Herby chicken comes alive under a vibrant salsa with crunchy cucumber and zippy radish, the hidden gem here. Experiment with different heirloom varieties of radish, such as Purple Plum, Black Spanish, Watermelon Radish, or classic French Breakfast radish.
Kebabs
3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp (15 mL) red wine vinegar
1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp (15 to 22 mL) dried oregano leaves
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) sea salt
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
Salsa
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1 small English cucumber, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup (60 mL) each chopped parsley and mint
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp (10 mL) red wine vinegar
4 pitas (optional)
For kebabs, in large bowl, whisk oil with vinegar, oregano, garlic, and salt. Add chicken and onion; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
For salsa, in bowl toss radishes with cucumber and cheese. Sprinkle with herbs, oil, and vinegar. Stir to mix evenly.
When ready to grill, oil grate and preheat barbecue to medium-high. Alternately, thread chicken and onion onto skewers, leaving room between pieces so they cook faster. Grill, turning often, until chicken is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
To serve, slide meat and onion from skewers onto grilled pitas, if using. Top with salsa and serve.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 313 calories; 25 g protein; 19 g total fat (5 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 11 g total carbohydrates (6 g sugars, 2 g fibre); 570 mg sodium
source: "Sweet & Saucy", from alive #369, July 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.