With even heat conduction, cast iron is ideal for cooking this cousin to the omelette. The key to good frittata is to use a high-quality cheese.
2 tsp (10 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups (750 mL) cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups (500 mL) shiitake or oyster mushrooms, sliced
2 leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
7 large free-range eggs
3/4 cup (180 mL) fontina, Swiss, Gruyère, or similar cheese, grated
1/3 cup (80 mL) low-fat milk
2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat oil in 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm) cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook mushrooms and leeks until softened, about 6 minutes. In bowl, lightly beat eggs and combine with cheese, milk, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat broiler.
Pour egg mixture into skillet with mushrooms and leeks; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until sides are firm but top is still slightly runny.
Place skillet in oven and broil about 5 in (13 cm) from heat until golden and set, 1 to 2 minutes. Run thin knife along edges of skillet to loosen frittata, slide onto plate, slice, and serve with salsa if desired.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains:
279 calories; 21 g protein; 16 g total fat (7 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 13 g carbohydrates; 2 g fibre; 219 mg sodium
Happy for hemp
Packing more protein then pumpkin, flax, and sunflower seeds, hemp seeds are the perfect addition to any post-workout meal. Turn this brunch-worthy dish into a high performance dinner by swapping out the low-fat milk for unflavoured hemp milk and topping each slice with 1 Tbsp toasted hempseeds.
source: "Heavy Metal", from alive #349, November 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.