Wine is not just a beverage with dinner, but can also be a key ingredient in dinner. Madeira wines are known for their versatility. Madeira perfectly complements all sorts of ingredients because of its vast range of wines. It not only adds flavors, but also dimension to the dishes. From soups to stews to desserts, it packs quite a punch and has an intense impact on the final product.
Madeira wine evolved on the island of the same name on the coast of Portugal. It presents different characteristics to all other types of fortified wine due to its specific winemaking process, since it is obtained by intentional heating, and characterized by a distinct ‘baked’ bouquet.
Madeira is classified according to several designations, including vintage, grapes used, and sweetness. There are a few variations on the production method, but Madeira must be oxidized and heated (a process called “maderization,” named after the wine). This makes for a fortified wine that can last for centuries.
Madeira has several taste profiles, but most will have flavors of caramel, walnut oil, peach, hazelnut, orange peel, and burnt sugar.
The first thing to check before cooking a Madeira based dish is what kind of wine does the dish require? It is always safe to use an average blended Madeira. Choose the safest- Finest or Rainwater type. These are packed with flavors and aromas and are typically inexpensive.
A good example is Sandeman Madeira Rainwater. It is light in body but full of flavor. It has a light amber color with golden highlights, as well as clean, nutty aromas. Its flavor is nutty and lightly complex, with a clean finish. This Madeira makes a wonderful accompaniment to a variety of foods and is also a fabulous cooking wine that can be used in various traditional dishes. ‘Rainwater Madeira’ was so named in the 18th century because it is as soft as rainwater and the color of straw, glistening after a shower of rain.
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Chicken Madeira
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Instructions
In a large saucepan melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add 1 tablespoon of oil then add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes until they become soft.
Add the onions to the pan & cook them along with the mushrooms for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic & parsley to the pan & sauté them for a minute or two. Then, transfer this mixture to a plate.
Slice the chicken breast in lengthwise strips. Season with garlic powder, Italian seasonings, paprika, salt & pepper.
In the saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter. Add a tablespoon of oil as well & let the butter foam. Add the chicken breast to the pan & cook it on both sides for 3-4 minutes each until golden brown. When it is cooked, transfer it to the plate with the mushrooms.
In the same pan, pour in the Madeira wine & bring it to a boil. When it has reduced to almost half its volume, add the beef stock & boil it for about 10 minutes until only ¼ of the original volume remains.
Add the heavy cream to the pan & simmer it for 2-3 minutes until it thickens. Sprinkle a pinch of salt & pepper into the pan to add flavor & stir.
Return the cooked chicken to the pan along with the mushrooms. Top it with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Place the pan in the oven broiler and broil it for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has completely melted.
Remove the pan from the oven. Place chicken on a serving platter & garnish with some parsley. Nice served with mashed potatoes.
Bread, cheese, bacon & leeks all baked together in the ultimate picnic loaf! This recipe idea derives from a Portuguese traditional stuffed bread made in the North of Portugal called ‘Bola’. This was made by the farmers wives for their husbands to take to work when they were out working the fields. It consists of bread dough enriched with ‘lard’ or butter and then put in layers in a baking tray, filled in the middle with meat leftovers like roast pork, veal, chicken or chourico (smoked pork sausage).
This kind of reminds me of Pan Bagnat, the traditional Nice ‘sandwich’, in which the top of a round loaf would be sliced off and some of the crumbs hollowed out, mixed with tuna, olives, anchovies, etc. then spooned back in and the ‘lid’ put on top. Later variations are often made with ham and cheese and sometimes peppers are added.
In September 2017, I posted a blog on Pan Bagnat. Once the flavors all meld together the taste was incredible. I thought this stuffed bread would be perfect for an outdoor summer meal or picnic.
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Baked Stuffed Picnic Loaf
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Instructions
Very lightly grease a skillet with olive oil, put in the bacon & sauté until browned. Add the chopped shallot; sauté until softened, then add the leek. Stir together and remove from the heat – you want the leeks to keep their color so don't overcook.
In a bowl, whisk sour cream, eggs, mustard & spices together. Don’t overmix: keep the mixture a little lumpy.
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Slice into the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf and fill between the “slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base. Place the bread on a sheet of parchment paper.
Into each slot in the bread, place a slice of potato, followed by some of the bacon, shallot and leeks.
Use the paper to lift the bread onto a baking tray. Spoon some of the sour cream/egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.
Finally insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper and then wrap it in foil to make a tight parcel.
Put the wrapped bread into the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, then remove the tray and open the foil and parchment paper. Return to the oven until the top of the bread and its filling is golden brown. Remove and serve!
At one time, the typical North American pantry included a single cannister of flour. Today, supermarkets stock a host of milled options, reflecting increased consumer demand for diversity in the baking aisle. Whether you are exploring health trends, culinary interests or ethnic cuisines, when it comes to flour, there are more choices than ever.
