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With oxtail, it’s just like any other braise.

I tried rushing it the first time and you just can’t do that on a braise. Braised Beef Brisket 5-6 lb beef brisket 2 tbsp dried Italian herb blend 1 tbsp paprika 2 tsp ground Then, stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the fennel, and raise the heat to medium-high and

This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. While home to the birthplace of Jesus (Bethlehem), Christianity only accounts for about 3% of the state’s religious makeup. However, Christmas is celebrated more widely in Palestine than Israel (home to Nazareth). A traditional holiday meal is Qidreh, a lovely lamb and rice dish that has an amazing spice flavor derived from a traditional nine-spice blend. While the recipe I sourced from The Palestinian Table makes a large batch (helpful in that many of the recipes call for this aromatic spice mix) from whole spices, I have pared it down to a smaller amount made with pre-ground spices for those of you who don’t have spice grinders at home. I’ll admit though, I couldn’t find mace, so it’s technically an 8-spice blend (I just upped the nutmeg a little). While it was 60 degrees yesterday when I originally made this, I’m totally reheating this to enjoy for lunch during the big snowstorm we’re having today! Qidreh adapted from The Palestinian Table, Reem Kassis While the recipe calls for mastic, I couldn’t obtain it locally. However, I concocted what I feel is a suitable substitute with a combination of vanilla, juniper berries and rosemary. I also cut down on the prep time by using a pressure cooker. If you make the stock in a regular pot, increase the stock cooking time to 1 hour. Meat/stock 3 tbsp olive oil ~4 lb bone-in leg of lamb (or about 1.75 lbs of boneless), cut into 2” chunks 1 tsp vanilla extract 3” sprig of rosemary 5 juniper berries, crushed 1 tbsp Nine-spice mix (recipe below) ½ tsp turmeric 2 bay leaves 1 onion, peeled and halved “Nine”-spice mix 2 tbsp ground allspice 1 tbsp ground cloves 1 tbsp ground cinnamon ½ tbsp ground black pepper 2 tsp ground coriander ¼ tsp ground cardamom ⅛ tsp ground cumin ⅓ of a whole nutmeg, ground Rice preparation 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp butter 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 18 cloves garlic, peeled 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp nine-spice mix (recipe above) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp turmeric 2.25 cups of basmati rice, rinsed and drained 14 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained Toasted pine nuts/almonds Plain Greek-style yogurt Prepare the nine-spice mix and reserve. Dry the lamb and season with Kosher salt. Prepare the meat and stock. Preheat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat until shimmering. Add in all of the remaining ingredients, except for the lamb and onion and toast the spices/herbs for about 1 minute. Add in the lamb, stir to combine with the oil and spices and sear on all sides, increasing the heat to medium-high. Brown the meat for a few minutes. Add 8 cups of water to the pot, along with the halved onion, and bring to a boil, removing any foam from the surface. When all of the foam is gone, close the lid on your pressure cooker and maintain high heat until the steam peg pops. Then, secure your lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes (if using a stock pot, cover and simmer for about 80 minutes). After 20 minutes, release the pressure from the pot. Preheat the oven to 325. While the stock develops in the pressure cooker, prepare the rice. In a medium-sized Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. When the butter melts, add in the onion with a pinch of salt and reduce the heat to low. Slowly sauté the onion for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Then, add in the spices and stir until fragrant (about a minute) and stir in the rice coating with all of the oil and spices and lightly toast. Meanwhile, remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a dish. Pour the stock through a strainer, reserving 4 cups. When the rice has toasted for a minute or so, stir in the chickpeas and add in the stock. Bring to a boil. Once the pot reaches a boil, remove from the heat and place the lamb pieces on top. Cover and place in the oven and cook for an hour. Remove from the oven and let sit in the covered pot for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Serve in bowls with yogurt on the side. ______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

The day of, I rendered lardons for an hour before browning the beef and braising it with all of the vegetables Raise the heat to medium and brown the beef on all sides; removing them along with the rendered lardons

If the sauce is still too loose (you’re going for a creamed-gravy texture) raise the heat to medium and

Braised Chicken in tomato & coconut milk and warm-spiced basmati rice Adapted from The New York Times Then stir in the tomatoes and coconut milk and raise the heat back to medium-high.

you know that I love the magic of the Maillard reaction (the process of browning meat, especially for braises

