LCBO_Food_&_Drink_-_Spring_2020

9 6 SPRING 2020 FOOD & DRINK

Doing lunch

from page 91

GREEN FARRO BOWL

The most satisfying green bowl! If you’ve

never thought about adding hummus you’ll be

surprised by how nicely it works to add flavour

and moisture (and extra protein) here. Buy

roasted chickpeas in the healthy snack section

of the grocery store.

1 1/3 cups (330 mL) cooked Farro

(recipe this page)

2 tbsp (30 mL) Zesty Lemon Vinaigrette

(recipe this page)

1 recipe Garlicky Greens (recipe this page)

1 avocado, halved

2 Best Hard-Boiled Eggs (recipe this page)

1/4 cup (60 mL) hummus

1 cup (250 mL) shredded Juicy Poached

Chicken, optional (recipe this page)

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp (30 mL) cilantro leaves

2 tbsp (30 mL) salted roasted chickpeas

1 Toss farro with vinaigrette and divide

between 2 containers. Add cooked greens,

avocado, peeled halved eggs, a spoonful of

hummus, chicken, if using, and season with

salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro and add

chickpeas just before serving.

Makes 2 servings

BEST HARD-BOILED EGGS

That grey line you see between the yolk and

the white on so many hard-boiled eggs just

means they are overcooked. The trick to

perfectly cooked eggs is to slightly undercook

them and chill them in water to stop them

from cooking any further.

2 large eggs

1 Place eggs in a pot with enough cold water

to cover by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil and

boil for 9 minutes. Drain and fill pot with very

cold water to stop the eggs from cooking fur-

ther. Peel, cut and season just before serving.

FARRO

You can omit the step of toasting the grain,

but toasting does boost its flavour. If you are

poaching the chicken as well, you can use the

flavourful liquid left from cooking, but dilute it

slightly so your farro isn’t overly salty.

1 cup (250 mL) farro

3 cups (750 mL) water or low-sodium

chicken stock

1 Toast farro in a dry skillet over medium heat

for 5 minutes or until it begins to pop and

take on colour. Pour into a bowl and let cool

slightly.

2 Put cooled farro into a medium pot with

salted water or stock and bring to a boil. Turn

heat to medium-low and simmer gently for

25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Drain off any

excess liquid and spread out on a plate to cool

(this will stop it from cooking further).

Makes 3 servings

GARLICKY GREENS

This method works well with any baby cook-

ing greens; the trick is not to overcrowd your

pan. Work in batches if you need to so that

resulting greens are flavourful and not at all

watery.

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp (1 mL) chili flakes

5-oz (140-g) box mixed baby cooking greens

(such as spinach, kale, chard)

Salt

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped cilantro

1 Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan on high

heat. Add garlic and chili flakes and saute for

30 seconds or until garlic is golden. Add baby

greens to pan and stir-fry for 1 minute or until

wilted. Season with salt to taste and remove

from heat. Let cool and stir in cilantro.

Makes 2 servings

JUICY POACHED CHICKEN

Starting your chicken in cold water with lots

of aromatics is the key to making delicious

poached chicken.

2 medium bone-in skin-on chicken breasts,

about 1 1/4 lbs (565 g)

5 cups (1.25 L) cold water

1/2 onion, cut into chunks

1 stick celery, cut into chunks

1-inch (2.5-cm) chunk ginger, sliced

2 tsp (10 mL) kosher salt

1/2 tsp (2 mL) black peppercorns

1 Combine all the ingredients in an uncov-

ered medium pot (chicken should be covered

by liquid). Turn heat to medium and slowly

bring liquid to a gentle simmer. Turn heat to

low and cook very gently (with small bubbles

going from top to bottom) for 45 minutes or

until chicken is cooked (internal temperature

should be 165°F (74°C). Remove from heat.

2 Transfer chicken to a plate. Let cool. Re-

move and discard skin and bones, then shred

or slice meat.

Makes 3 to 4 servings

ZESTY LEMON VINAIGRETTE

A bright and well balanced vinaigrette that will

perk up so many kinds of lunches.

2 tbsp (30 mL) white wine vinegar

2 tbsp (30 mL) strained fresh lemon juice

1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon rind

1 tsp (5 mL) honey

1/4 cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Combine vinegar, lemon juice, rind, honey

and olive oil in a small jar and shake to emul-

sify. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 1/2 cup (125 mL)

Recipes

With wine, beer and spirit pairings by the

LCBO’s Knowledge Resources Group.