LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2017

2 Purée in blender until smooth, holding lid down with kitchen towel. Strain mixture through sieve set over bowl. Cool to room tem- perature. Transfer to airtight container. Refrig- erate up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months. Stir well before using. Makes about 2 cups (500 mL) S IMPLE SYRUP 1 Combine equal parts boiling water and sug- ar, stir until sugar has dissolved, and store in fridge until chilled.

1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice ¼ tsp (1 mL) each of salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 cups (750 mL) lightly packed baby spinach ½ cup (125 mL) toasted slivered or sliced almonds ¼ cup (60 mL) chopped fresh coriander or parsley 1 Melt butter in a heavy frying pan over med­ ium to medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Sauté chicken about 5 minutes a side or until just cooked and richly golden. Remove from pan. 2 Sauté onion, celery, carrot and garlic in same pan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until softened. Add spices to onion mixture; cook 2 minutes. Transfer to a large saucepan. Use some of the broth to deglaze the frying pan; add deglazing liquid to saucepan. 3 Peel, core and dice apple; peel and dice sweet potato. Add diced apple, potato, re- maining broth and rice to saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. 4 Cut or shred chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Add chicken and mushrooms to sauce­ pan; return mixture to a simmer. Cook until rice is very tender, about 10 minutes. (If mak- ing ahead, cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.) 5 Stir coconut milk into soup. When hot, stir in lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning, as needed. 6 Put a handful of spinach in the bottom of warmed soup bowls; ladle in hot soup. Serve garnished with a drizzle of additional coco- nut milk, sliced almonds and chopped cori- ander. Makes 8 cups (2 L), about 6 servings TIP  Unsweetened coconut milk comes in two levels of fat content. For example, the la- bel on one can may not say it is “light,” but the Nutrition Facts label indicates that it is light in fat when the milk has only 42 calories per 65 mL. For this recipe, choose a can with nutrition information that reads more like 110 calories per 60 mL, as then there’s plenty of flavourful fat.

AGAVE FRESA The lovechild of a Margarita and a Bramble, this icy drink features the killer combo of strawberries and tequila. Instead of muddling fresh fruit, the drink uses strawberry coulis, which saves time and elbow grease during the cocktail hour. 1½ oz Strawberry Coulis (recipe follows) Crushed ice 2 oz 100% agave blanco tequila 1 oz strained fresh lemon juice ½ oz Simple Syrup (recipe this page) Ice cubes Strawberry half to garnish 1 Pour coulis into a chilled rocks glass. Fill three-quarters full with crushed ice. 2 Pour tequila, lemon juice and Simple Syrup into a cocktail shaker. Add 3 ice cubes. Shake for 5 seconds. Strain into prepared glass. Gar- nish with strawberry half. Serve with a straw to stir drink before consuming. Makes 1 drink STRAWBERRY COUL I S Cooked quickly to preserve the berries’ fresh flavour, this classic sauce is delicious on any berry, chocolate or almond dessert. It can also be made with unthawed frozen berries—mea- sure out 2 heaping cups (500 mL plus) and cook over medium heat to give them a chance to thaw. ¼ cup (60 mL) water ½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar 2 cups (500 mL) quartered strawberries 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh lemon juice 1 In a medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stir- ring to dissolve sugar. Add strawberries. Sim- mer until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

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MULL IGATAWNY SOUP The unusual name for this British soup is de- rived from Tamil words and there all culinary agreement ends! Our soup is satisfyingly thick with interesting bits, including crunch from toasted almonds. 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast or 2 thighs 1 medium onion, diced 1 stalk celery, sliced 1 medium carrot, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) curry powder ½ tsp (2 mL) each of ground cumin, coriander and ginger 4 to 5 cups (1 to 1.25 L) chicken broth 1 large firm apple 1 medium sweet potato ¼ cup (60 mL) white basmati rice (uncooked) 4 to 6 large mushrooms, sliced 1 cup (250 mL) unsweetened full-fat coconut milk (see TIP), plus extra for garnish

102  FOOD & DRI NK SPRING 2017