Braised Capon With Pearl Onions Recipes

BRAISED CAPON WITH PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Cut breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wing drumsticks of capon into 3-inch pieces, and trim away as much excess fat as possible (or have a butcher do this for you when you buy the capon). Reserve backbone and wing tips to make stock, if desired. Place onions in a bowl of warm water, and let stand 15 minutes to loosen their skins. Peel pearl onions, and set them aside.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season capon pieces with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Season matzo meal with remaining salt and pepper, and dredge the capon pieces in matzo meal, tapping off any excess.
• Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in a large, wide, heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Arrange as many capon pieces as will fit in a single layer. Cook, turning to brown all sides well, about 10 to 15 minutes, adding remaining margarine as needed. As pieces brown, transfer them to a platter and add more pieces. When all pieces have been browned, pour off the accumulated fat. Add wine to the casserole, scrape up browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon, and boil for about 1 minute. Add the capon pieces and onions, and scatter the top with thyme sprigs. Add stock, bring to a boil, and cover. Place casserole in oven, and cook until tender, about 1 hour.
• Remove casserole from oven. Lift out capon pieces and onions with a slotted spoon, transfer them to a large bowl, and set casserole aside to let liquid cool. Remove and discard thyme sprigs. When cool, cover casserole and the bowl with capon pieces, and refrigerate them overnight.
• To serve, remove casserole from refrigerator, and scrape off solidified fat. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until liquid has reduced by about a quarter, skimming foam from the surface as necessary, about 20 minutes. Lower heat to medium low; return capon and onions to casserole, and cook, covered, about 15 minutes. Remove cover, raise heat to medium high, and cook until sauce has thickened and capon is heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

WINE-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Place chicken and onions in a 4-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine soup, wine and seasonings; pour over chicken and onions. Cook, covered, on low 7-8 hours or until chicken is tender., Remove chicken; skim fat from cooking juices. Serve cooking juices with chicken and rice. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

PEPPERY BEEF KEBABS WITH BRAISED PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Blanch onions in a large pot of boiling water 1 minute and drain, then cool under cold running water. Trim root ends and peel. Cook onions in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, 3 minutes (onions will not brown). Add salt and regular-grind pepper to taste and enough water to just cover onions and boil, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl with a slotted spoon and if necessary boil juices until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Toss onions with juices.
• Combine coarsely ground pepper, chopped rosemary, garlic, and salt, then rub into both sides of steak. Cut meat into 3/4-inch cubes.
• Put 1 onion, then 1 steak cube (thread through unpeppered sides) on each rosemary branch or skewer to make 60 kebabs.
• Preheat broiler.
• Arrange some of kebabs in a row, a peppered side facing up, along 1 long side of oiled rack of a broiler pan so that leaf ends of rosemary branches and blunt ends of skewers point toward middle of pan. Cover exposed skewer or branch ends with a sheet of foil (don't cover beef or onions). Arrange another row of kebabs over foil, covering exposed ends in same manner. Continue adding rows of kebabs and layers of foil until pan is full, making sure exposed ends of last row of branches or skewers are covered with foil. (To broil kebabs in batches, keep remaining kebabs on a tray, covered with plastic wrap and chilled.)
• Broil kebabs 2 inches from heat until beef is seared on 1 side but still medium-rare, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

BAKED CAPON WITH PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Brine bird: Pour the cold water into a 5-gallon stock pot.
• Dissolve the salt and sugar in a little bit of warm water, and add it to the cold water.
• Add the peppercorns.
• Place the bird breast-side down in the stock pot and cover.
• Store in the refrigerator and turn the bird once during brining.
• (I didn't turn it, but I did put a plate on top of the bird to completely submerge it in the brine.) Brine for 6 to 10 hours (I brined 22 hours, which was fine because this brine has less salt than some others).
• Take it out of the brine, rinse and pat dry, then put it back in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 6 hours.
• (From what I've read, this step will cause the water to move away from the skin, resulting in crisper skin.) Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water flavored with a splash of vinegar until al dente.
• In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter, and add bay leaf, juniper berries, paprika, cinnamon, chestnuts and apple.
• Add potatoes; fry until golden.
• Sprinkle with bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper, and let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Fill capon with the potato stuffing.
• Truss the legs, and tuck the wing tips under the body so that they don't burn during cooking.
• Rub the capon with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Roast until skin begins to brown (about 30 minutes).
• Add onions and the wine, and cook for about 3 hours, or until a meat thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the inner thigh registers 175°F to 180°F.
• (My 4 1/2 lb bird cooked in 2 hours total cook time.) Let the bird rest for 30 minutes before carving.

ROAST CAPON WITH LEMON, THYME, AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Rinse capon inside and out and discard any excess fat from cavity. Pat capon dry inside and out, then sprinkle cavity with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Put capon in a large flameproof roasting pan (17 by 12 by 3 inches) and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
• While capon is standing, stir together butter, zest, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
• Starting at neck cavity, gently slide an index finger between skin and flesh of breast to loosen skin (be careful not to tear skin). Push butter mixture evenly under skin on both sides of breast, then rub outside of capon to distribute butter evenly. Tuck wings under.
• Put thyme sprigs and lemon halves in large cavity and tie legs together with string. Pour lemon juice all over capon and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Roast capon 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and add shallots and onions to pan, tossing with pan juices. Continue roasting capon, basting with pan juices and stirring shallots and onions every 30 minutes, until thermometer inserted 2 inches into fleshy part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, about 1 1/2 hours more.
• Tilt capon so juices in large cavity run into roasting pan, then transfer capon to a cutting board (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand, uncovered, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer shallots and onions to a sieve held over roasting pan to drain any pan juices. Transfer shallots and onions to a bowl and stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4teaspoon pepper.
• Pour pan juices into a 1-quart glass measure, then skim off fat and reserve fat and juices separately.
• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners. Add 1 cup chicken stock to pan and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, scraping up brown bits, about 1 minute. Add to glass measure with pan juices.
• Cook flour and 2 tablespoons reserved fat in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, whisking, until smooth, then add remaining cup chicken stock in a stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Whisk in reserved pan juices and cook, whisking occasionally, until sauce is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in remaining teaspoon chopped fresh thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
• Carve capon and serve with shallots, onions, and sauce.

BRAISED ONIONS A LA JULIA CHILD

Steps:

• If you are using fresh pearl onions, they are easier to peel if you blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then run them under cold water to cool.
• If you are using frozen pearl onions, make sure they are defrosted and drained.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
• Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible without breaking apart.
• Pour in the stock, add the herbs, and cover.
• Simmer over low heat for about 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
• Remove the herbs, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.