A Christmas Chicken

I learned from Ina Garten that if you parboil garlic cloves, they lighten considerably, and allow you to use many in a single dish, as she does with roasted chicken.

Inspired by this, I set out to modify a coq au vin blanc for a Christmasy presentation.  I love crispy browned chicken, so I don't braise the chicken covered in the wine, but rather roast uncovered in a low bed of wine.  This allows the wine and sherry flavors to infuse, while keeping the chicken crispy and brown.
1 head garlic, separated into cloves, unpeeled
1 whole roaster chicken, cut into about 10 pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary or oregano - or a mix
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
10 oz baby portabello mushrooms

1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup cream sherry

Preheat oven to 375F. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the garlic cloves and cook 1 minute. Drain and peel the cloves.

Brown the chicken pieces in batches in a dash of olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Remove Chicken to a bowl.

Add the red pepper and onion to the pot and sauté about 5 minutes. Add a dash of olive oil if necessary. Add the parboiled garlic cloves, herbs and red pepper flakes to the red pepper and cook another 5 minutes.

Remove to the chicken.

Melt the butter with the oil in the pot.

Slice the mushrooms very thickly and brown them in the pot with the butter and oil. This will take about 10 minutes. Return the chicken and pepper mix to the pot, keeping the pieces with the browned skin on the surface, largely uncovered with veggies - you want this to brown nicely in the oven.

Now carefully pour the white wine around the edges of the chicken, not on top - again you want the skin to brown, not braise. The liquid should not cover the chicken.

Roast chicken uncovered in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pot to the stovetop and carefully add the sherry, again, around the edges of the pot. Return to the oven and cook another 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and nicely browned.

Serve with your favorite sides. Serves 4-6.

Holiday Grilled Wild Caught Salmon Salad with Pecans

How to make a healthy salmon meal look all Christmasy.
about 6 cups baby greens of choice
1-1/2 lb wild caught salmon fillet

Marinade:
palmful mint
palmfull lemon balm
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp dried red chili flakes, or to taste

Dressing:
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil

2 jeruselum cucumbers, cut into half moons
1 large fresh ripe tomato, sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped
1/2 cup salted pecans

Place salmon and lemon mint marinade in a zip lock bag or in a casserole for about half an hour.

Whisk together the dressing. Pour half in a bowl and toss with the tomatoes, cucumbers and raisins. Stir and allow to macerate.

Heat a grill to high. Remove salmon from marinade and lay on grill, skin-side down. Spoon remaining marinade onto top of fish. Turn grill to medium, cover and cook salmon for about 10 minutes, checking for flare-ups. Remove salmon to a cutting board.

Toss greens with some dressing to taste. Distribute greens onto four plates. Top with tomato mixture. Cut salmon into four portions and place each portion onto salad. Sprinkle with pecans.

Serves 4.

Christmas Scampi

Merry Christmas dinner was fun and quick with this easy festive scampi dish.
1/2 lb angel hair pasta
2 doz shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper, sliced
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp capers, drained
1 Tbsp fresh lemon thyme

4 cups broccoli floweretts
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 green onions, sliced

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a pot. Salt generously and add the pasta. Cook pasta to only just al dente. Drain and return to pot off off the heat. Add a dash of canola oil, cover to keep warm.

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in the oil in a large skillet. Add the red pepper and shallot and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, capers and thyme and cook another 2-3 minutes. Set peppers aside in a bowl and add the wine to the skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the chicken broth and the shrimp and simmer for about 3-4 minutes.

While the shrimp cooks, place the broccoli in a shallow casserole with 2 tablespoons water. Season with salt, cover and microwave for 3-4 minutes, until only just crisp-tender. Drain and add broccoli to the shrimp along with the reserved red pepper. Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Toss the pasta into a serving bowl and top with the shrimp mixture. Garnish with the green onion.

Serves 4.

Shiner Cheer Christmas Beef Stew with Bock Beer and Holiday Spices

Looking for a warming stew for the holiday?  Can't be, with the 70 degree weather we are having in the Mid Atlantic not two weeks before Christmas...  But if it chills down and you need some holiday comforting - try this rich, classic beef stew as the family gathers for the holidays.
2-1/2 lb beef stew, cubes 1-1/2 inches

Marinade:
1 onion
2 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
2 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp spiced rice vinegar

4 carrots, sliced in large chunks
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

2 bottles spicy holiday bock beer
1 stick cinnamon (or 1/2 tsp powder)

4-5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup frozen peas

Put marinade ingredients in a blender and process to a smooth puree. Add puree to the beef cubes in a large bowl.

