Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry with Coconut Milk

Wam and comforting, this enormously flavourful vegetarian Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry combines all the classic spices and flavours of a traditional Indian curry, but combined with naturally sweet coconut milk, rich San Marzano tomatoes and fresh cilantro, for a thick and delicious curry that's also gluten and dairy free. Nutritionally rich legumes such as peas, lentils and chickpeas, are the cornerstone of healthy eating, and with Indian food being one of the tastiest plant-based cuisines, there is a world of extraordinary vegetarian recipes and wonderful curries to satisfy almost any palate. Served with warm Basmati rice, some crisp papadums and a sprinkle of chopped scallions, this simple and delicious curry is especially nice topped with a dollop of cold thick plain yogurt. 

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
Serves 4-6
Recipe courtesy of Michelle Alston

1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cardamom  
1 head of cauliflower, leaves and stalk removed; cut into medium size florets
1 red bell pepper, pith and seeds removed then roughly chopped
1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sea salt
14 oz can of cooked chickpeas, drained
14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of frozen peas
14 oz can of coconut milk
Fresh cilantro or sliced scallions, for garnish


Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium heat, using a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion and cardamom and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the spices and salt. Stir well and cook for about a minute, until the spices release their flavour.
Then pour in the chopped tomatoes plus about 1/4 cup of water added to the empty can. Stir well, then add in the chickpeas, cauliflower, peas and pepper. Cover the pan, reduce the heat then simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. This will also steam the cauliflower.

After 10 minutes, pour in the coconut milk and stir well, then simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the sauce reduces and thickens. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste. Finally, stir in the chopped coriander and serve hot with aged basmati or short grain white rice, more cilantro and warm naan.

Yasu on Harbord: A Toronto Omakase Sushi Gem

Tucked in a narrow white room on Harbord Street, Osaka-raised chef-owner Yasuhisa Ouchi delivers glistening sushi, one piece at a time, to 10 guests seated at his marble-topped bar, Yasu. The city's first sushi-only omakase restaurant, Yasuhisa's edict is simple — "In a global world where borders are becoming seamless, Toronto can now have access to the freshest seafood like what we have in Japan. Yasu took this opportunity to return to the roots of sushi, in which simplicity was the key ingredient in bringing out the taste of the sea. He uses classical methods to draw out the umami of seafood, with fish that is freshly sliced and placed atop warm, loose rice then brushed with a touch of nikiri soy for a perfectly balanced bite. In short, Yasu is all about capturing the essence of sushi. Seasonal ingredients are prepared at the sushi bar and served immediately for maximum flavour and freshness, for a true omakase sushi experience, made to order right in front of you and served a single bite at a time. 

My favourite omakase in Toronto, I am drawn to Yasu like a moth to a sushi flame, and have to satisfy my raw fish cravings every few months. The menu is a seasonally changing selection of 18 impeccably fresh pieces of edomae sushi for $135 per person, which can include Amberjack from Kyushu, Lobster from Nova Scotia, Uni from Vancouver and Hokkaido, Monkfish Liver from Boston and Shirako from Japan. The trio of akami, chūtoro, and ōtoro Bluefin Tuna from Mexico melts in your mouth and the house smoked Bonito from Hokkaido is sublime. The chef's choice of sake perfectly paired with each evenings menu, served in glasses cradled in a traditional wooden masu box, is a delightful trip through the various styles of Japanese rice wine and well worth the price. For sushi enthusiasts, Yasu is an experience unlike like any other. Place yourself in the chef's hands, and you'll leave in a blissful state of sushi euphoria every time.

Arriving at Yasu on a chilly November evening

Yasu sous chef slicing the hay smoked Bonito

Hay smoked Bonito from Hokkaido with Ponzu sauce

Dassai 50 Junmai Daiginjo Sake

A graceful and elegant well-balanced sake, filled right to the top!

