Category Archives: roasting

EGGPLANT & TOFU WITH BLACK PEPPER

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My garden is overflowing with Japanese eggplant right now and I couldn’t be happier about that. I’ve got enough that I’ve had to move on from my usual go to of miso/soy grilled eggplant and try other preparations. This is a sure fire winner, a quick and easy one dish meal, and served with rice a very complete meal. Never fear, I still made a salad ….. I think by now Grant is disappointed when salad doesn’t show up for dinner.

These beauties are delicious 😋 I’m late to learning a love for eggplant but making up for it now!

  • 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu
  • Neutral oil for roasting (I use safflower)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3/4 to 1 pound eggplant
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (the higher amount is slightly more rich)
  • 1 heaped cup thinly sliced shallots or 1 medium white or red onion, thinly sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon granulated or brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon crushed or very coarsely ground black pepper, and more to taste
  • Rice, for serving
  • Chile-garlic sauce, crispy chili oil, or sriracha for serving

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Drain tofu and place on a few layers of paper towel with more over it; set aside for 5 minutes, or until needed. Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over your largest baking sheet and place it on the oven to get very hot while you get everything else ready. Trim eggplant and cut eggplant into 1-inch pieces. In a large bowl toss with 1 tablespoon oil and a few pinches of salt. Remove hot pan from oven and spread eggplant over half to 2/3 the pan. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Toss gently in empty bowl with cornstarch and a couple pinches of salt until coated. Spread on empty part of baking sheet.

Roast tofu and eggplant in oven for 20 minutes to start. After 20 minutes, use your thinnest spatula to gently separate the tofu from the pan and flip to crisp and brown on the other side, about another 10 minutes. Do the same with the eggplant. At 30 minutes, the tofu should be crisp and browned and the eggplant should be roasted and tender. If needed, cook it for 5 more minutes.

I have a number of sources for amazing Asian cooking, Kenji Lopez Alt, Andrea Nguyen, Just One Cookbook, The Woks of Life, but in a surprising turn, this came from another of my all time favorite bloggers, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I’ve never had a fail from any of her recipes, and if you want to truly be entertained, hop on over to her blog for the full write up, and more of her wit.

Chipotle Vinaigrette

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Is there anything better than a vinaigrette that you want to use on everything? I doubt it. We’ve used it to dress up grilled vegetables, served it drizzled over a Mexican steak bowl, and of course just as dressing for a simple salad. The added bonus is that this is the easiest dressing to make.

Use it in a variety of ways – today it was drizzled over a Mexican Steak Bowl, and it was perfect with the combination of sweet, smoky and spicy.
  • 1/2 cup avocado oil
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 chipotle pepper from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

The directions are embarrassingly easy ….. simply toss it all in a blender and let it whizz until everything is creamy and smooth. The combination of chipotle, honey and lime is brilliant.

Grilled steak and vegetables, served over a bed of Mexi style rice and garnished with a juicy fresh tomato and cilantro salad. This dressing is amazing.

This recipe came from the the Love and Lemons website, and you can be sure anything from Jeanine Donofrio is going to be delicious.

Miso Herb Roasted Veg stock

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The perfect base for any kind of soup – wonton tonight, laksa another night.

Cold dreary days lead to healing soups! Even the start of this, with the miso coated vegetables roasting in the oven promises great flavour. I promise you will feel like brighter days are coming by the time you finish this bowl of deliciousness. (Is that a word?)

  • 4 tbsp white miso paste
  • 3 tbsp grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 3 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 sheet of dried seaweed (optional but recommended)
  • 1 large yellow onion, skin on, thinly sliced
  • 1 large carrot, scrubbed clean and thinly sliced
  • 2 large celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • 2 heads of garlic, cut in half, skins on
  • 4 inch knob of ginger, unpeeled, thinly sliced
  • 5 sprigs parsley (or any other herb you have around!)

