The holidays are once again upon us— I would like to personally thank all of my supporters and followers and wish each of you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season! In commemorating the one-year anniversary of my company, Fred Bollaci Enterprises, and the five-year anniversary of my decision to take back my life and live it my way, healthy and gourmet, I am proud to present a number of great holiday recipes that epitomize healthy, gourmet holiday dining. I am most appreciative of the overwhelming support I have received for my healthy, gourmet lifestyle concept and look forward to great things ahead in 2015 and beyond. I am living proof that a healthy, gourmet lifestyle is the best way to lose weight and keep it off.
The holiday season is typically a time of celebrating, feasting, and abundance. For me, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, long associated with feasting–literally stuffing myself with countless delicious favorites is today a time for gratitude. It starts with Thanksgiving, when we give thanks and gather with family and friends and enjoy sharing a meal. I didn’t say enjoy stuffing ourselves together. We are so fortunate to have so much–enjoy it, share it, we don’t need to overdo it, and we don’t need to starve or deprive either. The rest of the season for most, Christmas and Hanukkah celebrate miracles: the birth of Christ, and the illumination of the Temple for 8 days– we also celebrate the many miracles in our lives, many things we may take for granted, like our family and friends, the people who matter most. Take a moment and be grateful and enjoy what we have. Enjoy the festivities. Enjoy the food. Enjoy the people! And New Year’s is a perfect time for reflection- on the past year- the good, the bad, a time to start anew, a clean slate- build on the success and good from the past, and let go of the rest. In Italy, New Year’s Eve is not a time you want to be walking the street. People throw things they no longer want or need out the windows! Make this holiday season a time to enjoy, appreciate, savor, not overdo, and to look at our lives, and make changes for the better- keep what we enjoy, get rid of the excess which we don’t need. When I sought to lose a lot of weight five years ago, I sought to keep the foods and holiday traditions I enjoyed, while eliminating the excess.
Many people gain 5-10 pounds during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, vowing to “take it off in January.” For those who are struggling with obesity or simply could stand to lose a few pounds, my question is, why put it off? Why make it worse? You can still enjoy the holidays–gourmet food, and socializing with family and friends, without the guilt. The holidays are also a great time to start a new exercise regimen. Why wait until January? One of my favorite things to do after a meal, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is to take a walk afterwards. This aids in digestion, boosts metabolism, and burns off some of the calories. Many communities feature organized local walking/running events during the holidays, a favorite being a classic “Turkey Trot” on Thanksgiving morning! What a great way to celebrate being American and being healthy before indulging in a wonderful meal with family and friends? Making exercise a part of your daily life, and finding ways to make it fun is something I recommend doing year-round.
The holidays are for celebrating and enjoying, but should not be about overindulging, then starving and exercising in January “to take off the weight.” Most new year’s resolutions go bust before March, so instead of waiting to make a new year’s resolution in 2015, start modifying your lifestyle now. Small incremental, permanent changes will go a lot further to keep you happier and healthier in the long run than the typical overindulging and paying for it in January.
I have the pleasure of featuring a handful of recipes from several of my inaugural Signature Golden Palate Partner restaurants. These include: Da Silvano in New York City, Noah’s in Greenport, Long Island, and The Perfect Wife in Manchester, Vermont. These restaurants are truly partners in my success, allowing me to enjoy a gourmet lifestyle by featuring the highest quality, freshest ingredients, and light preparations of many items.
The following combination of recipes makes for an excellent, delicious, and healthy holiday meal! Our first three come from my first Vermont Signature Golden Palate Partner, The Perfect Wife and Chef/Owner Amy Chamberlain, voted top chef in Vermont, member of the Vermont Fresh Network, and a frequent guest on the Food Network. When thinking about the holidays, this amazing restaurant, a mainstay for 18 years in beautiful Manchester Vermont epitomizes the warmth of the holiday season: a roaring fireplace, beautiful decorations, great food and camaraderie, and a good chance of snow!
The Perfect Wife’s Curried Squash Soup, by Chef Amy Chamberlain, Manchester, Vermont
Ingredients:
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
1 T. chopped garlic
3 T. curry powder
4 c. zucchini, rough chop
4 c. summer squash, rough chop
½ c. white wine
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1” chunks
½ gallon chicken stock
¾ c. non-fat yogurt
Chop onion and celery roughly. Sweat in olive oil with garlic. Add curry powder and toast for a few minutes. Add squash and wine. Deglaze. Add chicken stock and potatoes. Simmer till potatoes are soft. Puree in a blender adding yogurt to each batch. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. This makes a great light starter course for a holiday meal.
