Roast Chicken with Stuffing, Peas and Corn

"What would you like for dinner?" asks Raul.

Well aware that Raul already has something planned, Drew just nods non-committally.

"We have beef, pork or chicken. Pick your protein," insists Raul.

"How about a beef stir fry?"

"The dog wouldn't eat the tandoori chicken we saved for him. I think it was too spicy," says Raul. "I was thinking of roasting a chicken, he always likes that."

Raul's roast chicken recipe is simple and is a variation on a Galloping Gourmet creation. Raul stuffs the chicken with two halves of a lemon and places it on top of coarsely chopped and unpeeled carrots, celery, garlic, onions and a bay leaf in a cast iron frying pan. The chicken is sprinkled with kosher salt and black pepper. He drizzles cooking oil around the chicken and then bakes it at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes he drops the temperature to 350 degrees and bakes the chicken for another hour and a half or until it reaches an internal of 165 degrees.

The result is succulent and tasty with crispy skin. The stuffing is a cheat - Kraft Stove Top that was on sale at Food Basics for 99 cents - but when it's jazzed up with cashews and dried cranberries, it's as good as from scratch. Drew does get to pick the vegetables. Peas and corn it is.

And yes the dog is wildly appreciative of non-spicy but still tasty chicken.

Maple-baked Ham with Macaroni and Cheese, and Beans with Cashews

Raul finally has a day off and, after cleaning out the fridge, he happily settles into the kitchen. "We need a larger kitchen," he asserts. "I want all the pans to hang on a wall. Emptying them out of the stove every time I bake something is becoming tedious. Besides it would look great." The perfect marriage of décor and efficiency is one of Raul's goals in life.

"What's for dinner?" asks Drew as fabulous fragrant smells begin to waft out of the kitchen.

"Mac n' cheese and ham. We're going old school today."

Raul boils an entire ham for 30 minutes in four cups of water and a quarter cup of vingear, with a quartered onion, 10 cloves and a bay leaf. This takes out the fat and salt creating a blank canvas. "It becomes a regular 1950s ham instead of a preservative-laden tasting piece of meat," explains Raul. He lets it cool in the broth so that it doesn't become dry. When cooled he scores the ham and drizzles it with maple syrup (courtesy of Drew's Mom who gets it at her summer home up north, this maple syrup is the real deal and tastes incredible) before baking at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

It bakes at the same time as the mac n' cheese which Raul makes using the 1946 Fannie Farmer' Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese recipe from food.com.

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) packages macaroni

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded good quality

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, buttered

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter.

Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.

Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.

Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).

Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.

Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Turn off heat.

Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.

Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

(You can also freeze this recipe in zip-lock bags for later use - once you have mixed the macaroni along with the cheese sauce allow to cool to room temperature before adding to your freezer - I generally pull it out the night before and allow macaroni and cheese to reach room temperature; I then add the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.)

Raul follows the directions exactly except that, to accommodate the ham, he bakes the mac n' cheese for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

The ham is not as tender as the Filipino Ham but it is sweeter and has a hammier flavour. "Delicious," raves Drew. "And the beans steamed and then garnished with cashews somehow really complements the mac n' cheese." 

"I think the real syrup makes the difference," says Raul. "We must remember to thank your mom."

Tandoori Chicken with Aloo Gobi and Rice

Raul has been working around the clock but he still insists on doing most of the cooking. "What do you feel like for dinner?" he asks rhetorically.

Drew had made a stew that was less than successful (which is why it is NOT included here) and had found a jar of half-used Country Masala Tandoori Paste that he was planning to experiment with. Raul decides to put it to a safe use. There are also some multi-coloured baby potatoes left that did not fit into the stew. And a head of cauliflower that Drew bought after reading an article claiming that, "Cauliflower is the new pork belly," so he wanted to be ahead of the curve. He was thinking of roasting the florets - it was a great solution for curing his aversion to parsnips - but the brain-shaped vegetable sparks Raul's memories of his days in a yoga-based semi-cult of vegetarians. "Aloo Gobi," he announces.

