Apricot chicken

Apricot chicken.

An easy and flavorful dish. Very difficult to go wrong. Make sure you get caperberries, once I tried to substitute with capers, but it did not work. Small capers almost disappeared in this dish.

Ingredients:

8 ea chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
24 ea dried apricots
12 ea garlic cloves medium, peeled and lightly crushed
24 ea Sicilian olives
24 ea pickled caperberry (store bought)
2 strips of orange zest (use your vegetable peeler)
1 heaped tablespoon dried oregano (you can use leaves from 1/2 bunch of fresh oregano instead of dry)
8 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup white wine
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Method:
1. In a ziplock bag mix together all ingredients, except wine and brown sugar. Make sure that all ingredients mixed well. I would use double ziplock bag, to be safe. Marinate for 12-24 hours in a refrigerator.  From time to time flip the bag over, for better marination.
2. Preheat oven for 375F.
3. Place the chicken in a large baking dish skin side up. Spread all other ingredients around (apricots, olives, caperberries, garlic). Pour marinade over. Pour white wine over. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the chicken very lightly.
4. Bake for 1 hour. Serve hot.

Notes:
1. If you prefer boneless and skinless thighs, then go for it. I like chicken skin and also it doesn't make sense for me to pay extra for boneless and skinless thighs.
2. In case you want more color on the skin, then finish under the broiler. Just keep an eye on it and move olives, apricot, etc to the sides.

Baeckeoffe

Literally, Baeckeoffe means "baker's oven." Traditionally, the women would prepare this dish on

Sunday evening and leave it with the baker to cook in his gradually cooling oven on Monday while they headed down to the river to wash the family's clothes. The baker would seal the casseroles with leftover dough and on the way back with their clean clothes, the women would pick up their casserole and a loaf of bread to feed their families.

For Marinade: 

2 onions, large, cut in 8 wedges

4 leeks, small, white and tender green parts, cut in 1.5 inch rounds

1 carrot, cut into 1/8-inch slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves 

1 teaspoon juniper berries whole

1  thyme sprigs

3-5 parsley stems

1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine (preferably Alsatian Riesling)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For meat:

1 pound beef chuck roast; cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound boneless pork butt; trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound boneless lamb shoulder; trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (or other yellow potatoes); peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

For Pastry Seal:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 egg, beaten

TO PREPARE MEAT AND MARINADE: 

Combine the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add all the meats and toss gently. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

TO ASSEMBLE DISH FOR COOKING:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the meats and vegetables from the marinade and reserve the marinade.

Sear meat all around until golden brown.

Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and lightly oil a large ovenproof casserole (preferably earthenware and with a vent hole in the lid) with olive oil.

Cover the bottom of the casserole with a third of the potato slices. Arrange half of the seared meats over the potatoes, and then place half the vegetables in a layer over the meats.

Cover with a layer of the half of remaining potato slices. Repeat layers and finish by placing the remaining third of potatoes on the top. Pour the marinade over them. Place the lid on the casserole.

TO PREPARE PASTRY SEAL: 

Mix together the flour, water and olive oil in a mixing bowl, and form into a rope shape long enough to wrap around the rim of the casserole. Press the dough onto the rim of the casserole. Place the lid on top of the dough and press to seal completely (this seal will prevent any of the cooking liquid from evaporating). Brush the pastry seal with egg, if a glossier look is desired.

TO COOK: 

Place the casserole in the oven and cook for about 3 1/2 hours. Remove the casserole and bring to the table. Cut under the lid to break the pastry seal and remove the lid. Serve the baeckeoffe out of the casserole onto warm serving plates

NOTES: 

It's seems a good idea to increase amount of vegetables in the dish. 

Also make sure that your dutch oven is big enough to hold all ingredients (4 qt capacity is not enough)

Zabaglione ice-cream

Marsala, a Sicilian fortified wine, is traditionally used to flavor zabaglione, a light dessert custard. In this recipe, rum is added for a more intense flavor.

Yield: Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons imported dry Marsala
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl until thick, about 2 minutes. 

