LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2017

Pumpkin pleasures from page 43

3 Place whole chicken, breast-side up, in a large, heavy, ovenproof, low-sided casse- role or heavy frying pan (such as cast iron) that’s not much larger than the chicken. The dish you choose should be able to go right onto stovetop to make gravy. Roast in centre of preheated oven 1 to 1¼ hours. Baste once or twice with juices during the last 15 minutes of roasting. 4 Chicken is ready when juices run clear when a knife is poked into the meatiest part of thigh. Set on a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. 5 Meanwhile, if making gravy, discard all but about 2 tbsp (30 mL) of fat in pan. Whisk in flour to form a paste. Whisk in 1 cup (250 mL) stock until a gravy forms. If needed, add re- maining chicken stock to thin the gravy. Add garlic, thyme and hot sauce. Simmer gently for a couple of minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serves 3 to 4 In a classic Italian pasta dish, the pasta is not loaded with sauce, but all the ingredients come together to make a super tasty dinner. Taleg- gio and Italian fontina cheese can be found in speciality cheese or Italian grocery stores. If using fontina, it’s important to use the much- more-flavourful Italian one. 1 lb (500 g) spicy Italian sausage or a combination of sweet and spicy Italian sausage, about 3 to 4 4 cups (1 L) Swiss chard, dandelion greens or spinach leaves, ½ to 1 bunch 5 cups (1.25 L) short tubular pasta such as penne, cavatappi or ziti 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ cup (125 mL) cubed (rind removed) Taleggio or Italian fontina cheese, about 3 oz (90 g) ½ cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup (250 mL) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half Pepper to taste Additional Parmesan cheese for serving 1 Using a sharp knife, cut through each sau- sage casing and remove sausage meat. If using Swiss chard, remove and discard tough cen- tre ribs and stems. Slice chard crosswise, into 2-inch (5-cm) strips. If using dandelion greens or spinach, discard tough ends of stems. Cut large leaves in half. PASTA WITH SPICY ITAL IAN SAUSAGE & GREENS

2 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta. Cook 1 minute less than package directions or until nearly al dente. 3 Meanwhile, in a large deep wide pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic. Stir to break up meat until sausage is cooked, about 7 minutes. Add prepared greens to sausage, stirring occasionally; cook until very wilted to remove some of the bitterness, about 3 to 10 minutes depending on the type of greens (3 to 5 minutes for spinach, 6 to 10 min- utes for dandelion or Swiss chard). Keep warm until pasta is ready. 4 Remove ¾ cup (175 mL) pasta water. Add ½ cup (125 mL) of the water to sausage mix- ture. Drain pasta, add to pan along with Taleg- gio and ½ cup (125 mL) Parmesan. Stir 2 min- utes over medium heat, until cheese is melted and mixture starts to become gooey. Add remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) pasta water if pasta looks a little dry. Add tomatoes, stir 1 minute, just until hot. Add pepper to taste. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese. Serves 4

S IMPLE ROAST CHICKEN STUFFED WITH FALL HERBS There are many opinions on the best way to roast a chicken, and most will give you great results. But, for me, roast chicken must have crispy skin and it needs to be easy, as it’s my stand-by weeknight supper. To that end, I don’t truss the chicken and if it comes trussed, I cut and throw away the string (to help the skin crisp up nicely between the joints). While the smoked paprika is by no means a necessity, it gives the bird a nicer colour and adds another layer of flavour. I roast at 400°F (200°C), as that’s a good temperature to throw in a tray of your favourite vegetables for roasting. 1 whole chicken, 3 to 3½ lbs (1.5 to 1.75 kg) Kosher salt and black pepper 2 lemon wedges, optional 2 whole cloves garlic, peeled Several sprigs each of fresh sage, thyme and rosemary Smoked paprika, either sweet or hot 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, at room temperature GRAVY (OPTIONAL) 1 tbsp (15 mL) all-purpose flour 1 to 1¼ cups (250 to 310 mL) chicken stock or broth 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 to 2 splashes hot sauce 1 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). 2 Do not rinse chicken. Discard string if chick- en is trussed; remove giblet package if inside chicken (discard or save for another use). Us- ing scissors, cut away and discard excess fat near cavity opening. Generously season cav- ity of chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff with lemon wedges, garlic and herbs. Generously season outside of chicken with salt and pepper, then lightly sprinkle with paprika. Dab butter overtop chicken.

WARM AUTUMN PUNCH 1 To a saucepan, add 1 bottle (750 mL) Spicebox Pumpkin, 2 cups (500 mL) fresh (cloudy) apple juice, 2 cups (500 mL) pear juice, 1 cup (250 mL) pineapple juice, 2 cups (500 mL) cranberry juice, 2 oz lemon juice, 2 oz maple syrup, the zest of 1 whole lemon, the zest of 1 whole orange and 3 cinnamon sticks. Warm, but do not boil, for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 12 servings CHAI -SPICED MARTINI 1 In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 2 oz Baileys Pumpkin Spice, 2 oz chilled chai tea. Shake hard and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a twist of orange. Makes 1 drink

144  FOOD & DRI NK AUTUMN 2017