Pandoro Parfait

Some people curl up with a hot chocolate by the Christmas tree. I offer my family something a little different, and a little cold: a Pandoro parfait. Buttery Aurora Pandoro layered with ice cream, chocolate and fruit (and if you are daring, a little holiday happiness by way of liqueur) is a dessert few people can turn […]

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Pasta alle Vongole in Bianco

Seafood is rarely described as a comfort food, but come Christmas time, for many Italians seafood is exactly that. The seafood tradition of Christmas Eve includes a variety of dishes, but Pasta alle Vongole (pasta with clams) is a favourite to many. Aurora Baby Clams paired with deep flavours of garlic, broth and lemon delivers a […]

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Unexpected Chocolate Cake

Call it stress-eating, or winter hibernation eating, but the other day I had a craving for moist, dense chocolate cake. I set about melting some chocolate, but decided I also didn’t want boring cake, so I put an unexpected twist on this cake. I made it with two surprising ingredients: chickpeas and balsamic glaze. Stay […]

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Mushroom and Bean Soup

I often extoll the virtues of slow, mindful cooking. In fact, many times the slower the better: the flavours are bursting, the food is filling and you can just taste the difference. But, on a rushed weeknight, I don’t mind the type of food that is done quickly but tastes like it took hours. That’s […]

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Orecchiette pasta with butternut squash

There’s a farm near me who’s roadside stand always draws me in this time of year. Piles of oddly shaped pumpkins, boxes of colourful squash and reams of corn. I have a tendency to buy way too many squash – butternut, acorn and the like – and then have to figure out what to do […]

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Easy Arancini

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, parties are a-plenty. I’m always looking for new finger-food and appetizer options to serve guests or bring to a party. One of my favourite Italian finger (or street) foods are arancini which I get from a local Italian bakery. Arancini are from Sicily and are stuffed rice balls that are coated with […]

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