posted Monday, Dec. 29, 2008 1:48 p.m. The "Simply Ming" team has been busy preparing for the Chinese New Year (Jan 26, 2009 – Year of the Ox). Now in its sixth season, "Simply Ming" airs Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. Here are two all-in-one holiday recipes:

Orange chicken with ginger wild rice
Serves 4

1 whole, 4-5 pound, naturally raised chicken, brined*
1-2 oranges, washed, juiced and quartered
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 yellow onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups cooked wild rice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil to cook
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place roasting pan in oven and pre-heat oven to 525 degrees, using fan if available. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Juice the oranges and quarter the juiced halves. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and rub with olive oil and garlic. Stuff cavity with juiced orange wedges and truss legs together. Place chicken in preheated roasting pan and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until chicken is nicely colored. Cover chicken with foil, turn heat down to 350 and cook for about 45 minutes more or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 160 degrees.

When chicken is done, remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Pour off majority of chicken fat from roasting pan and place pan over medium heat. Add onion, ginger and orange zest and saute until slightly softened. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by 50%. Add wild rice and stir to coat rice with aromatics. Add orange juice and check for flavor. To serve, present chicken on bed of rice in roasting pan.

*Brine method: Use sweet sea water ratio: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup kosher salt to 1 quart water, multiply as necessary to fully submerge protein in a large container. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Rinse under running water before cooking.


Mini "lion's head" meatballs and snow cabbage
Serves 4

3/4 pound ground pork, naturally fed
3/4 pound ground beef
1 large onion, 1/4-inch dice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 heaping tablespoons kochu jang
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 head snow (Napa) cabbage, julienned

Prepare a steamer over a wok of boiling water. In a large bowl, combine pork, beef, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, kochu jang, panko and egg. Season with salt and pepper and mix until just combined. Check flavor by microwaving or sautéing a small portion. Form into small meatballs and place on bed of julienne cabbage inside steamer. Steam for about 8-10 minutes, until cooked through. To serve, scoop cabbage (the lion's mane) and meatballs together.

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