91Ô­´´

I recently watched an old episode of the late Anthony Bourdain’s CNN television show Parts Unknown where he visited Singapore. As he explored and ate his way around that city-state, it brought back tasty memories of my travels there many years ago.

I bought a beautiful basket of very ripe red tomatoes the other day and turned them into sauce. After making it, I pondered what to serve with it, leafed through my Italian cookbooks for inspiration and opted to make suppli al telefono.

Palate-pleasing, comforting and rib-sticking, it’s no surprise that mac and cheese appeals to all ages. And another big part of its allure is that it can be prepared in myriad ways.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I, like everyone else, have moments where I’m anxious about what’s going on. That’s when I like to get moving and get my brain occupied with other things — like heading out in search of local produce.

Once or twice every summer, I like to make cold soup. Something savoury, well chilled and refreshing that perks up and pleases your palate and is perfect to serve on a warm day.

Once in a while, I get a craving for chicken wings. If it’s summer, I’ll head out and cook them on the barbecue. Last week, I barbecued some wings that I flavoured Asian-style.

When B.C. blueberries are in season, I like to keep a basket or two on hand to snack on. They have a sweet, slightly tart, appealing taste and are a good source of such things as vitamin C and fibre.

When I think about B.C. foods and summer, wild salmon and berries always come to mind. Both are available fresh at this time of year and a flavourful fact is that you can deliciously serve them together. That’s what I did in one of today’s recipes.

Canada Day will soon be here, the time of year I offer another edition of my annual 91Ô­´´ food quiz. Give it a try, eh, and see how you do. You’ll find the answers here .

Packed for a picnic, served for a cool summer lunch, or offered as a side dish, pasta salad is cool, palate-pleasing and perfect to enjoy on a warm summer day You can also flavour it in all sorts of tasty ways.