Dishing with Christine Cushing

TV’s popular Canadian cooking show host shares her love of simple Mediterranean flavours in four vibrant recipes.

Back in the days when TV chef Christine Cushing was a linguistics major at the University of Toronto, she had an epiphany that would change her life.

“I loved languages, but I didn’t like the studying and what was happening to me. So I came home and broke the news that I’m going to go cook for a living and my parents were like, ‘Are you insane?’ ” recalls the energetic host of Food Network Canada’s Christine Cushing Live.

As a kid, Cushing would stay up until the wee hours of the morning baking pies and experimenting with new recipes, so her decision didn’t come as a complete surprise. With sheer determination and a newfound focus, Cushing left university and began her chef’s training in earnest. Once she’d launched her culinary career as a chef, caterer and freelance food stylist, television came calling.

On the air for five years now, Christine Cushing Live features a wide range of guest chefs plus a phone-in segment that allows callers to ask Cushing for cooking tips. In between her TV work, Cushing has also found time to author two cookbooks, Dish It Out and Fearless in the Kitchen.

With her infectious energy and lively stage presence, it’s clear that Cushing has a strong passion for food and cooking, something she says she inherited from her father. “My dad was the inspiration. He loved food. So he was the passion, and I think he was the person I got that passion from. It was always there. And we were always cooking in the kitchen.”

Cushing’s parents were not her only source of inspiration. Her Greek heritage has also helped develop her own no-fuss approach to cooking. “I think at the root of Mediterranean food, whether you’re in France or Italy or Greece or Spain, there’s a beautiful simplicity about it,” explains Cushing. “They really revere the ingredient and they want it to be great-quality raw ingredients. It’s not processed and minced and then wrapped and deep-fried. It’s a less complex method of cooking.”

For Cushing, part of the appeal of the Mediterranean way of eating lies in its healthy emphasis on green vegetables and fruits, along with moderate amounts of fish and very little meat. And, as in her own family, Cushing says Mediterraneans see food as a form of celebration. “It’s that idea that food should be celebrated and family should be together,” she explains. “And eating 22 ounces of meat, where does that happen anywhere in the Mediterranean? It’s insanity . . . I just believe in embracing all things in a more moderate way.”

Simplicity is also key when it comes to entertaining at home. Cushing says that adding a splash of colour to your dishes is one quick and easy way to liven up your meal instantly.

“I think we get overwhelmed sometimes with trying to make things too complicated, and you can really impress people with simplicity. You’d be amazed.” Check out Cushing’s simple but vibrant style in these four Mediterranean-inspired recipes.

Recipes in this article:

• CHRISTINE’S GREEK CHICKPEA SOUP
• FRENCH CITRUS SALAD
• SKORDALIA
• ROAST SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH A MILLION CLOVES OF GARLIC

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