Ingredients: 

1 pound pasta ( spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle )

Olive Tapenade

1 pound feta cheese, crumbled

5 large Roma tomatoes, halved, cored, seeded and cut into ¼”-½” pieces

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta to the water, and cook until al dente, following the suggested cooking time on the box.

As soon as the pasta is done, drain it and immediately toss with the tapenade and ½ of the feta and half of the tomatoes.

Top with the remaining feta and tomatoes, and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 -2 teaspoons olive oil or butter
  
• 1 cup white fish (or another favourite meat), cut into bite sized pieces
• 1-2 Tablespoons Vindalo Sauce
• up to 1 cup water or stock (depending on desired thickness, consistency)
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• salt to taste

Directions

Serve with a green salad and Naan bread.

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon fresh ginger,grated
1 tablespoon tomato paste
12 ounces red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 medium cauliflower, trimmed,cored and cut into 1 inch florets
1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, pulsed until nearly smooth
1 cup water
1 - 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 and 1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup Curry and Cream Sauce
1/4 cup coconut milk
Salt
Rice of your choice
Mango Chutney (makes a nice condiment to accompany this dish )

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions and potatoes and cook, stirring until the onions are caramelized, and the potatoes are golden brown on the edges, about 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium.  Clear centre of pan and add the remaining tablespoon of oil plus the garlic, ginger, curry and tomato paste, stirring constantly until fragrant, about a minute or so. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring constantly until the spices coat the florets, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes,water, chickpeas and 1 teaspoon salt ; increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits.
Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer stirring until veg are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the peas and the milk and Curry and Cream; continue to cook for about 2 more minutes or until heated throughout.

Serve with rice.

Ingredients:

2-3 cups cooked chicken, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1/2 red pepper, seeded and chopped
4-6 green olives, pitted and minced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine
1/2- whole apple, cored and chopped
1/3 head iceberg lettuce or romaine, sliced and chopped
5 Tablespoons mayo
1 Tablespoon Very Berry Cherry Preserves
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 

Prepare all salad ingredients and combine in a large bowl.
Prepare dressing separately. Combine mayo, preserves and lemon juice. Taste for balance. Dressing should not be too sweet nor too sour.  Adjust as you prefer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix dressing with salad ingredients.
Serves four.

Brining is an opportunity to bring flavor directly into the meat, instead of just onto it. Most importantly, brining brings and traps moisture directly in the meat. So, you could easily make a brine just with the water, salt and brown sugar (or honey, granulated sugar, molasses, etc). Your chicken will still be instantly better than it would have been without a good brining.

Ingredients: 
For the brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup salt
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 large bunch fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 large bunch italian parsley
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
½ cup whole garlic cloves, smashed, skins left on
10-12 bay leaves
1-2 roasting chickens, 2-4 pounds each
For the roasted chicken:
1 brined chicken
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4-6 garlic cloves, minced (depending on how much you like garlic)
1 cup Lemon Curd
Juice of 1 lemon, juiced halves saved
1 lemon, halved

Instructions: 
Step 1: Brine the chicken
Combine all the ingredients for the brine in a large stockpot and place over high heat. Bring everything to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring until all the salt and brown sugar is dissolved. Take the pot off the heat and let cool completely (do not add raw meat to warm brine.) It works well to make the brine the day before you need it and store in the refrigerator. This recipe makes enough for two small chickens, or one large one.

Remove giblets pouch from central cavity of the chicken and rinse chicken under cold water. Add the chicken(s) to the brine. Weigh down with a plate to make sure chicken is completely submerged. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours.

Step 2: Roast the chicken
Remove chicken from the brine. Rinse under cold water and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon curd to loosen it. Add the lemon juice to the curd and whisk to combine until smooth. Set aside.

Starting at the neck cavity, loosen the skin from the flesh. Working your way from breast to drumstick, gently separate the skin of the chicken from the flesh. Combine the chopped rosemary, chopped thyme, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chicken’s flesh, under the loosened skin. Stuff the central cavity of the chicken with the reserved juiced lemon halves and whole lemon halves. Tie the drumsticks together with butchers twine. Tuck the wing tips under the chicken or tie the wings down to the chicken’s sides.

Place chicken in cast iron skillet, heavy-bottomed skillet or roasting pan breast side up. Brush half (about a half cup) of the lemon curd all over the chicken. Place chicken in center of oven. Roast for 40 minutes, checking the bird every 15 minutes. If skin is browning too quickly, cover with a piece of aluminum foil. After 30 minutes, brush another quarter of the lemon curd all over the chicken.

The chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken from the oven and brush the remaining lemon curd all over it. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before you carve it.

A bar cookie with a nutty shortbread crust and creamy orange marmalade topping is sure to please all.  Walnuts or other nuts may be substituted for the pecans.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/3 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups Orange Marmalade with Chivas Regal

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9"x13" pan.

Beat together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix until well blended. Stir in 1 cup of the chopped pecans (mixture will be crumbly) . Place 1 cup of the mixture in a small bowl and add remaining 1/3 cup nuts. Set aside for topping.

Press remaining mixture over bottom of buttered pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool.

Beat cream cheese in large mixing bowl until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in vanilla and 3/4 cup of the marmalade.  Spread cooled cookie base with the remaining 3/4 cup marmalade.  Pour cream cheese mixture over top, spreading evenly. Top with the reserved nut mixture in small bowl.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until entire looks set.  Cool.

