Dried shiitake mushrooms add meaty texture and a ton of umami. You can also use rice vermicelli in this recipe.
1 oz (25 g) dried shiitake mushrooms
1 Tbsp (15 mL) green tea or 2 green tea bags
1 in (2.5 cm) piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, outside leaves removed, finely sliced
4 oz (100 g) mung bean noodles
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 cup (250 mL) shelled edamame, frozen
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Cover mushrooms with water and set aside.
In a large pot add 6 cups (1.5 L) of water along with green tea, ginger, and lemongrass. Heat until water is just about to reach a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, soak noodles in warmed water until softened. Use kitchen shears to cut the noodles in half.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp (10 mL) vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until no longer pink inside; remove from heat.
Strain tea infusion into a large saucepan and discard solids. Bring to a boil, add edamame, and gently boil for 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and 1 cup (250 mL) of the mushroom soaking liquid; cook for 2 minutes. Add vermicelli and chicken; simmer for 3 minutes.
Place in serving bowls and garnish with black pepper and cilantro.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 244 calories; 23 g protein; 3 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 32 g carbohydrates; 2 g fibre; 60 mg sodium
source: "Not Your Average Noodle", alive #335, September 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.