Veronica Julep

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Blood Orange and Rosemary Roasted Chicken Thighs

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When it is cold and getting nasty outside. There is not much better in the world then coming home to the smell of something wonderful roasting in the oven. Like  blood oranges and rosemary. They are so beautiful together. Oh, and that smell it just warms you up from deep inside your bones. It’s great for a wonderful pick me up on the coldest of winter days. This recipe is beautiful for company or a family weeknight evening because it is so quick and easy to make.There are only three ingredients blood oranges, chicken thighs and rosemary. Five if you include pink salt and olive oil.

Read on

 

The first ingredient is blood oranges. This citrus fruit is gorgeous in color and wonderfully delicious. Super vibrant and is available in New England from November to late February. They are excellent to cook with because of their sweet flavor and, in the winter, all that vitamin C helps keep you healthy in those dark months.

The second ingredient is rosemary. Rosemary is very hearty. It can grow almost anywhere. I’ve seen it live outside into the beginning of cold of winter. Some people prune it into topiary shapes even.  Rosemary is a great flavor to add to just about anything it’s very versatile. There is something so sweet and almost sharp about it that makes its’ yummy flavor shine through.

The next is boneless skinless chicken thighs. I must admit I’m not the biggest poultry fan but, there is something about chicken thighs that make them the exception. Their dark meat is just really juicy when you roast it. I tend to use chicken thighs for almost all of my chicken dishes. Aside from the deepness of flavor they are also less expensive then their more famous parts of the same bird being the breast.

The first step is to rinse the thighs in cold cold water. Then, pat dry. That will give us the best texture for the thighs.

Next preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit then pour a little over one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch glass pan and roll about to cover the entire bottom of the pan. This adds flavor and keeps the thighs from sticking to the pan.

Line up the nine boneless skinless chicken thighs like this in the pan. It is okay to crowd that are on the sides. They will roast just fine the oven is hot enough.

Next wash your blood oranges. Set aside. We will be leaving the peel on during roasting.

Next trim your rosemary. You will need three stalks between five and six inches long (or the equivalent). Rinse them and gently and ever so gently pat dry.

You’ll need about this much. Left hand for size.

Snip in half.

Arrange like so for even flavor dispersement while roasting. Also, you eat with your eyes first so let’s show them what you’ve got. It’s great when everyone arrives home to show them just how pretty dinner is even before it is in the oven.

Next roll the blood orange on the cutting board pressing down roughly but, not too hard. This will get the juices flowing. Slice the first blood orange in half.

So beautiful. I almost hear a… boom when I pop them open every time.

Then, slice like so.

Cut the two middle quarters in half from pole to pole.

Halve the outside quarters.

Arrange like this in the pan. This arrangement will help the juice distribute evenly.

Slice the second blood orange the same way. Except when you get to this step, this time cut in half pole to pole the middle quarters. Then, set the domed quarters aside.

Add the new halves like this.

Next squeeze the domed quarters over all the thighs in the pan. Roughly to get out all the delicious juice.

Drizzle with a light amount of extra virgin olive oil and a few big pinches of pink salt. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 23-28 minutes.

This is about 10 minutes in.

This is done. You will know it is ready when you slice it open and juices run clear.

Once out of oven tent with foil. This helps the juices redistribute themselves inside the meat and the blood oranges. Serve.

I usually serve this with roasted cubed potato (and rosemary) or with rice. This recipe is always a crowd pleaser. The colors are just stunning which makes it quite the feast for the eyes.

Recipe

1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (two times)

9 Rinsed and Dried Chicken Thighs

2 Blood Oranges (medium are fine but large are better)

3 long Sprigs of Rosemary

Pink Salt

Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 23-28 minutes.

This recipe is simple to make and only uses three ingredients. When blood oranges are something that can’t be come by I substitute clementines but, any citrus would really work. As always, try it, create it but, make it your own.

Hot Caprese Pasta

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Pasta and fresh ripe local tomatoes. There’s just something so special about that combination that always makes my mouth water. I love when the tomatoes finally turn their perfect shade of ripe. There isn’t anything much better than plucking a warm one off the vine and just chomping into it. Yum.

