Roast Chicken with 50 to 100 Cloves of Garlic

Serves 4

This recipe, I have read, comes from Provençal, however, like all old recipes, has many variations.  This chicken is roasted.  The garlic turns  mild and creamy after the long roasting. It may sound overpowering but the garlic cloves mellow and sweeten in the oven.

Note:  Option, if you don’t want to peel the garlic.  Separate cloves from garlic bulb, leaving peel intact. When you serve them, the creamy flesh will readily squeeze out from the skins.

Feel free to use as many cloves as you want because any leftover roasted garlic cloves can be peeled and used to make a simple garlic mayonnaise known as aïoli.

Note:  After the chicken is removed, you will have some remaining liquid.  Add enough cloves of garlic over cover the bottom of the roasting dish, add a bit more water (~1/3 cup), sprinkle with ~1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and roast for 1 hour at 325F.  Use as a spread on toast or mix into mashed potatoes.

50 to 100 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
3.5 lb whole chicken
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 cup white wine or water

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Peel the garlic.  Rub butter over outside of chicken and inside cavity; salt and pepper the skin and inside cavity.
Tie legs together with kitchen string.  Place the garlic cloves, in single layer, in medium baking dish and place chicken on the garlic.

Pour the water carefully into dish; roast, uncovered, brushing occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour 30 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Stand chicken on platter, covered with foil, 15 minutes before serving.

Serving suggestions:  Oven Roasted Potatoes. 

Sliced chicken breast with pieces of garlic.

Garlic, roasted in the pan juices.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

 

Potatoes
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 400F.  Wash the potatoes and dry with a paper towel.  Microwave for 5 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool (cool enough to handle; about 20 minutes).

Pour some olive oil into a cast iron (or other oven proof skillet or dutch oven).  Pour some on your hand and coat each potato with oil.  Place in the skillet.  Place the skillet in the oven on an upper rack and roast for 40 minutes.

Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Herb Stuffing

Troy prepared Bacon-wrapped Beef Tenderloin for our 2009 Christmas Eve dinner, accompanied by scalloped potatoes, carrots, rigatoni with sausage and mushrooms (see that recipe), and more.  He followed the recipe exactly, but he found that the meat was slightly undercooked.  After slicing it, he put the meat under the broiler for a few minutes and the result was perfection.  The smaller ends of the tenderloins were fairly well done and the thickest end was a dark pink.  Everyone’s preferences were met.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from French bread, crust removed
2 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley (from 2 to 3 large bunches)
2 2 1/4- to 2 1/2-pound center-cut beef tenderloin roasts
20 to 24 bacon slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)(thin, not thick cut bacon)
Canola oil

Note:  Some reviewers on Epicurious.com recommend applying a rub to the meat before wrapping with bacon.

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add breadcrumbs. Sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in parsley. Season stuffing with salt and pepper. Cool completely.

Starting at 1 long side, cut each tenderloin lengthwise almost in half, stopping about 1/2 inch from opposite long side. Open tenderloins like books. Sprinkle cut sides with salt and pepper. Pack half of stuffing on 1 side of each tenderloin. Fold plain side over stuffing.

Slightly overlap half of bacon slices on sheet of parchment paper, forming rectangle equal in length to 1 tenderloin. Place tenderloin at 1 edge, across bacon ends. Using parchment as aid, roll up tenderloin in bacon. Using kitchen string, secure bacon around tenderloin, tying at 1 1/2-inch intervals, then tie once lengthwise. Repeat with remaining bacon and tenderloin. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap tenderloins and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour enough oil into large skillet to coat bottom; heat over high heat. Add 1 tenderloin. Sauté until bacon is brown, turning often, about 10 minutes. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with second tenderloin. Roast until thermometer inserted into center of each registers 130°F to 135°F for medium-rare, about 30 minutes. Transfer to platter. Let stand 15 minutes. Cut off strings. Cut tenderloins into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Source:  Bon Appétit  | December 2004

Baked Rigatoni with Sausage and Mushrooms

Troy prepared this as a side dish (!) for our 2009 Christmas Eve dinner.  This, coupled with the Swedish Meatballs, was the principal reason I grossly over-ate (3 helpings).  This dish has a deep, rich and marvelous mushroom flavor that is instantly addictive.  We took some leftovers home and had them for lunch on Saturday . . . wow.  This is a keeper!  Indeed, Carolyn and I made it this evening!

Note:  This recipe is for 25 servings.  Remember to cut in half unless you are making it for a crowd.

4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
4 cups hot water
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 large onions, finely chopped
5 pounds hot Italian sausages, casings removed
4 pounds button mushrooms, sliced
4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups dry white wine
4 bay leaves
2 14-ounce cans beef broth
4 cups half and half
4 pounds rigatoni
6 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh rosemary sprigs (for garnish)

Rinse porcini mushrooms. Place in medium bowl. Add 4 cups hot water, cover, and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Chop porcini.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in each of 2 heavy large pots over medium heat. Divide onions between pots; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Divide sausage between pots. Increase heat to high and cook until no longer pink, breaking up into small pieces with back of fork, about 12 minutes.  Divide button mushrooms and chopped rosemary between pots and stir until mushrooms begin to soften, about 8 minutes, covered. Divide porcini, wine, and bay leaves between pots and boil until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Using a ladle, remove 1-1/2 cups of the liquid (not needed).  Divide porcini soaking liquid between pots, leaving sediment behind. Divide beef broth between pots. Boil until sauce is syrupy, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Divide half and half between pots; boil until thickened slightly, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. (Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.)

