May is peak asparagus season in Ontario, and Nancy Ruscica knows it. She’s heading up the new program
The Local Dish at the city of Toronto, and asking local residents and chefs to come up with ways to show off the slender green stalks. Folks have taken the challenge and run with it. “We got a recipe for asparagus dogs—like hog dogs, but with asparagus. Apparently kids love it!” she laughs.
The Local Dish was born out of the Live Green Toronto’s previous success working with city day cares to develop what Ruscica calls “kid tested and approved” recipes, which were then collected into a booklet. This time around, they’re using the popular online curation platform Pinterest. Ruscica says the decision to use Pinterest came after a search for method that would make it easy to see and share the recipes online. “Pinterest became the natural choice, because it’s a visual platform. It’s easy to repin [recipes] and for like-minded individials to find each other.”
Users can send their recipes to Live Green Toronto
on Pinterest, which then compiles the submissions into boards themed around each month’s all-star ingredient. People can also send in recipes via email or on Twitter. In return, they’ll be entered into a draw for a monthly prize. Adventurous cooks who develop their own dishes featuring the all-star ingredient may see their recipe featured on The Local Dish’s website and in their newsletter. Toronto chefs are also getting in on the all-star action; this month, Fabio Bondi from Parkdale’s Local Kitchen and Wine Bar prepares sauteed asparagus with guanciale, a type of cured meat; the recipe can be found The Local Dish’s website.
“It’s been said, and I really believe it, that food is the great equalizer. You don’t have to be a foodie to join that conversation,” Ruscica says. Working with local ingredients offers plenty to inspire cooks in both home kitchens and restaurants. “Choosing local helps support farmers and Ontario’s economy. There’s the more environmental aspect, because food doesn’t have to be shipped over far distances. And the food is nutritious, more flavourful, and fresher.”