LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2017

FILLING 1 lb (500 g) lean ground beef ½ cup (125 mL) raw long-grain white rice ½ tsp (2 mL) salt ¼ tsp (1 mL) freshly cracked pepper ½ tsp (2 mL) garlic powder ¼ tsp (1 mL) chili flakes 1 tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce 1 egg, beaten CHIVE SOUR CREAM ½ cup (125 mL) full-fat sour cream 2 tbsp (30 mL) snipped fresh chives 1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Move racks so that there’s enough room for a large covered pot to fit in the centre of the oven. 2 Core both cabbages and place heads in a large pot with a few inches of boiling water in the bottom. Cover and steam until leaves separate easily, about 5 to 10 minutes. When cool enough to touch, carefully separate leaves and drain on kitchen towels. 3 To a large ovenproof pot with a lid, add all ingredients for sauce; stir to combine. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring now and then. 4 Combine ingredients for filling and mix well. (Your hands are the best tool for this.) Place a heaped soup spoon of filling in the cen- tre of each green leaf, then tuck in sides and roll up, burrito style. For napa cabbage, slightly overlap 2 leaves then fill as per green cabbage leaves. Place each, seam-side down, into sauce. Keep tucking and rolling and placing into sauce until all the beef mixture is gone. Cover pot and place in preheated oven for an hour or until tender and cooked through. 5 Just before bringing your burbling pot to the table, stir together sour cream and chives in a small bowl and let guests dollop as they wish. Serves 6 $9.10 This is a sturdy Hungarian wine, with an honest charm that is a perfect fit for comfort food. The sour cream served with the cabbage rolls softens this wine’s angu- lar texture. Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera Piemonte DOC LCBO 372987 $14.95 Barbera’s natural crisp acidity gives the wine freshness and the ability to stand up to the sharpness of the to- mato sauce in this dish. Spicy and peppery notes echo the seasonings in the filling. WHAT TO SERVE Jaszbery Szekszardi Kekfrankos LCBO 371583

sprouts are cooked within. Transfer to lined baking sheet and let drain briefly, season with salt, and place on a serving dish. Scatter with grated cheese and side with lemon wedges for squirting. Serves 6

WHAT TO SERVE Winzer Krems Grüner Veltliner 13 LCBO 375022

$12.95 Brussels sprouts call for a dry white wine with zesty acidity. Often touted as the go-to wine for tricky pair- ings, Austria’s Grüner Veltliner offers mineral and cit- rus flavours.  Château des Charmes Aligoté VQA LCBO 296848 $15.95 Aligoté is rarely planted in Ontario, but it excels at Chateau des Charmes as a wonderful food-friendly wine with superb texture and structure. The sharp grated pecorino enhances the wine’s fruity character.

TEMPURA-FRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PECORINO & LEMON They were once the most maligned member of the cabbage patch but, ever since we learned how to cook these wee sprouts (read: don’t boil them until they’re grey), they’ve turned into the belle of the ball, either roasted and spiced or sautéed in a pan. Here, we do them one bet- ter by giving them a crispy coating and a deli- cate gilding of sharp pecorino.

TEMPURA BATTER 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour 2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda Pinch of salt 1 egg 1 cup (250 mL) cold club soda 2 cups (500 mL) vegetable oil

1½ lbs (750 g) Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed, outer leaves removed, sliced in half lengthways Sea salt to taste ½ cup (125 mL) pecorino or Parmesan, grated with a microplane 1 lemon, wedged 1 To make batter, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt and mix thoroughly with a whisk. In a separate large bowl, add the egg and beat well, then add club soda and combine. Slowly add the flour mixture to egg mixture, a third at a time, whisking gently until incor- porated. Some lumps are fine. Do not over-mix if you want a light and crispy tempura. 2 Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper tow- el. In a large wok, heat oil to 375°F (190°C). Add Brussels sprouts to the bowl of batter and fish them out with a slotted spoon, adding them to the hot oil, adjusting the heat to maintain the temperature. Cook, a third at a time, stirring to keep Brussels sprouts from sticking together, and cooking evenly, for about 4 minutes or until tempura batter is bronzed and Brussels

NAPA & GREEN CABBAGE ROLLS

What’s red and green and sweet and sour? A classic dish from the old country (in this case, Poland) that has stood the test of time. Including both green and napa cabbage leaves make for a subtle update, and a dollop of chive sour cream never hurt anyone. ROLLS 1 small green cabbage 1 small napa cabbage SAUCE 1 can (796 mL) crushed tomatoes 1 bottle (455 mL) chili sauce (such as Heinz)

¼ cup (60 mL) brown sugar ¼ cup (60 mL) runny honey 1 tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce 3 tbsp (45 mL) red wine vinegar Juice of 1 lemon

146  FOOD & DRI NK AUTUMN 2017