Category Archives: Middle Eastern

Mar3

Roasted Chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes, Olives and Meyer Lemon

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best shot

This dish is simple and yet one of the best dishes I have ever made. The flavors come bold and subtly, rich and satisfying and engagingly interesting at the same time. The inspiration came from Jerusalem by Yytam Ottolenghi and Sami Tammi. I added Meyer lemon, olives (black oil cured and green pitted) and used half of the chicken of their recipe. I also used more olive oil and less water than their recipe. So you can just add more chicken if you want to serve four people. You can Also use a whole chicken cut up instead of thighs.

Before oven

Ingredients:

  • 1 # Jerusalem artichokes (sun chokes) peeled and cut into quarters
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice (I used Meyer, but any lemon juice is fine)
  • 4 bone in chicken thighs
  • 6 large shallots cut in half
  • 12 cloves garlic peeled
  • 2 medium Meyer Lemons, cut in half and then sliced thinly (you can use other kinds of lemon)
  • 1 teaspoon saffron
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 2 tablespoons pink pepper berries crushed
  • A hand full of olives (I used black oil cured and green)
  • 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves (I used lemon thyme)
  • 1 cup (yes that is a lot) fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt (I used Murray River)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper corns

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Method:

  • Put the chokes in a sauce pan, cover with water and add half of the lemon juice. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes, the chokes should be just barely cooked. Strain and allow to cool.
  • Mix together all of the remaining ingredients reserving 1/2 of the tarragon.
  • Put the chicken in a bowl and pour everything over the chicken and chokes.
  • Chill for 1-24 hours. I only marinated for 1 hour and it was extremely flavorful.
  • Preheat the oven to 475 degrees
  • Place the chicken skin side up in a roasting pan or clay pot
  • Spread the remaining ingredients all around the chicken
  • Roast for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and roast another 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the reserved tarragon sprinkled on top.

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Crusty bread is good with this as there are fantastic brothy juices.

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Feb23

Saffron, Blood Orange, Chicken and Herb Salad

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Fennel chicken salad blood orange

You are going to LOVE this. It is so good, full of herbs, honey, saffron and grilled chicken… flavor, flavor and more flavor! the original inspiration came from the fabulous cook book, Jerusalem. I added more herbs and changed the oranges to blood oranges.

This is easy. You can do it with blood oranges, regular oranges or tangerines. The honey, saffron and reduced orange pieces make for a fabulous sauce/dressing. This serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup of your favorite honey
  • 2 blood oranges
  • 1 teaspoon of saffron threads
  • 2 TBS champagne vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cups (or more to cover oranges) water
  • 2 chicken breast halves (boneless/skinless)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 TBS Sumac
  • 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
  • 2 small fennel bulbs sliced thinly
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 cup mint leaves torn
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves chiffonade
  • 1 red chile thinly sliced
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees If using a grill, start it.
  • Trim and top the oranges. Cut one into wedges of 8ths with the skin on, remove the peel and make supremes on the other. Reserve the supremes for the salad.
  • Place the 8ths of orange into a saucepan with the honey, saffron, vinegar and water to cover the orange pieces.
  • Bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour, till a thick syrup forms.

Blood orange and honey

  • Allow to cool slightly then put into a food processor and process till a thick syrup results. You may need to add a tiny bit more water.

Blood orange and honey food processor

  • Put the chicken on a grill pan or grill and sear till golden and char marks form (2-3 minutes per side, then put in the oven to finish, till interior measures 150 degrees and then remove and allow to cool.

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  • When cool enough, tear apart chicken into bite size pieces, add to a large bowl and then add the herbs, oranges, fennel, chiles, lemon juice and the orange syrup. Toss, add remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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