Read on

 

The key to this recipe is the three fresh ingredients.

Fresh tomato (as mentioned above). With this recipe I prefer two different colors of either the grape or cherry variety.

Fresh basil with that subtle sweetness that takes any dish Italian or otherwise over the top and it makes it simply taste and feel fancier. Basil plants can easily be found at any farmer’s market, garden store or even the nearest grocery store. Fresh basil is everywhere and really inexpensive. I like having it around especially in the winter for it’s brightness in flavor and in color.

Fresh mozzarella. I never knew as a little kid in the suburbs in the 1980’s that there was something as magical as fresh mozzarella. I always thought mozzarella was only shredded (like the kind my mom bought when we would get to make our own pizzas on quiet movie nights in). That soft creamy texture is just divine. This dish just wouldn’t be the same without it.

The first thing I like to do when making this is mince the garlic. Finely dice, sprinkle with pink salt and smear the garlic onto the board with the face of your knife almost like frosting a cake but rougher. Do this a couple of times gathering back into a pile in between each pass. This way the garlic is super broken down so, even though it will be raw in this dish it won’t give heartburn.

Take salted minced garlic and place in the bottom of a large bowl. Lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Next, start your water for pasta in a large pot making sure to add lots of salt. The pasta needs room to move. If not, the pasta will get gummy and won’t hold it’s shape up.  Linguine is my recommendation. It really is solid.

Next the tomatoes. These guys are little, slippery and oh so delicate.

The trick is to use a serrated sharp knife. The knife in the photo below is one of my favorites. I use it all the time. It is made by a company called Royalton. They have been around for a very long time. This knife came with DB when he moved in and was immediately recognized by me as one of the set of knives commonly referred to in my youth as sharp-knives-we-weren’t-allowed-to-touch from my Mother’s kitchen growing up. She used it for everything, her mother used one for everything and now I use it for almost everything. Different actual knife but, great quality. It was made from stainless steel in Japan, is always super sharp and super easy to clean. For me it’s a real go to.

Take the first tomato and slice in half top to bottom.

While still holding it firmly turn a quarter turn then slice it again top to bottom. The key here is to keep it together as much as possible until you are done slicing it. More juices will be retained and so will the shape. Yum. The tomatoes will really pop in your mouth.

Once all the tomatoes are quartered drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Small is key. Add a pinch of pink salt. Then give a gentle stir and let sit. This way the flavors will mix and make this dish even brighter.

Next dice the fresh mozzarella into 1/2 inch cubes. Make sure you hold it firmly but, still gently so we can save as much liquid as possible. After that take scissors and shred up about half a small handful of basil (little strips, they really add the the presentation).

Pick your serving dish and drain the pasta. Supper is pretty much ready at this point so make sure everything is ready.

Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of the post colander bowl.

Add super hot right out of the boiling water pasta. Drizzle with olive oil.

Add half the cubed mozzarella.

Stir with tongs. This is key because we want things to melt not get squished.

Next add the rest of the mozzarella to the bowl for the big mix. I know it looks like there is not a lot here but, it’s a big, big bowl.

Add pasta. Tong stir.

Pour the beautiful tomato mixture over the pasta.

Add the shredded basil

Drizzle liberally with balsamic vinegar. Tong stir then eat.

This is one of those things I could eat all day everyday.

Recipe

1 or 2 pints of cherry or grape tomatoes two colors (preference is one giant one but, two small pints work just fine)

1 big clove of garlic

Pink Salt for sprinkling

1 box of pasta of your choice (preferably long and wide shaped)

1 large ball of fresh mozzarella in 1/2 inch cubes

1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil (altogether for recipe)

very shy 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (altogether for recipe)

half a handful of fresh basil (scissor shredded)

Serve with a loaf of crusty bread for dipping. This recipe is easy peasy to make and the ingredients are inexpensive. A perfect weeknight supper. Enjoy.

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