DAY Recipe

DIRECTIONS

Make lamb stew:
Pat lamb dry. Heat oil in a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown lamb in 3 batches, transferring to a bowl.

Add onions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in lamb with any juices that have accumulated in bowl, tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, black pepper, chile, herbs, and saffron and simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours.

Stir in carrots, turnips, bell peppers, and pumpkin and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini and chickpeas and simmer, covered, until zucchini is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Make spicy tomato sauce:
Pour 1 cup broth from pot into a small heavy saucepan and add tomato paste, whisking until smooth. Simmer, stirring, until thick, about 10 minutes, then stir in paprika, rose petals, and cayenne.

Cook and serve couscous:
Bring water to a boil with butter and salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Mound couscous on a platter and top with stew, using a slotted spoon. Serve broth and tomato sauce on the side.

*Available by mail order from Kalustyan’s (212) 685-3451.

DIRECTIONS

Prepare marrow:
Rinse marrowbones and soak in warm water to cover 10 minutes. Press on 1 bone with your thumb at end of bone with smaller opening, pushing marrow out other end. Discard bone and repeat with remaining bones. Cut marrow crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Cover marrow with cold water in a bowl and chill, changing water twice, 24 hours.

Make sauce:
Boil wine, shallot, mushrooms, carrot, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Add veal stock and return to a boil. Pour through a fine sieve into a 2-quart heavy saucepan, pressing on and discarding solids. Return sauce to a boil. Stir together arrowroot and Madeira and whisk into sauce. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes, then stir in salt and season with pepper.

Roast beef:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil and butter in a small flameproof roasting pan over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown beef well on all sides, about 10 minutes. Put roasting pan with beef in middle of oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into center registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Poach marrow while beef stands:
Bring broth, water, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan. Drain marrow and transfer with a slotted spoon to saucepan. Poach at a bare simmer 8 minutes.

Bring sauce to a simmer and add marrow using slotted spoon.

Pour some sauce over sliced beef and serve remainder on side. If desired, arrange marrow rounds between beef slices with slotted spoon.

Cooks’ note:
• Sauce (before adding marrow) can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered,then chill, covered.

DIRECTIONS

Cut a thin slice from stem end of each tomato and scoop out and discard seeds with a small spoon. Carefully scoop out pulp to form a tomato shell, then finely chop pulp.

Drizzle inside of each tomato shell with oil and lime juice and let stand at room temperature while making guacamole.

Pit and peel avocados and coarsely mash with a fork in a bowl. Fold in chopped tomato pulp, onion, cilantro, chile, and salt, then spoon into tomato shells, mounding guacamole. Serve immediately.

DIRECTIONS

Cook rabbit in broth:
Remove fat, kidneys, and liver from rabbit if necessary. Put rabbit, shallots, carrots, parsley, thyme, leek, garlic, peppercorns, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water in a 4-quart heavy pot and bring to a boil, skimming froth. Reduce heat and gently simmer rabbit, partially covered, until tender, 1 hour.

Clarify broth:
Cool rabbit in broth, uncovered,30 minutes, then remove, reserving rabbit pieces and broth separately. Pour broth through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Whisk egg whites in another bowl until foamy and add egg shells. Whisk in warm broth in a stream and return mixture to cleaned pot.

Heat over moderate heat, stirring and scraping bottom constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent egg white from sticking, until stock comes to a simmer (this will take about 10 minutes). Reduce heat and gently simmer broth, without stirring, until all impurities rise to surface and form a crust, and broth underneath is clear, about 10 minutes.

While broth is simmering, coarsely shred rabbit meat, being careful to remove all small bones.

Pour broth through a sieve lined with a double thickness of dampened paper towels into a bowl and let all broth drain through. Discard solids. (If liquid doesn’t drain completely, tap edge of sieve repeatedly with a metal spoon to help drain.) Broth should be completely clear; if not, repeat procedure with clean dampened paper towels.

If clarified broth measures more than 2 1/2 cups, boil to reduce. If it measures less, add water. Bring broth just to a simmer. Sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1/4 cup cold water and soften 1 minute, then whisk into hot broth until dissolved. Stir in Madeira and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste.

Assemble terrines:
Lightly oil terrines and line with a sheet of plastic wrap large enough to drape over edges. Place terrines on a tray. Cut 4 (18-inch) pieces of kitchen string and place 2 crosswise under each terrine about 2 inches from each end (they will be used to secure rolling pins or bottles to terrines).

Grind fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder and toss with rabbit, olives, pistachios, chives, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Divide mixture between terrines, then stir broth well and pour slowly into terrines, filling to 1/4 inch from top. Reserve any remaining broth, covered and chilled. Place a foil-wrapped cardboard strip on top of each terrine, then rest a rolling pin or bottle on top of cardboard and tie to terrine, creating just enough pressure to press cardboard about 1/2 inch into terrine (some broth will spill over onto tray).

Chill terrines on tray 3 hours, then remove string, weights, and cardboard. Heat any reserved jelled broth (including spillover on tray) just until it becomes liquid and add to terrines. Cover with overhanging plastic wrap and chill at least 6 hours more.

To unmold terrines, unwrap plastic wrap and invert molds onto a long narrow platter, pulling slightly on plastic to release terrines from molds, then removing it. Gently cut terrines with a serrated knife into 1/3-inch-thick slices and serve on toasts.

* Toast spices in a dry heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant and a shade or two darker.

** To toast, arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and spread with 2 tablespoons butter. Toast in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes.

Cooks’ notes:
• Terrines may be chilled up to 3 days.
• If you’d like to serve the terrines already cut and on toasts, you can conveniently make them in a baking pan rather than terrine molds. You’ll need 2 (13- by 9-inch) pans: Line 1 pan as for terrines (you will need 2 well-overlapping lengths of plastic wrap) and spread all of rabbit mixture and broth evenly in pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and gently press second 13- by 9-inch pan on top. Distribute 3 pounds of weight (such as three 1-pound cans) in pan and chill terrine until completely firm, at least 4 hours. Remove weights, top pan, and top layer of plastic wrap and invert onto a cutting board. Remove remaining plastic wrap and cut terrine into 1 1/4-inch squares with a long sharp knife.

DIRECTIONS

Rub inside of a 4-quart heavy pot with cut sides of garlic, then discard garlic. Add wine to pot and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.

Stir together cornstarch and kirsch in a cup.

Gradually add cheese to pot and cook, stirring constantly in a zigzag pattern (not a circular motion) to prevent cheese from balling up, until cheese is just melted and creamy (do not let boil). Stir cornstarch mixture again and stir into fondue. Bring fondue to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.

Transfer to fondue pot set over a flame and serve with bread for dipping.