Bring-me-back-to-Greece sautéed calamari

While calamari often conjures up images of battered, deep fried rings served with tartare sauce as an appetizer, it is actually extremely versatile. In fact, I prefer it lightly grilled or sautéed and served as a light hot summer night dinner. It takes absolutely no time to make and always transports me back to an […]

Savory herb “kuku” crêpes

These gorgeous green savory crêpes can easily be eaten plain because they’re so flavorful; but I usually spread some savory fillings and serve them either for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are also a fantastic appetizer for a crowd. I like to use a variety of fillings depending on my fridge inventory: fresh goat cheese, […]

Lazy mamma’s thai curry

If you have 30 minutes to make a magnificent dinner and need a recipe that can easily be double or tripled, this delectable thai-inspired curry needs to be in your little black book. While most traditional curry recipes require you to make a paste, I skip this step – that’s the “lazy” part – and […]

My gravlax

I love a good gravlax but when it comes to actually making this Swedish specialty, it falls in the same category as sourdough, yogurt and pickles: it takes days to be ready. So it’s rarely on our dinner table. But with Dubai’s current hot and steamy weather, I’ve been wanting to cut down on time spent […]

Kids love ’em (and so do we) chicken nuggets

I first started preparing dinners in the kitchen at the age of 13, the summer my mom went back to work. Revelling in this new-found freedom to make meals I fancied, I discovered the joys of recipe testing as opposed to drooling over cookbook pictures, (which had until then been a favorite pastime of mine). […]

Beat-the-heat noodle salad

Cold noodle salads are just the best invention for summer lunches, dinners and picnics. This particular one is absolutely refreshing, fragrant and filled with quintessential Asian flavors. It’s an oldie at our house and I tend to vary the ingredients based on what I’ve got on hand. Sometimes I’ll substitute prawns for the chicken, other […]

Rocking lentils on a luscious cumin-beetroot puree (Cooked veggie bowl #2)

I can’t do a cooked veg bowl series and not include this recipe. It has a cumin-scented beetroot puree inspired by Ottolenghi’s cookbook which is an absolute winner no matter how you dress it. Having said that, the addition of mustardy lentils, fresh herbs and feta make this particular dish a favorite of mine when […]

Bursting poached egg on avocado butter toast

Growing up in Canada, poaching wasn’t the preferred way of having eggs. In the 80s and 90s, they were often hard boiled when served at lunchtime: egg and mayo salad sandwiches were right up there next to ham and cheese on all the coffee shop menus. For breakfast, they were either scrambled, fried or in an […]

It’s-cold-outside “Daube Provençale”

I don’t eat much red meat, but do enjoy it from time to time if it is well sourced. And when I make beef, there are a few dishes I love – one I particularly affection in winter time is a Southern French stew called “daube provençale”. Consider it Provence’s version of the famous boeuf […]

Roasted tomatoes stuffed with herbs and sardines

When I was a kid growing up in Canada, I remember the poor sardine being the reject of the canned food section. It didn’t have the mainstream acceptance tuna fish did nor did it get the chance to land on a pizza like its little cousin the anchovy. Although people did buy sardines, you never saw […]