When shopping for fresh seafood, make sure to inquire about the sustainable seafood options available. Pole- and troll-caught albacore or ahi tuna are sustainable choices that ensure the health of our oceans and fish stocks for years to come.
1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) low-sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) toasted sesame oil
1 tsp (5 mL) freshly grated ginger
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb (225 g) sashimi-grade albacore or ahi tuna loin
1 tsp (5 mL) avocado oil or grapeseed oil
1 1/2 cups (350 mL) prepared sushi rice (see recipe for Sushi Rice)
1 green onion, sliced
1 tsp (5 mL) black sesame seeds
2 radishes, thinly sliced, for garnish
Microgreens or pea shoots, for garnish
In blender, mix together yogurt, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, avocado, and 3 Tbsp (45 mL) water until thoroughly combined and smooth. Adjust consistency with a little extra water if desired. Refrigerate sauce until ready to use.
In small bowl, stir together orange zest, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle mixture over tuna, pressing to adhere.
Preheat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add tuna and sear for 20 to 30 seconds on each side. Remove tuna and transfer to plate. Refrigerate tuna until cold, about 30 minutes. This will make it easier to slice.
Meanwhile, stir together sushi rice, green onion, and sesame seeds. Cover with damp cloth and set aside.
With sharp knife, slice tuna into 16 thin slices.
When ready to assemble nigiri, wet your hands to help prevent rice from sticking to them while working. Gather a generous tablespoon of rice in one hand. Squeeze and roll rice into a long oval about 2 in (5 cm) in length. Continue moulding rice until you have 16 ovals. Smear a small amount of ginger sauce over bottom of tuna before draping a slice over each oval of rice.
Transfer to serving plate and garnish each nigiri with radishes and microgreens. Serve nigiri right away with extra creamy ginger sauce alongside for dipping.
Serves 8.
Each serving contains: 124 calories; 9 g protein; 5 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 12 g total carbohydrates (1 g sugars, 3 g fibre); 176 mg sodium
source: "Summer Sushi", alive #380, June 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.