Toronto Foodie

At-Home Cooking: Instant Pot Hong Kong Borscht Soup

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I’ve always loved to cook (because I love to eat even more!) and over the pandemic I have been cooking a lot with the extra time at home. One of my goals for 2021 is to share some of my favourite recipes on my blog. We love using our Instant Pot appliances to cook up different meals and recipes so why not start with our favourite Instant Pot Hong Kong Borscht Soup. The original recipe is by Pressurecookrecipes.com and I’ve modified it to our liking. I’ve listed the ingredients for this recipe as well as the things I used to prep and cook this meal. Scroll all the way to the bottom if you prefer to watch my YouTube video instead!

Ingredients

1.5 – 2 pounds beef back ribs
2 large onions – sliced
3 – 5 yellow or red potatoes – chunks
4 – 6 tomatoes (2 roma + 2 – 4 avalantino) – diced
2 – 4 medium carrots – chunks
4 celery stalks – chunks
4 – 6 garlic cloves – crushed
3 bay leaves
4 cups unsalted chicken / beef / veggie stock
4 full teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 – 2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons corn starch
Salt, black pepper and garlic powder to taste

What I used
Listing out the things I used to prep and cook this meal.

6 qt Instant Pot
Knife – use a good quality one to make the chopping easier
Peeler
Meat Tenderizer – or anything that can smash the garlic cloves
Cutting board
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoons/Teaspoons
Spatula, tongs and ladle for cooking

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Foodie Friday: La Palma

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Happy Friday!

It’s finally the weekend and I’m excited to share with you my recent experience at La Palma. I remember seeing this on Instagram and didn’t think that it’s located in Toronto but then was very pleasantly surprised that it was! This restaurant has a very Cali vibe with the way the interior has been designed. We didn’t get a chance to make a reservation beforehand so we were seating in the back by the open kitchen but it was still nice. Wish we got a larger table though as the tables for 2 felt a little crammed for sharing dishes. All in all, I had a great experience, the food was very delicious and the service was amazing. The next time you’re looking to try a new restaurant in Toronto, consider La Palma.

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Cacio e Pepe ($14): This is kind of like a flatbread cheese pizza with garlic and olive oil. It was SO delicious, definitely my favourite dish of the night. 

Ontario Corn & Beluga Lentils ($12): This dish also has arugula pesto, feta, chickpeas and I like all of those ingredients. It had a fresh and light flavour to it with a little kick of feta. Sometimes I find that the feta can be too overpowering in flavour but this dish was delicious!

Wood-fired Cornish Hen – half ($14): The cornish hen was so tender with great flavour.

8 oz. Flatiron with chermoula ($17): It came as ‘medium’ and it was cooked perfectly. The sauce that came with the dish added a very rich flavour. I really enjoyed this!

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LaPalma.ca

849 Dundas Street West, Toronto

 

I will definitely go back again for more of the Cacio e Pepe. Thanks for stopping by – have a great weekend!

xx

 

 

Foodie Friday: Joe Bird

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Happy Fri-yay!

I was researching on a new restaurant to try and came across Joe Bird that just opened last month (August)! The vibes and service there were great, but the most important thing, the food was delicious. If you are looking for something relaxing to do in downtown Toronto, I would suggest stopping by the Harbourfront for a nice walk and come here for dinner and dessert (it’s facing the water!).

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We had to try one of Joe’s cocktails so we tried the Maple Whiskey Lemonade – we really liked it. It was a nice blend of citrus and sweet.

Maple Whiskey Lemonade (pitcher: $35): Sweet Quebec maple syrup and tart freshly squeezed lime juice, combined with Canadian whiskey and topped with ginger ale

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They do brunch and take-out too! At the back entrance of the restaurant, they took an old RV and made that their take-out window. It’s so cute with a very retro vibe. You can also use Ritual to order take-out!

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Okay, we went a little ham. I mean, it was our first time there and it’s kind of tapas style so we thought we’d order a little bit of everything to try (hahha!).

Ordered all the birds to try! Must say I like Joe’s Fried Bird the best. We had it with the Bird & Malted Waffles ($10) order and it’s a must try – so delicious. The BBQ Bird and Smokey Grilled Bird was good too.

For sides, we went with the Poutine ($5), Broccoli & Cauliflower ($4.50) and Corn on the Cob ($5). The server suggested that we get the poutine with our Smokey Grilled Bird order as it comes with a side so we went ahead and did that. Don’t judge me, but in the end, we still ordered a side of poutine cause it was so good! The corn was absolutely amazing but I always like corn on the cob like what you would get at Mexican restaurants with cheese and toppings on them. As for the broccoli & cauliflower, it was good but we didn’t eat much of it cause it had a bit too much mayo on it for our liking and we were also super stuffed at that point.

Everything is very reasonably priced. Check out their full menu here. I’ll definitely stop by on a weekend one of these days to try their brunch menu.

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