LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2026

GREEN CHILI OIL 5 to 7 long green hot chilis, 4 to 6 inches long, trimmed 1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped 1/2 cup (125 mL) lightly packed cilantro leaves 1/2 cup (125 mL) roughly chopped chives 4 large cloves garlic 1 tsp (5 mL) salt 1 cup (250 mL) avocado oil 1 tbsp (15 mL) honey

2. For the spread, place artichokes, tahini, reserved lemon juice and garlic in bowl of a food processor. Run machine until smooth then slowly pour in water until smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste. Spread over bottom of an ovenproof dish. 3. For the skewers, preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line a large baking sheet with foil and lightly brush with oil. 4. Stir 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Cut chicken into 11/2-inch (4-cm) chunks and add to bowl. You should have about 24 pieces in total. Stir to coat evenly. Thread chicken onto skewers, spacing the chicken a little bit apart (so it cooks evenly). Place on prepared baking sheet. 5. Bake dip and chicken until dip is warm and chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove dip from oven. Turn on broiler and broil chicken until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer skewers to a serving dish along with lemon wedges. 6. To serve, set warm dip on a trivet. Scatter gremolata over dip and serve with chicken skewers for dipping. Inspired by @peasthankyou, this dip is both gorgeous and bursting with different flavours. It features a triple swirl of earthy magenta beet hummus, silky-smooth tahini and verdant green chili oil, for a bit of heat. Crispy triangles of naan spiced with za’atar are the perfect dippers. BEET HUMMUS 1 small beet, about 3 oz (85 g), washed 1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil 1 small can (398 mL) chickpeas, drained, rinsed 1/4 tsp (1 mL) baking soda 1/2 cup (125 mL) tahini 3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh lemon juice 3 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cumin 1/4 cup (60 mL) ice water Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Makes 6 appetizer servings TIE-DYE DIP WITH ZA’ATAR NAAN CRISPS BY MEGAN POWELL

7. Place mixture in a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 1 minute. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer. Press on solids to extract maximum oil and discard solids. Transfer chili oil to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 4 days.

8. For the naan crisps, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

9. Cut each naan in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 6 triangles. Place naan on prepared tray. Drizzle with avocado oil and sprinkle with za’atar then toss to coat evenly. Bake naan until lightly golden and crisp, flipping at halfway point, 15 to 20 minutes. 10. When ready to serve, beat tahini in a large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly add ice water to tahini while mixing, until mixture is fluffy and light in colour, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt. 11. Transfer half of tahini mixture into another bowl and set aside. Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) beet hummus to remaining tahini and use mixer to incorporate it for a light pink dip. 12. To serve, you’ll need a shallow, rimmed serving dish or platter about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter. Dollop spoonfuls of beet hummus, pink tahini and plain tahini all around in dish, making a pattern of different colours. (Use 1 cup/250 mL beet hummus—saving rest for another use— and all of pink and plain tahinis.) When they’ve all been added to dish, gently tap dish on counter to close any gaps between spoonfuls. Pour some chili oil to taste in between colours, saving rest for another use, then swirl a spoon through the colours once or twice to create a subtle tie-die effect. Serve immediately with naan crisps. The tie-dye effect will become more pronounced as people swirl and dip.

ZA’ATAR NAAN CRISPS 4 store-bought naan 2 tbsp (30 mL) avocado oil 2 tbsp (30 mL) za’atar TO FINISH 1 cup (250 mL) tahini 1 cup (250 mL) ice-cold water Salt to taste

1. For the hummus, preheat oven or toaster oven to 400˚F (204˚C). Line small baking pan with parchment. 2. Place beet on a square of foil and drizzle with oil. Wrap tightly and bake in oven on baking sheet until soft, about 45 minutes. Unwrap and cool completely. Peel and cut into four pieces. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. 3. In a small pot, add chickpeas and enough water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Add baking soda and place over high heat. Boil chickpeas until they’re soft and starting to fall apart, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. 4. Place chickpeas, beet, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cumin in a food processor. Run machine until smooth, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides at least once. With machine running, slowly add ice water until you reach a very smooth consistency that still holds its shape, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate up to 5 days. 5. For the chili oil, place chilis, green onions, cilantro, chives, garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape down sides, until the mixture is very finely chopped. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl. 6. Heat avocado oil in a small pot to 250°F (121°C), then carefully pour over chili-herb mixture. Gently and carefully stir in honey. Cool for 1 hour.

Serves 8 to 10

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SUMMER 2026 ————————