To finish: juice of one lemon, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl combine miso, oil and water, whisk to combine.

Place piece of seaweed and all prepared veg on the parchment and toss well with the miso mixture.

Roast for at least an hour, until veg are lightly browned.

Turn into a large stock pot, and cover with 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1-2 hours.

Strain the stock off, discard the vegetables (you’ve cooked all the goodness out of them!) and add in the juice of 1 lemon, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

This is delicious!!! I got it from the kitchen of Jillian Harris, she calls it Gut Healing Veggie Broth, and it is a sure fired winner.

Don’t you just know how good it is going to be already??
Once that miso gets tossed in there with it all and starts roasting your whole house smells fabulous.
The broth alone is a great starting place for amazing soups.
LAKSA – totally delicious with this stock.

Lamb Barbacoa

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lamb barbacoa 4

Pretty simply delicious.  Feels just like you are at a roadside stand or a local Mercado in Mexico.  Serve with a salad and dinner is ready.

I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with the pack of frozen lamb stew meat in my freezer …… This turned out to be perfect!  It helps that whenever we come home from Mexico we bring dried peppers so I always have a good stock on hand.  The only thing I didn’t have, in fact, was the agave leaf, or banana leaf.  I’m sure it will add another dimension of flavour when I try that, but honestly this was just fantastic without.

FOR THE LAMB

  • 12-inch chunk of an agave leaf (penca de maguey) or 1 large banana leaf, optional
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder (you could also use beef or pork – marinade works with either)
  • 1 12-ounce bottle of beer (optional but I love this!)
  • Salt

FOR THE MARINADE

  • 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large pieces
  • 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large pieces
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

FOR SERVING

  • Your favorite hot sauce or salsa
  • A little chopped white onion or pickled red onions
  • A handful of cilantro leaves

This recipe came from Rick Bayless, and I have copied it here exactly as he posted it, but I’ve added my changes in the bold Italic font.

Roast the agave leaf being careful not to touch the exposed flesh of the agave) over an open flame, turning every few minutes until pliable and charred, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness.  (If using a banana leaf, run it briefly over an open flame to soften it.)  Cut into 3 pieces.  We are in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, so I wasn’t about to run out to the store and try to buy agave leaf or banana leaf (the closest we can get to either of these is frozen banana leaf).  I just left this part out.

In the stovetop-safe insert of your slow cooker or in a very large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high.  Pat the lamb dry with a paper towel, sprinkle generously with salt and lay it in the insert of skillet.  Cook, turning occasionally, until richly brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.  Fit the insert into the machine or transfer the meat to the slow cooker.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender with 2 cups of water and blend to a smooth puree.  Pour through a medium mesh strainer into the slow cooker. Nestle the pieces of agave leaf or banana leaf under and around the meat and pour the beer over the top, if you are using them.  Cover and turn on the slow cooker to high.  Your barbacoa  will be done in about 6 hours, though you can hold it for longer. (My slow-cooker can be programmed to switch from high after 6 hours to a “keep warm” temperature for up to another 6 hours. Some slow cookers click to “keep warm” automatically; others need to be switched manually.). I put the seasonings and the torn chile peppers into the blender along with hot water, and allowed it to sit for about 20 minutes before blending. This allowed the peppers to soften nicely and they blended up very smoothly.

Given that we are just “at home” these days, I didn’t use the slow cooker, but browned the meat well before adding it to a heavy cast iron dutch oven, covering with the marinade and slowly roasting at 275 for about 3 hours.  Honestly, I prefer this method most of the time anyway as it allows for the sauce to be richer.

lamb barbacoa 3

Just look at how rich that sauce is …. I don’t find the same result in a slow cooker.

