Roasted Chicken and Tomatoes

If you are tired of eating raw tomatoes (though how could you be when they are so ripe and delicious right now) or just looking for a bit of variety this slow roasted chicken and tomatoes will make your house smell amazing and taste just as good. It requires a tiny bit of prep and then takes care of itself in the oven for about an hour while you do other things. You can buy a spatchcocked chicken or do it yourself fairly easily (cut the neck bone out with kitchen shears and flatten…just google it : ). The melted tomatoes and sauce that are created while roasting become a delicious dressing for a warm panzanella salad to serve alongside your roasted chicken. It’s an incredible meal good enough for company and simple enough for a weeknight.

What you need:

For the Chicken and Marinade:

1 whole chicken, flattened and neck bone removed (pick a good one…heritage or slow growing breeds taste better, organic and/or locally grown is a bonus : )

1/2 cup of good quality olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 sweet yellow onion (this time of year I always go with Vidalia onions)

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 lemon

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

salt and pepper

2 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes

2 tbsp butter

For the salad:

1 cup bread cubes (we used and recommend focaccia, sliced into one inch cubes)

2 cups arugula

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1 tbsp balsamic glaze or reduced balsamic vinegar

I used a large pyrex baking dish to marinade the chicken for about 2 hours. Chop your onion and garlic into fine pieces and stir to combine with olive oil, dijon, herbs, lemon juice, and lemon zest. (Take the zest off the lemon before your juice it). Gently lift the chicken skin and spoon some of the marinade underneath the skin and on all sides. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

When its time to cook, pull the chicken out of the fridge while you preheat the oven to 325. In a roasting dish smear 2 tbsp butter all over the bottom of the dish and pour a few spoonfuls of the olive oil from the marinade on the bottom. Place the chicken breast side up (as pictured above) in the center of the pan. Pour your tomatoes around the chicken and drizzle the rest of the marinade on the top. Sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper on everything. Place in the oven for about an hour or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160. I use a probe that is connected to my oven to gauge the temperature and it alerts me as soon as its finished…I think it was about an hour.

Spread your bread cubes on a baking pan and place in the oven next to your chicken when its reached a temperature of 160. It should be positioned on the middle rack. Now set your oven to broil, leave the chicken in. Broil for about 3-4 minutes so the skin on the chicken gets brown and crispy, it will finish cooking (should be 165 per FDA) and the tomatoes will blister nicely. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Meanwhile your bread crumbs will get nice and toasty. When you are satisfied pull the chicken and bread out of the oven and let rest for a few.

With a set of tongs or a spatula remove the chicken to a cutting board. Add your arugula to a salad bowl and rip the basil into smaller bites and add to the bowl. Spoon out all of your tomatoes from the roasting pan and add them to the salad bowl (don’t use a slotted spoon, you want the dressing to come along with them). Toss in your toasted bread cubes, shave some Parmesan cheese on top, and sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper if needed. Stir to combine, add a bit more dressing if you need to soften the bread cubes. They should absorb the sauce but not fall apart. I always have balsamic glaze on hand, its really good during tomato season to drizzle on top of salads, sandwiches, bruschetta etc so I added a touch to the top of the salad. Serve with your extra juicy delicious chicken and enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Primavera

(last nights version using Trumpet pasta)

I make a lot of variations of this dish...I love throwing a bunch of veggies in the skillet and having a meal on the table in 15 minutes. This time of year it takes very little to make fresh corn, peppers, and squash taste amazing. Sometimes I add Italian sausage, sometimes I leave the meat out…it tastes great either way. Last night we snacked on the leftover steak from the night before while I was cooking so I didn’t think we needed anymore meat. The most important ingredients for this meal are really fresh vegetables, garlic, basil, and cheese. You can play around with whatever vegetables you have on hand. I love the creaminess mascarpone adds to a pasta dish but cream cheese works just as well (though a bit stickier and not as smooth as its Italian counterpart).

What you need:

-Al dente pasta (cook according to the package directions)

-a few tbsp olive oil

-summer squash and/or zucchini, chopped into bite sized picees

-1/2 Vidalia onion sliced thinly

-1 bell pepper thinly sliced

-1-2 ears of fresh corn, sliced off the cob

-1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes

-2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

-2 tbsp butter

-1/4 cup of mascarpone cheese

-1 large bunch of julienned basil

-freshly grated Parmesan cheese

-salt and pepper

*optional splash of dry white wine

Start a pot of boiling salted water to cook your pasta in. Meanwhile, add some olive oil to a pan over medium heat and add in your vegetables starting with the onions and peppers. Add a touch of salt and pepper and stir occasionally while they soften. Cook your vegetables until they have wilted and if you wish to add a bit of white wine to deglaze the pan do that after about 10 minutes or so of cooking and then let it simmer for a minute or two. Add your garlic and butter at this point and stir around until the garlic becomes fragrant. When you are satisfied with the texture of the veggies (don’t overcook them, they should still maintain a bright color but be soft enough to fold around the pasta) turn off the heat and stir in your mascarpone cheese and a good heaping of grated Parmesan. I like to add a lot of fresh ground pepper at this point as well.

During the vegetable cooking process your water should start to boil and you can throw in whatever pasta you are using, cooking according to the package directions. When the pasta is ready drain it and add it to the vegetable mixture (do not rinse!). Sprinkle over the fresh basil and stir to combine adding a bit more parmesan at the end.

**I have made variations of this with zoodles just cooking them at the last minute in the other vegetables. If you want to add Italian sausage it should be browned alongside the vegetables.

(with zoodles and Italian sausage)

***I hope this makes sense, I am trying to type while my dogs incessantly bark at the construction workers outside building the garage!

(another version with gluten free rice noodles that I made for a gluten free friend and no mascarpone…also delicious!)

Summer Berry Salad

Eating seasonally is so important and while it’s not possible for all of us all the time, when it works it’s so worth it. I’m not Alice Waters or Barbara Kingsolver but I admire them both and I am fortunate enough to have pretty amazing local produce nearby almost all year. Blackberry and blueberry season is short in Virginia so I try to utilize them as much as possible when they’re here. The small local berries are so juicy and sweet, I can’t get enough of them.

It’s really hot and humid right now so I’m all about eating a cold premade salad at dinner. Kale is hearty and stands up well to refrigeration and I love the toothsome pop that farro adds to salad. This is one of the healthier dishes on my blog but it has enormous amounts of flavor.

What you need:

2 cups chopped kale (stems removed, will turn into about 1-1.5 cups after being rinsed and spun)

1/2 cup of farro cooked according to package directions

2 tbsp good quality olive oil

fresh ground salt and pepper

juice and zest of one lemon

4 oz crumbled feta (honestly, buy a fresh block and then dice it up…tastes so much better than the pre-crumbled covered in potato starch stuff)

1 cup of fresh blackberries

1 cup of fresh blueberries

1/3 cup fresh chopped mint leaves

3 tbsp chopped sweet and spicy pecans (Trader Joe’s makes a great version, but any type of sweet and salty nut will do)

Begin by rinsing your kale under hot water in a colander for a minute or two, shake it out and wring it dry with your hands. This helps to break the kale down a bit to remove some of the toughness. Chop the kale and add to your salad bowl. Meanwhile, cook your farro on the stove top according to the package directions and rinse with cold water, then drain. Add farro to your salad bowl and mix in your olive oil, salt and pepper (a few good cranks on the grinder), lemon juice, and lemon zest. Next come the blackberries, I like to smush a few of the really juicy ones into the salad to incorporate a bit of juice into the dressing. Now add your blueberries, feta, mint, and pecans. Refrigerate until serving time. Enjoy!