Spiced Chicken With Risotto, Wild Mushroom Cognac Cream, and Pan-Seared Ramps

Peel, halve, and thinly slice the shallot into half-moons.

Wash the roots of the ramps.

Trim the ends of the ramps, then cut the green leaves from the stalks. Set the leaves aside.

Wash and thoroughly dry the mushrooms (shitake, oyster, and baby bella). Thinly slice the shitake mushrooms lengthwise.

Separate the oyster mushrooms into individual pieces, respecting their natural shapes.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a wok. Add half of the sliced shallots, a dash of sea salt and cracked black pepper, and stir to coat, scent, and soften. Sauté the shallots.

Add the sliced mushrooms (shitake, oyster, and baby bella) to the wok with the butter and shallots. Toss well. Set the heat to low and simmer, tossing regularly, for about 20 minutes, allowing the mushrooms to reduce and release their liquids.

Meanwhile, start other cooking processes: In a saucepan, simmer 1 quart of chicken stock on low heat. In a skillet, heat a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil and the remaining shallots over medium heat. In another skillet, heat two more glugs of extra virgin olive oil on high heat.

Season the chicken quarters with sea salt, cracked black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and granulated garlic. Place them into the hot extra virgin olive oil in the second skillet (from step 8).

Sear the chicken quarters on both sides in the hot extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet until crisped. Transfer the seared chicken to a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes to finish cooking.

Add the arborio rice to the skillet with the softened shallots and extra virgin olive oil (from step 8). Stir well to coat and toast the rice grains.

Add about 1 cup of white wine to the rice. Stir well over low heat until all the moisture is absorbed by the rice.

Once the wine is absorbed, add 4 ounces of warm chicken stock to the rice. Stir well to promote absorption and release starch, creating a creamy texture.

Continue adding 4 ounces of hot chicken stock at a time, stirring constantly, allowing each addition to be fully absorbed before adding the next.

Cook the risotto until the opaque white center of the rice kernels disappears and there is no hard starch left, ensuring a tender bite.

Ensure the mushrooms (from step 7) have simmered down to at least half their original volume.

Add 25 ml of Cognac to the mushrooms.

Add about 1 cup of heavy cream to the mushrooms. Set the heat to a low simmer.

Stir in fennel salt (or substitute ground fennel, fennel seeds, onion powder, and fine ground sea salt) to the mushroom cream mixture, flavoring to taste. Let it simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.

In a small skillet, heat extra virgin olive oil over high heat until sizzling. Add the white ramp stalks and sear until browned. After a few moments, add the ramp leaves and toss well, allowing them to sear and crisp on the edges.

While the ramps sizzle, grate about 1 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into the cooked risotto. Add about 1 cup of chopped fresh parsley and stir until creamy and well combined.

Stir the chopped fresh chives into the creamed mushroom cognac sauce.

Serve the chicken quarters on creamy risotto, surrounded by the mushroom cognac cream sauce, and topped with pan-seared ramps.