LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2020

INSIDE SCOOP

SEASONAL SIPS

Thanksgiving lite

Stocking your bar for Thanksgiving dinner? Then consider some of the new reduced-alcohol options at the LCBO. Before dinner, make a Gin and Tonic with Botica Low-Alcohol Gin ( LCBO 13736, 500 mL, $26.95); this Spanish spirit has less than half the alcohol of traditional gin. With the main feast pour two local, affordable wines containing only 8% alcohol- by-volume. The crisp Peller Family Vineyards Light Pinot Grigio ( LCBO 16785, $10.45) would be excellent with lighter appetizers and turkey breast. And fans of dark meat should try the smooth, fruity Jackson- Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon Light ( LCBO 12287, $10.95).

Sourdough experiments not working out? How about taking on scratch pasta instead. We asked Leandro Baldassarre, owner of Famiglia Baldassarre (famigliabaldassarre.com), a fresh pasta shop in Toronto, for tips on making it at home. Using your noodle EXPERT ADVICE

For a fresh-pasta novice, what’s a good starting point? A hand-cranked pasta roller—like the one from Imperia—makes every- thing easier. My grand- mother used it her entire life. (My other grandmother used a broomstick!) A small analogue scale helps and it doesn’t cost very much. If you have a digital scale, great, but I don’t like when the batteries run out. Do you need a special type of flour? You can use any flour for fresh pasta, but softer flours are easier to work with; there is less elasticity, less tension.“00” flour for fresh

pasta is very finely ground and it retains the yellow of the eggs better than all-purpose. Is there a standard recipe to follow? One large egg per 31/2 oz (100 g) of flour, and that’s one portion. Add a touch of water if it’s feeling too tight, or a little flour if it’s too wet. Pasta dough shouldn’t feel like bread dough. It should feel pretty tight, but still fold onto itself. What about storing fresh pasta? You need to dry it a bit first. Leave your sheet out or hang it on a stick until it’s leathery and doesn’t want

to stick to itself. Cut it into long noodles, make nests and dry it some more, but don’t let it crack. Put it in Tupperware and in the fridge. Ultimately fresh pasta is meant to be eaten right away. Are there any secrets to cooking fresh pasta? For long pastas, it’s really fast. If it’s 1 to 1.5 mm thick, you’re looking at 45 seconds straight off the board. Lots of salt in the water then toss it quick and don’t beat it up in the pan. Remember it’s more delicate than dry pasta, so stay away from metal utensils. With metal, you are going to destroy it.

PHOTO TOP LEFT: JOSE SILVA; TOP RIGHT: LEANDRO BALDASSARRE

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AUTUMN 2020 FOOD & DRINK