Chicken Baked with Lemon

 

(adapted from Loukie Werle's Italian Country Cooking)

I love when I actually manage to make a complete, balanced meal - you know, with multiple food groups, side dishes, etc. Like this meal, lemony baked chicken served with aglio e olio and a side of broccoli rabe. It barely all fits in the photo!

The most fun part about this dish was making the "aromatic salt"...or, you know, seasoned salt. It's kind of a recipe unto itself, and it makes a lot of it - so you can keep it around for a few months, refrigerated, to use in other dishes. I'd call it a lemon-garlic salt, but you can taste a good bit of the rosemary in there. You should pay better attention to Werle's recipe than I did, though - in her introduction, she notes that you just need a teaspoon of salt to flavor six chicken thighs. I used four thighs. What can I say, I got excited about the aromatic salt.

4 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

1 lemon, thinly-sliced

1 lemon, squeezed

1.5 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup white wine (the recipe called for water, but wine sounds better for deglazing the pan, right?)

AROMATIC SALT (halve this if you want - it makes a lot, and certainly more than you need for the chicken):

3 cloves garlic, peeled and 2 chopped

1 cup coarse salt

Zest of two lemons

1.5 tsp chopped fresh or dried rosemary leaves

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf, if you have it (I didn't)

For the salt, place all of the ingredients except the 1 non-chopped, reserved garlic clove and the bay leaf into a food processor and chop until the salt is ground. Store the mixture in an airtight container, with the reserved garlic and bay leaf buried in the salt. Refrigerate if storing.

Place the chicken on a plate, season with the aromatic salt, and cover with plastic wrap to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425. Place sliced lemon in an ovenproof dish. Heat a pan over medium-high, add the oil, and add the chicken with the skin side down. Brown well on both sides, about 6 minutes. Place the chicken on top of the lemon slices in the ovenproof dish, skin side up.

Add the lemon juice and wine to the pan in which the chicken was browned and boil, scraping up any brown bits, for about four minutes, or until it gets slightly saucy. Pour over the chicken. Put the chicken in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. (I forgot the next step, myself:) Remove from oven and place on a heated platter, cover loosely with foil, and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cooking Lesson!...and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Strawberries

Back in April, I auctioned off a La Piccina Cucina cooking lesson to support Yale SOM's summer internship fund. Greg, a good friend of ours, was the "lucky" winner! He and his fiancee Jen came over last week to cash in on their winnings. It was a blast - for me, at least! Greg did great, too.

Greg made the excellent choice of Risotto with Broccoli Rabe and Pancetta. Not only is this delicious, but it's a useful recipe - risotto is a nice, fancy-seeming dish that's actually pretty simple, and really, once you've learned how to make basic risotto, you can really improvise with all kinds of additions. AND, this particular risotto recipe basically also teaches you how to make broccoli rabe as a side.

We also made a quick salad - Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Strawberries. Really, the name is the recipe. I wanted to do a salad to show how to make a basic olive oil/balsamic dressing. We used a bag of arugula, about 4-5 strawberries, sliced, and a healthy sprinkling of goat cheese  crumbles. We dressed it with 4 large spoonfuls of olive oil and 2 of balsamic. (2:1 ratio!) If you want the salad to stay pretty, dress the strawberries and arugula first, then just sprinkle with goat cheese. Or, do as we did (after this photo was taken) and dress it all together and mix (it won't look pretty anymore, but the cheese and dressing will coat the salad nicely).

We ended the night with a lesson from Joef on hot fudge (no Indian Ghost Pepper this time, to his chagrin) - probably one of the more fickle recipes we know, but definitely worth the effort.

Thanks to Greg and Jen for bidding on the lesson and for letting me geek out about cooking all night! Can't wait to do it again.

Bean and Pasta Soup with Broccoli Rabe

I don't quite know what was wrong with me, but I used to not be a fan of soups like these. Some foolish phase of my youth, no doubt. Because I didn't just tolerate this soup - I really loved it. Like, I could crave this soup in the future. I plan to add it to the usual rotation (clam sauce, carbonara, meat sauce, amatriciana, tomato sauce, takeout, takeout, repeat...). It's simple, satisfying, delicious, and makes you feel somewhat healthy. And as I'm not one of those people who won't eat hot, thick soups in the summer, I see no reason why that season's approach should stop me, either.

