Finding new ingredients is always so much fun! Tasting it, figuring it out, finding ways to use it...the adventure part of culinary experimentation!

Chef Eddie uses smoked paprika in a variety of dishes at the restaurant and I absolutely love the flavour of it. Tonight David suggested ribs for supper so it got me thinking that putting some smoked paprika on them would be a great idea. I rubbed kosher salt and pepper on them, then rubbed some of this beautiful deep red spice(smoked paprika) into the ribs. I put together some chili sauce, paprika, and decided to use some Irish Whiskey as the liquid in my rib sauce. Instead of boiling the ribs first I decided to sear them in the oven at a very high temperature for a short time, then add the sauce, cover them and let them cook away. When they were done we enjoyed them with a baked potato for simplicity and some brocollini. We had been given a gift of a beautiful 2005 Amarone Della Valpolicella (Bolla)- a beautiful full bodied red wine that went well with the strong flavours of the ribs. It was a lovely simple and rich Labour Day evening supper.



Smokey Whiskey Ribs

1.5 kg or 2.5 lbs of pork side ribs
2 ½ cups of chili sauce - 1 bottle
2 heaping tbsp honey
1 heaping tbsp of smoked paprika
3 crushed garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Splash of soy sauce or ketjap manis (about 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ cup Whiskey


Heat oven to 450

Put about 2 tbsp of olive oil in your cast iron pot and heat in the oven for about 5 minutes

Salt and pepper the ribs and rub some smoked paprika on them.

Place ribs in the hot pan and put into the oven for 20 minutes, turning them over after 10 minutes.

Mix chili sauce, tbsp of paprika, crushed garlic, ketjap manis, Dijon and whiskey together.

Turn oven temperature to 375

Pour over the ribs now that they have cooked in the hot oven and begun to seal over. Put the cover on your cast iron dutch oven and place into the oven . Cook for 1 ½ hour and check to see if they are tender yet. If they are a bit dry you can add a bit more chili sauce or another splash of whiskey or add a little water. Re-cover and cook for another ½ hour.

They should be flavourful and very tender, falling off the bone.

"Hospitality," writes Benedictine sister Joan Chittister, "is the way we come out of ourselves. It is the first step toward dismantling the barriers of the world. Hospitality is the way we can turn a prejudiced world around one heart at a time."

The Season of Seasoning

The pasta dough had to be just right - and this time it was perfect. Chef had it ready to go. The process of rolling it out, feeding it through the pasta roller and getting beautiful thin flat long pieces of pasta was very satisfying. Using the right size of cutter, the circles were laid out, egg wash brushed around the top half of the circle, the pork mixture placed in the centre and the other half of the circle folded over. Gently, carefully lift them off the counter, pinch the edge of the half moon shape to form a collar, press your thumb in the middle, fold over one edge, brush with egg wash, fold the other end over and press gently to seal, and there you have your freshly made tortellini. It would be an amuse bouche to be served with a foamy basil cream sauce and parmesan shavings for the evening dinner service. Chef and I worked side by side preparing the tortellini as he instructed me; keep my fingers firm but light to get the shape just right for these delicate little packages of flavour, to get the air pockets moved out of the filling, to not rip or damage the pasta dough, and to get the feel of the process. I had not made pasta since cooking school days over 10 years ago.

Our curry spice container at home was empty and as I looked for a new packet in the grocery store while doing my shopping, my eyes lingering on the varieties. I have been using smoked paprika, star anise, cardamom pods and plenty of vanilla beans and enjoying how they can shift the whole flavour of a recipe. Chef uses combinations I would never have thought of and while I cannot always tell the exact ingredient he put in, I know there is something subtle that has made the dish or sauce something very out of the ordinary!

Working in a restaurant kitchen was not a place I had seen myself being part of and yet that is where I am in this present season of life. In this small kitchen I am being mentored by a wonderful Irish chef who is calm, even tempered, creative, funny, and shows by example how to always strive to bring out the best flavours, colours and artistry in everything on the menu. A small quiet environment of tutoring, challenge and exploration seems to be the Divine recipe to add new seasonings within my whole being. Unusual combinations are present in this season of life and I can only stay with my theme for this year which is to remain very present.

