It doesn’t have to take a lot of time.  In fact, if you put your slow cooker to work, you can make a great meal in practically no time.  Think of something with a little flair that everyone will enjoy.  My suggestion is Chicken Bouillabaisse, a recipe from The French Slow Cooker.  You may know bouillabaisse as a fish stew, but in Provence it is also made with chicken and I have adapted the recipe to the slow cooker.  Together with some seasonings, the chicken goes into the cooker with some white wine, and tomatoes.  They all cook together until the chicken is fork tender.  Serve it as they do in France with toasted bread and Rouille, a spicy garlic sauce.

For starters, a great salad would be my choice, perhaps with a slice of goat cheese.  And for dessert, buy a cake from the bakery, or make the flourless chocolate cake published on this website about a year ago.  You can make it a day or two ahead and serve it proudly with some fresh strawberries.

CHICKEN BOUILLABAISSE

Serves 4 to 8

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chopped canned or fresh tomato
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 2 3-inch strips orange zest
• Big pinch saffron threads, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• Pinch of piment d’Espelette or cayenne
• 8 chicken thighs, skin removed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 8 1/2 -inch thick slices toasted French or Italian bread
• Rouille (see page 00)
•             In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer.  Pour the mixture into a large slow cooker.  Stir in the tomato, puree, orange zest, saffron and fennel.
•             Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.  Place the pieces in the slow cooker, spooning some of the sauce over the top.  Cover and cook on low 6 hours or until the chicken is tender and coming away from the bone.
•             Serve the chicken and sauce in shallow bowls with the toast and Rouille.

ROUILLE

You could make this luscious rosy red pepper sauce from scratch by first making a mayonnaise and then adding roasted peppers, but I like this convenient shortcut method just as well. Serve it with a fish or vegetable bouillabaisse, grilled fish, as a dip for raw vegetables or as a spread for sandwiches.
Makes 1-3/4 cups

• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, either homemade or from a jar
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Pinch of cayenne or Espelette pepper
•             In a blender or food processor, finely chop the peppers and garlic.  Add the mayonnaise, oil, lemon juice and cayenne and process until smooth.  Store the sauce in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

Darina Allen/Photo by Tom Starkweather

“Cut a deep cross into the top of the bread.  Then prick each quarter with a fork to let the fairies out,” explained Darina Allen, as she demonstrated how to make Irish Soda Bread.  Darina is the founder of the renowned Ballymaloe Cooking School in Ballymaloe, Ireland where she teaches and lives on an organic farm.  Often called the Julia Child of Ireland, Darina was in New York recently as a representative of Kerrygold butter and cheese, which is the brand name for the Irish Dairy Board, a cooperative of small farmer co-ops and creameries.

Darina hosted a cooking demonstration and tasting at The Tenement Museum on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.  We toured a typical 19th century Irish apartment, then met Darina in the kitchen at the visitors’ center.  Darina told us that Soda Bread, which is leavened with baking soda and buttermilk, is a staple in Irish homes and at one time was baked fresh daily in a heavy iron pot on the hearth.  The bread took only 2 to 3 minutes to mix and shape.  After about 30 minutes in the oven, it was ready to eat.  My favorite way was slathered with golden Kerrygold butter, or topped with Cashel Blue, an artisanal cow’s milk cheese hand made exclusively by the Grubb family on their farm near Cashel in County Tipperary.  Luscious and creamy, semi-soft Cashel Blue has a round, buttery flavor.

Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese Scones/Photo by Tom Starkweather

Darina had a host of suggestions for varying the basic soda bread formula, such as adding a handful of chopped fresh herbs, or raisins to make the colorfully named Spotted Dog. The dough can also be cut into wedges for scones, and served with clotted cream and jam.  Another idea was to cut the dough into pieces, brush the tops with beaten egg, and sprinkle them with grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese before baking.  Small pieces would be perfect for appetizers, while larger ones could be served like dinner rolls.

Here is Darina’s recipe in her own words.  If you don’t have store bought buttermilk, make your own by putting, for every cup needed, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup and filling it to 1 cup with milk.  Let stand 5 minutes until slightly curdled.

White Soda Bread (Makes 1 loaf)

450 grams (1 pound/4cups) white flour, preferably unbleached

1 level teaspoon salt

1 level teaspoon baking soda

sour milk or buttermilk to mix — 350 to 450 ml (12 to 14 fluid ounces/1-1/2 to 1/3/4 cups) approximately

Preheat the oven to 230°C or 450°F.

