Herb Roasted Chicken with Shallots & Garlic

I just wrapped up a big work project that kept me out of the kitchen for a bit. With my deadline behind me, I needed some time to nest.

A roasted chicken always does the trick for a family dinner, but this time I wanted to change things up a little. I turned to my trusty 365 Ways to Cook Chicken cookbook for ideas.

This recipe is tweaked a bit, and I bet it would work with a turkey, too, if you need some Thanksgiving inspiration (hint, hint.)

Don't be put off by the large number of shallots called for in this recipe. They are quite mellow after roasting and they give the chicken such amazing flavor.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Herb Roasted Chicken with Shallots & Garlic

5-6 pound whole chicken
Kosher salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup softened butter or 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
10 sprigs of fresh thyme, plus more for decoration
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary, plus more for decoration
6 sprigs of fresh oregano, plus more for decoration
10-12 fresh sage leaves
16 shallots, peeled
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup white wine, such as chardonnay

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pat inside and outside of chicken dry with paper towels. Discard. Place chicken in a shallow roasting pan.

Rub half of the softened butter or half of the olive oil between skin and chicken breast, being careful not to pull the skin apart. Stuff some sprigs of the herbs (about 3 on each side of the bird) under the skin.

Season inside cavity with salt and pepper. Pour in lemon juice. Stuff with some of the herbs.

Rub remaining butter or oil on the outside of chicken, covering the entire bird. Season with salt and pepper.

Put pan in oven and roast chicken for 15 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and arrange peeled shallots and unpeeled garlic cloves around chicken. Top with remaining herbs. Pour wine over shallots.

Roast for another 45 minutes or until thigh juices run clear.

Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Carve chicken. Place on platter. Arrange shallots around meat. Gently press garlic out of skins and arrange on the serving platter with the chicken. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.

Farmer's Market Vegetable Saute

Each week I pick up a basket overflowing with fresh vegetables from a stand at our farmer's market.  The veggies taste so much fresher than what I usually buy at the grocery store that we often eat them raw.

When I cook them, I like to keep it simple, to allow the flavor of the veggies to shine through.

A simple saute is a pretty way to accomplish this. This dish is a perfect side to grilled meats. Make it a main dish with a sprinkle of cheese and a crusty loaf of bread.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Farmer's Market Vegetable Saute
Inspired by the Garden Spot Vegetable Farm in Princeville, IL

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and then thinly sliced (you can substitute 1 or 2 shallots or 2-3 leeks)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 to 4 ears of corn, kernels removed
1 pound green beans, ends removed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 or 3 small red peppers, thinly sliced
5 or 6 small red potatoes
3 tablespoons fresh herbs (such as cilantro or Italian parsley)
Salt and pepper to taste

Microwave potatoes until soft, about 5 or 6 minutes. Let cool, then cut into quarters.

Using a sharp knife, cut corn kernels from the cob, set aside. See my easy trick for completing this task here.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and stir until onion starts to become translucent. Lower heat to medium-low and continue to cook until onion caramelizes and turns golden brown. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add corn, green beans and peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables just begin to soften. Add potatoes and 2 tablespoons herbs and salt and pepper. Cook another 2 or 3 minutes.

Remove from heat. Place vegetables in serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

Herbed Egg Bake

We like to eat breakfast for dinner (brinner!) every now and then and I'm a big fan of egg bakes.

For the past few years I've been on a quest to achieve a quiche-like consistency without using heavy cream and a crust. After a recent visit from my parents — during which we ate many bagels topped with cream cheese and the smoked salmon they brought back from their Alaska excursion — my fridge was overflowing with tubs of cream cheese in several flavors (garden, onion and chive, etc.)

So I began experimenting with baked eggs again. I've tried whisking cream cheese into eggs before scrambling them or baking them, but could never quite get that fluffy custardy texture.

Until now. Thanks to Epicurious.com I know the trick: Mix the eggs and cream cheese together with milk in a blender.

This egg casserole is simple to prepare and also makes for a great brunch dish. The leftovers taste delicious cold or warmed in the microwave.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Herbed Egg Bake

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Gruyere or Swiss work well)
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, basil, parsley, oregano (Use one kind or a mixture)
10 large eggs
6 to 8 ounces cream cheese, plain or the flavor of your choice
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or use cooking spray to coat a 13x9x2 inch pan or a 2 quart baking dish.

Spread cheese and herbs evenly over bottom of baking dish.

Crack eggs into blender. Add milk, cream cheese, pepper, salt and nutmeg. Pulse or blend until smooth.

