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Entrees
Classic chicken stew
Rich and flavorful, this slow-cooked chicken stew can be made with a whole, cut-up chicken but I like the convenience of boneless chicken thighs, which offer tender meaty chicken without the excess fat that comes with the skin. From my latest book, High Plains: The Joy of Alberta Cuisine.
2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1-1.5 kg
1/4 cup flour, seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon/2 ml each: salt, freshly ground black
pepper and thyme 50 ml
2 cups chicken broth 500 ml
3-4 tablespoons olive oil 45-50 ml
6 slices double-smoked bacon, chopped
1 pound carrots, sliced 500 g
1 pound small onions, peeled 450 g
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced or quartered 450 g
2 tablepoons flour 25 ml
2 cups red wine 500 ml
1/4 cup brandy or cognac 50 ml
2 tablespoons tomato paste 25 ml
1 tablespoon red currant jelly 15 ml
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 15 ml
1 tablespoon brown sugar 15 ml
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt 5 ml
1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 ml
6 tablespoons chopped parsley or fresh chives 75 ml
1. Cook bacon until starting to brown. Remove from pan and reserve.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the bacon drippings in the pan. Toss chicken with seasoned flour and brown in batches in hot fat. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add carrots and onions to pan and saute in remaining oil until beginning to brown. Stir in garlic and mushrooms and cook a few minutes longer, just until they begin to give up their juices.
4. Sprinkle the pan with flour, stir well and slowly add the broth, wine and cognac. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomato paste, jelly, sugar, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
5. Return chicken to pot with bacon. Cover and bake at 375*F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until stew is thick and chicken is tender. Serve over piles of mashed potatoes, sprinkled with fresh parsley or chives. Serves 8.
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Turkey with whole grain stuffing and rich red wine gravy
The wild turkey is native to North America and only became popular around the world after early explorers discovered it here. This is a complicated recipe but one that's perfect for a special occasion or holiday, when you want a bird that's impressive. To really guild the lily, marinade turkey in red wine for 24 hours before stuffing and roasting.
Turkey
15-pound turkey, preferably free-range 6-7 kg
5-6 bay leaves 5-6
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled 6
6 sprigs fresh parsley 6
1 tablespoon dried thyme or 6 sprigs fresh thyme 15 ml
Whole Grain Stuffing:
3 tablespoons butter, divided 45 ml
1 tablespoon olive oil 15 ml
1/2 cup wild rice 125 ml
1/2 cup wheat berries 125 ml
1/2 cup whole grain rye 125 ml
3 cups chicken stock 750 ml
1 cup dry white wine 250 ml
1 teaspoon salt 5 ml
1 medium onion, chopped 1
1/4 pound mushrooms, chopped (preferably a mixture of domestic and wild) 125 g
1 turkey liver, minced 1
1 tablespoon dried thyme 25 ml
2 eggs beaten with 1/2 cup/125 ml sherry
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red Wine Gravy:
turkey neck and gizzard
1 tablespoon olive oil 15 ml
1 onion, quartered 1
1 carrot, halved 1
1 celery stalk, halved 1
2 stalks fresh thyme 2
2 cloves garlic, sliced 2
2 cups dry red wine 500 ml
6 cups chicken stock 1.5 L
1/4 cup cognac 50 ml
1/4 cup orange liqueur 50 ml
1 tablespoon brown sugar 15 ml
juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water 25 ml
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. For stuffing, heat 2 tablespoons of butter with olive oil in a saucepan and sauté wild rice, wheat berries and rye over medium heat until starting to brown. Add the stock, wine and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on medium low heat for 50-60 minutes until grains are tender. Cool.
2. In another pan, sauté onion in remaining 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Add mushrooms and sauté a few minutes more. Add the liver and sauté until no longer pink. Combine this with cooked grains, beaten egg and sherry. Season with salt and pepper. Cool mixture and stuff into bird.
