Tag: lemon

Feta Roast Chicken – Making Chicken Betta with Feta

I really loved everything about this feta roast chicken, as long as I was eating with my eyes closed, and that’s because despite the juicy texture, and wonderful flavor, I had trouble getting past the grainy-looking appearance of the cooked cheese mixture. The good news is, it was mostly an aesthetic issue, and the mouthfeel wasn’t nearly as dry and grainy as it looked. Having said that, the next time I make this I will probably go with a little higher-end sheep’s milk feta which is much softer, and creamier. Speaking of the feta, you may need to add some salt to the mixture, depending how salty the one you use is.

As usual, your roasting time will depend on the size of your chicken, and the feta under the skin will increase the time needed, so check with a thermometer, and shoot for 155-160 F. in the thickest part of the thigh. Surprisingly, even though the feta was only under the breast, the thighs did actually pick up some of the flavor, which is enhanced even further if you create a simple pan sauce from the drippings.

While your chicken is resting, pour off all, some, or none of the fat from the pan, and squeeze in your lemon. Set over medium heat, and use the juice to deglaze the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. You may need/want to add a splash of broth or water, but once hot, and adjusted for seasoning, it’s ready to spoon over your sliced chicken. For an experiment, I thought this was very successful, if not triumphantly so, and I do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one large whole chicken:

1 large whole chicken

kosher salt, as needed

a few fresh rosemary and oregano sprigs

2 teaspoons olive oil for coating chicken

cayenne to taste

For the feta cheese mixture:

4 ounces feta cheese

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

zest from one lemon (save juice for pan sauce)

2 teaspoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons olive oil, or enough to make a smooth paste

salt to taste

Smokey Baba Ganoush

Like its cousin, hummus, baba ganoush is a very simple but irresistible Middle Eastern dip, only instead of chickpeas, you mash charred and roasted eggplant along with lemon, salt, tahini, olive oil and variable other herbs and spices. If you love hummus, this is a really nice way to change it up every now and then. A friend made it for me last week and a little light went off in my head…it’s so delicious and yet it totally dropped off my radar many years back. I’m so glad to have rediscovered it.

These Sicilian eggplant are from the farmer’s market. They’re a little sweeter than the dark purple variety, but any kind is fine for baba ganoush. Since you are going to roast them and scrape out the flesh, the larger, rounder eggplant will be easiest to work with.

The defining feature of baba ganoush is the charred eggplant. If you have a gas stove top you can hold the eggplant directly over the fire until the skin blisters and blackens. You could also do this with a kitchen torch or by putting them under the broiler. You can skip this step and just roast the eggplant in the oven, but the initial blackening subtly flavors the inner flesh with a delicious smokiness. I use this technique with stuffed peppers and it really does make a difference.

When they come out of the oven they’ll look like hell, but don’t worry. It gets better. All you need to do is cut them in half and scoop out the soft insides. Put the flesh in a food processor and leave the burnt skin behind. Much like a hummus, it’s going to bet blended with tahini, lemon, garlic and salt. From there you have the option of adding fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro, or seasonings like cumin. Taking my cue from David Lebovitz, I bumped up the smokey factor with smoked salt and smoked hot paprika. At the end I sprinkled on some sumac, which is a Middle Eastern spice with a tangy, lemon flavor, and some herbs de Provence. This is a gorgeous dip.

What You Will Need

2 small to medium eggplant
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp smoked sea salt (or regular salt)
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika (substitute sweet paprika if you don’t want heat)

for garnish

olive oil
fresh parsley
sumac (or more paprika)
herbes de Provence

Instructions

set oven to 400F
Poke the skin of the eggplant several times with a fork. Set the eggplants over an open flame to char the skin on all sides. You can do this over a gas flame on the stove top, with a kitchen torch, or under the broiler. Turn the eggplant to evenly blacken the skin. (You can skip this step if you want to.)
Put the eggplant on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a sharp paring knife pierces the flesh easily.
Let cool briefly, and then cut in half. Scoop out the flesh and put in the bowl of a food processor. Leave the blackened skin behind.
Smash the garlic clove and mince it. Add the salt to the garlic and mash it with the back of the knife until it becomes a paste. Put the paste in the processor with the eggplant.
Add the lemon juice, tahini, and paprika and pulse until the mixture is pureed but still has some texture.
Taste the baba ganoush and adjust the seasonings if you need to. You may want to add a ittle more salt, lemon, or paprika.
Chill until ready to eat, the baba ganoush will improve with a little time in the fridge.
When ready to serve, spread in a bowl and even out the top so it can hold a swirl of oil. Drizzle on the oil, then sprinkle on sumac, herbes, and parsley. Serve with pita, naan, or other flat bread.

Notes

You could also garnish the baba ganoush with toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

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http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/08/smokey-baba-ganoush.html

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CREAMY LEMON PASTA WITH CHICKEN & ASPARAGUS

It’s 70 degrees today and something about warmer weather makes me crave lemons. I adore them! (Side note: If you haven’t tried my Lemon Bar recipe, you must! They’re incredible!) This quick & easy pasta dish requires just 1 fresh lemon and tastes amazing. It got rave reviews from the whole family, even the picky 2 year-old and the claims-he’s-not-picky-but-he-really-is, Father-In-Law. It’s the perfect Spring weeknight meal.

Creamy Lemon Pasta with Chicken & Asparagus

Adapted from Kraft Creamy Lemon Pasta

1 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
8 oz. block of cream cheese (or Neufchatel cheese, like I used)
3 cloves garlic
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice, plus 1 tsp lemon zest
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups of the water noodles were boiled in

Cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package, using only half the salt. Meanwhile, chop asparagus into 1/2″- 3/4″ segments. My pasta required 9 minutes to cook. After 4 minutes, add the chopped asparagus to the boiling pasta, allowing it to cook it for 5 minutes.

Drain spaghetti and asparagus, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water. Whisk reserved water, cream cheese, garlic, lemon juice and bouillon in the sauce pan until smooth. Add in chicken and heat just until warm.

Return spaghetti to saucepan with sauce and mix lightly. Cook on medium heat 3 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently. Add in lemon zest. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.