This, being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Not gonna lie...it took a while to come up with this dish. But, I guess that should be expected in a relatively young (Zambia obtained their independence from the UK in 1964), land-locked country in the south-central region of the African continent. While most meals are served with the traditional Nshima (or Pap), a maize flour porridge, rice is reserved for special occasions, as is killing the village’s chicken! Therefore, and through some exhaustive research, I am bringing you, essentially, another chicken and rice dish in a week’s time. But, this flavor profile is different. Who knows, maybe I should start a chicken and rice series?! The process in making this chicken gets slightly involved as you must be attentive to not burn the chicken since there is no use of cooking oil, only water and fat that renders from the chicken skin. However, you can pass the time by turning on a Zamrock station on Spotify or Pandora while you stir away. The music may be an acquired taste, but the dish is a knock-out and my girls loved it. One item to note is that you’ll want to use a chicken on the smaller side (~3.5 lbs) so you can fit everything in your cooking pot. Zambian Chicken Stew Small chicken (about 3 lbs), portioned Onion, small dice 2 medium-sized tomatoes, medium chopped 1 tsp dried oregano ¾ tsp curry powder Butcher your chicken into 8 pieces (2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and 2 boneless breast cutlets). In a large pot, stir in a teaspoon of table salt, and add the chicken pieces, skin-side down. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once you hear the chicken begging to sizzle, you know it’s about time to add more water. (This process should take about 20 minutes). Take the top off the pot and, once the water and any fat has nearly evaporated, add an additional cup of water. Place the top back on the pot and repeat the process of boiling and then listening for the tell-tale sizzle of fat rendering. Remove the top off the pot and add a half cup of water. If the skin has cooked enough, you should be able to easily move the pieces. If the chicken does not easily move, keep cooking with the water (this time with the top removed). After another round of boiling/sizzling, turn the chicken, it’s ok if you lose a little skin and repeat cooking uncovered with a half cup of water. Once you have cooked the chicken on both sides, remove the breast portions and set aside on a plate. Add in the onions and tomatoes with 2 cups of water and a heavy pinch of salt. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes to break down the vegetables. Uncover the pot and stir in the curry powder and oregano. Add the chicken breasts, skin-side up on top of everything and cook an additional 5-10 minutes, covered, until desired consistency is reached. Remove the breasts once more and give everything a good stir. Serve with steamed white rice. _____________________________________________ Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

But, much like the red peppers peeking through my dark braise of rabbit in wine, the red emblem of Team Yes, one of my most liked images so far, a picture perfect roast and braise was of a dish I could not

The rugged texture of the tough, lean beef relents after a nice braise in this red sauce and has a lovely

Stage 7: Millau to Lavaur. Today, the riders swept through the Languedoc on their way to the southwest of France. As I was researching what to make, I started running into problems: where ARE they?! Think of it as traveling across Texas - from Aspermont to Kermit. Never heard of those places?! No one has. Luckily, I had recently purchased a wonderful book that is much more about French culinary history and geographical-specific cuisine than recipes alone, which enlightened me of the fact they were merely slipping into "Cassoulet Country"...which made me very happy. I started soaking my dried cannelini beans last night and after 4 hours of cooking a trio of pork products today, ended up in pure culinary heaven. Beans: a simple yet majestic foodstuff. Sure, you can open a can, drain them of that funky, murky, pungent, thick water and toss them into a dish when you’re in a rush. But, I’m somewhat of a devotee to traditional, slow-cooking methods. Buying a bag of dry beans and soaking it in salt water overnight, followed by cooking them yourself in a bath of aromatics, turns a simple bean into a luxurious and creamy food item which helps add layers of depth to your final dish. This dish is also, clearly, a celebration of pork. While the best sausage you can find would be the regional-specific, garlic-kissed, Toulouse Sausage, you can also sub in your favorite summer sausage or even kielbasa for its lovely smokiness, which I used in this recipe below. While the recipe calls for a small amount of pork shoulder, you’ll probably notice that while cheap - pork shoulders come in large quantities at the supermarket. Ask your butcher if they can cut you a small portion - mine was happy to, but hey, he’s my sister’s husband! An alternative is to buy the packaged shoulder, cut off what you need, and save the rest for a nice barbecue down the road. Pork Cassoulet 1 lb dried cannellini beans 4 oz salt pork 1.5 lbs toulouse sausage or kielbasa 1.5 lbs pork shoulder cut into rough chunks (1 inch or so) 1 onion 2 carrots Tomato Paste Garlic ⅔ cup white wine 1 large, ripe, or 14.5 oz can of diced tomato 4 cups homemade or store-bought chicken stock Bouquet garnis: 2 celery stalks, halved; few thyme sprigs; bay leaf 4 slices of sandwich bread or your favorite large loaf Parsley Soak your beans in a large bowl of salted water overnight (no less than 8 hours). Place salt pork and raw sausage (no need to include already cooked sausage like kielbasa) in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes then transfer the salt pork to a bowl and the sausage to a cutting board to cool slightly. Slice the sausage into bite-sized rounds. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown for about 10 minutes - remove with a slotted spoon and place in the bowl with the boiled salt pork. Add the pork shoulder pieces to the dutch oven, browning all over, and adjusting the heat lower to medium, if necessary. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 and dice your onion and carrots into ¼-inch dice, adding them to the browned pork after 10 minutes, stirring frequently for a couple of minutes. Add tomato paste, stirring and roasting for 1 minute, then add 4 cloves of minced garlic and stir until fragrant. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Stir in the cooked sausage, tomatoes and salt pork. Drain and rinse the soaked beans and add them to the pot along with the stock which should just cover the beans (they can float on the surface, but if any beans are exposed add some water). Add in the bouquet garnis (fastened with butcher string) and bring to a boil, cover the pot and place in the lower third of the oven for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the heat to 350. Discard the bouquet garnis and place the salt pork on a cutting board to cool slightly. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Dice the salt pork and stir back in the pot, and place it, uncovered in the oven for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, tear the bread into rough pieces, and pulse 4 times in a food processor. Drizzle with some olive oil and pulse a few times more achieving a large crumb texture and transfer to a bowl. Finely chop a handful of parsley leaves and stir into the breadcrumbs, seasoning with salt and pepper. Take a quarter of the breadcrumbs and top the casserole and place back in the oven, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for 10 additional minutes. Finally, toss the remaining crumbs evenly atop the cassoulet and place back in the oven, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Check the topping around 25 minutes - you want a nice deep, golden brown topping. Let rest, uncovered for 10 minutes before serving. ______________________________ Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

