Pam's Roti, Hot Italian Sausages, Golden Cook Caribbean & more -- The Top 5 Food Posts of 2019

A few days ago we posted our annual review of the top posts of the year (in terms of hits) Fare Evasion Frauds, NDP Debacles, Racism in Canada & more -- 2019 on The Left Chapter. As any regular reader of this blog knows, The Left Chapter also has many food related posts.

This year saw many recipes including some more offbeat ones like The Sputnik -- Salami and Fried Egg Sandwich w. Green Chili Pickle, the Montreal Smoked Meat, Lime Pickle and Avocado Naan Wrap and Spicy Peanut Butter and Dill Pickle Sandwiches.


We continued our always popular vintage cookbook series with posts such as 1941's Wilson's Meat Cookery w. Oyster Pie, Chicken Gumbo, Deviled Broiled Pig's Feet & more and Great Meatless Meals w. Mediterranean Lemon Soup, Potato Kugel, Savory Onion Quiche & more. 

Some recipes such as Spicy Sausage and Beef Meatballs with Homestyle Tomato Sauce and Peruvian Inspired BBQ Chicken made it very close to the top five.

I want to thank everyone who contributed recipes to the blog and to our readership for such a great year and I look forward to what 2020 brings.

Here, without further ado, are the top five food related posts for 2019:

1) Pam's Roti w. Goat and Veggie Roti, Samosas, Pakoras and more

2) Hot Italian Sausages with Onions and Peppers

3) Golden Cook Caribbean Restaurant Reinvents Itself in New Toronto

4) Light and Crisp Steak and Vegetable Lettuce Rolls

5) Slow Cooker Curried Lamb Shoulder Chops w. Garlic & Onion

Thanks again for a great fourth year.

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?

Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

See also: Trini Gardens, Kothur, Zippy Pickle Soup & more -- The Top 5 Food Posts of 2018

Montreal Smoked Meat, Lime Pickle and Avocado Naan Wrap

As I have noted before I think Indian pickle, in its many varieties, is one of the great dishes on the planet.

Here we take an Indian style lime pickle and use it as the foundation for an explosively flavourful wrap.

Lime pickle is wonderfully salty, tangy and slightly spicy and its oils and texture work as a terrific base for a sandwich. I am very fond of lime pickle with ham and cheese on rye.

Here we are going to use mini-naans as a wrap. If you can't find mini-naans simply cut a regular sized naan in half. You can also use garlic naan or any other naan variant instead.

Lightly toast the naan and then top it with a slice or two of old cheddar cheese.

Spoon a layer of lime pickle on top of this. There are any number of lime pickle brands out there though the most common one in Canadian grocery stores is made by Patak's. There are brands I prefer but they are harder to find. As a variation you can also use mango pickle, which is slightly sweeter, instead. Another option, which I most enjoy, is to order an extra side or two of the house made lime or mixed pickle from your favourite Indian restaurant the next time you eat there or get delivery.

Top this with either pastrami or Montreal smoked meat.

Finally, add a slice or two of avocado.

Roll into a wrap and enjoy.

A vegetarian option is to skip the meat and add more cheese and avocado.

Nice with cold beer or even red wine, to me this is an almost perfect lunch treat.

Eastern Vegetarian Cooking w. Lime Pickle, Dashi, Millet & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Eastern Vegetarian Cooking, Madhur Jaffrey


Publication Details: Various editions starting in 1981. The one pictured is from Arrow in 1990. 


Madhur Jaffrey's Eastern Vegetarian Cooking is, simply put, an exceptional cookbook. With hundreds of vegetarian recipes from the Middle East, India and Asia it is both very diverse and yet familiar to anyone who loves these cuisines.

Its sections see dishes from Japan next to Persian cooking next to others from China, India, Indonesia, Korea and elsewhere. It is incredibly comprehensive and can be used by the beginner as well as those looking for more complex methods and techniques.

With only a few illustrations here-and-there the 500 plus page book is full instead of her knowledge of the subject. Jaffrey is a renowned expert in the cuisine of this part of the world (as well as being an actress and former television host) and that comes through very clearly.

Along with her other celebrated cookbooks on the food of India and Asia, this one is well worth seeking out, especially if you are a vegetarian. Jaffrey, in fact, modifies many of the ingredients of her source dishes by finding substitutes for fish sauce, meats, etc, that will preserve the essence and flavours of the dish while making it meat, poultry or seafood free.

Here is a small sampling of the recipes including, of course, a couple of Indian style pickle recipes. I regard Indian pickle as possibly the greatest side dish or condiment in the world! It also contains an incredible recipe for eggs in a fiery tomato sauce that is a must try.

(Click on images to enlarge)

See also: The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook w. Mrs Irving's Delicious Shortbread, Marilla's Plum Pudding & more: Vintage Cookbook TBT

See also: Rube's Rice of St. Lawrence Market takes us on a tour of all things rice! -- Vintage Cookbook #TBT