This elegant fish and tuber combo is a healthy alternative to fish and chips—and it’s surprisingly easy to prepare. Although sunchokes are crispy and delicious eaten raw, roasting them, as in the following recipe, really brings out their innate, nutty sweetness.
10 to 15 sunchokes, cut in half (if really small use 20)
2 1/2 Tbsp (37 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Black pepper and paprika, for seasoning
4 - 5 oz (140 g) halibut fillets
Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 Tbsp (30 mL) capers
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped parsley
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp (5 mL) butter
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
Wash and scrub sunchokes, then pat dry and place in large bowl. Add 2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil and toss to mix. Transfer to large roasting pan and season with freshly ground pepper and paprika. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Meanwhile, heat well-seasoned cast iron skillet until hot. Brush halibut fillets with remaining olive oil and season with pepper. Place them in skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and place on serving plates.
Add orange and lemon juices, capers, herbs, and Worcestershire sauce to pan and heat for a few seconds. Add butter to melt, and pour warm dressing over halibut. Surround fillets with roasted sunchokes and serve.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 347 calories; 32 g protein; 13 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 27 g total carbohydrates (15 g sugars, 2 g fibre); 291 mg sodium
from "Cook on the WIld Side", alive #365, March 2013
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.