French Pressed

Nick Vlachek’s Borscht

Borscht is a soup prepared with fresh beets that is popular in both Russia and Poland. It’s traditionally prepared using a variety of vegetables, a meat stock, or both. It can be served hot or cold and is always garnished with a dollop of sour cream. This recipe uses lamb, which results in a particularly rich and savory version of this traditional dish. Beef may be substituted.

Serves 10.

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1½–2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into pieces

1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped

1½ pounds green cabbage, chopped

1½ pounds ripe red tomatoes, diced (use fresh, no need to peel)

2–3 pounds red beets, rinsed, peeled, and diced (small cubes)

3 quarts beef stock, fresh or canned

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ lemon, juiced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 quart sour cream

1 bunch fresh dill, chopped

Heat a 12-quart pot; add the oil and garlic. Brown the lamb, and add the onions; sauté until onions are tender. Add the cabbage, tomatoes, beets, stock, vinegar, lemon juice, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2 hours. Dish into bowls; serve with one or two teaspoons of sour cream and chopped dill for garnish.

Coq au Vin

Chicken in red wine with braised onions, mushrooms, and bits of tender pork. Sounds simple, right? Don’t be fooled. Classic coq au vin is a complex dish that requires advance planning and multistep preparation. It’s time consuming, but you’ll find the taste well worth the trouble.

Serves 4.

STEP ONE: BLANCH THE PORK

¾ cup (6 ounces) of ¼-inch strips of slab bacon or salt pork

Drop the pork into a saucepan; cover with 2 to 3 inches of cold water. Bring to boil over medium heat, simmer 5 to 8 minutes, drain. Refresh the pork in cold water, then pat dry with a paper towel.

STEP TWO: PREPARE THE BEURRE MANIÉ

1½ tablespoons Wondra flour

1½ tablespoons butter

Blend flour and softened butter into a paste. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

STEP THREE: PREPARE THE RAGOUT OF CHICKEN

3 pounds frying chicken, cut into parts

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt to taste (Baleine Mediterranean coarse crystals recommended)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 large cloves garlic, pureed

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon thyme

1 large, ripe red tomato, chopped (or 1/3 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes)

4 cups young red wine (Chianti, Zinfandel, Macon)

1 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Sauté the blanched bacon or salt pork with the 2T of butter in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch frying pan, then remove to a side dish, leaving the fat in the pan. Brown the chicken over medium-high heat, add olive oil to fat if necessary. (Be sure the chicken is completely dry or it will not brown evenly.) Place chicken pieces skin side down. Don’t crowd the pan; the chicken needs room to vent. (Make two batches, if necessary. And if you do, separate dark meat from light; it takes a little more time to brown dark meat.) Turn chicken every 20 to 30 seconds to ensure even browning. To finish the cooking, cover pan, lower the heat to moderate, and cook for about 6 minutes, turning once.

Baste the chicken in the rendered fat. Season with sea salt and pepper, then add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and tomato. Pour in 3 cups wine and enough stock to barely cover the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken to a side dish.

STEP FOUR: BRAISE THE ONIONS

12–18 white boiling onions (peeled)

Clarified butter or olive oil

Chicken broth

1 cup red wine

Sea salt

Sauté 12 to 18 peeled white boiling onions in clarified butter or olive oil. Swirl the pan to brown them, or they will not braise evenly (approximately 12 minutes on low heat). Add chicken broth and a cup of red wine to half cover the onions. Season lightly with sea salt. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes, until onions are tender but retain their shape when pierced.

STEP FIVE: SAUTÉ THE MUSHROOMS

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon light olive oil or cooking oil

3–4 cups fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, dried, and quartered

½ tablespoon chopped shallots (or scallions)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Set a 10-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat with butter and oil. When the foam from the butter subsides, add the mushrooms. Toss frequently for a few minutes while the mushrooms absorb the butter. In a minute or so, the butter will reappear; then add the shallots (or scallions) and ground pepper to taste and brown lightly.

STEP SIX: FINISH THE SAUCE

Pour the pan juices into a saucepan. Clean the frying pan you started with (you’ll need it again). Boil down the juice a bit to concentrate the flavors. Remove from heat and whisk in the beurre manié to make a slightly thickened sauce. Bring briefly to simmer. Return the chicken to the clean pan; coat pieces with sauce.

STEP SEVEN: ASSEMBLE THE DISH

Strew a portion (to taste) of the pork lardons, all the braised onions, and all the sautéed mushrooms over the chicken. Baste with the sauce and simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve with warm bread (to dip in that delicious sauce).

Clare’s Corn Bread

A delightful dish for a cold winter morning, especially tasty if served warm, with or without butter, along with your favorite coffee. Traditional recipes use skim milk and less sugar. Mine’s sweeter, and the half-and-half brings a slightly richer texture to the party.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup yellow cornmeal