when basil it at it's best it's also abundant and cheap so I usually end up making it in big batches. I leave some in my fridge, jar some up for friends and freeze the rest. The freezing affects it slightly but in winter when there is no fresh basil I've still got better pesto than I can buy from any deli or shop. In those colder months I toss it through my pastas, dollop it in my soup or spread it on toasted French bread.

This dish, although inspired by the abundant basil of late spring, is a wonderful dish to have any time of year. I find it a great choice for entertaining, as you can crumb the lamb hours before and the caponata can be made as early as a day before. All you'll need to do when your friends arrive is cook the lamb, warm the caponata, let the wine breathe and sit down to dinner.

Polenta is one of those things I despised as a child and only really got to appreciate when I became a chef. Polenta is a great alternative to pasta, rice and potatoes and goes well with chicken, rabbit and grilled sausages. Polenta traditionally is cooked in saltwater only, but different chefs prefer to use beef bouillon, milk or a mixture of it. It really depends on each individual's preference. For different taste and textures, replace the Parmesan cheese with Mascarpone, Ricotta or soft goat cheese. Grilled mushrooms, vegetables or crisp Parma ham also make a great addition to polenta.

Gnocchi were originally served as an extra course or pasta/warm appetizer course during a traditional Italian meal. These days they are often used as an starch / side dish to main courses. Gnocchi are fairly easy to prepare, can be done ahead of time. They are very versatile in the sense that they can be flavored with anything from Spinach to smoked salmon and because they are fairly bland in it's original taste they suit any sauce that they may be served with.

This is a dish that I first discovered when working in a traditional Italian Restaurant many years ago. The very un-Italian head Chef was writing the specials menu one Friday afternoon outside the back of the kitchen. In my youthful cockiness I thought that meant it was break time and I went out as well (the orders seemed to be finished). I got out back and saw a few of the specials he had been writing down, I pointed to the prosciutto wrapped salmon filet and I asked him, "Trent, is that really an Italian Dish?" He answered somewhat agitated, "Who gives a *#!* if it is or it isn't, it has Italian ingredients in it and you watch how well it sells tonight...

This recipe for marinated mushrooms is an absolute breeze, it keeps for weeks and can be done in large batches. So go on, make some now and the next time you have friends over you'll have one more homemade item you can serve with your antipasto platter. Did we mention they are delicious.

Reduced Balsamic is one of those incredibly simple items to prepare, it is simply Balsamic Vinegar that has been thickened by way of evaporation over heat. This is a great ingredient to have on hand in any kitchen. It's sweet yet slightly tart flavour not only is the perfect complement to many dishes but makes a very visually appealing garnish. Try it over grilled vegetables or salads and even on some desserts. When preparing this item I would not recommend you use your best and most expensive Balsamic vinegar as you will lose about 2/3rds to evaporation, however I would also avoid using a very cheap and acidic variety, as no matter how much you reduce these; they remain...

When I was a teenager I worked briefly in a pizza joint as a delivery driver. When there were no deliveries I was assigned various jobs by our recently out of jail 'Chef', not that he was too busy to do so but he had to go hassle the waitresses and beg for bourbon from the bartender. One of the jobs that the 'Chef'; used to get me to do in this classy place was to prep the garlic bread. This job involved taking some anaemic highly processed and cottony soft bread rolls and cutting them in half, dipping them face down about 1 centimetre into some dirty old vegetable oil that had 2 cloves of garlic sadly sunken on the bottom, then I would take chopped parsley and sprinkle i...

Another simple masterpiece inspired by, of course, the Ocean and the Italians. Unfortunately I have been to countless "Italian" restaurants that come nowhere near masterpiece with this dish. I've had it with more sand than the local beach, garlic raw enough to scare a vampire, and God forbid even cream. If you follow this recipe to the letter you will end up with Spaghetti Vongole better than most places in town.

This dessert is ideal to serve if you are having a large gathering. It sets in the dish or glass you serve it in and it can be prepared well ahead of time. It can be made for minimal guests as well, although due to the 3 different components it may be a bit cumbersome. Of course you could just serve more to your minimal guests in order to make it worth the effort, but beware; rich rich rich.

Tiramisu is one of those dishes that is widely available as almost every restaurant serves some variation of it. Unfortunately it is this same widespread availability that means it can often disappoint. Fortunately when it is good it is sublime and it is these occasions that keep most of us coming back for more and trying it again and again. This recipe is a result of years of working with numerous other Chefs (Italian and otherwise) creating different Tiramisu's in countless different kitchens using just as many different methods. During this time I watched, learned, tasted and most importantly listened to the customers in those places where the Tiramisu was a house s...

Occasionally, when my friend's restaurant is very busy and I am not so busy, I will help out in his restaurant for old time's sake, (every Chef needs to feel the rush of a busy service once in a while, or we'll wither and die). These occasions are usually in the busier summer periods, which consequently are obviously the hotter days in the kitchen. Some days they are so unbearably hot that when the hunger hits you could not imagine eating a hot meal, even though the guests seem to be quite content to do so. The difference of course is that those patrons are in a different world than ours, they are dining in the ocean breeze at this seaside haunt, while we Chefs are workin...

Tuna is the world's most popularly eaten fish. Unfortunately much of this huge consumption is aided by millions of can openers and a lot of cheap mayonnaise. Such a shame really as this beautiful fish deserves to be eaten in the state it comes off the fishmongers knife; raw, or as near to as possible. The more you meddle with it the more beauty it loses. That is why it lends itself to carpaccio so well, cut it raw, a little sprinkle of this, a little drizzle of that and serve it.