Eggplant Antipasto

It’s the very last night of the year and I have nothing to do but stand around nibbling on fancy cheeses and preserves with a glass of my podcast co-host Simon’s homemade mead in hand. We have been entertaining all week long and have simply had enough of people… It’s just me and these little nibbles.

My favourite of the bunch is a type of antipasti made of simmered strips of eggplant that go especially well with grassy wines and robust cheeses. It’s a recipe from Cooking by Hand by Paul Bertolli, a book I’ve referenced constantly on our podcast this year. It is a genuine gem, equal parts traditional recipe-focused cookbook, seasonal manifesto and memoir. It’s the kind of tome everyone should leave loitering on the corner of their prep area for inspiration.

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Smoked Trout, Two Ways

Holidays are the balm of body and mind. It’s been a couple days into our long-awaited stay-cation and I’m already starting to feel my soul regenerating and plotting future adventures just like the hedonistic super villain I remember myself to be.

Ironically, one of the first recipes I got to work on between mountain biking trips was a banger I perfected at work. A sublimely simple way to take trout – a tasty and plentiful local river fish – clean up its mealy texture and enhance the profound sweetness buried deep inside. Read More