Godly Greek Salad

My good friend Erik of The One-Look DonnyBrook has a pretty traditional Greek family. Every time I'm at his house, he insists that I not insult him by not having something to eat. I usually oblige.

This staple is usually featured with his meals, especially in the summertime. I love Greek food because it embodies the point that something doesn't have to be complex to be great; and that good, fresh ingredients make a good dish.

Anyway, for 2 to 3 servings, here's what you need:

- 1 large tomato, cut into wedges

- 1/2 of a cucumber cut into rounds (peeled, optional)

- A handful of whole Kalamata olives

- Generous amount of good GREEK feta (upon Erik's insistence), crumbled or cubed

- 1/2 of a red onion, thinly sliced

- Extra virgin olive oil to dress

- Salt, pepper, and oregano (fresh or dried)

- Possible additions are minced garlic, slices of green capsicum, and a drizzle of lemon juice

* The chopped tomato and cucumber are plated first, followed by the onion, feta, olives, seasoning, and oil

* The salad is typically mixed at the table, prior to serving

* Finish it up with some fresh bread for sopping

GG

The Balsamic Reduction

Are you an Italian food lover? Could you subsist solely on great bread, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar? If so, then you already know that all balsamic vinegars are not created equal. There are essentially two kinds: one comes in a large plastic bottle and has a picture of a grape vine on it, and the other comes in a wax-sealed perfume bottle and can cost as much as you'd want to spend on a good pair of shoes. What do you do with such a potentially expensive ingredient? Is it even worth buying?

The truth is that balsamic's uses depend largely on the quality you're using. Run of the mill balsamics are fine for salad dressings, soups, marinades, and dipping. You can even add it to a bit of mayo for a nice sandwich condiment. Average to good balsamic vinegars can also be reduced and sweetened for more traditional uses like over meats, vegetables, and even fruits.

Honestly, I would never use the good stuff every day, but it is definitely worth trying. Just like saying you haven't had beef until you've had real Kobe, a good balsamic vinegar will make you go 'oh, so that's how it's supposed to taste'. Got some of the good stuff? Try it with strawberries and whipped cream, over pastries, cheeses, and even ice cream. It is often used as a digestif and a little can even be added to sparkling water for a refreshing beverage...

Like any expensive food item, there's a whole world of opinions and talk flying around about it. One thing I've seen though that's worth mentioning is that if you're going for the good stuff, be careful where you buy it. There are (unsurprisingly) some shady folks out there.

GG

Attention Thousands of Followers!

*Coming Soon*

Planning a trip to Paris and looking for some great French food? Contact me here and I will prepare a welcome basket of fresh goodies to be waiting for you when you arrive. A basket will also contain a food guide, outlining great restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in your area. A sample food guide will be available here.

Please contact me two weeks prior to your arrival. Please be sure to let me know of any dietary restrictions or preferences. Baskets and food guides can be matched to any price point.

GG

Shawarma Showdown

So, as I'm in Toronto now for a couple months before heading back to Paris, I'm going on a bit of a mission to cover as many secret (or not so secret) spots as possible before leaving. This one is take-out top brass.

In my last year of university, I was living on Brunswick Avenue in the Annex. Needless to say, I was a regular at a lot of the establishments along Bloor and College, many of which were alcohol-serving. My diagonal walks home usually took me to one of a number of pizza places, but there was also no shortage of falafel and shawarma joints along the way.

I first had Sarah's shawarma in my first year of school, and it was one of those places that was still good when I was walking normally. Most of the folks that inhabit that area of town will favor one of the several shawarma places between Spadina and Bathurst on Bloor, but trust me, Sarah's is best - I've done the research. I used to be a little unfaithful and frequent two other spots as well, but they've both since then changed their product and made Sarah's the clear winner. Both the falafel and shawarma are good. I like them spicy without too much parsley. Wrapped and bagged for easy, drip-free consumption.

If you're planning on taking any diagonal walks, they're open until 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

GG

Sarah's Shawarma and Falafel Ltd. 
487 Bloor St. West

Toronto, Ontario  
416.975.9986

Slice and Dice Like a Pro

Ever wanted to have the knife skills of a top chef? Like anything else, it's just technique and practice. The most important thing is a good knife. If your knife can lightly cut thin slices of tomato without pulling, tearing, or mashing the skin or meat (or turning the whole thing into sauce), then it's probably sharp. A good knife is important because it will grip the food. It won't send a carrot rolling, and will make cutting onions a more tear-free experience. For me, this was the kitchen skill I had to have. I learned it from watching and talking to chefs at restaurants where I've worked, and practiced it a lot.

Knife grip is key. Nothing makes you look like more of an amateur in the kitchen than holding a knife like Sylvester Stallone. The blade of the knife itself should be pinched between your thumb and index finger, right at the point where the steel touches the handle. The rest of your fingers will fall naturally on the handle.

By far the biggest trick though, lies in how you grip the food with your other hand. Chefs build up the confidence for that blinding speed by keeping their fingers out of the way. If you watch a chef chop, you'll see that the hand gripping the food is curled, with the fingertips behind the knuckles. The food is pushed forward with the fingertips and the knuckles touch the side of the knife. The knife never needs to come above the level of the knuckles and therefore, you should never cut yourself!

The motion you're going for with the slice is a rolling action from point to heel. The knife doesn't even have to leave the cutting board. A knife with a healthy amount of curve will make this easy, and will ensure that your knuckles aren't the first things to hit the cutting board. Practice will also teach you secrets of working with different foods. When cutting round foods for example, it's always a good idea to give them a flat side for stability. 

