Rabbit with Olives

This is a recipe adapted from one of my brother's.
We had it with some nice red wine on a cold Montreal evening in February.

1 rabbit cut into medium sized pieces (boned if you have the patience)
1 glug of olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped
about 15 assorted olives sliced
1 cup of carrots sliced into rounds
1 cup mushrooms
sage
thyme
rosemary
oragano
2 bay leaves
salt  &  pepper
1 cup red wine (you can substitute white wine)
1 cup chicken stock

Heat olive oil in a large skillet
Add  onions and olives and cook until the onion is translucent
Add the rabbit, the garlic and the spices
When the rabbit has browned pour in the wine and the stock, you can use a bit more than the recipe calls for depending on the size of the rabbit
Add the carrots and mushrooms
Bring it to a boil then, after about 5 minutes reduce the heat to a simmer,
Simmer it all for 50 minutes or so. A bit longer if you like. Until the meat is very temder
Near the end use a small bit of flour and water to thicken
serve over rice or pasta

*I found that the rabbits in Western Canada tend to be a bit largee that those I saw in Montreal's Atwater Market or in the Byward Market in Ottawa so be flexible.

* A large rabbit will serve six

* if you don't have rabbit, you can substitute chicken

Paella

Photo credit: Shelley Banks

Paella is originally from Valencia, where it is often eaten as a Sunday meal. There are many variations of it with different ingredients.
The name paella is the word for “frying pan” in Valencian. However, the dish has
become so popular in Spain that the word paellera is now usually used for the pan
and paella almost exclusively for the dish.

I love this dish. It is tasty, hearty and easy to make. If you don’t have a paellera try using a wok or a large deep skillet.

I like mine to have a variety of ingredients but, you could easily make it into
seafood dish or leave out the seafood and use chicken or rabbit. Don't go overboard and put too much of a variety in however. It could turn into what has been called " pointless baroque exhibitionism."

The Spanish love the crusty toasted rice buildup from the bottom of the pan
called socarrat so, if you are having a Spaniard for supper, when it is pretty
much done, turn up the heat until you smell the rice beginning to toast. Try very
hard not to burn the bottom.

600 grams chicken thighs or legs
Salt &  pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 red pepper, chopped in small pieces (Morgan would say leave these out)
1/2 tsp saffron threads
6 cups chicken or fish stock
1 tsp oragano
2 tbsp Spanish smoked paprika
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups, short grain rice
2 links of Chorizo Sausage fresh or dried, cut into bite sized pieces
12 to 18 large raw peeled shrimp
12 mussels or 12 clams

a few small squid
1 cup frozen peas

Heat a swirl of oil in the pan and brown the chicken pieces well then remove from the pan and set aside. (If you are using fresh sausage brown it separately and set it aside as well)
Drain off all but a bit of the oil and add the onion and garlic and cook them until they are soft. Stir in the rice and the red pepper and spices, stir well for a minute or so then add the tomatoes.
Meanwhile dissolve the saffron in the stock and add 2 cups to the rice mixture. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium high. Return the chicken to the pan and it is now time to add the sausage, what ever kind you are using. Cook uncovered 20 minutes stirring occasionally adding more stock as it begins to
dissolve. Don’t stir it as you would a risotto. It only needs an occasional mixing.
Stir in the shrimp, peas and shellfish and add the rest of the stock.
If the rice mixture gets too dry during this process you might add a bit more stock or water. You don’t want it to dry out and burn.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until most of the moisture is absorbed, the shrimp are opaque and the shellfish have opened. Discard any that have not.

Enjoy

The last time I made this dish I had bought some frozen squid but, they were in a solid block and it became impossible to thaw the few of them I needed. I had to thaw the whole damn block so...I simply cut off and used all the heads and tentacles and threw away the rest. It least one of my guests was a bit put off by the squid tentacles sticking up and out of the rice.

Chicken and Leeks with Penne, for two

I grew leeks for the first time this year and although they were a bit slow to get started they were ready by September for a good meal or two.
This is a very simple dish to make and it turned out very well.

