Chicken Cacciatore

Growing up, my favorite part of Thanksgiving (which has always been my favorite holiday) was sneaking a piece of crispy, salty, Heavenly skin from the roasted turkey before dinner. It was like crack and I was a junky willing to cheat, steal or lie my way into more of the golden good stuff.  

When I was 22 I worked in a posh, little bakery/prepared foods shop on Cape Cod. Ahead of its time, really. One of the dishes it was known for was its chicken salad. I would get into work at 6am, six mornings a week and begin my day by roasting dozens of chicken breasts. When the chicken was perfectly roasted, and the sea salted skin was blistered and screaming my name I would rip all the skins off (eating several for breakfast) and chop the meat up into fat chunks to make the famed luncheon salad. I would stash two or three crispy skins aside, before (sadly) throwing the rest away into the trash bin.

At lunch I would retrieve my beloved chicken skins from the refrigerator, pop them into the oven to crisp up, then slather two, thick pieces of homemade white bread with cold sour cream and a sprinkling of freshly crack black pepper. I'd place the hot, crispy skins in between the bread slices and, sitting on the back porch alone, I'd dig in, sincerely enjoying every mouthful. It was the best sandwich ever, and I ate it almost ritualistically every day that summer. 

Curiously, I did not gain weight during those few, blissful months, but I chalk that up to the fact that, because I was to report to work at 6am every morning, I was not out drinking beer with friend the night before. 

That was the summer of sedate, solo gastronomy.

Sometimes-- very rarely-- I think that poultry skin is superfluous. This is one of those recipes. I see no point in keep ing the skin if it will simply become soggy in the braising liquid, so I remove it before cooking.

This was originally a Jamie Oliver recipe, and I DO love his recipes. I've tweaked this, removing several steps (as well as the chicken skin), and added capers. It is really delicious and very hands-off, but you do need to think ahead with this one, as there is ample marinating time and it is a slow-cooking dish. Get the chicken marinating tonight for a fabulous dinner tomorrow.

1 chicken, cut into 10 pieces (cut the breasts in half)

1/2 bottle Chianti

2 twigs rosemary

3 whole cloves garlic, peeled

3 bay leaves

2 tins chopped tomatoes

6 anchovy fillets (just do it, you do not taste anchovies in the finished dish)

1 tablespoon capers

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

Handful of good quality olives (that you would like to eat)

1) Place the chicken pieces into a re-sealable plastic bag, or Tupperware container. Pour in the wine and toss in the rosemary, 3 garlic cloves and bay leaves. Close the bag or container and slosh around, then stash in the refrigerator and forget about it for a day (over night or up to 24 hours, but at least 2 hours).

2) Two hours before you want to serve: Pre-heat the oven to 180C (375F). Pour the chicken and all of the marinade into a very large roasting pot and add in the tinned tomatoes, anchovies, caper and garlic. Cover and braise for 1 hour. After 1 hour add in the olives, cover and continue to braise for 30 minutes more.

Taste and adjust seasoning (salt/pepper, if desired). Serves 4.

Biltong (South African Beef Jerky)

There's a big soccer game going on down in South Africa right about now. Not being a sports fan I don't know much more about it than that.

Camille, my 10 year old had a school assignment to cook a South African dish. She chose Biltong which is beef jerky. I was psyched because I loves me some beef jerky!

She researched the recipe, made it all herself and it turned out... well, not so good to be honest. But she made this video to go with it, which is pretty cool.

Moussaka after Bath

I love cooking. When we go on vacation we rent apartments or houses rather than staying in hotels because I want to be able to cook the local foods. But, once in a while, I really appreciate someone else doing the cooking.
Yesterday my husband and I were driving back from Bath. My parents watched the kids so that we could get away for a long weekend. Although we 'took the waters', soaked, steamed and saunaed ourselves into malleable, relaxed oblivion (the kind of relaxation that you think- hope- will never go away), as we drove nearer to home and hit gridlock traffic I began to tense up. We wouldn't be arriving home until well into the evening now-- what would I cook for dinner?
As we pulled into the drive I was working out the Rubick's Cube in my mind of different pairings with the only food I knew we had in the cupboard, potatoes (Baked? Boiled? Sauteed? With cheddar, or butter? Maybe mashed...). We opened the kitchen door, threw our bags in and caught a wiff of something far better than boiled potatoes. My mom had made moussaka which was baking in the oven. She was there in the warm kitchen tossing an enormous Greek salad.
We sat down to dinner and it all tasted so good.

Sophia's Moussaka
My mother has a friend from Greece. This is her recipe.

