If spag bog is a weekly staple in your kitchen, it’s time to let loose and get saucy.

After all, Italy’s staple food deserves more than a basic ragu.

At Scorcia, in the York Mills area, you’ll find a selection of pasta sauces (from $8) that would impress even the pickiest of nonnas. And for an Italian dinner that’ll knock your Tod’s off, don’t miss out on the antipasti, flavoured oils and aged balsamic vinegars.

One bite, and you’ll feel like you died and went to Rome.

Scorcia, 3421 Yonge St., Toronto, 416-787-8426, www.scorcia.ca

We love French cookware company Le Creuset because its cast iron wares are indestructible and oh-so-pretty.

It boasts over 70 cool colours like Elysee yellow, Cherry red and its just-launched Cassis, a regal shade of purple that’s right on point with fall fashion. Collect the entire enameled set including the Round French Oven (from $255) and Iron Handle Skillet ($175), or mix and match with classic hues like Kiwi or Dijon.

Now our kitchen will be aflame with colour (as opposed to actual flames, we hope).

For retail locations, click here.

If anyone knows the difference between Bangladeshi and Butanese rice varieties, it’s Rube Marcus.

Devotees of the humble grain are always delighted when they happen upon the 92-year-old Rice Man at St. Lawrence Market. His basement booth carries over 30 types of rice from pecan to red Sri Lankan to organic brown basmati.

Time to buy a paella pan. It’s summer's ultimate party dish.

Rube's Rice, St. Lawrence Market, 92 Front St. E., Toronto, 416-368-8734.

We’re trading in our usual recipes for ones that’ll send the taste buds soaring.

The Spice Trader’s lovely new location is crammed with exotic flavours from Ajowan seed and Amchur powder to pungent Cubeb pepper.

Sprinkle a little Marash powder into your Mexican chili or try the Bangkok blend in your next shrimp stirfry.

Don’t miss out on the gourmet olive oils, mouthwatering cookbooks and cocoa bites from Taza chocolate.

Now we're sugar, spice and everything nice.

The Spice Trader, 877 Queen St. W., Toronto, 647-430-7085, www.thespicetrader.ca

Nigella Lawson may be able to bake brownies in a ballgown, but we’re far too clumsy to even try.

In fact, the domestic goddess rarely even wears a pinny – a staple in our kitchen. We like the cute options ($39) at Domistyle. They come in various colours and prints and many are hand-embroidered with flirty messages like "Caution: Hot Dish."

Now we need one for the beau that says "Kitchen Nightmare."

www.domistylegifts.com

Packed with scrumptious recipes from sticky rice to saucy noodles, Bite Me ($29.95) is sure to be a hit in kitchens across the country. Here authors (and sisters) Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat share a favourite fall recipe.

Broccoli, Grape and Cranberry Salad
“Raw? Broccoli? Salad?” my husband asked as I set down his plate. “I might not be an ex-prez, but if George Bush doesn’t have to eat broccoli, neither do I.” He was skeptical and I couldn’t really blame the guy—he’s not a vegetable lover and, to his ears, this sounded like spa food. But, one bite of this creamy, crispy, sweet, sour and salty broccoli salad was all it took to make him a believer.

Ingredients
2 large heads of broccoli chopped into small florets
1 ½ cups of red or green grapes, halved
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup dried cranberries
¼ cup salted sunflower seeds
Dressing:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar

Method
In a large bowl, combine uncooked broccoli, grapes, celery, cranberries and sunflower seeds. Set aside.
For the dressing, in a medium bowl, whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and white vinegar. Pour dressing over broccoli mixture and mix well.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serves 6-8.

Available at Indigo Chapters across the GTA. Heather Reisman will be interviewing the authors tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Indigo Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor St. W., Toronto.

“It's the old chicken that makes good broth.”
--Greek saying

Anyone with a penchant for pasticcio and a taste for tarama should dip into Vefa Alexiadou’s simple and delicious new culinary tome.

In Vefa’s Kitchen, the Hellenic Martha Stewart shares classic recipes for dolmades, saganaki, moussaka and more. With over 650 recipes and 200 photos, this is the bible of Greek cooking.

Time to crack open the Retsina, blare out the bouzouki and picture yourself at a taverna in the Aegean.

At Type Books, 883 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-366-8973, www.typebooks.ca

Indian spices may be hot and fiery but there’s no better antidote to steamy summer weather than the cooling effects of coriander, onion, cumin and coconut.

Pop into Madras Pantry for a nosh that truly satisfies. Stuffed with hot and cold fillings such as Szechuan beef, jerk chicken, mushrooms, butter chicken and smoked salmon, the burrito-like dosas ($7 each) are a fresh and modern take on the traditional Indian pancake.

The shelves at this stylish new hotspot (designed by Commute Home) are stacked with teas, spices, grains, chutneys and beans to take home, while a large neon yellow ladder stands laden with rice bags.

Wash your meal down with a mango lassi ($3) or indulge in a couple of sweet scoops of strawberry kulfi ($4).

Haute Indian that cools you down.

Madras Pantry, 877 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-777-0026.

The Green Barn Market at Artscape’s Wychwood Barns has moved outdoors for summer and we are thrilled.

Start with a fresh brewed coffee from Café Jose ($1.50) and an orange and chocolate chip scone from Nuala’s Irish Cartering ($2.50), or opt for a full-on brekkie from Chezvous.

Be sure to wander through the impressive greenhouse then grab a bench and people watch. The extra space outside means plenty of room to dodge the steady stream of Bugaboo strollers.

The Stop’s Green Barn Market, Wychwood Barns (St. Clair & Christie); Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. (summer hours), www.thestop.org

Spring has barely sprung but already Toronto’s gourmets have begun their search at high-end green grocers for the first sign of wild garlic. Delicious raw or lightly cooked, you can tuck the leaves into cheese sandwiches, scatter them over soups or mix them into scrambled eggs.

Here’s our recipe for perfect spring-is-coming skordalia dip:

Ingredients
2 large, floury potatoes
1 big handful of wild garlic leaves (about 30 g), finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp white-wine vinegar
200 ml extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt

Method
Boil the potatoes and mash until super smooth.
Stir in the wild garlic, lemon juice and vinegar.
Pour in the olive oil, beating as you go, until you have a very smooth, silky paste.
Season with a little salt and serve with pita bread, grilled fish or roast chicken.