MORE ROASTING

As I continue my chicken-roasting binge, I think I have found my favorite recipe yet!  My friend (who is a great cook) recommended it, so I knew it would be good, but boy!  It came from the March 2008 issue of Gourmet magazine, and got great reviews.  This will be made again very very soon.  I think next time I will double the vegetables.  They were so delicious and great to mop up with bread.

Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives (Poulet Provencal)

1 pound tomatoes (3 to 4 medium), cut into wedges
1 large onion, cut into wedges, leaving root ends intact
1/2 cup drained brine-cured black olives, pitted if desired
4 large garlic cloves, sliced, plus 1 teaspoon minced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, divided
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds)

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
Toss together tomatoes, onion, olives, sliced garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 13- by 9-inch or other 3-quart shallow baking dish. Push vegetables to sides of dish to make room for chicken.
Stir together minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, remaining teaspoon herbes de Provence, and remaining tablespoon olive oil.
Remove excess fat from chicken and pat dry, then rub inside and out with seasoning mixture. Tie legs together with string, then put chicken in baking dish.
Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables and pan juices.

I used a can of whole tomatoes since fresh ones were expensive and pink at best.  Turned out great!  I think it helped in the caramelization process.  I will probably do this again.  Also used Kalamata olives instead of the black ones and they were yummy.  Their salt got into everything.

RURAL FREE

When I was in Indiana over Christmas I came across this book and knew I had to read it.  I didn't buy it right then, but Erik later gave it to me for part of my anniversary gift.  I finished it last month and just loved it.  Originally published in 1961 by Rachel Peden, a self-described "Indiana farm wife", this book is a lyrical month-by-month chronicle of life on a southern Indiana farm in the 1950s.  It is also filled with really great drawings by Sidonie Coryn (who did the original illustrations for Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking).

This book made me take pride in my Hoosier roots but also mourn the bygone days of an America that I will never be able to experience.  Is modern life so fast and Internet-driven that we can no longer take joy in the simple things?  I don't think so, especially if we can see the world as this author did.  Her descriptions of "the lonely, beautiful cry of wild geese," an outdoor autumn baptism taking place under a bridge "concealed by the vine-tangled lofty tops of trees," her husband feasting on "corn bread and apple butter, boiled beans, onions in vinegar, fried ham, and Dutch apple pie," and her memorable experience of participating in a daybreak Easter morning church service on a "hilltop clover field in front of her woods" all make me wish I lived 50 years ago.  Reading this book renewed my desire to try to take in more of the beauty and wisdom that this world has to offer.  Here is a passage from the book that I really loved:

Sometimes in the still mornings of these wonderful sunlit days, when the very air is the color of thoughtfulness, the earth and the fullness thereof seem to contain some poignant message, ancient and persistent.  Before daybreak, hearing the dove sing so close to the farmhouse wall, her voice like a pointed finger, velvet-gloved but inquiring; or a sparrow repeating her thoughts in quick, swept syllables like a woman sweeping the crumbs from the tablecloth into her other, cupped hand; or in midmorning hearing the thrush singing like a stone being shaken in a big gourd, I hear the message, but I cannot quite interpret it.  I hear it when the limbs of the maple tree stroke the walls of the house, and the wind rises, and the soft brush of rain begins.  I see it in the sun-struck glint of cornfields; in the tiny restless lanterns of firefies rising from the grass on July evenings, going on and off and rising higher each time until they reach the level of tall trees.  It is in the cut wheat field, brown and tidy as a hairbrush, and in the sharp, clear cry of the quail nearby.  It is in the ragged blue patches on tall vervain stalks and the intensely bright blue rounds of chickory; in the wild dark-blue larkspur; and in the dusky brown centers of black-eyed Susans. I smell it in the elderberry fragrance drifting in from the pale ivory-colored bloom; and in the first velvety, ripe peaches; and in the first big drops of rain on the ground after a long drought, and in the sweetness of hay, curing in the hot window.  When I tried to express this to Mr. Hanger, bookshop owner and preacher, I could not.  He nodded-and we both knew he understood. (pg. 324)

I think I have moments where I understand too.  I hope I can have more.  Thanks, Mrs. Peden, for this beautiful and poetic book.

Photo of Rachel Peden

VALENTINE'S SUGAR

Every Valentine's Day I make sugar cookies.  I only make them once a year because otherwise we'd be in real trouble (we have very little self-restraint when it comes to this particular type of sweet).  Having this as a tradition makes the holiday even more of a special occasion.  We really look forward to these little heart-shaped morsels.  The recipe that I like is an adaptation of the "soft and chewy sugar cookies" from Cook's Illustrated's New Best Recipe (probably my most-used cookbook).

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 375 and spray baking sheets (or use parchment paper).  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.  Add dry ingredients and beat until just combined.  Put in fridge for an hour or so till dough is firm.

Roll out dough in some flour and cut shapes (maybe 1/2 inch thick?).  Put onto baking sheets and bake 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through.  Take them out when they are just barely brown on the very edges.

Let them cool on the sheet for a couple minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.  See frosting recipe below.