So, let's get to it:

1-2 slices pancetta, thick-sliced, chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
8-10 baby carrots, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Ground pepper
Pinch or two rosemary
Olive oil
Generous handful or so broccoli rabe, stems mostly removed
8 cups chicken broth
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/3-1/2 lb small, short pasta
Parmesan cheese for serving

Add the pancetta, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, and ground pepper to taste to a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Stir ingredients to coat in olive oil and allow to soften a bit and become aromatic.

When the onions become translucent, stir in the rabe. Heat with the other ingredients until it begins to wilt, then add the chicken broth and let the rabe wilt completely. Add the cannellini beans, bring soup to a boil, and turn down to low and partially cover to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Turn up the heat to bring to a boil again, and add your pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente. Pour soup into bowls and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Steak with Habanero Butter (with Rabe and Mashed Potatoes)

This was Joef's "welcome home from Japan safe and sound" dinner. Rabe was, of course, a requisite item, as was the addition of something spicy - in this case, habanero butter for the steak, which was seriously delicious.

This is maybe the second time I've made steak. I'm not sure what cut I got - it was inexpensive, didn't have a bone, and was somehow really, really good. Probably because it was just a leeeeetle bit fatty. Mmm.

MASHED POTATOES
4-5 small red potatoes, chopped into largish chunks
Milk
1-2 tbsp butter
Garlic powder
Dill
Salt

Boil the potatoes until softened. Drain, then stir in butter until it melts. Stir in milk, mashing the potatoes, until they're at the consistency you want. Add garlic powder and dill to taste. Season with salt to your liking.

STEAK with HABANERO BUTTER
2 steaks
Salt
Pepper
Habanero butter for serving (see instructions below)

With steaks at room temperature, salt and pepper on both sides, pressing the seasoning into the steak. Cook under the oven broiler. Turn once, cooking for a total of about 6-10 minutes, depending on how well done you want them. For the habanero butter, melt 2 or so tablespoons of butter and add habanero pepper flakes - a few pinches - stir to combine and pour over steaks once they're cooked. Enjoy!

Polenta with Sauteed Mushrooms and Rabe

If I make polenta, it means Joef isn't around. He is not a fan. I wish he were around - he is still in Japan - safe, and on his way back home, but still in Japan. I can't imagine the devastation and loss the people of Japan are suffering.

For now, I'll focus on lighter things. This is an incredibly quick and easy meal. The recipe is a little rough, as I improvised as I went along, and fortunately, it's the type of recipe that allows you to be a little inexact. If I'd had wine, I probably would've added it. Chicken broth did just fine. Go ahead and use instant polenta - it's just about as good as the real thing, and definitely worth the corner-cutting.

Half-package sliced mushrooms, rinsed
A few stalks or more broccoli rabe
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup instant polenta (you'll have leftovers, which you can saute and eat for breakfast!)

Saute garlic, mushrooms, and rabe in olive oil until the mushrooms start to soften and darken. Add the chicken broth and cook over medium-high, allowing some of the broth to absorb/cook off. When it's at the liquid level you want and the mushrooms are cooked, pour over your instant polenta. Add a drizzle of olive oil, if you wish, and serve with parmesan cheese

Updated Recipe: Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Ceci

I made some changes to a formerly-posted recipe, with good results. Check it out: http://piccinacucina.blogspot.com/2010/09/pasta-with-broccoli-rabe-and-ceci.html

Risotto with Broccoli Rabe and Pancetta

Alright, I'm not gonna lie. This was really, really good. It's just the usual risotto recipe, this time with - you guessed it - broccoli rabe and pancetta. I buy two huge bunches of rabe each week these days, because Joef loves it so much, and this was a great and different way to get our bi-weekly fix. The risotto actually sweetened the rabe up a little (while preserving its characteristic bitterness), and the pancetta...well, what more can you say about that?

I also should note that Joef added habanero flakes to his - and that was really tasty, too!

1-2 tbsp olive oil, plus 3 tbsp olive oil
2 or so handfuls broccoli rabe
1 slice pancetta, diced
1 small/medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups chicken broth, simmering, with a few tablespoons reserved
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Combine the 1-2 tbsp olive oil with the rabe and pancetta in a large, deep saute pan. Cook over medium-high, adding a 1/2 ladle of chicken broth, until rabe has wilted. Remove rabe and pancetta and set aside.

In the same pan, combine the olive oil and onions in a large, deep saute pan, and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and stir one more minute.

