LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2019

OKTOBERFEST SLOWCOOKER ROOT VEG & SAUSAGE This classic German one-pot wonder is loaded with red onion, purple cabbage, potatoes, carrots and parsnips, all braised in apple cider. If you can find Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), add them too! It can be made in a countertop slow cooker or in a Dutch oven on the stovetop or in the oven. If you want to make this hearty dish for Meatless Monday, omit the bacon and switch up the sausages for big, fat king oyster mushrooms, tofu, Japanese eggplant, hardboiled eggs or any of those really great faux-meat sausages, franks or dogs. There’s even vegan bacon that’s pretty convincing. If you can’t find it, no worries! An equal amount of smoked almonds adds a ba- cony flavour and crunch to a vegetarian dish. 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil or lard 4 to 6 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped 1 very small purple cabbage, cored and shredded, about 6 cups (1.5 L) sliced 4 cups (1 L) tiny new baby or fingerling potatoes, washed 3 carrots, peeled, cut into approx. 2-inch (5-cm) pieces 2 parsnips, peeled, cut into approx. 2-inch (5‑cm) pieces 1 large apple, cored, cut into approx. 2-inch (5-cm) pieces 5 Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), scrubbed, 4 to 6 German-style sausages 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Into a slow cooker on “brown” or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and bacon; stir often until bacon softens, about 3 minutes. Add the sausages and, turning oc- casionally, brown on all sides, about 10minutes. Transfer browned sausages to a plate; set aside. 2 Reduce heat to medium-low and add the onions and garlic, stirring often until they are soft and translucent. Add the cabbage, pota- toes, carrots, parsnips, apple and artichoke, if using; stir. Add salt and pepper, stir, then add the red wine vinegar and apple cider; stir. 3 Return the sausage and any drippings back to the pot, arranging them on top of cabbage mixture. Cover and pop it into the oven or, if using slow cooker, reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 50minutes. Remove lid and allow cut in half (optional) 1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper 1/4 cup (60 mL) red wine vinegar 1/2 cup (125 mL) dry apple cider Sour cream to garnish

excess liquid to steam off for about 10minutes. There should just be 1 or 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of broth. Taste for salt; adjust if desired. 4 Bring to the table with a warm-from-the- oven loaf of crusty German rye, a dish of sour cream and some strong German mustard.

3 Add the diced potato, carrot and sweet po- tato. Stirring often, cook for about 5 minutes or until roots have softened enough to squish under a fork. 4 Add the raw spinach and, stirring occa- sionally, cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the spinach leaves have wilted down. Stir to combine well; set aside. 5 Into a medium bowl, add the ricotta, Par- mesan, rosemary and 1 of the eggs. Whisk to blend well; set aside. 6 Place a large sheet of parchment paper over a work surface. Lightly flour the parch- ment and roll out the pizza dough until it’s a rough rectangle, approximately 12 x 14 inches (30 x 35 cm)—or roll it out to fit the biggest sheet pan you own. 7 Down one side of the rolled-out dough, evenly spread the veggie mixture, leaving a good inch (2.5 cm) or more of space all around the outside edge. On top of the roots, evenly distribute the ricotta mixture. If adding the partially cooked lamb, now is the time. 8 In a small dish, beat the second egg with 1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil. 9 To close the stromboli, use a pastry brush to paint the inside edge of the dough with a light coating of the egg wash. Fold over the second half of the dough to cover the filling and using a fork or your fingers, pinch, flatten or roll the dough together to form a good seal all around. 10  Brush the whole stromboli with the rest of the egg wash. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut some slits into the top of the stromboli to allow steam to escape. Feel free to sprinkle with more salt and pepper if desired, and a few decorative sprigs of rosemary. 11  Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the crust is a deep, glossy gold. 12  Allow the stromboli to rest for 5 to 10 min- utes before serving, giving the filling time to set and cool down slightly. TIP  Frozen store-bought pizza dough can lack character. Try buying fresh from a baker or pizza shop instead. Either way, transfer the frozen or raw ball of dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover with an oiled plate or plastic wrap, set somewhere warm for up to 2 days and watch it come to life, developing flavour and relaxing the stretch. Serves 6

Serves 4 to 6 (1 sausage per person)

Sautéed Root Veggie-Stuffed Stromboli Like a panzerotti only baked and better. Filled with creamy ricotta, spinach and tender root veggies, it’s perfect with a side of green salad. When chopping the root veggies, try to keep all the pieces about the same size, that way they’ll cook at the same rate. This dish is great the next day, cold, packed for lunch. For meat-lovers, simply par-fry some ground lamb in a drop of olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat and sprinkle it evenly over the root veggies. 3 tbsp plus 1 tsp (45 mL plus 5 mL) olive oil, divided 1 cooking onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper 1 medium Yukon Gold, red skin or blue potato, scrubbed, diced 1 carrot, peeled, diced 1 smaller sweet potato, peeled, diced 4 cups (1 L) fresh baby spinach 1/2 cup (125 mL) full-fat ricotta cheese 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh rosemary, leaves picked, stems discarded, finely minced 2 free-range eggs; divided Flour for dusting 1 batch pizza dough or 1 ball readymade pizza dough at room temperature 1 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). 2 Into a very large skillet over medium-low heat, add 3 tbsp (45 mL) of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir often until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

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AUTUMN 2019 FOOD & DRINK