Pour egg mixture over cheese and herbs in baking dish. Place in middle rack of oven.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until egg bake is lightly browned, puffed and set in the middle. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Honey Roasted Carrots with Tarragon

Recently the husband and I attended a very grown-up party. The buffet table was piled with swanky things like miniature pieces of rye bread with herbed cream cheese and smoked salmon, teeny tiny crab cakes, and a crudites platter that included three—yes, THREE—colors of carrots. Orange, purple, and yellow. What the what!? I didn't even know carrots came in that many colors. So of course I created a little taste test for myself to see which was my favorite.

Although I won't turn down carrots of any hue, I determined that my preference is the yellow variety. They tasted just a little bit sweeter and milder than the traditional orange carrots—almost like a carrot crossed with a parsnip. They were delicious.

So you could imagine my glee when I stumbled upon yellow carrots at the farmers market. It seemed like a no-brainer to roast them with a drizzle of honey to bring out their natural sweetness. A little bit of tarragon added an herbal note that took these babies to the next level. The husband and I were fighting for the last carrot. (I let him have it because I'm a good wife. Or maybe it was because I knew I'd already eaten way more than he had. We'll never know.)

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Honey Roasted Carrots with Tarragon
Serves: 4

2 small bunches of carrots*, trimmed, peeled, and sliced 1/4"-1/2" thick (about 3 cups sliced)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried** tarragon leaf

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. (Since we're using honey in this recipe, the parchment will make clean-up easier. The honey tends to stick to the pan once it's cooked, and I don't want to spend all night scrubbing it off.)

Toss together carrots, oil, honey, salt, and tarragon so the carrots are evenly coated. Spread the carrots into a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until carrots are tender and caramelized on the edges.


*If you can find yellow carrots, I heartily recommend giving them a try!

**If you happen to have fresh tarragon growing in your garden, by all means, use it here. Just keep in mind that you may need to use more when you're cooking with the fresh stuff.

Chicken Stock & Chicken Tortellini Soup

I'm all for the convenience of packaged chicken broth, but I do enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with cooking from scratch – especially when the process naturally follows a meal I'm already making.

The next time you roast a chicken leave a little meat on the frame and make yourself some chicken stock. It's almost as easy as boiling water – seriously!

You can flavor the broth with whatever herbs and vegetables you have on hand. Experiment until you find a combination you like best. When you're done, you'll have enough chicken stock to make a fragrant Chicken & Tortellini soup (recipe below), plus more to pop into the freezer for later – about 10 cups in all.

P.S. What's the difference between broth and stock, you ask? Traditionally, stock is made from bones. The collagen in the bones breaks down into a gelatin that adds body and a thicker texture to the liquid. Broth is made from meat and seasonings. Since I use both meat and bones to make this soup base, I'm using the terms broth and stock interchangeably.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Chicken Stock

1 frame from a 4 to 5 pound chicken
1 large white onion, peeled and cut in quarters
1 shallots, peeled and cut in half
3 peeled carrots
3 celery stalks
2 o 3 crushed or minced garlic cloves
1 lemon, halved
Fresh herbs sprigs, tied into a bouquet with kitchen twine: thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley or whatever you have on hand
Salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken frame in a 6-quart pot. Add vegetables, herbs and salt and pepper. Fill pot with water to cover chicken frame. Cover pot with lid. Bring to a boil and maintain a rolling boil for about 30 minutes. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 4 hours or longer, keeping pot partially covered.

Let broth cool. Skim any fat from top. Remove chicken frame, vegetables and herbs from pot and discard. Place a colander on top of a large pot or bowl and pour stock through strainer. (You could also use cheesecloth in this step.)

You can use your broth right away or place broth into a covered pot or container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off any fat on the surface. Now you have a delicious base for soup.

Chicken & Tortellini Soup

9 ounces cheese tortellini
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 4 ounces spinach, Swiss chard or baby kale
Grated or shaved parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook tortellini according to package directions. While tortellini cooks, heat broth on stove top in medium to large pot. Add tortellini and chicken to hot stock and heat through. If using greens, stir them into soup just until wilted.

Ladle servings into bowls and top with parmesan.

Light and Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill

Have I told you that I'm a terrible gardener? Well I'm terrible. Just awful. I'm too lazy to pull weeds. I lose interest in my plants by the time August arrives and stop watering. I don't read the little care tags so I plant "sun" flowers in full shade. It's bad.

One of the only things I can keep alive in my yard are herbs. I think there are two reasons my herbs survive, and neither gives any credit to me: 1.) My herbs live in two plastic, yellow planters on my back steps. I use plastic containers because the terra cotta ones suck up more water and require more diligent watering. I learned this the hard way. 2.) My herbs are in the shade. I'm not sure if herbs are supposed to be in the shade, but mine are. And they grow like gang busters! Again...I think the shade gives me a little wiggle room in the watering department. Notice a common theme here? I can't be trusted with a watering can.

