Julie & Julia :: Roasted Chicken

Last night, I went to see Julie & Julia.... loved!  Meryl Streep is amazing as Julia Child. I could watch her for hours... well I actually did.  I came home and then watched hours of You Tube clips of Julia Child's show.

Today I was inspired to make a roasted chicken!  Roasted chicken is so easy to make, there's no reason to buy the ready made rotisserie chickens.  Seasoning it only takes a few minutes, then the oven does the rest.  The best part is the leftovers the next day...yum, I love chicken salad!

A few weeks ago I got a copy of 'From Julia Child's Kitchen' cookbook (a 1st edition find on ebay!)  I used her recipe as a start and added a bit of lime and Herbes de Provence as seasoning.  I think Herbes de Provence go perfectly with chicken.  A. and I were in Paris earlier this year and bought this blend from a wonderful little spice shop called L'Epicerie on Ile St Louis.  It makes any dish amazingly aromatic! 

Hope you enjoy! 

ROASTED CHICKEN

1 whole free range chicken (btw 2 and 4 lbs)

3 -4 tbsp of Butter

1 tbsp Herbes de Provence

1 lime

1/2 red onion

Salt & Pepper

Wash the chicken with warm water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  With kitchen scissors, remove any extra skin and any insides that have been left behind.  Place the chicken in the pan that you will be cooking it in.  Season it with plenty of salt and pepper, and herbs.  Rub the chicken with the room temperature butter.  Go under the skin as well.  Make sure the chicken is evenly covered.  Squeeze lime juice over the chicken.

In the cavity of the chicken place the half onion and half lime.  Allow chicken to marinate 30 minutes.

Now to tie the chicken... this step is optional.  I think it makes for a nicer presentation.  With kitchen twine, loop the drumsticks so that they are touching, make a knot.  With another piece of twine, go under the chicken and tie around the middle of the chicken to keep the wings in place and close to the breasts.

Preheat oven at 375F.  Put the chicken in the oven.   Total time will vary depending on the weight of your chicken, but allow about 45 minutes base time, plus another 15 minutes for each additional pound.  Use your kitchen thermometer, the chicken will be done at 180F.  When it hits 170F,I then place it on broil for another 5 minutes to get it extra crispy.

Allow the chicken to cool for 10 minutes before carving.  

Bon appetit! :-)

Monday, Monday :: Brunch at Tartine

A. and I are on vacation this week!  We're spending a few days hanging around NYC before heading to a friend's wedding.  

Today we started our day with brunch at Tartine (West Village, on W4th St and 11th).  

French toasts with smoked bacon, and Croque Monsieurs... Monday's cant get any better than this.  :-)

(photo from NY Mag)

Heirloom Greens :: Green Tomato Gazpacho

Whenever I hear 'green tomatoes' I of course think of Fried Green Tomatoes... not because I've had them often, but more because of the movie.  So when we got these summery treats in our CSA share this week I tried to think of another use for them.

Last summer I was obsessed with gazpacho, I made it once a week. It's such a perfect summer food, and very easy to make.  Everything goes into a food processor and then chills...that's it.  I like to serve it with grilled Gruyere sandwiches.  

But I have yet to make it this summer... so I decided to come up with a green tomato gazpacho! 

The taste of green tomatoes is far tangier and bitter than that of sweet red tomatoes, especially in the summer (imagine a granny smith apple vs a sweet red apple).  So I modified my red gazpacho recipe by adding less vinegar, less onions, no garlic, introducing a bit of mustard, and finally adding sparkling white wine to cut the acidity.

After a few tries, and playing with quantities...It came out delicious! Hope you enjoy!

GREEN TOMATO GAZPACHO

1.5 lbs green tomatoes

2 peeled cucumbers

2 peppers (any color - but I used light green and yellow so that they would blend into the soup)

1/4 of a white onion (medium sized)

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Prosecco (or any other dry white wine)

1/2 tbsp grain mustard

1/2 tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste (I used kosher salt)

Dash of cumin (if you like the smokiness of cumin - optional)

All ingredients go into a food processor and start chopping. I only have a mini-prep food processor (remember: NYC apartment!) so I do it in batches, each vegetable at a time and add all ingredients to a large serving bowl.  Then I season while in the bowl.  I don't like my gazpacho chunky because when it is, I feel that I am eating salsa, so I process until I have a smooth liquid consistency.  Taste as you are adding your seasonings.  Feel free to add more olive oil, vinegar, wine, salt and pepper to taste.