Add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated. Then add the wine and stir over medium heat until the wine absorbs into the rice. Then, add a ladle of the simmering chicken broth and stir it in until the broth is absorbed into the rice. Keep doing this until the rice is al dente and until right before your last ladle of broth. (If you run out of broth before the rice is cooked, you can use a ladle or two of simmering water.) Add the reserved rabe and pancetta to the risotto, stir, then add your last ladle of broth or water and let it absorb.

Add your cheese and the reserved broth and stir it into the rice. Reduce the heat to low (or turn it off entirely), cover, and let sit for three minutes. Done!

Broccoli Rabe with Garlic

For the second half-post of the day, we have a side dish: broccoli rabe (or maybe it's broccoli di rabe, or rapini, or what have you), sauteed with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Broccoli di rabe, as previously discussed, is not for everyone - it's bitter, biting, unusual. I think Joef summed it up best: "It's so angry!" And that's why we like it. Plus, when you're not feeling well, as I'm not this weekend, eating something "angry" makes you feel like you're really giving your cold what-for.

Here ya go:
1/2 large bunch broccoli rabe, bottom stems removed, washed
2-3 tbsp or so olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, a couple sliced and a couple minced
Red chili flakes to taste
Salt to taste
3/4 - 1 cup water

Prep your rabe, then add olive oil and garlic with some chili flakes and salt to a pan over medium heat. Let those warm up and let the flavors combine, then add all your rabe to the pan. Let it start to wilt, stirring it around. Add more salt and chili flakes, if you want. Then add the water. Continue to cook and rotate until the rabe wilts and most of the water has boiled off. Serve as a side dish.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Ceci

(adapted from Loukie Werle's "Italian Country Cooking")

UPDATED 2/5/11
Alright. I just made this again, and I made it slightly differently, and it was both easier to make and more delicious. So, give this a shot:

2 thick slices pancetta, diced
Olive oil
1/2 can ceci beans, drained
Habanero flakes, to taste
1/2 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped large
2 cloves garlic, smashed flat
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 lb pasta

Drizzle olive oil in a large pan and turn heat to medium-high, then add the pancetta. Cook for a couple of minutes, turning down if necessary. Add the ceci (and habanero flakes, if you choose) and let them cook together for a few more minutes as the pancetta renders its fat. Remove the ceci and pancetta and set aside. Add the rabe and garlic into the same pan, adding a little olive oil if you need it. Add more habanero flakes, if using. Turn back up to medium-high and add the chicken broth. Cook until wilted and your pasta is ready, then add the chicken and ceci back into the rabe and cook for a minute or two, then add the cooked pasta and mix. Finish with a final drizzle of olive oil, and serve. Not half bad with grated parmesan.

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ORIGINAL POST
I can't get enough of this cookbook. This woman is brilliant. The recipes are simple, using just a few common ingredients, and the outcomes are delicious and different. This particular recipe gave me an excuse to buy pancetta again, and also the chance to cook broccoli rabe for the first time. Broccoli rabe is like the arugula of the broccoli world - bitter; probably an acquired taste (at least it was for me, growing up). It's much leafier than typical broccoli; cook it up with plenty of garlic and it's great.

I decided to add red pepper flakes to this - optional, but I think a good variation. And I didn't have dried chick peas/ceci/garbanzos, so I had to improvise a little bit there.

So:
1 cup canned ceci beans, drained
2 large cloves garlic, flattened/crushed with the flat side of a knife
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp olive oil, plus 3 tbsp
5 oz pancetta (I got 3 thin slices, more wouldn't have hurt), thinly sliced
1 large bunch broccoli rabe, tough stems removed, cut across into 1/2 inch strips
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper
3/4 lbs short pasta

Put the ceci in a small pot with the crushed garlic, a little salt, and 2 tsps olive oil. Add water to cover. Place them over low heat on the stove. (You may be able to skip this step - I was trying to get as close as possible to her directions for dried beans.)

Combine 3 tbsp of olive oil and the pancetta in a large saute pan over medium heat until the pancetta turns crispy and golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside on a paper towel.

Add the 4 chopped garlic cloves to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, then add the broccoli rabe. Saute until it all wilts.

Drain the ceci in a colander set over a bowl to retain the liquid. Add the ceci to the rabe, then add a cup of the reserved liquid and stir it in to the rabe and ceci. Add crushed red pepper flakes Cook another 10-15 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

In the meantime, cook your pasta in salted water, reserving a cup or so of the pasta water. Add the cooked pasta right to the rabe in the pan and toss around for about a minute, adding the pancetta. Add pasta water if it seems dry. Serve!