Fall – our harvest season, otherwise referred to as pumpkin spice season prepares us for moving our backyard entertaining indoors to cozy firesides and tabletops for our Christmas season. From planning to prepping, decorating, and cooking meals for loved ones, it requires effort and organization to get this all done in time. Let us help you take one thing (food) off the list.
Holidays are about celebrating, spending time with loved ones, and treating our bellies with oh-so-scrumptious meals. Here, we have curated a list of Chef Laura’s five ingredients/ Spice Blends that will season your Christmas with flavour and leave your loved ones wanting more. We also have some suggestions for make ahead meals for freeze and ease entertaining.
#1 Italian Stallion Roasted Chicken
Pair this with a preserved Lemon Risotto for a modern twist on Christmas Day.
Ingredients
- 6-8 chicken thighs and breasts (3 lbs/1.3kg.) Cut breasts in half so they are similar in size to thighs.
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary (use as garnish)
- 2 Tbsp. Chef Laura’s Italian Stallion spice blend
- 3 Tbsp Chef Laura’s Orange Lavender Marmalade
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Pepper to taste
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375F/190C.
- Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towel.
- Use Chef Laura’s Italian Stallion spice blend and sprinkle over the chicken adjusting salt and pepper to taste.
- Whisk together olive oil and Chef Laura orange lavender marmalade.
- Drizzle the mixture over the chicken and rub it all over so it’s thoroughly coated in herbs and oil.
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Once cooked turn on the broiler/oven grill and broil the chicken until the skin is extra crispy (2-3 minutes).
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then serve with desired sides
#2 Moroccan Chicken
We bet even the sound of this dish will leave you salivating and wanting to try it out as soon as possible. So trust us when we tell you that with Chef Laura’s Harissa Spice blend, you will cook up a feast that will blow your fam’s taste buds away.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chef Laura Harissa spice blend
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 to 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 1/2 lb whole chicken cut into bone-in pieces (or 7 to 8 pieces of chicken with bone in. Leave the skin on or remove it, up to you.)
- Kosher salt
- Grapeseed oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped larger dice is fine
- 6 cloves Chef Laura’s Roasted Garlic
- 1 oz chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 tbsp of the rind of Chef Laura’s Preserved Lemons (rind only, remove white spongy pith)
- 3/4 cup pitted green olives
- 1/4 cup raisins (any kind)
- 1/4 cup chopped dry apricots
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- Fresh mint for garnish
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine Chef Laura’s Mother Harissa blend and the remaining spices to make the rub.
- Pat chicken pieces dry and season lightly with kosher salt on both sides. Now, rub the chicken all over with Chef Laura’s Mother Harissa spice rub (if you kept the skins, make sure to apply the spice rub underneath the skins for the best flavor.) Set aside at room temperature for 40 to 45 minutes or so (or, if you have the time, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. If you do this, take the chicken out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes before cooking.)
- In a 12″ deep ceramic pan or oven-safe skillet, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add chicken (skin side down, if you kept skin) and brown for 5 minutes. Flip with tongs and brown on the other side for another 3 minutes or so.
- Lower heat to medium-low and add onions, Chef Laura’s roasted garlic, and cilantro. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, then add preserved lemon slices, olives, raisins, and dried apricots.
- In a small bowl, mix the tomato paste and chicken broth. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken as it cooks.
- Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, then, keeping the heat on medium-low, cover and cook for 30-45 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked through, registering an internal temperature of 165 degrees F or higher.
- Garnish with more fresh cilantro and mint. Serve over plain couscous.
#3 Go Fish Dry Rub
If you were thinking about making something with fish, well, your wish has been granted. Using Chef Laura’s Go Fish dry spices, you can make a hearty meal that will satisfy all your cravings.
Ingredients
- Use 2 Tbsp per 4 servings
- Oil, grapeseed, or sunflower
- 1 tsp Brown sugar (optional)
Directions
- Simply rub and press the spices onto your fish of choice. 2. If you’re looking for a nice crust on your dish, add a little organic or brown sugar to the spice mix, which will help caramelize the crust.
- If you’re skipping sugar, then opt to add a dab of oil to the spice blend. Mix a small amount of oil with the rub to form a paste that you can easily spread over your meat. This result won’t give you a crusty topping, but it will help add plenty of flavors.
- Cook as you normally would. Grill or bake. Chef’s Note: Fish is delicate, do NOT overcook.
#4 Pickled Cherry Salsa
The Pickled Cherry Salsa will go perfectly well with your fish rub, so try it and let us know your thoughts on it.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Chef Laura’s Pickled Cherries
- 2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
- ½ jalapeño chile, minced (less or more to taste, make sure to taste the chile first as some can be quite hot!)
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
- Garnish
2 tbsp fresh mint
Directions
- Dice the pickled cherries, red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro and place in a medium bowl.
- Toss with orange juice.
- Garnish with mint (optional)
Chef tip: if the salsa is too acidic, stir in some ripe diced avocado. Adding a chopped mango or papaya is another option that works well for a variety of fish dishes.
#5 Rainbow Pops
It’s time for the much-awaited part of the meal, *drum roll* dessert! Yes, Please! To satisfy your sweet tooth cravings, we have Chef Laura’s special, Rainbow Pops, for dessert, using her simple syrups.
Ingredients
FOR RED LAYER
- 1⁄3 cup frozen strawberries
- 1⁄3 cup frozen raspberries
- 1⁄2 frozen banana
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1⁄3 cup Chef Laura’s Cherry Bomb simple syrup
FOR ORANGE LAYER
- 1⁄2 cup frozen mango
- 1⁄2 frozen banana
- 1⁄4 cup orange puree
- 1⁄4 cup yogurt
- 1⁄3 cup Chef Laura’s Burnt Orange simple syrup
FOR MAGENTA LAYER
- 1⁄3 cup beet
- 1⁄2 cup frozen raspberries
- 1⁄2 frozen banana
- 1⁄4 cup yogurt
- 1⁄3 cup Chef Laura’s Gold digger simple syrup
FOR GREEN LAYER
- 1 handful of spinach
- 1 frozen banana
- 1⁄4 cup yogurt
- 1⁄3 cup Chef Laura’s Basil simple syrup
FOR BLUE LAYER
- 1 tablespoon blue spirulina
- 1 frozen banana
- 1⁄4 cup yogurt
- 1⁄3 cup Chef Laura’s Blueberry simple syrup
FOR YELLOW LAYER
- 1⁄3 cup mango
- 1⁄2 cup frozen pineapple
- 1⁄2 cup frozen banana
- 1⁄4 cup yogurt
- 1⁄3 cup Chef Laura’s Gold Digger Simple Syrup
Directions
- Place each set of ingredients for each color in a blender; blend till smooth. Set aside. Continue until each color is completed.
- Then, pour each color into a popsicle mold, one layer at a time. Let it sit slightly in the freezer to eat time.
- Insert popsicle sticks.
- Freeze and serve
Bon appetit, lovelies!