Sunshine in a roasting pan: Lemony roast chicken

Okay, it’s dinner time and it’s already dark. I hate that. So I am on my annual hunt for recipes that bring a little sunshine to the table and I always find that lemon delivers a sunny fix. Plus this recipe has so much garlic that if you have a vampire problem, it should remedy that really fast.
I must say when we tested this, we weren’t sure we’d love the taste with all that garlic and all that rosemary plus the actual pulp of the lemon. So we actually had a back-up plan for dinner. Am I the only one who does that? We didn’t need that back-up plan because we both loved it. All the flavors are very much changed by roasting: the garlic ends up mellow and sweet and the lemon and rosemary are not overpowering. It’s a very different taste from my recipe for Greek Lemon Chicken which I intend to spring on you later this year.
The dish reheated beautifully and the leftovers made a great lunch the next day. I will confess to living by the rule of: cook once, eat twice. Gotta have some time to write!

Lemony roast chicken

Makes: 4 servings
1 (3 1/2-pound/1.5 kg) chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I hate cutting up chicken and next time, I’ll get that done)
1/2 cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (125 mL) fresh rosemary leaves – the original recipe called for ½ cup, but I totally denuded my little rosemary bush to get the ¼ cup. Next time, I’ll try to full amount
1/4 cup (60 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced (DH was convinced to do this)
1 lemon, peel removed (I used my trusty rasper but whatever works) and pith (white part) and pulp chopped (I used my mini-processor – I owe Krista for that)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste – but let’s say plenty
1. Mix olive oil, rosemary, lemon juice, pulp, garlic, lemon and salt and pepper.
2. Arrange chicken pieces in a baking dish (9 x 13 or so) so that they do not overlap. Pour marinade over. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for about 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 475 F. This seemed very high to me, but it worked well and cooked fast.
3. Roast, turning once, until cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes.

4. Enjoy!

Find out more about me the books I write when I'm not cooking at www.maryjanemaffini.com

And find ways to save time for what you love to do in my latest Charlotte Adams mystery. The Busy Woman's Guide to Murder offers many time management tips (no extra charge!)

Radicchio & Burrata Appetizer Recipe

Did you hear?


We're drawing near to the holidays. 

Oh, shut my mouth! Near? Heavens. Not a chance.

We're not even into October yet, but do you see Thanksgiving and Christmas decor in the stores? You bet you do!



Note to self: Breathe.  Family holidays are 8 - 12 weeks away. You don't have to do the annual card. You don't have to think about where to put everyone in the house. You don't have to make hotel reservations or stock the shelves. Breathe!

But I do have to think about eating and feeding possible weekend guests that like to watch football. Appetizers are a staple. Yes, I serve chips and dip and beer and wine, but I have to admit, I like elegant appetizers that are pretty and tasty.

So here's an easy one, inspired by a recipe I found in the Los Angeles Times Food Section, with ingredients that were pretty new to me. I've had radicchio in salads. But I've never grilled it. I tweaked the recipe to my tastes. Extra garlic. Extra salt. Gluten-free crackers/bread toasts.

It was colorful and the textures were great.

Enjoy!

Radicchio and Burrata Cheese Appetizers

Ingredients:

1 pound radicchio

4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

5 whole cloves garlic

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 baguette (or crackers/ gluten-free crackers)

½ pound burrata (or fresh Mozzarella)

Fresh ground pepper

Paprika

 Directions:

Trim ends of radicchio, then cut lengthwise and lengthwise again. Then cut into ribbons, about ¼” wide.

In a large saute pan, combine the radicchio and oil, garlic, salt and vinegar.  Cook over medium-low until radicchio is soft, about 10 minutes.  Then reduce heat to low and cook another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  [NOTE: REMOVE THE GARLIC before serving.]

Slice the baguette into ½ inch slices and toast on both sides in the oven, at 300 degrees. About five minute a side.  You can also toast them in oil in a saute pan. You can also “buy” toasted baguettes or use crackers or gluten-free crackers.

Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the radicchio mixture onto the bread or cracker and top with a teaspoon of burrata cheese or thin slices of fresh Mozzarella. Grind black pepper over all of them and sprinkle with paprika.  If you like, you can drizzle more olive oil over each. 

*The tart radicchio with the creamy cheese is a winning combination.

* * * * * * **

 

BOOKSELLERS LINK

Swiss Pear Bread—by Kathleen Ernst

Hope you’ll join me in welcoming mystery writer Kathleen Ernst to Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen today. She’s got a new release…and a delicious recipe for Swiss Pear Bread to share with us today! Be sure to comment for her contest today, too! ~Riley

The Swiss Connection

Chloe Ellefson, the protagonist in my Historic Sites mystery series, has a definite Swiss connection. She worked at an outdoor museum in Switzerland for five years. In The Heirloom Murders her Swiss ex reappears, and the plot takes Chloe into a Swiss-American community in southern Wisconsin.

My father’s parents were born and raised in Switzerland. I was fairly young when they died, and I wish we’d had more time together. Thinking and writing about their homeland, and Swiss-American culture, helps me feel closer to them both.

My grandfather was trained as a pastry chef in Bern, and he continued that trade after immigrating to the US. Since I’m such a foodie myself, it grieves me to not have any of his favorite recipes.

While researching The Heirloom Murders I talked with elderly Swiss-Americans about food traditions. It was hard to choose a single recipe to feature, but I finally settled on Swiss Pear Bread. Dried pears were once a staple in rural Swiss kitchens, and many versions of pear bread made their way to the new world.

Pear Bread is still common in Swiss enclaves such as Green County, WI. This loaf is hearty and moist and absolutely delicious. In my novel, Chloe’s friend Frieda Frietag serves it to guests. It makes me smile to think that perhaps my own ancestors did so as well.

Frieda Frietag’s Swiss Pear Bread

Makes 2 loaves.

½ lb. dried pears, diced (about 1-3/4 c.)
1- ½ lb. other dried fruits, such as dates, prunes, apples, and apricots, also diced
½ c. chopped black walnuts
1 T. anise seed
2 pkg. dry yeast
1 T. melted lard or butter
1 t. sugar
1 T. honey
1 T. salt – (or as desired)
3 c. lukewarm water
9-10 c. flour (I use all wheat, but you could also use white flour, or a blend)

Chop dried fruit, place in a pan, cover with water, and simmer until fruit is soft, about fifteen minutes. Drain fruit, reserving the liquid. You can do this the night before, and let the fruit drain overnight.

Add water to the drained fruit water as needed to make 3 c., and bring to lukewarm (about 100 degrees) temperature. Dissolve yeast and 1 t. sugar in the liquid. Add honey, anise seed, lard or butter, and salt.

Add about 3 c. flour and beat until smooth with an electric mixer. Add the dried fruit and walnuts. Continue adding flour gradually until the dough is of kneading consistency—soft, but dry enough to handle. Knead until dough is light and elastic, using your hands or a dough hook with a large, heavy-duty electric mixer. (This is the maximum quantity my mixer can handle, but it does work.)

Cover the dough with a damp towel and let dough rest for 15 minutes.

Knead dough again for about 10 minutes. Put dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about two hours. (I put the bowl beneath the light over my stove.)

Punch dough down with your fist several times. Cover and let rise again for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide dough in half, shape into loaves, and place each into a well-greased bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until a straw inserted into loaves comes out dry. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

Keep bread in refrigerator. These loaves also freeze well.

I’m grateful to Riley for allowing me to celebrate publication of The Heirloom Murders: A Chloe Ellefson Mystery by guest-posting here. And I’m grateful to readers! I love my work, and I’d be nowhere without you. Leave a comment, and your name will go into a drawing for a free book. The winner can choose any of my seventeen titles. The Heirloom Murders, one of my American Girl mysteries, a Civil War novel—the choice will be yours! To learn more, please visit my website, www.kathleenernst.com.

