Live Carp Blowing Bubbles on Roncesvalles

I saw live carp being sold on Roncesvalles out of rubbermaid containers today.

I must admit, we went there to acquire herring in one of the Polish shops for Christmas Eve, and got taken up with all the Christmas excitement.

Just look at these guys blowing bubbles.

Buddah Dog - I'm In Love!

Today I had my first Buddha Dog hot dog - and it won't be the last!

I'm definitely falling in love again. I took pictures of the menu, because I was so enthralled by the place and the nifty little dogs they make, I was too busy looking around and snarfing up my tasty lunch.

These tiny little all-meat dogs show up in just the right amount of a good toasted bread with artisanal cheese - all from Prince Edward County, Ontario. Loads of freshly made sauces to choose from run from sweet to spicy - all of them from a creative kitchen.


I had old cheddar from Black River Cheese in Milford, Ontario with garlic aioli and spicy jerk sauce - WOW!!! Worth the calories, all good stuff! The point is to have a couple (or a few) and get creative with the toppings.

The restaurant is spare and roomy with a huge bar for the dogs. Markers are scattered about the massive/communal tables. It looks like people can drop in for a stay in this true public space. A map of Prince Edward County is high up on a wall so you can see where the dogs, cheese and ingredients come from.

So far, there's only one Buddha Dog in Toronto on Roncesvalles and one on Main Street in Picton Ontario. May there be many, many more.

Thanksgiving - What Worked 2

The best ever 'Cranberry' Sauce.

Summerhill Market was selling fresh partridge berries in little strawberry-box containers, so I picked one up to experiment with.

I dumped them into a little non-stick frypan after I got the following ingredients going -

- a couple handfuls of dried & sweetened cranberries (craisins?)
- a couple tablespoons of Korean Plum Tea (- actually a tart plum jam)
- a splash each of rosewater and Cherry (Grand)Marinier.

I didn't cook it too long - just so that the berries started to break down a bit. Letting it sit off heat let the craisins plump up even more.

Great stuff!

Thanksgiving - What Worked!

Almost everything was a success this Thanksgiving. Some things got raved about - this snack was one of them.

I'm usually not a fan of pretzels, but love these flattened-out pretzel crisps. They deliver that roasty exterior pretzel taste without the drywall-like interior.

I had three dips but the one that people scooped up first was this one-

Warning!: this is evil stuff, and probably shouldn't be allowed. Don't tell people what's in it and don't mention it to your doctor.

Take some soft-"I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"-style margarine and some honey. Mix it up briskly until it's combined and a little bit unrecognisable. Major yum!

A Gift From Friends - Curd Chillies

What happens when you steep green chillies in yoghurt or buttermilk and dry them in the sun? - a pale dry chillie (on the cutting board above) that travels and keeps well - and can become a great garnish or topping.

I spent some time getting acquainted with curd chillies yesterday. Friends gave me a package of them at a dinner on Friday (thanks, Sonja & Jarda!) and I followed their instructions to fry them to a crisp in very hot oil, where they become dark brown (see them in the bowl above) and become ready to use.

Fry up a few at a time and use immediately for the perfect chilli-flake taste to add to dishes, raitas & katchumbars, veggie dishes, toppings for meats and even tacos & pizzas. They're going into my Mario Battali- inspired cauliflower pasta.

It's worth the two minutes of fuss for this concentrated and complex, salty hit of flavour. It's definitely in the category of great kitchen secrets. "How did you get that flavour?" I'm going to throw out those plastic-chip flavoured chilli-flakes that come in a bottle.

Some research on the web helped reassure me about the process. Searching for 'curd chillies' got me into the world of Indian foodblogs which are absolutely delightful. Here's a great article on curd chillies.

Peeled Garlic - Who Would Have Thought...?

When I first saw peeled garlic being sold at grocery stores I thought they were about as useful as sauce-dispensing chopsticks; but for some reason I tried them once and now I'm hooked!


