New Year’s Boeuf Bourguignon

A real crowd pleaser - we made enough for 30 at our family reunion this New Year's!
3-1/2 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
1 Tbsp crushed rosemary

1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
3 cups red wine
2 cups beef (or chicken) broth

1/4 lb bacon, diced
1 bag frozen pearl onions, defrosted
1 lb baby carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
10 oz fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp butter plus 2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup brandy (or cream sherry)

Sauté the beef in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot in a dash of oil over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 2-3 batches, leaving plenty of room around each cube. Crowding will encourage steaming, not browning, so leave air around the beef.

Set each batch aside in a bowl while you brown the rest. Remove all beef to the bowl. Add the drained tomatoes to the pot and turn the heat to high. Sizzle the tomatoes, stirring often and add a dash of olive oil if there was none left after browning. Caramelizing the tomatoes like this develops deep flavor.

Cook the tomatoes for about 10 minutes then add the wine, broth and reserved tomato liquid. Nestle the beef cubes into the stew and pour in any accumulated juices from the beef. Bring to a gentle boil and then return to a low simmer. Cook covered for about an hour, stirring 3-4 times.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a wide skillet until lightly crisped. Remove to a plate. Add the onions and carrots to the bacon fat and sauté over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, until the veggies are nicely browned and beginning to caramelize. Add a dash of olive oil or butter if there is too little bacon fat to cook without burning.

While the carrots and onions cook, melt the butter in the oil for the mushrooms in another large skillet. Set the heat to high and sauté the mushrooms, stirring every so often. Allow the mushrooms to release what water they will and then let the water evaporate. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned.

After the stew has cooked about an hour, add the carrots, onion, bacon and mushrooms to the beef. Stir gently and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 30 minutes.

While the stew cooks, heat the flour in the butter and oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes to create a thick roux. Spoon some of the stew liquid (about 2 cups) into the roux and whisk well. Return the roux to the stew and stir gently. Add the brandy or sherry and bring to a gentle boil. Again, stir and reduce to a simmer. Cook another 15-20 minutes, until the roux is incorporated and the beef is fork tender.

If desired, serve over egg noodles, or simply in bowls with crusty bread.

Serves 8-10.

Cook's Note:  When I make smaller batches, I often toss the beef in flour before browning and then add the wine to the fonds after browning.  If I do that, I have to caramelize the tomatoes in a separate pan, because they won't cook properly, being thickened by all the remaining flour from the browning. I didn't do that here because I was cooking 3 batches (in two huge Dutch Ovens) and was concerned about the flour eventually burning after too much browning.  I had the skillful help of two brothers in law who walked me through the thickening process at the end until just right - thanks Bob and Hans!

Choucroute with Apple and Root Vegetables

I end the year with one of my favorite dishes - choucroutte.  Great for a crowd that might be hangin' for the holidays, its hearty and warming, to fight off the chill of the season. Use your favorite cuts of pork, and the best fresh sauerkraut (not canned) you can find. A very quick rinse and drain of the sauerkraut in a colander can soften the flavor edges, as will the dash of white wine specified here.
3 links fresh chorizo sausage
1 large, thick pork chop
1 large pork country rib
1 ring kielbasa

4 small Yukon Gold potatoes
2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1/14-inch matchsticks
1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 package favorite fresh sauerkraut, drained
1 Honey crisp apple, peeled, cored and diced
4 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 375F.

Brown the sausage, pork chop and rib in a very large 5-quart oven-going skillet or Dutch oven with a dash of olive oil. Cook until all sides are nicely browned. Set aside.

In the same skillet, add the carrot, turnip, onion, rosemary, fennel and cumin.

Cook them for about 10 minutes until veggies are nicely browned.

Meanwhile, poke the potatoes with the tines of a fork all over. Microwave the potatoes for about 8 minutes, turning them over every 2 minutes. Carefully remove them with a kitchen towel to a cutting board and quarter. Careful - they will be steaming hot.

Gently fold in the sauerkraut and remove half the mixture to a bowl.

Nestle the pork chops, sausages and kielbasa into the kraut base.   Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Cover with the remaining kraut mixture.

Now scatter the potatoes, apple and green onions over top of choucroute. Pour the wine about the dish.  Season dish with a dash more salt and pepper.

Bake covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for about another 30 minutes, until all the pork is cooked through and the dish is browned and bubbly.

Serves 6.

Grilled Mint Hoisin Chicken

Mint and Asian flavors mix very well.  They make a great marinade for chicken.
Marinade
palmful fresh mint leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp Srirach or other chili sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, or thighs, pounded thin (1/4-inch)

Place mint and garlic in a small food processor and pulse to mince finely. Add remaining ingredients and pulse to blend.