4 small eggplant (aubergine), washed, skin left on
4 large potatoes, washed, skin left on




Bechamel Sauce
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
3 and 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 and 3/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 regular (not large) container ricotta (I know, vague)

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound minced (ground) beef or lamb (or use same amount chopped mushrooms for vegetarian)
2 tablespoons tomato puree (paste in US)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350F (165F). Slice the eggplant (aubergine) and potatoes both lengthwise quite thin (about 1/2 inch). Spray a baking tray with non-stick spray, place the eggplant and potato slices on it and bake for just 15 minutes or until soft.

2) While the vegetables are baking, make the bechamel sauce. Gently melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Once it is frothy, sprinkle in the flour and stir continuously until it smells nutty, but is no more than golden in colour. Now pour in the milk and stir until thick. Sprinkle in the nutmeg. Remove from the heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Now, whisk the 2 eggs in a separate bowl and slowly whisk them into the sauce- they will cook in the warmth of the sauce, but do not put the sauce back on the heat. Taste and season with salt.
Set aside until ready to assemble.

3) In a large saute pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add in the onion and garlic. Cook until soft then add in the mince beef or lamb or the chopped mushrooms. Cook until no longer pink, then lightly drain (if even necessary) and stir in the tomato puree (paste), oregano and thyme. Taste and season with sea salt and pepper. Set aside.

3) Grab a large casserole dish, 9" by 13" is good. Spray it with non-stick spray and layer in half of the potatoes and on top of that, layer in half of the eggplant and half of the meat or mushrooms. Spoon the entire container of ricotta over top and repeat the layer of potato, eggplant and meat or mushrooms. Finally, pour the bechamel sauce over top and sprinkle the 1/4 cup Parmesan. The moussaka may be made ahead and stashed in the refrigerator until ready to bake for up to one day.


Bake in a 375F (185C) preheated oven for 45-60 minutes. Covered the first half, the lid or foil removed for the last part of baking to create a golden top.

Grammy’s Chicken and Noodles

Is there any dish more universally comforting than a steaming bowl of chicken and noodles? Long ago (and still in some areas of the world) it was a celebratory dinner made when the tough, old hen stopped laying eggs (poor dear) and, after a long, gentle bath in aromatic water was transformed into the most beloved, savoury supper. In Asia, the addition of a knob of fresh ginger or a stalk of lemon grass may be added, and in Slavic countries it would be more likely served with dumplings rather than noodles. In any case, at it’s heart, a slowly simmered chicken strikes the same ring of nostalgia in our stomachs—Home.

I love my mom’s chicken and noodles. She uses the same simple recipe that her mother used (and her mother’s mother before her). Very few ingredients and several hours of hands-off cooking, yields the most sublime finished dish. It is a classic.

1 Chicken

Chicken stock or bouillon cubes and water

1 yellow onion, cut in half, skin left on

8 ounces (220 grams) fine egg noodles (or noodle of your choice)

1 tablespoon, freshly chopped tarragon

1) Place the chicken into a deep soup pot and cover with chicken stock or water with equivalent chicken bouillon cubes, and the halved onion (leaving the skin on the onion will produce a more golden stock). Cover and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook ever-so gently for about two hours—but cook longer if you like, topping up with more water or stock as needed. This can all be done in the crockpot, on high setting, starting with boiling stock, and cooking all day (your house will small divine!).

2) Carefully pull the chicken (which will probably have fallen apart by now) out of the soup pot. Make sure to get all the onion, bits and bones left behind. Allow the stock to cool, then skim off the fat from the top. Pull the meat from the bones, shredding by hand as you go—discard the skin, bones and onion.  This can all be done ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a day.

3) Bring the skimmed stock to the boil and add in noodles. Bring back just to a simmer and cook according to package directions until al dente. Add the chicken meat back in to the soup along with the tarragon and season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Serves 8

Weekend Grub: Tender Oven-Barbecued Ribs

Mid-winter, when the charcoal grill is stashed away in the garage, these babies braise up beautifully in a slow oven. Slathered in homemade sauce at just the end of cooking, brings the tender, smoky flavour that we look forward to in the warmer months, inside to our kitchen.

Spice Rub

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 tablespoons smoked, sweet paprika

Big dash nutmeg

1 tablespoon onion powder (or granules)

1 tablespoon garlic powder (or granules)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 fat pinches celery salt

2 fat pinches dry thyme or herbs de Provence

Heavy dash of dry mustard

1) Mix everything together. Can be done up to a week ahead.

BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup

¼ cup oyster or hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon tomato paste (puree in the UK)

4 dashes Worcesterhire sauce

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2-3 tablespoons spice rub (from above)

Cayenne pepper to taste for heat (optional)

Simmer everything together until smooth and combined. Stash in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Bringing It All Together

Spice rub

BBQ sauce

4 racks baby back ribs

1) Preheat oven to 150C (300F). Spray 4 long pieces of foil with non-stick spray. Lay each rack on a piece of foil and rub with the spice rub. Close foil all around the rack. Repeat on all 4 racks.

2) Stick the racks in the oven and roast for 2 to 2 and ½ hours, until the meat is falling off the bone. They will braise in their own juices. During the last 15 minutes, slather the racks with BBQ sauce, place back into the oven and finish baking.

Cut into individual ribs to serve. Serves 4-8, depending on hunger.

B. Mary’s Crab Aspic

Aspic is very a very old fashioned type of dish. If you like Bloody Marys, you may just like recipe. I love it, for sentimental reasons… It's nice to serve as a light salad before a heavy entrée, or for a luncheon.

¼ cup orange juice

4 leaves gelatin

2 and ¾ cups tomato juice

Several dashes of Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

2 green onions, trimmed and sliced thin

¼ cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced

¼ cup celery, sliced thin

1 tin good quality crabmeat, drained (optional)

1) Place the gelatin leaves into a bowl with the cool orange juice. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, as you chop the rest of the ingredients.

2) Heat the tomato juice, Worcestershire, Old Bay, sugar and horseradish until simmering, remove from heat and tip in the prepared o.j. gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved, then add in the crab, olives and celery. Pour into small, individual molds and place in the refrigerator until set and firm (note: it will never get ‘hard’ just firm).

Makes 6-9 servings, depending on size of molds. To serve, place an aspic on top of lettuce. Can serve with a lemon wedge.

1 of the Best Bolognese Sauces—from the Crockpot!

My friend Krisitn emailed asking for my best Crockpot (slow cooker) recipes. Having just started a new business and being Momma to two young children, she is looking for ways to maximize flavour while saving her precious time. I devised this recipe with Kristin in mind. 

What may surprise some American cooks, is that an authentic Bolognese sauce is not a red sauce with meat, rather it is a meat sauce with just a touch of red (in the form of tomato puree or paste- not chunks of tomatoes). Slowly simmering these flavourful, inexpensive cuts of meat in the a Crockpot is the best way I have found to capture up all those fabulous flavours.

There is about ten minutes of pre-cooking needed for this sauce. It is critical for all of the ingredients to be hot when placed into the slow cooker, this way the sauce begins to cook immediately, rather than needing an hour to simply get the ingredients up to temperature.

If you want to watch JennyB demonstrate this recipe click here

8 ounces (200 grams) Italian pancetta, cubed

¾ cup minced shallot

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound (420 grams) lean pork, cubed

1 pound (420 grams) lean stewing beef, cubed

1 cup dry white wine

1 beef bouillon cube

¼ cup tomato puree (paste)

A big dash nutmeg

2-3 ounces single cream (half and half)

12 ounces wide pasta (tagliatelle, parppadelle)

Good quality Parmesan cheese for grating

1)   Pour the wine into the slow cooker and turn it on to high. Add in the bouillon cube and cover.

2)   Gently sauté the pancetta in a non-stick pan over medium heat to render out the fat. Cook until crisp, drain away the fat and reserve the crispy cubes. In the same (now dry) pan, add the minced shallots and garlic, sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Now add in the beef and pork, cover and allow to ‘cook’—you are really just getting the temperature in the meat up so that it is hot when added to the slow cooker. Cook for 2 minutes, until steaming.

3)   Now, add the pancetta, the hot beef and pork and tomato puree (paste),  into the slow cooker, cover and allow it to work it’s magic for three hours on ‘high’.

4)   After three hours, shred the meat—it should be fork tender. You can shred it in the pot or shred it a plate and return to he slow cooker. Place a large pot of very hot water over high heat—bring to a boil and cook the pasta. Sprinkle the nutmeg into the Bolognese sauce and pour in the cream. Cover and continue to cook while the pasta is cooking.

5)   Once the past is done, drain and toss with a pat of butter then some Parmesan. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well. Serve piping hot!  

Serves 6

   

Korean Beef Ribs

I had these about fifteen years ago at a museum event and I never forgot them.  After slowly braising and roasting in the oven the ribs emerge in a sticky, mahogany glaze with the meat literally falling from the bone... This is Manna from Heaven for carnivores.

