Toronto (February 12, 2020) - Penguin Random House Canada joins legions of others today in mourning the death of brilliant journalist and Doubleday Canada author Christie Blatchford.
Christie was such a force of nature, such a vivid presence, that her loss does not seem credible. We will be expecting her warm if profanity-packed call for a long time to come.
I have met more than one stranger who has asked me: “You’re Indian? Do you like chicken tikka masala? I LOVE chicken tikka masala.” As absurd as this line of questioning is, I do not blame them because the creamy, gravy-like masala sauce is nothing short of amazing.
Typically, the spiced tomato cream sauce gets its richness from some combination of heavy cream, ghee, and whole milk yogurt. To mimic this luscious consistency without the dairy, this recipe relies on two substitutes: full-fat coconut milk and cashew cream. Unlike most cashew cream recipes, which require you to soak raw cashews overnight, this one can come together while you prep the rest of the ingredients. It adds a rich mouthfeel and creamy texture that will have your guests convinced they’re eating the traditional dairy-heavy version.
A few notes: Refrigerating the coconut cream for 24 hours (or more) allows the thick cream to separate from the liquid so it’s easy to scoop out. The rest of the coconut milk is saved for the tikka masala. Be sure to cut the cauliflower into large florets; otherwise, the high pressure of the Instant Pot will overcook them. Finally, you can make the Cashew Cream (recipe follows) while the tikka masala is being pressure-cooked, or make ahead and store in the fridge.
If you want to transport yourself to a Caribbean island without the expensive airfare, I highly recommend making these jackfruit tacos. Canned jackfruit is shredded until it has the consistency of pulled pork (gasp!) and is then quickly cooked in a blend of Jamaican jerk spices. Don’t let the habanero pepper dissuade you from making this dish, as its citrusy, floral heat is well balanced by the juicy sweetness of mango and creaminess of avocado in the salsa. And a touch of liquid smoke adds a rich but subtle smokiness reminiscent of barbecue, making this the perfect dish to make for meat eaters, too.
The one saving grace of winter is being able to enjoy cozy comfort foods without any guilt. Like this chai spiced rice pudding. It has the flavors of a warming cup of chai and the sweet richness of traditional rice pudding. For a luscious texture, I recommend using a rice that is labeled medium-grain rice, which has the perfect amount of starch to thicken the pudding while keeping it creamy but not sticky.
While this pudding is sweet enough for dessert, it’s healthy enough for breakfast. Your options for topping are endless, but I love something crunchy like toasted nuts for a contrast in textures. It’s also fabulous with stewed plums or the Roasted Grapes.
The Myth of Freedom, scheduled for fall 2021, is a heady, brilliant, iconoclastic work of criticism that examines the concept of freedom through the lenses of art, climate, drugs, and sex. Rather than focusing on moments of liberation, the book attends to ongoing practices of freedom by which we balance our obligations to others with the preservation of the space to move, think, organize, express, and imagine. Nelson is one of the most esteemed writers of our day, and her extraordinary mind is in full flower in this new book.
Monday, January 27, 2020 (Toronto, ON): McClelland & Stewart announces they will publish Margaret Atwood’s forthcoming book of poetry, Dearly, on November 10, 2020.
I’m not sure you could design a recipe healthier than this dish—this one truly has it all, from good fats to protein, and fiber to antioxidants. Equally important is the fact that it’s effortless to make and tastes amazing. Roasting fish on a sheet pan in a hot oven simplifies the cooking process, while the grape and walnut salsa keeps things light, bright, fresh, and crunchy and flaxseeds take the place of bread crumbs. Did I mention that it’s just as great at room temperature or even cold from the fridge as it is warm? I remember eating this on set and being amazed at how well it held up from the day before!
I’ve always liked chickpeas, but after learning about their numerous health benefits, including as a great source of manganese, a trace mineral that is a strong antioxidant and inflammation buster, I’ve made an effort to cook with them more. In addition to the chickpeas, this hearty stew gets a nutritional boost from heaps of kale. Know going in that kale shrinks considerably when cooked, so what might appear to be a giant bunch wilts down to just the right amount. The fresh lemon at the end really brightens up the stew.
One sip of this great smoothie and you’ll swear you’re hanging out on some tropical island. This bright and festive drink goes down great on a hot summer day when you’re lounging outside or working in the garden. The coconut water brings vitamins and minerals to the party that regular water does not. And if you’re feeling a little rowdy, you can add a shot of rum to turn it into a tasty cocktail. After all, life is all about balance!
This dish is super simple to prep and comes together quickly, so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal that’s just a little fancy. Slightly bitter, totally delicious radicchio, the grapefruit of the vegetable world, is sautéed in wedges with chicken thighs. It’s all finished with a sauce of chicken pan drippings, brown butter, lemon juice, capers, and golden raisins, which might be the greatest way on Earth to cook all of the above. Starting the chicken in a cold pan allows the fat to render slowly, getting the skin extra crispy as it cooks in more and more of its own rendered fat. You can easily double this recipe, but the chicken thighs and radicchio require a lot of surface area to get the crispiest, and I don’t have a pan that big. But if you do, you’ll have double the magic of chicken thighs that taste a little like radicchio and radicchio that tastes a little like chicken and a ton of food that all tastes like lemony brown butter.