LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2018

a splash of WINE from page 11

6 Remove lid or foil from skillet. Roast carrots in oven, uncovered and tossing once or twice, until they are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. 7 Wearing an oven mitt, remove skillet from oven. Transfer carrots to a serving platter and keep warm. 8 Still wearing oven mitt to hold skillet’s han- dle, add remaining wine to skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Boil, stir- ring often, until liquid in skillet has reduced by at least half and is slightly syrupy, about 2 minutes. Discard bay leaf. 9 Drizzle reduced cooking juices over carrots. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped Salt and finely ground black pepper ¼ cup (60 mL) dry white wine, preferably a Grüner Veltliner or Pinot Gris ¼ cup (60 mL) butter, cut into chunks 6 pieces (each 5 oz/150 g) wild salmon, skin on, pin-boned 1 To make the tarragon walnut sauce, combine the olive oil, walnuts, herbs, lemon juice, gar- lic and honey in a food processor; pulse un- til mixture resembles pesto. Season with salt and pepper. (Sauce may be made up to 1 day in advance and kept covered and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before use.) 2 Roughly chop the asparagus. Working in batches, finely chop in food processor being careful not to over-process and liquefy. Collect in a large bowl. 3 Heat 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil in a large skillet over mediumheat; add shallots and cook until trans- lucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. 4 Add asparagus to pan (along with collected liquid if any) and season with salt and pepper. Pour wine over, bring to a boil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until a scant amount of liquid re- mains. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add butter and stir until melted; keep warm while preparing the salmon. 5 Season fish with salt and pepper. Add remain- ing 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add fillets skin-side down and cook for 3 to 4 min- utes or until crisp and golden. Carefully flip and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes longer. 6 Divide asparagus risotto between 6 shallow bowls. Top each with a piece of salmon and a generous spoonful of the tarragon walnut sauce. Serves 6 WHAT TO SERVE Bouchard Père & Fils Pinot Noir Bourgogne LCBO 605667 $19.95 Pinot’s affinity for salmon is showcased here, where the subtle earthy notes are mirrored in the light-bodied style of a classic Burgundian red. Pfaff Riesling Cuvee Jupiter Alsace AOC LCBO 475046 $15.50 The nuttiness of the walnut sauce is complemented when paired with this aromatic and dry Riesling from France’s Alsace region.

CUMIN-ROASTED CARROTS WITH WHITE WINE GLAZE Use slender carrots for this easy side dish that showcases the roots’ inherent sweetness. The carrots should be no thicker than 2 inches (5 cm) in circumference at their thickest point. If yours are chunkier, simply cut them in half lengthwise. For a striking presentation, choose a mixture of orange, white and purple carrots. 1 lb (500 g) slim carrots with tops 1 tsp (5 mL) cumin seeds ½ cup (125 mL) fruity white wine, such as Open Riesling-Gewürztraminer VQA ( LCBO 134965, $12.95), divided 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil 1 tbsp (15 mL) liquid honey Pinch hot pepper flakes Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 fresh bay leaf Finely chopped cilantro for garnish 1 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Scrub car- rots, then trim root ends. Trim tops of carrots to about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Set carrots aside. 2 In a large ovenproof skillet, toast cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. 3 In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, grind or pound cumin seeds just until coarsely ground. 4 In same skillet, whisk together ¼ cup (60mL) wine, the oil, honey, cumin, hot pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Add carrots and bay leaf to skillet and toss well to coat with wine mixture. 5 Cover skillet tightly with a lid or foil. Roast in oven until carrots are starting to become tender, 15 minutes.

on the light side from page 54

WI LD SALMON & WHITE ASPARAGUS RI SOTTO Replacing refined carbs with vegetables is nev- er a bad idea, and in fact cauliflower “rice” has become something of a modern staple. White asparagus can be a superb, and maybe even better, rice replacement too—here as a risotto, served with seasonal wild salmon. TARRAGON WALNUT SAUCE ⅓ cup (80 mL) olive oil ½ cup (125 mL) walnut pieces ¼ cup (60 mL) firmly packed parsley 3 tbsp (45 mL) firmly packed tarragon 4 tsp (20 mL) lemon juice 1 clove garlic 2 tsp (10 mL) honey Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 lbs (1 kg) white asparagus, stalks peeled 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil, divided ¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped shallots

88  FOOD & DRI NK SPRING 2018