We’ve adapted this delicious vegetarian soup and added a little barley to the angel hair noodles to make it a meal unto itself. The combination of fresh herbs makes it come alive. Top with dollops of plain yogurt and serve lavash (crisp flatbread) on the side.
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried chickpeas
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried navy beans
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 quarts (3.3 L) vegetable stock
1/2 cup (125 mL) pot barley, rinsed
1/4 cup (60 mL) dried lentils
1 tsp (5 mL) turmeric
4 oz (115 g) angel hair pasta
3 cups (750 mL) baby spinach leaves
1 large bunch fresh mint, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) each of minced cilantro and minced parsley
1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups (500 mL) thick plain yogurt
Minced fresh chives
Place dried chickpeas and navy beans in large colander. Sort through them and remove any tiny pebbles or other debris. Rinse under cold water and place in large, heavy saucepan with three times their volume of cold water. Bring them gently to a boil. Then remove saucepan from the heat and let beans soak uncovered for no more than 2 hours. Soaking beans too long causes them to ferment, which affects flavour and digestibility.
Meanwhile, heat oil in large frying pan. Add onions and garlic, and sauté until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Once beans have soaked the recommended time, drain well and return to saucepan. Add vegetable stock and sautéed onions and garlic. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and gently boil for 30 minutes. Stir in barley, lentils, and turmeric. Return to a gentle boil and cook covered for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Beans are done when you can easily mash with a fork. Don’t worry about the foam, as it will be reabsorbed into the liquid. Stir occasionally. For a creamier texture, use a hand-held emulsifier and purée soup for a few seconds.
Stir in pasta and return to a gentle simmer, with lid slightly ajar for another 15 minutes or until pasta is tender to the bite. Add spinach and herbs, and cook for 2 to 5 minutes or until soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with dollops of thick white yogurt and a sprinkling of fresh chives.
Serves 8.
Each serving contains: 301 calories; 15 g protein; 7 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 49 g total carbohydrates (8 g sugars, 11 g fibre); 148 mg sodium
source: "Persian Cuisine", alive #377, March 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.