Chef Shares Some Comfort Food Recipes

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It is going to get very cold this week, which means it is a great time for comfort food.

Chef Justin Smillie of Upland restaurant stopped by the CBS2 studios to share a few satisfying dishes.

To watch the segment click on the video player above.

Crackling Pork

Salt-mustard,

5% salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup Dijon

3T oregano

3T sage

3T rosemary

1 orange zested

¼ cup garlic microplaned

3T fennel seed toasted and ground

olive oil ¼ cup

1 head of garlic top cut off

2 halved lemons

In a medium mixing bowl, fold all ingredients into the mustard, and whisk well. Reserve.

Basically a porchetta is a central Tuscan pork roast. You will sometimes see a whole pig roasted, and you will see what most of us have come to know as porchetta. It is essentially nothing more than the belly of the animal, wrapped around the loin.  You can ask your butcher to do this for you. Make sure that it is the loin still attached to the belly, with the skin on.

On a clean work surface, lay the pork down, and position it so that the loin of the animal is facing you, and the belly away. I like to use pastry brush to apply marinades and pastes, it helps to assure that the mixture is spread evenly.  After applying the marinade, season aggressively with the salt and the freshly cracked black pepper. Roll the loin into the belly, much like you are rolling a burrito.  Using twine, and working from the middle of the roll, make 1 inch loops around the roll, synching tightly, until the roll is snug. Transfer to the refrigerator, and allow to rest overnight. This gives the marinade a chance to penetrate the roast, and for the muscle to stick together.

Preheat oven to 325.

Remove the pork from the refrigerator one hour before you intend to cook.

In a heavy bottomed dutch oven, preheat the olive oil to medium high heat about 2 mins.  Place the porchetta in the pan, rotate every 3 minutes until the skin puffs and starts to turn a light golden in color. This will take about 20 minutes. Remove the porchetta from the pot, and pour off the excess fat. Place a small roasting rack in the pot and return the porchetta to the pot, place the 2 halved lemons and 1 head of halved garlic to the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 45 minutes rotating every 15 minutes. For me, the belly is the part of the roast that one needs to get right. If the belly is cooked, it will be yielding and succulent and will have basted the loin with juicy porky fat the whole way through. I cook our pork to about 140 degrees, and I find that this still leaves the crackling crisp, and the belly melting and the loin a desirable rouge.

Remove from the pork and allow rest for 15 minutes lightly covered with aluminum. Slice and serve with the beets.

Side- Stone Roasted Beets with white grapefruit and shaved radish and Crème Fraiche

Preheat oven to 350

1 lb baby (ping pong size) beets

2 white grapefruits, peeled and sliced

one bunch red radish

1 cup crème fraiche

juice of ¼ lemon

crunchy salt to taste

fresh cracked white pepper

Scrub beets well, they won't be peeled. Massage each beet with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap individually in tin foil and place in cast iron skillet on the floor of the oven. A pizza stone will also work, but if using, place beets directly on stone.

Roast 35-40 minutes until tender

Slice cleaned radish into rounds using a mandoline and place in iced water for 3-4 minutes, drain and dry in salad spinner. Wash the greens in cold water, and wrap in a paper towel bundle to dry slightly. Using a sharp knife, cut away peel and pith and slice into rounds.

Unwrap the beets, and crush slightly to release the steam. It will also give the beet an interesting texture. The crushed beet will feel like the ridges on a cracked hunk of Parmesan.

Season CF with salt and white pepper to taste, and swoosh on bottom of plate using back of spoon. Arrange the beets on the plate, and nuzzle with the grapefruit rounds and the radish.  Scatter the radish and greens on top, and drizzle with lemon juice.

Roast Chicken

serves 4

Three-day process
1 2½ lb chicken
12C master brine (see below)
salt to taste
pepper to taste (freshly cracked)
10 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil

Day One
Submerge the chicken in brine and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Day Two
Rinse the chicken, pat dry and cut backbone out, leave breasts connected. Cut off legs. This will ensure even cooking time of both breast and legs.

Before applying the rub, be sure the chicken is as dry as you can get it. Apply the rub with a stiff pastry brush. This will keep the marinade even, and
prevent splotches. Transfer to the refrigerator. Allow to dry overnight uncovered. (If the marinade is too thick, it will not dry properly.)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a heavy bottomed cast iron pan, heat over medium heat, and slick with the 3 tbsp of olive oil. Place the chicken in the pan so that the breast is at 12, and the legs are at 5 and 7, all skin side down. Typically the hottest part of the pan will be by the handle so placing the more delicate breast meat at 12, and the legs at 5 and 7 not only preserves the integrity of the bird but also ensures even cooking.