Heat milk and cream in medium saucepan over medium heat until mixture bubbles at edges. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture; return to saucepan. 

Stir over medium heat until custard leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across and temperature registers 180°F, do not overcook.

Immediately pour custard through sieve set over another medium bowl. Stir Marsala, rum, and vanilla into custard. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Process custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream into container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. Keep frozen.

Pot Cheese Tartlets (Vatrushli)

This is a recipe I found in the Internet slightly modified. I was allowed to cook this recipe instead of the one we had in the course guide for the cuisines of Europe. Dough was overworked a bit and tartlets were a little dense. So please be careful and do not kneed dough to much.

POT CHEESE TARTLETS

VATRUSHKI

Yield: 12 portions

Ingredients                                            Amounts

Dough

                        AP Flour                                                         18 oz

                        Milk                                                                 1 cup

                        Yeast dry                                                         1 ½ tsp

                        Sugar white                                                     6 tbsp

                        Salt                                                                  1 tsp

                        Butter melted                                                  1 oz

                        Pot cheese (tvorog)                                         10 oz

                        Egg separated                                                 1 ea

                        Raisin (optional)                                             2 oz or to taste

                        Corn starch                                                     1 tsp

Method

1. Dough. Combine together yeast, AP flour, milk, butter, 2 Tbsp sugar, salt. Mix well (but do not overwork dough!), cover and leave in a warm place to proof until double in volume.
2. Punch the dough and leave covered to raise again to double in volume.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F.
4. Filling. Combine pot cheese, egg white lightly beaten, corn starch, 4 Tbsp sugar and raisin (if using).
5. Divide the dough in 12 equal parts and make them a ball shape. Place on a baking sheet leaving space between balls of dough. Flatten  slightly each piece of dough with your hand. Then sprinkle a little bit flour on top of dough and make indentation using round object (like glass or cap).
6. Fill the dough with pot cheese filling. Sprinkle a little bit sugar on top
7. Mix egg yolk with 2 tsp milk and brush the edges of tartlets.
8. Bake until golden brown, approximately for 20-25 minutes.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pork in a Pasilla Chile and Pumpkin Seed Sauce

Pipian De Chile Pasilla Con Carne De Puerco

This dish I prepared in Mexican cuisine class. The recipe could seem complicated, but it is not.

Ingredients

Stewing pork with fat, cut into 1 1⁄2” cubes                 3 1/2 lb
Garlic cloves, peeled, crushed                                              9  ea
Salt                                                                                   1 1/2 Tbsp
Chile pasilla negra, about 8, wiped   
clean, vein, seeds removed and reserved                              6 oz
Lard (see index), or vegetable oil                                           2 Tbsp
Pumpkin seeds, raw, hulled                                            1 1/2 cups
Garlic cloves, small                                                                 3 ea
Peppercorns                                                                            5 ea
Cloves                                                                                      4 ea
Garnish  
Cilantro leaves                                                                        1 bunch
Lime wedges                                                                       as needed
White rice                                                                            as needed

Method

1. Put the pork into a wide casserole, cover with 4 quarts water, add the smashed garlic and salt, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the pork is just half cooked, about 20 minutes. Remove 2 quart of the water and reserve.
   
2. Continue cooking the pork until it is tender; by this time the cooking water should have evaporated. If not, remove the broth and continue cooking the pork over medium heat until the fat renders out and lightly browns the meat. Leave 1⁄4 cup of fat in the pot.
   
3. Meanwhile, toast the chiles lightly on both sides in a dry skillet over medium-high heat; don’t burn the chiles or the sauce will be bitter. Rinse and soak in 3 cups of the reserved broth for about 15 minutes.
   
4. Toast the chile seeds until they change to a pale brown colour. Grind them in a spice grinder.
   
5. Heat the lard in a skillet and gently fry the pumpkin seeds until they begin to swell up and pop around. Add them along with the whole spices and the peeled garlic to the blender jar with the ground seeds. Add 2 1⁄2 cups of the reserved broth and blend together to a slightly textured purée. Add this to the meat that is frying in the casserole.
   
