One taste of this autumnal side dish and you’ll surely be agog with excitement to make it again soon. Research shows that compounds in dried plums may improve bone strength, which may in turn help reduce fracture and osteoporosis risk.
2/3 cup (160 mL) pecans
1 tsp (5 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp (1 mL) paprika
1/4 tsp (1 mL) + 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) sea salt
1 lb (450 g) butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups/1 L)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter
1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 tsp (5 mL) orange zest
2 Tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried plums (prunes), sliced in half
2 oz (60 mL) crumbled soft goat cheese
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
In small bowl, stir together pecans and oil. Add thyme, rosemary, paprika, and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt, and stir to coat nuts with mixture. Place nuts on baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes, or until browned, being careful not to burn pecans.
Meanwhile, place butternut squash in steamer basket and steam until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. In skillet, melt together butter, honey, orange zest, and orange juice over medium-low heat. Add squash, dried plums, and remaining salt; cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes, making sure squash is well coated with orange glaze.
Serve squash topped with pecans and goat cheese.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 320 calories; 6 g protein; 19 g total fat (5 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 38 g total carbohydrates (17 g sugars, 6 g fibre); 291 mg sodium
source: "Go Nuts", alive #372, October 2013
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.