When you are ready to serve, coarsely shred the lamb and arrange it on a warm platter.  Skim any fat from the sauce that remains in the slow cooker, then taste it.  If you feel it would be better with a more concentrated flavor, pour it into a medium saucepan or remove the insert and set it over high heat.  Boil for a few minutes to reduce that quantity, then taste and season with salt if it needs it. Spoon as much as you like over the lamb or beef.  (I like to sprinkle coarse salt over the meat at this point.)  Serve the barbacoa with the hot sauce or salsa, onion and cilantro.  Grab some tortillas, if you like, and you’re ready to make some delicious tacos.

lamb barbacoa 2

Needless to say, it isn’t necessary to make your own tortillas, but I love doing it.  I’m still struggling with getting my corn tortillas worthy of being a Mexican Abuela, but my flour tortilla game is strong!!  On Saturday mornings at one of our favourite mercados in Mexico City we have found the absolute B E S T pork carnitas.  This is the only spot we’ve ever seen this done, but they are making their tortillas loaded with herbs, so I tried that today.  Pretty successful, if I do say so myself.  I just kept adding herbs until it looked and smelled about right.

Lamb barbacoa 1

Most people come home from Mexico with decor, or tequila …… we bring home tortilla baskets, dried chile peppers and mezcal to make barbecue sauce.

Buttermilk Brined Roast Chicken

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Chicken 2

Ohhhh – the skin ….. for those crispy skin lovers this chicken is a dream!  Best part of all, is that it protects the most deliciously moist chicken underneath.

I’ve been roasting chickens for a LONG time …… I rarely use a recipe, but with the isolation going on around Covid 19 I thought it was time to branch out and try something new.  This appeared in one of my Food & Wine magazines and I was pretty excited to give it a try.  Naturally with the isolation and reduced shopping I had to improvise.  I had a few dried morels, so used those in place of the porcini, and only had fresh thyme, so used that in place of the rosemary.  I also didn’t have quite that much buttermilk left, but just topped up the container with water to cover the chicken.  I followed the recipe method exactly though, and even though it took longer to cook in my oven …. more like an hour and a half, the result was worth the wait.

  • Kosher salt
  • 11 garlic cloves—9 smashed, 
2 thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary or 
5 Douglas fir sprigs
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • One 3 1/2-pound whole chicken
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Step 1

In a medium saucepan, combine 
1/4 cup of salt with the smashed garlic, the sugar, rosemary, bay leaf and 
2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. 
Transfer the mixture to a very large bowl and stir in 2 cups of cold water.

Step 2

In a spice grinder, grind the mushrooms to a powder. (You should have about 
3 tablespoons.) Whisk the porcini powder and buttermilk into the salt mixture. Place the chicken in the buttermilk 
brine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 12 hours.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 425°. Remove 
the chicken from the brine and pat dry; 
discard the brine. Tuck the wing 
tips behind the breasts, tie the legs with kitchen twine and set the chicken, 
breast side up, in a rack over a roasting pan. Season all over with salt.

Step 4

Roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Brush the butter all over the chicken, then return it to the oven and roast 
for about 45 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted 
in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes.

Step 5

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, simmer the olive oil with the sliced garlic over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic just starts to brown and the oil is hot and fragrant, about 
3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool.

Step 6

Carve the chicken and arrange the pieces on a platter. Brush with some of the garlic oil and serve right away, 
passing the remaining oil at the table.

Chicken 1

No fancy presentation here, just the most delectable chicken drizzled with the garlic oil.

I copied this right out of my Food & Wine magazine, so it’s only fair to also let you know where it comes from!

Chefs Evan and Sarah Rich of RT Rotisserie in San Francisco make the very best chicken. They use a buttermilk brine that includes umami powder, garlic and Douglas fir—a signature ingredient from their flagship restaurant, Rich Table, that they forage themselves. In this adaptation, the chicken is roasted in the oven, and the brine is made with buttermilk, dried porcini, garlic and rosemary, though if you have access to Douglas fir sprigs, feel free to use them.

chicken 3

Resting the chicken is so important.  Tent it loosely with foil and allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes, this allows the juices to remain in the chicken – it’s worth it, I promise.

