The Ash Creek Papers

I love recipes that are easy to assemble and prepare.  Minimum prep time, and then if the dish can be consigned to a slow cooker, we are in “home run” territory!  This chicken dish not only packs wonderful flavor, it is so easy that it is almost embarrassing!  In fact, it rates an 8.7 on the “embarrassment scale!”  To put that into context, making plain Jell-o rates a 9.5 – it misses a perfect 10 because sometimes opening the contents packet can prove a vexing exercise.  The dish itself is a perfect “transitional” dish, i.e. winter is long gone, and true warm weather is still in the nearing horizon.

Gérard Boulay Sancerre “Chavignol” ’18 (Loire, France)
Of the 9ha owned by Gérard Boulay, 8 of the hectares are on the slopes of Chavignol on Kimmeridgian or “terre blanche” soils (similar to the soils in Chablis), which he works manually and has farmed organically since 1990. Overall, Gérard Boulay’s “terre blanche” vineyards produce some of the most distinctive and soil-inflected Sauvignon Blancs in the Loire, with a delineation and minerality often reminiscent of a top Chablis. The 2018 Chavignol offers classic gooseberry and lime zest aromas mingle with notes of minty herb, stone, almond and white flowers. On the palate the wine is pure with a solid core of fruit, excellent focus, racy acidity and a long, mouth watering finish.

SLOW COOKER APRICOT CHICKEN

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
1 tsp olive oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup dried apricots, halved

Apricot chicken prepped and in the slow cooker

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat

3. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  Add to pan and cook 5-6 minutes, until browned, turning once.

4. Combine chicken broth, lemon zest and juice, mustard, garlic and thyme in the slow cooker and whisk to combine. 

5. Add onions, apricots and seared chicken thighs to the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours

6. Look frazzled and be sure to tell everyone how long you fussed and  labored over making this dish

n.b. Rice or coucous is the “natural” side dish.  A perfect for landing place for the sauce!  Shredded hash brown potatoes would also do the job! 

I was looking for a “transitional dish”.  You know what I’m talking about.  Summer is fading into the rearview mirror, yet the robust days of football Sunday and frost on the pumpkin have yet to arrive. I wanted a dish outside of “grill food”, yet didn’t have “weight” of a full-on slow-cooked stew. This dish hit the perfect chord.  Splendid flavors, balanced over a lighter and fresher iteration of pasta.

The wine choice was easy for me. Cru Beaujolais has to be the best bargain coming from Burgundy.  Yes!  Beaujolais is a region of Burgundy!  Yes, the grapes in Beaujolais are different from upper Burgundy – Gamay instead of Pinot Noir.  But at the “Cru” level, Gamay reaches a level or flavor unseen anywhere else in Beaujolais, and the best expressions rival the wines of the Côte de Beaune. Excellent flavors, yet without bulk, which is why this wine is meant for this dish!

Yeah, but Dept… Many wines, white and red, would work with this dish… the easiest path to follow would have been to recommend a wine from Sicily.  Or, at least a wine from Italy?  I get it.  But there is no need to restrict wine choice to a common regional source.  Yes, wines from Mt. Etna would be a choice.  On the whites side: Vernaccia from Tuscany would be a terrific choise. Or Verdelho from Spain. And White Côte du Rhône.  And don’t overlook a “crayon box” filled with the medium-bodied reds that cross over to lighter meat dishes… Sancerre Rouge from the Loire, Valpolicella from Veneto and Dolcetto from Piedmont.

Jean-François Coquard Morgon “Les Charmes” ’16 (Beaujolais, Burgundy)
Well known among the Crus of Beaujolais, wines of Morgon are generally prized due to their richness and longevity (perhaps only rivaled by those from Moulin-á-vent). This example illustrates the more graceful side of Morgon, as its name (Les Charmes) suggests. Gentle, elegant and seamless, the wine is beautiful rather than powerful. Berry fruit dances with herbal spice and the long, smooth finish lures you towards another sip.

SICILIAN PORK W/SPAGHETTI

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
1 pork tenderloin (1¼ to 1½ pounds), trimmed
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
½ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp fennel seeds, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup pine nuts
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese, plus more for topping
8 oz spaghetti

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Preheat the oven to 425°.  Brush the pork with 1 tbsp olive oil; season with ½ tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp parsley and the fennel seeds, pressing to adhere.

3. Heat remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large ovenproof non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning ‘til browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Scatter the garlic, tomatoes, raisins and pine nuts around the pork.  Cook, stirring ‘til the tomatoes are slightly softened, about 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a simmer.  Sprinkle cheese over the pork, then transfer the skillet to the oven.  Roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145°, 15 to 20 minutes.  Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest; reserve the tomato mixture in the skillet.

4. Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add spaghetti and cook as the label directs.  Drain, then add the spaghetti to the tomato mixture along with the remaining parsley; season with salt and toss.  Top with cheese.  Slice pork and serve with the pasta.

n.b. Instead of grated Romano cheese to top the spaghetti, I use freshly shaved Parmesan.