My Menu Blog

• 1 bottle (1 liter) plus 1 cup (225 ml) of red wine
• 1 onion, cut into a 1-inch (2.5-cm) dice
• 1 carrot, cut into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices
• 1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch (1-cm) slices
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 tbsp (14 g) whole black peppercorns
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 whole chicken, about 3.5 lb (1.35 kg) “trimmed”–meaning guts, wing tips, and neckbone removed
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp (28 ml) olive oil
• 6 tbsp (75 g) butter, softened
• 1 tbsp (14 g) flour
• ¼ lb (112 g) slab or country bacon, cut into small oblongs (lardons) about ¼ by 1 inch (6 mm by 2.5 cm)
• ½ Ib/225 g small, white button mushrooms, stems removed
• 12 pearl onions, peeled pinch of sugar

DAY ONE

The day before you even begin to cook, combine the bottle of red wine, the diced onion (that’s the big onion, not the pearl onions), sliced carrot, celery, cloves, peppercorns, and bouquet garni in a large, deep bowl. Add the chicken and submerge it in the liquid so that all of it is covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

DAY TWO

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Put it aside. Strain the marinade through the fine strainer, reserving the liquids and solids separately. Season the chicken with salt and pepper inside and out. In the large Dutch oven, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons/28 g of the butter until almost smoking, and then sear the chicken, turning with the tongs to evenly brown the skin. Once browned, remove it from the pot and set it aside again. Add the reserved onions, celery, and carrot to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and golden brown. That should take you about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mix well with the wooden spoon so that the vegetables are coated. Now stir in the reserved strained marinade. Put the chicken back in the pot, along with the bouquet garni. Cook this for about 1 hour and 15 minutes over low heat.

Have a drink. You’re almost there …

While your chicken stews slowly in the pot, cook the bacon lardons in the small sauté pan over medium heat until golden brown. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on paper towels, making sure to keep about 1 tablespoon/14 g of fat in the pan. Sauté the mushroom tops in the bacon fat until golden brown. Set them aside.

Now, in the small saucepan, combine the pearl onions, the pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons/28 g of the butter. Add just enough water to just cover the onions, then cover the pan with the parchment paper trimmed to the same size as your pan. (I suppose you can use foil if you must.) Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated. Keep a close eye on it. Remove the paper cover and continue to cook until the onions are golden brown. Set the onions aside and add the remaining cup/225 ml of red wine to the hot pan, scraping up all the fond on the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper and reduce over medium-high heat until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

Your work is pretty much done here. One more thing and then it’s wine and kudos …

When the chicken is cooked through—meaning tender, the juice from the thigh running clear when pricked—carefully remove from the liquid, cut into quarters, and arrange on the deep serving platter. Strain the cooking liquid (again) into the reduced red wine. Now just add the bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons/28 g of butter. Now pour that sauce over the chicken and dazzle your friends with your brilliance. Serve with buttered noodles and a Bourgogne Rouge.

1/2 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup Tamari dark soy, eyeball it
1/4 rounded cup smooth peanut butter, softened in microwave 15 seconds on high
2 tablespoons cider or rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, eyeball it
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 cups shredded cabbage and carrot mix, available in produce department
1 cup bean sprouts or pea shoots, any variety, available in produce department
3 scallions, chopped on an angle
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1. Cook pasta to al dente, with a bite to it, then cold shock it to stop the cooking process by running it under cold water in colander. Drain the pasta very well.
2. In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together soy, peanut butter, vinegar, oil, sesame oil, and hot sauce.
3. Add noodles and veggies and toss to combine the noodles and coat them evenly with sauce.
4. Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds throughout the salad and serve.

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound dried rice vermicelli
2 carrots, julienned
1 cucumber, halved, peeled, seeded and sliced into thin halfrounds
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup finely shredded napa cabbage
1/4 cup chopped dryroasted nuts

1. Place the garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, honey, lime juice, fish sauce and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until almost smooth.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Drain, rinse well with cold water and drain again.
4. In a large bowl, combine the sauce, noodles, carrots, cucumber, mint and napa cabbage.
5. Toss well and garnish with peanuts

Vietnamese Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 fresh long red chiles, seeded and finely diced or julienned
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
4 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
1 lime, juiced
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons groundnut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salad:
8 ounces cooked small shrimp
6 ounces glass noodles
4 ounces sugar snap peas
4 ounces bean sprouts
3 scallions, sliced into thin circles
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish

1. To make the Vietnamese Dressing, simply mix all the ingredients together. This will keep very well in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator for at least a week.
2. To make the salad, marinate the shrimp in 1/2 cup of the Vietnamese Dressing.
3. While this is going on, soak the noodles in freshly boiled water according to packet instructions. Once re-hydrated, refresh the noodles in cold water, then drain.
4. Put the sugar snaps and bean sprouts into a colander and pour over freshly boiled water from a kettle.
5. Rinse them with cold water and drain well, just shaking the colander, so they’re not actually wet.
6. In a large bowl, mix the marinated shrimp with the drained noodles, scallions, sugar snaps, and bean sprouts.
7. Dress with 2 tablespoons more of the Vietnamese Dressing; add more dressing, to taste, if desired.
8. Sprinkle over the chopped cilantro and toss everything together well before arranging onto a large plate.