Chill for at least an hour. Serve with crusty bread.

Summer Salads :: Cucumber, Feta, Apricot Salad

I think summer is the perfect time to enjoy salads.  Vegetables in season now are fresh and crisp!  Example: cucumbers! 

I was inspired by Mark Bittman's 101 Salads article, and came up with this salad.  Crisp cucumbers, with sweet apricots and tangy feta, yum! A perfect side dish for any summer meal... especially a bbq.

CUCUMBER, FETA, APRICOT SALAD

3 Cucumbers, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/3 cup chopped apricots (I used dried - a great replacement for raisins in salads)

1 tbsp chopped parsley (mint would be delicious too)

salt and pepper

2 tbspn olive oil

Squeeze of lime juice

Combine all of the ingredients, and enjoy! 

How easy was that? :-)

From the Farm:: Raviolis with Sauteed Garlic Fava Beans

I had mentioned that my challenge this week was to cook with fava beans. I really enjoy their summery taste, and love their sightly al-dente crunch. We had a pound of them from last week's veggie share and I've never used them before.

So I was really excited when I got home and A. had already prepped them! ...I could really get used to having a sous-chef :-)

I decided to combine with eggplant pomodori raviolis (eggplant, ricotta, basil, pine nuts, and sundried tomatoes!) from Brunos Raviolis that we bought at the Fulton St. market a few weeks ago. Because I wanted to taste the fava beans, and the raviolis already have so much flavor, I lightly sauteed them with olive oil and garlic, and topped with fresh Parmesan. An easy weeknight meal!

Raviolis are great because you can buy fresh at the farmers market, freeze for a couple of months, and have an instant meal any day of the week,

RAVIOLIS w/ SAUTEED GARLIC FAVA BEANS

1 pack raviolis

1 lb fava beans (this will five you about a cup of beans)

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic

lots of fresh parmesean

Prep fava beans by removing the beans from the pods and boiling in water for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and submerge the beans in ice water. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the outer skin from each bean. This will easily slide off and will remove the bitter flavor from the beans. Here's a picture: pods, skin, and beans

Cook raviolis per instructions. 6-8 minutes is usually enough. Drain.

Sautee chopped garlic in olive oil in a large skillet until lightly browned (a couple of minutes, not burnt!). Add the fava beans and stir. Add raviolis to the pan and add plenty of Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Breakfast in Bed :: Egg, Tomato & Goat Cheese Tartines

 

It's a dreary, rainy Sunday morning here in NY so I decided to surprise A. with breakfast in bed.  There's nothing better than staying in bed on a gloomy morning. 

We went to the farmer's market yesterday and bought a deliciously tart fresh goat cheese so I came up with this breakfast treat.  A lightly toasted whole wheat sourdough bread, generously slathered with fresh goat cheese, with quickly sauteed tomatoes, all topped with a fried egg and lemon basil leaves.

... my take on a breakfast egg and cheese sandwich. 

EGG, TOMATO, & GOAT CHEESE BREAKFAST TARTINES

2 Eggs

1 large tomato, or a few small heirloom tomatoes (I used 4)

Basil (I used lemon basil)

2 slices of lightly toasted bread

a generous amount of Goat Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

In a non-stick pan over medium/high heat, quickly saute the tomato slices with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Simultaneously, fry two eggs in a little bit of butter to prevent sticking. Cook the eggs until the whites are fully cooked, but the yolks are still runny (I love the how the yolks will run over the entire bread when you bite into it, but you can cook the yolk through if this isn't something you want).

Spread fresh goat cheese (or ricotta if that's what you have) on your lightly toasted bread - be generous with the cheese!  Top the bread with the sauteed tomatoes, place the fried egg on top, then sprinkle the basil over the egg.  Enjoy!

Happy Saturday:: Coffee and Croissants

Our pup off getting a summer haircut, so A. and I hung out at Bonsignour Cafe  on Jane Street, drinking coffees, eating croissants, and reading the paper while we waited.  Coffee and croissants... yum!  Hope you're enjoying the weekend...