4-5 pounds meaty beef ribs (‘short ribs’ in the States, ‘flat ribs’ in the UK), separated and each cut to be 3” in length

Braising Sauce

½ cup good quality soy sauce (Kikkoman is very good and a good value)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon Mirin, or rice vinegar (even cider vinegar will work)

3 heaping tablespoons sugar—brown, white, whatever you got

2” piece of ginger, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

6 green onions, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon flour

½ cup cold water

1) Preheat the oven to 300F (150C). Mix all the braising sauce ingredients together in a bowl.  Pour over the ribs and toss to coat well. Now pour it (ribs, sauce and all) into a large oven proof, lidded pot or onto a deep baking tray or casserole dish—just make sure to cover with a lid or heavy aluminium foil.

2)  Roast/braise the ribs, covered for two hours, turning the ribs every 45 minutes or so. Check to make sure that there is always liquid in the pot—top up with warm water if needed. After 2 hours, remove the lid give everything a stir to coat the ribs again in the sauce and allow the ribs to full-on roast, uncovered, for one more hour in order to crisp up just a bit.

Remove from the braising sauce and serve—that’s it—serves 6 for dinner.

Kalua Pork

I don't know where the bee came from, that flew into my bonnet, but I simply had to cook up some Hawaiian food yesterday. This makes no sense, because I have never been to Hawaii; the closest I've come is the Luau at Disney World. All I can say is that I was channeling Don Ho, or fat Elvis (in a white jump suit) and came up with this fantastic -EASY- pork dish.


I made this several years ago after finding banana leaves in a Latin food market in Switzerland. Banana leaves impart a very subtle, but distinct flavour on the pork. Everyone who tries this loves it- kids included. I can't describe the flavour- It tastes nothing of bananas, you can't put your finger on the flavour, it just tastes good.


I couldn't get my hands on banana  leaves, here in the English countryside so had to figure out an alternative- banana peels! I chose green bananas, thinking they would simulate the flavour of a green banana leaf the best. It worked-- the peels give the pork the exact same flavour as using the leaves. 
It might seem like strange recipe, but try it-- I promise you won't be sorry.


To see JennyB demonstrate this recipe, click here!

4 pounds boneless pork roast- cheap cut, with some fat, not a loin- trimmed of excess fat
1-2 tablespoons Hawaiian salt (you can find this in many larger grocery stores in the States) or chards of sea salt
1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke

Peels from 4 bananas, as green as possible
Sturdy aluminium foil

1) Pre-heat the oven to 300F (150C). Make slits all over the pork roast. Rub the salt onto the roast and into the slits. Now, do the same with the liquid smoke.

2) Cozy the banana peels around the roast and wrap tightly with aluminium foil, making all the roast is enclosed in the foil. Place into an oven-proof, lidded dish that is deep enough to hold the pork (if you don't have a lid just roll some more foil around the roast and place into a baking dish that fits it snugly). Pour enough water into the dish to come 2 inches up the side of the roast, place the lid on and roast for 3 hours.

3) Remove the pork form the foil, discard the banana peel and shred the meat.

Serves 6-8. Serve with broccoli-almond rice and fresh pineapple. 

Beef Daube (French Beef Stew)

Called a Daube in reference to the pot this stew is traditionally made in, a daubiere, this is a lush, rich beef stew that is fabulous served with broad egg noodles, or crusty bread rolls. It is easy to make, just allow the time required to slowly simmer (3 hours) This is a great weekend dish (reheating the left-overs for lunch later in the week).

Click here to watch JennyB demonstrate how to make this recipe!

5 pounds (2 kg), lean stewing beef, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil, more if the pan gets dry
4 leeks, washed, trimmed and chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 head garlic (about 10 cloves)
1 bottle dry white wine
2 cups beef stock (tinned, homemade or bouillon- if you must)
1 tin chopped tomatoes, juice and all
1 big squirt tomato paste (puree)
1 bouquet garni (bunch of fresh herbs- parsley, thyme, bay leaf- tied together in a bouquet)
One 12 to 18 inch long piece of orange zest, or 2 tablespoons chopped zest
Chopped olives of your choice to garnish

1) Brown the meat, in batches, in a big pan. Make sure the pan is hot, set over medium-high heat, before you begin to brown in the olive oil. Do NOT crowd the pan!!! Remove browned (not cooked) meat to a plate to collect the juices.

2) After you have browned all the meat, tip the chopped onion, celery and garlic into the pot and saute for a minute or two. Pour in the bottle of wine (glug-glug), the chopped tomatoes, and the beef stock. Bring just to a simmer, then add in the carrots.

