Michael Bonacini's Christmas at the Farm (2017)

[bunniefuu]

MICHAEL:

Welcome to the Bonacini Farm.

It's our little piece of

paradise

and it's where we love to come

to get away from it all.



Every Christmas,

we pack up the car

and head on up for the holidays.

We've had a lot of really great

meals up here.



With a name like Bonacini,

you'd expect many of those

great meals to be Italian.

After all, [SPEAKING IN

ITALIAN].



But, my heart

still belongs to Wales,

that's where my mother's from

and I spent many a great year

growing up there.

[SPEAKING WELSH]



And what I'd like to do today is

share with you

some of my some of my favourite

Christmas recipes

from both Italy and Wales.



Can you think

of anything more Welsh

than leeks and potatoes

that come together in a rustic,

but slightly sophisticated soup?

That happens to be one of my

favourites.





The one question that I get

asked the most

is where did my love of food and

cooking come from?

And the short answer to that is

I blame my parents.



My earliest childhood memories

growing up in Wales

were on the family farm

when my parents were in market

gardening

and had a small dairy herd.



And it was there that they

taught my family, myself,

the value of local home-grown

seasonal produce that you

cook and work with, and show it

great respect.



I'm ready to add

some chicken stock.

Light, golden, and just a little

sweet.

[SIZZLING]



And just top it up with a touch

of water.

And, of course, let's not forget

the seasoning.



And these flavours will start

coming together

and really turning into a

heart-warming soup

for a cold winter's day.



Baking scones is about as

traditional as you can get,

and these ones

are super easy to make:

cheddar and bacon.

It's going to go perfectly with

that wonderful

leek and potato soup.



Flour, baking powder,

along with smoky paprika. That

makes the basis for my dough.



That's good.



Combine and bring it all

together with some cold butter.

It makes the perfect

savoury scone.



This is Welsh cheddar.

Just what I'm looking for.

Has a little creaminess, a touch

nuttiness,

and a wonderful, spicy, nippy

end to it.

It's going to be perfect with

that crisp bacon.





I think that's about it.



Now, a quick score,

just so it makes it easier to

break after baking.



So, a quick egg wash,

just to provide a nice little

shine and glaze

to the top of the scones,

but I'm also going to top

these off

with a little more grated

cheese.

And one little secret.

This is a little Welsh salt.

It has been smoked

over Welsh oak.

[SNIFFING] And it smells divine.

Ready for the oven.



You've got to take a look at

this soup.

It is really looking terrific

and those flavours have become

so intense.

My mouth is watering already.

Let's ladle some up.



So, a touch of crme frache

right in the middle.

A little smoked salmon.

Some freshly chopped chives.

And a drizzle of olive oil.

That is a delicious holiday

soup.



It is rich and earthy.

You get the wonderful meaty

flavours from the bacon

and the chicken stock.

And then it hits that very rich

and wonderful crme frache.

This is two worlds colliding:

rustic meets a touch of

sophistication.



Light, fluffy.

What a great combination with a

soup like this.



Great taste, great texture,

nice crunchy crust, and that hit

of salt.

All washed down with a glass of

Prosecco,

a great little sparkling wine

from Northern Italy.





I'm sure it'll come as no

surprise that pasta

in the Bonacini household is a

favourite go to.

But this particular pasta dish

that I'm going to show you

is a little different.

It's more like a potato dumpling

meets a little bit of cheese

and we like to call it gnocchi.



You know, the key with making

perfect gnocchi

is to boil the potatoes

in their skins,

'cause that prevents the potato

from becoming overly wet.

And the idea there is that the

drier the potato,

the less flour you have to add,

and therefore the lighter

the gnocchi is going to be.

Perfect.



So, we'll add a little ricotta

cheese.

The king, and I mean the king

all cheese in Italy,

Parmigiano-Reggiano.

And a good amount of cheese,

I want to have that nutty,

rich parmesan taste.



Added flavour, I have these

beautiful,

slow roasted buds of garlic.

And of course, I've got to use a

little of that

garlic oil in there.

Just watch how easily this bud

breaks down.

That...

is roasted garlic heaven.



It's going to be good tasting

gnocchi.



So, before we start rolling the

gnocchi out and forming them,

we should do a little test

to make sure we've got the

seasoning

and the density spot on.

It'll take about two to three

minutes to cook,

it'll float to the top,

another 30,

maybe 45 seconds more,

and then ready to lift out and

have the taste test.



It's looking good.

Has a nice firmness to it, but

not overly firm.

You see the way the fork just

cuts into that?

That tells me it's light and

fluffy.

That's a good start.

Oh yeah.

Cut the dough in half, a lot

easier to work with that way.

And start to gently roll on a

lightly floured board.

I'll cut that one in half,

both hands working the dough

together.

Now, we're ready to cut our

first gnocchi.

