In 1963, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed Winston Churchill an honorary citizen of the United States. There have been a handful of people given this honor. What people might not know is that his mother – Lady Randolph Churchill – was an American. Churchill treated his dinners as working dinners. He paid special attention to the menu as well. A typical meal would be turtle soup or consommé, roast chicken, with red or white wine, plus fruits and vegetables. Dessert was ice cream with chocolate sauce, as well as a pear with Stilton cheese. So, today at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen, we’ll discuss a few of his favorite dishes.
Porcini Mushroom Consommé
Ingredients
- 30 grams dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1-pound brown mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Portobello mushrooms, diced
- 4 cups chicken stock or water
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Madeira
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons chopped chives
- Truffle oil, optional
Directions
- Cover porcini with boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve mushrooms and liquid separately.
- Heat oil in soup pot. Add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook together for 1 minute or until slightly softened. Add the fresh mushrooms and soaked porcini and sauté until mushrooms are limp, about 5 minutes. Add mushroom soaking liquid, stock, soy, Madeira, thyme and peppercorns. Bring to boil.
- Cook uncovered for one hour or until liquid has reduced by one third. Strain liquid through a strainer pressing down on the solids. Return soup to heat and cook for a few minutes longer or until taste intensifies. Season well with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives and truffle oil.
Laurie Colwin’s Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, or 1 tablespoon dried
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 broiling chickens (2 to 3 pounds each), well rinsed, patted dry, and quartered
- 3 cups fresh bread crumbs, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a bowl, combine the mustard, garlic, thyme, pepper, and cinnamon. Coat the chicken pieces with the mustard mixture. Roll each piece in the bread crumbs and arrange in 1 or 2 shallow baking pans.
- Dot each piece of chicken with some of the butter and sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 2½ hours.
