Vegetables

Chicken Lady Chicken and Raw Vegetable Slaw – David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen

July 18, 2016 by Renee

I love a good roast chicken. My favorite recipes for chicken always start a couple of days in advance. Whether it’s brining or marinating them, if you buy your chicken on Friday and cook it Sunday, then you can use the leftovers during the week. That is, if you have any leftovers! I can usually scrape enough off the carcass for a few servings of chicken to toss into a salad or just a midnight snack.

David’s Poulet Crapaudine Facon Catherine has an exceptionally crispy skin and the marinade is incredibly flavorful. We used the last little bit of Sriracha we had in the pantry (need another bottle STAT!) along with the honey, wine and soy sauce to create a deliciously sweet and spicy bath for the bird to hang out in for the weekend. The marinade would also be great to use for boneless/skinless breasts or thighs that you grill too. I can certainly see this being added to our roast chicken repertoire.

The technique of spatchcocking a chicken cuts the cooking time down. It exposes more “flesh to the fire” as they say and the skin crisps up in no time while keeping the bird moist inside. We use our cast iron pan for roasting chicken, but we always add a little oil to the bottom so that the chicken skin does not stick. No matter how hot the pan is, the skin will stick if a little oil isn’t used. And the skin is one of the best parts, so you don’t want to leave it behind in the pan!

David suggests a side of Raw Vegetable Slaw to go with the chicken, which is really just a mixture of any of your favorites that you may have around, topped with a tangy, garlicky dressing. We had some broccoli and carrots so I tossed them together, but I can see devising several different combinations and adding nuts, and fruits to the mix as well. But for this time, I kept it super simple.

This week’s recipes can be found on pages 173 and 96. For details on recreating this and other recipes, check out the CookTheBookFridays site and see others who are also cooking the book-

You can also buy the book here:

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Feta-filled Zucchini Blossoms – French Fridays with Dorie with a nod to Aglaia Kremezi

July 13, 2014 by Renee

As luck would have it, last week I had a full garden of zucchini blossoms, but this week, I have only zucchini! Not that I am complaining of course! So my plans for making zucchini blossom anything fell apart. This French Fridays with Dorie, which was supposed to be Shrimp filled Zucchini Blossoms, but as I am not actually fond of shrimp, I had planned to make the Feta Filled Zucchini Blossoms that I learned how to make at Kea Artisanal in Greece. But since I was not able to get blossoms in time from the store, we’ll just revisit my time at Kea with Aglaia.

Aglaia Kremezi is a food writer, journalist, and one of Greece’s foremost cooking authorities and she runs Kea Artisanal with her husband, Costas, on the island in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Kea is just an hour ferry ride from Lavrio, a port south of Athens.

If you ever want to go on a culinary vacation to one of the most beautiful places on earth, and learn from someone who is truly able to pass along the techniques, history and traditions of Greek cooking, then you should visit Kea Artisanal. Their hospitality and their passion for teaching is exceptional. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

It was there that I was introduced to Zucchini Blossoms. I’d never had them before and the way we prepared them was so incredibly easy. Simply done, with a small piece of Feta cheese and a sprig of mint, then covered in a light batter and fried. On the side, we made a zingy potato-garlic spread, Skordalia to dip them and some other vegetables in to- and it was phenomenal!

You can read the post about my Kea Artisanal trip and blossoms here. See more photos here.

Here we dried out the centers with paper towels-

Then we filled each blossom with a small piece of Feta cheese and a sprig of mint, twisting the ends slightly to close the blooms.

A quick dip in a light batter and into the oil it goes.

The finished vegetables, with flatbreads and Skordalia…..

Aglaia

So while my French Fridays with Dorie this week was not really French, and not really Dorie (although the batter is the same for both recipes!), it was great to relive my time on Kea and rekindle my fond memories of zucchini blossoms and Aglaia.

For details on creating these recipes, check out the FFWD site and see others who are also cooking the book-

You can also buy the book here:

Elotes Mexicanos Recipe – What to Grill This Weekend

July 11, 2014 by Renee

Whatever you are grilling this weekend, add this Elotes Mexicanos recipe. It takes that sweet, summer corn to a whole new level.

I just love corn-it’s my ultimate BBQ food. (Right up there with homemade ice cream!) and I just can’t seem to get enough. Whether it’s just boiled and lathered in butter and salt or grilled, I could eat several ears and call it a meal.

I’ve always loved getting Elotes at street fairs and festivals but now I make it at home and it’s super easy and just as delicious!

It’s up to you if you want to grill the corn in the husks or not, but if you do, be sure to soak them in water before – dry husks can go up in smoke quickly! I usually just go ahead and shuck the corn, and clean it well, getting rid of those little hairs (so the guests don’t have to) and giving the cobs a quick rinse before putting them directly onto to the grill.

The tender, summer corn is loaded with sugars that are going to caramelize on the grill giving your corn an extra sweet flavor. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes over medium-high heat for the corn to be perfectly cooked during which you can whip up this amazingly delicious toppping.

So spice up your weekend BBQ with this tasty recipe for Elotes Mexicanos.

Elotes Mexicanos Recipe - What's on the Grill?

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Renee

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 ears corn
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Mexican Crema (or sour cream if you can't find Crema)
½ cup Cotija cheese (or Feta cheese), crumbled, plus more for sprinkling over the ears.
1 small bunch of Cilantro, chopped, reserving some to sprinkle on top of the ears
2 cloves of garlic, diced fine
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
4 tbs. butter, divided
1 lime, juiced
Salt

Method

Prepare a grill or grill pan with medium high heat. Shuck the corn, cleaning the ears of all the fibers and place directly on grill. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the cobs are starting to become a bit blackened but with the majority of the kernels bright yellow.
While the corn is on the grill, in a medium bowl mix together the mayonnaise, Mexican Crema, Cotija cheese, cilantro, garlic and the ancho chili powder.
Slather each ear of grilled corn with a generous tablespoon of butter and several spoonfuls of the sauce. Drizzle a bit of the lime juice over the ears, followed by a pinch of salt and a healthy sprinkle of cheese and the remaining cilanto.

Enjoy! Es Delicioso!