Ingredients

• 1 small to medium orange
• 1 lemon
• 6 oz. raw almonds
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tbsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. olive oil
• powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Place the orange and the lemon in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and set a rack in the middle. Bake the almonds 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. When the almonds are cool, pulse in a food processor until ground.
3. Set oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
4. When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half and discard the seeds. Put the fruits in the food processor and process almost to a paste.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder. Combine eggs and salt. Beat until foamy. Beat in the sugar. Fold in the flour mixture. Add the citrus, almonds, and olive oil, and beat on low speed until incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for about 1 hours. Remove and dust with powdered sugar.

New York Times Magazine, Adapted from Molly Wizenberg

Ingredients

• 1 lg. onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 lg. baking potato, diced (optional)
• 2 c. corn kernels
• 14 oz. can diced tomato
• 4 green chiles, diced (vary based on heat)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• shredded jack cheese (optional)
• fried tortilla strips (optional)

Preparation

Sautée the onion and garlic in butter or oil. Add the chicken and brown. Add the potato, cover with water, and simmer until the potato is tender. Add corn and/or tomato, green chile, and the cream of chicken soup. Simmer for a while to blend the flavors. Top with jack cheese and tortilla strips, if you’re serving it as a main course.

Ingredients

• 1kg (2.2 lb) Brussels sprouts
• 100g (3.5 oz) thinly sliced pancetta, cut into 2cm strips
• about 4 tbsp hot goose fat
• a handful of shredded sage

Preparation

Blanch the Brussels sprouts in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 mins, then drain and tip into a bowl of iced water to cool quickly. Drain well again and set aside until nearly ready to serve. Sauté the pancetta in the hot goose fat until crisp. Toss in the sprouts and stir-fry for 2-3 mins, adding the sage to serve.

Gordon Ramsay, BBC Good Food, December 2005

Ingredients

• 4 Granny Smiths
• 50g (3-4 tbsp.) butter
• a sprig of sage
• 25g (around 1/8 c.) golden caster sugar (or raw sugar)
• 2 tbsp Calvados

Preparation

Quarter the apples, cut out the cores and trim the ends. Heat the butter in a frying pan and toss in the apple wedges and sage. Cook for 2 mins, then sprinkle in the golden caster sugar and continue cooking for about 5 mins, stirring gently until golden and softened. Pour in the Calvados and cautiously flambé. Season lightly and keep warm until ready to serve.

Gordon Ramsay, BBC Good Food, December 2005

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups sliced celery
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 can whole chestnuts, drained and chopped (or something over a pound of raw chestnuts, boiled and then peeled)
• 4 cups cooked wild rice (about 1.5 cups dry wild rice, plus water or beef or chicken broth according to directions)
• 1 tsp crumbled dried sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried marjoram

Preparation

If you’re doing the chestnuts fresh, do them first–give yourself between 30 minutes and an hour to get them ready. Probably an hour. Boil the chestnuts for 5-10 minutes, then let them drain and cool, and peel (making sure to remove the skins). [CP: Doing the chestnuts yourself fresh makes for a much better flavor – the chestnuts are firmer and tastier. But it takes forever, and is really annoying work.]

Cook wild rice according to the package directions.

Fry bacon in a skillet until browned.

Pour off some of the grease if you wish, and add the onion, celery, and parsley, cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the onion and celery is soft.

Stir in chestnuts, rice, and herbs, and season to taste with salt and/or pepper.

Yankee Magazine, via RoastGoose.com, via The Taste Place

Ingredients

• 600ml chicken stock
• 250ml red wine
• 3 tbsp port
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 200g (7 oz) halved, stoned dates

Preparation

Boil down the chicken stock, red wine, port and balsamic vinegar by two-thirds. Meanwhile, cover the dates with boiling water, leave for 5 mins and then drain. Strain the reduced stock and return to the pan with the soaked dates. Simmer sauce for 3-5 mins, then check seasoning and keep warm.

Gordon Ramsay, BBC Good Food, December 2005

Ingredients

• 9-12 lb. (4-5.5 kg) fresh goose
• 4 lemons
• 3 limes
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• small handful each of parsley sprigs, thyme and sage, plus extra for garnishing
• a little olive oil, for browning, optional
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves

Serve with Red Wine & Date Sauce.

Preparation

Calculate the cooking time: Cook for 10 mins at 460 F/240 C/fan 220 C/gas 9, then reduce to 375 F/190 C/fan 170 C/gas 5 and cook for 20 mins per kg for medium-rare, 32 mins per kg for more well-done, plus 30 mins resting.