About half an inch to three

quarters.

Take the back of a fork, lightly

floured,

and get a gentle roll

creating the classic potato

gnocchi grooves.



So, now the gnocchi's rolled and

shaped.

The next step is for me to

prepare the pancetta

and winter greens that I'll be

serving them with.

This, my friends, is the Italian

version of bacon.

It pork belly that's been cured,

hung to dry,

and is a keystone ingredient in

any italian kitchen: pancetta.



These are cinnamon cap mushrooms

and what I'm looking for when I

choose a selection of mushrooms

is the look, the texture, what

they bring to a finished dish.

A simple white cap mushroom, cut

it a little chunky

so it stands up and stands out.

And, the last piece of the

puzzle

is just to tear up some

wonderful winter greens.

Here I've got some collard, the

tops off of beets,

and this here is

a little Swiss chard.

Just coarsely torn up 'cause

they're all going to cook

and wilt down.

Oh, I almost forgot.

A little fresh thyme.

First job, fry off this

pancetta.



That is pure flavour.



My water's boiling.

Three minutes, three and a half

minutes at the most,

and these gnocchi will be ready.

Oh, look at that.

Beautiful bright colours,

the aroma, a little bit of juice

from the wine and the stock.

Just needs a little knob of

butter

to add a touch of richness.



That is good.

A little more butter into my

pan.



[SIZZLING]

So, these gnocchi are now

getting a bath in this nut brown

butter.

Rich and full of flavour.

The sage just adds another taste

accent to it.

Now I'm going to plate.

It's the finishing touches.

A little love on the

presentation.

Got to grab some of this juice

and these lovely, light and

fluffy gnocchi.

And of course, a pasta is not a

pasta without a good amount...

the king of cheeses,

Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Looks like another snowfall

maybe.

A glass of wine.

A lovely, crisp Pinot Grigio

from way up in the

north of Italy.

It's going to work really well

with the richness

of this dish.



I think I said this was heaven.

It truly is,

it's heaven on earth.

It is big, and rich, and

flavourful.

Once you've had gnocchi like

this,

there's no other way to have

them.





MICHAEL: When my wife and I

first renovated this old farmhouse

we treated ourselves by putting

in a wood burning oven.

Which mean we can cook

breakfast, lunch, and dinner

whilst warming the house.



And, since it's up and running,

and got a great burning ember

bed,

I think it would be a fun way to

cook a real Welsh classic.



Take a look at this.

Fresh from my favourite butcher,

a bone-in leg of lamb,

which is perfect for roasting.

'Cause as far as I'm concerned,

when you roast anything on the

bone, it's guaranteed to be

so much more juicy and so much

more tasty.

What I like about lamb is that

it is big and rich

and full of flavour,

and therefore,

you can use big and rich

flavours to help it along.

I'm going to use a little

rosemary,

which adds a savoury, crisp

flavour to it.

We've got some fresh, floral,

and fragrant thyme,

which will add a nice balance to

that rosemary.

And then to round the mix out,

some amazing...

[SNIFFING] fresh...

[SNIFFING] almost lemony, sage.





Beautiful marinade:

lemon, fresh herbs, garlic,

super simple.

It's a marinade-y, rub kind of

thing.

But, before I start applying it

to the lamb,

let me just sliver up a couple

of cloves of garlic.

Nothing fancy.

This leg of lamb... I'm going to

make a couple of incisions

along the top surface

and one or two on the underside,

right down to the bone.

I'm just going to insert the

cloves of garlic

into these incisions.



Now for the marinade.

I want to use my hands.

The aromas here, they are

absolutely intoxicating.

And, those incisions,

that garlic's going to melt and

become super sweet and sticky,

and just help intensify the

flavours of that lamb.

Now, I'm pretty eager to get it

in the oven,

so that's what we're going to

do.

[WATER SPLASHING]



My local butcher knows me well

enough that when I order

a leg of lamb, he always throws

in some extra bones,

which I love to put in the

bottom of the roasting pan.

I've also got some mirepoix:

celery, onion, carrot,

which is also going to help add

and intensify flavours.

But, in my kitchen, nothing goes

to waste.

The head of garlic.



And, those herb stems.

Perfect place for them to

continue that flavour building.

Nest in the leg of lamb.



A good slow roast and I'll check

it ever once in a while

to make sure it's just doing

what I want it to do.



So, my leg of lamb has been in

the oven 45, almost 50 minutes,

and I'm going to give it a quick

check to see how it's doing.

That looks pretty spectacular.

So, what I'm going to do is wrap

the thin end

with a little aluminium foil, so

it slows down the cooking

of the thin end of the leg,

allowing the ticker portion of

the leg to catch up.

It's that easy.



[SIZZLING]

[GRUNTING]

Would you take a look at that.

Look how it's browned so

beautifully.