Every day holds the same routine - make the focaccia, prepare the desserts and ensure that my station has all I need for the evening service for the appetizers and desserts. The routine has become familiar, comfortable and steady. Chef and I both love our tea and we start with a good strong cup to sip as we begin our day which starts at 2PM. But I am again experiencing the reality that in order to create delicious food, I myself must be very present. I have never been a dessert eater or creator, and have never really prepared anything but easy desserts, except in cooking school. Now that has changed because the menu has a dessert selection that holds some beautiful choices that require precision but more than that, as Chef reminds me often, you must learn to ‘feel’ the food. Let your hands become so sensitive that they know exactly when the bread dough is just right and exactly the right feel for the chocolate mousse. Food preparation has never before been so much about touch being needed for perfection but it certainly is now. The feeling must come first in my hands but it comes from my belly, my heart, the deepest places within that can be sensitive to the slightest difference which can and does change the outcome of everything I make. Know the feel of your food and it will make all the difference as to how it is presented and how it tastes.

This is a different kind of seasoning - the finely ground seasoning of patience, of routine, of striving for the best product without beating myself up when it does not work, of seeking quality with creativity while being mentored by another who does it exceptionally well. It is humbling to be the student again, watching, learning, seeing why something didn’t work and what I must pay attention to as I remake it. The seasoning of laughter adds the ingredient of joy and the ability to laugh at my mistakes in a lighter way. I am a perfectionist in the kitchen - I freely admit it. But my perfectionism has often come at the cost of making others feel less than if they didn’t do it my way. I want that to change - to learn to use the seasoning of beauty and creativity liberally, with the ingredients of joy, love, honour and dignity, binding it all together. The seasoning of incredible gentleness from Chef, the seasoning of grace, is like the chocolate glaze that is poured over the marquise - it makes the dessert look perfect and covers any little imperfections that have come when I removed it from the mould. I am learning in new ways how the seasonings of honour and dignity and gentleness bring out an eagerness and a joy in creating, even when it is under time pressure. Even in our small staffed kitchen, there is a lot of pressure on a busy night and orders come flying at you. My seasoning jar of patience and seeking beauty are what I must inhale and dip my hands in so that I stay steady, quiet within, and focus on making each dish, savoury or sweet, one that first delights the eyes and then the palate of each guest who is awaiting its arrival.

This summer season has been one of enjoying the sun and days off, and also of working hard in a hot kitchen. The heat of this summer has been intense, unusually intense. Even as I work in the heat, the Spirit gently reminds me to stay present, to lean into, and to learn what these seasonings will bring out in this season of this one life I have been given.

As Mary Oliver says in her poem ‘Summer Day’…

“Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Easy Focaccia

When I lived in Italy I loved heading out mid-morning to do some of the shopping - a stop for some fresh ricotta, fresh mozzarella, veggies that were just picked before daylight and delivered only an hour or so before I came to purchase them and then to the panetteria where I purchased various breads for the day. Ah the memories that come from the smell of fresh bread whose aroma I inhaled all the way back to the house! When it came time for lunch chunks of that fresh loaf, usually a baguette style, would be plentiful.

Most of us love fresh bread but we are often afraid to try making it. Yet when you do, there is something very elemental about the scent of fresh dough rising, the feel of it, the process and eventually the beautiful golden crusted loaf that comes out of the oven enticing us to dig into it right away!

While I have made bread a few times over the years, this process has always intimidated me. Until now. Each day when I go to my new job at the restaurant, the first thing on my list is to get the focaccia made for the evening meal service. Making bread is now a wonderful routine and I love ‘practicing’ at home. I have pulled out my mammoth Culinaria Italy cookbook and look forward to trying all sorts of bread varieties. Just to practice of course!

The recipe I am using at home is one I have adapted from a recipe in The Best of Cooking Light - Italian Favorites. I just use an ordinary 9 - 13 pan, and to let it rise I place it in our bathroom on the towel shelf which is next to the heated towel rack and the floor is heated in there too! Lovely and warm place for the rising to take place. This recipe is so quick when you have a mixer with a dough hook. If at first it doesn’t look exactly as you wish - try again! Practice is the best way to get the feel you need to be aware of when you are baking.

Easy Focaccia Recipe:
1 teaspoon honey
1 package of dry yeast (about 2 ¼ teaspoons)
1 ¼ cup warm water divided into ½ cup and ¾ cup **
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ¼ cups flour, divided into 2 ¾ cup and ½ cup
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Cooking spray
1 - 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh herbs or dry thyme. - I collected rosemary, thyme and some chives from my garden, chopped them up finely and used them on the top of the focaccia.

