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is a nice cool 55 degree morning: the perfect kind of weather for this Asturian classic of chicken braised A braised pot of perfectly golden chicken, potatoes, ham, and peas, braised in hard cider. Braised Chicken in Hard Cider 6 chicken thighs Onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced ¼ lb serrano ham,

I had started these wine-braised short ribs at my house, and then finished them for about an hour or So, while I didn’t make a Sunday Sauce, I stuck with my typical go-to: #Braise Jesus Wine-braised Short If making the cheesy polenta (recipe below), start preparing it with about 30 minutes left in the braise

However, the region she was raised in actually used to be Italian territory. Braised Pork Chops with Savoy Cabbage adapted from Lidia’s Italy, Lidia Bastianich 1 large head of savoy

Today’s stage offering is a lovely, hearty and aromatic Beef Braised in Barolo. The beef, slowly braised in Barolo wine and with some vegetables, is truly rich, and soft but still toothsome Beef Braised in Barolo adapted from, Lidia’s Italy, Lidia Bastianich ~3 lb chuck roast Extra-virgin olive

Lucanian Braised Chicken 2 tbsp evoo 6 chicken thighs Large onion, diced medium 2-3 small dried Calabrian

It’s a nice, rustic, country braise of chicken in aromatics.

Wine-braised Lamb Stew If, like me, you can only find bone-in shoulder, you’ll need to purchase roughly

It’s probably the first real braise I ever did. Italian-style Braised Lamb Shanks with Parmesan Polenta 4 lamb shanks Onion, diced Fennel bulb, cored

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 various 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 festive drink, or even a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Click here to see all of my “Christmas In…” series from years’ past. I wrap up this series on a cold day where most of the east coast is expecting some wintry weather. In fact this storm path is nearly as long the entire eastern coastline of the US. What better way to thwart the nasty weather, than simmering a pot of deliciousness…and of course, eating it up, too! But, if like me, the incessant cloudy weather has you down and not feeling like cooking all day, this dish comes together fairly quickly. It just tastes like you’ve been cooking it all day. I hope you enjoyed this annual series and I know you’re going to just love this deeply flavored chicken curry from Zimbabwe. Happy holidays to all! Zimbabwean Chicken Curry ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 cinnamon stick 2 green cardamom pods 1 tsp cumin seeds Onion, chopped fine 1 tbsp of minced fresh ginger 6 garlic cloves, minced ½ tsp each of turmeric, coriander, and chili powder ⅔ cup puréed tomato 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 1 ⅓ cup chicken stock Bay leaf 1 tsp garam masala Roughly chopped fresh cilantro for serving Add the oil to a pot and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to ripple, add in the cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin and toast until fragrant, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add in the onion, with a pinch of salt, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened and adjusting the heat down as necessary. Toss in the ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, and chili powder and stir to combine until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato purée, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Meanwhile, chop-up the chicken meat and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Once the sauce has cooked down, add the chicken to the pot, return the heat to medium-high, and cook for 3-5 minutes until the chicken is no longer visibly pink. Add in the stock and bay leaf, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat to a rolling boil. Then, cover and lower the heat and simmer for 35 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the garam masala and continue to simmer, uncovered, allowing the liquid to reduce. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and serve over rice with some cilantro. ______________________________ Copyright 2024, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

While the pork braises, heat some vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat.

2023 Giro d’Italia - Stage 7: Capua to Gran Sasso d’Italia The riders are back up into Abruzzo region, where the race started on Saturday, but far gone is the warm, sunny Amalfi coast. Today, the cyclists will finish on a snow-capped mountain! There will be more of that to come when they’re up in the hinterlands of the country next week, but we get a little preview today. On their way along the Abruzzo plains, where lentils are cultivated, they also passed through Navelli Plateau, also known as the “Kingdom of Saffron!” Given both of the delicious culinary items, a meal could not be easier to imagine than these delicious lentils, cooked slowly in an extremely delicious saffron broth. Lentils in Saffron Stock 1.75 cups green lentils Olive oil Onion, peeled and halved 1.5 oz hunk of premium slab bacon, sliced into ¼” batons ¼ cup dry white wine 2 heavy pinches of saffron threads ~4 cups of warm chicken stock Soak the lentils in water for 6-8 hours. Pour a few tablespoons of oil into a large stainless skillet, set over medium heat, and brown the ham and onion. Once everything is sizzling, add in the drained lentils, stirring and toasting for a few minutes. Stir in the wine, cooking until nearly evaporated. Meanwhile, add the saffron to a gravy ladle or large spoon and place over a medium flame, toasting the saffron and bringing it to life. This will take a minute or two and you don’t want to burn it, so shuffle the threads halfway through. Bring the saffron to your nose and if it smells delicious and floral, you are good-to-go! Stir the saffron into the lentil mixture, then pour in enough stock to cover the lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until tender, about 45 minutes, adding more stock or water, if necessary. Remove the onions from the pan, taste for any seasoning needs and serve immediately. ______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

I’ve been taking it easy this week, as we’re on vacation. In fact, the last time I posted, we were on our way up the east coast and are now in Truro, Massachusetts. I made some pretty good stuffed shells the other day, but finished when it was dark and the lighting in the house we’re in is sparsely lit. I looked at my wife and said I needed to come up with some blog content and she replied, "what about fish?" Duh! We’ll be eating/making a lot of fish, but here’s a non-fish meal I’ve been meaning to get up on the blog for quite some time, a one pot wonder of Spanish chicken and rice. This is always comforting and satisfying. Since it is a one-pot meal, it's also an ease to make for cleaning purposes, especially when you don’t have a dishwasher in your beach house! Spanish Chicken & Rice 8 chicken thighs Onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp paprika 2 tsp cumin Pinch of red pepper flakes (what I had on hand) or 1 tsp chili powder Heavy pinch of saffron 1 tsp dried oregano or Italian herbs 1 cup rice White wine ¼ cup tomato sauce 1.75 cups chicken stock 1 roasted red pepper, thinly sliced (or 6.5 oz jar) ~5 oz Spanish or Castelvetrano olives, drained and halved Frozen peas Cilantro, rough chopped Place some oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat and season the chicken with kosher salt and black pepper and brown on each side, adjusting the heat as necessary. Invert the pot lid and transfer the cooked chicken to the lid and cook the remaining thighs, adding them to the lid once they're done cooking. Once all of the thighs have been cooked, add in the onion and saute until beginning to soften. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Stir in the seasonings and cook for about a minute until toasted and fragrant. Add in the rice and toast, stirring frequently, for a minute or so. Add in a splash of wine (~⅓ cup) and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Then, add in the tomato sauce and chicken stock, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stir one last time, then place the chicken skin-side up on top, and pour in any accumulated juices from the inverted lid. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, crack the lid. If there is still a good amount of liquid, increase the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for another 5 minutes with the lid cracked. Once only a little liquid remains, remove the chicken to the inverted pot top (or other dish) and stir in the pepper, olives, peas and cilantro, and cook until warmed through and the peas have defrosted (a couple of minutes). To serve, spoon some rice on a plate and top with a chicken thigh or two. ______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.