The sweet, mild flavour of bananas is a natural complement to hot, spicy curries. Once you try the combination, you will never want a banana-less curry again. Although dates work well in this recipe, raisins or other dried fruits (such as organic apricots) make a suitable substitution.
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp (4 mL) grated fresh ginger
4 medium-sized boneless, skinless, organic chicken thighs
2 Tbsp (30 mL) curry powder
3 to 4 heaping Tbsp (45 to 60 mL) chopped dates (about 8 dates), soaked in 1/4 cup (60 mL) water
1 - 14 oz (400 mL) can coconut milk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup (60 mL) roasted, unsalted cashews
2 large ripe bananas, sliced
Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until they become translucent. Add garlic and ginger to pan and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Push onion mixture to one side of frying pan and add chicken thighs. Brown chicken nicely on both sides. Add curry powder and stir well to incorporate curry into onions and chicken thighs.
Add chopped dates, their soaking water, and coconut milk. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes with a lid covering the pan. Remove lid, and simmer mixture for another 5 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice and roasted cashews and simmer for 2 minutes more. Gently place sliced bananas into mixture and simmer for 1 minute more. Serve mixture hot over basmati rice.
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving contains: 449 calories; 12 g protein; 31 g total fat (20 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 38 g total carbohydrates (19 g sugars, 5 g fibre); 54 mg sodium
source: "Go Bananas", alive #376, February 2014
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.