Raul caramelizes two onions while steaming chopped potatoes for 20 minutes and chopped cauliflower for 10 minutes. Following the advice of his new hero, Lidia Bastianich, he juliennes the cauliflower stems into strips and steams them along with the cauliflower florets. He adds a teaspoon of Country Masala Tandoori Paste to the onions, combines everything together, tosses it and keeps it warm for serving.

Raul rubs the chicken with shredded ginger, a chopped chili pepper, garlic powder, paprika and a teaspoon of tandoori paste. He heats a cast-iron frying pan, puts the chicken breasts in and covers with another cast-iron frying pan to mimic the effect of a tandoori oven. "It makes it super hot," he notes. It only takes minutes before the spicy and succulent chicken breasts are ready.

The meal is delicious with a heat that sneaks up after swallowing. "Is this celery in the Aloo Gobi?" asks Drew.

"No," laughs Raul, "that is the cauliflower stems. They're really tasty. Thanks Lidia!"

A visit to Mother's Dumplings

Drew hasn't visited with his friend Nancy since his birthday (where she cooked a feast of lobster ravioli!) and they are way overdue for catching up. Dim sum is their brunch of choice and Nancy has the perfect location: Mother's Dumplings.

Everything is made fresh and it is fascinating to watch as the cooks, theatrically on display behind glass, roll the ingredients into little balls and tuck them into wrappers to be sent to be boiled, baked, steamed or fried. The menu is made up of recipes that the chef Zhen learned from her mother. It is pricier than Nancy and Drew's usual dim sum haunts but the dumplings are startlingly fresh tasting and there is not the usual grease. Best of all: a peek into the kitchen reveals a sparkling clean interior instead of the horrors of a favourite dim sum palace that will remain unnamed.

Raul has to work but Nancy's other half, Bruce, joins in and the conversation almost upstages the food. The boiled shrimp, pork, egg and chive dumplings are a vivid green and burst with flavour but the steamed Lamb Shui Mai packs the most punch and the little puckered bundles are fought over. Nancy raves about the broth for the beef and noodle soup with bak choi - it is rich with beefy goodness but mild and subtle - Drew is less enamoured with subtle and adds hot sauce to kick it up. The bbq-ed pork bun is the most standard dim sum option but also the most delicious. Drew is particularly partial to a side dish of spicy peanuts that mix well with everything.

Bruce is excited about a chocolate-banana smoothie for dessert but Nancy and Drew debate the options endlessly. Nancy is leaning towards rice pudding but Drew is curious about the assorted sweet buns. "It's a risk but it'll either be something extraordinary or something we'll tell a story about," he speculates. The sweet buns are extraordinary. Two varieties are gelatinous but brimming with fruity sweetness. There is a tiny lemon almost cupcake that is very tasty but the best is a stunning jewel of a treat shaped like a brightly coloured fruit - "It looks like a little bum mooning us," notes Drew referencing one of Nancy's more notorious escapades - that is a cake stuffed with a fruit paste: a work of art that tastes as good as it looks.

Dim sum may be composed of tiny delicacies but the trio eat enough to be a full meal. Mother's Dumplings is a great place to visit and dine slowly with style.

Mother's Dumplings is at 421 Spadina Ave. mothersdumplings.com

Filipino Ham with Pineapple-Star Anise Gravy

Raul is inspired by a recipe by chef Rudy Boquila of Lamesa Filipino Kitchen that was in the Toronto Star. Raul's son Kevin is a big fan of ham, in fact he insists on it for special occasions. There just happens to be a container of whole star anise in the cupboard that Raul has been eager to test drive so the stars are aligned and he industriously sets out to make a Filipino Ham.