3) Pre-heat the oven to 300F (150C) and assemble the stew: In a large oven-proof pot (with a lid--preferably a clay pot), place the browned beef chunks and all their juices. Pour in the wine/beef stock/vegetable mixture, squirt in the tomato paste (puree) and snuggle in the bouquet garni, then the zest. Stir, cover tightly, then place into the oven and braise slowly for 2 hours.

4) After 2 hours, ladle out 1 cup of stew stock, stick in the fridge to cool completely to room temp, then shake in a jar with 1/4 cup flour. Pour this back into the pot and continue to braise for 1 hour more.

Garnish with chopped olives, of your choice, fat egg noodles and crusty bread. Serves 8-10

Caramelized Onion and Potato Soup

Snowed in for the past 4 days, this soup was developed out of necessity. I wanted to make a leek and potato soup, but found all we had was yellow onions and a few potatoes. I had simmered up the bones of a roast chicken the other day and so had the makings of a simple, tasty and cheap soup. Caramelizing the onions is not at all difficult, but it does take time and an old-fashioned pot (read: not non-stck). Be patient, it is worth the effort.


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 small yellow onions (or 2 medium), peeled and sliced thin
2 tablespoons dry sherry
3 quarts good quality chicken broth (homemade is best, but whatever you've got hanging around)
2 large potatoes (whichever you got), peeled and cubed
Cream -optional

1) Pour the oil into a large soup pot and set over medium-low heat. Add in the onions and stir to coat with the oil.

Cook ever so gently, stirring every few minutes...

 until the onions are golden and caramelized- this will take about 20 to 30 minutes. You want a golden fond to develop on the bottom of the pan, but do not want to burn the onions- don't be tempted to raise the heat, this is a slow process. If the pot get's too dry and the onions stick too much, spoon in a bit of water, just don't do this too often or the onions will braise rather than color and caramelize.

2) When the onions are ultra soft and caramel in color, add in the sherry and scrape up all the fond (golden/brown bits on the bottom of the pot). Next, add in the stock and then the potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are very soft (about 15 minutes) then remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender or in a standard blender or food processor. Finish with cream if you like, taste for seasoning, add salt if you wish and serve hot (a scattering or Gruyere croutons would be fabulous).

Makes about 3 and 1/2 quarts. Great made a day ahead and reheated as needed.

Mexican Black Bean Stew

After the last of the holiday dishes were cleared from the table, I sat in our living room, strewn with excess toy packaging, a cup of peppermint tea warming my hands, and I began thinking about what I would cook the next evening for dinner. Feeling bloated and stuffed, like the turkey we had just devoured, my mind turned to the sunny, warm flavours of Mexican cuisine. Cilantro (coriander here in Europe), spicy peppers, tomatoes and... the main ingredient eluded me for a moment. I knew that I didn't want more meat, having roasted and eaten most every farm animal and sea creature over the previous two weeks.
A creamy stew of slowly simmered black beans crept into my gastro-imagination. Lovely and satisfying, this recipe also benefits from being vegan if vegetable broth is used. Otherwise, beef stock is perfectly hearty in this. I served the stew for dinner with a scattering of queso fresco (which was nice but not necessary), steamed rice (brown or white) and sauteed Cavolo Nero and garlic.
The stew was even better the next day for lunch. 


8 ounces dried black beans (or 3 cans black beans, in which case, skip step 1)
1 red bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
Low sodium beef or vegetable broth to cover beans by 2 inches
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Leaves stripped off 2 sprigs epazote (found dried in latin grocery stores)
Handful of fresh, chopped cilantro (coriander)

1) Soak the black beans over night or for at least 3 hours. Drain, rinse and cover by three inches with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hour(s). Drain, cover with stock, bring back to a simmer and allow to cook until tender (refilling with stock or water if needed to keep quite moist).

-Alternatively, use canned black beans-

2) While the beans are simmering away, toss the bell pepper and jalapenos together with a drizzle of olive or veg oil and roast at 375F (180C) until just soft and a bit charred. Allow to cool, remove the  skins and seeds and chop.

3) Once the beans are tender, but not splitting open, add in the roasted peppers, tomato paste, onion, garlic and herbs (except the cilantro). Taste for seasoning, add salt if desired. Simmer, covered or not depending on how soupy or dry you would like the stew, for 20-30 minutes, until the onions are cooked and the flavours melded. Stir in the fresh cilantro and serve.

Makes main course for 4, sides for 6-8. Serve with crumbled queso fresco, or a swirl of sour cream plain yogurt, if desired.

