The Recipe

Source: Biba’s Italy by Biba Caggione

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 (3-pound) rabbits, cut into serving pieces, washed and patted dry
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, minced (about 1 to 1 ½ cups)
2 cups dry white wine
10 to 12 black Gaeta or Nicoise olives, pitted and quartered
10 fresh sage leaves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup red-wine vinegar

Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or casserole over high heat. Flour the rabbit pieces lightly. When the oil is very hot, add the rabbit to the skillet without crowding. (The rabbit can be browned in 2 batches.) Season with the salt and pepper and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

Discard the oil and place the skillet back over medium heat. Add the remaining oil. When it is hot but not yet smoking, add the onion. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up the browned bits, until the onion is lightly golden and soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Return the rabbit to the pan, raise the heat to high, and add the wine. As soon as the wine begins to bubble, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring from time to time and turning the rabbit once, until the wine is almost all evaporated and the rabbit is tender when pierced with a fork, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer the rabbit to a platter, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in a low oven.

Add the olives, sage, and garlic to the pan, and stir over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar and stir quickly until the pan juices have thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon the pan juices over the rabbit and serve hot.

The Recipe

Source: The Lutèce Cookbook by André Soltner

2 whole breasts of duckling (the breasts of 2 ducklings), skin on
salt
pepper, fresh ground
1 tablespoon peanut oil, plus a few additional drops
3/4 cup Fond de Canard, or Fond de Veau [duck stock or veal stock]
3/4 cup natural apple juice
2 apples, Golden Delicious preferred
3 tablespoons (3/8 stick) unsalted butter

Split the 2 whole breasts, making 4 pieces in all. Score the skin of the breasts in a diamond pattern, 3 cuts in each direction. The cuts should go through the skin, and through the fat that is under the skin, but not into the meat itself. Season the breasts with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Put the duck breasts in the skillet, skin down, and cook slowly, uncovered, for about 12 minutes. The skin should become golden brown and crisp, and the fat under the skin should be completely–or almost completely–melted away.

Pour off some of the duck fat, leaving enough to cook the breasts on the other side. Turn the duck breasts over, and cook them on the other side. Turn the duck breasts over, and cook them on the other side for 5 minutes. Remove the breasts from the skillet, and keep them warm.

Pour off all the fat from the skillet. Add the Fond de Canard (or Fond de Veau) and apple juice to the skillet. Reduce this liquid by 1/2.

While the liquid is being reduced, peel and core the apples, and cut each apple into 8 sections.

In a second skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter with the few drops of oil. Add the apples to this skillet and sauté them until they are lightly caramelized and just tender–about 4 minutes on each side.

Over heat, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the reduced liquid. Strain this sauce through a fine sieve.

With a sharp knife, slice the duck breasts. Arrange the slices in a fan shape on 4 plates. Garnish the duck with the apples, and spoon the sauce around the apples and duck. Serve hot.

The Recipe

Source: A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera by Laura Giannatempo

3 small artichokes
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken broth
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
2 ounces ham, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 ½ pounds chicken livers, cut into 2 x 1/2-inch strips
¼ cup dry white wine

Clean the artichokes by cutting the tough stems and ½ inch to 1 inch off the top, and by removing the outer, tough leaves until you reach the tender, light green leaves near the center. Cut each artichoke in half lengthwise and remove the hairy white core inside of each. Place them immediately in a bowl of water with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice or else they’ll turn very dark. Cut each half lengthwise into eight sections (cut them into four sections if the artichokes are very small). Leave the slices in the acidulated water until you’re ready to cook them.

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes adding 1 cup of the broth in 1-tablespoon increments. You want the onions browned but not burnt. Add the broth whenever the onions start sticking to the pan (each addition should make a sizzling noise.) If they start burning, turn down the heat.

Drain the artichokes and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add them to the onions with a generous pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, 1 cup of broth, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the parsley and ham, cover partially, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a different skillet big enough to hold all the livers (12 to 14 inches wide), heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken livers generously with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the livers and cook them for about 5 minutes over medium-high, making sure to brown them on all sides. Transfer them to a dish near the stove.

