Jill's Buzz: Food
The 2012 issue of London's Local Flavour, published by eatdrink inc, the same people who distribute eatdrink magazine, was launched recently at Kantina Restaurant, owned and operated by Miljan Karac, and just around the corner from Jill's on Talbot Street. The annual culinary publication features a list of London's popular and well-known restaurants, as well as several food-related retail locations, including Jill's Table. Marty Rice of Tourism London and Local Flavour writer Bryan Lavery attended the event.
Sunday, January 8, 2012 - 21:08
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Jill had a great time filming her first web video earlier this month. Adam Caplan of the London firm Webisodes was in the store to film Jill making the easy-to-prepare Mushroom Risotto. Jill made the recipe five times that night so we could capture Jill preparing the risotto from different angles. We used three different Emile Henry Flame Risotto Pots, three pounds of various mushrooms, two bags of arborio rice and one bottle of wine!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - 12:49
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Nicola Kamp of Nicola’s Garden Art joined Jill in the kitchen for their annual Get Ready for the Holidays session. Jill led an enthusiastic class who learned new holiday appetizers, like Spicy Rosemary Nuts, while Nicola showed them how to make a season-beautiful wreath for the holidays. We were also pleased to host Canadian cooking “mavens” Emily Richards and Elizabeth Baird this month, who also led a cooking class on holiday appetziers. Richards and Baird are regular contributors at Jill’s. Finally, Jill was in Toronto on November 26 at the Chef’s Challenge, invited as a guest of Wusthof. In its second year, the event is a fundraiser for Mount Sinai Hospital and raises funds for research...
Sunday, November 27, 2011 - 19:33
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Jill conducted two “Vegetarian Roots” classes this month, featuring local sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips and celery root. Jicama was also on the menu – a buff-coloured vegetable from South America that has a wonderful, crisp texture and is ideal in salads and on crudite platters. Vegetarian classes have been growing in popularity at Jill’s Table, especially with "meatless more often" becoming a goal for many families. Jill talked about the “meatless Monday” movement that is gaining momentum. This non-profit endeavour, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health in the U.S., wants to help people reduce meat consumption by 15 percent to benefit personal...
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 - 00:12
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This autumn has been really kind with the warm weather and, consequently, the longer availability of local produce. As I write this, I just finished serving a salad of local organic spinach from Dolway Farms, topped with strawberries from Heeman’s. I dressed the salad with a vinaigrette made with mango vinegar and Italian olive oil. Fresh and colourful. This is the last week for the “everbearing” berries that have helped us extend our typically “summer” fruit, and in my Latin cooking class, I served some of the season's last corn from Thomas Bros. farms. So savour what's left, and enjoy!There's so much still to look forward to, though, including the many root vegetables that will take us...
Thursday, October 13, 2011 - 22:14
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Jill spent a day in Florence on a “food crawl”. The tour began in the Ambrogio market where the aroma of fresh porcini mushrooms filled the stalls. The weather has been dry, hampering the availability of many mushrooms. Other highlights of the outdoor market included a huge array of tomatoes, eggplant, figs and other assorted greens. Indoors, there were outstanding butcher shops and bakeries. Of particular note were the pasta shops. Jill was so impressed to see that some vendors sold pre-cooked bundles of spinach, which would make filled pasta so much easier to make. After a tasting of assorted prosciuttos and breads, it was off to the famous Fratellini where people lined up for a panino...
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - 11:55
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Jill's spending a week in Italy, joining Nico Moretti of Australia on his "Cooking Passions" tour. Jill's known Nico for awhile now: his father Vito started the first Italian restaurant in London -- Vito's Cave -- and Nico has been a guest chef at Jill's Table. Jill's trip has included a stop in Florence before venturing into the Chianti hills, and time in Tuscany, where she's staying at Villa Fabbroni, a 12th century property that was renovated in the 19th century to be a hunting lodge and today possesses Old World charm. The kitchen has been producing some amazing dishes, including such ingredients as fresh porcini mushrooms, truffles and wild boar. Jill's also visited Panzano, San...
Monday, September 26, 2011 - 21:25
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Jill made Italy her home for a few days on her way back from her most recent food trip to France. In Venice she visited the legendary Harry’s Bar for a Bellini, made with sparkling wine and peach juice. It was a welcomed afternoon aperitif on a day where temperatures pushed 32˚C.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 11:15
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It’s a foodies' dream to have a meal experience where the food is exceptional, along with the service and ambiance. Such was our experience at Hostaria Enoteca l’Oste e il Sacrestano. After getting directions from a newsstand operator, we walked down the tiny alley into a small restaurant/enoteca. Chef Giuseppe and his wife Chiara welcomed us on a quiet Sunday afternoon.We agreed to enjoy whatever the kitchen wanted to prepare for us. The meal started with a pie-like appetizer of mozzarella di buffala between layers of eggplant. It sat on a small pool of the most exquisite tomato sauce. Off to the corner was a dollop of freshly made ricotta cheese and a smear of pesto. A baby...
Saturday, July 9, 2011 - 11:16
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Sicily is a veritable fruit bowl! Everywhere you drive, you see huge stands and trucks at the side of the road selling melons with the most common being watermelon. Our hosts at Mandranova (azienda agricola) served watermelon pie to us on our first night.The countryside is dotted with grapes, peach orchards and olive groves. On the produce side of things, eggplant rules! It is served in countless recipes from starters to mains. I can’t wait to try pasta alla Norma which is a classic Siciilian pasta dish.
Monday, July 4, 2011 - 09:24
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