A couple of charred areas here,

but that's going to taste

delicious.

It's enough to bring a tear to a

Welshman's eye, let me tell ya.

Let's lift it out.

There we go.

Now, cover it with some foil.

And, in the bottom of this

pan...

that's all the golden goodness

I'm looking for.



Perfect for my roast potatoes.

And, all this ooey-gooey sticky

goodness

in the bottom of this pan is

going to become

wonderful pan gravy.

Look at this roasted garlic.

That's really going to intensify

the flavour of that gravy.

Bones back in.

I've got my pan

on the stove top.

[SIZZLING] It's going to brown

off the last bit

of these root vegetables.

Mash up that garlic, that

roasted,

juicy, sticky-sweet garlic.

[SIZZLING]

Just a sprinkling of flour.

I just like to add that to

thicken up my gravy,

my pan gravy.

Just a touch, not too much.

[SIZZLING]

Now, had a little white wine

left from the gnocchi

and it would be a shame to see

it go to waste.

[SIZZLING]

And, if there's some white,

there has to be some red.

I'll be having a glass of this

with the lamb a little later on.

So, it seems fitting it should

be part of the gravy.

Just take a look at the colour

in the bottom of

that pan already.

Now, the lamb stock.

When I'm up at the farm,

I'm always making stock.

So, I pulled this one

out of my fridge

'cause you never know when

you're going to need it

for such an occasion.



Time to work on

some roasted spuds.



Lamb fat roast potatoes.

Merry Christmas indeed.





MICHAEL: In Wales, you

simply can't have a roast dinner

without having some roast

potatoes.

And I've par-boiled these in a

little chicken stock

and water.

Now they're ready for roasting.



The lamb fat.

Into a good, hot pan.

[SIZZLING]

Turn up the heat.

And in with the potatoes.

Hear that bubbling, and

twitching,

and whistling that's going on?

That's exactly what I want to

hear with these roast spuds.

Make sure they all get a good

coating.

[SIZZLING]

A hit of cracked black pepper.

[SIZZLING]

It's that simple for the best

roast potatoes in town.

Into a hot oven.



Winter time is certainly the

time a year to be using

a good rutabaga.



I'm going to roast this rutabaga

with some heirloom carrots and

winter parsnips.



The important thing with

roasting root vegetables

is to make sure they're cut

roughly the same size.

The intent there is that they'll

all cook equally.



A quick maple syrup glaze

and a touch of the acidity from

some Dijon mustard.

Add a splash of olive oil.



Very simple glaze.

Add the rutabagas,

parsnips,

and these gorgeous,

colourful heirloom carrots.

I want them all coated

with that sticky-sweet glaze

and the tangy mustard.

Now, a few leaves of thyme.

You know, thyme, it is a

fragrant and floral herb,

and works well with just about

anything,

but especially when you're

roasting.

Onto a baking sheet with a piece

of parchment.

Makes the clean-up

a little easier.

I think that's enough.

Touch up a little bit with the

salt,

'cause that salt on top is a

nice, crisp touch

when those roots are all

roasted.

A few sprigs over the top of

that

and ready to go to a hot oven.



My roast spuds and roast roots

are just about ready.

And my gravy, I know it's done,

so I'm going to strain it.



You get the full flavours of

that lamb,

a little bit sweet, the right

consistency,

it's exactly what I had in mind.

Let's ladle a jug full.

[SIZZLING]



[SIZZLING, CRACKLING]



These roast potatoes look

absolutely fantastic.

Roasty and crusty on the edges,

on the underside.

And just look at these root veg.

So beautifully roasted

and balanced out with the

mustard,

a little maple syrup, and of

course,

that fresh thyme.



The time has come

and I can hardly wait.

And, there should always be

enough

for at least a sandwich the next

day.



A perfect blushing pink piece of

lamb.



A drizzle of gravy.



And this is a roast dinner

to celebrate with.

Absolutely.



You know, lamb has a distinct

flavour to it.

It's big and bold,

and therefore it can handle

big flavours.

The garlic, and the rosemary,

and the thyme,

they're being accompanied by

lovely roasted root vegetables.

Those carrots are intensely

carrot.

The rutabaga is intensely

rutabaga,

but with just a slight sweet

edge.

And the mustard helps cut any

richness.

This is a dinner that is

triumphant.





I promised you an Italian feast

fit for your holiday table.

How about a slow braised breast

of veal

with polenta and mushroom ragu?

And the great thing about this

recipe is that you can get

most of the work done ahead of

time,

which means more time to spend

with the family.

Let's get started on the veal.

And the Italian side of me has a

hankering

for a scrumptious braised piece

of veal breast.



So, I'm just taking a little bit

of the excess fat off,

but not too much,

'cause we all know fat is what

gives us flavour.