Vermont Maple-glazed Free Range Chicken with Roasted Vegetables, Potato Pancakes and Applesauce from The Perfect Wife, Chef Amy Chamberlain, Manchester, Vermont
Ingredients:
1 whole roasting chicken, free-range birds are always tastier
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 ribs of celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, or 2 small ones, peeled and cut into eighths
1 14 oz. can of chicken broth
½ cup of real VT maple syrup
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 325.
Once you’ve prepared all of your vegetables, toss them together with the thyme and some s&p. Put the cut up veggies into a 2-inch deep roasting pan that is large enough to hold your chicken comfortably, a 9X13 pyrex pan should work quite well.
Wash the bird inside and out and dry with a towel. Sprinkle it all over with salt and pepper. Rub a couple of teaspoons of olive oil all over the skin. Place it on top of the vegetables. Put it into the oven.
Pour the stock and syrup into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce it by half. Use this mixture to baste the chicken generously and frequently.
While the chicken is cooking, make the pancakes and the applesauce.
Potato Pancakes
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and held in salted water
1 egg
1 small red onion, fine dice
¾ cup flour
1 t. baking powder, mixed with the flour
salt and white pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Canola oil to sauté
Grate the potatoes in the cuisinart. Put them in a bowl and add the egg and onion. Mix slightly. Add the flour mixture and mix some more, but not too much. Add the s&p and oil. Mix a little more.
Heat the canola oil in a 7” non-stick pan. When it starts to smoke a little, add one sixth of the mixture and lightly spread it so that the cake is even thickness all around. Turn down the heat to medium. When the pancake starts to brown around the edges, flip it over and cook for about 3-4 minutes more. Repeat until you are out of batter. Hold these warm on a platter and reheat them in the oven just before you sit down for dinner.
Applesauce:
6 tart apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar
¼ cup water
Cook the apples on the stovetop with the water and the sugar. When soft, mash with a fork or puree the applesauce in the Cuisinart for a smoother sauce.
Finishing up and serving:
You will know that the chicken is done when the leg moves somewhat freely and the juices are running clear between the breast and the thigh. IF you have a meat thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the thigh where it should read 160°. I would give a four pound bird about 45 minutes. Take the chicken out of the oven, move it to a cutting board and allow it to rest, covered with foil, for 15 minutes.
While the bird is resting, with a slotted spoon, scoop the veggies into a serving dish and keep warm. Put the roasting pan with the cooking juices on the stove and add ½ cup of white wine. Reduce all of this together just a little and pass in a pitcher with the chicken. Carve the chicken into large pieces, trying to keep the yummy glazed skin intact with each piece. Cut the pancakes into 4 wedges each Serve family style with the applesauce and veggies.
For a quicker dinner you may roast a cut up chicken, basting all pieces in the same manner. You should roast the chicken on the veggies, but you will have to cut the vegetables into smaller pieces so that they are done when the chicken is ready.
The Perfect Wife’s Grilled Pork Chops with Apple-Cranberry Maple Glaze Recipe by Chef Amy Chamberlain, Manchester, Vermont
Yield: Serves 6
Total Time: 24 hours
Adapted from Big Bob Gibsons BBQ Book by Chris Lilly.
The wonderful glaze alone is versatile and perfect on mashed potatoes! It’s finger licking good!
Ingredients:
Brine
- 1 1/2 c Apple Cider
- 1 1/2 c Water
- 3 1/2 T Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
- 1 T Sugar
- 1 T fresh cracked Black Pepper
- 1 T fresh Thyme, minced
- 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
- 1/2 Bay Leaf
- 1 boneless pork loin, trimmed and cut in two
Glaze
- 1/2 c Pure Maple Syrup
- 1/2 c Cranberry Sauce
- 1/2 c diced apples
- 2 T fresh Orange Juice
- 2 T Spicy Brown Mustard
- 1/4 t Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
- 1/4 t fresh cracked Black Pepper
- 1/16 t Cayenne Pepper
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine all of the brine ingredients and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add in pork loin, settling them in so they are all covered, then cover bowl with plastic wrap, or combine brine and loins in a resealable plastic bag. Place in fridge for 12-24 hours stirring once or twice.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine all glaze ingredients and gently heat until medium warm. Remove from heat, and set aside 1/2 c of the glaze for final serving.
- Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Place loin pieces on a raft of celery, carrot and onion. Place in oven till fat on top start ot brown a little. Turn heat down to 300 and cook till internal temperature is about 135. Pull from over and cover with foil. Let rest for 20 minutes. Leave the oven on. Take the pork off the raft and put on a cookie sheet. Brush with glaze and heat in oven. Meanwhile heat the pan with the mire poix in it and deglaze with a little cider. Bring to a boil, scraping the bits up. Strain through a sieve and pass with the rest of the meal. Slice the pork into chops or slices. Add the reserved glaze on the finished chops or serve in a bowl for people to use individually.
From New York City’s famed Da Silvano, one of the most popular and successful restaurants in the Big Apple since 1975, featuring outstanding, authentic Tuscan-inspired and Italian cuisine by Chef Silvano Marchetto, we are pleased to feature two excellent holiday seafood recipes. Christmas Eve in Italy is traditionally a seafood event, referred to as La Vigilia di Natale (the Vigil). Often this is called “The Feast of the Seven Fishes,” which varies from town to town, and even from house to house. Growing up Italian-American, we typically enjoyed various seafood dishes at home or in the homes of family members on Christmas Eve. There were often oysters, pasta (with seafood, of course- favorites included shrimp or lobster, often with a light tomato-cream sauce), a seafood-based soup, like a Bouillabaisse (sometimes called a Cioppino (San Francisco) or Cacciucco (Tuscany)), and naturally more fish for the main course.
In the interest of being healthy, and true to tradition, I had the pleasure of dining at Da Silvano earlier in December, and to talking at length with Silvano, the charismatic, and talented chef/owner about some of his favorite “lighter” dishes to serve and enjoy during the holidays. Silvano didn’t hesitate: “you must try my Monkfish Ossobuco,” he stated proudly. “You will love it, it is light,” he added, before going into detail as to exactly how it is made. Silvano has an extraordinary memory and knack for describing exactly how a dish is made, decades of practice definitely make this second nature. By the time he was done describing it, I had to try it! The Monkfish was outstandingly delicious, and truly reminded me of Ossobuco! Silvano said that the best part is the dish takes only minutes to prepare and have on the table, whereas traditional Veal Ossobuco takes several hours of braising, and while it is delicious, the Monkfish Ossobuco is perfect for a traditional Christmas Eve dinner, Italian-style!
Da Silvano’s Chickpea puree with Rock Shrimp, by Chef Silvano Marchetto, NYC
Ingredients:
1 lb dried chickpeas
2 cups of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fine Sea Salt and Pepper
1 small Shallot, minced
1 small Carrot
1 small Celery
1 small Onion
1 lb Rock Shrimp
Directions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight in water (If you don’t have time to soak the chickpeas overnight, you can also use canned chickpeas
- In a large saucepan, bring 3 qt. water and the soaked chickpeas to a boil. Add 1 carrot, a stem of celery and an onion, then cook until the chickpeas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water and let the chickpeas cool.
- Using a food processor, puree the chickpeas and rosemary (add some cooking water if it is too thick). Remove with a spatula, add some salt and pepper to season
- In a pan, heat the olive oil and add the shallot until lightly colored about 1 to 2 mins. Add the rock shrimp and sautée. Just add a splash of white wine, let reduce. (Do not overcook the shrimp)
- To serve, spoon the chickpea puree onto a platter or individual plates and put the shrimp on top. Drizzle with the remaining oil from the shrimp. Garnish each dish with a parsley sprig or chopped parsley and serve.
Da Silvano’s Monkfish Ossobuco
Ingredients:
4 pieces of bone-in 2” thick monkfish
¼ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fine Sea Salt and Pepper
1 small Shallot, minced
8-ounces/225g fresh porcini or 1 cup/30g of dried porcini
1 cup of dry white wine
2 plum tomatoes cut into ¼ inch dice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)
4 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Season the monkfish on both sides w. salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a pan wide enough to hold the fish. Add the shallot and cook until lightly colored, 1 to 2 mins. Add the fish, cook until browned 2 to 3 mins. Flip the fish cook the other side also.