I chose a mixture of rye and all purpose for my crust today because I think rye pairs well with these quiche ingredients. Rye flour is almost malty and sweet in flavor with hints of molasses. Rye also has the benefit of being lower in gluten than wheat flour, which means the dough can be handled longer before becoming tough as compared to traditional pastry. Rye pastry, besides being flavorsome and flaky, is great paired with both sweet and savory fillings.
One of the things I find most fascinating about working with food, is that even if you’ve been doing it for a long time, there’s always something new to try, or a new way to try something you’ve already perfected. Food is amazing!
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Leek & Mushroom quiche w/ Rye Crust
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Instructions
Rye Pastry
In a small bowl, whisk together flours & salt. Using your fingertips, rub in butter until coarse meal forms & small lumps remain. Slowly sprinkle dough with cold water, 1 Tbsp at a time, quickly stirring with a fork or your fingers until the dough becomes sticky & begins to clump together.
Form dough into a disk & wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least one hour. Once chilled, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Carefully transfer the dough to a quiche pan & neaten edges.
To avoid a soggy quiche crust, prebake the crust on 400 F. Using a fork, lightly prick the bottom of the crust. Take a sheet of aluminum foil & layer it on top of the pie crust, gently nudging it down so its snug on the bottom & the sides. Fill the foil covered crust with pie weights to hold it in place. Bake 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven & remove pie weights & foil.
Filling
Cook rice; set aside. In a skillet, brown ground turkey. Transfer to a plate & set aside.
Wash & trim leeks well. Dry with paper towel & slice thinly. In the skillet, heat oil & butter combo. Add the leeks & a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic & mushrooms & saute until browned.
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk & seasonings. Grate cheese.
Place cooked ground turkey on bottom of crust. Top with cooked rice & a small bit of the cheese. Next add the leek/mushroom mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Carefully pour egg/milk mixture over the entire quiche.
Bake for 30 minutes or until set & just beginning to brown on top. Remove from oven & allow to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- I divided my pastry & made 2 individual quiches instead of one 9-inch size. Just a matter of personal preference.
A tian itself, is a no-frills round earthenware dish that goes from the oven to the table. Its usually filled with layered, overlapping vegetables and sometimes a sauce, baked in the oven and served as a main or side dish.
The classic vessel is a truncated cone, flattened at the base and flaring outward to a wide rim. It is traditionally glazed on the inside but is unglazed on the outside.
As far as the ingredients go, tian and ratatouille generally share a lot of similarities. Both use some combination of vegetables such as squash, potatoes, onions and tomatoes, etc. The difference between the two is largely found in how they are prepared and cooked. With tians, thinly sliced vegetables are aesthetically arranged in a casserole baking dish. Ratatouille, on the other hand, usually involves cooking cubed or thinly sliced vegetables in olive oil until they create a hearty stew.
If your a vegetable lover, this recipe will work for you. We rounded it out with some nice chicken/turkey sausage but I’m sure just adding a loaf of French bread would be just great.
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French Tian w/ Chicken & Turkey Sausage
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat a baking dish with olive oil spray.
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic & cook for another 60 seconds. Spread onion mixture on the bottom of the greased baking dish.
Slice potatoes, zucchini, squash & tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly into a spiral, making only one layer. Season with salt, pepper & dried thyme to taste. Drizzle the last Tbsp of olive oil over the top.
Cover the dish with foil paper & bake for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover & sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top & bake another 25-30 minutes or until browned.
Persimmons are a wonderful fruit, typically available in Canada from October to January. Their exquisite, delicate texture & flavor is hard to describe. They have sometimes been compared to that of a peach or a mango.
Fuyus are about the size and shape of a medium tomato, somewhat squat. Their color ranges from deep reddish orange to a vivid golden orange hue with a flower-like top or stem.
Many people prefer to eat persimmons fresh but they are a wonderful addition to many recipes. At breakfast try adding them to smoothies, as a topping for yogurt or granola or as a filling for crepes. The sweet tenderness of persimmons also works well in salads and as a compliment to various meat dishes.
Today we are having persimmon with our chicken. I just can’t resist using them when they are available.
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Persimmon Chicken Thighs
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Rating: 4.33
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Votes: 3
Rating: 4.33
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Instructions
Season chicken thighs with salt & pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil & sear the chicken thighs for 3 minutes on each side. Remove thighs from pan & set aside.
Add the rest of the coconut oil & the onions. Sauté the onions for 2 minutes; add ginger, garlic, persimmons, rosemary, thyme & a little more salt & pepper. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
Add the chicken broth & bring to a simmer, stirring well, making sure to scrape any pieces off the bottom of pan. Add chicken thighs back to the persimmon mixture, cover & cook for another 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