Ingredients: 

3 egg whites

1 cup 100% Maple Syrup

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

4 cups large flake rolled oats

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup pecan pieces

1/3 cup sesame seeds

(If either your pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds are salted, do not add any additional salt. If possible use unsalted seeds.)

Instructions:

This delicious recipe makes quite a large amount and requires two baking sheets. You can halve it easily.

Store muesli in an airtight container to keep it fresh - you can also freeze it.  It is good as a cereal, as well as a nice snack with some crunch and sweetness, eaten alone or with fruit and yogurt or ice cream.

Grease two large baking sheets or line with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Whisk egg whites, maple syrup, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a large bowl until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients, one at a time until everything is combined and covered with the liquid mixture.

Spread the oat mixture onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven,stirring every 5 minutes or so for about 25-30 minutes or until just golden brown and crisp.

ASSAM – North India

These are the black teas grown on the banks of the Brahmaputra River and elsewhere in the northeastern province of Assam - the world's largest, single, tea producing area. This area is 120 miles to the East of Darjeeling on the borders of China, Burma and Bangladesh. At this longitude, the banks of the Brahmaputra River are the wettest and least hospitable regions of the world. During the monsoon (from April to September) the temperature rises to 95 F. It is in this huge natural greenhouse that nearly a third of the tea grown in Indian flourishes, yielding roughly 200,000 tons per year including some of the finest varieties in the world.

Good Assams are outstandingly thick-bodied, malty-tasting and delightfully strong and pungent both in flavour and aroma. Lower quality varieties are less distinctive and often merely harsh. The liquor ranges from amber to dark red. The dried leaves vary from black to gray or reddish brown, depending on the season, and sometimes have white or golden tips.

While not generally considered on a par with the finest Darjeelings, top quality Assams are great teas, even though plantations are situated at relatively low altitudes. Because of their full- bodied, pungent character, Assams are used widely in blends and combine nicely with more delicate, lighter bodied varieties. They go particularly well with milk, which will mellow out any undesired harshness, and can also be superb when drunk plain. The Best Assams, often labeled "Vintage Assams" - the "Vintage" refers to leaf quality, not age and are sold by specialty stores at premium prices.

Oolong teas are often referred to as ‘semi-fermented’ tea (as opposed to black teas which are ‘fermented’) and produced primarily in China and Taiwan (Formosa in tea terms). Chinese oolongs are produced from mature leaves that are processed immediately after plucking. First they are wilted in direct sunlight, then shaken in bamboo baskets to softly bruise the edges of the leaves. This action is followed by spreading the leaves out to dry so that the surfaces turn a yellowish colour. The edges become red as the chemicals in the bruised leaf react with oxygen. Shortly after this fermentation process is stopped by firing the leaves.  Formosa oolongs undergo a longer fermentation period which is why Formosa leaves are blacker in appearance than china oolongs and give a richer, darker liquor than the pale orange – brown china oolong infusion.

Translated from Chinese and derived from the words wu and lung, Oolong means Black Dragon (the dragon is king of the waters in Chinese mythology). Oolongs teas have been produced in the Fujian province in the north of China for more than 900 years. The tea bushes were originally planted in central Fujian around the Wuyi mountain though are now also produced in Jianou in north Fujian and Anxi to the south. Latterly, Taiwan began producing Oolong teas which are referred to as Formosa Oolongs from whence some of the most noted varieties fetch extremely high prices.

The excellent quality of Fujian Oolong teas are attributed to the originally created tea picking and processing procedures, the rich varieties of the fine asexual tea trees and the natural environment of the production areas which are richly endowed by nature. It is regarded as a crystallization of “heaven, earth and people.”

Oolong tea is picked from the tender leaves of the tea bush camellia sinesis and after a short fermentation process the tea is dried to arrest this process. Hence the tea is semi-fermented or partially oxidized. Top quality China Oolongs exhibit a dried leaf which is curly, somewhat broad with an oily dark brown to brown-black colour. Upon brewing the tea leaves will show red edges with the midst being greenish. They render a natural flowery aroma reminiscent of sweet orchids and sweet osmanthus.  The liquor produced by the infusion process is usually straw to golden coloured and is medium to full-bodied with a delightful smooth, mellow and sweet taste and in excellent qualities, a peach-like touch. The leaves can be watered several times to bring several cups from the original allotment. Oolong tea is best enjoyed without milk and sugar to capitalize on its’ unique qualities.

Oolong tea has a remarkable effect in aiding digestion by helping to eliminate fat, helps reduce the effects of fatigue and quenches thirst.  Some of the best known China Oolongs are Ti Kuan Yin (meaning Iron Goddess of Mercy),  Se Chung, Wu-I Rock , Fo Shou to name a few.

Our Oolongs

Green Tea

Green Teas are often referred to as “non-fermented” or “unfermented” teas. Freshly picked leaves are laid out to dry and then are immediately heat-treated to stop any fermentation or oxidation. The exact method differs from place to place. Traditionally every step was performed by hand – today many factories are mechanized.

China and Sri Lanka produce a small amount of white tea every year. New tea buds are plucked from the trees before the buds have had a chance to open. They are than withered to allow the moisture to evaporate and then they are dried. The curled buds have a silvery colour and give a very pale, straw-coloured liquor. Sometimes the buds are referred to as Silver Tip.

Our Green Teas