- Add the mushrooms and wine to the pan and cook until reduce by half, about 3 mins. Scatter the diced tomato over the fish and cover the pan with a lid.
- Lower the heat to low and cook for 10 mins
- Transfer the fish to a platter. If you would like to enrich the sauce, swirl in 1-tablespoon butter. Spoon some sauce over each piece of fish. Garnish each dish with a parsley sprig and serve.
** If you are using dried porcini mushroom
Place them in a bowl, cover with hot water and let soak for 20 mins. Drain and gently squeeze out any excess moisture (sometimes, the soaking liquid can be a powerful source of flavor for risotto and soup, but not for this recipe)
A light, healthy, interesting dessert or intermezzo (mid course) at Da Silvano: blood orange segments with olives, pomegranate seeds, olive oil-lemon sorbet, and sliced red onions! I love chefs who are so creative!
Our final features for the holiday table are two seafood-themed recipes from one of Long Island’s top destinations for the freshest seafood, Noah’s in Greenport. Owned by Noah and Sunita Schwartz, Noah’s epitomizes the Fred Bollaci healthy gourmet “dolce vita” lifestyle, featuring exquisitely fresh, locally-sourced products, beautifully prepared and presented. The two dishes we have the pleasure of featuring for the Holiday Table I enjoyed preparing with Chef Noah when I visited Noah’s to film our video this fall. The Fluke Crudo, a light, “raw” fish dish made from the freshest local fluke (flounder for those non-northeasterners), a great starter for Christmas Eve, or any meal for that matter, and Noah’s famous Bouillabaisse, made with fresh seafood in a saffron-fennel broth, it was outstanding and would be an excellent dish for Christmas Eve dinner!
Noah’s Fluke Crudo, by Chef Noah Schwartz, Greenport, Long Island
Note: The success of this dish, like in all seafood dishes begins with the freshest, preferably locally-sourced seafood. Wherever you live, be sure to find the freshest and best! You can substitute whatever is available locally and prepare it in the same manner. Snapper, Tuna, Salmon, Flounder, and Scallops all work very well in this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 lb. Freshest local fluke fillet
1 watermelon radish
1 ripe avocado
1 tb. wasabi powder
1 lime juiced
1 tsp Yuzu juice
sea salt
Directions:
Trim fluke of any bones and slice on a 45 degree angle as thinly as possible. Peel and slice watermelon radish thinly on a mandolin or with a very sharp knife. Clean avocado of skin and pit and puree with wasabi, lime juice, and yuzu juice. Season with sea salt.
To Plate:
Spread a thin layer of avocado puree on 4 plates. Layer alternating slices of fluke and radishes on top of the puree. Sprinkle with sea sale and finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Noah’s Seafood Bouillabaisse with Saffron Fennel Broth by Chef Noah Schwartz
Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, julienned
2 bulbs fennel, julienned
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
16 oz. fish stock or sea clam juice
1 cup white wine
1 pinch saffron
1 tb. Harissa or chili paste
4 large sea scallops
8 medium sized shrimp (peeled and deveined)
8 oz. salmon cut into 2 oz. pieces
8 oz. striped bass or halibut, cut into 2 oz. pieces
2 lb. mussels, cleaned and debearded
2 lb. clams
2 tb. butter
4 plum tomatoes (halved, roasted, peeled)
3 tb. olive oil
salt and pepper
For the broth:
In a large pot, sauté the onions and fennel over low heat until almost tender
stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, saffron, and white wine, allow wine to burn off, about 1 minute. Stir to incorporate. Add the stock and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. At this point, add chili paste (*you may want to add additional saffron based on desired color and flavor).
For Bouillabaisse:
In a large pot, heat up olive oil. Sear the fish, scallops, and shrimp over medium-high heat, on one side only. When the fish has a nice golden color, add the broth and mussels, bring back to a simmer. When the mussels open, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in cold butter to finish. Noah recommends serving this hot with grilled baguette slices, or over your favorite pasta. For lighter preparations, you may omit the butter, and simply enjoy the broth and seafood, it is light and delicious, an elegant holiday presentation!
