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Category: Our Columns
A lactose-free festive menu
The number of people with dietary restrictions in our circle of family and friends is increasing by the day. That’s why for the next three Saturdays before Christmas (including today), I’d like to recommend some specially designed gourmet menus for all the guests to enjoy at the party… without the hosts having to break into […]
Sweets for special diets
This year, let us spare a thought for our friends and relatives who have dietary restrictions, and come up with some sweets for special diets. There are desserts in Italian Christmas tradition that are perfect for those who are gluten-intolerant (celiac disease): These are homemade egg white and almond or hazelnut-based confections that will please […]
Slow cooking… to save time
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on November 26, 2011. The slow cooker, a practical solution for serving up a nice hot meal after work, has started to make a comeback. This cooking appliance uses moist heat: All the ingredients are placed in a glazed ceramic or porcelain cooking pot that is covered, and […]
Romanesco broccoli: a sculpture of nature
You would certainly remember if you have ever come across this vegetable, because its spiral, pyramid-shaped florets are hard to miss. We are talking about the Romanesco broccoli, a variety of cauliflower from Italy, or more specifically from Rome (hence the name).
Diabetes and lifestyle
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on November 12, 2011. Monday, November 14 is World Diabetes Day. Initiated in 1991, it aims to raise public awareness about the increase in the incidence of diabetes worldwide. This date was chosen because it is the birthday of Frederick Banting, Canadian physician and scientist who, with his […]
Have your heart checked
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on February 2nd, 2013. February is not only the month in which Valentine’s Day falls, but also the month of the heart and awareness about cardiovascular diseases. The “recipe” for becoming heart-healthy is simple: 1) Do regular physical exercise; 2) Don’t smoke; 3) Lose excess weight; 4) Adopt […]
Orange as a pumpkin
There are pumpkins and there are pumpkins. The North American variety is round and bright orange in colour, whereas the European one is rather flat and can vary from reddish orange to dark green. The flesh of the latter is also sweeter, tastier and less stringy than its North American cousin whose ample seeds, which […]
Chestnut, fruit of the ‘bread tree’
Chestnuts are nuts that grow on the chestnut tree. While the marron variety is large, round and undivided, and normally used for making sweets and other delicacies (i.e. “marrons glaçés”), the standard chestnut is smaller in size and used for preparing more common dishes and flour.
A good year for apples
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on October 15, 2011. While thousands of Quebecois are taking advantage of the pleasant October weather to enjoy their apples directly in the orchards, apple growers are taking stock of 2011.
Bananas – not just desserts
The banana tree is one of the oldest known plants and probably one of the first to have ever been domesticated. However, it was the buds of the banana tree that were initially eaten and not the fruit, since these were not very fleshy and were full of inedible seeds. As for the fibrous stems, […]
Fig, the earliest domesticated fruit
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on October 1, 2011. Figs, along with dates, grapes and olives were a primary food source for the ancient populations of the Mediterranean region. Recent excavations in the Jordan Valley in Israel point to the fact that the domestication of figs goes back as far as 11,000 years, […]
Plums in all colours
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on September 24, 2011. Plums are stone fruits, just like peaches and apricots. Although they probably originated in Asia, they were highly sought out by Egyptians and Romans, who dried them in the sun and valued the laxative virtues of prunes (i.e. dried plums).
