LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2021

The Best Garlic Bread Crusty on the outside, soft in the middle and drenched in verdant butter, this garlic bread has no equal. It makes a little more garlic butter than you need, but you can use it to top broiled fish or baked potatoes. To save energy, throw the garlic in when you’re already using the oven for something else. 2 heads garlic Extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened 1/4 tsp (1 mL) finely grated garlic 1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped flat leaf parsley Salt to taste 1 white baguette, cut in half horizontally Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano for serving 1 Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). 2 Cut a layer off top of garlic heads, just enough to expose tops of cloves. Place in a square of foil. Brush tops generously with oil. Wrap tightly and place on a small baking pan. Bake on middle rack until very soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully open foil and cool completely. 3 Squeeze garlic out of papery husks and place in food processor with butter, grated garlic, parsley and salt. Pulse, stopping to scrape down bowl several times, until smooth. Transfer to airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using. 4 Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). 5 Place baguette halves, cut-sides up, on parchment-paper-lined baking tray. Spread generously with garlic butter, laying it on thick and going right to edges. Save rest for another use. 6 Bake on middle rack until golden brown at edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle very lightly with cheese. Cut into pieces and serve immediately.

Cassoulet-Style Baked Beans With Bacon & Garlic This dish combines the steadying comfort of baked beans with the flavours and crust of cassoulet. Since the bacon and canned beans are well-seasoned, it is vital to use stock with no added salt. You could serve it with a sharply dressed green salad and baguette toasts for spreading the soft garlic. 1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped 1/2 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) unsliced smoked bacon, rind removed 3 cups (750 mL) unsalted chicken stock 3 cans (each 540 mL) white kidney beans, drained, thoroughly rinsed Freshly ground pepper to taste 1 head garlic, roots scraped off 1 cup (250 mL) panko bread crumbs 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped flat leaf parsley 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, melted Pinch salt 1 In a food processor, pulse onion, celery and carrot until finely chopped but not mushy. Set aside. 2 Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). 3 Cut bacon into 1/2-inch (1-cm) thick slices approximately 3 inches (8 cm) long. Working in batches, cook bacon in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet. 4 Reduce heat to medium. If there is an ex- cess of fat in the pan, remove enough to leave 2 tbsp (30 mL). Add onion mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, until tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Add garlic cloves and thyme. Cook for 2 min- utes. Add tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. 5 Return pan to heat and add stock. Raise heat to high. When it comes to a boil, turn heat off. 6 Add beans to bowl with onion mixture and pepper. Mix thoroughly. To a 3-inch (8-cm) deep 16-cup (4 L) baking dish, add a single layer of beans. Place garlic head in middle and arrange bacon around it. Cover bacon with remaining beans. Carefully pour in hot stock. Cover dish with foil and place on baking sheet. Bake on middle rack for 1 1/2 hours. 7 Remove foil. Bake for 20 minutes. In a mixing bowl, mix panko, parsley, butter and salt. Sprinkle over beans. Bake until golden brown, another 20 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tsp (10 mL) chopped thyme 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste

WHAT TO SERVE The smoky, dark fruit, spice and herb notes in this rich and finely structured wine are a great match for the weight and flavours of this dish.

7 Deadly Zins Old Vine Zinfandel VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 59311, $24.95

Spaghetti With Garlicky Raw Tomato Sauce & Goat Cheese Punchy with garlic and fragrant with basil, this simple pasta dish is a great way to use up an excess of late-summer tomatoes. Be sure to use über-ripe best-quality tomatoes so they end up soft and succulent when tossed with the noodles. This dish also works well at room temp as a pasta salad. 2 lbs (905 g) very ripe tomatoes, cored 1/4 cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving 2 cloves garlic, grated on a rasp 3 sprigs basil, leaves removed, large leaves torn Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 lb (455 g) dried spaghetti, preferably Italian 6 oz (170 g) goat cheese Dried chili flakes for serving 1 Halve tomatoes crosswise. Scoop out seeds into a sieve placed over a medium bowl. Stir and press seeds with back of a spoon to ex- tract juice. Discard seeds or save for vegetable stock. Chop tomatoes into 3/4-inch (2-cm) pieces and add to juice. Stir in olive oil, garlic and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. 2 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to instructions on package. Drain and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta and mix until well-combined. Taste for salt and pepper. 3 Divide among 4 shallow bowls, making sure to get at the tomatoes and sauce at the bot- tom of the pot. Sprinkle with goat cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with chili flakes. Serves 4 WHAT TO SERVE Cabernet Franc combines raspberry and herbal tones with enough grip to match the tomato and basil ingredients, and tame the sharp cheese and garlic flavours. Trius Cabernet Franc VQA LCBO 587964, $16.95

Serves 6 to 8

WHAT TO SERVE A sparkling wine elevates any dish. Its mineral, citrus and apple flavours, cleansing acidity and bubbles are the perfect foil to this garlic bread’s cheesy, salty nature. Jackson-Triggs Sparkling Reserve VQA LCBO 217679, $15.95

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AUTUMN 2021 FOOD & DRINK