Cook stove top medium-high for 6-8 minutes until the skin starts to turn golden brown. Transfer to the oven and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, and remove back to the stove top. If checking with a thermometer, it should read 160, and the juices should run clear. To check the doneness of the leg, grasp both ends of the leg on the bone, and wiggle. If the leg is cooked, it will give freely at the joint.

Working over medium high heat, add the bay leaf, the thyme, and the butter. As the butter starts to foam, baste the chicken rapidly. This will take about 3 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest skin side up for about 10 minutes on a sheet tray fitted with a wire rack. This time allows the juices to redistribute.

On a clean board cut the breast down the middle through the keel. With each breast, angle the knife and cut through/under the wing. with each leg, separate thigh from drumstick by cutting through joint.

To make the dressing: Use the juices that have collected in the roasting tin while resting and from the chopping board used when cutting the breast.
Pour into bowl, add fresh cracked black pepper, 4T olive oil, 1 scant tsp champagne, vinegar, lemon juice of ½ lemon.

1. Harissa:
use 1 Cup
4 dried chilies passilla
4 hatch chilies sweet-mild
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp carraway seeds
1/4 tsp corriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
1tsp espelette
2 dried preserved lemon peels
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

In a large cast iron pan, toast the chilies over medium heat, until aroma is present, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the stem end of the chili, and remove the seeds by tapping. cover the chilies with hot water, and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

In the same skillet, toast all the spices over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the spices from burning. transfer to a bowl and reserve. Remove and drain the chilies, and chop roughly.

In a large mortar and pestle, grind the spices and the dried lemon to a fine powder. Remove and reserve. Add the garlic and the salt, pulvarize until a fine paste. Add the chilies and grind until smooth. Stir in the tomato paste, the spices. Transfer paste to an air-tight jar, and top with the olive oil. The paste will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

2. Creme fraiche:
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups butter milk

In a large bowl, gently stir the buttermilk and the heavy cream together. transfer to a steralized mason jar, cover with cheese cloth, and cinch tight with twine. Allow to thicken for up to 36 hours in a warm place of about 70 degrees -- in a cupboard over the oven or near the radiator. Once thick, (same consistency as sour cream), close and refrigerate for up to a week.

To make creme fraiche marinade:
Use ½ cup
1 cup creme fraiche
3/4 tbsp juniper
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp dried orange peel
2T sage leaves -- finely chopped 1/2 tsp light agave

In a pan, toast the juniper and cardamom seeds, put in a mortar and pestle along with the orange peel and grind to a coarse powder. In a medium bowl, mix the spices into the creme fraiche, and stir in the sage.

3. Rosemary anchovy marinade:
use ½ cup
1 tube anchovy paste
2 sprigs rosemary coarsely chopped about 2T
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
1 whole lemon zested

Working on a clean cutting board, coarsely chop the parsley, leaving the leaves fairly large. Sprinkle the peppercorns over the rosemary, and using the side of your knife, crack the the peppercorns, over the rosemary in a medium mixing bowl, whisk the anchovy paste, and the dijon together. Oonce fully incorporated, stir in the rosemary and the peppercorns. Season with the lemon zest and the vinegar transfer to an air-tight container, and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

4. Fennel, Meyer lemon, wildflower honey marinade
3 tbsp fennel flower (fronds are OKk)- roughly chopped
zest of one meyer lemon ( juice squeezed and reserved)
2 cloves of green garlic (grated over wide tooth microplane)
3 tbsp honey- runny wildflower
1 tsp coarsely cracked green peppercorn
2 tbsp coarse mustard moutarde l'ancienne preferable

In a medium bowl, mix the honey with the lemon juice. stir in the garlic, with the
lemon zest, and the green peppercorns. apply to the bird with a brush.

For the salad:
1 head escarole (chewy, biter, dry)
1 head treviso (dry, bitter, crispy)
1 head romaine heart (sweet, watery, crunchy)
1 pc endive (bitter, watery)
3 sprigs tarragon, leaves only
3 tbsp dehydrated anchovy powder
½ cup pickled onion petals
fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup anchovy dressing
juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp of the tarragon vinegar
dijon- anchovy dressing & tarragon vinegar
1 tube anchovy paste
1T clear honey
2T dijon mustard
⅓ C red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 thai chili sliced lengthways
1 ½ C olive oil
1 bunch tarragon
2C rice wine vinegar

Steep tarragon in rice wine vinegar for 2-3 hours before straining out tarragon, reserving liquid. Add garlic and chili to red wine vinegar and leave to steep for 30 mins, then strain out and discard garlic and chili. In a large bowl, whisk together Dijon and honey until totally combined, add anchovy
paste and incorporate well. Add half of the vinegar and while whisking, drizzle oilve oil slowly and steadily to emulsify. If the dressing starts to become too thick, use some of the remaining vinegar to thin it down before incorporating the rest of the oil. the final result should be well balanced, if too acidic add more oil, too bland add more vinegar, etc.