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Beef and Rice Meatballs in Yogurt-Tomato Sauce (Youvarelakia Yogurt Sauce)
For the Meatballs
1 lb ground beef (don’t use lean or extra lean, you need the fat for good tasting meatballs)
1 cup cooked rice, at room temperature
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, pressed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/8 tsp ground [...]

Crisp Bitter Greens with Anchovy Vinaigrette
4 Belgian endives, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
1 bunch of chicory, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
1 bunch of arugula, leaves separated, washed and chopped
2 bunches watercress, leaves separated, washed and chopped
1 head of radicchio, leaves separated, washed and thinly sliced
10 anchovy fillets packet in oil, rinsed
4 garlic [...]

Crazy Rice (Arroz Loco)
1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
2-1/2 cups water (plus more if needed)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or put through a garlic press
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
341mL (12 fl oz) can peaches and cream corn
1/2 cup fresh Italian [...]

North African Spiced Shrimp
1 tbsp and a pinch of Ancho Chili pepper
2 dried red chili peppers crushed
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs shrimp (31-42 size), peeled
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more if needed)
2 tbsp organic lime juice
sea salt to [...]

Shabu Shabu
Stock:
2  4″ square sheets of kombu seaweed, wiped clean of excess salt and soaked in water for 30 minutes
7 cups of water
The Food:
1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 lb tiger shrimps, peeled & deveined
1 box silken extra-firm tofu, cut into 3/4″ cubes
5 baby bok choy, cut lengthwise in quarters
8 gai lan [...]

Happy Thanksgiving to all our cooking and foodie friends in the States! We hope you’re having a fabulous time today feasting with your family and friends.~ Belle and Ward

Last night, I went to the the Dunbarton Culinary Chef Challenge. It was a fantastic event. Run by our local high school, the idea was to see [...]

Smoked Salmon Mousse
350 g (12 oz) smoked salmon, thawed and roughly chopped
475 mL (about 2 cups) ricotta cheese
2 tsp organic lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil for for drizzling
1 baguette cut into bite size [...]

Saturday November 14 Open House Dinner

We had a great turnout for our November open house dinner last Saturday: 28 people! What a wonderful evening it was.
The food went over well and, of course, the conversation was the highlight. We are both really looking forward to next month’s open house dinner, and on [...]

Chicken Salad with Tarragon, Toasted Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins
2 carrots, chopped coarsely
2 celery stalks, chopped coarsely
1 medium onions, peeled and cut into eighths
4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 lemon, sliced in half
6 sprigs of fresh parsley
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1-1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
1-1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1-1/2 cups dry white wine [...]