3. Rub stuffed turkey with a little olive oil. Place breast side up on a rack in a 475° F oven and roast 15-20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° F. Scatter the bay leaves, garlic, parsley and thyme sprigs around the pan and roast 2-3 hours more, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 180-185° F. Baste bird with pan juices during cooking and cover with a tent of foil partway through if it is getting too brown.
4. While the turkey roasts, make the gravy. Sauté turkey neck and gizzard in oil with onion, carrot and celery over medium-high heat until browned. Add thyme, garlic, red wine and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, while turkey cooks, 2 hours. Strain and skim fat.
5. Return to saucepan and add cognac, orange liqueur, brown sugar and fresh orange juice. Boil for 10 minutes to reduce slightly. Stir in some of the cornstarch solution and simmer until the gravy is the proper consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and keep warm.
6. When turkey is done, remove to platter to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Remove stuffing. Tent with foil to keep warm.
7. Skim excess fat from turkey roasting pan, and deglaze with a few ounces of red wine or stock, scraping up any browned bits. Strain this dark brown concentrate to the gravy, pressing garlic cloves with a spoon to release the roasted garlic puree into the gravy. Carve the turkey and serve with stuffing and red wine gravy. Serves 8-10.
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Barbecue beef brisket
There's no outdoor cooking that symbolizes the current "slow food" movement like barbecue - that slow, smoky style of cooking over a wood fire that's part of the culture south of the border. I had my first taste of barbecue brisket in Texas but I learned to cook this way in Calgary, at the annual Barbecue on the Bow event, where serious barbecue cooks vie for the chance to complete at big barbecue contests like the Kansas City Royal.
Technically, you should use a pit or a home smoker to slowly cook your brisket (sometimes for up to 18 hours), but you can also smoke indirectly on a covered charcoal or gas grill.
Serve barbecue brisket on one of those hot summer days when you can sit in the yard, enjoy a drink and relax by the barbecue all afternoon. Think about smoking some potatoes, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes alongside the brisket (for about 2 hours) for an added treat. This recipe is from my first book, The Wild West Cookbook (Robert Rose).
PREPARATION AND MARINATING TIME: 1-2 days
COOKING TIME: 5-6 hours
4-pound (2 kg) beef brisket
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch (2.5 cm) piece of ginger root, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1. Rub brisket with pepper and set aside in a glass dish.
2. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and add mustard, oregano, sage, cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger. Cook for 4 minutes then stir in 1 cup of water, ketchup, molasses, red wine vinegar and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature and pour marinade over meat. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days, turning meat occasionally. Bring the meat to room temperature and remove from marinade before smoking.
3. To smoke, light one burner on the gas grill or a small pile of charcoal briquettes on one side of a covered kettle barbecue. Place the meat, fat side up, on the unlit portion of the grill with a drip pan of water, beer or wine below. Lower the lid and cook, maintaining a constant temperature of 200-225*F (100-110*C). If using briquettes, you will have to add one or two pieces from time to time - prelight them on a hibachi and add to keep the temperature steady.
4. Add presoaked wood chips (in a punctured foil packet if using gas) occasionally during the cooking. You should smoke in bursts, not constantly. If desired, reboil the marinade and use as a "mop" to keep the meat moist during the cooking process. Cook the brisket, turning every 2 hours, for 5-6 hours, until a meat thermometer reads 150*F (65*C). Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with homemade or commercial barbecue sauce and horseradish, on a bun if desired. Makes 6-8 servings.
TIP: The trick is to marinate well and cook low and slow - maintain an even heat of no more than 200*F (100*C) by using just a few coals or one burner. On a gas grill, seal the soaked hardwood chips (hickory, pecan, apple, mesquite) in a foil packet, poke with holes to let the smoke escape, and place it on the heat until it smokes
Use a water pan on the unlit side of the grill, under the meat, an oven thermometer set on the grill to monitor the temperature during cooking, and a instant read thermometer to test the meat's internal temperature. You may notice a pink "]smoke ring" on the meat when it's perfectly cooked - don't assume it's underdone.
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