Side

A thoroughly modern take on the classic baked potato with sour cream.

Use a mandoline to cut the parsnips easily.

This quick-to-make cornbread is a delicious — and unusual — side for the Steamed Clams with Pasta. Improv: No pancetta? Regular bacon works, too.

If you have trouble finding pea tendrils, pea sprouts (young pea tendrils) work very well with this dish; you'll find them at Asian markets and farmers' markets.

Making spaetzle at home is simple and satisfying. Serve it with buttery mushrooms or pair the naked dumplings with any saucy dish.

Wonderfully crunchy, toasted panko transforms an ordinary vegetable into a truly special side dish.

Eaten with great gusto all over Quebec, poutine was once just a late-night diner staple. It is now served at some of the province's finest restaurants.

Tossed in a fabulous country-style dressing, these bitter greens are a wonderful counterpoint to a hearty main course.

Coarsely chopped coriander seeds add a lovely floral note to this nutty Middle Eastern grain.

A good-quality extra-virgin olive oil makes all the difference here. Elena uses Barbera Frantoia XV, from Sicily, which, when tossed with the warm beans, bursts with a gentle grassy flavor.

Fèves au Lard
These beans boast two staples of Montreal cuisine —sweet maple syrup and rich salt pork.

Elena slow-cooks her polenta the traditional way, which can be a soul-satisfying experience if you set aside the time. When polenta is cooked properly, each grain of cornmeal slowly absorbs the liquid until it swells, becoming perfectly tender and seeming to disappear within the whole.

For a gentle boost of sweetness, these buttery biscuit roll-ups feature maple in both the dough and the filling.