Brush four 3 1/2-quart glass or porcelain baking dishes with oil. Cook pasta in 2 large pots of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Divide pasta between sauce in pots; stir to coat. Mix 3 cups cheese into each pot. Season pasta with salt and pepper. Divide among prepared baking dishes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover dishes with foil. Bake pasta just until hot but not bubbling, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and serve with additional cheese.

Note 1: We made 1/2 of the recipe, however, we used 2 tablespoons of oil to sauté the onions. 

Note 2: The wine adds a considerable amount of liquid.  Next time, I plan to use 1/2 of the wine.

Note 3: After baking, we removed the foil, returned the pan to the oven and broiled for 3 minutes.

based on a Bon Appétit  | December 2004 recipe

Swedish Meatballs

Every year, the weekend before Christmas, Carolyn and her daughters get together to make Swedish Meatballs.  I have a standing invitation to finely dice the onions and to get out of the kitchen so production can take place unimpeded.  We’ve never actually counted, but the outcome must be about 200 meatballs.  The recipe is based on a recipe passed down by Carolyn’s mother, Martha.

5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons sage
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ginger
2-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup dried or fresh parsley
3 lbs. ground beef
1-1/2 lbs. ground pork
1 lb. ground veal
3 eggs
½ cup half & half 
2 medium onions, very finely diced (about 3 cups)
Butter
Knorr’s Vegetable bullion

Mix the first 10 ingredients together.  Mix the meat until thoroughly blended.  Combine everything, except the butter and bullion, and mix well in a large bowl.  Form meatballs by rolling some of the mixture between your palms.  The meatballs should be small; no larger than 2.5 cm in diameter.  Melt some butter in a large skillet and brown the meatballs, turning occasionally.  Remove to another pan.  After all the meatballs have been browned, deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of water and add the liquid to the meatballs.  Add the bullion and some additional allspice.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate until Christmas.  Leftovers freeze nicely.

note:  Ground veal can be difficult to track down.  If you cannot find it, simply substitute with an additional 1/2 lb. of ground pork and 1/2 lb. of ground beef.

Yes, smell that butter!  

Strozzapreti

Strozzapreti are simple pasta noodles that are easy and very quick to make.  The word, in Italian, means “"priest strangler.”  Don’t know why, but several reasons come to mind why someone might want to strangle a priest.  :)

It took three tries to get this simple noodle right.  The first time I used two eggs and a cup of flour.  The resulting noodles were tough.  Too tough.  I watched a couple of videos on You Tube and decided to experiment be substituting one egg with water, adding salt and a bit of olive oil.  The dough was dry.  I made one noodle and boiled it as a test.  Tough.

Third try:  I cranked up the liquids and the pasta turned out very nicely.  The recipe follows.  Search this blog for the “Roasted Tomato Sauce” recipe to serve with the noodles. 

1 large egg
1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 T tepid water

Start heating a deep pot of water.  Place plates into a warming drawer.

On a suitable work surface (I use the kitchen counter), place the flour in a pile and sprinkle with the salt.  Using the back of a tablespoon measure, form a deep well in the center. Pour the water, olive oil and one egg into the well.  Using an ordinary fork, break the yolk and slowly mix the egg/water/oil with the flour.  Work carefully so the liquid stays within the confines of the flour.  Eventually, as all the flour is incorporated, the dough will attain a dry consistency.  Flour your hand and begin to knead the dough into a round shape.  Knead until the dough is smooth.  Flour the surface and the dough and begin rolling it with a rolling pin.  Turn over frequently and sprinkle with flour to keep it from sticking to the work surface and rolling pin.  Roll it out until it is very thin; perhaps 1/8" thick.

Using a knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough into 1" wide strips.  Wet your left palm with a bit of water, pick up a strip and roll it between the palms of both hands. The strip should stick to itself.  Pull it apart and drop it on the counter.  Continue until all the noodles are formed.  Sprinkle with flour to keep them from sticking.

Once the water is boiling furiously, drop all the noodles into the water.  Be careful that they do not stick together.  They will fall to the bottom of the pot of water and soon rise.  They are finished cooking as soon as they rise.  Remove them to warm plates and serve with Roasted Tomato Sauce and red wine.

The egg, with the water and olive oil, in a well made in a cup of flour.

A video in which I demonstrate the technique for rolling the dough into the correct Stazzopreti shape.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Carolyn and I attempted to make Strozzapreti (a type of pasta noodle) this evening, but failed.  Strozzapreti is a noodle that is made by placing the dough around a bamboo skewer.  I simply could not do it. In the spirit of making lemonade out of lemons, we decided to make tallerines, which are simply flat, wide noodles.  But the noodles turned out too tough.  Not inedible, but a bit more chewy that we wanted.  But there is a silver lining.  The tomato sauce recipe is a keeper!  It’s easy to make and it has a wonderful flavor.  It would go well with fusilli, although we will try making the Strozzapreti another time.

Update:  We made Strozzapreti (see the separate recipe post) the following evening.  Actually, we made it twice.  On the final try I increased the water and oil, and achieved good results. 

12 ounces (about 22) cherry tomatoes or 6 medium tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup finely grated pecorino cheese
1/4 cup, firmly packed, fresh basil leaves
salt & black pepper
hot pepper flakes, optional

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oil and 4 minced garlic cloves. Toss well, then arrange tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut sides up.  Salt and pepper lightly. Roast until soft and collapsing, about 45 minutes; do not allow to dry or brown.

Combine remaining minced garlic, cheese, and basil in a food processor.  Process until very finely chopped.

When tomatoes are roasted, remove them from the oven, place on serving dishes and immediately sprinkle cheese-herb mixture on top and lightly mash with a spoon so cheese melts. Serve over pasta. Drizzle each serving with a tablespoon of olive oil.  

2 servings.

Before

After . . . right out of the oven.