9 minute read
Medalling With My Food
ChisholmJake
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FORBIDDENRice
A MEAL FIT FOR ROYALTY
BY TRACY STUART
MEDALLING WITH MY FOOD
Tracy is an Olympic medallist and has a Chef’s diploma from the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts.
Iwas recently invited to participate in a Master Chef competition that was organized by an international peer group that I belong to. Of course, my competitive spirit kicked into high gear and I accepted the challenge.
To prepare for the challenge we were given a scorecard and the point system, but the only real parameter was that the dish must contain rice. As you can imagine, the contestants could really take this anywhere—with rice, the world truly is your oyster. So to speak.
I was determined to make something special; something fit for a queen and yet would be enjoyed by children as well. The search began; I pored through my beloved cookbooks, which took me on journeys through Mexico, Brazil, Spain, France, Japan, and China. I finally landed on a recipe that I have made a few times and as I reacquainted myself with the ingredients, my taste buds began to water as the memories of this dish came flooding back to me.
I discovered the recipe in Food: What the Heck Should I Cook by Mark Hyman. His original recipe is entitled Forbidden Rice—No-fry Stir Fry, but for this challenge I really wanted to make it my own. I made some adaptations to suit my palette for the competition, after all, a racer must stick to their own race plan. I absolutely love race planning, so I decided that I would treat this competition exactly like the Master Chef competitions that you would see on television. This meant grabbing my basket and heading out to source the best ingredients, sticking to local and organic where possible. I knew that the key to making this recipe was to misé en place the heck out of it. Imagine everything chopped, diced, sliced, and measured out ahead of time. When you prepare this way, the recipe will come together like a dream; it will seem effortless to those watching, just like a perfect race. This meant having lots of bowls—five in fact—at the ready, since the different vegetables and ingredients all require different cook times. The clock is also a major factor in racing and in cooking, so I thoughtfully developed a race plan (or rice plan, if you will) to keep everything on track and under one hour. If you follow these steps, this recipe will go from page to table within 55 minutes. Ready. Set. Go.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup forbidden rice 1 large head broccoli 1 large carrot 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow pepper 1 head of bok choy 1 cup green cabbage ½ cup shelled thawed edamame 3 garlic cloves 1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger ¼ cup gluten-free tamari ½ teaspoon sesame oil 3 tablespoons slivered almonds 4 ounces bean sprouts 1 lime ½ cup pea shoots 3 tablespoons green onions 1 avocado, pitted
I had an absolute blast competing again, and my guests gave this dish a 12/10 review. The adjectives that my peers used to describe the dish were beautiful, delicious, crunchy, flavourful, and wow! I couldn’t have asked for any more than that.
DIRECTIONS
1. Measure ½ cup of forbidden rice into a pot. Cover with water and set aside to soak.
Take note of the gorgeous colour and superior nutritional value of this rice. Its purplish black colour is a result of a high concentration of anthocyanin, a brilliant antioxidant.
Forbidden rice earned its name because it was once reserved for the Chinese emperor to ensure his health and longevity, and forbidden to anyone else. Perfect to gain the upper hand in a competition! 2. Prepare your misé en place for the stir-fry (approximately 20 mins). 3. Rinse and cook the rice in 1 ½ cups water (approximate cook time 20 mins). Combine rice and water in a small pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 20-25 mins, until rice is tender. Spread on a large plate to cool. 4. While rice is cooking prepare your misé en place for the garnish • Juice of 1 lime • ½ cup loosely packed pea shoots • 3 tablespoons green onions • 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced • 1 tablespoon slivered almonds toasted 5. Show time. This is where it all comes together.
Note: use tongs to stir often throughout this process. (approximate combined cook time, 15 mins). Note the rainbow of colour in the bowls; phytonutrients are plentiful in this dish, your body will love you for it. • Heat avocado oil in a large sauté pan (or wok) over medium heat until shimmering. • Add contents of bowl 1 and stir-fry for 5 mins. • Add contents of bowl 2 and stir fry for 2 mins. • Add contents of bowl 3 and stir fry for 2 mins. • Add contents of bowl 4 and stir fry for 3 mins. • Add rice to vegetables and reduce the heat for 3 mins. • Add contents of bowl 5, toss, and remove from heat 6. Plate and Garnish.
Remember food is art, and we eat with our eyes first.
Divide the stir fry among four bowls and top each with garnishes to complete your work of art.
BOWL 1 (MEDIUM SIZE )
• 1 large head broccoli, stems peeled, and thinly sliced. Florets cut in bite-sized pieces • 1 large carrot, cut into rounds BOWL 2 (LARGE SIZE)
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced • 1 yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced • 1 head of bok choy, thinly sliced • 1 cup green cabbage thinly sliced BOWL 3 (SMALL SIZE)
• ½ cup shelled, thawed edamame • 3 garlic cloves, micro-grated • 1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger, micro-grated BOWL 4 (SMALL SIZE)
• ¼ cup gluten-free tamari • ½ teaspoon sesame oil BOWL 5 (SMALL SIZE)
• 3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted (set 1 tablespoon aside to be used for garnish) • 4 ounces bean sprouts
DIY
Faux and foraging
BY NICOLE LEBLANC
PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH, VISION FIRE STUDIOS
Ever leaf through a magazine like this and see a beautiful wreath and say, “I wish I could do that?” Well, now you can because we’re going to walk through how you can make this beautiful wreath using simple faux materials and fresh items that you can source locally.
For this project, on a seasonably warm day, my dad and I headed out to some family property to snip some greenery. I usually try to gauge what I need, and if there’s any left over, I love to throw it in a vase with water for decoration.
If you don’t have a favourite location where you can grab some snippets, local grocery stores often sell boughs of pine, spruce and cedar, which will give you plenty to work with. I also grabbed two types of eucalyptus from a local flower farmer to add some dimension to the monochromatic greenery and snipped some end-of-season lavender from my home garden. Finding various shades of greens can add depth and interest to your wreath.
Steps and tips:
• For your greenery, bring along some scissors or pruning shears (recommended tool) and a bag or box to collect your items. • Fluff your wreath. Most of the time these have been tucked in boxes and then put on the shelf or stored until the following holiday. Spend some time fluffing out the branches to prepare the base. • These wreaths are quite full and it’s easy to insert your greenery securely. Each branch also has wire in it, making it easy to insert your live pieces and give them something to hang onto. • If you like a balanced look, treat the wreath like a clock and start at 12, 3, 6, and 9 to create symmetry on the wreath. • Remember, you can’t mess this up. It’s easy to take pieces out or add more— there’s no right or wrong way to do this. • This project can also be done with live greenery wreaths, however, they may not last as long.
Tip: Spritz the wreath with water from the back to keep your cuts hydrated and lasting a little longer.
Add a pop of colour
Going back to faux items, you can easily add some holiday embellishments such as winter berry is often a favourite as are pine cones, and when the holidays are over, pop in some neutrals like white berries, or swap out your ribbon to enjoy this wreath as winter décor. The blue velvet ribbon here makes this the perfect wreath for our door during the cold winter months.
Share a fun activity
This activity is a great low-cost activity, a way to get outside for some fresh air, involve the kids in foraging, or make it a craft night with friends. Fire up the hot chocolate, throw on some Christmas tunes, and enjoy a fun night where everyone leaves with a special piece of décor. If you get creative, make sure to tag @athomeonthenorthshore so we can see what you create.
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