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Creamy Mushroom Ragoût

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This earthy medley is easy and very versatile. Serve it over pasta, polenta, or rice, or stir it into a flavorful risotto. Replace the cream with vegetable broth for a vegan version.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
  • 2 cups boiling homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 pounds mixed mushrooms (cultivated and wild), cleaned, trimmed, and chopped, quartered, or sliced
  • Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

Step 1

Place the porcini mushrooms in a heatproof container (such as a Pyrex bowl) and let them steep in the broth for at least 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain in a disposable coffee filter (you may have to do this in batches), reserving the broth. Finely chop the soaked mushrooms.

Step 2

Heat a large deep saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and onions; cook until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook until they’ve browned and released their liquid, stirring occasionally. Stir in the reconstituted porcinis. Add the soaking liquid and thyme and simmer over medium heat until the mushrooms are very tender and the liquid has reduced by half. Remove the thyme, stir in the Worcestershire sauce and cream, and warm over medium heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4

Chicken Scarpariello

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This one-pot meal is hearty, tangy, and perfect for a Sunday night supper with family or friends. The name is Italian for “shoemaker’s chicken.” Some versions contain potatoes, but I prefer to leave them out or substitute mushrooms. If you are unable to find pickled cherry peppers at your local market, feel free to substitute pickled banana peppers. It’s the piquancy that matters.

Ingredients

  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 4 Italian sausages, sweet or hot
  • 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (optional)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 red and green sweet or hot pickled cherry peppers, sliced
  • 1/4 cup pickled cherry pepper brine
  • 4 leaves fresh sage, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken broth

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Step 2

Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large, deep frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, then arrange the chicken thighs in the pan, skin side down, and sauté without moving until deeply browned, about 8 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate. Add the sausages to the pan and sauté, turning frequently, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a cutting board and let cool. Slice each link into rounds.

Step 3

Reduce the heat under the pan to medium. Add the onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic and sauté until the vegetables soften, adding more olive oil if needed. Add the pickled cherry peppers, cherry pepper brine, and sage. Deglaze the pan with the broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Step 4

Return the chicken thighs and sausages to the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Crown Roast of Lamb

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This is an elegant yet easy dish that will wow your guests. A crown roast is simply two racks of lamb, 7 or 8 chops each, tied together at the ends to form a circle. You can do it yourself with butcher’s string or ask your butcher to assemble it for you. The meat is traditionally prepped in the French style, meaning the thin ends of the lamb bones are neatly trimmed of meat, fat, and membranes. When served as an appetizer, this creates a handle for what’s often called lollipop chops. As a main dish, it makes a dramatic presentation when ringed with the Creamy Mushroom Ragoût opposite. If presenting the roast whole, you can also fill the cavity with roasted potatoes that were cooked separately.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons very finely minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary needles, fresh or dried 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper One crown roast of lamb, preferably grass-fed, French-trimmed

Directions

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Place the crown roast, meat side down, in a pie plate or bowl wide enough to hold it. Drizzle the marinade over the meaty part of the chops and let sit for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Preheat the heat to 425°F. Place a flat rack inside a large roasting pan and transfer the roast to the rack (still meat side down). Roast the lamb until an instant read thermometer registers between 130° and 134°F for medium rare, about 30 minutes (test after 25). Out of the oven, let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Serves 4 to 6

Zesty Beef Kebabs

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

The ingredients in my Middle Eastern Chili Blend make this recipe a snap. Try it with chicken cubes, fish chunks, and hearty vegetables, too. The kebabs are delicious on their own, with grilled veggies or over rice, or tucked into a pita or other Middle Eastern bread with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, onions, and cucumber-yogurt sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Middle Eastern Chili Blend
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin or top sirloin, cut into 1 1/2–inch cubes

Directions

Step 1

In a large glass bowl, whisk the chili blend into the olive oil. Add the beef chunks and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour up to overnight. 

Step 2

When ready to cook, preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Brush and oil the grill grate. Thread the meat onto 2 or 3 metal skewers. Grill 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 130°F (it will continue cooking once off the grill). Transfer the skewers to a platter and let the meat rest for 5 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil before serving. 

Yields 4 servings