Seive the dry ingredients.  Make a well in the centre.  Pour most of the milk in at once.  Using one hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary.  The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky.  When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface.  Wash and dry your hands.  Tidy it up and flip over gently.  Pat the dough into a round about 1-1/2 inches deep and cut a cross on it to let the fairies out!  Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this.

Place the dough on an ungreased baking sheet.   Bake in a hot oven 230°C/450°F for 8 to 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 200°C/400°F for 30 minutes or until cooked.  If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread:  if it is cooked it will sound hollow.

Variation:  Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese Scones — Make the dough as above but flatten the dough into a round 2.5cm (1 inch) deep approx.  Cut into wedges.  Brush the tops with beaten egg.  Sprinkle the tops with 1 cup grated Dubliner Cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes approx. in a hot oven, 230°C/450°F.

Darina sent everyone home with a gift copy of her new book Irish Traditional Cooking (Kyle Books 2012) and a wheel of Kerrygold Cashel Blue.  I’m captivated by the beautiful photos and charming stories in the book.  As for the cheese, we’ve been enjoying it with fruit for dessert and with nuts for a snack.

Last week we exchanged our usual view for the one above.  We stayed in an apartment right around the corner from the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  We went sightseeing and we shopped, but that was just to have something to do in between meals.  As always, the city lived up to its reputation for great food.  Just about everything was delicious, from the superlative bread (and amazing butter!) to the luscious slow cooked meats, and the incredible pastries and chocolate.

Pumpkin Soup with Foie Gras

For our first dinner, we ate at La Fontaine de Mars, a classic bistro, where the Obamas ate on their visit to Paris.  I started with pumpkin soup topped with sauteed foie gras.  The buttery meat juices added another dimension to the smooth creamy soup.  A rich stew of duck legs in red wine was the main course.  For dessert, I opted for an old favorite, Floating Island, poached meringue on a sweet creamy pool of vanilla sauce.

The next day we had dinner at a favorite bistro, La Regalade.  It is always crowded, but I it is one place I have to go when I am in Paris.  Their coarse country pate was as good as I remember it, and I loved the crackling crisp pork belly with lentils and celeriac puree that followed.   For dessert it was a perfect Grand Marnier Souffle.  On Sunday we explored the stands at the outdoor market on Avenue Woodrow Wilson.  The vegetables and fruits were hard to resist…

Avenue Woodrow Wilson Market

…and so was the seafood.  There were stands selling shrimp, scallops and many varieties of oysters.  These oursins, or sea urchins, were tempting.

Sea Urchins

If you think all butter tastes alike, I wish you could try this kind from the Normandy region that I tasted at  Drouant, a classic old restaurant that has recently been done over.  I liked the butter so much, I took it’s picture.   BTW, our lunch was excellent.  I started with 4 little vegetable appetizers, including a tiny cup of jerusalem artichoke soup and 3 fresh salads: beets, curried carrots, and fresh coco beans.  The main course was perfect roast chicken, thick cut French fries, and a green salad.

One day, we had an all-chocolate lunch at Jacques Genin, an elegant tea room and chocolate shop in the Marais District.  The mille feuille is a specialty and each one is filled to order so that the buttery puff  pastry layers stay crisp when sandwiched with the creamy filling.  We ordered one filled with chocolate caramel ganache along with a pot of hot dark chocolate as thick as melted ice cream to drink.  Was it too much chocolate?  Yes! And it was soooo good.

Chocolate Caramel Mille Feuille

On Wednesday, I joined Michael Tyrrell, Associate Food Editor at Family Circle, for the latest episode of the Slow Cooker Chronicles on the magazine’s Facebook page.  Readers asked a lot of good questions and Michael and I did our best to answer them.  In case you missed it, here is a transcript of our conversation:  http://familycircle.com/momster/blog/your-slow-cooker-questions-answered-part-21

It’s time to look to other ingredients that are at their best in winter.  My favorites are radicchio, either the round Chioggia variety or the elongated Trevisano.  Other members of the endive family, like escarole and frisee, can be substituted, though they don’t have the gorgeous burgundy wine color that adds to radicchio’s appeal.  Tossed with a flavorful
dressing and a handful of fruit to contrast and sweeten the flavor,  this lively salad is a perfect starter to a winter meal.

