Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (78 page)

To marinate the beef, combine the thyme, garlic, pepper, and EVOO in a small bowl. Place the beef on a rimmed baking sheet, pour the marinade over it, and rub the meat all over to coat it completely. Wrap the beef tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

About an hour before you are ready to cook, remove the beef from the refrigerator to let it come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Unwrap the beef, season it with some salt, and place on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Roast the beef for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and roast for 30 minutes more, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 125°F.

Transfer the roast to a cutting board, cover with a piece of foil, and let it rest for at least 10 minutes; the beef will continue to cook as it rests and will be medium-rare at the center, medium at the ends.

While the beef is in the oven, put together the horseradish sauce. In a bowl combine the sour cream, horseradish, applesauce, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish the sauce with the chives.

Slice up the beef to the desired thickness and arrange on a platter. Serve the horseradish sauce alongside.

8 servings

Preheat the oven 350°F.

In a medium sauce pot heat the chicken stock to a boil over high heat. While the stock is heating, place the wild rice on a rimmed baking sheet and give it a good once-over, picking out any small pebbles or debris. Put the rice in a sieve or small-holed colander and rinse under cold water for about 1 minute. Add the rice to the boiling stock along with some salt and pepper. Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low, and cook the rice for 45 minutes. You'll know the rice is done if the grains are just starting to crack open and are tender but not mushy.

Once you have the rice going, place the mushrooms on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle them liberally with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Roast the mushrooms for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned.

Stir the roasted mushrooms, the scallions, and the parsley into the cooked wild rice and stir with a fork until the mushrooms are distributed. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

8 servings

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the string beans and tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the EVOO, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the beans are browned and nutty and very tender. Remove from the oven, squeeze the juice of the lemon over them, and sprinkle with the tarragon. Toss to combine, and serve.

New Years Eve Supper for 2 Lemon-Cream Chicken with Champagne Risotto and Asparagus with Pancetta

There are a few overlapping steps going on here, but as fancy suppers go, this is still pretty simple. Read through the method a time or two to get the timing down before you start cooking, and you should have no problems. There is champagne in the risotto but it doesn't have to be of the very finest quality; buy a small split of good-quality but affordable dry sparkling wine for cooking and a big bottle of the good stuff to drink.

SERVES 2

Heat 3 cups of the stock in a small pot over low heat; keep warm over very low heat or place on a pot holder and keep covered.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Pour in the sparkling wine and stir, allowing it to cook off, 1 minute or so. Stir in a couple of ladles of the warm stock and cook until the liquids are absorbed, stirring occasionally. Continue adding the stock a few ladles at a time, until the rice is creamy and just tender. Total cooking time for the risotto will be about 18 minutes.

While the risotto cooks, heat the cream in a small pot with a 3-inch piece of lemon zest and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Cook gently over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the cream is reduced by about half and slightly thickened.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat 2 more tablespoons of the EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board to rest. Add the remaining ½ cup of chicken stock to the skillet and stir to deglaze the pan, then stir the pan juices into the risotto. Remove the lemon zest from the cream.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Trim off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut the spears on an angle into 1-inch pieces. Add the asparagus and shallots to the skillet with the pancetta and cook for 3 minutes more. Turn off the heat.

To serve, stir the Parmigiano and thyme into the risotto and spoon generous portions into shallow bowls or deep dinner plates. Slice the chicken breasts on an angle and fan them over the risotto; spoon the reduced cream over the top. Cut the lemon in half and douse the asparagus with a little juice to cut the pancetta's richness. Toss the asparagus to coat, and spoon it around the edges of the risotto.

Any-Holiday Meal

ANY-HOLIDAY MEAL

•
ROSEMARY ROASTED LEG OF LAMB WITH GREEN ROMESCO SAUCE

• SPICY ROASTED STRING BEANS

• BARLEY SALAD

SERVES 8

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Season the lamb liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle with some EVOO and rub to coat. Turn the meat fat side down on the work surface and rub the top side with the lemon zest. Arrange the rosemary down the center of the meat, then fold in the sides over the rosemary like a letter. Transfer the meat to a roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and roast for another hour. Because the thicknesses of the meat varies these directions will give you some meat cooked to medium and some cooked to medium-rare. If you prefer your lamb medium to well-done, add 20 minutes to the cooking time at 350°F. Remove the meat from the oven, tent with foil, and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

While the lamb is roasting, prepare the green romesco. In a food processor, combine the mint, parsley, basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, matzo, and some salt and pepper. Pulse until well ground, then let the machine run while you add the
1
⁄
3
cup of EVOO in a slow, steady steam. The mixture should be thick but smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Slice the lamb against the grain (but don't make yourself crazy slicing it; a leg of lamb is not easy to slice perfectly). Arrange the slices on a platter and serve the sauce alongside.