Signe's Kitchen

Originally posted on 4/19/2010 Chopping, sauteing, simmering, and pureeing. I love making a big pot of soup when there's a chill in the air. For me, it's a meditative process, and it's something I do when I feel a deep-down rumbling to reconnect with my home and myself. Sure, it usually starts as an attempted rescue of veggies on the verge, but in no time at all, becomes something altogether more meaningful. This is the beginnings of my Crisper Soup....all the odds and ends t

Originally posted on 4/23/2013 Update: Chef Jason Bangerter is now the Executive Chef at Langdon Hall. And the winner is....Every cheese lover in Canada, that's who! But...not my tum tum. Sooo much cheese for lunch...15 types of cheese...all delicious, but only one grand prize winner. Chef Jason Bangerter of Luma laid on a spread of amazing house-made breads and bowls of raw veggies that remained mostly untouched because we all thought the damn things were centerpieces. See t

Originally posted on 4/13/2012 Hen Zen. The Author has a point, really! The "such-ness of chickens". I'm no Buddhist. Don't know the first thing about it, though I suspect I should. It would probably suit me right down to the ground. Take a second or two to read this - not the journal part - and then, if you can spend some time with a few hens. She's totally on the money. She, being author, Clea Danaan, and the book is The Way of the Hen - Zen and the Art of Raising Chickens,

Originally posted on 9/17/2013 It's a perfectly reasonable question. In fact, one guest at our table of food media types bellying up to the trough delivered the old "I'm surprised I don't have a nosebleed!"...you know, the I-never go-north-of-Bloor nosebleed? In her defense, we were seriously north of where Toronto foodanistas will migrate, unless of course, they're in search of the best Chinese food, and then it's cotton balls up the nose and off to Richmond Hill or Newmarke

Originally posted on 9/12/2013 ...And I don't even drink coffee. Much. But I'm thinking of taking it up, now that I'm a believer. ​ My first love was, and still is, Birds & Beans, because even before them, my first, first love is birds. First Brownie badge? Nature, for bird watching. First bird identified? Cape May Warbler, spotted during one spring migration when I had mono and my mother had grown sick of having me in the house. She set me up outside in a lawn chair with a b

Originally posted on 8/29/2013 All across Asia, about 20,000 bears, mostly moon bears, are living a nightmare that is almost impossible to imagine. Captured as cubs - their mother's are killed to get to them - they are put into 'crush cages' where they will live out their lives with a permanent shunt or drain connected to their bile ducts. They can survive up to 20 years like this. Never leaving this one, tiny cage - not much bigger than they are - constantly wounded, in pain

Originally posted on 7/27/2013 I hear it all the time. Hell, I used to say it all the time. And for the most part is was true; real, authentic, tasty, fresh, Greek food was just about impossible to find in Toronto. Folks, it's more than souvlaki on a bun! But when you find it, be prepared to pay for it. Estiatorio Volos is the real thing. But don't take my word for it; I'm just a Canadian with Scottish roots who's never been to Greece. No, no, no; I took a Greek gal with me,

Originally posted on 6/30/2013 ​I can remember the moment I fell in love with Nigella Lawson. Sure, I liked her already; enough to make a point of tuning into her show. But it was during one particular segment - it must have been about putting dinner on the table in a hurry - and she busted out a tin of chick peas and a bottle of instant chicken stock concentrate. Oh, you sexy thing, you! You vixen! You bucker of trendy DIY extremism, you! "Never apologize for tins and instan

A beautifully fresh scallop needs very little adornment. Just a little something underneath, to bring out the sweetness and freshness is all that’s called for. Here, I’ve paired one golden, seared scallop with mango salsa. Searing hot pan, lots of butter and a little bit of time on either side is all you need. Ingredients 2 ripe mangoes, diced 1 jalapeno, very finely diced ½ large purple onion, very finely diced ¼ cup finely minced fresh coriander 1 glove of garlic, finely mi

This is just too easy. It's the sort of dish that can be whipped up in a flash without the need for measurements - just a method. Here's how: Use the best ricotta you can find. I used Canada's Grand Prix of Cheese top prize winner from Quality Cheese. It's rich and thick. If you use a lesser sort - and I don't advise it - you may need to strain and squeeze it to get it as dry and thick as you can. Pour a drop of olive oil into an oven-safe dish or butter the dish; it's up to