Leave the gun, take the cannoli! Cleo Coyle takes you to New York’s Vendy Awards

Cupcake Crew's "Cousin Vinny" Cupcake:
vanilla chocolate chip cake, topped with
cannoli frosting and rolled in bits of fried
cannoli shell. Mama mia, she was good!

I'll start with dessert. That's what my husband and I did when we attended the 7th Annual Vendy Awards this past Saturday on New York's Governor's Island, and it is my pleasure to take you there with this post. 

Note to my readers: Yes, this was also a research trip! Update 2012 - I thank the Vendy's and several of its food trucks for partly inspiring my (now) bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery - A BREW TO A KILL. For more info on the book, click here.


So what are the Vendy's? A cook-off that honors the best street chefs of New York. Members of the public pay one price and eat all we like for five hours at 22 different food vendor tucks and carts. (These are the finalists who were nominated by their nom-noming customers.) At the end of the day, we attendees loosen our belts a notch and then vote, along with the judges, and the Vendy Cups are awarded in several categories, including the Dessert Cup.


The Cupcake Crew did not win a cup this year, but their showing was spectacular, as these young ladies can attest. Their offerings included... 

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting; 7-layer Rainbows; Maple Bacon; Fig and Whiskey; and Samoas, based on the caramel, dark chocolate, and coconut Girl Scout cookie.

The La Bella Torta truck didn't win, either, 
but that didn't stop us from admiring their truck...

...or enjoying their delicious
Chocolate and Bourbon Panna Cotta...

La Newyorkina was there with
her signature paletas.  

These little Mexican ice cream pops were (in a word) magnificent. Each one was "handmade with love," and that promise was even beautifully inscribed at the bottom of her pink chalkboard menu!




Pictured left is a Newyorkina paleta that she's made with Cajeta and Pecans. Cajeta is caramelized goats milk, which tastes like a dulce de leche. Very, very good! At the right, you see her handwritten menu.

Some of the most exciting foodie surprises of the day for us were also Vendy Cup winners, and I am happy to tell you about them, too. First up, the Rookie of the Year Cup went to Korilla BBQ! 


The staff of this truck is comprised of enthusiastic, young Korean-American guys, who worked like a well-oiled (many-headed) mechanized beast! With menu offerings like "The Porkinator" and "Ribeye of the Tiger," Marc and I knew we'd be tasting something original, and we did. The Porkinator reminded me of a spicy-good moo shu--sweet, tangy, and crunchy (from the kimchi). The Ribeye of the Tiger was even better, and I'll let one of their crew tell you about it himself... 

Time for the Korilla BBQ truck to make a snack
for you, a "Ribeye of the Tiger" burrito! 

Click the arrow below and watch a
food truck master at work...

------------------------------

Ready for something sweet again? Good! Because the Vendy Dessert Cup ultimately went to Wooly's. I have to admit, hearing the words "shaved ice" did not thrill me, but when I sampled Wooly's soft, fluffy, chilly treat, I FLIPPED. So did Marc. 

Like a cross between ice cream and cotton candy, this is one unique, melt-in-your mouth dessert. 

If you find yourself in New York's Chinatown or Little Italy, stop by their cart. Congrats to everyone at Wooly's for earning the Cup this year! (Visit Wooly's facebook page here or their twitter page here.)

This baby is the Wooly's "original" flavored ice
with chopped brownies, strawberries, and sea-salt caramel sauce. How sweet it was!

Makers' Mark ice, shaved, sprinkled with
freshly grated nutmeg and topped with
bourbon maple syrup.

Full already? You can't be because we saved the most prestigious winner for the finale. The Vendy Cup winner for 2011 is...Solber Pupusas! Below is a photo of their truck and one of their staff finishing Marc's dish...

What are pupusas? Traditional El Salvadoran grilled corn mesa patties, hand shaped and stuffed with fillings; and, dang, are they delicious! Here's my photo of Marc's second helping of the day, a crackling pork pupusa...

