Food
10 Top Chefs & Foodies Share Go-To Recipes From Their Home Kitchens
Updated on March 11, 2021
Now more than ever, comfort food is what we’re craving. Find out what’s cooking in the homes of top chefs and foodies across Canada. You won’t believe how easy some of these recipes are!
Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
Tara O’Brady, cookbook author & food writer
“Through the months with everyone home, I established a habit of keeping a treat on the kitchen counter — a jar of cookies, some muffins or, most frequently, a sturdy snacking cake under a glass dome. Think banana oat bread, carrot cake studded with candied ginger and raisins, or this doughnut-adjacent dream that actually improves as it sits. Basic, everyday cakes are a reliable source of comfort in an unreliable time. This one has a spiced-sugar crust, a tender crumb, and the full, evocative character of apple cider.”
Get the recipe for Apple Cider Doughnut Cake.
Scallion Pancakes
Jackie Kai Ellis, designer, pastry chef & bestselling author
“Growing up, and even now, my family gathered for all occasions to make dumplings. We spent afternoons making the dough, chopping vegetables for the filling and wrapping each delicious bite. At the end, out of the extra dough, we would make scallion pancakes, never wasting a thing. I always hoped for dough to be left over because the pancakes were my favorite part: the salty hits of onion, the crispy edges. It’s comfort, and isn’t comfort everything we need right now?”
Get the recipe for Scallion Pancakes.
Beef Tourtière
Matty Matheson, chef & bestselling author
“This is a Canadian classic that makes me feel warm inside. It’s easy, and if you don’t have time to make a dough, just buy it! I love making big batches with the family because the kids can play with the dough, make their own little versions, and the pies freeze really well. It gives me the most nostalgic feeling when I eat it — meat pie with ketchup!”
Get the recipe for Beef Tourtière.
Marinated Lamb Popsicles With Fenugreek Cream Curry
Vikram Vij, chef, co-owner of Vij’s & cookbook author
“Wine-marinated lamb popsicles is our signature dish at Vij’s —we would be in trouble if we ever tried to take it off the menu! We know it’s a big source of comfort to our customers, and a warm hug in the form of familiar foods is such a tonic right now. That’s why I’ve also found myself cooking this dish at home. The great thing about the sauce is that it works with a variety of meats, fish and vegetables, so it can turn anything
into a luxurious, creamy, decadent curry.”
Get the recipe for Marinated Lamb Popsicles With Fenugreek Cream Curry.
Cauliflower “Mac & Cheese” Bake
Suzanne Barr, CEO, Suzanne Barr Food, chef & food consultant
“This dish is low in calories but high in vitamins. I love the combination of the sweet coconut, the flavor of the carrots and onions, and the crispy cheesy topping that makes you want to come back for more and more. It’s simple, delicious, and you’ll impress your family making it from scratch.”
Get the recipe for Cauliflower “Mac & Cheese” Bake.
Curry Chicken Roti
Roger Mooking, Food Network Canada & Cooking Channel host
“When I’m on the road for work, the thing I seek out the most is a Trini roti, which can be very hard to find. With the pandemic, the jonesin’ for roti came a lot more than I expected, and I cooked it quite often. It’s my comfort food, along with pho and pierogies with kielbasa — but not all at the same time! Roti is that food you don’t need an excuse for, or an explanation for why you need it in your life… you just do.”
Get the recipe for Curry Chicken Roti.
Pizza With Pesto & Fresh Mozzarella
Chuck Hughes, executive chef, Garde Manger
“Pizza night is always popular at my house. I have a four- and six-year-old, so when the pandemic hit, every second day was pizza night! We made it inside, outside in the rain, on a boat, and for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is the kids’ version, perfected over months of delicious confinement.”
Get the recipe for Pizza With Pesto & Fresh Mozzarella.
Pesto Tuna Kitchen Sink Salad
Charlotte Langley, chef & owner of Scout Canning
“This has been a favorite recipe over the past few months because, honestly, I’ve been exhausted from cooking! This salad uses every little bit of crunchy leftover bits you may have in your fridge and brings together abundant fresh flavors. It’s so versatile: add cheese, beans, grains or whatever you have kicking around. A dressing laden with citrus and fresh herbs will have you bouncing into the new year with renewed energy!”
Get the recipe for Pesto Tuna Kitchen Sink Salad.
Frittata di Pasta
David Rocco, chef & TV personality
“This is a quick and easy recipe that I make with leftover pasta. It’s so simple, and the kids love it. You can use any kind of leftover pasta and sauce from the night before. I’ve made it with leftover pasta al pomodoro, spaghetti aglio e olio, carbonara, and even a fusilli with tuna and capers. It always tastes delicious, so I strongly recommend that, if you make pasta, make extra. With this recipe in your back pocket, leftovers will never go to waste.”
Get the recipe for Frittata di Pasta.
Real Bread
Michael Smith, chef & owner of The Inn at Bay Fortune
“Over the past year, we’ve baked more bread than ever before, and my daughter Ariella and I have shared many a baking rally. She’s learned how to bake and has mastered her own signature loaf from my base recipe. The secret is understanding that the best bread takes time. The key to an addictive loaf of rich, hearty goodness isn’t long, laborious kneading that kids can’t really master but, instead, an easy stir and an overnight rest for the living dough. With time, water and flour naturally form a strong, elastic dough that captures the breadth of the living yeast and rises into tender, chewy bread.”
Get the recipe for Real Bread.
House & Home January/February 2021
Produced by Kristen Eppich