When the artichokes are done cooking, turn off the heat and add the reserved livers. With the wine, deglaze the pan used to cook the livers over medium-high heat and reduce the liquid by half, about 2 minutes. Pour the wine sauce in with the livers and artichokes, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

The Recipe

Source: Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

2 chicken legs or 1 chicken breast (approximately 1 pound)
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 ounces cellophane noodles, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes and drained
5 to 6 stalks bok choi or Swiss chard, thoroughly washed
3 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the chicken, remove and discard the skin and fat, and place in a large pot. Add the broth and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, half-covered, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface, for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the broth and let sit for a moment, until cool enough to handle. Discard the bones, shred the meat, and set aside. If you have time, chill the broth and then skim off the fat; if not, strain the broth into a saucepan through a colander lined with two layers of cheesecloth. (The soup can be prepared ahead to this point and the chicken and broth stored separately, once cooled, in well-sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

Meanwhile, using scissors, cut the soaked noodles into 3- to 4-inch lengths; set aside. Cut off the bok choi or chard stems and set aside for another purpose. Slice the leaves lengthwise in half and cut crosswise into 1-inch slices.

When ready to serve, heat the broth to a simmer. Add the fish sauce, taste for seasonings, and add salt if you wish. Divide the shredded chicken ammong six soup bowls. Add the cellophane noodles and greens to the simmering broth and bring to a vigorous boil. Give the soup a good stir, then ladle the hot soup over the chicken, distributing the noodles and greens among the bowls. Grind black pepper generously over each bowl and serve at once.

Note: This soup can be served Vietnamese style over cooked rice: Allow at least ½ cup cooked rice per person. Place the rice in large soup bowls, add the shredded chicken, and ladle the soup over.

The Recipe

Source: The Balthazar Cookbook by Keith McNally

10 ounces pearl onions, peeled
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
1 leek, white part only, split, cut into 1/2-inch slices, and rinsed well
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 cups Riesling wine
2 cups roast chicken jus
½ cup heavy cream
2 3-pound chickens, each cut into 6 pieces (legs, thighs, and breasts)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pearl onions and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Over a high flame, heat 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the mushrooms and saute until they’re soft and brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the leek and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft but not brown.

Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid by slightly more than half, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add the chicken jus and the blanched pearl onions and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and keep at a low simmer.

Preheat the oven to a whopping 450 F. Season the chicken pieces with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large ovenproof saute pan over a medium-high flame. When the oil begins to smoke, add the legs and thighs to the pan, skin side down. Brown for 10 minutes, forming a golden crust. Transfer the pan to the oven. Turn the pieces after 5 minutes, and cook for 5 minutes more. Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, in the simmering sauce.

Now add the breasts, skin side down, to the large saute pan, which will be quite hot. Brown the breasts for 5 minutes on each side, then tranfer to the oven for 10 minutes (no need to turn them over). Remove from the oven and add the breasts to the sauce. Turn off the flame and add a few grindings of pepper, the parsley, and the thyme. Serve in large bowls with Spaetzle, egg noodles, or rice. If preparing the Spaetzle, give the pan a quick wipe with a paper towel and use it to saute the dumplings.

The Recipe

Source: The New Professional Chef, by the CIA. (I cut the quantities by half)

5 chicken suprêmes [(a suprême is a breast with one joint of the wing still attached, and the skin on. Boneless skinless breasts are fine for this recipe.)]
salt and black pepper, to taste
flour, as needed
vegetable oil, as needed
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic, minced
5 oz white wine
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, sent through food mill to remove seeds
1/3 cup black olives, sliced or julienne
1 1/2 anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste
1 tbsp basil, chiffonade

Season the chicken suprêmes with salt and pepper. Dredge them lightly with the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat the vegetable oil in a suaté pan and sauté the chicken breasts until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the breasts from the pan and keep warm.

Pour off the excess fat from the sauté pan; add the butter. Return the pan to the heat. Add the garlic to the melted butter and sauté it briefly.

Deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring well to release all of the drippings. Add the tomatoes, olives, and anchovy paste. Bring this mixture to a simmer and cook it for a few minutes or until the flavor is developed.

Return the chicken breasts along with any released juices to the sauté pan and toss to coat the chicken with the sauce.

Serve the chicken with the sauce on a heated plate. Garnish with the basil.