Filipino Ham With Pineapple-Star Anise Gravy

Ingredients:

1 cooked, bone-in, smoked ham (about 8 to 10 lb/3.6 to 4.5 kg)

4 cups (1L) white vinegar

Two 1.36-L cans unsweetened pineapple juice

Peeled cloves from 1 head garlic

6 whole star anise

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp (15 mL) each: dried thyme, dried oregano, ground cinnamon, ground cloves

2 cups (500 mL) light brown sugar

14-oz (398-mL) can pineapple slices in pineapple juice, drained (about 8 slices)

1/2 cup (125 mL) cornstarch

1/2 cup (125 mL) cold water

Directions:

Place ham in a large stockpot. Add vinegar and then enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 15 minutes to draw out salt. Drain. Let cool.

In same pot, stir together pineapple juice, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon and cloves. Add cooled ham. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Place pot on stove. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 45 minutes to warm ham. Transfer ham to a cutting board, reserving liquid. Let stand 30 minutes.

Transfer ham to large roasting pan. Coat with sugar, patting firmly and rubbing all over meat. Using toothpicks, secure each pineapple slice to ham. Using toothpicks, secure 1 cherry inside each pineapple slice.

Roast ham in preheated 500F (260C) oven until sugar is melted and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to cutting board.

Meanwhile, for the pineapple-star anise gravy, strain the pineapple mixture, discarding solids. Transfer liquid to large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to about 4 cups (1L).

In a medium bowl, whisk together corn starch and cold water until smooth. Whisk into the boiling pineapple “gravy” to thicken. (If it gets too thick, thin with water). Keep warm.

To serve, remove pineapples from ham. Finely chop and transfer to a bowl to pass separately as a condiment. Slice ham as desired and arrange on platter. Pass gravy separately.

Makes about 12 to 16 servings.

The ham is exquisite: packed with flavour and falling apart when touched with a fork or bitten into. "It's like pulled pork but with a whole different taste," raves Drew. The gravy is an acquired taste, a little sweet for Drew's taste, but it is layered with a medley of flavours that make it compulsive. 

"This is kind of how my mother made ham," says Raul. "It's the marinating and boiling that make it so tender. I have to make one for Kevin, it will remind him of his grandmother."

Pumpkin Ravioli

Raul gets ambitious after watching too much Lidia and decides to make pumpkin ravioli. "There are four kinds of sauces," he muses. "A cream sauce."

"Too rich with pumpkin," pipes in Drew.

"Tomato sauce which just isn't my favourite."

"Does tomato go with pumpkin?"

"Or butter and sage."

"That gets my vote," notes Drew. "But what is the fourth?"

"I forget," shrugs Raul. "My search ended with butter and sage."

Raul takes some frozen cooked pumpkin from the freezer and thaws it. He blends the pumpkin with cream cheese in the mini-food processor and then adds grated Parmesan cheese to thicken and add flavour. The resultant filling has a vivid orange colour and is packed with simple goodness.

He reluctantly admits to cheating slightly by not making the pasta from scratch. Instead he uses wonton wrappers that were purchased on a whim at T&T. Lidia will forgive him if she ever finds out.

A spoonful of filling goes on each individual wrapper and is then folded over and pressed tightly together so that it is completely sealed. The resulting raviolis go into a large pot of boiling water where they remain until they start to float, and then for five minutes more.

In a frying pan he melts butter and just as it begins to brown he adds a large helping of sage. The raviolis are drained, tossed in the butter and sage, and placed in bowls for serving. The crowning touch is a liberal sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.

"These are amazing," raves Drew. "Sweet and savoury."

"And buttery," notes Raul. "I wonder what the fourth sauce was."

Chicken and Bacon on Pumpkin Penne

For some reason the day is a rush and Raul has to churn out a dinner quickly. Fortunately there is Jamaican pumpkin left and Raul purées it and stirs it into a Bechamel sauce.

The result is a beautiful bright colour and the taste is just as vivid. For protein, Raul broils a chicken breast. And for flavour: some crispy bacon strips.

A hearty and healthy meal exploding with taste in a matter of minutes. "The only real time it took was in boiling the pasta," says Raul. "And isn't that pumpkin versatile? A great investment. And there is a little bit left . . ."