Pollo alla Cacciatora

We all know this dish as "chicken cacciatore" but it's really "cacciatora".

The origins of the dish are northern Italian and the story goes, the hunter's wife might have cooked this dish on the eve of the hunt as fuel for the chase.

I've tried many versions of this dish but I like this one best, inspired by a recipe from the glorious food mag, Saveur. This dish turned out wonderfully and it was a joy to cook with my new Kitchenaid dutch oven.

Pollo alla Cacciatora
(serves 4)

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 Italian sausage, casing removed
1 cup dry white wine
1 can (28oz.) of plum tomatoes, hand crushed
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 bay leaves
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1/3 cup diced green pepper
1 cup of Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper
flour for dredging

1. Season your chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Place a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2-3 turns of olive oil. Brown your chicken pieces and reserve.
2. Into the same cooking vessel, add your sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon and brown for a few minutes. Now add your onions, carrots, celery, peppers, mushrooms and bay leaves and rosemary and saute for 5-7 minutes or until your onions are soft and translucent.
3. Now add your parsley, tomato paste and garlic and saute for a minute. Now add the wine and reduce for about 5 minutes for the alcohol to evaporate.
   
4. Add the chicken pieces (plus juices) back in the cooking vessel along with the tomatoes and their juices and your stock. Partially cover with the lid and simmer for about 60-80 minutes or until you have a thick, chunky sauce.
5. Spoon some sauce on the bed of your plate and place a couple of chicken pieces for each serving. Serve with roast potatoes, some good bread for mopping up the sauce and a glass of red wine.
   

Fennel Gratin

In keeping with the maxim that one should use up an entire ingredient, I also made a potato & fennel gratin with the my leftover fennel from the latest Royal Foodie Joust.

I've grown to really like fennel and I've also learned it mellows when cooked or sliced/shaved thinly.

I used Ina Garten's gratin as a reference but if you compare the two, I've taken quite a few departures.

I've added thyme into the mix, kept the skins on the potatoes, used Yukon Golds and rather than mix the gratin ingredients in a bowl, I layered the filling so as to have a more evenly distributed final dish.

If trying fennel in a potato gratin for the first time, don't tell anyone else what's in it. Your family or guests will love the flavour but won't exactly be able to pinpoint the ingredient. Fennel mellows when cooked and in a very nice way.

Potato & Fennel Gratin

2 small fennel bulbs
1 medium-to large onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup cream
1 cup whole milk
4 sprigs of thyme
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
(1/2 cup reserved for topping)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Pre-heated 375F oven

1. Butter the inside of a 10 X 15 X 2" baking dish
2. Remove the stalks of the fennel and the bulbs in half. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bubs crosswise (making approx. 4 cups). Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until soft and translucent. Reserve.
3. Using a mandoline, thinly slice your potatoes and mix them in a bowl with your cream, milk and fresh thyme. Arrange an alternating layer of potatoes and then some onion & fennel, sprinkling a bit of salt and pepper and then some grated cheese. Repeat potato layer, onion and fennel, salt and pepper then grated cheese.
4. Pour enough of the cream/milk mixture to just cover the gratin and then press down to smooth the potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyere on top and finally your bread crumbs.
5. Bake for 90 minutes, until the potatoes re very tender and is browned and bubbling. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
   

Grilled Pork Chops With Mustard, Honey & Sage

Anyone living in Canada or anyone who's visited here or knows a Canadian, will understand why we're sometimes called "crazy canucks".

From a cooking perspective, throw any bad weather at us and if we want to eat something grilled, we'll grill it in the worst of weather conditions.

I'll grilled outdoors when it's pouring rain, extreme cold and yes, even when it snows. I think the only time I haven't grilled is when it's hailing (hail hurts my head).

The weather around here is definitely closer to winter than it is to summer. It was just a week ago that I had the A/C on. The switch on the thermostat has been flicked towards the furnace...exit...stage winter!

I love me a good pork chop but I do get bored with the same ole' slab of pig on the grill. This quick and easy marinade did the trick, however.

I have autumn flavours working here...sage, mustard, honey, oregano and bay...sound good so far?

I also wanted to test out my new coffee grinder which will never be used to grind coffee.

I've seen many food personalities use this contraption to grind spice mixtures into a fine powder.

I want that too!

Let's grill!

Grilled Pork Chops With Mustard, Honey & Sage
(for 4)

2 Tbsp. of fresh sage
2 tsp. of dry oregano
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. of whole, mixed peppercorns
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
4 tsp. of Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. honey
4 tsp. of canola/sunflower oil
zest of 1/2 lemon
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1. Using a mortar & pestle or dedicated coffee grinder for spices, add your sage. oregano, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns and grind into powder.
2. Now empty the spice mixture into a large Zip-lock bag, along with the honey, mustard, oil, zest and lemon juice. Mix to incorporate the marinade and taste-test and adjust accordingly.
3. Add your pork chops into the bag and squish the contents so that the marinade has coated all the chops. Throw in the fridge for at least at at least and hour (ideally three hours) and return to room temperature before grilling.
4. Pre-heat your grill to a medium high heat (should be able to count to five when placing your hand over the heat). Brush your grill well to remove any residue and treat it by wiping some canola oil.
5. Season your pork chops with some salt and a little more black pepper and place on your grill.
6. Your pork chops should take 4-5 minutes per side. When the chops are done, allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
   

Clams Tossed in Herbs and Spaghetti

As the cooler months approach in Greece, the availability of shellfish also increases. Greece has it's own mussels, scallops, cockles, razor clams and the subject of today's dish, clams.

Some of you may not have a good source (or any source) of fresh seafood so if you have to, use canned clams but to capture the true essence of this dish one should use fresh, live clams.

There's something magical about live shellfish. The liquor or broth that's released when the shells open up is something akin to culinary magic.

This is a simple, straightforward recipe...just the herbs, wine, some spices and the clam liquor offering up straight-ahead seafood flavour.

For this dish, I used four herbs...oregano, thyme, rosemary and parsley but you may certainly shake-up the herb combo to your liking.

For many of us in the northern hemisphere, we are still blessed with some mild weather and you may have some fresh herbs left in your garden that are begging to be used up.

Go to your nearest fish monger and pick up some fresh clams or mussels.

Cervantes once said, "hunger is the best sauce" but I think this one comes in a close second!

Clams Tossed in Herbs and Spaghetti
(for 4)

1 kg. of fresh clams
2 tsp. of fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 tsp. of dry Greek oregano
1 tsp. of fresh thyme
1 tsp . of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
4 Tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
2-3 chillis
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 500gr. pkge. of spaghetti

1. Place your clams in a strainer and rinse under cold water. Now place in a bowl and cover with some cold water and add about 1/3 cup of corn flour and let them soak for about 20 minutes. The clams are still alive and as they breath, they still filter water and sand out of their shells. Much of the sand will stick the the corn flour and sink to the bottom of your bowl. Just before you are ready to cook your clams, rinse them again under cold running water and strain.
2. Place a large pot of water on your stove top and bring to a boil. Now add a good amount of salt and your spaghetti and cook as per package instructions.
3. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, onions, garlic and smoked paprika and saute for 3-5 minutes for the onions to soften a bit.
4. Now add your clams, chillis, dry & fresh oregano, thyme, rosemary and white wine and cover and turn the heat to high. Allow your clams to steam for about 5-7 minutes. Your clams should be ready when they have all opened (discard any unopened clams).
5. Strain your pasta and add it into the skillet with the clams and toss along with your chopped fresh parsley.
6. Adjust seasoning with additional red pepper flakes, salt (usually not required) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
7. Plate and serve immediately.