If the goose is ready-trussed, then loosen the string and pull out the legs and wings a little - this helps the bird cook better. Check the inside of the bird and remove any giblets or pads of fat. Using the tip of a sharp knife, lightly score the breast and leg skin in a criss-cross. This helps the fat to render down more quickly during roasting.

Grate the zest from the lemons and limes. Mix with 2 tsp fine sea salt, the five-spice powder and pepper to taste. Season the cavity of the goose generously with salt, then rub the citrus mix well into the skin and sprinkle some inside the cavity.

Stuff the zested fruit and the herb sprigs inside the bird and set aside for at least 15 mins. Can be done up to a day ahead and kept refrigerated.

Heat oven to 460 F/240 C/fan 220 C/gas 9. If you want to give the bird a nice golden skin, brown in a large frying pan (or a heavy-based roasting tin), using a couple of tbsp of oil. Holding the bird by the legs (you may like to use an oven glove), press it down on the breasts to brown.

Once browned, place the bird in the roasting tin. Drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Roast for the calculated time, turning the heat down after 10 mins to 375 F/190 C/fan 170 C/gas 5. Cover the goose with foil if it is starting to brown too much.

Every 30 mins or so, baste the bird with the pan juices, then pour off the fat through a sieve into a large heatproof bowl . You will end up with at least a litre of luscious fat - save this for the potatoes and other veg. At the end of the cooking time, leave to rest for at least 30 mins, covered loosely with foil. The bird will not go cold, but will be moist and much easier to carve.

Gordon Ramsay, BBC Good Food, December 2005

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. chicken (2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, bone-in recommended)
• 3 slices lemon or lime
• 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
• 4 lg. red onions, chopped
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp. cayenne pepper [CP: 2 tbsp. is around an 8 out of 10 spice-wise; next time will try 1 tbsp.]
• 1/2-1 c. water
• 3 tbsp. qibe or butter
• 1/4 c. minced fresh garlic
• 1 tbsp. whole black cardamom pods, or 1 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 c. minced fresh ginger
• 3 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3 tsp. ground allspice
• 3 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. salt, to taste
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved [CP: we skipped these]

Preparation

Wash the chicken thoroughly. Put the chicken in a large bowl and add enough water to cover. Add the lemon or lime slices and the salt and let marinate for at least 2 hours.

In a large pot, cook the onions over medium heat until browned (around 6-8 minutes). Add the olive oil and stir in the cayenne. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, adding 2 tbsp. of water or so gradually, only to keep it from burning. Drain your marinated chicken and add it to the pot. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Add the qibe/butter, garlic, cardamom, and ginger. Let it cook for about 20 minutes, gradually adding very little amounts of water (2 tbsp. or so at a time). Lower the heat and add the nutmeg, allspice, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the cardamom pods if you used whole, and discard. Add the hard-boiled eggs and let it rest, covered, for about an hour. Serve warm, reheating gently if needed.

Penzey’s Spices, edited

Ingredients

• 2 lg. red onions, chopped
• 2 lg. tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 slab ribs (~3 lb.) washed and cut apart (any variety)
• 3 tb. qibe or regular butter
• 1/4 c. fresh ginger, finely diced (or 1 tbsp. dried ginger)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño or other hot fresh pepper, minced (optional)
• 1/4 to 1 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/4 to 1 tsp. pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 c. water (or more, for a more “brothy” dish)

Preparation

Put the onions and tomatoes in a pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes – do not let them dry out or brown. Add the ribs to the pot and let them steep out their juices, turning a few times. This takes maybe 20 minutes, depending on your ribs. Once the pot is saturated with the juices of the meat (again, don’t let it dry out), add the qibe or butter, ginger, garlic, jalapeño, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine and give it a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Then add the water to the pot – the ribs don’t have to be submerged but should be at least partially covered. Let it simmer for at least 30 minutes, more for thicker ribs. When the pot’s volume is considerably lower and the meat looks tender and cooked, take your pot off the stove.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

Note: This recipe results in much less final product than you would expect. 1/2 c. butter might only produce 2–3 tbsp. of qibe, following the recipe exactly. Consider taking the slurry from the bottom and pressing it through cheesecloth or coffee filters, so that you get more results.

• 1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
• 1 tbsp. powdered ginger
• 2 tsp. ground fenugreek
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom or 1 tbsp. whole black cardamom pods
• 1 tsp. ground cumin

Preparation

Melt the butter over low heat in a small, heavy pot. Add the spices and stir. Let cook over very low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Skim off the foam on the top and discard. Carefully pour the butter off the top into a container with a lid, leaving as much of the spices (especially whole cardamom pods) and liquid at the bottom behind. What you want is the stuff in the middle. Store in the fridge.

Penzey’s Spices