November 1, 2019
What’s that food? This month’s WTF is possibly one that is in your kitchen arsenal already, or you have likely seen it on grocery store shelves. The bright yellow and red label on Maggi Seasoning tends to stand out. With the claims on its packaging that it “Improves the taste of soups, sauces, salads and vegetable dishes. A few drops…
October 1, 2019
Book and online video series helps independent living The cafeteria at Tremploy in Charlottetown was standing room only for the launch of an ambitious new project aimed at helping people with intellectual challenges live more independently. A collection of cooking videos was created in partnership with Public Health Office of the PEI Department of Health and Wellness, the PEI Association…
June 1, 2019
What’s that food? As the global market expands, so do the fruit and vegetable sections in our grocery stores. We start to see more and more produce that is new and unusual to our Island. This month’s What’s that Food? is karela or more commonly known as bitter melon. And it’s an appropriate name, as its flavour is quite tart.…
April 1, 2019
Fashions come and go but fermentation is forever In spite of today’s hustle, my soul yearns for slow food traditions and the return of time-honoured classics. I value and wish to learn some of the skills mastered by our ancestors. I am not alone in my hunger of more back-to-basics food preservation and sourcing, as similar feelings echo back to…
January 1, 2019
EGGS 101 There is nothing like the question, “How do I cook the perfect egg?”, that is more likely to devolve into a heated argument about one’s pedigree. A perfectly cooked egg is special. A little package of flavour, nutrients, and energy with one of the most pleasing shapes in nature and the cause of countless kitchen battles about the…
January 1, 2019
(what’s that food?) Take a look around the root vegetable section of your grocery store and you will probably see some cassava tucked in amongst the potatoes. This brown tuber is also called manioc, yuca, and macaxeira along with other names, and is native to Brazil. It is a starchy root that is a major staple for many people worldwide,…
August 1, 2018
What’s that food? Molasses is a pantry item that most people are familiar with. Its uses are versatile, from baking cookies and cakes, to amping up sauces and marinades. Blackstrap molasses, made from sugar beets is most common in Atlantic Canadians’ kitchens and it’s often used to add a sharp-yet-sweet flavour to dishes. Carob molasses is different in that…
July 1, 2018
Time to break out the barbeque, smoker, or both if you have them Don’t let the memory of last month’s frost warnings put you off dreaming about summertime, which should be arriving any minute now, along with all of the mouthwatering, sun-drenched barbeque fare that accompanies it. From a home cooking perspective, there has never been a better time to…
May 1, 2018
Banana Flower Banana flower is, as the name suggests, the blossom of a banana tree. If left on the tree, they would eventually develop into bananas. It is largely considered to be a vegetable in many parts of the world, especially Southeast Asia. Bananas themselves are the 4th largest fruit crop worldwide. Found in many Asian food stores, the flower…
March 31, 2018
What’s that food? Water chestnuts and the tree chestnuts found in your backyard are not related and belong to two different plant families, though they do look very similar and both are delicious. There are two different plants that are referred to as water chestnuts. The one we’re describing is the the Chinese eleocharis dulcis, not the water caltrop. Water…