World Cup Special - Canada

 There was really only one dish that I could do for Canada: Poutine.  That comfort food mix of chips, gravy and cheese curds that could easily be veganised.

Ingredients

Chips

• 800 g russet potatoes or potatoes good for chips
• 45-60 ml avocado or melted coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Gravy

• 45 g avocado or melted coconut oil
• 50 g shallots finely chopped
• 105 g diced button mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper
• 15 ml balsamic vinegar
• 21 g cornstarch (or arrowroot or if not gf plain flour)
• 120 ml vegetable stock
• 240 ml almond milk
• 1-2 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup of vegan mozzerella cheese or vegan chedder cheese

Instructions

• For the chips preheat oven to 232 degrees C. Peel the potatoes and chop into thin slices and then into strips to have thin chips.  
• Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Add fries, oil , and salt and toss to coat. Then arrange fries in a single layer, making sure they do not overlap too much. 
• Bake for a total of 25-35 minutes, tossing/flipping at least once to ensure even baking. When the fries are finished, remove from oven and set aside.
• While chip are baking, prepare the gravy by heating a deep frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and shallots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add mushrooms, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
• Stir and increase heat to medium high to brown the mushrooms. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until they are slightly caramelized. Then add the cornstarch and stir to coat. It should look dry at this point. 
• Lower heat to low and slowly add the broth and almond milk while whisking. It should resemble gravy pretty quickly and should bubble and thicken as it cooks.
• Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Add broth or almond milk to thin if it becomes too thick.
• Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth . Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt and pepper to taste or more Worcestershire for more depth of flavor. 
• Return gravy to stovetop and heat on lowest heat to keep warm.
• To serve add all of the baked fries to one baking sheet. Add the vegan cheese over the fries.  Then place fries back in oven on the top rack so the cheese can melt and get slightly browned. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
• Pour the gravy over top and dig in!

Score: Canada 1 Morocco 2

Football Score : 3 (Canada really went down fighting in this match. Lots of energy and passion from the team and bodes well for the next World Cup in 2026 (in which they automatically qualify for by being joint hosts))

Food: 4 (So a real surprise dish.... it just reeks comfort food....this was satisfying, moreish and super umami )