6. Blend the soaked chiles with the broth in which they were soaked and add to the pan.
   
7. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Add any remaining broth and salt to taste and
   continue cooking over low heat for 5 minutes. The sauce should be fairly thick, coating the back of a wooden spoon.

8. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
   
9. Garnish with cilantro and serve with white rice and corn tortillas. 
   

Tortilla Soup

Right bottom corner
of the plate

This is my first time I ate this soup and the first time I made it. It was alway a strange idea for me to put some bread (tortilla) in the liquid.

Chicken, fowl, quartered                     1 ea. 
Chicken stock                                        1 gal
Water                                                     1 gal
Vegetable oil or lard                              2 oz
Spanish onions, minced                        1 lb
Garlic cloves, rough cut                        4 ea
Corn tortillas, rough cut                       5 ea
Plum tomatoes, charred,
left whole                                               1 lb
Salt and ground black pepper              to taste
Fresh epazote                                         1 Tbsp

Garnish
Chicken meat, from above         
pasilla, chilies, toasted
Fried corn tortilla, julienne strips         from 12 tortillas
Monterey Jack cheese, grated               1 lb
Avocados, medium dice                        2 ea
Limes, juice of                                        2 ea

Method

1. For the soup: Combine the chicken stock, water, and chicken and simmer 1 to 11⁄2 hours— until the chicken is tender and completely cooked. Remove the chicken to cool and strain the resulting broth. At this point you should have 11⁄2 gallons of broth. If you do not, add chicken stock to have 11⁄2 gallons total. 
   
2. Heat the oil and add the onions, garlic, and tortilla pieces. Cook them until they start to turn golden. Place the cooked onion and tortilla mixture in a blender along with the charred and peeled tomatoes. Purée all very fine. Add to a stockpot and simmer 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and epazote and simmer for 30 minutes. Season as necessary with salt and pepper. Adjust with lime just prior to serving.
   
3. For the garnish: Remove the meat and skin from the chicken and cut into a small dice. Lightly toast the whole pasillas in a cast-iron skillet over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes; they cannot get dark. Remove the stems and seeds and grind roughly in a spice grinder and reserve.
   
4. Cut the tortillas into short julienne and deep-fry at 350°F, drain on paper towels, and reserve. Grate the cheese and reserve. Dice the avocado and reserve. Place the cooked chicken meat, lime juice, and pasillas in the broth just before service. Bring to a simmer and place in the soup warmer.
   
5. Serve with garnish of diced avocado, cheese, and tortilla strips. 
   

Dirty rice

Great taste, I like it very much. Excellent dish (if you like liver).

DIRTY RICE 

Canola oil                                    2 Tbsp
Chicken giblets                           12 oz
Chicken livers                             4 oz
Onion, chopped fine                   8 oz
Celery, chopped fine                  1 rib    
Green pepper, chopped fine      1 ea 
Garlic cloves, minced                 2 ea
Salt                                              1 tsp
Ground black pepper                 1/2 tsp
Cayenne pepper                         1/16 tsp or to taste
Chicken stock                             1/4 cup
Butter                                          4 oz
Tabasco sauce                            to taste
Worcestershire sauce                 to taste 
Parsley, minced                          2 Tbsp
Green onions, chopped              1/4 cup
Boiled rice, cooked                      12 oz

1. Cut the chicken liver and giblets into small pieces and pass through a coarse grinder or pulse in a food processor. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet and cook the livers and giblets until they begin to turn brown. Let this get very crispy (BUT DO NOT LET IT GET BLACK).
   
2. Add the trinity (onions, green pepper, celery) and garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and scrape the livers and giblets from the pan bottom. This step is known as a “scrape.” Add the stock, cover tightly, and sweat (étouffée) for 20 minutes.
   
3. Remove the lid, add the butter, Tabasco, Worcestershire, parsley, and green onion.
   
4. Fold in the boiled rice and adjust the salt and pepper.