Monday, January 31, 2011

Chicken Cacciatori 2.0




This is a quick, weeknight version of the classic Chicken Cacciatorra, sped up and streamlined. Using ground chicken instead of chicken thighs means my version is lighter than its traditional cousin, and quicker-cooking to boot, and using lots of herbs gives it a slow-cooked flavor. Simmering the whole pot uncovered at the end gives the sauce time to reduce, and the flavors time to develop.

This is the kind of warm, filling retro-fabulous dish that I love most in the winter. It hits the proverbial spot.


Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins (plus another 15-20 mins to simmer)
Number of Ingredients: 12


1/4 cup pancetta cubes (or 3 slices of bacon, chopped)
1 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 scallions, white and light green parts only (green tops reserved for garnish)
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped + 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 cup white wine
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes + juice
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 14-oz cannellini beans, rinsed and drained


Heat oil over medium in a large pot or dutch oven, and add pancetta or bacon. When it starts to crisp and brown, remove from pan with slotted spoon and reserve. Add garlic, scallions and rosemary and cook until fragrant, stirring often, about 1 minute. Add chicken, season with salt, pepper and celery salt. Using the back of your spoon, break the ground meat into chunks as it browns, about 3 minutes. Add wine, taking care to scrape up the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Bring the whole thing to a bubble, then add tomatoes, bay leaves, Herbes de Provence, sugar and beans. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until sauce reduces by about half.

Sprinkle with the green scallion tops and reserved crispy pancetta or bacon, and serve with hot buttered egg noodles, or rice.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Cavolo Nero

Cavolo Nero, cooking.



It just sounds, delicious, doesn't it? Say it out loud:

Cavolo Nero.

Black kale.

So fancy! And so easy to cook. I made it with my friend Jen, straight out of Suzanne Goin's Lucques cookbook, and I'll never deviate from her recipe - it is perfection. It's really just olive oil-braised kale... but richly seasoned with fresh rosemary and black pepper, and spiked with chilies d'Arbol.  It's unlike anything I've ever had. It's taken my love affair with kale to a whole new level.

Make it as a side dish. Toss with with pasta. Pair it with eggs. Serve it on bread with a tangy cheese. However you serve it, it will make kale disciples out of even the most ardent kale-haters (see: Hazel).


Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Number of Ingredients: 6

2 bunches dinosaur kale, trimmed from stalks
1 cup olive oil
1 sprig rosemary
2 chiles d'Arbol, crumbled (I found them in the Mexican spice area of Safeway)
1 cup (about 1 medium) onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup garlic, thinly sliced

Set a large pot of water to boil.

Trim the kale from the woody stalks and rinse them well. When the water boils, blanch the kale until just limp, about 60 seconds, and remove to towels to dry.

In in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1/2 cup of the oil with the rosemary sprig and chilies, allowing them to sizzle for about a minute. Turned the heat to medium/low and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes, until it begins to soften, then add the garlic. Cook gently until the onion starts to color slightly, 5-7 minutes. Add the kale and 2 or 3 more tablespoons of olive oil and stir to coat. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Turn heat to low and, stirring often, cook approximately 30 minutes, until the kale begins to darken and get crisp at the edges. (To achieve crisping, Suzanne Goin recommends that you alternately turn the heat way up, so the kale sizzles, then back down again, so it braises.)

Check for seasoning again, then devour, then write to me to tell me how much you love this dish. I dare you not to love it.

Cavolo Nero, cooked.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Apple & Onion Confit




This warm, gooey, complex yet comforting combination of flavors blows my mind. The sweetness of the apples and onions, cooked in all the luscious butter, off-set by the light perfume of the sage and juxtaposed with the sharp cheese... oh, HELL yeah.

When something is this delicious, and has a French word in it, you'd think it difficult to execute, but you'd be wrong. This couldn't be easier to make - just chop, cook in fat, and occasionally stir.  

I think the confit would be a fabulous addition to a pork tenderloin or chop, or a lovely roast chicken. It would be delicious baked in a gratin dish with a heavy sprinkling of cheese over the top, and served along side a spicy greens salad and a loaf of good bread.

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Number of Ingredients: 10

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium apples thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh sage
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup (I used a bit less) apple cider or balsamic vinegar

1 crusty baguette, sliced into rounds

1 wedge strong cheese -  I used P'tit Basque, a tangy sheep's milk cheese.


Melt butter and oil in large skillet over medium/low heat. Add apples, onions and sage, and stir to coat. After a few minutes,  add honey and stir.  After another few minutes, add vinegar and stir. Watch the mixture to be sure it doesn't brown, stirring frequently, and cook about 20 minutes.

Just before you take the confit off the heat, broil the baguette until toasty and crisp. Arrange toasts on a platter, top with a nice chunk of cheese, and spoon the confit over the top. Garnish with finely chopped sage. Serve with prosecco (my holiday drink of choice)!