These mini meatballs are great on whole grain pasta, in a submarine sandwich, or served with a seasonal salad. Kids will love the surprise centre.
1 cup (250 mL) canned navy beans, drained and rinsed well
1 large free-range egg
1/2 cup (125 mL) whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup (60 mL) parsley, chopped
1 lb (450 g) lean ground free-range turkey
1 ball (340 g) partly skimmed mozzarella cheese, cut into 1 in (2.5 cm) cubes
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 - 27 oz (796 mL) can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano
1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)
In large bowl, mash beans with potato masher until well mashed. Stir in egg, bread crumbs, parsley, turkey, 1 tsp (5 mL) salt, and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper until well combined.
Form 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of turkey mixture into a disk about 2 in (5 cm) in diameter. Place 1 cube of mozzarella in the centre of the disk and wrap turkey mixture around cheese, pinching seams to seal. Roll meatball between your hands to form an even ball. Set meatball aside on a plate and repeat with remaining turkey mixture and cheese. You should have approximately 32 meatballs.
To make sauce, heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, then tomatoes, oregano, and thyme, and season with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. If sauce gets too thick, add 1/4 cup (60 mL) water.
Add meatballs to saucepan and carefully spoon sauce over meatballs to coat. Simmer meatballs in sauce until meat is cooked through and cheese is starting to melt, about 20 minutes.
Serve over your favourite whole grain pasta. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains:
454 calories; 48 g protein; 13 g total fat (5 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 39 g carbohydrates; 11 g fibre; 649 mg sodium
Tip: You can use dried navy beans from the bulk section if you prepare them in advance.
Source: "Cheese Please," alive #347, September 2011
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.