Serves 8
You may have more fun than your kids squishing these butternut squash, bean and cornflour burgers into patties. Roasting the butternut squash and cooking the beans from scratch are simple but time-consuming steps, so cook them in advance or on the weekend. With the beans and squash out of the way, the recipe takes only 35 minutes.
1 cup (250 ml) mashed butternut squash from 1 small roasted butternut squash
2 cups (500 ml) cooked or canned pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 1/4 cups (560 ml) ground organic cornflour, divided
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
1/8 tsp (0.5 ml) pepper
1/2 tsp (2 ml) mustard powder, or 1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard
2 tsp (10 ml) maple syrup
Pinch of cayenne pepper or chilli flakes (optional)
To roast butternut squash, cut in half, scoop out seeds and place cut-side down on baking tray in 400 F (200 C) oven for 40 minutes, or until squash is softened. Scoop out flesh when cool.
To cook beans (if using dried), soak in cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Then cook with at least 3 times as much water and 1 bay leaf in large pot for 35 minutes or in slow cooker on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours. Add leftover beans to salads or rice dishes, or toss with your favourite dressing or olive oil, salt and wine vinegar for a quick marinated bean salad.
Blend butternut squash, beans, 2 cups (500 ml) cornflour, salt, pepper, mustard, maple syrup and cayenne or chilli flakes (if using) using immersion hand blender or food processor. Add more cornflour if batter is too sticky to roll.
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
Place remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) cornflour in small bowl. Line baking tray with baking paper or grease lightly with oil. Get your kids to help roll dough into 8 balls. Then roll balls in bowl of cornflour and place on baking tray.
Now the fun part! Squish balls down with the palm of your hand into burgers, trying to make them similar in thickness so they bake in the same amount of time. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip burgers. Bake 10 minutes more.
Serve on wholemeal buns with Sweet Maple Carrot and Cabbage Slaw and Quick Homemade Sauce.
Each serving contains: 804 kilojoules; 6 g protein; 2 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 39 g total carbohydrates (2 g sugars, 10 g fibre); 157 mg sodium
Sweet Maple Carrot and Cabbage Slaw
Serves 8
Kids can mix these ingredients together, and if they’re old and strong enough, they can grate the vegetables.
1/2 small red cabbage, grated or finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and grated or finely chopped
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
3 tsp (15 ml) maple syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
Toss grated cabbage and carrot in large bowl with salt, massaging salt into vegetables with hands for at least 3 minutes to get vegies to release their juices. Add maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Toss once again (using tongs this time, as the vinegar is acidic).
Each serving contains: 155 kilojoules; 1 g protein; 0 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat) 9 g total carbohydrates (6 g sugars, 2 g fibre); 98 mg sodium
Quick Homemade Sauce
Serves 8
1 – 19 oz (540 ml) can whole or crushed tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 Tbsp (30 ml) honey
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
1/4 tsp (1 ml) allspice
1/8 tsp (0.5 ml) nutmeg
1/8 tsp (0.5 ml) pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
Purée drained tomatoes in blender. Pour into medium saucepan over medium heat and add remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to pastelike consistency, about 10 minutes. You’ll need to stir more often as tomato sauce reduces to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Each serving contains: 147 kilojoules; 1 g protein; 0 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 8 g total carbohydrates (7 g sugars, 1 g fibre); 91 g sodium
source: "Cooking with Kids", alive Australia #22, Summer 2014
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.