Puerco Pibil (Slow Roasted Pork)

I tend to define people by how they approach food. Socio-economic background, appearance, what they do for work, their nationality-- none of that is important to me, all I care about it how they eat. By 'how they eat' I mean, do they love food or do they view eating as a necessary chore to be completed three times a day?Adimittedly unfair, I have no tolerance for the latter of those gastronomic groups.

So, when my friends Greg and Suzy (also Americans) called the other night and asked if they could come by immediately to share the best slow-roasted pork they have ever made, in my estimation, their stock doubled. They arrived, Peurco Pibil, condiments and tortillas in hand. I was already in my pijamas, but that didn't matter because they had no intention of staying; they only wanted me to taste this gastronomic feat.

And it was fantastic. Really special and worth the time put into slow roasting the meat. Try this dish the next time you have friends around, it is a great one to share.

Greg attributes this recipe to the film maker, Robert Rodriguez
You'll see my adjustments in the [  ].

5 Tbsps. annatto (achiote) seeds
2 tsps. cumin seeds
1 Tbsp. peppercorns
8 allspice berries
½ tsp. whole cloves
2 habanero chiles
½ cup orange juice
½ cup white vinegar
2 Tbsps. salt
8 cloves of garlic
Juice of 5 lemons
Splash of tequila
5 pounds pork butt, cut into 2'' chunks

Banana leaves or heavy-duty aluminum foil [or a turkey baking bag]

1) Place the annatto, cumin, peppercorns, allspice and cloves in a spice grinder and process to a fine powder. Carefully remove the seeds and veins from the chiles and chop coarsely. (Removing the veins and seeds ensures the dish is fiery but not painfully hot. You can also substitute a milder chile.)
2) Process the orange juice, vinegar, chiles, salt, garlic and spices in a blender or food processor until liquefied. Add the lemon juice and tequila.
3) Place the pork chunks into a large, self-sealing plastic bag with the marinade. Seal bag and turn to evenly coat the meat. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
4) Heat oven to 325 degrees [or as low as 275F-- the lower the temperature, the longer to roast, the better the flavour]. Remove the meat from the marinade, wrap tightly in banana leaves and/or foil or place into the turkey baking bag so no steam can escape [add in a bit of the marinade to keep the meat moist during cooking, especially if cooking at the low temp for longer]. Place packet in roasting pan and roast four hours [or longer, up to 8 hours, if roasting at 275F temperature]. Open packet carefully. [Remove the meat from the juices, use a defatter to get rid of most of the fat, and there will be quite a bit. Reserve the juices to drizzle over the meat].The meat should shred easily with a fork. [Place back into the defatted juices]

Shred and moisten with pan juices. Serve with rice or use as taco filling. Makes 15 servings.

Easiest, Tastiest Beef Barley Stew

I love making a big pot of beef stew when it is cold and rainy outside. Living in the UK gives me the opportunity to make it alot. This recipe is utterly simple and absolutely doable when you have no time to prep, but loads of time to let the stew bubble away. I skipped browning the beef and use store bought beef stock-- even beef bouillon cubes work. Don't skip the anchovies (yes, anchovies!)-- they do not add a bit of fishy taste, just enhance the beefieness of the stew. Trust me on this one. All the ingredients sort of melt together (except for the beef) making a wondefully rich stew.

3 pounds cubed stewing beef
1 pound oxtail, cut into pieces (optional,  but adds alot of flavour to the dish)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 a celeriac root (celery root), peeled and shredded
1 tin diced tomatoes (juice and all)
1 cup beef stock or water with bouillon cubes
1/4 cup flour
1 cup red wine
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1/2 cup pearl barley

1) Place the beef cubes and oxtail into a deep oven-proof dish

(I use a very deep earthenware casserole dish).

2) Layer in the slices of onion,

...then the shredded celeriac

3) Shake the stock and the flour together in a jar until smooth then pour it, the wine and the tomatoes into the pot. Push the anchovies in there, too (just do it!).

4) Cover tightly and place into a 300F (150C) oven and forget about it. It will slowly simmer for hours (minimum 3-- in which case you need to raise the temp by 50 degrees-- but up to 6 hours), until the meat is ten-der. Mmmmmmmmm!

5) 45 minutes before you are ready to eat, take all of the meat out of the pot with a slotted spoon, chip away what you can from the oxtail (but it was more for flavour than its meat) and discard the remining tail. Pour the pearl barley into the (now) rich gravy. Stir to submerge the barley. Add the meat back in, cover and back into the oven it goes for about 45 minutes, until the barley is puffed and soft.