Our omakase chef preparing the Shirako sushi

Shirako (cod milt) from Hokkaido, is in season now and considered a Japanese delicacy

but is an acquired taste given that it's the sperm sac of fish

Striped Jack from Shikoku Prefecture, Japan

Chef preparing the next dish featuring two different kinds of sea urchin (uni)

Two luscious uni: one from BC (R) and the other from Hokkaido (L)

Our second sake pairing, a Masumi Kippuku Kinju Junmai Ginjo from Nagano,

which translates as "good fortune and golden happiness"

The sake is certainly golden and the generous pour to the top of the rim

is certainly our "good fortune"

The chef slicing fresh Japanese scallops 

Scallop from Hokkaido garnished with a little sea salt

Crab Leg topped with crab liver from Nova Scotia

Sanma or Pacific Saury is one of the most well-known seasonal fish in Japanese autumn cuisine,

such as this umami-rich one from Hokkaido

Wonderfully rich and flavourful homemade Stiped Jack fish broth made with hatchō miso,

is known as the "emperor's miso" 

Slicing a selection of three different cuts of bluefin tuna

Selection of bluefin tuna: akami or lean red meat tuna (R), chūtoro which is the medium fatty tuna found near the skin on the back and belly (C), and ōtoro, the prized pink fatty tuna (L)

Yuho Kimoto Junmai "Rhythm of the Centuries" Sake

A lovely smooth and complex sake with great flavour

Monkfish liver from Boston, served with fresh shiso leaf and minced daikon

Nova Scotia Lobster with yuzu zest

Amberjack from Kyushu, Japan

Yoshinogawa Gokujo Ginjo, our fourth sake pairing

Founded in 1548, Yoshinogawa is the oldest brewery in the famed Sake producing region of Niigata, known for producing crisp, clean, fragrant, silky smooth sake — and clear as water

Alaskan Ikura with fatty tuna served over rice and garnished with sliced scallions 

Chef slicing the fluke (hirame) that had been cured in kombu, an edible seaweed that imparts a wonderful umami flavour to the fish

Fluke garnished with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon

Cured Mackerel from Norway draped with a paper thin slice of daikon

Anago (salt water eel) from Kyushu

Rich and creamy Murai Family Nigori Genshu Sake

Layered with flavours of coconut, anise and cream with an earthy sweetness,

this was the ideal sake pairing served towards the end of the meal

Tamagoyaki is a classic Japanese sweet egg custard

Homemade Black Sesame Iced Cream

yasu-sushibar.com/index.html

Shrimp, Mushroom & Bok Choy Stir-Fry with Ginger

Light, healthy and delicious, this Asian-inspired stir-fry combines lovely plump shrimp with lots of fresh green bok choy, broccoli, ginger, garlic, onion, and a combination of sliced shiitake and king oyster mushrooms, for an easy midweek dinner. Whisking a simple sauce of chicken broth, soy, mirin and cornstarch beforehand, allows the dish to come together in about 15 minutes, adding the lovely flavourful sauce to the stir-fry at the end, perfect for serving over fluffy rice, fried ramen or egg noodles. Other seafood such as scallops, squid or even lobster could also be used in this recipe, as well as sugar snap peas, red pepper or water chestnuts for a more colourful and robust dinner in a bowl.



Shrimp, Mushroom & Bok Choy Stir-Fry with Ginger
Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Food & Wine

3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp finely julienned peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 head broccoli, broken into florets
1/4 lb shiitake and king oyster mushrooms, stemmed and caps thinly sliced
3 small heads of bok choy, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced crosswise
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
Brown or short grained white rice, for serving


In a small bowl, whisk the chicken broth with the soy sauce, mirin to make a cornstarch slurry. Heat a nonstick wok or large, deep frying pan until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add the canola oil, julienned ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper, and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the onion and sliced mushrooms and stir-fry until they are lightly browned and nearly tender, about 3 minutes. Add the sliced bok choy and cook until the leaves are wilted and the stems are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until they are pink and curled and nearly cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir the sauce, then mix it into the wok and cook until it's slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp– and –bok choy stir-fry to a medium serving bowl and serve with brown or short grained white rice.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Rosemary & Red Wine

