LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2023

CHOOSING SIDES

RECIPE

LEAFY SALAD Arrange radicchio and endive leaves (or baby greens) over a large serving platter.

TOMATOES Sure you can use chopped fresh tomatoes, but we say go the extra mile and make luscious roast tomatoes in advance. You can do this by cutting Campari or plum toma toes in half, sprinkling them with a little salt, sugar and fresh oregano and/or sage. Drizzle everything with drips of olive oil, then roast at around 300 ° F (149 ° C) until dried around the edges and still juicy. This will take a couple of hours. If making ahead, these will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days. EGGS Hard-boiled are fine, but can feel a bit ordinary. Instead, lower the eggs into lightly boiling water and reduce the cooking time to 7 minutes, then plunge them into an ice bath. This yields slightly runny—and more sophis ticated—results, fit for a festive salad.

POULTRY Make use of leftover turkey (or a store boug ht r otisserie chicken). Cut the meat into chunky pieces and remove any skin. Broil the skin for a minute or two for maximum crispiness, then shred it so you can add it to the salad at the end as a garnish. Add the turkey pieces to the platter.

BACON Cook pancetta cubes or slices (or even prosciutto slices) in a pan for a few minutes until crisp, then scat ter overtop.

THE ULTIMATE HOLIDAY COBB

Thanks to its broad appeal and impressive good looks, this salad is a staple on menus everywhere from diners to high-end restaurants to hotel room ser vice. It’s incredibly easy to do it up for a special occasion. Here are some basic instructions, plus ideas for upgrading the classic ingredients. If you want to get a leg up ahead of time, read through the recipe in advance and prepare some of the ingredients beforehand. These guidelines are flexible enough that you can prepare this recipe as a dinner for two or even as a lunch for a couple dozen people. Simply picture how much you’d want of each ingredient for a serving and multiply that by the number of diners. WHAT TO SERVE 13th Street Gamay VQA VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 177824, $19.95 Gamay is perfect for this salad. Fresh cherry and plum notes stand up to its sharpness, while the wine’s acidity balances the pairing effortlessly.

BLUE CHEESE Convert even those who swear off blue cheese by incor porating chunks of Cambozola, which is basically a mix of Camembert and Gorgonzola.

DRESSING Using our Tangy

Vinaigrette guidelines (page 244), whip up a batch for this Cobb using white wine vinegar and a generous dollop of Dijon. Drizzle salad with dressing.

214 FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2023