2 chicken legs
2 cups chicken stock
 1 1/2 cups leeks cut into small rounds
1/2 cup pancetta
Penne, enough for two
Salt and pepper to taste

If the legs have the backs attached cut them off and set them aside for the next time you make stock.
Cut the pancetta into 1/4 inch cubes and fry until crispish, and set aside..
Heat the chicken stock.
Put 2/3 of the leeks on the bottom of an oven proof earthenware dish, add the cooked pancetta then place the chicken legs on top. Pour the stock over the chicken until it is not quite covered. Add the rest of the leeks.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and put into a 450 degree oven for 35 or 40 minutes.
If the dish doesn't have a cover, just use aluminum foil.
At about the 30 minutes mark, put the penne into boiling salted water,
When it is done drain and toss with butter.
Put the penne in a pasta bowl.
Take the chicken out of the oven and place a leg on top of each bowl of penne. Spoon the leeks over top of the penne and chicken then add a bit of the chicken stock to the penne and serve.
Enjoy.
Simple and scrumptious.

Smoked Picnic Ham with Guinness

It had been some time since we'd cook a ham so I picked up a Smoked Picnic Ham the other day for under $8.00. I thought, for that price how could I go wrong. 
I didn't want to cook it an a very sweet sauce to I improvised. 
It was very good.

1 smoked picnic ham shoulder
1 large onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 can Guinness
2 or 3 cups chicken stock
1 tsp each of Rosemary, thyme and oregano
1 good pinch black pepper
1/2 a cup maple syrup

Heat the oven to 350  F degrees
These hams are often wrapped in Cheesecloth. Don't forget to unwrap that cheesecloth and throw it away. It will make your life easier later on.
Scour the fat on top of the ham with a sharp knife.
In a large dutch oven or other large heavy saute the onion until  translucent, then add the garlic and the herbs
in another minute or so, add the ham
Pour in the Guinness and then the stock
Pour the maple syrup over the ham
Heat the stock on the stove until it almost boils
Cover the pot tightly, use tin foil if the pot's cover won't fit with the ham in there
Put it in the oven for 3 hours turning the ham twice and so the last hour the fat side is up.
After three hours take the pot out and remove the ham. It should be at least 160 F
Place it in a roasting pan, turn the heat up to 450 F and put it back into the oven uncovered.
Take a couple of cups of stock along with the onions etc, add a few more of the herbs and a Tbsp of Dijon mustard then either using a handheld blender or a stand alone blender blend the mixture until it is like a sauce or gravy. Put the sauce back into the pot. Reduce the ham gravy on the stove top and if needed at the end add a small amount of cornstarch to thicken.
If you prefer a sweeter flavour add some more maple syrup but I don't think you need it.
Serve it with potatoes and a vegetable
It is very good

Cassoulet

The first time I ever had this dish Shelley and I were visiting my brother Sandy
and his wife Barbara who were living in the south of France. We drove to see La
Cite de Carcassonne, an amazing walled city which is about 90 km south east of
Toulouse. It poured rain and we got soaked to the skin exploring the castle and
the city. At lunch time we stopped at an old stone built restaurant within the
walls and warmed up with steaming bowls of cassoulet.
This is Sandy and Barbara’s recipe.


Ingredients

5 or 6 bay leaves
3 cups of dried white
beans, (lingots)
Olive Oil
2 Toulouse sausage,
thinly sliced. Choriso
would do in a pinch
1/2 kilo of pork cut into
1 inch pieces
1/2 kilo of any one of
the following cut into 1
inch pieces
- duck
- chicken
- turkey
5 or 6 cloves of garlic
chopped
1 shallot chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
2 tbsp Herbes de Provence
Salt and pepper
A few sprigs of parsley
chopped
1 or 2 hot peppers
chopped
2 tomatoes roughly
chopped
Reserved bean water
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

