Greek lemon chicken and potatoes

Chicken with the skin on has been a serious adversary in my oven. Some combination of the size of the oven, my roasting pan, what vegetables I try to roast along with the chicken, and the heat has made it really hard to get good skin with a little crisp and nice browning.  I finally found a recipe that works. This has the right amount of crowding in my roasting pan (not much) and roasting potatoes (and only potatoes) seems to have provided the right conditions to get pretty, tasty chicken.

Thank you, Chef John at Food Wishes (with video)!

Ingredients (3 servings)

• 3 legs and 3 thighs (about 2.25 pounds total)
• 2 large baking potatoes, sliced into eighths (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2 T kosher salt
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1/2 t dried rosemary
• 2 t dried oregano
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth to add to the roasting pan + a splash more to de-glaze

You’ll need

• large mixing bowl
• large roasting pan

Preparation (cooking time 45 minutes to 1 hour)

1. Pre-heat oven to 425.
2. (Peel and) section the potatoes. (Peeled potatoes are prettier but I like potato skins.)
3. Remove the excess skin flap from the thighs and put the chicken in a large bowl.
4. Add the salt, pepper, rosemary, oregano, and minced garlic to the chicken.
5. Add the lemon juice and olive oil.
6. Add the potatoes to the bowl.
7. Toss the chicken and potatoes until the marinade is well-mixed.  You can leave it in the fridge for a few hours or just cook immediately.
8. Lightly oil the roasting pan.
9. Add everything to the roasting pan, chicken skin-side up, and space it all out.
10. Add most of the cup of chicken broth to the pan. (This is to keep things from burning to the roasting pan.)
11. Roast for 20 minutes, and toss.
12. Roast for 25 to 40 minutes more (and check).
13. Take out any chicken that is nicely browned and set in a serving dish.
14. Finish the potatoes (and pale chicken) under the broiler for 3 or 4 minutes. (Keep your nose on the job so you don’t burn it!)
15. De-glaze the pan with a little more broth or water and spoon the liquid over the dish.

Serve with a simple arugula salad or something like that.

Eggplant and potato curry

Long time no see, blog of new recipes!  After becoming deathly bored of everything I normally eat (much of which is a variant of the few things you can find here, much of which I eat 4 or 5 days in a row because it’s infinitely more practical), and only a few days away from finishing a draft of my thesis, it’s time to learn something new.  I want to expand my range on vegetable-laden meals, for health and variety.  Where’s easily the world’s awesomest repository of vegetarian meals that are actually meals? The Indian subcontinent.  Now, to begin aimlessly experimenting until I learn how to do enough wrong that it’s time to get taught by someone who knows something.

For a first pass, last week’s dinner was this chana masala from Smitten Kitchen.  I’m not writing it up as it came out fine and I did nothing different.

On today’s agenda is eggplant and potato curry.  I suppose I could call it Baingan-Aaloo Ki Subji from the recipe that I’m more or less following, but that would be insulting to India.  This recipe came out fine to my ignorant taste buds—a good start on this adventure.  (This post is likely to be revised over time.)

Calorie Estimate: around 2400?

Ingredients

• 2 onions, diced however you like
• 6 japanese eggplant (or whatever equivalent by total size), cubed 1/3″-ish
• 2 large potatoes, diced 1/4″-ish
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• oil to coat the bottom of the pot (I use my dutch oven)
• 1.5 T ground cumin
• 1 T coriander
• 1.5 T ground red pepper
• 1 t turmeric powder
• 1T garam masala
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• plenty of salt to taste
• juice of 1 lemon

Preparation

I had success chopping as I go, just keeping an eye on the heat and adding a few ounces of water as necessary to keep things under control.  It’s gonna stew at the end for 30 minutes, so it’s not essential that all veggies of a type get in at the same time.

