8 whole wheat English muffins
2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 cup (250 mL) prepared pizza sauce
1 cup (250 mL) button mushrooms, thinly sliced
8 cherry tomatoes, sliced
4 thin slices cooked chicken or turkey
8 slices of vegetarian pepperoni, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup (250 mL) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C).
Split muffins into halves along seams and place cut side up in a single layer on two baking sheets. Brush each muffin with a little olive oil. Spread each half with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) pizza sauce, almost to edges.
Top each according to personal preferences or with equal amounts of garnishes, ending with grated cheese.
Bake in bottom third of preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until muffins are crispy and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.
Each serving (two halves) contains: 239 calories; 11 g protein; 6.3 g fat (0.8 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 30 g carbohydrates; 5 g fibre; 555 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.