The black beans marry well with the vegetables and spices in what can only be described as a chili that warms even if the weather outside is frightful.
2 tsp (10 mL) vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chili powder
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin
Pinch sea salt
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) water
1 - 14 oz (398 mL) can black beans, rinsed
1 cup (250 mL) canned diced tomatoes
2 tsp (10 mL) fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh cilantro, chopped
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, sweet potato, and zucchini; cook, stirring often, until onion is slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add red pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt; cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
Add water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover and simmer until sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add beans, tomatoes, and lime juice; increase heat to high, and return to a strong simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to maintain a slight boil and cook 5 additional minutes. Remove from heat and toss in cilantro.
Serves 2 to 3.
Each serving contains: 295 calories; 12 g protein; 5 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 55 g carbohydrates; 15 g fibre; 350 g sodium
Source: "Back in Black", alive #324, October 2009
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.