‘DESIRE TO LEARN IS WHAT IT’S ABOUT’

Helping others learn to cook has been one of the great joys of her career, chef Naomi Pomeroy says. with 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 teaspoon salt (depending on its size; a large thigh will weigh about 10 ounces and a small one about 6 ounces) and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper.

Heat a black steel pan over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until the surface is rippling but not smoking. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add 4 chicken thighs, skin side down, and lower the heat slightly, to medium-high. Weight down the thighs with a heavy plate to create an even sear across the entire surface and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until evenly golden but not too dark in any spots. Check after the first 1 to 2 minutes to ensure no black spots are forming and lower the heat as needed. Place the thighs, skin side up, in a single layer in the Dutch oven and repeat two more times with the remaining oil and chicken thighs, rinsing the pan and wiping it completely dry after each batch.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the stock and wine to a simmer. Pour the stock mixture into the Dutch oven; the edges of the chicken should be submerged but the skin should be exposed. It’s important not to cover the chicken skin completely or it won’t get crisp.

Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or with aluminum foil if using a roasting pan), place in the oven, and cook for 1 1⁄4 hours, or until the chicken is completely tender. Turn up the oven temperature to 400°F, remove the cover, and continue to cook until the chicken skin is crisp, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, discard the thyme sprigs as best you can, and serve directly from the pot.

“You need to do a lot of chopping in this recipe,” Pomeroy writes. “I know it’s tempting to just throw all of the herbs into a food processor, but do not take this shortcut. The processor bruises herbs instead of cleanly slicing them. When you hand chop, not only do you improve your knife skills but you also preserve the integrity of the herbs, as they will spoil less quickly.”

Place the oil in a small mixing bowl. Immediately upon chopping the parsley, chives, and tarragon, add them to the oil to prevent browning. Fresh herbs start to discolour as soon as they’re chopped; submerging them in oil helps keep their colour and protects their flavour. Splash in more oil if needed to keep all of the herbs covered.

In a second small bowl, cover the shallot with the vinegar and add half of the salt; stir to dissolve the salt. Splash in more vinegar if needed to keep the shallot covered. Macerating the shallot helps mellow some of its sharp taste.

No more than 15 minutes prior to serving, mix together the herbs and the macerated shallot with its liquid (adding the vinegar too early will cause the herbs to brown before serving). Season with the remaining salt, the pepper, the sugar, and with more vinegar and oil if necessary. Add the hazelnuts at the last minute so they keep their crunch. Serve immediately.

In a 4-quart (4-L) saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the nuts and return the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. When the nuts are boiling, turn down the heat to very low and cover the pan. Allow the nuts to simmer gently on the lowest heat possible for 45 minutes. (The heat must be quite low to avoid reducing the sugar and prematurely candying the nuts.)

Preheat the oven to 300F. Grease a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the oil. With a spider (see Note), remove the nuts from the syrup and spread them out on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky finishing salt. Discard the syrup.

Roast the nuts for 5 minutes and remove from the oven. Stir the nuts, then return them to the oven for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove, stir, and return to the oven for another 4 to 5

A spider is a skimmer with a wide, shallow wiremesh basket and a long handle. They are inexpensive and widely available in Asian markets and online.

“I cannot overstate the importance of keeping the oil over very low heat; too high and you’ll fry the vegetables. If you have a high-powered stove, invest in a diffuser (an enamelled cast-iron disk that fits directly over the burner) to temper the heat,” Pomeroy writes. “If the flame on your stove top goes out at the lowest setting, transfer the pot to a low oven (250°F) instead. Because the oil never gets hot enough to break down or denature, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months and use it again for long-cooking vegetables.”

Warm the oil in a 6- to 8-quart (6- to 8-litre) Dutch oven or other heavy pot over very low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and allow it to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and salt and cook, tossing frequently, until the colour along the edges of the broccoli begins to brighten, 5 to 7 minutes. The broccoli should be almost (but not quite) submerged in the oil; add a splash more oil if necessary.

Cover the pot with a tightfitting lid and cook until the florets are very tender and nearly (but not quite) falling apart, about 55 to 60 minutes. Check the broccoli frequently and gently move the florets around to ensure they’re fully covered by the oil. When the broccoli is ready, carefully remove it from the oil with a slotted spoon. Broccoli tends to break apart easily when cooked this way, so if you plan to store the oil, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer placed over a bowl to filter it. The tiny bits you capture in the strainer are my favourite; I like to sop them up with a piece of bread.