Serves 4-6 alongside some crusty bread rolls....

Feeling Stuffed? Try a Tagine...

Thanksgiving 2009 has passed... sigh, or was that a burp? No worries, you will feel hungry again by about Monday. When you do this North African dish is a great recipe to prepare-- the flavours are all-together different from stuffing and mashed potatoes.

If you have a tagine (the cooking vessel in this picture), it looks fabulous brought to the table with this lovely stew bubbling away inside. If you do not, don't worry, just use a large pot with a heavy bottom and tight fitting lid.
Preserved lemons can be found in gourmet or upscale natural food stores. They are vital to the flavour of this dish. If you can’t find them, try this recipe for quick homemade preserved lemons. This is a great dish to serve for company because it is quite impressive and it is all done ahead of time, just stewing away on top of the stove, waiting to be served.

1 large pinch saffron threads
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 bunch fresh cilantro (coriander)
4 small whole preserved lemons, or two large ones, seeds removed and quartered
1 small, hot Thai chilli pepper
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
1, 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup dry white wine
12-24 large, gourmet green olives (not Kalamata)
1 pound very small potatoes or large ones cut into smaller chunks

1) Pour the boiling water over the saffron threads in a coffee cup and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile assemble the rest of the marinade.

2) Place all of the ingredients, except the chicken into a food processor and process until smoothish—not perfect but not too chunky. Add in the saffron and it’s orange water and mix.

3) Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and place into a zip top bag or a bowl, toss well so that all of the chicken is coated with the marinade. Seal up and pkace in the refrigerator for between 2 and 24 hours.

4) To cook—begin cooking 2 hours before you want to serve. In a large, heavy pot, pour in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. Allow that to become hot then add in all of the chicken and marinade and ½ cup of dry white wine. Bring just to a simmer, then cover and turn down the heat to low. Cook very gently for 1 and ½ hours, checking to make sure that the pan does not become dry (if it does add a bit of water). During the last ½ hour, add in the olives and potatoes, cover and bring the heat up to medium-low and continue cooking for the remaining ½ hour or until the potatoes are tender.

Taste to adjust seasoning adding salt or pepper if desired

Serve with steamed basmati rice (or any long grain rice). Serves 6 adults

Cream of Celeriac Soup with Crisp Pancetta

This soup should be on your Thanksgiving menu. If you've got any vegetarians in attendance, simply omit the pancetta (as long as the vegetarians are lacto-ovo).
With the exception of 'Mehlsuppe' (a specialty of Basel, Switzerland-- it is a porridge-like substance made of brown flour and water...tastes even worse than it sounds), I've never met a soup I didn't like, but this one is an all-time favourite. And it is just so simple to make.
Luxurious, creamy and satisfying, even people not fond of celery seem to take a shine to this soup.

2 celeraic (celery root), timmed of all tough outer bits and chopped into large chunks
4-6 shallots, peeled, trimmed and cut in half
Enough chicken or vegetable broth to cover celeriac and shallots by 2 inches
White pepper
Sea salt
4 ounces (120 grams) single cream (heavy cream in the States)
18 slices of pancetta (roughly 100 grams), cooked until crisp, broken into shards and set aside (optional)

1) Place the chunks of celeriac and shallots into a large soup pot. Pour in enough stock to cover by two inches. Cover and bring to a simmer, cook until the celeriac is very tender; once simmering, about 30 minutes.

2) Puree the soup with a stick blender, or transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste, adjust seasoning with sea salt and white pepper add in cream then taste and adjust seasoning again. From this point on the soup should not be brought to a boil-- simmer only. Laddle soup into bowl, topping with pancetta.

Serves 8, but can easily be doubled-- even quadrupled. Like most soups, this is best made a day or two ahead of time and rehated gently when ready to serve.

Old Fashioned Tomato Soup

This soup is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy and you will probably have all the ingredients in your cupboard.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion or two leeks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tins plain tomatoes (and their juice)—any type, chopped, diced, stewed, plum
4 tins beef broth or the equivalent in homemade or bullion
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup dry white wine
1 very large potato, peeled and cubed
½ cup heavy or light cream
Sea salt to taste

1) Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft.

2) Add in everything else except the cream and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, covered or not (just keep it gently simmering) for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

3) Puree the soup with a stick blender (immersion blender). Add the cream and taste to season with salt, is desired. Bring back to heat up, but do not boil, before serving.

This is better the next day, or the day after that. It can simmer for much longer than indicated above but does not need to. Makes about 8 big servings.

