RUBS, MARINADES, AND GLAZES RUBS, MARINADES, AND GLAZESIn Italy, wild fennel grows literally wild, all over the place, especially in the south of the peninsula. During my travels across America, I also found it abundant as well, wild and cultivated, but the wild fennel grows especially aromatic in California. You can buy wild-fennel seeds to make this recipe, but you can just as well harvest them in the wild by picking the dried flower tops that harbor the fennel seeds in late summer. The anise-licorice flavor brings freshness to any meat when used as a rub.
THIS MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 MEDIUM-SIZED CHICKENS, OR SEVERAL POUNDS OF CHICKEN PARTS OR PORK CHOPS
4 tablespoons wild-fennel seeds, or 3 tablespoons wild-fennel powder
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
6 garlic cloves
½ cup olive oil
NOTE Rub the meat with the mixture and let marinate for 2 to 3 hours before cooking.
If using fennel seeds, grind to a powder in a spice grinder.
Combine the fennel powder, lemon juice, zest, and garlic in a mini–food processor, and process to a smooth paste. Drizzle in the olive oil with the machine running to make an emulsified paste.
Wild fennel growing at Andy Boy Farms in California
I like to use a light beer, but heavier and darker beer adds more complexity.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS, ENOUGH FOR 3 TO 4 POUNDS OF CHICKEN OR PORK ROAST
1½ cups beer
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, ground to a powder
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 fresh bay leaves, or 6 dried bay leaves
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl until mixed well.
Set the meat in a plastic bag, and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag, set in a bowl, and refrigerate overnight. Dump the meat and marinade into a baking pan, and bake as usual.
Because of the ever-evolving ethnic cultures, Polcari’s in Boston has expanded its range to include spices from all around the world.
This rub is great for steaks, roasts, rotisserie chicken, lamb, and even hamburgers. Make sure the meat is patted dry before applying the rub. It is great on the grill or roasted in the oven. When added to hamburgers it adds flavor and also keeps them moist.
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons celery salt
2 tablespoons finely ground black pepper
1 cup porcini powder
Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl. Pat the meat dry, and then cover it well with the rub. Keep in the refrigerator overnight, then grill or roast as desired.
This marinade works best when the chicken is cut up in pieces; I also use it to marinate lamb shoulder or lamb leg cut into pieces.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 3 TO 4 POUNDS OF CHICKEN
5 garlic cloves, sliced
4 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Toss all the ingredients together in a ziplock bag large enough to hold the chicken pieces. Add the chicken pieces, and toss well to cover, then let marinate for 4 to 5 hours. Roast the chicken with the marinade.
Make sure the meat is patted dry before applying the rub. This rub is great to flavor roasted potatoes as well. Toss 2 or 3 tablespoons of it with cut-up potatoes in a roasting pan, and roast as usual.
MAKES ENOUGH RUB FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 TO 4 POUNDS OF MEAT
2 tablespoons finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles
8 garlic cloves, diced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and pulse into a coarse paste. Rub the meat with the paste, let sit for 1 hour, then grill or roast—whichever you prefer.
This marinade is great with all cuts of pork: loin, butt, ribs, fresh ham, or chops.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 3 TO 4 POUNDS OF PORK
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
6 fresh sage leaves, shredded
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
½ cup pomegranate juice
Combine all the ingredients in a plastic bag, and mix well. Add pork and toss to cover the meat. Set in a bowl and let sit overnight. Grill or roast the meat.