2013 Holiday Reading List

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2013 Reading ListThe holiday season has moved in like a ninja this year: swift and unseen, appearing only at the last minute for a killing blow. Thwack! It’s time to start buying gifts for family and friends. If you’ve got a special cook in your life that you think is ‘kinda keen, then this year you should think about stuffing a little literary love in their stocking (not a metaphor).

I’ve been reading a lot this past year and I’ve been blessed with a lot of family and friends that have gifted me many books on food and kitchen life. I’ve compiled a short list of my favourites, why they pop and my recommendations for who might love finding them under the tree this Christmas. Read More

The Dao Of Prep

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Prep 1“Do not just leave washing the rice or preparing the vegetables to others but use your own hands, your own eyes, your own sincerity. Do not fragment your attention, but see what each moment calls for; if you take care of just one thing then you will be careless of the other. Do not miss the opportunity of offering even a single drop into the ocean of merit or a grain atop the mountain of the roots of beneficial activity.”

–          Dogen Zenji, from “The Instruction for the Cook” (1237) Read More

Fish Stock (Aka Severed Head Soup)

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Fish Stock1I returned home from work the night after Halloween to find a severed head in my fridge.

It was arranged on a plate next to the celery, eyes bulging, mouth agog with still-glistening tongue half protruding the way I’d imagine a strangulation victim’s would. It wasn’t a person’s head of course; it belonged to a fish, a really big fish… But it was still kind of a shock.

While I was at the restaurant, Crystal’s sister had stopped by with a present from the clan in Ucluelet. Uncle Chuck had landed a huge Halibut and (because he’s awesome!) shipped it over to us, packed in ice. Lisa had spent the afternoon processing the beast and once it was down to nothing but guts ‘n gills she figured I’d take care of the rest. She was absolutely right! It’s just the kind of weird stuff I love doing on a weekend. Read More