Recipe for Success – or Failure

July 8, 2020

The Stuffed Carrot Cake I baked was obviously a failure but it was extremely tasty as a pudding

First, a little first-person backstory.

I quit my job as food editor and columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest newspaper, after 18 years in 2007. It was arguably the best job for a food journalist in Canada. Four years later, I re-invented myself as a freelance Food Sleuth. Meanwhile, I did a couple of community cookbooks with residents of Toronto public housing and for an advocacy non-profit group called FoodShare. Read more…

Greek Salad and Whole Roasted Cauliflower are Tops in “The Last Schmaltz”

November 8, 2018

Country Greek from “The Last Schmaltz” is a Salad Comprised of
the Usual Ingredients Plus the Welcome Addition of Chickpeas

What is a nice Jewish boy from North York doing with a mini-empire of quirky restaurants in a gritty neighbourhood of downtown Toronto? Doing pretty well is the short answer. Read more…

Mutual Love of Prunes is One Bond I Have with Gabriella

September 20, 2018

The Prune Soufflé that my mother used to make from her 1940s edition of the ‘Joy of Cooking’

listen to the podcast

It was May, 2004, during a glitzy dinner celebrating that year’s James Beard Awards at a mid-Manhattan hotel.

Gabriella Gershenson, at that time a fledgling food writer living in New York, was seated next to me. I discovered that I and this soft-spoken young woman with thick, wavy black hair and a winning smile were kindred souls. Read more…

Chef Lynn Returns to Scottish Roots with Mince ‘n’ Tatties

October 15, 2017

This recipe is from the excellent cookbook ‘AT HOME with LYNN CRAWFORD’.

listen to the podcast

When I was interviewing well-known Canadian chef Lynn Crawford for a podcast, we chatted about our long friendship, her TV career, our joint project that raised $40,000 for a new kitchen at Toronto homeless shelter for women – and what we like to cook at home. Read more…

Linda McCartney Signed My Book “Go Veggie, Marion!”

August 22, 2017

This article by me appeared in the Toronto Star after I interviewed Linda McCartney in Toronto in October, 1991 about her vegetarian cookbook “Home Cooking”. Sadly, she died too young from breast cancer in 1998 at the age of 56.

In real life, Linda McCartney is nothing like the stilted photo that graces her cookbook.

And, say I, thank goodness for that. Read more…

My New, Improved Version of Chicken Marbella – and a Killer Side Dish of Fried Onions

February 24, 2014

When famous American chef/restaurateur Thomas Keller was in Toronto last year to address an auditorium packed with chefs, foodies and other ardent fans, he listed what he considers the keys to success in cooking: “Patience, persistence, practice.”

These three ‘P’s, it seems to me, go together. To persist, you need patience. It’s a case of constantly tweaking a dish – and practising it over and over again – until it’s close to perfect.

In this case, I’m talking about that iconic concoction called Chicken Marbella – one that’s been a crowd-pleaser at dinner parties since it appeared in that ground-breaking “Silver Palate Cookbook” by Manhattan caterers Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso published in 1979. Read more…

Big Apple Bites: Weird Grasshopper Tacos and Superb Brussels Sprouts at Toloache

March 22, 2012

Manhattan-20120212-00041 — Brilliant Brussels Sprouts at Toloache

I recently spent four glorious days in midtown Manhattan.

For two of those, I was pretty much closeted in the Roger Smith Hotel attending back-to-back seminars at a cookbook conference. Read more…

Harvest Time: ‘Tis the Season to Veg Out with Peperonata

September 7, 2011

There’s a chill in the air. Time to get out the vintage velvet jackets and enjoy the onset of fall. It’s been a sweaty summer and I’m looking forward to a kinder, gentler season reminiscent of my formative spent in London, England, where spring and autumn actually exist.

It’s also time to savour some wondrous veggies now at their peak. Here’s a favourite dish in that vein that’s packed with flavour and a cinch to make. I like to use Loblaws’ PC mixed baby bell peppers sold in packages. This is delicious with any roast meat or fish. Grate or crumble some cheese on top for a veggie version. Read more…

Fiesta Farms is one Super Supermarket

September 28, 2010

For an intrepid, always-curious food sleuth, finding Fiesta Farms is a real coup.

It’s strange that it took many years of living in Toronto (the store opened 20 years ago) for me to make this discovery but I have and, naturally, I must share.

Billed on its web site as “Toronto’s largest independently owned grocery store,” this wonderful food emporium is just that – and much more. Read more…

Gordon, Angela Paint Camden Town Red

January 29, 2009

U.K. – In January, 2009, I wound up my annual trip to London to visit my mother with dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s newest restaurant York & Albany located at 127-129 Parkway in my favourite neighborhood, Camden Town.

After lack-lustre meals at longstanding vegetarian eatery Manna – bland fare that cried out for seasoning and meat – and the newish Market – bland modern British fare that cried out for salt and oomph – it was a godsend to discover a place in this trendy, gritty part of the city that had all the elements needed for a wondrous meal out. Read more…