2 medium eggplants, about 1 1/2 to 2 lb (750 g to 1 kg)
1/4 cup (60 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup (60 mL) tahini paste*
2 tsp (10 mL) toasted sesame seed oil
1 tsp (5 mL) light soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, very finely minced
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh parsley, finely minced, + 1 Tbsp (15 mL) for garnish
3 whole green onions, finely minced, about 1/4 cup (60 mL)
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
*Tahini paste is a ground sesame seed paste found in a jar in the ethnic section of your grocery store.
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
Slice stem ends from eggplants and prick eggplants all over with a fork. Place directly on oven rack and roast slowly in the oven until completely pooped, about 45 minutes. When sagging, wrinkled, and totally soft, you’ll know they’re ready. Remove very carefully from oven and wait until cool enough to handle.
Alternatively, place eggplant on greased barbecue grill and grill, covered, over medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Turn several times with tongs until charred all over and pooped.
Cut eggplants in half and scoop out the insides. Place in large bowl and mash with large fork until no longer chunky. Add remaining ingredients, except olive oil and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) minced parsley reserved for garnish. Blend together until it’s as smooth as you like. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be refrigerated overnight. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if you wish.
Just before serving, drizzle with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of olive oil and sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with lots of crisp veggies such as broccoli florets, carrot curls, cucumber, bell pepper strips, and cubes of whole wheat baguette.
Makes 2 cups (500 mL).
Each 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of dip contains: 40 calories; 0.85 g protein; 7.5 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 0 g carbohydrates; 0.5 g fibre; 19.5 mg sodium
source: "Game Night Munchies", alive #327, January 2010
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.