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
While sablefish’s texture and fat content stand up admirably to the heat of the grill, this firm fish is also delicious poached. For this recipe, sablefish’s luxurious taste is combined with a light fragrant broth of lemongrass and ginger punctuated with the heat of Thai chili. Sustainability status Sablefish, also known as butterfish or black cod, is a rich and satisfying fish, plentiful in omega-3s and sourced sustainably from the Pacific Northwest. Skin and bones Sablefish has large pin bones. Ideally, your fishmonger will remove them, but if not, before you begin, locate them along the fish’s centreline and, using a pair of needle nose pliers, grasp them firmly to remove. You can leave the skin on for this recipe, which may help the fish hold together a little better while cooking, but it can be tricky to peel the skin away from the cooked fish and discard before plating. I opted to remove the skin first and simply keep a close eye on the cooking time, being careful to remove the fish from the poaching liquid before it flakes apart.
These mildly spiced salmon tacos served with sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds will bring a party together. Make a small quantity of salmon go further when you pair it with a fresh red cabbage slaw featuring citrus and cilantro. Drizzled with some bright lime yogurt, the flavours come together perfectly. Sustainability status Wild salmon from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska are considered among the most sustainable, as the fishery is subject to limited harvests. With salmon stocks in decline, supporting managed fisheries such as these can help maintain populations into the future. That may also mean eating salmon less often than we do now. Salmon is a favourite Salmon is the most popular variety of fish in Canada and the second most popular in the US.
B12-rich mussels are a very good and economical source of protein and iron. Steamed mussels are a classic way to enjoy seafood—and so is this rich, aromatic broth of tomato, fennel, and saffron. Be sure to allow saffron to fully infuse to get the full flavour benefit, and finish off the dish with the fragrant fennel fronds. Sustainability status Farmed mussels are considered highly sustainable due to their low impacts on the environment. They are easy to harvest, require no fertilizer or fresh water, and don’t need to be fed externally, as they get all their nutritional requirements from their marine environment. Mussel prep Selection: Look for mussels with shiny, tightly closed shells that smell of the sea. If shells are slightly open, give them a tap. Live mussels will close immediately. Storage: Keep mussels in the fridge in a shallow pan laid on top of ice. Keep them out of water and cover with a damp cloth. Ideally, consume on the day you buy them, but within two days. They need to breathe, so never keep them in a sealed plastic bag. Cleanup: In addition to being sustainable, farmed mussels tend to require less cleaning than wild mussels. Most of the fibrous “beards” that mussels use to grip solid surfaces will have been removed before sale. But if a few remain, they’re easily dispatched: grasp the beard with your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward the hinge of the mussel and give it a tug. Afterward, give mussels a quick rinse and scrub away any areas of mud or seaweed, which, with farmed mussels, will require minimal work.
The delicate flavour of shrimp is highlighted with just a touch of lemon and a hint of mustard, while radish and celery give some fresh crunch to this dish. Eat it in lettuce cups, on top of greens, or served on whole grain bread for a filling snack. Sustainability status Both wild and farmed shrimp can be sustainable depending on where they’re caught and how they’re raised. See our article “Sea Change” for more information about choosing ethical shrimp.