Pour marinade into a ziplock bag or a bowl and add the chicken. Toss well to coat. Cover and allow to marinate for at least an hour or overnight int he refrigerator.

Heat grill to high. Grill chicken about 3-5 minutes per side.

Flip once or twice and grill until cooked through.

Remove from grill to a serving platter. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Kip’s Birthday Chicken

Prosciutto-wrapped chicken breasts stuffed with fresh mozzarella and basil

Lasagna is a popular request on our son Kip's birthday.  But this year he opted for stuffed chicken breasts, prepared in a way he loosely described to his sister and I as we headed off to the market.  Another great dish designed in collaboration with our daughter Stephanie, in the end, it turned out to be a close relative to a chicken lasagna.

I knew it was a hit when I heard "Dad, this is way more delicious than I could have ever expected."  Happy birthday, Kip!
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella
12 fresh basil leaves
8 slices prosciutto
1 jar favorite tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano or herbes de Provence

Preheat oven to 400. Slice a pocket into each of the chicken breasts to no deeper than about a half inch from the other side. Stuff each pocket with half a slice of prosciutto, 2 basil leaves and a quarter of the mozzarella cheese.

Lightly season each breast with salt and cayenne pepper, and place a basil leaf on each breast. Wrap the top of each breast with one and a half slices of the remaining prosciutto.

Oil a casserole and pour in 2 cups tomato sauce. Nestle the chicken breasts in the sauce. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top and sprinkle with some oregano or herbs de Provence. Wrap with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking another 10-15 minutes, or so, until cooked through.

Serve over your favorite pasta. Serves 4.

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.

Pork Bracciole with Paté

Here's a fun festive dish that can take some time and dedication to make - perfect for when you have a few extra moments over the holidays.
6-8 thin pork loin bracciole cutlets
1/2 loaf very good Italian bread - like ciabatta, cubed 1/2-inch
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and diced
1 yellow pepper, trimmed and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups baby spinach leaves
5 oz pork country paté, crumbled
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp crushed rosemary

Preheat oven to 375F. Sauté the pepper and leek in a skillet in a dash of olive oil and 1 tablespoon water. Allow the water to evaporate and the veggies to soften and brown just a bit during sautéing, then add the garlic.

Cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and allow to cook down and release what water it will. Cook a few more minutes to dry the mixture a bit. Remove to a bowl.

Add the bread to the skillet with a dash of olive oil. Brown the bread just a bit.

Return the veggies to the skillet with the bread and mix well.

Remove from heat. Add the paté to the veggie mix and fold together gently.

Pour the crushed tomatoes into an oiled 9x13-inch casserole. Now lay out the pork slices and distribute the bread filling evenly about the slices.

Roll the sliced around the filling and nestle them into the tomatoes. Season with rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.

Bake about 30-40 minutes, until cooked through and meat is nicely browned.

Serve over noodles with the tomato sauce. Serves 4-6.

Lobster Scallops and Shrimp over Creamed Spinach and Gnocchi

The holidays are a time we splurge a bit for great food, and that includes scallops and lobster. Returning from an arduous semester at school, our daughter Stephanie helped me pull together this delicious number, with all our delicious shellfish food groups.
1/2 sweet onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb baby spinach leaves
fresh grated nutmeg, about 1/4 tsp
1/3 cup fresh heavy cream

1/2 lb fresh gnocchi

1/2 lb large bay scallops, about 10-12, blotted dry
1 dozen shrimp, peeled and cut in half
1 lobster tail, meat removed and sliced 1/8-inch

1/4 cup sherry
1 Tbsp butter
2 green onions, sliced on the bias
1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes
1 lemon, cut into wedges, pits removed

Sauté onions in a large pot for about 3-4 minutes in the butter and olive oil. Add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and toss with tongs as it wilts and steam off as much water as possible. Use a spoon to remove any excess water after the spinach wilts, tilting the pan and pressing the spinach lightly. Season with the nutmeg and lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cream and mix well. Cover and keep warm as you prepare the rest of the dish.

Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a medium pot. Salt generously. Cook gnocchi 3-4 minutes, until just tender throughout. Drain.

Meanwhile, sauté the scallops over HIGH heat in a dash of canola oil until browned on one side, about 2-3 minutes. A ceramic nonstick skillet is useful here to allow you to heat the pan to high, to get a nice browning going on. Do not stir or disturb the scallops as they brown. Once browned, flip the scallops once and cook another minute, just to cook through. Set scallops aside.

