Three great meals that incorporate gin
Readers of The Rockettman blog know that there are two classic staples in our household – pasta and poultry. Regarding the latter (poultry), a classic winter comfort food dish is a simple roast chicken, but our repertoire of chicken dishes is now becoming more varied. Also, our Thanksgiving menu experiments with other types of fowl such as duck and Cornish game hen. To the former (pasta), the possibilities are endless due to our reliable Lello Pasta Maker.
When I came across several recipes incorporating gin into these favorites, I was intrigued. My go to cocktail is a gin martini, and has been for years. I remember my first one while sitting at the bar of the Madison Hotel on 15th and M Streets NW in Washington DC in the mid-80s. The brand was Bombay and the style was straight up and very dry. I have since migrated to Bombay Sapphire and occasionally will add olive juice to make the libation a ‘little dirty’.
Dirty martini pasta
A recent recipe that I came across seemed to go viral on a few culinary websites that I visit. It was called a dirty martini pasta, which involved mixing the ingredients of my favorite cocktail with one of my favorite pasta types – bucatini! All the great ingredients that contribute to a traditional gin martini are added to bucatini pasta for a clever concoction – Castelvetrano olives, olive brine, blue cheese, lemon zest – along with minced garlic and a touch of cream and parmesan. It is quite likely the most inspired pasta dish I have tried in a few years.
Smashed chicken with gin and sage leaves
Another dish that leverages gin caught my attention about the same time, this one involving chicken. A favorite weeknight dish is grilled chicken breasts, and we are always looking for inventive approaches to this weekly standby. So, when I came across a recipe for chicken breasts with gin and sage, I was inspired to incorporate that dish into our regular repertoire of chicken dinners.
The recipe involves marinating the chicken in smashed garlic and sage leaves. The chicken breasts are then sautéed in a butter emulsion with more sage leaves. After removing the chicken breasts, gin is added to the residual sauce for a brief cook followed by chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Add lemon juice, more garlic and butter and emulsify further. Pour this sauce over the cooked chicken breasts that have been sliced crosswise.
Three martini chicken
My favorite culinary concoction involving chicken and gin is a three martini chicken, which involves skin-on chicken thighs that are braised in oil in a Dutch oven and then removed, To the oil is added sliced onion and smashed garlic cloves, followed by pepper, gin and bay leaves. The chicken thighs are then returned to the gin mixture to braise for another 15 minutes or so.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves. Add more gin to the mixture along with the zest of two lemons and simmer. Whisk in cold butter pats while simmering until incorporated in the sauce. Follow this by whisking in mascarpone cheese and freshly grated garlic cloves. Return the chicken to the sauce with crushed Castelvetrano olive halves and warm for 3-4 minutes. Serve with fresh lemon zest and parsley over top.
Bon Appétit (and hold the vermouth)!