Mix well, cover and allow to marinate at least 2 hours, or preferably in the refrigerator for a day.

When ready to cook, heat a few tablespoons canola oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven. Brown the beef cubes in 3-4 batches, placing browned cubes in a bowl as you go. Do not crowd the cubes, so they brown well and don’t boil.

Now add the carrots and tomatoes to the dutch oven and allow them to cook about 10 minutes. You want the tomatoes to darken and caramelize a bit, so cook over medium high heat, stirring often.

Add the beer and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce to a low simmer. 

Cook about 45 minutes covered, stirring once or twice. Add potatoes, stir and continue cooking another 45 minutes.

Just before ready to eat, add the peas and heat through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. 

Remove the cinnamon stick and serve.

Serves 6-8.

Cook'sNote:  There are so many great craft beers now in the USA.  Having lived in Belium and in Canada - two fantastic beer-producing countries - I used to dread returning to the USA.  Nowadays its different.  We have every bit as great beers as anywhere, and an incredible choice.

Select your favorite caramely-colored, spicy beer for this stew - it should be on the sweeter rather than the bitter side, and full of holiday flavors.  I used Shiner's Holiday Cheer Beer our son introduced us to.  A darker, slightly sweeter wheat beer, its a perfect solvent for a holiday beef stew!

Christmas Pork Roulade Roast with Boursin

 1 4-5-lb boneless pork loin roast
1 11-oz package baby spinach
1 cup jarred roasted red pepper, drained and chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 5-oz round of Boursin cheese, brought to room temperature
1/2 cup red wine

Using your sharpest knife, butterfly the pork roast lengthwise to about 1/2-inch.  Using a meat mallet, pound the butterflied roast to even the thickness, which should be about 3/8-1/2 inch. The flattened meat should measure roughly 9x13-inches to 10x14-inches.

Preheat oven to 375F.  Quickly sauté the spinach in a bit of olive oil in a large skillet, until well wilted, and most all of the moisture is cooked off.  Lay the spinach evenly on top of the meat.  Distribute the red pepper and the Boursin over the spinach.  Sprinkle evenly with the garlic.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Roll the meat up, starting at one of the sort ends.  Tie up roast with Butcher's twine to secure roll and place in a roasting pan.  Spray with oil, salt and pepper lightly, and roast for about 20 minutes per pound, until a thermometer reads 140F.  Remove from oven, and set roast on cutting board.  Cover with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Roast should rise 3-5 degrees while resting.

Meanwhile place roasting pan on stove and bring juices to a boil.  Add wine and water if its a very dry pan, scrape up brown bits.  Strain jus if necessary into a serving boat.  After roast has rested, slice roast and serve with jus on the side.

Holiday Turkey Roasted with Lemon, Rosemary and Savory Vegetables

This is a fairly small turkey but easily serves 8-10 people.

1 12-lb turkey, rinsed and patted dry
4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 very large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 lemon, quartered
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 cup white wine or water

Heat oven to 400F. Toss the vegetables in a large roasting pan and place turkey on top. Spray turkey with canola oil. Sprinkle turkey with coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, and rosemary. Carefully insert a digital thermometer into the meaty part of the thigh – not touching the bone (I think the little poppers overcook turkey and chicken, but don’t remove them because juices will be lost in the hole they produce). Bake 20 minutes, baste turkey, and reduce heat to 350F. Bake another 20 minutes. Baste again and cover lightly with aluminum foil. Bake another 30-45 minutes or until thermometer reads 175-180.

Turn off oven. Remove the turkey from the oven, and drain it carefully (VERY HOT!) into the roasting pan. Place turkey on a carving board, covered. Remove veggies to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon, cover and replace in oven. Heat juices in pan and add wine (or water). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Strain into a grease separator and pour off the de-greased jus into a gravy boat. Slice turkey and place on platter. Add any accumulated juices to the jus in the gravy boat. Serve with the roasted veggies.