** to get an idea of what ‘warm water’ means it should be just slightly above body temperature.

1. Dissolve the honey, yeast and ½ cup warm water together in a large bowl and let stand about 10 minutes. Your yeast should be bubbling away after that amount of time just as you want it to. Add the remaining warm water and olive oil.

2. Put your larger amount of flour into the mixing bowl, I add a dash of sugar and a dash of salt, and then add your yeast/liquid mixture. Turn on the mixer and blend it for about 5 minutes adding more flour. You may not need the final ¼ cup. It will feel a bit like elastic to the touch and will be slightly sticky. If it is too sticky just add that last ¼ cup of flour.

3. Turn your dough out onto the counter where you have sprinkled a little flour to keep it from sticking and knead it several times - maybe only 4 times and then shape it into a ball.

4. Spray your pan with cooking spray and place your dough in the middle. Cover with a damp cloth and place it in the warm, draft free area and let it rise for an hour or until doubled in size.

5. Put a little flour on your hands and gently press the dough down pushing it to the corners - very gently though. Sprinkle the to with your chopped fresh herbs or use a liberal amount of dry thyme. Cover again and place back in the warm spot to rise for about another 35-40 minutes. It will double in size again.

6. Preheat your oven to 400F

7. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the top of the bread. Using your fingertips make indentations over the top of the bread. Evenly sprinkle the kosher salt on the top of the bread. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the focaccia is a lovely golden brown colour on the top. If you tap it and it sounds hollow you know it is ready to take out.

8. Tip the pan upside down onto a cooling rack. Let it sit this way for a few minutes and then remove the pan and place the bread right side up.

9. Eat it whenever you are ready!

A Few Variations on Rice

Rice was always a very plain dish, Minute Rice with a touch of butter, in our family meal and as a consequence I didn’t really like rice. It was a different story when we ordered Asian food – loved fried rice because it was interesting.
In the last 7.5 years working at Linwood House it has been an honour to meet guests from all over the world. I am grateful for the cooking tips they have shared so that creating dishes from their cultures are more authentic.
Just adding a few fragrant spices makes all the difference to rice. Instead of bland plain rice you have opened your senses to the aroma, textures and colours of this addition to your meal. Of course...eating is all about the senses so that you savour, eat slowly, inhale the aromas and let it linger a bit longer in your mouth! These are all simple touches we can put into our meal preparation that elevate the quality and enjoyment without adding a lot of effort or expense.
My staple rice in the cupboard in jasmine rice and arborio rice

Coconut Rice. This is a great flavour with Thai or Indian food.
Just add a tin of coconut milk along with the water as you make your rice. Add a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cinnamon as well. If you add a pinch of turmeric it will be a beautiful yellow gold colour. Great fragrance!
Fragrant Rice. This rice totally changed my view on rice – and every time D would make it I thoroughly enjoyed it.
-Saute garlic and onions in a bit of olive oil. Then add your washed rice and stir until it is fully coated. Add your liquid that is either chicken or vegetable broth and a touch of salt if desired. Through in a cinnamon stick and a couple of bay leaves and cook until done. Add finely chopped red peppers and some fresh chopped parsley.
The colours and fragrance of this rice are just amazing!
Saffron Risotto. When I lived in Italy my friend A-M made the most wonderful food and risotto was one of the things she showed me how to do when we were at a summer house in Nerano. Always use butter to make this dish, use hot broth, white wine and my secret ingredient is balsamic vinegar. Cast iron pots are the best for cooking this in and my bright red one goes with me when I cook this dish at other locations.
I love this rice with steaming mussels, chorizo, sauted fresh spot prawns and chicken – my version of paella.
It also goes well with lamb chops that are marinated in lemon rind, lemon juice, chopped rosemary and thyme, olive oil, garlic and red wine. Then just grill the chops and serve over a bed of this bright risotto.
-Sauté ½ cup of finely chopped onions in 2 generous tablespoons of butter for about 5 – 7 minutes. Then add 2 cups arborio rice and stir to completely coat the rice in the butter. Stir until the rice becomes ever so slightly golden.
-Have 6 cups of broth heated and ready to add slowly to the rice as well as one cup of white wine. Also have a few threads of saffron added to the hot chicken broth.
-Ladle the broth, ½ cup at a time into the rice and continually stir. When the liquid is absorbed add another ½ cup of broth. Repeat this process, interspersing the wine addition, until all the liquid has been added. It will still be a bit soupy in texture, but the saffron should make it a strong yellow colour.
-I always add a touch of salt next as well as about 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Add another dash of butter, cover and let cook on a low heat for about ½ hour. I have baked this at 350 in the oven in the covered pot and it works just as well.
-When you are ready to serve this add about ½ cup of grated pecorino or parmesan cheese as well as freshly chopped parsley, salt and pepper if desired.
Fried Rice. The secret to this Asian dish, according to my friend from Beijing, is to sauté green onions in a touch of regular oil and a dash of sesame oil. Then add the cooked rice. Put a touch of white wine into your egg when you mix it up and then pour it into the rice. You can add whatever vegetables you like. I also like to add some grated ginger to the pan when I am sautéing the green onions in the oil mix.
Morrocan Flavours – I have used this way of preparing rice along with Lebanese Kibbi Balls (flavourful meat balls that have bulgar wheat in them.
-Saute some chopped onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add your rice and then your broth. Then add a touch of salt, a pinch of cinnamon, a little nutmeg, cumin and curry powder. Cook as per the instructions on the package until done.
-Just before you serve it add some crumbled feta cheese, toasted pine nuts, chopped cilantro and some raisins. Cover it again and let it sit for 5 minutes or so.
-Don’t forget to inhale the fragrances as you serve this out! Hopefully this aroma will already be wafting through the house and sending its own invitation for dinner.

