The taproot of the young burdock plant is more commonly consumed in European and Asian diets, where it is known as the gobo root. Try it as a nice addition to any regional plate.
Salad
1 wild burdock root, thinly sliced
1 cup (250 mL) water
1 tsp (5 mL) white vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 mL) sunflower oil
1 tsp (5 mL) maple syrup
5 cups (1.25 L) wild dandelion greens, rinsed and dried
2 tsp (10 mL) toasted hemp seeds, for garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Vinaigrette
1 Tbsp (15 mL) hempseed oil
1 1/2 Tbsp (22 mL) cider vinegar
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
Maple syrup to taste
Scrub and peel burdock root and cut into fine julienne. Combine vinegar and water in medium bowl, add burdock, and soak 10 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain burdock and saut in sunflower oil over medium heat; add maple syrup and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until burdock caramelizes but remains crunchy. Spoon burdock over dandelion leaves. Taste and lightly season with salt and pepper.
Combine vinaigrette ingredients and spoon onto salad. Garnish with toasted hemp seeds.
Serves 4.
source: "Eigensinn Farm", alive #310, August 2008
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.