Tuscan Tomato Bread Salad

I adore this 'salad'! It makes a fantastic meal, especially on hot evenings when you don't want to heat up the kitchen. It is yummy and so pretty!

1 medium, ripe tomato

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cider or white wine vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (use the best quality you can get your hands on)

3 green onions, sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 round loaf rustic bread, can be day but doesn't need to be

Handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and roughly chopped

2/3 cup cherry or very rip tomatoes, roughly chopped

2/3 cup fresh mozzarella (buffalo is most delicious, but soft, creamy cow's milk will do)

A bit extra extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

1) Using a box grater, grate the rip tomato into a bowl. you will be left with the skin and the green viney top-- discard this. Add to the tomato pulp the salt, vinegar, oil, green onions and garlic. Stir and set aside.

2) The bread needs to be a bit hard, so that when you toss it with the tomato dressing it doesn't go completely soggy. Either use day old bread, or slice into bite size chunks and leave out to air dry for a few hours. If time is an issue, you can also grill slices of bread to crisp them up, then cut into chunks.

3) 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, toss the bread chunks with the tomato dressing, tomatoes, basil and cheese and allow to sit for half an hour. Just before serving, drizzle a bit of olive oil over, taste and adjust seasoning with a bit of salt or freshly cracked pepper and give it a good toss.

Serves 2 big main portions or 4 starters.

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

They key to this dish is to buy the best pork you can find. Rare or traditional breeds, free to roam and live happy lives. Try to shop at the source, the farm shop, or at farmers’ markets. Do not buy factory farm reared meat—ever, if you can help it. Simply put it, is a mean way to treat animals, and the resulting meat lacks flavour.


1, one and a half kilo (3 and ½ pounds) pork shoulder roast, boneless and rolled with crackling if possible
Fresh rosemary twigs
Sea salt
Chicken stock, apple juice, white wine or a combination

1) Pre-heat the oven to 150C, 325F. Place the roast into a baking dish that is just slightly larger than the roast (2 inches perimeter of space around the roast). Tuck the rosemary under the crackling as best you can. If you are not using crackling, tuck the twigs under the butcher’s twine circling the roast. Rub the whole roast with sea salt (over top of the crackling and all over the meat). Pour the chicken stock, apple juice or white wine into the pan so that it comes halfway up the roast. Cover with aluminium foil and place in the oven. Braise for 3 hours. Check to make sure that there is still plenty of liquid—add water if necessary. After 3 hours, remove the foil, turn the oven up to 180C (350F) and roast for 1 hour more—this will allow the roast to brown up. You can also toss in some fingerling or French potatoes now to roast in the juices.

2) Remove from the oven, cover with a foil tent or a clean dish towel and allow the roast to rest for 30 minutes. When ready to eat, remove the crackling and brake up to serve alongside the meat. Scrape any fat and all of the rosemary off the roast and discard. Attempt to slice the meat—but it will be meltingly tender at this point and falling apart, it will come off in savoury chunks.

Skim all of the fat from the pan and discard. Serve the remaining cooking juices alongside the roast. It is liquid gold. Serves 6

Beef Barley Soup

It is the slow cooking that makes this such a wonderful soup. Let it gently simmer for a few hours—and save some for the following day when it will be even better.

1 large leek (or 2 small ones), white and light green part, sliced thin
Vegetable oil
1 pound beef cubes (stew beef)
2 tablespoons flour
8 cups (4 pints) Beef stock (or bouillon cubes with water, if you must)
1 celery stalk, trimmed and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, trimmed and chopped
1 tin plain, chopped tomatoes (including juice)
1 bay leaf
1 pinch dry thyme
¾ cup pearl barley
1) Coat the bottom of a medium-large soup pot with vegetable oil. Set over medium-low heat and add in the leeks. Stir regularly and allow the leeks to sweat, soften then slowly caramelize (turn golden brown).

2) Toss the beef chunks with flour until evenly coated. Remove the soft, colored leeks from the pot (hold on a plate); add in more oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add in the beef chunks (in batches if need be, so not to crowd the pan). Brown the beef chunks (hold browned chunks on a plate while you brown the rest). When all are browned, add the beef and the leeks back into the pot with beef stock and everything else except for the barley. Stir very well the bottom to get up all the brown bits (the ‘fond’). Bring just to a simmer and cook gently for a few hours—do not allow it to boil. One hour before you would like to eat, rinse the barley then add it to the soup and simmer for about 45 minutes (or according to package directions).

Serve with crusty bread. Serves 4.