The first picture above shows my strategy for keeping them fresh and ready to use for weeks - yes, WEEKS. I line a zipper bag with a paper towel folded up to form a pouch shape. This seems to regulate the humidity in the bag during temperature fluctuations.

A lot more garlic has been used in this house in the last while - baked, chopped, microplaned and whatever. I'm amazed at how eliminating the peeling has freed me up for more creative endeavours (well, nice thought...).

Taiwanese Mochis - Lychee Flavoured

Oh my! - These are so good! I had to go back to our new T and T store (in the Portlands - Toronto's waterfront) and get another box. They are so addictive! Mind you - I like lychee flavour - and these are so soft, chewy and fresh tasting.

They are sort of like mochi, but they pack a bigger punch of flavour - think 'individually wrapped marshmallows' with a fresh fruity lychee taste.

The box says "Mochi-Litchi" in small letters on the front.

You'll find them in the boxed biscuit and cookie aisle (on the west side of the aisle, up high) and they come in durian flavour also - but I'm a little afraid to try them.

Oscypek Seller in Zakopane (Poland)

I took this picture in Zakopane, Poland - a tourist town in the Tatra Mountains, where there are about 15 oscypek sellers at any given time. I bought some, figuring it was a 'souvenir' sort of food purchase and might be a tourist-friendly version of an historical product.



I soon learned that this smoked sheep's milk cheese is quite traditional, VERY yummy! - and totally authentic unpasteurized cheese product. Check it out on Wikipedia in this great article.

Oscypek is sort of like a firm Haloumi that's been lurking in someone's wood-burning chimney.

Meat Market Illulisat, Kalalit Nunat (Greenland)

Here's some seal meat that was on offer in Illulisat, Greenland when I was ashore in the Arctic, sailing on the Akademik Ioffe. The meat market opens when local meat comes in - and it can vary, although whale and seal are mostly the choices.

Outside the market, what do you get? a street meat wagon! - sigh!

North Shore Sandwiches (Quebec)

Here's something nobody ever tells you about the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec; but if you're within 40 klicks of the Saguenay along the coast road, keep your eyes peeled for small hand lettered signs in gas stations or variety stores for 'sandwiches crevettes'.

You'll find very simple sandwiches with the freshest shrimp, mayo and bread you've ever eaten.

TandT Opens Downtown Store

At last - we have a TandT in Downtown Toronto - a great new reason to visit the portlands. Here's an article in the Toronto Star. It's on Cherry Street and right now it's across from the Cirque de Soliel tents.
Grab some dim sum or sushi (by the piece, even) and sit under an umbrella and view the Toronto skyline at lunch.
I was able to buy sweet macapuno balls from the Phillipines to put over ice cream (it's a jelly-like coconut meat in syrup), baby-soft lychee-mochi from Japan (individually wrapped little 'cakes' that are chewy-yummy) and shaved steak to make Korean bulgogi (and , if I wanted...a premade version of a bulgogi marinade).
Korean Citrus Tea (which is actually yuzu marmelade - and I've hooked my own Mother on it) comes in three different brands.
I'm in Pan-Asian heaven.
Frozen parrotfish, anyone? You can get it here.

How to Eat A Cricket (Cambodia)

Here I am at the West Baray near Siem Reap in Cambodia about to eat a water beetle. Euww! - right?
What people never tell you is that there is a WAY to eat large fried insects. It's not complicated.
Our guide, Chen, told me that you do NOT pop one of these in your mouth and chomp away on the crunchy bits - you peel away the legs and a lot of the exoskeleton.


So when you are abroad and you see piles of crickets or other bugs offered for sale in the park...try a few! It's like eating shrimp.

Lundberg Rice Chips

People have been raving about these rice chips when I put them out. Great with dips and spreads.
You've probably heard of the Lundberg products. They've come out with several flavours of these rice crisps. The best are the plainest! - just sea salt.
So far, I've found them at the Big Carrot.
I have to keep many bags around in case guests drop by.
Try 'em.

Hi, I'm Mar and this will be my food blog. I'll be posting info on neat food finds - so stay tuned.