Month: November 2011
Bring your workout to work
Most of us sit for too many hours, either driving in a car or at our desks. But we can all build easy exercise strategies and make them a daily routine.
Canastra Azul, great little restaurant in Porto
As I was telling you, ask anyone in Portugal and they will tell you that Pinhais & CA.LDA. canned sardines are the best in the world. Well, thanks to the people I met onsite (and by chance), I came across two guys, Zac and Tomàs, who use these canned sardines in an ingenious way.
Slow cooking… to save time
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on November 26, 2011. The slow cooker, a practical solution for serving up a nice hot meal after work, has started to make a comeback. This cooking appliance uses moist heat: All the ingredients are placed in a glazed ceramic or porcelain cooking pot that is covered, and […]
Packed like sardines
Canned food and gastronomy rarely go hand in hand, yet in Pinhais & CA., LDA , canned fish are, even today, traditionally prepared with the greatest attention to quality. Legend has it that even their preserves are the best in the world 😉
Is pizza a vegetable?
You may have heard this startling news: last Tuesday, the U.S. Congress has decided that pizza is in fact a “vegetable” for the purpose of determining what goes into public school lunches, by virtue of the fact that it typically includes a thin coating (two tablespoons) of tomato paste on top of the dough.
Romanesco broccoli: a sculpture of nature
You would certainly remember if you have ever come across this vegetable, because its spiral, pyramid-shaped florets are hard to miss. We are talking about the Romanesco broccoli, a variety of cauliflower from Italy, or more specifically from Rome (hence the name).
Bacalhau mania
The Portuguese are famed for being major cod (bacalhau) eaters… and after having stayed in their country for 10 days, I can definitely confirm that this is not just a cliché! Cod is always present on the menu. And yet, the Portuguese never tire of it because they know how to prepare and serve it […]
‘Our Catherine’ finishes 5th at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships
Our colleague Catherine Drouin-Audet, who has been working on the SOSCuisine team since May this year, is also part of the Women Track & Field Cross Country team at McGill University, where she studies Nutrition. Catherine’s team, McGill “Martlets”, finished 5th this weekend in Quebec City at the Canadian Interuniversity Championships, and we congratulate her […]
Port wine since 1692
Although there are some major port wine-producing companies, nowadays much smaller producers are becoming more and more prominent. I was lucky enough to visit both types during my course; I visited Taylor’s, Quinta de Baldias and Quevedo. Taylor’s is one of the largest port wine companies and it is also the oldest. It has been […]
Diabetes and lifestyle
Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on November 12, 2011. Monday, November 14 is World Diabetes Day. Initiated in 1991, it aims to raise public awareness about the increase in the incidence of diabetes worldwide. This date was chosen because it is the birthday of Frederick Banting, Canadian physician and scientist who, with his […]
Profession: Wine taster
What is most impressive at the Istituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP) is the attention with which each bottle of port wine is inspected. An entire team is responsible for sensory analysis and quality control. These employees ensure that each port wine is correctly classified and is deserving of its «titles». .
Port wine anytime
Port wine is normally drunk on its own, like a wine. In some countries, people drink it as an aperitif, while in others, it acts as more of a digestive. In Portugal, it is served throughout the meal. Portonic is a traditional pre-dinner drink. Dry white port, tonic water (such as Canada Dry) a couple […]