1. Warm oil in a deep pot.  Soften onions.
2. Add in the spices.  Stir to coat well.  Cook the spices with the onions for a few minutes.  It will start smelling wonderful at this point.
3. Add in the  can of tomatoes, diced potatoes, and the eggplant.  If you notice, this is a huge recipe, so add in handfuls and stir every couple handfuls.  This is easier if you’re adding as you chop.  Also, if it’s getting too dry, add a little water.  The veggies will give up theirs soon, so not too much, but it helps if you’re about to burn the spices, which would be a disaster.As you’re adding the vegetables, keep in mind the single most useful piece of advice I ever got from a cooking show, Avec Eric with Eric Ripert:  “don’t salt the dish, salt the vegetables.” You know about how much salt a cooking onion needs, a potato, etc., but do you know how to salt 5 quarts of stewing vegetables all at once?(As an aside, there are probably only two cooking shows I actually recommend as being spot-on with the mix of useful to you right now, beautiful, aspirational, culturally interesting, and entertaining too: Avec Eric and Molto Mario with Mario Batali.)
4. Stir everything often until the spicing is really thoroughly mixed in with the veggies and everything is starting to cook.  Once it’s all getting together, turn down the heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes or so.
5. Turn off the heat, uncover, and let some of the water escape and get reabsorbed.  It should be moist but not soupy.
6. Stir in the lemon juice for some brightness and tartness.
7. Eat!

Because of the potatoes, you can maybe  do without  bread or rice, but that’s up to you!  I’ve got a small spinach naan in my toaster over right now!  Also, a little cool, tart yogurt on the side, mixed on the spoon, is nice.

Preserved Meyer Lemons

Meyer lemons were on sale at Uwajimaya.  I’ve got more than I know what to do with.  So, why not preserve them?  Not sure what I’ll do with preserved lemons, but that’s a question for a month from now!  The word is Moroccan, fish dishes, salads, and pasta.  We’ll see how it goes.

The approach I took to preserving comes from here.  I also topped everything off with just a little olive oil to help ensure good isolation from nasties in the air.

Wish me luck!

Getting the cooking bug back: ideas to try

Beans and ham hock

Beef winter soup

Red lentil dal (new favorite)

Lentil soup for a small planet

Meyer Lemon risotto

Meyer Lemon pasta

Sardines with potatoes (success!)

Fillet and soba noodles

Minestrone

Wild boar and lentil soup

Braised leeks

Chicken with Meyer Lemon Shallot Sauce

This simple chicken dish is easy to make quickly.  The general approach of cooking chicken covered in a skillet with a simple rub is something I need to incorporate into my cooking.  This goes reasonably well over a simple pilaf (or egg noodles, if fast is the name of the game), with some roasted vegetables on the side (especially beets, given the lemoniness) or a simple salad.

The recipe will be revamped as the flavor isn’t really there yet (it was inspired by this recipe, from an untrusted source, not that I should blame the source, seeing as I didn’t follow to anywhere near the letter).

Calorie estimate: 1050

Ingredients

• 2 skinless chicken parts (breasts, thighs), 3/4 – 1 lb.
• salt, pepper, and allspice
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 Meyer lemon, zested and ready to be juiced
• 1/2 small shallot, diced
• 1/4 C chicken broth
• 1 T butter
• splash of white wine
• pinch of thyme

Preparation

1. Pat the chicken breasts dry.  Season with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of allspice.
2. Place a little oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Place the chicken in the pan and cover.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until browned.  Flip and cook covered for 5 more.
3. Zest half a Meyer lemon and dice half a small shallot.
4. After the chicken is cooked, take it out of the pan.  Deglaze with a 1/4 cup of chicken stock and a splash of white wine. Add the butter, shallot, lemon zest, a pinch of time, and a squeeze of lemon juice (be sure not to squeeze all of it now).  Reduce over medium heat for a few minutes until you have a proper sauce.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Serve the chicken over a simple pilaf or egg noodles, and pour the sauce over the mix.  Maybe some roasted vegetables on the side. Finish with the remaining lemon juice.