LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2021

INSIDE SCOOP

Good stuff DINNER’S READY

TRADITIONS

Whether you bake it in a pan or inside the bird, stuffing is a key player on the Thanks- giving table. The recipe follows a basic formula: Bread, preferably stale, is cubed and left to dry on a tray; aromatic vegetables are diced and sautéed; handfuls of herbs are chopped; and then everything is mixed and moistened with poultry or vegetable stock. Using this chart as a guide, stuff your guests this Thanksgiving.

Chuseok Held this year from September 20 to 22, Chuseok is one of the most important holidays in the Korean calendar. To learn more, we sat down with Michelle Lee (left), whose family runs Toronto’s popular Kimchi Korea House restaurant (kimchikoreahouse.ca). Howwould you best explain Chuseok to a non-Korean? It’s a three-day holiday starting on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, when we celebrate the abundance of the year’s harvest and pay tribute to our ances- tors. In North America, it’s sometimes re- ferred to as “Korean Thanksgiving” because families travel long distances to gather, share a large feast and exchange presents. What are a few rituals of Chuseok? Visiting the graves of ancestors and paying tribute by tidying the gravesite and setting out fresh fruit as a ritual offering. Preparing and eating a large feast of Korean food—it should be a truly excessive number of dishes meant to reflect the abundant harvest. What is themost important food eaten during Chuseok? Songpyeon! They’re small rice dumplings filled with a sweet red bean or sesame seed filling and then steamed on top of pine needles. They are typically eaten on the eve of Chuseok. Howdo Chuseok celebrations differ in Canada compared to Korea? Most Korean families in Canada likely don’t have a large extended family here, nor are their ancestors buried here, so Chuseok is generally celebrated on a smaller scale. For me, I focus on the food. Preparing and eating traditional Chuseok dishes helps me feel connected to family back in Korea, even if we can’t be physically together.

Bread

V eg

He rbS

extr as

CLASSIC CORNBREAD CHESTNUT GLUTEN- FREE

White

Onions, celery

Celery leaves, sage, parsley

None

Fennel fronds, thyme

Cornbread

Onions, garlic, fennel

Italian sausage

Leeks, celery

Rosemary

Sourdough

Chestnuts, apples

Gluten-free white

Thyme, parsley

Shallots, squash

Pepitas, dried cranberries

BAKE EFFECT Baking stuffing outside the turkey allows the bird to cook quicker and more evenly. Bonus: You get some crispy bits!

PORTRAIT BY BETTY SHIN BINON

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AUTUMN 2021 FOOD & DRINK