Crackling pork?! Did somebody say pernil? Because that's my own recipe for you today. Click here to download a recipe PDF of the famous Latin American pork shoulder known as pernil. This is the version that Marc and I make and enjoy. We hope you do, too!

As for the award-winning Solber Pupusas, this street food business is owned and operated by an adorable, close-knit El Salvadoran family, and if you watch their short "Vendy finalist" video below, you will see exactly how these traditional grilled corn cakes are made... 

Congrats to all the Vendy Cup winners...

Winners:

Vendy Cup: Solber Pupusas 
Rookie of the Year: Korilla BBQ 
Dessert: Wooly’s 

Best of N.J.: Taco Truck
People’s Taste: Souvlaki GR

Vendy Hero: Patty’s Taco

Maker’s Mark Street 

Food Challenge: Cinnamon Snail 

...and a big 

THANK YOU to all the street food chefs who works so hard, 
all year long, to make our days delicious...

Time to go home? 
No worries, we can still catch an East River ferry. 

Walk with me to the edge of Governor's Island.

Nice views here...

Thank you for coming, everyone! 

Me (Cleo Coyle aka Alice Alfonsi) with my husband,
Marc Cerasini, who collaborates with me to write
The Coffeehouse Mysteries...


Would you like to take a *virtual* ferry ride with us? 
Click on the arrow in the window below and come along
for the ride up the East River.

I'll even point out some sights along the way...

See you next week!
~ Cleo

To get more of Cleo's recipes, sign up to win free coffee, or learn about her national bestselling mystery series, visit her online coffeehouse by clicking here.

Three Fish Soup

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I love weird recipes like Magic Peach Cobbler.  Not oddball food so much.  I'll leave the bugs and stinky things to Andrew Zimmern, but unusual methods of preparation fascinate me.  This recipe caught my eye because it involves pouring boiling liquid over the other ingredients instead of mixing everything before bringing it to a boil.  The boiling liquid works well because fish cooks quickly.  It gives you a head start on the cooking process.

I stumbled upon this recipe for fish soup ages ago.  The original recipe is long gone, but the ingredients are so simple that it's not hard to remember.  This is an ideal recipe for someone new to cooking because the only way you can goof is by overcooking it.

If memory serves, the original recipe called for boiling water to be poured over the ingredients.  I found it more flavorful if I added seafood bouillon to the water.  To my surprise, my gigantic Kroger (seriously, you don't want to forget anything because it's a long hike from one side of the store to the other) didn't have any seafood bouillon.  Plenty of chicken, beef, and vegetable bouillon, but nothing for seafood.  So this time around, I made it with chicken broth, which worked out fine, but didn't give it that additional fishy kick.

It's a very mild soup and makes a lovely light lunch or dinner.  If you're one of those people who loves spicy food, it might not be the soup for you.  On the other hand, nobody's stopping you from tossing in some jalapenos!

You can use any combination of fish that you like, which makes it at least slightly economical because you can use whatever is on special.  However, it works best with fish that hold up well to cooking.  Delicate fish that flakes very easily might not be the best choice.  Monkfish is ideal.  I used cod, monkfish, and shark.  Mixing the fish adds to the flavor and also provides different textures.

Peeling the potatoes is up to you.  I used red-skinned potatoes and left the peels on.

Three Fish Soup

1 leek
3-4 medium potatoes
1 1/2 pounds mixed fish (approximately)
6 cups chicken broth, or water and seafood bouillon
salt and pepper to taste

Pour the broth (or water and seafood bouillon) into a pot and heat to a boil.

Meanwhile, slice the firm end of the leek into slices and place in a large soup pot.  Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and add to leek.  Slice the fish into 1 inch cubes and add to pot with leek and potatoes.

Pour the boiling liquid over the ingredients and bring everything to a boil.  Gently boil approximately 20 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork and the fish is cooked through. (Do not overcook or the fish will become tough.)

Serve with crusty bread and a wedge of cheese, and enjoy!  Can be made ahead of time and reheated, but be careful not to overcook the fish.