LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2017

entertaining with SPARKLE from page 140

MOLE VERDE SALMON & SQUASH Preheat oven to 400°F (200°F). Peel and seed a 2-lb (1-kg) butternut squash. Cut flesh into chunks and transfer to a 14 x 11-inch (35 x 28-cm) roasting pan. Toss squash with 4 tsp (20 mL) vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Roast, stirring once, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Pour 2 cups (500 mL) Mole Verde over squash. Place four 6-oz (175‑g) skinless salmon fillets over squash. Season fish with salt and pepper. Top each fillet with a thin lime slice. Bake until fish is just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serves 4 MI STLETOE MARGARITA We love a delicious holiday Margarita, and this creation blends in good-for-you-greens, creat- ing an amazing, fresh and delicious take on the classic. If you don’t have the means to juice fresh fennel, you can still get that unique taste by adding the herbaceous tops, called fronds, to the mix. 1 To a blender, add 3 cups (750 mL) ice, 1½ cups (375 mL) tequila, ½ cup (125 mL) agave syrup, 2 cups (500 mL) limeade, 1 cup (250 mL) fresh spinach, ½ cup (125 mL) chopped green seedless grapes, ½ cup (125 mL) fennel juice (recipe follows, or substitute 2 tbsp/30 mL diced fennel fronds) and 1 cup (250 mL) chilled water. Blend until slushy and pour into glasses. Garnish each with a fennel frond. Makes about 10 servings FENNEL JUICE 1 Add ½ fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped (about 2 cups/500 mL), 1 cup (250 mL) wa- ter and ½ tsp (2 mL) salt to a blender; purée. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and chill for up to a day. Makes about 2 cups (500 mL) S IMPLE SYRUP 1 Combine 1 cup (250 mL) sugar with 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water. Stir to dissolve and al- low to cool before refrigerating. Good Choices from page 43

3 Chop half of the shrimp, leaving four whole for garnish. Add whole shrimp to stock and poach 1 minute. Add chopped shrimp and poach until all are cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. 4 Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Quickly fry the mushrooms to top the soup. 5 Serve soup garnished with whole shrimp, mushrooms and cilantro. Serves 4 MUSHROOM FRIED RICE This is a traditional fried rice with lots of mush- rooms—they are what makes this dish so good! 1½ cups (375 mL) uncooked rice yields 3 cups (750mL) of cooked rice. You canmake this with brown rice but use either a jasmine brown or a basmati brown. ¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable oil, divided 2 cups (500 mL) sliced shiitake mushrooms, about ½ lb (250 g) 6 oz (175 g) torn oyster mushrooms 6 oz (175 g) sliced cremini mushrooms ¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped white part of green onions, about 4 pieces 1 tbsp (15 mL) peeled finely chopped ginger 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped garlic 3 cups (750 mL) cooked Thai jasmine rice 2 tbsp (30 mL) sliced garlic chives (or other chives) ¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable stock or water 2 tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce (dark if available) 1 tsp (5 mL) black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar Salt to taste 2 packed cups (500 mL) roughly chopped baby spinach 1 tsp (5 mL) sesame oil or more to taste GARNISH 2 tbsp (30 mL) sliced green part of green onion 1 Heat 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook un- til beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Add remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil, green onion whites, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring rapidly for 1 minute. 2 Add rice and garlic chives, stirring until well combined, about 1 minute. Add stock, soy sauce and black rice vinegar. Stir, using a spatula to break up any rice that clumps together. Season with salt. Add the spinach and sesame oil and cook until spinach wilts, about 30 seconds. 3 Place in serving bowl. Garnish with sliced green onion greens. Serves 6

SHRIMP COCONUT BI SQUE Wild Argentinian shrimp are sweeter than black tiger. They are wild-caught not farmed. If not available, use whatever you can find. This is made like a traditional French lobster bisque but with Asian spices, and you can substitute lobster cooked in its shell for the shrimp if you wish. If Hen of the Woods mushrooms are un- available, use Enoki or other small mushroom clusters. STOCK 1 lb (500 g) wild-caught Argentinian shrimp 3 cups (750 mL) vegetable, fish or chicken stock

2 cups (500 mL) coconut milk 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste 1 star anise 1 tsp (5 mL) red curry paste 1 tsp (5 mL) grated ginger 1 tsp (5 mL) grated lime rind 3 tbsp (45 mL) jasmine rice

2 tbsp (30 mL) fish sauce 2 tsp (10 mL) lime juice GARNISH 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil 1½ cups (375 mL) Hen of the Woods mushrooms, torn into clusters 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped cilantro 1 Shell shrimp, adding shells to a medium saucepan. Reserve shrimp. 2 Add stock, coconut milk, tomato paste, star anise, curry paste, ginger and lime rind to the sauce pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes to infuse the flavours. Strain stock into a clean saucepan and bring back to a simmer over low heat. Stir in rice. Simmer covered for 20minutes or until rice is very soft. Purée in a blender or food processor. Stir in fish sauce and lime juice.

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