Recipe

Adapted by Nicola Ross from the Rustic White Bread recipe in High Plains: The Joy of Alberta Cuisine, by Cinda Chavich (Fifth House, 2oo1)

These can be prepared up to two days in advance. Serve with blueberry syrup or chocolate sauce.

A simple Italian dinner of spinach egg drop soup, roast chicken and poached pears prepared by Pietro and Tina Fanzo in their Mono kitchen.

Starter for a simple Italian dinner of spinach egg drop soup, roast chicken and poached pears prepared by Pietro and Tina Fanzo in their Mono kitchen.

Use the small varieties of heirloom tomatoes for this. They collapse on the trays and the taste is deep, rich and oily after roasting for 2 to 3 hours.

There’s just no comparison in taste! If you’re a foodie, you must move towards heirloom tomatoes. You’ll get completely spoiled once you move to the heritage tomato camp.

When pickling whole cucumbers, take a thin slice off the blossom end to help keep the pickles crisp.

Canning Instructions Follow Cathy’s step-by-step canning instructions in the Dilly Pickle recipe.

Honour this “first taste of spring” by making a delicious asparagus hotdog.

In a typical year in southern Ontario, asparagus spears will begin poking through the soil in early May. The season usually lasts about six weeks.

Before cooking, wash it very well. I’ve had a few asparagus meals undermined by grittiness. Remove the tough end of each spear by snapping it off at the lowest point it will snap cleanly.