Coq au Vin

This recipe is good to have on a cold crisp day. This recipe came to mind during lunch hour this afternoon and I thought it mighty be good on a day like today.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons good olive oil

4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced

1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy

1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine

1 cup good chicken stock

Bouquet garni

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 pound frozen small whole onions

1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Directions:

In a large bowl, add chicken with wine, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and the whole parsley stems. Cover and marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry, reserving marinade. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, sear chicken on all sides in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until golden brown. Remove to a plate.

In the same pot add more oil, if needed, and saute the onions, carrot and celery until tender. Add cayenne pepper and tomato paste and cook until tomatoes turn a deep reddish brown color. Add flour and stir until incorporated then pour in reserved marinade. Stir and simmer until thickened about 10 minutes. Add chicken back to the pot and pour in enough stock to just come up the sides of the chicken but not cover it completely. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook covered for about 1 hour or until the chicken falls off the bone.

Gently remove legs from pot and strain liquid from the solids, discarding the solids. Return chicken and strained liquid back to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Heat a large saute pan with remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat and add bacon. Cook until crispy then add mushrooms and pearl onions. Continue to cook until tender and browned. Add mixture back to the pot with the chicken. Toss the noodles with butter. Place the noodles on a serving platter or individual plates and top with the chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Picture of the bouquet garni:

First spice bag: parsley, bay leaf, thyme.

Second spice bag: whole pepper corns, sage, rosemary.

Picture of the mushrooms, pancetta, pearl white onions sautéed separately. 

Roman Style Chicken

This dish is flavorful with the prosciutto.  
I was successful in not overcooking the chicken.  It was tender.  Best served in summer imho.

Ingredients:

4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs
2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions:

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

8 Cheese Pizza

As a pre-snowfall day,  I made this Focaccia/pizza.  The dough was made last night.  Light and crisp.

Ingredients:

Focaccia dough
1/4 cup of each:
Mozzarella
Asiago
Provolone
Parmesan
Romano
Fontina
Ricotta
Gorganzola

Bake focaccia for 5-7 minutes.  Remove and dress with cheese, salt, and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.

Butternut Squash Soup

Mike made this delicious soup.  It was quick and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 Butternut squash, roasted and chopped
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic,  chopped 
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chardonnay
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions :

Rinse, stab, and butter the butternut squash.  Roast at 350°F for 45 minutes.

Saute vegetables in butter and olive oil until tender.  Add wine and stock.  Bring to a boil.  Lower flame and add squash.  Simmer until the squash breaks apart.  Add minced parsley and puree with an immersion blender.  Add heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste. 

Cream of Asparagus Soup with Gruyère

I've made this dozens of times.  First time with Gruyère. 

Ingredients:

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch a pieces
6 cups chicken stock
1 pint cream, room temperature
1teaspoon rosemary
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add asparagus and saute another 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until asparagus is very tender. *Carefully transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to saucepan, stir in sour cream and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to serving bowls. Dust with paprika and serve.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Seven Cheese Ravioli with Mushroom/Shallot Cream Sauce

This recipe is easy to make, just a lot of ingredients.

For the ravioli filling:

7 ounces sheep's-milk ricotta or well-drained fresh whole cow's-milk ricotta
2 ounces Italian Fontina cheese shredded, shredded
2 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded
2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shredded
2 ounces asiago cheese, shredded
2 ounces provolone cheese, shredded
2 ounces of mozzarella cheese,  shredded
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Mix all together and refrigerate

Pasta dough:

Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add eggs and yolks, and mix with hands or wooden spoon for a minute or so, until dough comes together. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.) If dough seems dry or crumbly, add 1 or 2 tablespoons cold water, but only enough to keep the dough together.
Turn dough out onto a board and knead to form a ball. Flatten dough ball to a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour (several hours is fine).
Divide dough into 4 pieces. Knead each piece until smooth. Roll with a rolling pin or pasta machine as thinly as possible (but not quite paper-thin). Cut each sheet in half, making 8 smaller sheets, forming the sheets into retangles.  Lay the first sheet out and a small ice cream scoop, place the filling on the dough in four a five sections.  Then place a rolled pasta on top, forming circles.  Cut each of the filled and rolled pasta with a ravioli cutter.  Repeat the process unitl you have 28 - 32 raviolis.

Mushrooms cream sauce optional:

8 ounces portobello mushrooms, diced
2 shallots diced
4 tablespoons butter
4 ounces cream
4 ounces half and half
Salt and pepper

Puree the mushrooms and shallots finely.  Melt butter in a saucepan.  Saute the mixture about 5 -7 minutes on a medium flame.  Add it the cream and half and half.  Cook an additional 5 minutes,  stirring frequently.  Serve with the raviolis.