LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2023

COUSCOUS ROYALE WITH HARISSA PEPPER SAUCE

3. Place cumin and caraway seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat. Toast, shaking pan occasionally, until slightly darker and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. When cool, finely grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. 4. Place roasted peppers and any juices, cumin, caraway, paprika, cayenne and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, about 10 seconds. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Transfer to airtight container. Refrigerate up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature. 6. Place stock, water, cinnamon, saffron and ginger in a large pot over high heat. Season lightly with salt. When it comes to a boil, add carrots. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer carrots to a large baking sheet. Cover with foil. Add fennel to pot. Cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet with carrots and re-cover. Add zucchini to pot. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet. Finally, add green onions. Cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet, cover pan with foil and keep warm in oven. 7. Add chickpeas to pot. Cook until hot, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small baking dish. Add olive oil, season with salt and mix. Place in oven. 8. Strain 2 1/4 cups (560 mL) cooking liquid into a medium pot, saving rest for another use. Place over high heat and taste for salt. When it comes to a boil, stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in butter (or oil) until melted. Transfer to a large, warmed serving platter. Make a moat in middle. Stir parsley into chickpeas and place in moat. Arrange vege tables around it, brushing with some broth to moisten, if necessary. Serve with coarse salt, lemon wedges, almonds and pepper sauce. 5. For the couscous, preheat oven to 250°F (121°C).

1. For the salmon, finely grate zest from limes using a rasp onto a baking sheet. Spread out any clumps with a spoon. Let stand until com pletely dry, about 2 hours. Transfer to a small bowl. Massage with fingertips to break down zest evenly. Set aside. 2. Place fennel seeds in small frying pan over medium heat. Toast, shaking pan occasionally, until slightly darker and fragrant, 2 to 3 min utes. Transfer to a plate to cool. When cool, finely grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Place in bowl with lime and add sumac. Mix until evenly combined. 3. Place salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes. 5. Sprinkle salmon generously with sumac mixture. Bake on middle rack until slightly underdone—depending on the thickness, anywhere from 14 to 17 minutes. (To check for doneness, insert tip of a paring knife into thick est part and hold for 3 seconds. If it’s warm when you pull it out, it’s ready. If it’s still cool or barely warm, return to oven.) 6. While salmon is baking, make salad by whisking honey and lime juice until honey is dissolved. Stir in onion and let stand 15 min utes. Stir in olive oil. 7. When salmon is done, remove from oven. Let cool 5 minutes then carefully transfer to a serving platter. (If you’re worried about transferring it, serve it right on the sheet pan.) Place pea shoots, cucumber, mint and chili in bowl with dressing. Toss to coat and pile over salmon. Serve with lime wedges. 4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

In this simplified version of a classic Moroccan dish, four kinds of vegetables and chickpeas are simmered in a vegetable stock spiced with cinnamon, saffron and ginger; the fragrant broth is then used to cook the couscous. The accompanying sauce is more of a red pepper condiment with harissa flavours, which can be used more liberally than the traditional bold spice paste from North Africa.

HARISSA PEPPER SAUCE 3 medium red peppers, about 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) total 1 tsp (5 mL) cumin seeds

1 tsp (5 mL) caraway seeds 1 tsp (5 mL) smoked paprika 1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper, or more to taste 1 clove garlic, grated on rasp 1 tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp (5 mL) red wine vinegar Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

COUSCOUS 4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock 4 cups (1 L) water

2 3-inch (8-cm) cinnamon sticks 1/2 tsp (2 mL) saffron threads 5 thin slices fresh ginger Salt 8 small carrots, about 12 oz (340 g) total, peeled 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cut into 8 wedges 1 large zucchini, about 12 oz (340 g), halved crosswise and quartered lengthwise into 8 pieces 1 bunch green onions, trimmed 3 cups (750 mL) cooked chickpeas, 1 1/2 cans (each 540-mL) 1 tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil 1 box (340 g) couscous, about 1 3/4 cups (425 mL) 2 tbsp (30 mL) softened unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped flat-leaf parsley Coarse sea salt, lemon wedges and chopped roasted almonds for serving 1. For the pepper sauce, set oven rack 6 inches (15 cm) from top element. Preheat broiler on high. 2. Place peppers on a foil-lined, broiler-proof baking pan. Broil, turning occasionally, until well charred and starting to collapse, 16 to 20 min utes. Transfer peppers to a heatproof bowl and cover. Let steam for 30 minutes. Remove cover and cool. When cool enough to handle, peel peppers, discarding stems, seeds and skins. Lay peppers out on baking pan and cool completely.

Serves 8

TIP A 3-lb (1.36-kg) whole fillet of salmon should just fit on a large baking tray. If it doesn’t, trim off a piece of the tail and bake it on a separate pan.

Serves 6 to 8

WHAT TO SERVE Henri Bourgeois Les Baronnes Sancerre VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 542548, $38.95

WHAT TO SERVE Albert Bichot Chablis AOC LCBO 458851, $34.90

This Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc) from the Loire displays subtle lemon, grapefruit and mineral notes. It’s an ideal partner for this dish. The wine’s acidity balances the pairing and refreshes the palate.

This food-friendly Chardonnay has tangy citrus, cardamom and pasta dough notes, and enough weight and balanced acidity to stand up to the spicy and savoury vegetarian dish.

FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2023 235