Easy to transport and eat, these juicy chicken parcels are reminiscent of a fresh spring roll, thanks to herbs, carrot, and fish sauce.
Glean from mom’s most-loved cuisine to make these chicken patties her favourite. Try Greek-inspired with feta, dill, lemon zest, and yogurt; Korean-inspired with gochujang paste and kimchi; or Indian-inspired with garam masala and mango chutney.
Per serving:
In food processor fitted with metal blade, pulse carrot, cilantro, green onion, and mint or dill until very finely chopped. Add panko and fish sauce, pulse again to combine, and then add chicken, pulsing until carrot and herb mixture is incorporated into chicken. Transfer to medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up. Form 10 heaped 2 Tbsp (30 mL) scoops of herbed chicken mixture into 1/2 in (1.25 cm) thick patties and place on plate.
To cook patties, heat large nonstick pan over medium heat and add 1 tsp (5 mL) coconut oil. Cook patties in batches until no pink remains, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining 1 tsp (5 mL) coconut oil and patties. Transfer cooked patties to serving platter alongside lettuce leaves and yogurt, and then garnish with additional cilantro.
Serve warm or chilled, having guests make their own parcels by adding a patty and dollop of yogurt to a lettuce leaf.
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.