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.
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.
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.
Keith Richards liked this article by me so much, he signed a copy. It appeared in the Toronto Star in the summer of 1994 while the Rolling Stones were living in Toronto rehearsing for their Voodoo Lounge tour. (Update: I’ve recently perfected the ultimate version of Shepherd’s Pie that appears on the Recipes page of this site.)
Grilled zucchini with the Dirt Candy cookbook’s Yellow Tomato Coconut Curry Sauce
Amanda Cohen was born and raised in Canada. Some years ago, she went to study in New York and has made that city her home ever since. These days, she has good reason to stay; her famous Dirt Candy eatery – what she calls a “vegetable restaurant” – located on the Lower East Side, is a huge hit.
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.
When asked by me some years ago why our nutty nuclear family always celebrated Christmas, my mother gave the usual explanation for her and my late dad’s often bizarre parenting decisions: “Well dear, we did it for you,” meaning me and my two younger brothers Eric and Jonny.
This article appeared in The Toronto Star on July 9, 2008.
I’m in my local health food store, recipe for tofu cheesecake in hand. It’s one of the items I’m testing for this article on vegan food.
At my request, the helpful young manager is leading the hunt for vegan graham cracker crumbs.
Here, for no reason other than I’ve made these two dishes lately, are two great recipes I’d like to share.
The first is from Calgary food writer Cinda Chavich’s nifty cookbook The Girl Can’t Cook (Whitecap). It’s a sweet and simple vegetarian concoction that makes a tasty light lunch or supper served with salad.
