LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2018

SMOKE signals from page 52

refrigerate until ready to assemble (béchamel may be made up to 3 days in advance). 3 Heat olive oil in a clean skillet over medium heat. Cook pork until no longer pink, breaking apart with a fork as you go. Return reserved ba- con to pan; stir in onion and garlic. Cook 3 min- utes longer. Add carrot, celery, sage and thyme to skillet and cook an additional 5minutes. Pour wine over; reduce by half. Stir in remaining 1 cup (250 mL) milk; once again, reduce by half. 4 Add tomatoes to pan, stir and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until thickened and flavourful. Stir in nutmeg; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Scrape into a heatproof container, cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble (tomato sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance). 5 For the chard filling, trim centre stem from each leaf of chard; cut into ½-inch (1-cm) lengths. Chop leaves. Set both aside keeping stems and leaves separate. 6 Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and chard stems; cook for 4 minutes. Stir in garlic; add chard leaves to pan. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring from time to time until tender. Turn out into a large bowl, let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in ricotta, then eggs and nutmeg. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble (ricotta mixture can be made one day in advance). 7 For the potatoes, peel and cut in half length- wise. Toss with oil and salt. Arrange in a single layer on smoking rack. Place smoking chips in bottom of smoker; top with drip tray then rack containing potatoes. Seal with lid or foil and set over high heat for 1 minute; reduce to low and smoke for 40 minutes. With kitchen fan running, remove to a non-reactive dish, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days (chilled potatoes are easier to slice). 8 To assemble, slice potatoes ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick; set aside. Use one-third (roughly 1½ cups or 375 mL) tomato sauce to cover bottom of a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm, or 3-L capacity) bak- ing dish. Top with one-third (about ⅔ cup or 150 mL) béchamel. Arrange a layer of potato overtop, using about one-quarter of the potato slices. Top this with roughly one-half the chard filling and then another layer of potato slices, again using another one-quarter. Repeat the 2 sauce layers; sprinkle with half the mozza- rella and half the Parmesan. Once again, top with a potato layer, then remaining chard fill- ing. Finish with the remaining potato, tomato sauce, béchamel and cheeses. 9 Cover dish with foil, preferably nonstick, and bake in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and continue to cook for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbling and top is golden. Let stand for 20 minutes be- fore cutting into pieces to serve. Serves 8

WHAT TO SERVE TheWolftrap Viognier Chenin Blanc Grenache Blanc LCBO 292532 $13.95 A subtle smoky note in this flavourful wine makes it a perfect pairing for the layered flavours in this rich dish. Cave Spring Gamay VQA LCBO 228569 $15.95 The smoky character of the recipe will pair perfectly with the smoked meat notes in this local gem.

SMOKED POTATO “LASAGNA” A tricked-out potato casserole that borrows in- spiration from good old lasagna, this one takes some planning, just like lasagna. Make all of your components ahead of time and assemble on the day, or even the day before you want to eat. It’s all worth it! Make fast work of the finely chopped vegetables by using your food processor. If you’d prefer to avoid a big pro­ ject, make the smoked potatoes and use them for buttery hash browns, home fries or grating into a frittata—seriously delicious. SAUCES 6 slices double-smoked thick-cut bacon, finely chopped

SMOKED DATE OLD FASHIONED

The Old Fashioned is a cocktail ripe for re- invention. It’s a simple drink that takes well to different sugars and even unconventional sweeteners in place of the usual white sugar. Case in point, a fascinating smoked date syrup. 1 In a rocks glass filled with ice, add 2 oz rye with ½ oz Smoked Date Syrup (recipe follows) and 2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir to chill. Garnish with a piece of orange peel and half a smoked date if you’ve made extra. Serves 1 SMOKED DATE SYRUP Make a few extra dates to eat if you like—but don’t add extra wood chips, if you do. The dates are terrific eaten out of hand, chopped up and thrown into wintery salads, or even used as a garnish for the cocktail. 2 tbsp (30 mL) fine maple or cherry smoking chips 4 Medjool dates ½ cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar 1 cup (250 ml) water 1 piece orange peel, 4 inches (10 cm) long 1 Arrange smoking chips in bottom of smok- er. Place rack over (there is no need for a drip tray) and place dates on rack. Cover with lid or foil and place over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce to low. Smoke for 10 minutes. With kitchen fan running, remove dates to a board. When cool enough to handle, remove pits. 2 Combine dates, sugar, water and orange peel in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. 3 Remove and discard peel. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth into a glass jar; cover and refrigerate until chilled (syrup will last for 1 month in fridge). Makes about 1¼ cups (310 mL)

2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour 3 cups (750 mL) milk, divided Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

8 oz (250 g) ground pork 1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped 3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped sage 2 tsp (10 mL) chopped thyme 1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine 1 can (796 mL) Italian tomatoes and their liquid, tomatoes roughly mashed or chopped Pinch nutmeg CHARD FILLING 1 lb (500 g) Swiss chard 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter 1 onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, finely chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 lb (500 g) ricotta 2 eggs, lightly beaten Pinch nutmeg SMOKED POTATOES 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, 3¼ to 3½ lbs (1.5 to 1.6 kg) total weight 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable or canola oil 1 tsp (5 mL) salt 4 tsp (20 mL) fine maple smoking chips TO ASSEMBLE ⅔ lb (350 g) mozzarella, coarsely grated 1 cup (250 mL) finely grated Parmesan cheese 1 In a large skillet, fry bacon over medium heat until just beginning to crisp, about 5 min- utes. Remove with a slotted spoon; reserve. 2 Pour off all but 2 tbsp (30 mL) bacon fat; re- turn to heat. Stir in flour. Slowly whisk in 2 cups (500 mL) milk. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, pour into a heatproof bowl, cover and

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