Very important!  These cookies are the best the day after.  Put them in an airtight container or plastic bag overnight.  This will make them super soft and chewy :)

I MADE SOCKS

   

I finished my first pair of knitted socks, using this basic pattern and Rio de la Plata kettle dyed super-wash merino. It actually took quite awhile to find a pattern that I liked and was capable of (I started a few "toe-up" versions and they were way too difficult). In the end, they turned out nice. I did make several mistakes, but they fit perfectly and are fairly cozy; though I think next time I'd like to make some a little more like these.  They look really cozy.

GOOD GRAINS

Plenty is by far my favorite cookbook right now.  I love the writing, everything I make from it tastes great, and it is really getting me to try some new stuff.  For example, since getting this book I have started cooking a lot with some not-so-common types of grains (farro, barley, quinoa, etc).  I'm really getting into these new ingredients.  I especially loved the following recipe.  It blew me away because of how inventive it was with flavors and ingredients.  I also loved that it was very healthy but also incredibly delicious (who would have thought :)   I will definitely make this meal again. Enjoy!

FOR SALAD
2/3 cup wild rice, 1 cup brown rice, 3 cups chicken stock or water, 8 oz green beans trimmed and halved, 1 mango, salt and pepper, 14 oz cooked salmon, 2/3 cup pistachios chopped, chopped cilantro, squeeze of lemon juice
FOR DRESSING
1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 tsp honey, 1 globe finely chopped preserved ginger (I used regular ginger), 2 fresh red chilies seeded and shredded, salt and pepper, 3 tbsp peanut oil, 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Put both rices in a saucepan and cover with stock or water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Cook beans in boiling water about 3-4 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water to set color.  Peel mangoes and slice thinly.
3. Make dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together and stir into the warm rice and the green beans.  Break the salmon into chunks and add it to the rice along with the mango, pistachios, cilantro, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.

More!

Until making this second dish, I had never ever cooked with pearl barley.  I am converted.  Not only is it good for your body and very cheap, it is delicious (sooo chewy and nutty), comforting, and extremely versatile.  I think you could add pretty much anything to barley and make a great weeknight dinner. 

For this version:

Put 1 cup of pearl barley in a saucepan and cover it with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until just tender (you don't want it creamy; you want it to still have some bite). Drain when finished cooking and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar. Meanwhile, peel and cut up a 2 lb butternut squash and roast it with olive oil, salt, and pepper at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (till completely tender and slightly caramelized). Add the squash to the barley along with 2 T chopped cilantro and 2 fresh red chilies, seeded and chopped up. Serve immediately.

FEBRUARY

Erik and I are doing a fun project for the year.  When we couldn't find a wall calendar we liked, we decided to make our own by drawing on the backsides of the pages of last year's calendar.  We are taking turns designing and sketching out each month, and I got February.  I used paper doilies as my inspiration for this little colored pencil drawing.  I like how pink and girly it looks...makes me remember that Valentines' Day is coming up!

I'm also working on my first pair of knitted socks.  I thought my progress looked pretty sitting next to some of our coffee table books :)

NOODLES

When I got married I had never really cooked (unless you count heating up a Boca Burger cooking).  I had the vague idea that I wanted to cook for Erik; you know, be a good wife, but I never expected to discover such a love and excitement for it all.  I think I first started to like being in the kitchen when I realized I had the power to make anything I wanted.  It didn't have to be some boring casserole (though I do love casserole); it could be absolutely anything.  At that time I was really into Thai food (still am), so with the help of Nancie McDermott and her amazing cookbook, Quick and Easy Thai, I discovered that cooking could be an adventure.  We ate Thai constantly for that first year of marriage as I cooked my way through that book and found my love for cooking.  I made an old favorite last night, Chaing Mai Noodles (also called Kao Soi).  It is really delicious and not usually something you find on restaurant menus.  It is best with fresh egg noodles, but I have used regular spaghetti pasta and that is good too.  The fresh cilantro, green onion, and shallot make it, so don't leave these out.  If you don't like spice, ease off on the curry paste (maybe add 1 tablespoon or less).  It is a very yummy and satisfying meal.

Chaing Mai Noodles

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste or panang curry paste
• 3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut in big bite-sized chunks 
• 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (the regular yellow supermarket kind)
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 lb fresh Chinese noodles or 1/2 lb dried Chinese noodles, angel hair pasta, or spaghetti
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped shallots
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and then add the garlic. Toss well and add the red curry paste, mashing and stirring to soften it in the oil, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook 1 to 2 minutes, tossing now and then to brown it evenly and mix it with the curry paste.
   
2. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, curry powder, soy sauce, sugar and salt and stir well. Bring to a gentle boil and adjust heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook about 10 minutes until meat is cooked through.
3. Stir in lime juice, remove from heat and cover to keep curry warm while you prepare the noodles.
4. Cook the noodles in a large pot of rapidly boiling water until tender but still firm, as little as 2 minutes for fresh noodles and 7 minutes or more for dried. Drain, rinse well in cold water, drain again and divide the noodles among individual serving bowls. Ladle on hot curry, and sprinkle each serving with the shallots, cilantro and green onions. 

Nancie's other recipes are equally excellent.  I also have her Quick and Easy Vietnamese and Quick and Easy Chinese.  Both very good!