Braised Lamb Shanks are one of the ultimate comfort foods. A sensational dish that's cooked in an aromatic sauce for about 2-3 hours until the meat is so moist and tender, it's literally falling off the bone. 'Braising', from the french word 'braiser', is a cooking method that uses both moist and dry heat. The lamb shanks are first seared in some olive oil to brown the meat and enhance the flavour, with a handful of chopped onions, carrots and garlic sautéed with the land for a few minutes. They are then simmered in an aromatic liquid of red wine, canned Marzano tomatoes, fresh rosemary, thyme, grated lemon peel and broth, creating the most wonderfully flavoured sauce. The lamb is braised for two hours or so, until the shanks are lovely, moist and tender, and then reduced a further 30 minutes until the sauce becomes quite thick and even more full flavoured. Just before serving the lamb, the shanks are basted with the sauce and served over a mound of silky smooth mashed potato, and for a final flourish — a towering sprig of fresh rosemary and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. 



Braised Lamb Shanks with Rosemary
Serves 2
Recipe courtesy of Epicurious

2 lamb shanks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 bottle dry red wine
1 14-oz can whole tomatoes with their juice
16 oz chicken broth
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp grated lemon peel
Fresh sprigs of rosemary, for garnish
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Creamy Mashed Potatoes:
4 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 tbsp butter
Maldon salt and white pepper, to taste
1/4 cup whole milk or light cream


Preheat the oven to 375°F. Sprinkle the lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shanks and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Add the onions, carrots and garlic to the pot and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients, then return the shanks to the pot, pressing down to ensure that they're submerged. Bring the liquids to boil, then cover and simmer in the oven for 2 hours. Then uncover the pot and continue cooking until the meat is very tender, about 30-40 minutes longer. 

Meanwhile, while the lamb is braising, begin to prepare the mashed potatoes. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Cook for 25-30 minutes until they are fork tender, then toss into a colander to drain. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat then add the potatoes and mash until smooth. Pour in the milk and blend to your desired consistency, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to very low and cover to keep warm until the lamb shanks are ready to be served.

Once the lamb is beautifully tender, transfer the shanks to a platter and tent with aluminum foil. Bring the juices to a boil and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste if necessary. To serve, spoon some mashed potato in the centre of each dinner bowl, and lay a lamb shank over top. Ladle some of the sauce over or around the shanks and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a flurry chopped parsley.  

Musée des Beaux Arts: Calder Exhibition in Montréal

One of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Calder transformed the very nature of sculpture with his invention of the mobile, introducing the fourth dimension of time and the actuality of real-time experience into the realm of sculpture. His prolific artistic output extended to wire sculpture, carved figures, stabiles, standing mobiles, oil paintings, works on paper, jewelry, furniture, and domestic objects, and grew to encompass monumental public commissions across the globe. Calder created over 22,000 works and exhibited on five continents. He was born into a family of artists, and his probing mind, love of materials and penchant for invention equipped him from his early career to discard the conventional parameters of art. During the 1920s in Paris, Calder developed his art among the artistic and intellectual circles of the day, forging friendships with Cocteau, Duchamp, Le Corbusier, Léger, Mondrian, Miró, Prévert, Varèse and other prominent figures of the international avant-garde. Although not the first person to use metal and movement in his work, Calder became known for his pioneering use of both. In particular he was famous for what Marcel Duchamp christened, ‘mobiles’, and what Jean Arp named ‘stabiles’ in 1932. 

The first major Canadian retrospective of Alexander Calder at the Montreal Musée des Beaux Arts, presents the work of one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, with over 150 works ranging from paintings and drawings to wire circus figures, hanging and standing mobiles, sheet-metal stabiles as well as jewellery. An enormous fan of Calder's work, we were thrilled to explore this outstanding retrospective in Montreal while visiting the city for a few days. The event has a particular resonance in Montréal, where the artist’s Expo 67 commission, "Trois disques," or as Montrealers affectionately call it, "Man", remembering “Man and His World,” remains an iconic landmark in Parc Jean-Drapeau. Sponsored by the Canadian International Nickel Company, Calder’s monumental Trois Disques stood out even among the wildly unconventional architecture of the Expo site, an embodiment of the fair’s inclusive spirit. In recent years it has taken on a new life in a new setting on Île Ste-Hélène, where a generation of summer weekend dancers at the Piknic Électronik parties have adopted it as an icon of their own. 

