LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2016

RECIPES With wine, beer and spirit recommendations by the LCBO’s Knowledge Resources Group.

Camping OUT from page 74

2 Prepare coals to medium-hot. 3 Trim the lamb of as much fat as possible and cut into roughly ½-inch (1-cm) chunks; season generously with salt and pepper. Set a large flameproof pot over the grill and heat oil until smoking. Add lamb and cook, undis- turbed, until browned; stir and continue to cook until lamb is brown on all sides. If lamb weeps and mixture becomes wet, continue to cook until all liquid evaporates and lamb is well caramelized. 4 Add onion to pot, continue to stir and cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook until just beginning to turn golden, 2 minutes or so. Add tomatoes to pot, one by one, crushing with your hand as you go. Stir in tomato juice from can, water and spice mixture. Drizzle honey over, season the lot with salt and pepper again, and give it a stir. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring from time to time to prevent scorching. 5 Remove cover and continue to cook until chili is thick, anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes longer depending on the heat of the fire. Stir in the beans and remove from the grill. 6 Toast bread on both sides and rub with re- maining garlic cloves. 7 Serve the chili with toast and sprinkle each serving with fresh oregano. Serves 4 $3.10 For an inspired match, try this full-flavoured IPA with its assertive but pleasantly bitter herbal hops, sweet malt, tropical fruit and citrus notes. The complex fla- vours, rich mouth feel and enlivening carbonation pro­ vide the perfect complement and contrast to the bold flavours in the lamb chili. Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 660043 $24.95 For those who prefer a wine we suggest you try this fabulous large-scale beauty from Australia. The wine’s full-bodied, fruit-driven nature and soft, silky texture prove to be an excellent match to the dish. It offers enough fruit sweetness, ripe tannins and balanced acid- ity to stand up to the rich, bold flavours, as well as cool- ing down the dish’s fiery elements. WHAT TO SERVE Muskoka Mad Tom IPA LCBO 288837, 473 mL

SMOKY POBLANO BUTTER FOR CORN A fire-grilled poblano pepper is a wondrous thing. Cook it alongside the Carmen peppers, but leave it a little longer. Poblano tend to be more difficult to peel and benefit by being al- most blackened by the fire—something that in the end is quite beneficial to the flavour of the butter. If luck serves, you’ll run across a farm stand selling fresh corn on your way. 1½ tsp (7 mL) salt 1 tsp (5 mL) ground chipotle 1 large poblano chili 2 sticks (1 cup/250 mL) unsalted butter, softened 1 Measure your salt and chipotle at home and place in a small bag; label and pack up with your perishables. 2 Prepare coals to medium-hot. Place whole poblano pepper on grill and cook, undisturbed until deeply charred, 6 to 7 minutes; turn and continue to cook, 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until blackened all over. 3 Place in a small bowl and cover for 10 min- utes. Remove the pepper to a board; remove and discard stem. Using a sharp knife, scrape away as much blackened skin as possible. Scrape out seeds and discard; finely chop pep- per. Return to the bowl and let cool. Add butter and pre-measured seasoning; mash with a fork to combine. Serve with boiled or grilled corn. Makes 1 cup (250 mL)

CHUNKY LAMB CHI L I You’ll need a large pot, a cutting board, a de- cent knife and a can opener for this beauty, and not much else besides a little time. Be sure to really give your toast a good go over the grill—it should be charred and smoky. SPICE MIXTURE 2 tbsp (30 mL) ground cumin 2 tbsp (30 mL) ground ancho chili 1 tbsp (15 mL) paprika ½ to 1 tsp (2 to 5 mL) ground chipotle 1 boneless leg of lamb, 4 lbs (2 kg) Salt and coarsely ground pepper 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, or enough to coat the bottom of the pot 1 large Spanish onion, diced 10 cloves garlic, chopped, plus 2 extra cloves, left whole, for rubbing on the toast 1 can (798 mL) tomatoes 1 cup (250 mL, or about 1/3 of the empty tomato can) water 2 tbsp (30 mL), or 1 heaping soup spoon honey 1 can (540 mL) white kidney beans, drained 1 tbsp (15 mL) dried oregano 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon

Thick slices sourdough to serve Handful fresh oregano leaves

1 For the spice mixture, combine all ingre- dients in a small resealable plastic bag and clearly label. Pack mixture alongside your perishables.

142  FOOD & DRI NK SUMMER 2016