Radicchio and Grape Salad 

If the grapes don’t look so good, try substituting an apple, pear or even orange wedges.

Serves 4

1-1/2 tablespoons minced parsley

1 tablespoon minced scallion

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon mustard

Salt and freshly ground pepper

8 ounces radicchio, torn into bite size pieces

1 cup green seedless grapes, halved

            In a salad bowl, whisk together the parsley, scallion, oil, honey, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.

            In a serving bowl, toss together the radicchio and grapes.  Add the dressing and toss well.  Taste for seasoning.  Serve immediately.

]]> http://michelescicolone.com/winter-salad-days/feed/ 3 http://michelescicolone.com/washington-post-slow-cooker-web-chat/ http://michelescicolone.com/washington-post-slow-cooker-web-chat/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:56:32 +0000 Michele Scicolone http://michelescicolone.com/?p=1636 Join my live Washington Post web chat tomorrow, Wednesday, January 25 from Noon to 1PM,  at http://live.washingtonpost.com/free-range-1-25-2012.html   We’ll be talking about The French Slow Cooker and so much more!

After weeks of eating and drinking far too much and too often, Charles and I decided that a little austerity would be a good thing for a change.  Since January 2, we’ve been eating very simply.   Poule au Pot might sound elegant, but it’s just the French way of saying Chicken in the Pot, a recipe in The French Slow Cooker.   I decided to make it the other night when the sudden cold snap had us craving something comforting.

Basically, Chicken in the Pot is a one-dish dinner with chicken and vegetables steaming in a bit of broth.  I bought a nice fat chicken and put it in my slow cooker on a bed of leeks, carrots, celery and rosemary, added some chicken broth and turned on the heat.  That’s about it.
It bubbled away all afternoon and made the house feel warm.  The aromas were mouth-watering.  If we weren’t being so restrained, I would have served it with some cornichon pickles and aioli, garlic mayonnaise, as they do in France, but it was very fine just as it was.  You can make it soupier if you like by adding an additional cup or 2 of broth or water and serving it with noodles.  Since the skin on slow cooked chicken is not very appealing, it’s a simple matter to just push it aside as you eat it, sparing yourself the extra fat and calories.

Wishing you all a very Happy 2012!  The recipe follows:

Chicken in the Pot

Serves 4

6 garlic cloves, peeled

2 large carrots, quartered

2 celery ribs, quartered

2 small leeks, trimmed and halved lengthwise

4 baby turnips, trimmed

1 small onion, chopped

1 3-inch sprig rosemary

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 4 pound chicken

1 cup chicken broth

            Scatter the vegetables and rosemary in a large slow cooker.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken cavity and reserve them for another use.    Trim away excess fat.  Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper to taste.  Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.

Cover and cook on low 6 hours or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.  Cut the chicken into serving pieces and  serve it in shallow bowls with the vegetables and cooking liquid.  Pass the Aioli Sauce and cornichons.

Copyright 2012 THE FRENCH SLOW COOKER by Michele Scicolone

A slow cooker (also known as a Crock Pot, though that is a proprietary name belonging to the Rival Company) is ideal for simmering, stewing, and braising.  If you start by using good fresh ingredients, you are sure to have delicious results.   Since a slow cooker cooks with gentle heat over a long period of time, it gives all of the flavors a chance to blend together.  For my slow cooker cassoulet, I put the beans, broth, meats, and flavorings into the pot, skipping the traditional marinating step since everything would be cooking together for hours.  I put the cover on and set the timer.  There was nothing else to do, so I went out for the day.

When I got home, I closed my eyes and inhaled.  Enticing aromas filled the air.  I felt as if I had arrived at the farmhouse kitchen of the French grand-mere I never had!  The meat was fall off the bone tender.  The beans were creamy-soft and had soaked up all the flavors of the meats, garlic and herbs.  Best of all, it was just as good as the classic version.  We had a great meal and since cassoulet is so simple to put together in the slow cooker, I don’t have to wait for a special occasion to make it again.

French food has a bad reputation for being fancy and difficult and that may be true for some restaurant fare.  But in my new book The French Slow Cooker, you will find recipes for simple, rustic food, the kind of things that French home cooks make every day.   No special equipment or tricky techniques, and all of the ingredients are available in a well stocked supermarket. Add a little French flair to chicken soup and try my Chicken Bouillabaisse.  Or how about Short Ribs braised with dark beer and shallots.  The Meatballs Bayonnaise simmered in a spicy sauce make a great sandwich on cold afternoon, maybe even Super Bowl Sunday.   For a party, impress your guests with a country-style paté — which is no more difficult than making a meatloaf, or rillettes, French style potted pork to spread on a crisp baguette.  And don’t miss out on the delicious desserts, like Raspberry Bread Pudding or Lemon Creams.