The Recipe:

Source: The Bon Appétit Cookbook

4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 2/3 pounds)
all purpose flour
3 tbsp olive oil
2 red, yellow, or green bell peppers, cut into strips
1/2 medium onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
5 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1/4 tsp Hungarian hot paprika
1 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 cup chopped drained canned Italian plum tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Coat with flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until brown and crisp, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic to skillet; sauté 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add both paprikas and stir 2 minutes. Mix in broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Return chicken to skillet. Bring liquids to simmer. Cover skillet and simmer gently until chicken is just cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Transfer chicken to platter, tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Increase heat to high and boil until sauce coats spoon thickly, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken.

The Recipe

Source: Rosa’s New Mexican Table
by Roberto Santibañez

For the Sauce:

2 large tomatoes (about 1 pound)
1 small white onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
5 to 6 large ancho chiles (about 3 ounces), stemmed, seeded, toasted, and soaked in hot water
20 large garlic cloves (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries
1 to 2 cups water, or as  needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Pozole:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large white onion, finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
4 quarts water
1 rack (2 to 2 1/4 pounds) baby back ribs, cut between the bones into individual ribs
1 tablespoon salt
1 large bunch cilantro, folded in half and tied into a neat bunch with kitchen twine
one 4-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces
four 15-ounce cans hominy, with its liquid
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped

For the Garnishes (Any or All):

1 head romaine lettuce, wilted leaves and core removed and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 bunches radishes, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 limes, cut in half
chile de árbol powder or another pure chile powder of your choice
crumbled dried oregano

Make the Sauce:

Set the rack about 8 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler, to low if possible. Arrange the tomatoes and onion slices on the broiler pan, in a single layer, and cook, turning once, until blackened in spots and softened, about 15 minutes for the onion and about 20 minutes for the tomatoes. Let cool slightly.

When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins. Working in batches if necessary, combine the tomatoes, onion, anchos, garlic, and allspice berries in a blender jar and blend until very smooth. Add up to 1 cup water (total, not to each batch) if necessary to make a smooth puree.

Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the puree and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened; control the heat so the sauce doesn’t spatter. Pour in 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Add small amounts of water from time to time to keep the sauce more or less at the same consistency. The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance; let cool, then cover and refrigerate until needed.

Make the broth:

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large (about 8-quart) heavy pot or casserole over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Pour in the water, add the ribs and salt, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the liquid is simmering and cook for 45 minutes, skimming the foam from the surface occasionally. The broth can be made up to a day in advance, cooled, and refrigerated; bring to a simmer before continuing.
Stir the sauce into the broth and add the cilantro. Return to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken legs, thigs, and wings and cook for 15 minutes. The pozole can be made to this point up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Reheat to simmering before continuing.

Add the chicken breasts, the hominy, with its liquid, and the poblanos. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the pork is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the cilantro.

While the pozole is finishing up, put whichever toppings you are using in serving bowls and set them on the table.

To serve, ladle the pozole into warm deep bowls, including some of each ingredient in every bowl. Pass the topping around the table, letting people add them as they like.

The Recipe

Source: Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop

2 celery stalks
about 1 pound chicken meat, preferably on the bone (about 2 chicken breasts or 3-4 thighs)
3 whole scallions
¼ cup peanut oil
6-8 dried chiles (about 1/8 ounce)
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper
1 ½ tablespoons Sichuan chili bean paste
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry sherry
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
salt
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Using a knife, remove the fibrous outer bits from the celery stalks and cut them at a steep angle into 1/2-inch slices. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and set them aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cut the chicken as evenly as possible into 1-inch chunks. Cut the scallions at a steep angle into slices to match the celery.

Season the wok, then add ¼ cup of oil and reheat until smoking hot. Add the chicken and stir-fry over a high flame for 4-5 minutes, until it has lost much of its water content. (You can achieve this by deep-frying-rather quicker but more extravagant with the oil.) Turn the heat down to medium, add the chiles and Sichaun pepper, and stir-fry until they smell wonderfully spicy. Add the chili bean paste and stir as it releases its fragrance and stains the oil a red-orange color. Splash in the Shaoxing rice wine and stir in the dark soy sauce and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt to taste. Keep stirring over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is dry, toasty, and fragrant. Then add the vegetables and stir-fry for another minute or two until they are just tender, adding a little more salt to taste. Remove from the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and serve.