From Happy Days with the Naked Chef, by Jamie Oliver

Serves 6

Equipment:

• Dutch oven
• tongs
• chef’s knife
• cutting board
• corkscrew
• measuring spoons
• cotton kitchen string and scissors
• wax paper

Ingredients:

• 1 3.5-4 lb boneless pork loin
• 1 fennel bulb (also called anise in some grocery stores)
• half a 750 ml bottle of Chardonnay, your choice
• 1 handful of fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stem
• 8 cloves of garlic, skins left on
• 1 Tbs fennel seeds
• 4 bay leaves
• butter
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Prep:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Tie the pork with 2 or 3 pieces of string, so it will hold its shape in the pan (Not crucial, but nice).
2. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Roll the meat in the fennel seeds until covered. Cut the fronds off the fennel bulb and slice it.
3. Open the wine.

Cook:

1. Melt a large pat of butter with a little olive oil in the Dutch oven on medium high heat, and brown the meat on all sides until golden. Throw in the garlic, herbs, fennel, and wine.
2. Cover the Dutch oven with a piece of wet waxed paper, and put in the oven for 75 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest on a plate for 10 minutes.
3. Finish the sauce by scraping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan, and add another pat of butter. Taste and correct the seasonings. Squash open a few of the garlic cloves- when cooked they go nice and sweet and add a lovely taste to the sauce.

Serve:

Slice the pork, and serve with some of the sauce. This is nice with roasted potatoes, rice, or buttered noodles.

Insalata Palermitana, with Blood Oranges and Navel Oranges

Orange and Fennel Salad from Palermo

I got this recipe from a lovely book by Susan Simon called INSALATE: Authentic Italian Salads for All Seasons.  It’s in the winter section.  I served this to the family as part of Christmas dinner.  Comments from diners were about the nice balance of flavors, and that this is subtle.  It’s perfect now that we’re getting the seasonal citrus.  Fennel is sometimes called anise in the produce section, and is getting easier to find in grocery stores now.  This is the time to practice making your orange supremes.  For a how-to, complete with pictures, look here.

Serves 6

Equipment:

• cutting board
• paring knife
• chef’s knife
• large bowl
• small bowl
• measuring spoons

Ingredients:

• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp fruity vinegar such as blackberry or raspberry
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bulb fennel (reserve fronds), halved lengthwise, and cut into thin crosswise slices
• 4 navel oranges (or blood oranges), peeled and cut into ¼ inch thick slices, then halved crosswise
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped pitted black olives, such as kalamata

1. Soak the onion in a small bowl of salted ice water for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour to remove the bite.
2. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisk until emulsified.
3. Coarsely chop the reserved fennel fronds. Add the oranges, fennel, fronds, and olives to the dressing. Drain the onions and squeeze them dry. Add the onions to the bowl. Toss to thoroughly combine. Serve immediately.

This is a quick dinner with some of the traditional flavors of Coq Au Vin. With a bag of pre-washed salad greens and some dressing, this is a complete meal you can prepare in about 30-40 minutes. Serves 2 with leftovers. Easily doubled.

Equipment:

• Dutch oven
• wooden spoon or spatula for sautéing
• chef’s knife
• cutting board
• corkscrew
• teakettle, or saucepan with lid for boiling water
• small to medium mixing bowl
• plate that fits over the top of the mixing bowl
• 2-cup liquid measuring cup
• fork
• serving spoon or ladle

Ingredients:

• 1 box couscous ( I use NearEast)
• 1 pkg boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 6-8 thighs)
• 1 eight oz pkg mushrooms ( I prefer cremini, a.k.a. Baby Bellas)
• 1 medium onion or 2 shallots
• 1 750 ml bottle of wine, to your taste (red or white)
• thyme (1 tsp dried or 2 Tbs fresh)
• salt (I like kosher)
• pepper
• olive oil
• chicken broth, stock, or water
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped or mashed (optional)

Prep:
Chop the onion or shallot on the cutting board with the chef’s knife. If you’re using the bacon or the garlic, dice those too. Open the bottle of wine. Pour two glasses to serve with dinner.
Cook:
Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in your Dutch oven over medium heat Add the onions, and sauté them until they are soft. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 tsp. salt, thyme, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook until the mushrooms give up most of their water. Add the chicken. Pour remaining wine into the pan over the chicken, and add enough stock or water so that the chicken is almost submerged in liquid. Put the lid on the pot, and crank the heat up to high. Let this cook for about 20 minutes.
After 10 minutes, bring 2.5 cups of water to a boil in your teakettle or saucepan over high heat. Pour the couscous into the mixing bowl. When the water boils, turn off the heat and measure 2 cups of the boiling water into the 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Pour the water over the couscous. Cover the mixing bowl immediately with the plate.
Take the lid off the Dutch oven. When the liquid is reduced to your liking, turn off the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Take the plate off the couscous bowl, and fluff up the couscous with the fork.
Serve:
Spoon some couscous onto each plate, and then spoon some of the chicken and vegetables over the top. Serve with reserved glasses of wine.

Happy New Year!

I’m starting the new year off by switching ISPs, which has meant a bit of messing around, and a new URL. Please be patient with me as I re-tool, and try to get the archives back on the new location.