I’ll be posting some of the recipes over the next few weeks and I hope you will give them a try and let me know what you think!

As soon as I could, I called my mom to ask her if she had a recipe.  She’d forgotten all about them, and she might have had a recipe at one time, but couldn’t find it anywhere.  Disappointed, I mentioned the incident to my sister, who thought she had once had it, but couldn’t find the recipe either.  One day, she was visiting our Aunt Millie and mentioned that she was looking for the recipe.  Aunt Millie remembered them too, looked in her recipe book and there was the recipe, carefully handwritten by my mother on pink notepaper more than 30 years ago.   When I finally got the recipe I knew how lucky I was since I hear stories all the time about family recipes that are lost because no one took the time to write down.

Vecchiarelle or Red Wine Struffoli

So here’s the recipe for Vecchiarelle, Little Old Ladies, or Red Wine Struffoli.  Copy it, put it in a safe place, and I hope it inspires you to write down your family’s treasured recipes for future generations to enjoy and think of you.

 LITTLE OLD LADIES

Vecchiarelle

 Serves 8 – 10

4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

3/4 cup robust red wine

1/4 cup olive oil plus more for frying

1 cup honey

Colored candy confetti

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, wine and 1/4 cup oil until blended.  Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir until the flour is moistened.  Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth.
3. Cut the dough into 8 pieces.  Roll each piece into 3/4 inch thick ropes.  Cut the ropes into 1/2 inch lengths.
4. Holding a cheese grater in one hand, use the thumb of your other hand to press and roll  each piece of dough over the medium holes to roughen the surface on one side and form an indentation on the other side.
5. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot until the temperature reaches 370° F. on a deep frying thermometer or use an electric deep fryer.
6. Carefully lower just enough of the pieces into the pot so that they form a single layer and are not crowded.  Cool, stirring occasionally, until they brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels.  Repeat with the remaining dough.
8. Heat the honey in a large pot just until it warms and thins out.  Remove from the heat.  Add the fried pieces and stir well until the honey is cooled and the struffoli are coated.  When completely cold, scrape the struffoli into a cookie tin and seal tightly.  Sprinkle with the candy confetti just before serving.

Every year about this time, I hear from cooks with questions about struffoli.  These little honey covered nuggets of fried dough are made in many places in Italy, but are most popular in Naples and the South.  To many Italian Americans and Italians, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without them.  Making struffoli is a great tradition to pass on to the next generation.  I have given the recipe before, and it is in several of my cookbooks, but  if you don’t have it, here is a link.  This is a recipe from my book 1,000 Italian Recipes.   http://michelescicolone.com/struffoli-christmas/

Now that you have the recipe, I thought I would pass along a couple of tips.

This year, my cousin Jo-Ann wrote and shared a great idea.  She always makes several batches of struffoli and gives them as gifts during the holidays.  But the struffoli made in advance have a tendency to soften up and lose their fresh-made texture.  So last year she decided to make some and freeze them before coating them with honey.  Then, when she was ready to use them, she heated the honey, added the thawed struffoli, and decorated them as usual.  I haven’t tried this method, but it seems like a great idea.  Jo-Ann and her mom, who was skeptical of the idea, both agreed that they were just like freshly made.

One question I often hear from struffoli makers is “How can I get the honey to stick and not pool underneath them on the plate”?  My suggestion is to heat the honey just to a simmer.  When it is hot and bubbling, remove it from the heat.  Don’t let it cook.  Stir in the fried and drained struffoli and continue stirring it occasionally until the struffoli are well coated and the honey has cooled.  As the honey cools it will thicken up again and coat the struffoli.  Then pour the struffoli out onto the serving plate.

It is best to keep struffoli at room temperature so that the honey does not harden.  Cover them with an overturned bowl that will protect them without sticking to the honey.

Colored candy sprinkles are always the finishing touch to struffoli at my house, but some people like to decorate them with toasted nuts or candied fruits.   Add the sprinkles at the last minute if possible so that the honey doesn’t melt them.

Wishing you a very struffoli Christmas!