The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Unofficial Cookbook) (22 page)
Authors: Alan Kistler
Tags: #recipes, #cookbook, #Game of Thrones
Serves 4
4–6 tablespoons chicken broth
1
1
⁄
2
cups dried bread cubes
3 slices bacon
1
⁄
4
cup chopped yellow onion
1
⁄
4
cup chopped celery
1
⁄
4
cup chopped carrot
1
⁄
4
cup chopped prunes
1
⁄
4
cup roasted and coarsely chopped chestnuts
1
⁄
4
tablespoon nutmeg
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cinnamon
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cloves
Pinch of salt
1 (4-pound) roasting hen, thoroughly cleaned
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Warm the chicken broth in a small saucepan. Keep warm on low heat while preparing the other stuffing ingredients. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl.
- Chop the bacon and cook in a large frying pan. Leave the cooked bacon and the fat in the pan and add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, and add the prunes and chestnuts. Cook until the onion is tender.
- Add the cooked ingredients to the bread cubes. Stir in the nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of the warmed chicken broth. Use your hands to shape the stuffing into firm balls roughly the size of snowballs (the stuffing should not be mushy). Add as much of the remaining 2 tablespoons of warmed chicken broth as necessary. Allow all ingredients to cool completely before stuffing hen.
- To stuff the hen,
hold it so that the neck is facing upward, and begin spooning stuffing into the neck cavity. Use skewers to fasten the skin from the neck over the opening. Tuck the wing tips under the back of the bird. Stuff more stuffing into the body cavity of the bird. Tie the legs and tail of the bird together with string to seal the opening. Place hen in a roasting pan. - Roast hen for 60 to 70 minutes, basting with its own juices every 15 minutes. Internal temperature at the thigh should register 175°F when done. Allow hen to rest for about 15 minutes before carving.
A Word of Wisdom
The fowl you choose to stuff for dinner may not be of the exact proportions this recipe indicates. You’ll likely need between
3
⁄
4
and 1 cup of stuffing for every pound of meat you cook. However, you can always make extra stuffing, cook it separately in a baking pan, and serve it alongside your bird.
Ghost’s Chicken
Sometimes appetites are like direwolves, ready to tear into the first chicken they come across. Jon Snow may not be a Stark, but he and his companion Ghost certainly share Eddard Stark’s taste for such finely cooked meats. This dish will certainly satisfy the animal within! (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 5 — Jon)
Serves 6
1 (3-pound) chicken
1 Granny Smith apple
1 pear
1 yellow onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1
⁄
2
bulb garlic
1
⁄
2
teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1
⁄
2
cup dry red wine
1
⁄
4
cup honey
1
⁄
4
cup cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove and discard all the skin and visible fat from the chicken. Cut the chicken into serving portions. Core the apple and pear, cut into medium-size wedges, and place in cold water. Peel and cut onion into large wedges. Peel and slice the carrot. Chop the celery and mince the garlic.
- Season the chicken parts with red pepper flakes and salt. Heat the oil to medium-high temperature in a large Dutch oven. Sear the chicken and vegetables for about 1 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Add the wine and let reduce by half. Add honey, vinegar, and stock. Drain water from pear and apple, add the fruits to Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Cover and braise in oven until cooked thoroughly, about 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
A Word of Wisdom
This sweet, tangy, honeyed chicken is braised: it is seared, then cooked in liquid. Pot roasts and meals cooked in slow or pressure cookers are also braised, so the technique may already be familiar.
Crab of the North
The Night’s Watch knows well that the sea may provide food when game is scarce in the cold forests of the north. Crab from the Night’s Watch stronghold at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea is a wonderful meat that stores well in ice and is easy to prepare. When one faces a lifetime that could be spent in the landlocked Castle Black, crab provides a pleasant escape from Three-Finger Hobb’s usual menu. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 21 — Tyrion)
Serves 4
2 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (1-inch) piece fresh gingerroot, crushed
1 stalk lemongrass, crushed
2 pounds Alaskan king crab legs
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass; cook and stir until brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add crab legs and pepper. Cover and cook, tossing occasionally, for 15 minutes. Crab is fully cooked when flesh is pearly and opaque.
A Word of Wisdom
If using precooked frozen crab, just place it in the refrigerator overnight to allow it to defrost. You can also wrap it in cling film and place in cold water. Do not use hot water to defrost.
Dothraki Duck
Magister Illyrio served Khal Drogo and his blood riders this honeyed duck on the khal’s wedding day. Sweet and filled with fruit, the dish is almost a good wish for the khal’s marriage. A touch of spice from Worcestershire sauce would honor Drogo’s union with his stormborn dragon. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 11 — Daenerys)
Serves 6–8
3 mallard ducks, or the equivalent of 6 to 7 pounds of duck
3 tablespoons salt, plus kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 apples, quartered
1 orange, quartered
1 cup orange juice
1
⁄
4
cup dark honey
1
⁄
4
cup sherry
1 tablespoon Maggi Seasoning Sauce or Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
- Place ducks in a stockpot and cover with water. Add 3 tablespoons salt, apples, and orange, and bring to a boil. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove from water and place ducks in a pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine orange juice, honey, sherry, and Maggi. Baste duck with sauce and place in oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.
- Liberally baste again and add water to pan to prevent duck from sticking. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or cover tightly with heavy-duty foil.
- Lower heat to 275°F degrees. Roast for 2
1
⁄
2
to 3 hours more, depending on size of ducks, basting every 30 minutes. Add water to bottom of pan if dry. Ducks are done when leg joint falls apart; the internal temperature should reach at least 165°F. - To make gravy, add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour to pan juices and cook until slightly thickened.
A Word of Wisdom
Pick the bones clean from this duck! Every shred of meat can be eaten. Use the leftover bits of meat for any of the soups or salads in
Chapter 4
.
Stark Rib Roast
The House of Stark eats well when fortunes are good. A cut of red meat worthy of a warrior’s feast, an auroch rib roast would have fed a small army — or at least a rotund monarch — quite easily. Make this one with a few cups of
Direwolf Ale
for a full Winterfell flavor. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 22 — Arya)
Serves 8–10
1 (8- to 9-pound) auroch rib roast
3 cups dark beer, divided
1
⁄
2
cup dark honey
1
⁄
2
cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons grainy German-style mustard
Zest and juice of 1 lime
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
- Trim all fat from rib roast and place in a large resealable plastic bag. Combine 1 cup beer, honey, vinegar, mustard, lime zest and juice, garlic, salt, and lemon pepper. Reserve
1
⁄
2
cup of marinade in a covered jar. Pour rest of marinade over rib roast and seal the bag shut. Refrigerate 12 to 16 hours or overnight. - Preheat oven to 475°F. Remove roast from marinade and place in a roasting pan. Discard used marinade. Place rib roast in oven and bake for 15 minutes to sear. Add remaining 2 cups of beer to pan.
- Baste the roast with the
1
⁄
2
cup reserved marinade. Lower heat to 350°F. Continue cooking for about 1 to 1
1
⁄
2
hours or until internal temperature registers 140°F for well-done. - Let roast rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Bring pan juices to a boil. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Carve roast and ladle warm pan juices over each slice.