Giro d'Italia '20 - Stage 6: Castrovillari to Matera. Today was as much about art as it was food. The last time I ventured down this treacherous and questionable path was when I did my last Oscars-themed dinner. I had nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing in mind for Joker. I guess I could’ve done a mock tv-dinner, reflecting back on it now. But, I didn’t like the movie, at.all., and I think I let that cloud my “artistic process”...see for yourself...I mean, it is kind of funny.  However, let’s get back to today’s footage that aired on Flo Sports, which I purchased so I could watch the race and get beautiful scenery of Italy. That’s one thing I love about these major road races. It’s almost like a mini-travel documentary and you can learn alot about the different regions of the countries the riders are traversing through. Not to mention: it’s like I’m eating there, too. The race websites also provide some good nuggets on their pages, which is how I start developing meal ideas for my Instagram #culinaryridealong entries. Today was breathtaking as the riders came upon towns which were magnificently carved into towering limestone mountains. Additionally, Matera is home to famous caves which people once used as their homes. So, I attempted to mimic that scenery of the rolling hills with some very tender meatballs which were cooked in a reduced tomato sauce, employing reduced balsamic vinegar to provide the dolce in my agrodolce sauce. That was a first for me, and definitely not the last time. I then slammed the meatballs against some oven-roasted romanesco topped with seasoned breadcrumbs that, along with the almonds dotting the meatballs, represented the limestone. The tasty charred bits of the romanesco represent the caves within the hills of Matera. I was happy with my “installation” and think I did a pretty cool job with the representation. The food was comfortingly flavorful and nearly as impactful as the beautifully jarring images of the day. Calabrian Meatballs in Balsamic Tomato Sauce Adapted from The Italian Regional Cookbook, Valentina Harris Bread Milk Extra-virgin olive oil Onion Garlic clove Passata or tomato purée 1 lb meatloaf mix 2 eggs Parsley Pecorino Cheese Balsamic vinegar Blanched, sliced almonds Rip the end of a loaf of bread into pieces and place in a large bowl with a ¼ cup of milk, stir to combine and let the bread soak up the milk. Heat a ¼ cup of evoo in a large pot over medium heat. Mince the onion and add to the pot along with a pinch of salt. Saute for a few minutes, then add the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant. Then add 2 cups of passata, season with salt and pepper and adjust heat to simmer. While the sauce simmers, add the meat to the bowl with the soaking bread, along with the lightly beaten eggs. Rip a handful of parsley leaves, chop and add to the bowl along with ½ cup of grated cheese, some kosher salt and black pepper. Gently mix with your hands, incorporating everything but not over-working the meat. Then form small meatballs and set aside. Preheat a large skillet, with 4 tbsp evoo, over medium-hight heat. Add in half of the balls and brown all over. If the balls start flattening, losing their ball shape, use a cooking spoon and gently push the balls toward the side of the pan to gently adjust the shape of the meatball. When the meatballs are browned, add them to the sauce to finish cooking and to soak up some of the sauce, for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pot, pour in ⅓ cup of vinegar and reduce by boiling down rapidly to about half the original amount. Then, pour the reduced balsamic vinegar over the meatballs and sauce in the pot, stirring gently to incorporate. Cover the pot, remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes. Serve with a garnish of cheese and almonds. Oven-roasted Romanesco 1 or 2 heads of romanesco (roughly 1 lb each) Extra-virgin olive oil Bread Garlic Parsley Pecorino cheese (Parmesan or Grana Padono will work too) Preheat the oven to 420. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the romanosco on the prepared pan. Generously drizzle olive oil over the romanesco rubbing into the florets with your hands or a brush. Place in the oven and roast for an hour, or slightly longer, until roast-charred to your liking. Meanwhile, using the end of a bread loaf (or a regular piece), tear it into bite-size pieces and pulse in a mini-food processor until you reach coarse crumbs. In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of evoo and a minced clove of garlic for a minute over medium heat. Add in the bread crumbs along with some chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Stir frequently monitoring the crumbs until toasted. Set aside to cool, then stir in ¼ cup of grated cheese. When the romanesco is done, drizzle with more evoo and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture pressing into the florets. Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.