Red curry is a rich and decadent classic. Instead of fattier cuts of beef, low-fat, high-protein tofu is used, along with nutrient-dense cauliflower. Accompanied by coconut cilantro brown rice, you’ll want to put away your takeout menus for good.
Instead of tofu, use chickpeas or boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Any lean, neutral animal protein can stand in for a vegetarian one. Try organic chicken breast, beef, or salmon instead of tofu and tempeh. If you’re working with poultry, meat, or fish for stir-fries and fried rice, cook it through before combining it with raw vegetables, or use last night’s cooked leftovers.
Per serving:
For the rice, in medium saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in coconut. Stir in cilantro immediately before serving.
For the curry, heat oil over medium in large pot. Add onion and garlic; sauteu0301 for 5 to 8 minutes, until soft. Stir in coconut milk and curry paste until combined, followed by tomatoes, tofu, cauliflower, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender. Serve curry over prepared rice and garnish with mint.
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.