Food Wine Sleep

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.

Every time I make this stuff I end up putting it on virtually every meal I have and it never lasts in my fridge more than a couple of days. The sweetness of it compliments many vegetables perfectly, try it on grilled eggplant. And the spiciness is the perfect addition to eggs any style, as well as virtually all meats, particularly roast chicken. I think I might start making double batches from now on.

Some of the best beef comes from Argentina and with it comes one of my favorite steak accompaniment. This thick parsley-olive oil paste is as commonly eaten in Argentina as ketchup is in the rest of our world. There are several variations and I guess every chef in Argentina has his own special twist to it. However it always features Italian flat parsley, virgine olive oil, vinegar and garlic.

Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean countries and are widely used in the cuisines of southern Europe. They make a great addition to any salad or appetizer buffet. The edible flesh is hidden within the base of the leaves and in the artichoke bottom itself. The tender inner lower part of the leaves is of very subtle in flavor and great with a dip of either aioli, roast pepper salsa or simply drizzled with vinaigrette. Often on hot summer days, artichokes are served as a 'snack' or appetizer in bistros and street-side cafes with a nicely chilled medium to dry white wine. Young baby artichokes are of the same species and are great for grilling and roasting with roasted...

I like the Middle Eastern Mezze or appetizers. Mezze almost always consists, of Hummus (chickpea - sesame spread) and Babaganoush (eggplant- sesame dip) served with warm pita bread. Other items such as Sambousik (pastries filled with minced meat and nuts) Tabouleh (Cous cous and parsley salad) and more are also added, but Hummus and Babaganoush are omni present when Mezze is served. The rich creamy sesame paste called Tahini is really the "main ingredient" in both spreads and the strong, nutty, almost smoky taste of it, is what makes this spread so flavorful and distinct.

There is nothing better than a homemade dressing. This one lives in my fridge all the time as I find it indispensable. I use it as a dressing on salads, on steamed vegetables, on virtually any seafood and even dress my chicken with it when once I take it off the barbecue. It will last about a week so don't bother making too much if you don't plan on using it.

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...

A mirepoix is a finely diced mixture of; carrot, celery and onion. It is often sweated off in the first stages of a recipe to enhance the flavour of sauces, soups, stews and numerous other dishes. Although usually finely diced, some recipes, such as a stock recipe might call for, 'mirepoix roughly chopped' in this case it simply refers to the three vegetables of carrot, celery and onion. 'Mirepoix au gras' is simply mirepoix with meat and usually refers to the addition of bacon or ham.

Although you could just go out and buy premixed spices making them yourself will give you a much nicer flavour and the comfort that you will not be consuming all sorts of preservatives, sugar, and anti-caking agents. For this recipe I have quoted the ingredients in parts in order that you can make as much mix as you like, whether that be a few tablespoons or a couple of kilo's.

Ever wonder how they get the skins off the tomatoes you buy in cans? It's really quite a simple process. In this tip I'll show you exactly how and also how to take the seeds out.

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.

Although Capsicums really don't come into their own until spring, this is a dish that is too good to wait for, try it around the end of winter as that is when the first Capsicums start to appear. The mushrooms add a clever twist on it and the parsley oil adds a bitter to the sweet of the peppers as well as a nice colour contrast.

This sauce is so simple and tasty that you'll find yourself making it over and over. Try it with coconut crumbed fish, or grilled chicken. Play around with it and you will find uses for it as a canape or mix it with some sour cream and serve as a cold dip. The possibilities are endless.

Bell peppers (capsicum) are pretty delicious and tasty as nature makes them, however roasted or grilled they become all the more tasty and more versatile. Once roasted they are the ideal addition to any antipasto, beautiful in a salad, perfect in a pasta and not to mention an amazing base to many beautiful sauces or soups

Semi dried tomatoes, say it to some and they'll scrunch up their nose and make a "yucky" face, say it to others and they'll smile and move closer to you. The difference I think is that some have only tasted the jarred variety, while the latter group has tried the homemade variety or tasted them from a nice deli. The difference is quite staggering; the ones from the jars often taste like an oily shoe with liquorice laces. While a proper freshly dried tomato can taste like you're actually eating a dozen tomatoes, with a bunch of fresh herbs and a whisper of extra virgin all in the one bite. Once you realize how easy it is to do your own you'll wonder why you ever...

Tabouleh like hummus and babaghanouj has its origins in the Middle East, it is a salad made of parsley, wheat bulgur, tomato and lemon. I have some Lebanese friends and an annual highlight for me when summer rolls around is to be fortunate enough to be invited to a few of their many barbecues. The only thing that flows thicker than their hospitality is the food. It always starts with some traditional dips, spreads, stuffed vine leaves and stacks and stacks of freshly baked flat bread to spread and dip it all with. After that the barbecue gets fired up and the various types of meats hit the grill, there is garlic marinated chicken skewers, minced and spiced lamb skewers, b...

This is a great salad for the warmer months of spring and summer. Easy to assemble, good for you, great with barbecues or picnics, it's a perfect match to many white wines, it's more substantial than a leaf salad and most importantly it's not another mayonnaise based potato or pasta salad.

I think most people have very fond memories of the Sunday roast dinner at a loved ones. Remember those vegetables; just thinking of them makes me wish I was there right now. Well with this recipe you can bring those memories directly to your taste buds on a regular basis without having to worry about all those relatives and all the trimmings. I have added a few extra varieties of vegetables for colour and texture. Probably slightly different from how your grandmother did it, but equally tasty and also a slightly healthier way to have them.