I had this realization a few weeks back that so much of my cooking is utilitarian. Not joyless necessarily, but more of the "let's get these guys fed" variety. I'm often trying new entrees out for us, and our balance of old favorites vs. new flavors is pretty good, but it's rare that I'm cooking something that's not meant to be put in front of our family in time for a breakfast, lunch or dinner.

My friend Megan, in Nantucket, is an amazing cook, and it seems like every time we chat she's making something that's, wait for it, not dinner. Cinnamon rolls, fancy appetizers, amazing cakes, you name it and she's on it. When we were there at Thanksgiving, a chef friend of theirs brought by some pickled fennel as a holiday gift, and I was all over that mess. Meant to be eaten with shaved parmesan as an appetizer, I really had to work hard not to just stand at the fridge and eat that stuff straight from the jar. I love fennel.

So I had this thought. Okay, why did the fennel have to stay in Nantucket? (Sob.) And even though it's not technically dinner, why can't I make my own? So I did some research, and pickling. Well, ugh. I'm a pretty lazy cook, and all that canning business is so not up my alley. Plus the waiting. Not so good at that either.

And then I ran across a recipe for a quick pickle. With a quick pickle, you skip all that messy processing stuff and you only have to wait an hour to get to nibbling. Victory! I tweaked it to my liking, and that's what I'm going to share with you.

Quick Pickled Blood Orange and Fennel adapted from Serious Eats

2-3 small fennel bulbs
2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
1 Blood Orange, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Approximately 1 Cup Blood Orange Vinegar

Wash fennel bulbs and remove the stems. Cut in half and remove the core. Thinly slice the halves on a mandoline.

In a bowl, toss sliced fennel with the salt and let sit for one hour.

The fennel will produce a lot of water, so remove it from the bowl and rinse off the salt in a colander. After it's rinsed, return the fennel to the bowl and toss with orange slices and black pepper. Pack the mixture into a mason jar, using the narrow end of a chopstick or a skewer to pack it down into the jar.

Pour the vinegar over the fennel and orange mixture until covered. Close the jar and refrigerate. The longer it sits (up to 48 hours) before you break into it, the better. Can be refrigerated up to two weeks.

Serve on salads or with a cheese plate. Especially good with parm, or standing at the fridge, straight out of the jar.

I actually made this dish back in the fall when I was interested in photographing a couple things, one being a completed, somewhat messy, dish. What could be messier than stew, hmmm? And really, given the chilly (understatement) days we've had lately, what could be more warming than a well-spiced and hearty chicken stew? To my mind, this one, while a leeetle bit complicated, fits the bill.

This stew is for lazy Sundays when you have the time to roast the walnuts and the patience to watch the oven to keep them from burning. It's for warming bellies that have spent afternoons outdoors skating on icy ponds or skiing down snowy paths. It's for cold-flushed cheeks and bone-chilled hands. It's for a hearty red wine and a fire in the fire place. The longer it simmers, the better. It's nice to know it's home, waiting for you.

Persian Chicken Stew with Walnuts and Pomegranates, adapted from Elsie Bauer at Simply Recipes.

1 to 1 1/5 cups walnut halves
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bag, roughly 10oz, pearl onions, blanched and peeled
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, salt and peppered and patted dry
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons olive oil
5 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 Cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 Teaspoon tumeric
1/2 Teaspoon cumin
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
1/4 Teaspoon ground all spice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350º. On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the walnut halves for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Once toasted and cool enough to handle, chop walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Set aside.

In a Dutch Oven, heat half of the butter and 2T of the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken (you may have to do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan), and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove chicken from the pan and add the remaining butter and oil. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped onions and saute´until translucent.

Return the chicken to the pan. Cover with 2 cups of chicken broth, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, simmering for 30 minutes. Add the pearl onions, ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar and spices and stir to mix. Cover and continue to cook on very low heat for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so.

After 1 hour, adjust seasoning for taste and remove from heat. Serve with couscous or rice or potatoes and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

quick pickle {life}

winter warmer :: persian chicken {life}