Entrance to Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor, at the Montréal Musée des Beaux Arts

'Laughing Boy' by Alexander Stirling Calder, the artists father for whom he posed from an early age

Wire portrait of John Graham, 

who he met at John Sloan's drawing class at the Art Students League in 1931

Made of flexible linear wire, Calder shaped 3-D portraits of considerable character and nuance, and when suspended from the ceiling, the portraits were free to move and appear to have a life of their own

Aesop's Fables with illustrations by Calder from 1931

Pen and ink portrait of Jean-Paul Sartre by Calder from 1947

The Flying Trapeze, and oil on canvas by Calder from 1925

Circus Scene in gouache on canvas from 1925

The Brass Family from 1929, was one of calder's most ambitious wire sculptures

Detail of the sculpture with small 'Calder' signature in wire on the right

Calder performing the “Circus” from a 1955 film by Jean Painleve

Devilfish from 1947

Red Disc and Gong from 1940

Inspired after a visit to the studio his friend Piet Mondian, and seeing light shift over the colored cardboard rectangles the artist had tacked to his wall, Calder considered how these shapes would look in motion

The 'Nature Reinvested' Room of the Calder exhibition, featuring mobiles inspired by the natural environment

Aluminum Leaves and Red Post, 1941, made of sheet metal, wire and paint

Little Spider from 1940 is one of Calder's standing mobiles

Red Lily Pads from 1956

'Chock' from 1972 made of metal coffee containers, brass, wire steel and paint

Red Mobilé from 1956 (L) and Red Gongs from 1950 (centre)

Alexander Calder in Paris, 1952 © 2015 Calder Foundation

Calder's bronze 'Snake on Arch' from 1944

'Molluscs' oil on canvas from 1955

Snow Flurry III from 1948

Calder #1 Fabric designed in 1949 from Laverne Originals in NYC

Necklace from 1930 made with brass wire, ceramics and cord

Octopus Brooch from 1940 made of brass and steel wire

Necklaces and bracelets from 1938-1940 made of brass and steel wire

Jewelry case with dramatic necklace on right, made in 1930 of nickel silver wire

The 'Man and His World' complete with maquette, and film footage of expo 67

Original Trois Disques maquette from 1966

"Trois disques" at Expo 67, or as Montrealers affectionately call it, "Man" from “Man and His World,” which I remember going to as a small girl growing up in Montreal

Le Beaux-Arts is a lovely restaurant inside the museum, and ideal for lunch 

after a morning exploring the Calder Exhibition

Casa Ruffino Prosecco

A nice round pumpkin stands guard on the bar in honour of Halloween

Fresh warm baguette with butter

Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio

Soupe de tomates à l'huile d'ail

Barley risotto, candied Meyer lemon, Nantes carrots marinated in Labrador tea,

Canotier de l’Isle cheese and rhubarb powder

Fresh squid-ink linguine, candied plums and oyster mushrooms, roasted hazelnuts,

parsnip purée and nasturtium leaf

Café au Lait

www.mbam.qc.ca/renseignements/restaurant

French Toast with Maple Caramel and Ice Cream

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of chef Richard Bastien

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup 35% cream

2 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 pinch ground cloves

4 slices 2-inch thick brioche

5 tbsp butter

Maple Caramel:

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 cup corn syrup

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup of cream

In a bowl, combine the milk, cream, eggs and sugar. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Dip the slices of brioche in the mixture. Heat the butter in an oven-safe cast-iron skillet over medium heat and brown the slice of bread on both sides until the surface is crispy. Transfer the skillet to a 450°F oven and bake for 7 to 8 minutes.

During this time, prepare the maple caramel. In a medium pot, reduce the maple syrup and corn syrup until caramelized about 255°F on a candy thermometer. Remove the pot from heat, then add the butter and cream and return to the heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then remove from heat.

To serve, place a slice of French toast on each plate and garnish with a scoop of ice cream, and spoon the maple caramel on top.