LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2020

Recipes With wine, beer and spirit pairings by the LCBO’s Knowledge Resources Group.

Rare birds from page 148

butter, sage and rosemary. Work an equal amount of mixture under the skin of each bird, doing your best to cover the breasts and top of the legs. Season chickens all over with the salt and pepper. 3 Arrange on a rack set over a baking tray and roast for 45 minutes. 4 Meanwhile, combine balsamic vinegar and honey in a small pot over medium heat; bring to a boil and reduce until slightly syrupy, about 3 minutes. 5 Brush about half the glaze over chickens; reserve remaining glaze. Return birds to oven and roast for 10 to 15 minutes longer (depend- ing on size) until juices run clear or a thermom- eter inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F (74°C). Remove to a board and let rest for 10 minutes. 6 Remove as much fat as you wish from the pan drippings; stir in reserved glaze and chicken stock. Serve drippings alongside birds, Carrots Marsala and Chestnut Polenta.

2 Combine olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once foaming, add carrots. Cook until carrots are lightly golden, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. 3 Add Marsala, chicken stock, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 to 14 minutes (depending on thickness of carrots) or until tender and liquid is reduced to a glaze. Serves 6 CHESTNUT POLENTA Polenta made with chestnut flour is a reve- lation. It’s fragrant and sweet with a depth of flavour cornmeal alone doesn’t have. The drippings from the Balsamic-Glazed Heritage Chickens further enriches the polenta, so there’s no need to enhance the polenta with herbs, cheese or too much butter. You can use fine yellow or white cornmeal here. 1 Bring water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile combine chestnut flour and corn- meal in a bowl. 2 Whisking vigorously to avoid clumping, add the flour mixture a little at a time to the boiling water. Once incorporated, continue whisking for another 5 minutes until thickened. 3 Stirring from time to time to prevent scorching, cook, uncovered, 25 minutes longer. Remove from heat, stir in butter and season with pepper. Spread out on a large platter or shallow bowl, and serve alongside Carrots Marsala and Balsamic-Glazed Heritage Chick- ens, spooning some of the chicken drippings over the polenta. Serves 6 6 cups (1.5 L) water 1 1/4 tsp (6 mL) salt 1 cup (250 mL) chestnut flour 1 cup (250 mL) fine cornmeal 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter Freshly ground black pepper to taste

BALSAMIC-GLAZED HERITAGE CHICKENS

Ontario is now home to a number of heritage-­ breed chicken farms. The birds are typically pasture-raised on small-scale family-owned farms. Craft butchers are stocking these birds in part because they taste superior but also because customers are increasingly demand- ing more ethical farming practices. The recipe calls for two small heritage chickens. The breed is less important than the size. Seek them out from better butchers or, in a pinch, substitute with organic chickens from the supermarket. 2 heritage chickens, each 2 1/2 to 3 lbs (1.13 to 1.36 kg) 1/4 cup (60 mL) salted butter, softened 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped sage 1 tsp (5 mL) chopped rosemary 2 tsp (10 mL) salt 1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper 2 tbsp (30 mL) aged balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp (30 mL) honey 2 tbsp (30 mL) chicken stock or water 1 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). 2 Work your index finger between the skin and flesh to loosen it from the breast and legs of each chicken. In a small bowl, stir together

Serves 6

CARROTS MARSALA You can use larger carrots for this classic side, but you’ll need to treat them a little differently. Peel and cut 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) on the bias into scant 1/2-inch (1-cm) slices instead of leaving whole. 3 bunches slender carrots with greens

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter

1/3 cup (80 mL) dry Marsala 1/3 cup (80 mL) chicken stock 1/2 tsp (2 mL) sugar 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1 Peel carrots; trim greens leaving 1-inch (2.5‑cm) lengths. Wash carefully around greens.

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FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2020