This recipe was really meant to be done with skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces. You're supposed to start with a whole chicken and break it down into serving-sized pieces. And while I'm sure that would've been great, I didn't have a whole chicken to work with. What I did have was some skinless, boneless chicken breast pieces that I got on sale at the grocery store a few weeks back and stuck in the freezer for later use.

The lean, skinless pieces don't have quite as much flavour as you'd get if working with a whole chicken. But they were still very good. The sauce was quite flavourful. And making it with a nice lean, skinless cut does make it a bit healthier, at least.

Braised Chicken with Peppers, Capers, and Olives

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• ~1kg skinless boneless chicken pieces
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. schmaltz (or olive oil)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 45g pancetta, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 c. white wine
• 1/3 c. Kalamata olives
• 2 Tbsp. capers

Directions

1. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Melt the schmaltz over medium heat.
3. Add the rosemary, bell peppers, onion, pancetta, and pepper flakes.
4. Season with salt and pepper and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
5. Add the tomatoes and wine.
6. Add the chicken, olives, and capers.
7. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.
8. Simmer until chicken is nearly cooked through (~15 minutes).
9. Uncover and simmer for another 5-10 minutes to thicken sauce up slightly.
10. Serve with rice and/or crusty bread.

I got some lovely fresh herbs from my mom's garden at Thanksgiving. And I've been enjoying trying out different recipes to use them up. So far, I've been focusing on the parsley and rosemary. But I ran across this delicious-looking recipe for baked gnocchi with sage and decided to give that a try.

It's definitely not health food by any means, but it is easy and tastes fantastic!

Baked Gnocchi with Fontina, Pancetta, and Sage

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 125-250g pancetta¹, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
• 1kg gnocchi
• 1 1/2 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• 250g fontina cheese², cut into 5mm cubes
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/3 c. panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease a 23x33cm (9x13") lasagne pan.
2. Cook the pancetta over medium heat until crisp.
3. Drain off as much of the fat as possible, add the sage, and set aside.
4. Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions (or slighlty less).
5. Drain the gnocchi and add it to the pan with the pancetta along with the half-and-half, cheese, and pepper.
6. Stir to combine and pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
7. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15-20 minutes.
8. It breadcrumbs are not sufficiently browned, place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

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¹ The original recipe called for 125g of pancetta, but we all really like pancetta here, so I decided to double it. That said, I do think that the smaller quantity would have been sufficient -- even if the bumped up amount was delicious! ^Back
2 The original recipe called for taleggio cheese. I couldn't find any at the grocery store, so I substituted fontina. I think oka probably also would have been good, but the fontina was cheaper and I was able to find a piece that was exactly the amount I needed, so I just went with that. ^Back

TF and I grew up with very different concepts of "stew".

For me, stew was a boiled dinner consisting of large chunks of meat, potatoes, and other vegetables (usually cabbage, turnip/rutabaga/swede, and carrots) in a thin, clear broth. The potatoes would be cut in half -- or even left whole if they were on the small side -- and the other veggies would be in similarly large pieces. You were expected to need a knife and fork to eat your stew with a spoon to finish off the broth.

TF, on the other hand, grew up with stew being a thick, brown meaty mixture with any veggies present being cut small enough and cooked long enough that they broke down and merged into the rich gravy that swathed the fall-apart tender meat.

TF is very fond of her family's stew. (As am I, for that matter.) So when I saw this recipe for bourguinon, I knew it would be an instant hit. It's basically her favourite stew, but with pancetta, a bottle of red wine, mushrooms, and an entire bag of pearl onions tossed in. So, you know, the same but better!

Beef Bourguinon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1.5kg stewing beef¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided
• ~1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 180g pancetta, diced
• 1-2 carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 750mL red wine
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 450g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 24 thawed frozen pearl onions (give or take)

Directions

1. Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp. of the salt and 1/4 tsp. of the pepper over the meat.
2. Toss the meat with the flour to coat. Use extra flour as needed.
3. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
4. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp (~5 minutes).
5. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a bowl and set aside.
6. Raise heat to medium-high and, working in batches, sear beef on all sides. Transfer beef to bowl with pancetta.
7. Add carrot and onion to pot and cook until browned (~5 minutes). Transfer to bowl with meat.
8. Reduce heat to medium and add the wine.
9. Stir and scrape to deglaze the pan, then return meat and veggies to the pot.
10. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, tomato paste, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
11. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 2-3 hours.
12. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.
13. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and lightly browned (~5 minutes). Add a little water and cover the pan for a few minutes if they seem to need help cooking. Transfer to a bowl.
14. Add the pearl onions and the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of butter to the pan and cook until golden (~10 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
15. Once the beef has cooked for 2-3 hours, add the mushrooms and onions to the pot.
16. Stir to combine and cook for another hour.
17. Once the stew is done, transfer all the solids to a serving dish.
18. Skim as much fat as possible from the liquids, then raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
19. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly (~2 minutes).
20. If you would like a thicker sauce, you can separate out a few Tbsp., allow it to cool slightly, and then mix in a couple tsp. of extra flour. Mix this slurry back into the sauce and cook for a few more minutes or until desired thickness is achieved.
21. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve. Ideally with a crusty loaf of fresh bread.

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We were a bit short on stew meat, so I cut up some sirloin steak to make up the difference. ^Back

This turned out alright, but wasn't a favourite. The original recipe called for pancetta, which we were out of; I made it with halal chicken bacon analogue, and I think it would be fine with streaky pork bacon as well.

