By popular demand, I am reprinting my pesto recipe here. In proportion to how good it tastes, this is way too easy. 3 packed cups fresh basil leaves (removed from stems) 2 large cloves fresh garlic ½ cup pinenuts ¾ packed cup fresh chopped parsley ¾ cup fresh grated parmesan ½ cup olive oil ¼ [...]

Leigh-Anne came home today with a bag of basil, courtesy of Priti in her office. (Thanks, Priti!) Apparently, she picked it up at Lucky 97, a well-known Asian grocer downtown near Chinatown. My quest for good and plentiful basil has lead to the discovery of a rather large gulf that exists in this city (and [...]

On the recommendation of our friend Joan (a TT parent and Jew of Italian extraction), the Italian Centre in Edmonton was a good bet for real pesto ingredients like basil and parmesan. I made my first visit to the Italian Centre today and it was marvelous. Fresh baked goods, a wonderful array of cheeses and [...]

Food shopping in Alberta is a learning process. Most food that we consumed in Ontario can be found in the stores here, but there are a few differences. First, milk comes in 4 litres jugs, like the good old days in Ontario. And for some strange reason, it seems to disappear faster this way than [...]

I am not a chef, but I love to cook. I like knowing what is in my food. And I like it to taste exactly as I want it. One of my signature dishes is pesto. I (used to) buy the big basil plants that show up in stores in late summer in Ontario and [...]