Roast Chicken With Asparagus Morel And Pearl Onion Ragoût Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS, MOREL, AND PEARL-ONION RAGOûT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Blanch onions in boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking. Trim root ends and peel.
• Pat chicken dry. Coat a 17- by 12-inch flameproof roasting pan with oil and put chicken in pan. Rub 2 tablespoons softened butter into skin over entire chicken. Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Put 1 lemon half in cavity and squeeze remaining half over chicken.
• Roast chicken in middle of oven 20 minutes. Baste chicken, then continue to roast, basting about every 7 minutes, 20 minutes more. Scatter onions around chicken and continue to roast, turning onions and basting every 7 to 8 minutes, until chicken is golden and a thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh registers 170°F (juices will run clear), 25 to 35 minutes more.
• Once chicken begins roasting, soak morels in warm water 20 minutes. Lift mushrooms out of water, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, and reserve liquid. Rinse morels thoroughly to remove grit and squeeze dry. Trim any tough stems.
• Pour reserved soaking liquid through a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth or a paper towel into a small bowl.
• Cut asparagus diagonally into 2-inch lengths. Arrange on a steamer rack and sprinkle with kosher salt. Steam asparagus, covered, over boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
• Transfer roast chicken to a platter, then discard string and cover chicken loosely with foil. Transfer onions and pan juices to 2 separate small bowls (do not clean roasting pan). Skim and discard fat from juices.
• Set roasting pan over a burner. Add wine and deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add pan juices from bowl, any juices that have accumulated on platter (from chicken), mushroom-soaking liquid, and morels, then boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup.
• Cut remaining 2 tablespoons butter into pieces and add to morels with onions and asparagus. Cook over moderately high heat, shaking pan, until butter is just incorporated and vegetables are glazed. Season vegetables with salt and pepper and spoon around chicken.

MICHAEL'S BEST BUTTON MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms. Do not move the mushrooms until they have caramelized on the bottom. If you toss them too soon, they will release their liquid and begin to steam. When the bottoms are caramelized, toss them and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add the butter. Cook and toss for 5 minutes, until beautifully browned.
• Season with salt and add the garlic. Saute another 2 minutes, and add the thyme, lemon juice, and white wine. Cook to evaporate the liquid.
• Toss in the parsley and serve immediately.

COQ AU VIN

Steps:

• Cut off the root end of each pearl onion and make an "x" with your knife in its place. Bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil and drop in the onions for 1 minute. Remove the onions from the pot, allow them to cool, and then peel. You should be able to slide the onions right out of their skin. Set aside.
• Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, into a large (1 or 2-gallon) sealable plastic bag along with the flour. Shake to coat all of the pieces of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the bag to a metal rack.
• Add the 2 tablespoons of water to a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat along with the salt pork. Cover and cook until the water is gone, and then continue to cook until the salt pork cubes are golden brown and crispy, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the salt pork from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, using the remaining fat, add the pearl onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until lightly brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Next, brown the chicken pieces on each side until golden brown, working in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken into a 7 to 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
• Add the mushrooms to the same 12-inch saute pan, adding the 1 tablespoon of butter if needed, and saute until they give up their liquid, approximately 5 minutes. Store the onions, mushrooms and pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Pour off any remaining fat and deglaze the pan with approximately 1 cup of the wine. Pour this into the Dutch oven along with the chicken stock, tomato paste, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add all of the remaining wine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is tender. Maintain a very gentle simmer and stir occasionally.
• Once the chicken is done, remove it to a heatproof container, cover, and place it in the oven to keep warm. Strain the sauce in a colander and remove the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Return the sauce to the pot, place over medium heat, and reduce by 1/3. Depending on how much liquid you actually began with, this should take 20 to 45 minutes.
• Once the sauce has thickened, add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and pork and cook for another 15 minutes or until the heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, remove from the heat, add the chicken and serve. Serve over egg noodles, if desired.
• Cook¿s Note: If the sauce is not thick enough at the end of reducing, you may add a mixture of equal parts butter and flour kneaded together. Start with 1 tablespoon of each. Whisk this into the sauce for 4 to 5 minutes and repeat, if necessary.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• In a skillet, brown pork in butter. Transfer meat to an ungreased shallow 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; set aside. In the pan drippings, saute the onion, mushrooms and celery until tender. Combine flour and broth until smooth; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour over meat. Cover and bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a thermometer reads 160°-170°. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with rice or noodles if desired.

OVEN-ROASTED POLENTA WITH BLACK OLIVES, MOREL MUSHROOM RAGOUT AND GRILLED SPRING ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• For the Polenta: Bring stock and milk to a boil. In a slow stream, add polenta, stirring constantly. Lower heat to medium and cook 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. In the last 1/2 hour, add Lindsay® Black Olives, chopped garlic and grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, black pepper and chopped fresh rosemary. Pour onto oiled baking sheet and let cool 2 hours or overnight.
• Roasting: Preheat oven to broil. Invert baking sheet onto cutting surface, allowing polenta to slip out in one piece. Add olive oil to baking pan. Heat pan under broiler until just smoking. Cut polenta in to 6 even squares. Carefully add to hot pan and turn when lightly brown, approximately 3 minutes. Cook 2 more minutes and remove from pan. Keep warm.
• For the Mushroom Ragout: Saute sliced yellow onion in butter until lightly caramelized. Add washed morel mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes or until soft. Add chopped garlic and cook 1 minute. Add shredded red chard, diced tomato and stock. Reduce on high heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper and chopped fresh thyme. Keep warm.
• For the Grilled Asparagus: Trim white ends off asparagus. Blanch in salted water for 1 1/2 minutes or until just soft. Shock in ice water, remove and dry when completely cold. Marinate asparagus for 1 hour in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and thinly sliced red onion. Remove from marinade. Season with salt and red chili flakes. Grill over charcoal 3 minutes or until lightly charred on all sides. Keep warm.
• Assembly: Place roasted polenta on warm mushroom ragout and top with asparagus. Top with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.

OVEN-ROASTED POLENTA WITH BLACK OLIVES, MOREL MUSHROOM RAGOUT AND GRILLED SPRING ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• For the Polenta: Bring stock and milk to a boil. In a slow stream, add polenta, stirring constantly. Lower heat to medium and cook 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. In the last 1/2 hour, add Lindsay® Black Olives, chopped garlic and grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, black pepper and chopped fresh rosemary. Pour onto oiled baking sheet and let cool 2 hours or overnight.
• Roasting: Preheat oven to broil. Invert baking sheet onto cutting surface, allowing polenta to slip out in one piece. Add olive oil to baking pan. Heat pan under broiler until just smoking. Cut polenta in to 6 even squares. Carefully add to hot pan and turn when lightly brown, approximately 3 minutes. Cook 2 more minutes and remove from pan. Keep warm.
• For the Mushroom Ragout: Saute sliced yellow onion in butter until lightly caramelized. Add washed morel mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes or until soft. Add chopped garlic and cook 1 minute. Add shredded red chard, diced tomato and stock. Reduce on high heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper and chopped fresh thyme. Keep warm.
• For the Grilled Asparagus: Trim white ends off asparagus. Blanch in salted water for 1 1/2 minutes or until just soft. Shock in ice water, remove and dry when completely cold. Marinate asparagus for 1 hour in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and thinly sliced red onion. Remove from marinade. Season with salt and red chili flakes. Grill over charcoal 3 minutes or until lightly charred on all sides. Keep warm.
• Assembly: Place roasted polenta on warm mushroom ragout and top with asparagus. Top with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.