This week I planted my little buckets of dill, thyme, basil, rosemary, sage, and one other one I can't remember (See? No green thumb.), and I'm pumped to start using them in recipes. Let's hope I didn't jinx myself by bragging about my verdant herb garden.

--Erin

Light and Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill
Adapted from Jo & Sue

1 large English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon light sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar

Place cucumber in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and toss to make sure it's evenly coated. Set colander in the sink or over a bowl to catch any liquid. Allow cucumber to drain for an hour or two.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Stir together sour cream, dill, sugar, and vinegar. Refrigerate dressing until you're ready to mix it with the cucumbers.

Once the cucumbers have drained, rinse them off to get rid of the salt and pat dry with paper towels. Gently toss the cucumber with the dressing and serve.

How To: Chiffonade

When I was in college, I took a year and a half of French. I loved it. I neglected my other studies so I could flip through vocabulary flash cards and conjugate verbs. I rented "Babar the Elephant" for an assignment and actually watched it, despite the heckling from my roommates. French was one of my favorite courses. (The others were Piano for Beginners and Table Tennis, but we won't go there.)

Unfortunately, my love of the French language didn't mean I was any good at speaking it. Although I do feel that my years of study give me a certain appreciation for macarons, soft cheeses, and champagne, I can't get much past "Bonjour!" But I do like to throw around a few French phrases in the kitchen for good measure. (No matter that I learned them from the Food Network or "Julie & Julia.") Who doesn't like a fancy-sounding word that means something easy? It's just classier in French.

Chiffonade simply means to cut something (usually greens or leafy herbs) into long, thin strips. And it looks as pretty as it sounds. Here's how you do it:

Stack the leaves you want to chiffonade. (Here I'm using basil.)

Roll up the leaves as tightly as you can until they look like a little cigar.

Using the sharpest knife you have, cut across the rolled leaves so you have thin strips.

Et voila! Chiffonade.

Herbed Goat Cheese

Do you think it's fair to say that herbs are to food as accessories are to fashion? Take a bracelet. On it's own you might think, "Well, that's a nice bangle." But when paired with the perfect cocktail dress, yowzers. It makes the outfit.

I think herbs are the same. I'm not gonna get all jazzed about a basil leaf just sitting alone on my plate. But when that basil is sprinkled on top of freshly sliced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese? There might be some swooning then. And, really, what is a mojito without mint?

Now that I have herbs growing on my back porch, mere steps away from my kitchen, I plan on using them to add flair to my meals as often as possible. Just yesterday I used basil and dill to turn a boring old sandwich into something special. And it all started with herbed goat cheese...

Herbed Goat Cheese

3 ounces goat cheese, preferably at room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil*
1.5 teaspoons chopped fresh dill*
Salt and pepper

Stir basil and dill into softened goat cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use Herbed Goat Cheese as a spread on sandwiches or wraps, to dip veggies, or schmear on crackers or pita chips. This recipe makes enough to spread generously on two sandwiches.

*Don't like basil or dill? Feel free to substitute your favorite herbs.

Herbed Goat Cheese and Roast Beef Sandwiches with Roasted Red Peppers
Serves: 2

4 slices bread
Herbed Goat Cheese
Roasted red peppers, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons for the husband and practically the rest of the jar for myself.)
6 slices roast beef

Spread Herbed Goat Cheese onto one side of all four slices of bread. Top two slices of bread with roasted red peppers and roast beef. Close up sandwiches with remaining two slices of bread.

Herbs of 2012

I don't have a green thumb. In fact, my thumb is more the crusty brown hue of the un-watered and withered. I lack the dedication and interest to keep my gardens alive past June. I don't weed. I don't prune. 

One summer I attempted to grow green beans, and I had a beautiful harvest...of about 10 beans. Note I said beautiful not bountiful. 

Several times I've planted tomatoes. I've heard so many comments about prolific tomato plants. "Oh, my tomatoes are just going crazy! I can't eat them fast enough! I canned all weekend and made 49 gallons of salsa!" I figured that it must be a cinch to grow tomato plants as tall as the garage that hang heavy with fruit. I figured wrong. My tomato crop was a big, fat nada. Zilch. Nothing. Zero. 

Every year, though, I manage to keep a bucket or two of herbs alive on my back porch. This is a testimony to the hardiness of these tasty plants and not at all to my skill level in the garden. Believe me, if I can keep them alive, anyone can. 

This year, I'm growing my favorite herbs in a few sunny yellow planters. Basil and mint live in one...

And parsley, dill, and rosemary are in the other.

Do you grow herbs in your garden? If you haven't given it a try, I'd encourage you to buy a little container of your favorite herb for your patio or stoop or sunny window. It feels so summery to snip a few leaves of basil from your own backyard to add pizzazz to Herbed Quinoa or Corn & Tomato Salad. It's just a tiny bit of effort, and, in my humble opinion, it's well worth it.