The truth? Every chef cuts themselves. Always be careful and focus on what you're doing. And yes, a good end grain cutting board makes a difference!

GG

Fromage Francais

There's no arguing that cheese is one of the quintessentially French foods. I guarantee that any picnic in the Luxembourg Gardens will feature at least one variety of cheese, whether it's chevre, emmental, bleu, or brie. Cheese is also one of those foods that you don't generally want to think too much about while eating. Well, the other day I decided to think about it while eating it. Then I decided to read about it. Now I will write about it.

It turns out that cheese is one of the oldest foods known to man. Thought to have begun as early as 8000 BCE, cheese making predates recorded history. It's assumed that cheese was discovered by accident, through the practice of storing food in animal skins and organs. With heat and acid, the milk would have been converted to curd and whey. Eventually the curds were salted and pressed for preservation, and cheese was born. There is evidence of cheese in ancient Egyptian tombs, and it even appears in Homer's Odyssey.

In Europe, the cheese would have been exposed to colder climates, and therefore would have required less salt for preservation. This provided a nice breeding ground for bacteria, which plays a starring role in the flavoring of aged cheeses. In cheeses that use little or no rennet, the acidification of the milk can be done by adding bacteria which convert the sugar in the milk to lactic acid. The complex and variable process of cheese making has given us hundreds of known cheeses today. Needless to say, over the centuries, cheese making has become an art.

Oh, and since I don't have to write papers anymore, thanks Wiki.

GG

Caribbean Heat

So hopefully I'm not being over optimistic by saying we're finally seeing the beginnings of spring. I decided this week that featuring a recipe from the Caribbean would encourage the sun to stick around. My bank account tells me that a trip to Jamaica isn't in the cards for this season, but this got me half way there. Here's some soul food from a good friend. Ackee and Saltfish is a, if not THE, Jamaican national dish. Rightfully so.

Here's what you need:

- 1 tin of ackee fruit, drained (your country may not import the fresh fruit)

- 1 tin or package of saltfish - for packaged saltfish, soak the fish in water overnight to remove the salt. If still salty, boil in water for 20 minutes. Break the fish into canned tuna-sized chunks, careful to remove any bones 

- 1 onion and 3 cloves of garlic, diced

- 1 tomato, seeded and diced

- Black pepper and thyme (1 tsp. dried or 1 sprig)

- Vegetable or peanut oil

- Jamaican hot sauce

* Start by lightly cooking the onion and thyme in a tablespoon or so of oil

* Add the seeded tomato and saute lightly - the inner meat of the tomato adds too much liquid to this

* Add the diced garlic and continue to cook

* Season with black pepper and cook for another minute

* At this point you're ready to add the saltfish and saute further

* Add the drained ackee fruit, being careful to stir gently as to not break up the fruit

* Season further with black pepper and hot sauce to taste

GG

A Little French Paradis in Toronto

Just like missing family home cooking when I'm in Paris, it doesn't take me long to miss French food when I'm at home in Toronto.

A good French bistro's style is usually a flawless hybrid of sleek modern lines and classic touches. All of the food on the menu sounds and looks (and tastes) delicious. The best part about it though is that in most restaurants and cafes, no one rushes you. You could sit there all day sipping espresso after espresso if the mood strikes you. While that's not really how we do things in Toronto, there are a few French restaurants that aim to bring this feeling home. 

Le Paradis is my favorite French restaurant in Toronto. The atmosphere is warm and comfortable and the open grill ensures that you don't miss any scenery. While in my limited experience I would describe the food as being in the French 'style' rather than classically French, it definitely gets the point across. There are daily substitutions to the menu but the old favorites are almost always available. The Bavette à L'Échalote, or marinated flank steak in shallot sauce, is my personal standby.

While the dress is casual/business casual, reservations, especially on the weekend, are a must. They are open for lunch from Tuesday to Friday, but be sure to check the hours of business before you stop by. I find the prices to be very fair, and yes, it's a great place to bring a date.

GG

Le Paradis Brasserie Bistro 

166 Bedford Rd.

Toronto, Ontario

416.921.0995

Pasta Carbonara

In 2009 in Paris, I was teaching English with Kiela Consulting - a little shameless promotion there. My students worked for large newspapers, radio stations, magazines, and international corporations.  Needless to say I met a lot of people who I learned from as much as I taught.

One of my beginner students was Italian but moved to Paris to work for TV M6. To make learning the language as easy as possible, I decided to scrap the textbook for the most part and use daily situations for vocabulary and grammar. One day I thought to use recipes, and she gave me this little gem. It's a classic basic recipe with no surprises, but the goodness lies in doing it right.

Here's what you need:

- Spaghetti (I like capellini because it's a bit thinner)

- A few strips of bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces (depending on how much pasta you want to make)

- One egg per serving

- Fresh grated parmesan cheese (parmigiano-reggiano)

- Salt, pepper, and 2 minced cloves of garlic per serving

- Parsley, if you like

* Cook the pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente - when you drain the pasta, conserve a bit of the starchy cooking liquid, this is important

* Saute the bacon until crispy and drain it, but leave a bit of the oil in the pan

* Add the garlic to the pan and cook it just until it sweats a bit, then season it with salt and pepper

* Return the bacon to the pan, add the pasta, and saute for a minute

* Take the pan off the heat and mix in the egg until it thickens, but you don't want to actually cook it

* Add the parmesan (as much as you want and then add more!) and season it all again with salt and pepper

* The cooking water comes in here - if the pasta is getting too sticky to work with, just add a little at a time

* Now you're ready to serve it, garnished with a little parsley and more parmesan

Delicious AND nutritious.

GG