An Afternoon At The Market

Lewis and I love a good market. The boy even gets excited going into new supermarkets so imagine our joy at spending an afternoon exploring the Marché Jean-Talon in the Little Italy area of Montreal. I simply could not resist photographing - and sharing with you - this beautifully presented and vibrant market, which is without a doubt the best food market I have ever been to. It is full of fresh and local produce with free samples everywhere, which Lewis took full advantage of, and it was such a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

We were so impressed at the quality and price that we spontaneously decided to pick up some ingredients to make a vegetarian bolognese that evening. A basket of tomatoes, a large bunch of basil and some vegetables cost under 10$ between us and we still have loads of basil left over so we are going to make pesto tonight!

I had never made a tomato sauce from scratch before but it was super easy and tasted so much fresher and healthier than having it out of a jar. We simply fried some onion and garlic before adding lots of diced tomatoes and letting it simmer down while roasting sweet potato, courgette, aubergine and pepper in the oven. Once a sauce had formed, we added the roasted vegetables and vegetarian mince to finish off the bolognese. I would definitely recommend taking the time to source good, local produce and spending some time in the kitchen because then you know exactly what you are eating and the taste is so worth the extra effort.

The market also sells sweet treats including lots of maple syrup - of course - and pateis de nata, much to our delight. We missed out on trying the chocolate one so we shared a classic vanilla and a maple syrup - only in Canada eh? They were absolutely delicious, therefore vindicating our point of never passing up on a pateis de nata if we get the chance.

Izzie x
INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | LOOKBOOK | PINTEREST