First, soak the beans overnight. Boil the beans with 3 or 4 bay leaves until the
beans are chewable but not mushy. Set them aside but don’t drain them.
Preheat the oven to 375 and then drizzle olive oil into a large skillet and saute
the meat, garlic, shallot, red pepper, onion, along with the spices until the meat
is lightly browned.
In a large oven proof pot put enough beans to cover the bottom. Put 1/3 of the
meat mixture over the beans and some of the tomatoes, hot peppers, and the remaining
bay leaves. Continue to layer like this until you are out of ingredients.
Add the bean water and chicken stock until the liquid is just below the beans.
Bake the mixture for 2 hours. Let cool for a bit. Top up the pot with bean water
and chicken stock until it is back to its previous level, just below the beans.
Add the breadcrumbs and bake for another 1 1/2 hours or until the breadcrumbs have
browned.
Serve in large shallow bowls and serve with red wine. A Minervois or a Corbiere
would be authentic.

Coconut Risotto with Prawn Korma

Coconut Risotto

4 cups Chicken Stock

1 400 ml can coconut milk

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp chopped Green Onions

¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 ½ cups arborio rice

¼ cup dry white wine

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

In a pot, combine the chicken stock and the coconut milk. Bring just to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan on medium, heat olive oil and add green onions and stir until soft. Add the coconut flakes and rice and continue stirring for 1 minute

Pour in wine and stir until almost all is absorbed.

Add stock-coconut milk mixture ½ cup at a time and stir until almost absorbed before adding another. Continue stirring gently and adding broth mixture until it is all gone and rice is tender. This will take about 35 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add butter, salt and pepper and serve.

Prawn Korma

1 Onion finely chopped

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1 Tbsp butter

1 can of Patak’s Korma Curry

½ a cup of water

500 grams of raw prawns peeled

½ a cup of whipping cream

About 10 minutes before you expect the Risotto to be ready

In a frying pan sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent in butter

Add the Curry and the water

Heat until simmering

Add the prawns and stir gently until they are cooked

Stir in the cream and reheat

Serve the risotto in a shallow bowl and distribute the curry evenly on top of each dish.

Serves 4 to 6 people

Paprika Chicken with Garlic

This is my new favorite chicken recipe. Paprika Chicken with Garlic. A Spanish dish.

It is a dish that any restaurant would be more than happy to charge you $25.00 for. 

So why pay through the nose for something which is so simple to make.

Ingredients

6 to 8 chicken thighs

2 cups of flour 

3 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 couple of glugs of olive oil

20 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved

2 cups heated chicken stock

1/3 of a cup of dry white wine

3 bay leaves

2 Tbsp dried thyme

Salt & pepper

Dredge the chicken in flour then in the paprika. If is isn't covering well take some paprika in your hands and rub it into the chicken. Set it aside.

Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a deep frying pan or a dutch oven. Add the garlic and heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Don't let it brown. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set it aside.

Brown the chicken well on both sides. Don't crowd it. Three at a time is probably the easiest depending on the size of your pan. When all the chicken are well browned place the chicken pieces skin side up in the pan. Hopefully your pan is large enough to have the chicken all on one layer,

Put the garlic back into the pan distributing it evenly and between the pieces of chicken. Add the bay leaves, the thyme and the salt and pepper.

Add the hot stock and wine to the pan and turn up the heat bringing it to a boil.

When it boils, turn the heat to simmer, cover the pan and cook for 25 minutes.

After the chicken is done, take it out and put in in a warming oven.

Take out the bay leaves. 

Bring the stock back to a boil and reduce it to about 1 1/2 cups.

Put the chicken on warmed plates and pour the sauce and the pieces of garlic over the chicken.

I like this with roasted small potatoes with the skins on. Take a couple of handfulls of the small potatoes you can buy packaged in most stores, red or yellow it doesn't matter. Put a bit of olive oil in a cast iron fry pan and on high heat fry them for a few minutes shaking them often. Sprinkle them with some rosemary, salt & pepper and perhaps a little bit of garlic powder. Shake them up one last time.

Put them, pan and all into a 450 degree oven and cook them for about 20 minutes.