July 30, 2020 (Toronto) — McClelland & Stewart announces today the forthcoming publication of For the Good of the Force, an investigation into the history of racism, misogyny, and violence within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police by Canadian journalist Jane Gerster. It will be published in 2022.
Simple, quick, and deliciously perfumed by the smoky flavor of a well-seasoned wok, this is my go-to lunch in Thailand, and I definitely prefer it made with fresh rice noodles instead of dried. Fresh noodles don’t need water to cook; hence, they pick up better wok flavor (“wok breath”) and have far better texture. When selecting fresh noodles, make sure you choose the thin and chewy ones, which are often mixed with tapioca, rather than the thick Chinese soft rolls.
“Wok breath” refers to the deep smokiness that a well-seasoned wok imparts to food. Dry noodle dishes such as pad si ew are especially enhanced by this flavor. It’s important to preheat your wok well so that the food hits the hot wok with a sizzle, and you have to keep the wok moving constantly to prevent the food from overcooking while giving it enough time to pick up the wok breath. But make sure the wok isn’t so smoking hot that the oil burns as soon as you pour it into the pan—the smell of burning oil is hugely undesirable and adds unwanted bitterness to your food.
This is a classic roast chicken—herb-scented and bronzeskinned—that’s been vamped out with crispy mushrooms cooked in the same pan. The mushrooms absorb all the heady chicken juices as they roast, turning golden and crunchy. It’s sort of like they’d been fried in schmaltz, but a whole lot easier. You can use any mix of mushrooms here, but I especially love to include maitake (hen-of-the-woods). Their lacy edges turn potato-chip brittle, and it’s very hard to stop eating them.
I first tried poke in Hawaii, and I still remember how it opened a whole new world of flavours for me. Maybe it was how the sesame oil and soy sauce flavoured the fresh ahi tuna, or how simple ingredients like rice and avocado complemented this dish so well. I must have eaten poke every day during my visit. It is one of the most emblematic dishes in Waikiki, and you will find it everywhere throughout the island, from restaurants and food trucks to taco joints and local delis. At home, I often make poke during the summer months and always marinate my tuna in toasted sesame oil paired with soy sauce, which gives it a rich, deep, nutty flavour.
Green papaya salad is, by far, the most popular dish among Thai people. It’s most commonly portioned for one person, but is also easily shared as an appetizer between two or three. The simplicity, robust flavors, sharpness, and balance of this salad make it a perfect ambassador for Thai cuisine, and it highlights the full spectrum of Thai flavors: hot, sour, sweet, and salty. There are countless regional variants of this dish, but this is the classic version, also known as som dtam thai.
I make this salad for family gatherings because kids and grown-ups alike always love the mixture of ingredients. Parents are happy because their kids are eating broccoli, and kids are happy because it tastes yummy! It’s a total crowd-pleaser.
You can easily make this dairy-free by using coconut yogurt or cashew yogurt. Just make sure it’s unsweetened. I really love the sour taste of plain sheep’s milk yogurt, and nowadays it’s pretty easy to find at most health food stores and in the natural foods section of big grocery stores. I like to serve this with my Rustic Mediterranean Summer Galette (page 199). And for dessert, the Almond Butter Rice Crispy Squares (page 220) are perfect.
Watermelon is perfect all on its own, but in the warm summer months, I add this hydrating melon to as many meals as possible. A feta and watermelon salad is classic, and for good reason: the salty cheese combined with the sweet, refreshing melon is a match made in salad heaven. I throw in some fresh mint and Middle Eastern spices like sumac and za’atar for a kick of flavor.