There are so many more ideas out there on preparing rice but this is just a couple of ways that might give you one new idea or two to add to your meal plans for tonight! Let your senses be open as you taste, smell, feel, know the sound of and the see the colours of the food you on your counter that will be your meal.

Just A Touch

Just a drop of rain and this tulip goes from elegant to exquisite. It's beauty enticed me out for a closer look.
Just a hint of spice and the aroma and flavour of your food go from ordinary to extra ordinary. The scent will create the anticipation of the meal to come.
Those ingredients we can add to life that move a moment from lovely to vibrant.
Much lies within the touch of love - an ingredient we cannot live without.
The ingredient the Almighty infuses into our being unconditionally.

Adding the Extra To Mashed Potatoes - Comfort Food

One of the comments I often hear is that preparing a meal is tough because it is boring and there is just isn’t enough energy to try new things, or enough time to find new ideas. One of the things I will be offering in my little business is “Personalized Culinary Mentoring” where we will meet together once a week for 4 weeks and go over your menu, the tough parts about meal planning and preparation and try to add a few little tips that can take your cooking up a notch or two. Hopefully it can also infuse some joy and energy back into this sacred task of preparing food to be shared with those you love.

Here are a few ideas on the staple mashed potatoes that might add a bit of interest to this part of your meal.

I would also love to hear what you do to create an interesting twist on this kind of comfort food.

Mashed Potatoes With The ’ Extra’ Ingredients

Potatoes absorb salt quickly so when you put your potatoes on to boil be sure to add at least a teaspoon of sea salt to water when you put them on to cook. Should you ever make something that seems too salty, add a slice of potato to absorb that salt and bring it back to the normal level you want.

The best potatoes for mashing are Yukon Gold or another variety of yellow flesh potatoes. They are less watery, and more mealy therefore give a much better texture for mashed potatoes


Mashed Potatoes with Nutmeg
- this simple spice added to mashed potatoes brings just a hint of something extra but is not easy to define. I just take a pinch of ground nutmeg between my fingers and add it to the already mashed potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Olive Oil
- when you put your potatoes on to boil, and have added the salt, also add 1 clove of garlic, skin off, for every 4 potatoes. The garlic will cook along with the potatoes and be very tender and mash in beautifully with them. Add your nutmeg, salt and pepper as well as 2 tablespoons of olive oil (this measurement is based on 4 potatoes). I don’t add any cream or butter here making this a dish that is suited to those who wish to avoid any dairy products.

Mashed Potatoes with Onions and Cheddar Cheese
This is something my Irish Grandmother often made during the week with slow cooked meats, as we sat in her little kitchen and kept warm by the fire in the cold rainy winter months in Belfast. Both my Grandmothers were good at cooking comfort food.

- peel and chop your potatoes, put them in the salted water and bring them to a boil
- while they are cooking, finely chop a medium size onion and saute it in 1 - 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook until they are clear which will be about 7-10 minutes in time.
- when the potatoes are tender, drain them and mash them.
- add the cooked onions with all the melted butter as well.
- add salt and pepper to taste as well as your pinch of nutmeg.
- grate about ½ cup of cheddar cheese
- place the mashed potatoes in a greased pyrex dish and then put the grated cheese on top
- place under the broiler until the cheese is nicely melted and turns slighty golden.

