Patrick Corcoran

1/2 lb. fettuccine
1-1/2 cups corn kernels
2 ozs. thinly-sliced prosciutto, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 stick (8 tbsp.) butter
5 fresh sage leaves, chopped coarsely
fresh ground pepper
salt
Reggiano, shaved

Boil water for pasta in a large pot, lightly salted.

Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a large bistro pan or skillet at medium-low heat.  Add prosciutto, mixing evenly into the butter.  Using a wooden spoon or two, tease apart some of the more stubborn slices which might be stuck together.  Cook until pink throughout, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Stir in a tablespoon of water to relieve the prosciutto.  Add 2 tbsp. butter, sage, and a few twists of fresh ground pepper.  Mix contents agreeably, then let them rest to infuse melting butter.

Add pasta to boiling water.

A few minutes before pasta is finished, move skillet to burner at medium heat.  Add remaining 4 tbsp. butter.  Add corn and cook until warm throughout.  (Add a tablespoon or two of water from the pasta if the corn mixture seems too dry.)  When corn is warmed, reduce skillet to lowest heat.

Drain pasta when cooked and add to skillet.  Toss pasta with skillet mixture.  Salt to taste.  Serve immediately, offering Reggiano on the side.

Time to Prepare: 25 minutes

Difficulty: 3/10

Serves: 3-4 people

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Easy to make and requiring very little time, this could be a “weekly” dish in late spring or early summer when corn is at is freshest.  Two or three ears of corn should be plenty.  (But it’s also fine to substitute quality frozen corn kernels at other times of the year, if need be.)

Though the Reggiano cheese is served on the side, without it the pasta lacks soul.

2 lbs. large sea scallops
1 stick (8 tbsp.) butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 tsp. Kosher salt

Wash and dry scallops.  Rub scallops with salt.

Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over high heat.  Sear scallops, turning once on each side to prevent sticking.  Cook until lightly browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer to a plate, cover, and set aside.

Add shallot to skillet and saute at high heat for one minute.  Add vinegar, wine, and any juices drained from the cooling scallops to skillet.  Deglaze, and reduce liquid at a controlled boil for 3-4 minutes.  Reduce skillet to low heat and add 3 tbsp. butter.  When butter is melted, add another 4 tbsp. butter and stir until butter in melted and creamy.  Turn off heat.  Stir in tarragon and salt to taste.

Arrange scallops on serving plate(s) and top with tarragon butter.

Time to Prepare: 20 minutes

Difficulty: 3/10

Serves: 4-6 people

2 cups dried arborio rice (risotto)
1/2 lb. fresh morel mushrooms
1/2 lb. asparagus
5 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups boiling water
4 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup grated Reggiano

Pour boiling water over morels and stir gently.  Set mushrooms and liquid aside covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove mushrooms from liquid broth with a slotted spoon, reserving liquid.  Pat mushrooms dry, chop into quarters lengthwise, and set aside.  Remove grit and solids from the broth, straining through a cheesecloth if necessary.  Set broth aside.

While mushrooms are soaking, cut asparagus in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/2 inch pieces on the diagonal.  Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Blanche asparagus in boiling water for 4 minutes.  Drain.  Run cold water over asparagus until cool to the touch and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy stock pot over high heat.  When foam subsides, add shallot and thyme.  Saute for several minutes.  Chop finely 1 clove of garlic.  Add morels and chopped garlic, and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Add asparagus and mix well.  Transfer contents of stock pot to a bowl and set aside, covered.

Deglaze stock pot with 1/2 cup white wine.  Add mushroom stock to pot and bring to a boil.  Add vegetable stock and 2 cloves coarsely sliced garlic.  Bring liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and keep covered.

Heat olive oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over high heat.  Add arborio rice and stir well.  Add 1/2 cup white wine and stir until absorbed.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add 1 cup stock and stir until absorbed.  Cover.  Add another cup of broth every minute or two, stirring to ensure an even coating, then replace cover.  Repeat until risotto is tender and creamy, about 20 to 25 minutes.  (Some broth may be left over.)

Melt 2 tablespoons in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushroom and asparagus mixture and heat it just until it bubbles slightly.  Pour mixture into risotto and mix well.  Stir in Reggiano cheese and serve immediately.

Time to Prepare: 90 minutes

Difficulty: 4/10

Serves: 6 to 8 people

4 lbs. various chicken pieces, bone-in
1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight
(or substitute 2 cans chickpeas)
3 cups couscous
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. paprika
small pinch of saffron threads
2 onions, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup golden raisins, soaked in warm water
24 pitted Kalamata olives
2 preserved lemons*, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt
black pepper

Time to prepare: 3 hours + overnight prep.

