Food and Drink

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each of the hot and sweet paprika on the short ribs and rub it in well. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
2. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add half of the short ribs and cook slowly over moderately low heat, turning, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the short ribs to a platter and repeat with the remaining oil and ribs.
3. Add the onions to the casserole and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the caraway seeds and the remaining 1 teaspoon each of hot and sweet paprika. Cook over low heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the Cognac and simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and slowly whisk in the beef stock until smooth.
4. Return the short ribs to the casserole with any accumulated juices and bring to a simmer. Cover the casserole with wax paper and then the lid and bake the stroganoff in the oven for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
5. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate to cool, then finely grind in a spice grinder or mortar.
6. Return the casserole to the stove over low heat. Stir in the cornichons and toasted caraway. In a bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the hot cooking liquid into the sour cream. Stir the sauce back into the stroganoff and turn off the heat. Continue stirring until well blended. Serve hot.

Make Ahead

The stroganoff can be refrigerated overnight. Rewarm and add the sour cream just before serving.

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, adding green beans for the last 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook garlic, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until softened and fragrant, but not browned. Stir in lemon juice and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk eggs with ½ tsp (2 mL) salt and pepper, to taste, in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk garlic mixture into egg mixture.
4. Drain pasta and beans, reserving 1 cup (250 mL) cooking water. Return pasta to the pot off the heat. Whisk ½ cup (125 mL) of the cooking water into egg mixture, then quickly toss with the hot pasta to coat evenly. Add more of the reserved cooking water to thin sauce as desired.
5. Add tuna and olives and season with salt and pepper; toss gently to combine. Portion pasta into warmed bowls and sprinkle with chives.
6. Serves 4

1. Break tuna into large flakes. Toss gently with beans, peppers, olives, onion and half the basil in a bowl.
2. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, tarragon and anchovy fillets. Mixture should be thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Toss half of mayonnaise with the tuna mixture. Place salad greens on platter or 4 plates. Mound tuna salad on top. Sprinkle with remaining basil and drizzle with remaining mayonnaise.
4. Serves 4 as a main course

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. In a medium saucepan, cook bacon pieces over medium-high heat until fat has rendered and bacon is nicely browned, about 10 minutes.
3. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove bacon and set aside for stuffing. Place 3 tbsp (45 mL) of rendered bacon fat into a large roasting pan, discard leftover fat, and reserve saucepan to make stuffing.
4. Into the roasting pan place turkey neck, onions, carrots, celery, garlic cloves and sage. Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir to combine.
5. Being careful not to tear the skin, gently loosen it from the breast meat and place 1 tbsp (15 mL) of butter under the skin of each breast. Smear the remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter over entire turkey. Season turkey generously inside and out with salt and pepper.
6. Place roasting rack over vegetables and place turkey onto rack. Roast uncovered in middle of a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the vegetables and turkey brown slightly; do not let vegetables burn.
7. Remove pan from oven; carefully add cider and 2 cups (500 mL) water to pan. Loosely cover the turkey with foil and return to oven. Roast for 2 hours, basting once each hour and adding an additional cup of water to pan when needed. Important: never let the bottom of pan dry out.
8. After 2 hours, remove foil and continue to roast turkey until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170°F (77°C), about 30 more minutes. When cooked, remove turkey to platter or cutting board. Keep covered with foil and let rest 20 minutes before carving.
9. Remove rack from pan. Place 1 cup (250 mL) water into roasting pan and heat over medium-high, scraping up browned bits from bottom. Carefully strain liquid from solids, pressing gently on solids to extract flavour; 2 cups (500 mL) of liquid are needed for the gravy. If there is too little, top up with water.
10. For pan gravy, in a small saucepan melt remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) butter over medium- high heat. Whisk flour into melted butter until well combined. Slowly whisk in warm pan liquid until well combined and thickened. Lower heat and simmer for 3 minutes; set aside and keep warm. If it becomes too thick, loosen with a few drops of water.
11. Slice turkey and serve with pan gravy and stuffing (recipe follows).
12. STUFFING
13. While the turkey is roasting, begin to make the stuffing. To saucepan used for bacon, melt 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery, and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and apple and continue to cook for 10 minutes more. Add sage and reserved bacon pieces and warm through for about 2 minutes.
14. In a large bowl, toss cubed bread, pecans and bacon mixture until well combined. Season generously with salt and pepper. Begin to slowly pour chicken stock over bread, starting with 3 cups (750 mL) of stock and working up from there, if needed. Toss occasionally until all the bread has been well-moistened but is not soggy.
15. Place mixture in a buttered glass baking dish. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove foil and continue cooking until the top is lightly toasted, about 20 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.
16. Makes 10 cups (2.5 L)