Ginger Glazed Carrots

 This is a kind of hybrid dish. Glazed carrots can be pretty good (as long as they aren't overly sweet). Ginger goes well with carrots too. So why not use crystallized ginger as the sweetening base for glazed carrots? So we did.

Ingredients

2T Olive oil

1 large (3 oz) or 2 small shallots sliced

2 lbs carrots sliced into rounds about 1/2 inch thick

4T Finely chopped crystallized ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Into a 4 quart (that's what I had handy, it doesn't need to be quite that big) saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and carrots. Saute for a few minutes (about 5, time isn't terribly critical here). Make sure thaough all of the shallots and carrots are coated in oil.

Add enough water to the pan just to cover the carrots. You will be evaporating all the water, so you don't need a lot. Simmer for about 5 minutes with the lid off. The carrots will have started to soften. Turn the heat up, and add the crystallized ginger. Keet the heat high and stir while the water is being driven off. You want the contents to be glossy and almost dry.

Serve to accompany lamb chops, beef or even dark meat chicken.

Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

We have been doing a lot of virtual wine tastings of late. Each of them takes about an hour, so our standard format is to have some nibbles while the virtual tasting is underway, and leave something unattended in the oven during the tasting itself. Because the duration of the tasting can vary - they are usually an hour, but they have been known to overrun, we want to make sure that the main dish can tolerate a bit longer in the oven than would be ideal.

Also, we don't want a mountain of dishes. It's bad enough having 4 wineglasses per person. Often the tasting will have at least one white or rose wine, and some reds. So, the dish must be versatile enough for that too. Enter chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks). 

Ingredients

3T Olive oil

4 Medium yellow onions (about 3lbs) chopped (not finely diced)

3 Leeks, washed and sliced thinly

2 Fennel bulbs diced to the same size as the onions

8 large carrots (about 3lbs) sliced in medallions of about 1/2 inch thick (15mm)

4 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced.

4 Chicken drumsticks

4 Chicken thighs 

1/2t Baking powder

1T Kosher salt

2 Preserved lemons, finely diced

1 T smoked paprika

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

The vegetables and the chicken will all (eventually) be cooked in the same pan. But the vegtables will take considerably longer, especially once the chicken is on top.

Heat the oven to 350F and make sure that you have a rack on the middle shelf.

In a roasting pan (yeah, I know this is entitled a sheet pan dinner, but the vegetables are really too deep for that) heat the oil, and when shimmering add all of the vegetables. Stir the vegetables until well coated and saute gently until the oven is hot.

When the oven is hot put the vegetable pan into the oven, and then prepare the chicken. The vegetables will stay in the oven about 20 minutes before the chicken goes in.

Pat the chicken dry. Under its skin rub the preserved lemons (making sure that the lemon gets as far back in the joints as possible).

Rub the salt, paprika,  and pepper into the meaty side of the chicken parts. Mix the baking powder into the salt and rub into the skin side. This helps the skin crisp up. Lightly oil the chicken on the skin side.

Leave the chicken to air dry. With one hour to go, nestle the chicken skin side up on top of the vegetables. Return the dish to the oven and enjoy the tasting!

I typically head to the kitchen to take the temperature of the chicken at around 45 minutes into the tasting. If it has reached 170F or so, I simply turn the oven off. The vegetables will be cooked as well, and the dish just stays warm

Serve over rice - again because that's easy, especially if you have a rice cooker. But even if not, it is not much effort. We made saffron rice for this dish, and served on a platter.

Provencal onion tart

 For a virtual wine event a week or so ago, I made several Provencal inspired dishes. The first was the tapenade that I referenced in  previous post. This one is for an onion tart - made with an insane amount of onions. It ends up being a bit focaccia like.

Ingredients (The Dough)

200 gm all purpose flour (depending on humidity, flour, etc. you may need slightly mor)

7 gm active dry yeast 

120 gm tepid (80-85F) water

5gm salt

15 gm extra virgin olive oil

1 large egg

Ingredients (Onion Mixture, and Assembly))

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 gm fennel seeds 

1.5Kg yellow (Spanish) onions, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly into half moons

5gm salt

1 TBSP Dijon mustard (I used a tarragon mustard)

100gm finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method (The dough)

Dissolve the active dry yeast in the water. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and oil to the water and yeast. Mix in the flour and knead for at least 5 minutes, adding extra flour a small amount at a time if you feel it is too sticky.

Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size (1 1/2 to 2 hours).

Method (Onion Mixture)

In a large skillet heat the oil  over medium heat until it shimmers. Toast the fennel seeds for about 30 seconds. Then pile on the onions and salt. Stir continuously for the first 5 minutes until the onions are softened and have begun to reduce. Cover the skillet with a lid leaving a small gap, and reduce heat to low. Every 10 or 15 minutes, stir the onions. After 75 - 90 minutes, they should be a dark brown, sticky consistency.

Method (Assembly and Cooking)

With about 15 minutes to go, turn the oven on (conventional, not fan assisted) to 375F. Place the rack on the lower middle shelf. Spread the dough into a 15" (380 mm) x12" (300 mm)  rectangle in a parchment covered 1/2 sheet pan. Roll the edges of the slightly so there is a border

Spread the Dijon mustard thinly over the dough. Spread the onion mixture and sprinkle the grated cheese over the whole onion mixture.

Bake in the oven  until the crust is golden brown (about 30 minutes, but do make sure that the crust is properly browned. 

It can be served hot or at room temperature. We prefer it at room temperature. So, slide onto a cooling rack, allow to cool for 30 minutes then transfer to a cutting board and cut into small squares with a pizza cutter.

We served it during the tasting with several of the rose wines from Chateau Minuty at the Veritas virtual tasting. It got the "We can serve this to people" accolade.