Difficulty: 4/10

Serves: 6-8

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1. Drain the chickpeas and rinse under cold water. Boil chickpeas vigorously in fresh water, about 10 minutes. Rinse again under cold water. Bring to a boil again in fresh water, and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes. Remove from heat and salt lightly. (You can skip this entire step if you use canned chickpeas, though the texture of homemade is preferable.)

2. In a large bowl, combine half of the olive oil with the sugar, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, paprika, and saffron. Add a teaspoon of salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Toss the chicken parts in spice mixture and set aside for 20 minutes.

3. Heat remaining olive oil in a large pan. Fry chicken parts in batches until well browned. Set aside.

4. Add the onions to the pan and stir constantly until golden. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, and one cup water, scraping the bottom of the pan to release browned bits.

5. Combine chicken, onions, garlic, and tomatoes in a large casserole. Add enough water to just cover, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour.

6. Drain the chickpeas and add to chicken with about 1 cup of water. Stir in raisins and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the olives and preserved lemons and simmer for 30 more minutes. Stir in cilantro, remove from heat, and serve over couscous.

*Preserved lemons: I never make these the real way, which takes weeks. Instead, prepare a bowl of heavily salted water. The water should be as salty as sea water, of perhaps even more. Add 1/2 tsp. sugar per lemon. Slice lemons in thin wheels and let soak for 24 hours.

6 large duck legs, including thighs
1 tbsp. coriander seeds, lightly toasted
1-1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. allspice berries
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 tsp. fleur de sel (or coarse salt)
1 cup tawny port
1/2 cup dried cherries, unsweetened
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock

Time to prepare: 3 hours + overnight prep.

Difficulty: 6/10

Serves: 6

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There are five general steps to preparing this dish:

1. Prep - Duck is coated in a dried spice mix and refrigerated overnight. (Overnight)
2. Sear - Duck is browned in a hot pan. (30 minutes)
3. Prepare Braising Liquid. (10 minutes)
4. Braise - Duck is cooked in braising liquid, covered, for two hours. (2 hours)
5. Finish - Duck is dry-cooked, and sauce is made from braising liquid. (20 minutes)

Step One - Prep

Duck legs: Without cutting into skin, trim off excess fat. Place legs in a shallow bowl or sealable plastic bag. In a spice grinder or a mortar, combine coriander, peppercorns and allspice, and grind until coarse. Mix in thyme and coarse salt. Rub mixture evenly over duck legs. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cherries: Soak cherries in port, covered, for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Step Two - Searing

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat a shallow braising pan or skillet to medium-hot. (I have made this dish using only a single shallow braising pan or bistro pan for steps 2 through 4. Some people prefer to use a separate skillet and braising pan, for the searing and the braising, respectively.) Sear 3 duck legs, skin side down for 8 minutes. Leave them undisturbed, checking only to ensure that they are not aticking and burning onto the pan. There is no need to add oil or butter to the pan before searing — enough fat from the duck will coat the pan suitably within seconds. Turn legs over and sear for 4 minutes. Remove duck legs and drain excess fat from pan. Repeat process for the other 3 duck legs. Reserve one tbsp. of duck fat after searing.

Step Three - Braising Liquid

Return searing pan to medium heat with 1 tbsp. duck fat. Add sliced shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add cherries and port-soak to pan and reduce by half. Add stock and bay leaves and simmer until reduced by half.

Step Four - Braising

Arrange duck legs flat in the bottom of a shallow braising pan or bistro pan. Pour braising liquid over duck. Cover pan with parchment paper and close lid. Cook in the oven for 1 hour. Turn duck legs over and cook for 1 more hour. Reduce heat to 275 or 300 if liquid appears to be evaporating rapidly.

Step Five - Finishing

Remove braise from the oven. Turn on broiler. Remove duck legs from liquid and transfer to a baking sheet, skin side up. Broil duck legs on middle rack for 8 to 10 minutes, or until skin is crisp. Remove duck legs from broiler, cover, and keep warm until served (holding warm duck no longer than 15 minutes.)

While duck is broiling, prepare a sauce from braising liquid. Using a gravy separator or a large flat spoon, remove as much fat and oil from liquid as possible. “Hammer” braising liquid in a sauce pot at highest possible heat until thick and saucy, adding salt and pepper to taste if needed. (Do not over-reduce sauce or it will burn.)