Add shrimp and lobster to the skillet with a dash more oil. Allow to cook through, just until shrimp turn pink, 1-2 minutes. Remove shrimp mixture to the scallops. Carefully add the sherry to the skillet and allow the alcohol to steam off for a minute or so. Before all the liquid has evaporated, add the butter and whisk to melt. Return the seafood to the sauce in the pan.

Toss the gnocchi with the creamed spinach. Plate the spinach mixture evenly on four plates. Top with the shellfish. Garnish with green onions and chili flakes. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 4.

Tagine of Lamb and Preserved Lemons

Warm up to a spicy tagine as the first ice storm of the year envelops your world.  Or as family in Florida tells me, you are decorating your Christmas tree in shorts, in the eighties.
5 trimmed lamb loin chops

Spice Mix:
1 Tbsp garam masala seasoning
1 tsp favorite Indian curry powder
1 tsp Pimenton, Spanish smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 tsp black pepper

1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and diced
1/4 purple Bermuda onion, sliced, about 1/2 cup
2 stalks celery, diced
1 stick cinnamon
2 Tbsp harissa Middle Eastern chili paste (or other favorite)

1 15-ozcan petite diced tomatoes, drained (liquid reserved)
6 slices preserved lemons (see note)

Mix together the spice mix and coat the chops evenly with the spice mix. Heat the base of a tagine and add a dash of olive oil. Brown the chops evenly on one side for about 3-5 minutes. Flip the chops and brown the other side for another 3-5 minutes.

Remove the chops to a plate and keep warm. Add a dash of olive oil to the tagine base and add the leek, onion, celery and cinnamon. Cook the veggie mix down for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the veggies soften and begin to caramelize.

Add the harissa or chili paste and mix well.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Remove the veggies to a bowl. Add one last dash olive oil to the tagine base and raise the heat to high. Add the drained tomatoes and sizzle for about 5-8 minutes.

Allow the tomatoes to darken and caramelize a bit, and to develop great flavor and fragrance.

Return the chops to the tagine and pour in the veggie mix. Nestle in the lemon slices.  Add the reserved tomato liquid and just enough water to cover.

Bring to a slight boil, gently mix the pot and reduce to a simmer. Cover the tagine with its top and cook about 30 minutes, jostling the ingredients once or twice.

Serve with couscous or other favorite side. Serves 2-3.

Cook's Notes:  You can substitute the garam masala for other robust spice mixes such as Montreal seasoning (a favorite of Canada) or Cajun spice mix, for example.

Preserved lemons are a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking.  They are brined in a vinegar and available in jars - I use Trader Joe's.

A tagine is a cone-shaped dish used in the middle east to make stews.

Its shape enhances reflux of cooking liquids - as they vaporize, they condense on the inside of the cone and rain back down on the stew, evenly distributing moisture while cooking.  At least that's the theory.  My tagine does a great job, but you certainly could use a standard Dutch oven or other heavy pot just as well to make a fine tagine.

Our first Mid Atlantic ice storm. Christmas approaches...

Pasta with Shrimp Kale and Andouille Sausage

As the holidays approach time compresses...  Here's a very nice and very quick dinner that at once healthful and festive.
6 oz mafalda (or other favorite) pasta

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 links smoked andouille (or chorizo) sausage, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh oregano, minced
4 cups Tuscan kale, chopped

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and halved
juice of 1/2 lime

Bring six cups water to a boil. Salt well and add pasta. Cook, stirring every once in a while, until al dente. Drain and cover.

Meanwhile, sauté the chicken and sausage in a dash of olive oil until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, oregano and kale and cook another 5 minutes, until kale wilts down a bit.

In a separate skillet, sauté the shrimp in a dash of olive oil just until pink - about 2-3 minutes total. Salt and pepper lightly, to taste. Remove from heat and sprinkle shrimp with lime juice.

Toss the pasta together with the chicken mixture and the shrimp in a serving bowl.

Serves 4.

Asian Seafood Stew

A hearty stew with a coconut based broth, rich with the umami of mushrooms, shrimp and scallops.
10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, minced
1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced
1 dozen small fingerling potatoes halved
1 can coconut milk
2 cups chicken or turkey broth
1 bottle clam juice
2 Tbsp asian fish sauce
3 cups collard greens (or other hearty green like kale)

1 lb haddock or other white fish, cut into bit-sized pieces
1/2 lb sea scallops
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
palmful cilantro, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Sauté the mushrooms and shallot in a dash of olive oil in a medium pot. Cook until the mushrooms have released what water they will, and have browned up a bit - about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper and the potatoes to the pot and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, broth, clam juice, fish sauce and collard greens and bring to a gentle boil.

Reduce to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes, to soften the greens.

Add the fish, shellfish and cilantro and return to a gentle boil. 

Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes. Serve stew in bowls garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

Serves four.