Kale Salad with Bacon and Eggs

Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 266)

Ingredients

• 200g bacon (or chicken bacon or pancetta)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 5 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and cut into 8ths
• 2 bunches kale, stems removed, coarsely chopped
• ½ tsp cayenne

Directions

1. Cook the bacon or pancetta in a large skillet. Remove, chop coarsely, and buffer.
2. Drain the skillet, reserving 1 Tbsp oil (or adding some olive oil or bacon fat if you used something doesn't render off much fat, like chicken bacon). Heat over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and cook until just golden, ~1 minute.
4. Remove the garlic and deglaze using the balsamic vinegar.
5. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar/bacon fat mixture, wine vinegar, parsley, garlic, and black pepper.
6. Toss with the kale and bacon.
7. Gently fold in the eggs, garnish with cayenne, and serve.

I made this one before we went on our big camping trip, but I didn't end up getting a chance to write it up before we left. The recipe called for either pancetta or bacon, so I decided to try using some chicken "bacon". It worked pretty well!

Pancetta, Broccoli, and Sweet Onion Frittata

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 3 slices pancetta or thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 c. thinly sliced sweet onion (such as Vidalia)
• 2 c. broccoli florets
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Combine the pancetta and oil and cool over medium heat until golden-brown (~3 minutes).
2. Add the onion and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli and about half of the peper and cool for another minute or so.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the salt and the rest of the pepper.
5. Pour the eggs into the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for ~4 minutes.
6. Gently lift the edge of the frittata and let the raw eggs run under. Repeat several more times around the edge of the pan.
7. Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and cook until set (10-15 minutes).
8. Preheat the broiler while the frittata is cooking. Once it's set or nearly so, transfer it to the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes.
9. Cut into wedges and serve.

I've been eyeing the photo for this recipe for ages now. I just looks really, really appealing. I never used to be much for beans in my youth, but I've warmed up to them over the years and, especially in the last year or two, I've found cannellini beans particularly appealing. So, a rich, savoury thick soup built on a base of cannellini beans sounded like a pretty fantastic dinner to me!

The original recipe calls for a mix of chopped onions, carrots, and celery as the vegetable component. I was running low on veggies when I made this though, so I ended up swapping in some frozen "spaghetti" mix (onion, red bell pepper, carrot, green bell pepper, and celery). I used ~3 c. total. I also swapped in a few olives and an anchovy in place of the pancetta that I forgot to get. I think it would've been fine with just the olives, but I figured I'd toss the anchovy in since we had an open jar in the fridge.

Pasta e Fagioli

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2018

Ingredients

• 2 (450mL) cans cannellini beans
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• ~60g pancetta, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (optional)
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 115g ditalini or tubettini
• ~1 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Drain and rinse the beans from one can and add to blender.
2. Pour in water and purée. Set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper (if using), pancetta, salt, and pepper and cook for ~10 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for ~2 minutes.
6. Add broth and puréed bean mixture.
7. Drain and rinse second can of beans and add them as well.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
9. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil.
10. add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (10-12 minutes).
11. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and basil.
12. Serve drizzled with extra olive oil and/or Parmesan cheese.

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Variants

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

• 2 (450mL) cans cannellini beans
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• ~60g green or kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (optional)
• 4 c. vegetable stock
• 115g ditalini or tubettini
• ~1 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

Pasta with Pancetta and Acorn Squash

From The Kitchn, the original recipe calls for half a pound of pasta and one acorn squash (and penne). I had two squashes, so I made a double batch (and used cavatappi, because I like it more than penne). It was delicious but, in retrospect, a bit too much pasta for one person.

The recipe presented here is the doubled version, since we're usually cooking with pasta in 500g increments. It also uses all of the garlic (the original calls for roasting an entire bulb but only using four cloves of it) -- if you are not as much of a garlic fan as I am, cut it back to one bulb and use only eight cloves from it.

Ingredients, for 500g dried, store-bought pasta

• 2 acorn squashes (1-1.5kg total mass)
• 2 small bulbs of garlic (or large bulbs if you're feeling frisky -- yes, that is entire bulbs, not cloves)
• olive oil
• 500g pancetta, sliced 5mm thick and then diced
• 256mL vegetable, chicken, or mushroom stock
• 10mL chopped fresh rosemary
• 128mL freshly grated parmesan

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
2. Bisect the squashes. Brush the exposed sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place face down on a baking sheet.
3. Slice the tops off the garlic bulbs so that the tops of the cloves are exposed. Brush with olive oil, wrap in tinfoil, and place on the baking sheet with the squash.
4. Bake until the squash is fork-tender and the garlic soft and spreadable, ~30 minutes.
5. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, peel it and cut it into chunks. You may also want to take the time now to peel and/or squeeze the garlic in advance.
6. Begin heating a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
7. While the water heats, in a deep, wide saucepan, sautee the pancetta over medium-high heat until it is well browned and just starting to crisp, 10-15 minutes.
8. At some point while you're doing this, the water will boil. Add the pasta and some salt to the pot and cook it al dente. Drain, reserving ~128mL of pasta water.
9. Deglaze the pan with the broth and add the garlic and rosemary. Stir until the garlic is fully mixed with the sauce, <1 minute.
10. Add the squash to the pan and mix well.
11. Add the pasta. Toss to coat. The squash is probably starting to break up into a gooey squash sauce. This is fine.
12. Stir in the cheese. Adjust consistency with the reserved pasta water, if desired. Eat.