Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders - Emeril Lagasse [47]
One 3½-to 4-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
½ lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled between your fingers
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1½ cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped peel from Simple Preserved Lemons (recipe follows)
1 cup pitted and sliced Cerignola or other unstuffed mild green olives
Steamed white rice or couscous, for serving
1. Rub the chicken with the juice from the lemon and season with the salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a large Dutch oven or tagine with the olive oil, onions, garlic, ginger, saffron, cilantro, parsley, and stock. Take care that the chicken is covered with the herbs and onions. Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 1¼ hours. Add the preserved lemon and olives and cook for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until the chicken literally begins to fall from the bone.
2. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately with rice or couscous.
4 servings
SIMPLE PRESERVED LEMONS
If you can get homegrown lemons, this is the perfect way to preserve their fresh flavor in a unique way. Any variety can work—thick skinned, thin skinned, Meyer, you name it—as long as the lemons aren't waxed or treated with chemicals. They need to sit for at least 4 weeks before using, but will keep for up to 1 year after maturing, and their flavor improves with age.
4 unwaxed lemons, preferably organic, well washed and dried
¼ cup sea or kosher salt
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or as needed
1. Using a sharp knife, cut each lemon lengthwise almost through to the stem end, and then rotate the lemon 45 degrees and cut so that the lemon is almost quartered; the lemon should still be connected at one end, but you should be able to open it up, much like a flower. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the salt into the center of each lemon and press to close. Squeeze the lemons into a sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid (it’s okay if you need to squeeze firmly to compact the lemons; they will soften over time) and add any salt that has fallen from the lemons to the jar. Cover the jar and set aside in a cool, dark place for several days.
2. Uncover the jar and press down on the lemons with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Add enough lemon juice to cover them completely—the amount of lemon juice will vary depending on their ripeness (I have had batches where no additional lemon juice was necessary because the lemons themselves exuded so much juice). Close the jar and once again set aside in a cool, dark place for 1 month, shaking the jar occasionally to distribute the salt and brine.
3. When the lemons are ready, the peel and flesh will be very soft and you will see that the flesh easily peels away. Discard the flesh, rinse the peel briefly under cool water, and use as needed.
4 preserved lemons
TRUE BOLOGNESE
Be forewarned: this is not your typical tomato-laden American-style meat sauce for pasta. It is based heavily on the simple meat ragùs of northern Italy, where meat sauces are cooked low and slow for a rich, meaty flavor and a thick, deceptively creamy sauce. If you’ve never tried a traditional ragù such as this, I suggest you give it a go. It’s a favorite at my house; my entire family looks forward to the days when I prepare this simple, comforting dish.
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1½ cups small-diced onion
¾ cup small-diced carrot
¾ cup small-diced celery
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons salt
1 pound ground sirloin
½ pound ground veal
3 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ cup dry white wine
1½ tablespoons minced garlic
1½ cups beef stock or canned low-sodium beef broth
1 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 pound dried