Good food deserves a proper introduction and there’s no one on the food planet more charming, hilarious or perfect for the job than Massimo Bruno , a stocky Italian from Puglia whose cooking and talking both come from the heart. Continue reading “He talks, we eat”
R.I.P.
Tonight a workhorse died in my kitchen. She served me more than 20 years and has spent the past seven housed in my appliance garage, patiently awaiting the task of her trade: Food processing. Each time I hauled her out, I smiled at the Sunbeam logo on her white plastic frame and sighed with relief that she worked so simply. Continue reading “R.I.P.”
Reasons to love Red Fife
I bought my first bag of Red Fife flour in Picton, Ontario two years ago. I’d never heard of it before and was intrigued to find cloth bags filled with a locally grown, organic whole wheat flour that had a name! Besides, it was one of the more practical items on the shelves at Pinch (a store where it’s difficult not to empty your wallet, pour out the contents and walk out with a bag full of Michael Potters’ charcuterie, logs of Fifth Town cheese and fancy schmancy salts from all corners of the earth.)
But back to Red Fife: here is a flour that any respectable foodie must get to know – especially if that foodie calls herself a Canuck. Continue reading “Reasons to love Red Fife”
Roti rendezvous
My husband specializes in lunch. From Ossington to Greenwood, Eglinton to the Lakeshore, Don knows where to find the tastiest midday morsels this city has to offer. It could be pizza, tiropita, falafel or sushi. Today it is a butter chicken roti and a vegetable samosa at Gandhi Indian Cuisine (554 Queen St. W; 416-504-8155).
Despite his head-shaking declaration: “Not a pretty place, Mado!” I’m eager to see Gandhi’s dark, dingy hole-in-the-wallness for myself. Continue reading “Roti rendezvous”
Three cups of coffee
It is a tough job writing this blog but someone has to do it… This week’s mission is to introduce three fabulous coffee shops all within walking distance of my home. With true dedication and selfless determination, I ordered a latte from all three. Here’s what happened:
I’m a regular at Broadview Espresso (817 Broadview Ave; 416-553-3833) two blocks north of the Danforth. It’s right around the corner from Energia Althletics and there’s nothing like a latte after sivasana or a long morning run with Lea. Moreover, the staff at BE are very close to my heart.
Why do I love their latte? It doesn’t hurt that their takeout cup for a double latte is larger than all the rest. But it’s what’s inside that counts, right? Barista Laura happily pulls an “extra hot” latte for me and the artist in her makes the prettiest decoration on top. Magically, their low-fat (1 %) latte doesn’t taste low-fat at all. Continue reading “Three cups of coffee”
Mangoes and coconut sticky rice
My friend Rocca and I recently bought a case of Ataulfo mangoes at Fruit King on the Danforth. The case held 16 mangoes and cost a lowly eight bucks. I let my mangoes all ripen at room temperature then refrigerated them, for longer storage. I suspect Rocca still has plenty of mangoes in her kitchen, too and that’s why she’s asking for this recipe. It is dead-easy, folks! You make the coconut sauce then pour it over cooked sticky rice (that recipe is found at the end of the Wondrous Larb Gai post) then let it sit and soak up the flavour.
Mangoes are my favourite fruit and Mexican mangoes are pouring into Toronto produce stores right now. There are four main types to look for. Continue reading “Mangoes and coconut sticky rice”
Mado Food 