Serve duck leg, accompanied by sauce.

If holding for one or two days, store duck legs and sauce separately in refrigerator. Skim fat from sauce before reheating. Gently re-heat duck legs in sauce, adding 1 or 2 tbsp. of water if needed. Finish duck legs under broiler, as above, and serve immediately.

6 large whole chicken legs
zest of one lemon
3 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
3 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
4 tbsp. butter (1/2 stick)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped (white and pale green parts only)
1 cup wild mushrooms¹
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup dry Sherry
1 qt. low sodium chicken broth

Put chicken pieces in a large bowl with lemon zest, thyme, and chopped parsley. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from refrigerator. Sprinkle with salt and freshly grated black pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes, until room temperature. Preheat oven to 325° F degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skiller over medium-high heat. Add 3 chicken pieces, skin side down, and sear for five minutes. Turn chicken over, reduce heat to medium, and cook for another two minutes. Remove chicken and place it in a large broiling pan or pot. Repeat process for the other 3 pieces of chicken.

Spoon half the drippings from the skillet and discard. Add onion, leeks, mushrooms, and bay leaves to skillet. Saute over medium heat until onions are golden, about 7 minutes. Add wine and sherry. Increase skillet to high heat, and boil liquid until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add a handful of fresh parsley sprigs.

Pour vegetables and liquid over the chicken in the braising pot. Cover the pot with aluminum foil, and place the lid over the aluminum foil, to seal as tightly as possible. Cook at 325° F until chicken is very tender, about 90 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 400° F. Add 1 millimeter of chicken liquid to a large flat baking dish. Transfer chicken pieces skin side up. Strain mushroom and vegetable solids from chicken liquid, surrounding the chicken legs with them in baking dish. Roast in oven until brown, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer remaining chicken liquid into a medium saucepan. Boil liquid gently to reduce, about 15 minutes or until thickened slightly. Optionally add 1 or 2 tbsp. butter if it looks like it needs more essence. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve whole chicken legs with reduced juices spooned over, accompanied by browned mushrooms and vegetables.

Time to Prepare: 4 hours marinating + 3 hours total cooking time (90 minutes baking).

Level of Difficulty: 6/10

Serves: 4 to 6

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¹ Any type of wild mushrooms can be used, dried or fresh. Morels are nice, as are Yellow Foot Chanterelles. It is best to use whole mushrooms, so don’t use anything too large.

This dish is more work than I would ever commit to on a weekday. But as a special-occasion chicken it’s a winner.

The browning at the beginning is crucial. I have skipped the marinating step without disastrous results, but it’s really better if you can commit to it.

2 tbsp. olive oil
4 tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp. finely chopped peppers *
4 tbsp. finely chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf *
3 tbsp. brandy or cognac
1/2 cup strong chicken stock
1/4 tsp. nutmeg powder
small pinch of saffron threads
black pepper
salt (to taste, after cooking)
1-1/2 lbs. swordish steaks

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and peppers, and cook until soft. Add tomatoes and bay leaf. Cook 5 minutes. Add brandy, stock, nutmeg, and saffron. Mix well. Add black pepper, to taste. At this point the sauce is finished and can be set aside for a few hours or refrigerated for a few days.

Bring sauce to a simmer. Add swordfish cubes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat.

Serve in a decorative communal bowl, accompanied by buttered garlic toasts or crostini.

This is a delicious tapas recipe. Like much of Spanish cuisine, this dish has an exotic, don’t-taste-this-every-day flavor for those of us who didn’t grow up on the stuff. It’s also very easy to make, almost foolproof. And since the sauce can be made in advance, it can be a 10-minute dish with a little planning.

Time to prepare: 15 minutes prep + 20 minutes cooking stovetop.

Difficulty: 2/10

Serves: 4

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* You can use any fresh peppers you like for this dish. I used yellow chilies, which are slightly spicy when raw but cook down to virtually no spice. Bell peppers of any color would work fine, and you could also bump up the spice by using poblanos or even jalapenos if you’re into heat. (Spicy peppers will bury the subtle flavors of this dish, but we spice fiends sometimes make this trade-off to get our kicks.)

I didn’t need to add any salt, because my stock was salty enough. If you’re in any doubt, hold off on deciding on the salt until after the fish is cooked.

The sauce is best after it has had a few hours to come together. But regardless of whether you are holding the sauce for a few hours or refrigerating for a few days, the bay leaf should be removed after cooking or the flavors will fall out of balance.