(Pictured with Lower-Fat Taheena Sauce)
A popular Middle Eastern dish with many variations, kibbeh is usually made with meat and bulgur wheat. Ground seitan and a few nontraditional ingredients provide a base for this delicious vegetarian kibbeh. Feel free to do as some modern chefs do, and experiment with adding dried fruit, pine nuts, and greens; layering with vegetables or lentils; and adding glazes, such as a pomegranate-molasses glaze. Kibbeh is best made ahead of time and served at room temperature.
12 oz (340 g) seitan, drained well and cut into 1 in (2.5 cm) chunks
1 medium onion, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup (125 mL) medium-grind (#2) bulgur wheat, rinsed and drained
1 small 4 oz (115 g) potato, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp (30 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp (30 mL) low-sodium ketchup
2 Tbsp (30 mL) nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbsp (15 mL) dried mint
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
1/2 tsp (2 mL) garlic powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 mL) allspice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Topping:
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
Process seitan chunks in food processor until they look like coarsely ground meat. Remove from food processor to bowl. Process onion in food processor (no need to wash processor bowl) until minced, then add ground seitan and process to a slightly finer texture.
Mix onions and seitan together well with remaining ingredients (except toppings) in large bowl. Press mixture into 9 in (23 cm) round shallow baking dish with straight rim (such as a tart pan), lined with baking parchment cut to fit.
Cut kibbeh carefully all the way through to bottom of dish in diamond pattern. Cover top with the tomato slices (in one layer) and scatter with sliced onion. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 1 hour.
Place baking dish on cooling rack. Kibbeh firms up as it cools and can be reheated or eaten at room temperature. To serve kibbeh re-cut diamonds that were cut before baking and loosen sides with table knife. Serve with Lower-Fat Taheena Sauce, if you like.
Serves 6.
Each serving contains: 204 calories; 16 g protein; 3 g total fat (0.5 g sat. fat, 0 trans fat); 30 g carbohydrates; 6 g fibre; 276 mg sodium
source: "Seitan", alive #358, September 2012
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.