Dijon Mashed Potatoes
- prepare your potatoes and boil them as usual
- when you are ready to mash them, add 1 tablespoon of grainy Dijon mustard for every 6 potatoes you have cooked.
- you can add less salt and as much pepper as you like.
- add in 1 - 2 tablespoons of butter depending on your desired taste.
- it is also good to heat up about ¼ cup of cream for every 6 potatoes cooked and added this heated cream to your mixture. Use less butter if you add the heated cream.

Dijon potatoes are great served with lamb or with beef.

Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- prepare and cook your potatoes as usual
- add a little heated cream
- crumble 1/3 cup (for 6 potatoes) of blue cheese in and mash together.
- season with salt and white pepper for your taste

These potatoes are especially good with steak or strong flavoured meat and a good full bodied red wine adds to the flavour combinations.

Mashed Potatoes With The Skins On
I got this idea from my sister-in-law who lives in Idaho - potato country!

- since the skin is highly nutritious, this is a good way to cook them when the skins are pale in colour. This doesn’t work as well with older potatoes or dark skinned potatoes.
- wash the potato thoroughly then chop into small pieces and place in your salted water and bring to a boil.
- when potatoes are tender mash as usual. They will be lumpy but that is their rustic look.
- season as you wish.

Personally I like the skin on mashed potatoes prepared with the garlic cloves cooked with them and then mashed in. They taste great with the salt, pepper, nutmeg and butter. I don’t usually add any cream or milk because the beauty of the skin on is also the mealy texture.

A Formal Dinner - Just Not At the Dining Room Table

These beautiful elderly clients wanted to have a dinner party and enjoy having friends over. The hostess wanted everything to be perfect since this was the first dinner party in quite some time but as the numbers grew from 10 to 12, then to 14 and finally finished off at 16 her anxiety increased. It was too many to sit around the table, but her desire was to have a formal type of meal.
A couple of weeks earlier I had come over to prepare dinner for them and thoroughly enjoyed the time. They are both over 35 years my senior so the life stories shared as we sat down together at dinner were a wonderful treat. We had Caesar salad, coconut curry lamb shanks cooked slowly with turnip, onions, potatoes, as well as baby carrots, fresh asparagus (both of which I cook in a little chicken broth). Dessert followed in the form of a chocolate shell holding the individual serving of tiramisu, along with a delicious strong cup of coffee. She joked that this rare late day cup of coffee would keep her awake but it was worth it to enjoy such a luxury with her dessert. He savoured every mouthful of the lamb – his favourite meal, and shared with me stories of how they met, of war, of business, and his pride in their blended families.
To have a dinner party without the dining table means food that is flavourful, looks elegant when plated, can be eaten without a knife so as not to unbalance your dinner plate perched on your lap trying to cut some piece of food.
Here is the simple menu we used for this elegant dinner party.
- Lamb chops (individual chops cut from the rack of lamb) marinated in lemon juice, lemon rind, fresh chopped rosemary and thyme, minced garlic, salt, olive oil and red wine. These can be BBQ’d or cooked under the broiler. As my client had neither they were cooked at 500F for about 15 minutes. A good butcher can cut this meat perfectly for you.
- Saffron risotto made with chicken broth, white wine, grated romano cheese, freshly chopped parsley, salt and saffron
- Whole new carrots steamed in chicken broth then tossed with a touch of olive oil and seasoned
- Fresh asparagus steamed in chicken broth then tossed with butter and seasoned
- Slow roasted cherry tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic, garlic, salt and oregano
- Dessert was once again the individual chocolate shell tiramisu cups and a coconut rice pudding that was a dessert the hostess has loved serving at her dinner parties.
The lamb chop is easy to eat with your fingers and doesn’t have a messy sauce to worry about. Saffron rice is a comfort food texture and fresh slightly crisp vegetables are easy to eat with a fork only. The colours of the saffron rice and fresh carrots and asparagus are warm and inviting.

This is a spot to muse, ramble, share...to put in readable form sharable pieces from the new venture. It will give updates and tales that come from culinary mentoring, preparing, serving and sharing meals with those who are not so mobile anymore and small dinner parties for those who love a little soiree.