It is going to be scrumptiously

delicious.

So, the first seasoning I'm

going to add are these

absolutely beautifully scented...

[SNIFFING] Toasted fennel seeds.

A light sprinkle.

Next, a little cinnamon stick.

We know that where there's

cinnamon,

there has to be nutmeg.

It's all about the seasonings

for the holidays.



Done.

Next, a little fresh citrus.

Bright flavour, and you'll know

between the orange

citrusy scent and that fennel,

it's a special meal.

A little thyme, just broken off

the branches,

the leaves loosely falling.

Sage leaf.

That's it. I'm ready to roll and

tie my veal breast.



It's all about the sear on my

veal breast.

[SIZZLING]

The pan is good and hot.

Little slick of oil.

[SIZZLING]

And listen to that music.



[SIZZLING]

I had some of the toasted fennel

left over from the seasoning,

so I might as well put it in.

And, if you remember that

tangerine that I used the zest,

let's cut it in half and add

that juice.



Canned tomatoes, diced,

all the juice, in it goes.

And, just enough chicken stock

so that my veal breast

is almost covered with liquid.

These are the rinds of the

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

that I save up.

This is looking delicious

already.



Now I'm going to make some

polenta.

So, I have some chicken stock

and water, which is boiling,

just the way I like it.

Season with salt

and a little crack of black

pepper.



A good drizzle of olive oil.



And this polenta is nothing more

than ground cornmeal.



We're now ready to add

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.



Just rubbed with a little olive

oil.

Take our polenta while it's

piping hot.



Pat it down, work it into the

corners.

Make sure there's no air bubbles

and as flat as you can make it.



I'll leave the polenta

here to cool

while I prepare

the mushroom ragu.



These are purple foot mushrooms,

hence the colour.



And these are chanterelles.

I've been lucky enough to find

the odd one or two

on the property.

And what's going to happen with

these mushrooms,

they'll cook down very fast,

it's going to bring a wonderful,

earthy flavour

that's going to blend so well

with that braised veal.

Before I cook the mushrooms I'll

just pop the polenta

into the fridge.



My polenta's firmed up nicely.

So, all I want to do here is

give a little trim

to square off the edges.



Just a little butter to stop

things from sticking.



Simple arrangement in the bottom

of the dish.

Next, we'll take a little

sprinkling

of grated parmesan.



This is taleggio.

A soft, mild mannered cheese

similar to brie.

Just a couple little wedges

which will start to melt.

Let's get it in the oven.



And when it comes out of the

oven it looks this good.

A little sprinkle of parsley.

Do I have your attention now?

That is absolutely gorgeous.



A nice thick slice of veal

breast.

Right on the edge of the plate.

And now the sauce.



Simple seedling greens.

All I can say

is [SPEAKING ITALIAN].



This is a dish that has

character, charm,

and Italian sophistication.



Nutmeg, cinnamon,

oh so fitting

at this time of year.

Those mushrooms have a little

more heft and weight,

earthy.

A great balance with

a glass of Barolo

from a Nebbiolo grape.

Wonderful balance in both

the wine...

and the dish.





The holidays are certainly a

time for a little

self-indulgence.

And I don't think there's a

better way to have

real great self-indulgence

than having a molten chocolate

lava cake,

a real classic.

We'll let that slowly melt.



Some butter.



Let's give these a little flour.



I'm going to split

the vanilla bean.



Look at that.

Butter and chocolate all melted

together.

In with the chocolate

to my egg mix,

just adding a little at a time

so it doesn't separate.

The chocolate's going to cool

down a touch

and thicken up.



A little flour.

Some cardamom.



And now, a little something to

keep you up for Santa:

some finely ground espresso

beans.



[GRINDING]



Just putting the espresso beans

through the sieve

so they're nice and fine.



Have my lightly buttered and

floured ramekins.

Guaranteed to come out of the

mould.



Before I put these in the oven,

we'll start poaching our figs.



Cinnamon,

cloves,

honey,

it's almost like eating a fig

flavoured with

Christmas pudding.



Just enough red wine to cover

them so they can poach.



Look at those.

Perfect.

A little light crust, golden

brown.

I've got my figs.

Look how that red wine has

thickened up.

And these figs look like they're

about to burst.



The moment of truth.

It's almost jumping out of the

ramekin.



A dollop of whipped cream.

A little powdered sugar.

And a touch more...

Of the fig poaching liquid.

I always think of dessert as the

grand finale to a meal

and this one is a showstopper.

Now, the moment of truth.

When I cut it open, I want to

see the molten chocolate run.



That is nice.

Really nice.



Well, all that's left is to grab

a dram of whiskey

and cuddle up by the fire with

the ones you love.

That's what I'm going to do.

Wishing you great company,

all the best of eating,

and much warmth and love from my

kitchen to yours.

Merry Christmas.