Canadian Home Trends Colour & Trends 2014 | Page 105

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6 people

1
head of radicchio
2 apples
6oz asiago
2 tbsp. pomegranate
kernels
2 tbsp. pine nuts
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
½ tsp. honey
½ tsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper

1. PREPARE THE VINAIGRETTE
by mixing the vinegar with honey and
mustard. Add salt and pepper and slowly
add the oil, mix well and taste for correct
seasoning. Set aside.

radicchio apple
PREP TIME

30
MINUTES

2. JULIENNE THE APPLES, radicchio
and the cheese and season with the
vinaigrette immediately. Toss well and
place on a plate garnished with toasted
pine nuts and pomegranate
seeds.

Chef Massimo Capra

Text
Massimo Capra
Photography
Stephani Buchman

this time of the year, local markets
tend to be lean. Options are fewer, and fresh
autumn produce is now a distant memory. It's
time to turn on the ovens and dust off the
cast-iron pots and get ready for a good workout.

Some of my favourite foods are stews, roasts
and braised meat because they are versatile and
easy to prepare. For an added bonus, the
left-overs can be effortlessly converted into some
of the tastiest pasta sauces.

Cooking seasonal vegetables can be tricky,
especially when the choices are not within our
palate range. Despite this challenge, with a little
imagination, even a simple cabbage can become
a delicious meal or an accompaniment to beef,
pork, lamb or chicken.

Mastering the proper cooking techniques for
squashes, root vegetables and winter greens,
like endives and radicchio, can be an ace in your
sleeve at your next dinner party. And let’s not
forget our preserved summer harvest; serving
small portions of preserved fruits and vegetables
garnished with fresh herbs, olive oil and warm
bread can be a great starter at any party.

I've prepared some of my favourite wintertime
recipes for this issue. They are as follows; a
radicchio apple and asiago salad, bigoli in salsa,
coconut curry chicken stew, and roasted seasonal
fruit. TIP: Roasting fruits, like apples, plums and
pears, will extract more flavour than leaving them
raw. And by adding dry fruit to the mixture, it
will bring a new dimension to the dessert. All of
these recipes make great dinner party dishes and
bring back wonderful memories. For instance,
the spaghetti sauce was a traditional condiment
in my in-laws house and the chicken stew was a
favourite of my mother’s ever since I learned the
recipe in cooking school. Happy cooking!
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