The ingredients and method are entirely out of Food & Wine, but the photos are my own!

Korean BBQ wings, sweet & spicy!

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These are the quickest, easiest wings that deliver the most amazing flavour – they hit all those sweet, spicy and sticky notes.

Korean BBQ wings

  • 1.5 pounds chicken wings
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Korean BBQ Sauce

  • 6 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp corn starch

Garnish:  

  • sesame seeds
  • thinly sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 400 – use convection if you have it.

Combine flour, salt and pepper in bowl.  Pat wings dry and toss with olive oil, then lightly coat with the flour mixture.  Place on a rack over a baking sheet and put in prepared oven.  Bake for 40 minutes, flipping them at 10 minute intervals.

Prep sauce..

Turn oven to broil, toss wings in sauce and broil for 3 -4 minutes, then turn over and do another 3 minutes or so – watch carefully so they don’t burn!

SAUCE;

In a small sauce pan combine soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, rice vinegar, sriracha, garlic and sweet chili sauce.  Bring to a boil, then mix the water and corn starch together and stir into the sauce mixture.  Return the sauce to a boil, and simmer until it thickens. Set aside.

Garlic with sesame seeds & onions,  and get out the napkins!

KFC cauliflower

Perfect served with these KFC cauliflower bites – so yummy.

 

Dr Pepper Glazed Ham

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Dr Pepper ham

Got family (or friends that are family) coming for a festive dinner?  Or just a Sunday cook up?  This ham is always moist, juicy and so delicious.  As much as the kids love chicken, when this is on the menu also, they return for more ham!

Ingredients

  • One 10-pound, bone-in smoked ham, skin removed and fat trimmed to 1/4 inch
  • 3 cups Dr Pepper (not diet)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup pitted prunes
  • 1/3 cup yellow mustard
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325° and position a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Set the smoked ham in a large roasting pan. Score a 1/4-inch-deep crosshatch pattern into the fat at 2-inch intervals. Pour 2 cups of the Dr Pepper and the 2 cups of water into the pan and roast the ham for about 2 1/2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham registers 120°. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

Step 2

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, simmer the prunes in the remaining 1 cup of Dr Pepper until they are plump and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the prunes to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Whisk the mustard, brown sugar and vinegar into the liquid in the saucepan and boil until very thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Drizzle the syrupy glaze over the ham and roast until glossy, 20 minutes. Carefully transfer the ham to a cutting board.

Step 4

Pour the pan juices into the saucepan and spoon off the fat. Boil the sauce until reduced to 2 cups, 10 minutes. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and the prunes and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce until thickened, 2 minutes. Slice the ham and serve with the Dr Pepper sauce.

Note:  I have a mustard sauce I’ve been making for years, which I also make and combine it with this sauce …. that is the key to having lots of juicy, tasty sauce to drizzle over.

Kathy’s Mustard Sauce:

  1. 1/3 cup white vinegar
  2. 1/3 cup white sugar
  3. 1 tbsp dry mustard powder
  4. 1 tbsp butter
  5. 1 beaten egg, set aside.

In small sauce pan bring vinegar, sugar, mustard and butter to a boil.  Remove from heat and EVER SO SLOWLY drizzle into the beaten egg, whisking as you go.  When it is all incorporated, return to the heat and stir as it thickens.  Remove from heat, and stir into the Dr. Pepper sauce.

Dr Pepper ham 2

Another bonus to this recipe?  Today we had a smaller group so I bought a double smoked boneless ham and cooked it at 275 until the internal temperature was 120.  Carried on with the rest of the recipe, and it was perfect.

Years ago Rob and Mandy gave us a subscription for Food and Wine Magazine … this recipe is from those issues, and I know the ham is a fave in their home too!

Portugese Stew With Pork and Clams

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I haven’t been to Portugal, but I sure do want to!  This aromatic braise melds fields, land and sea, in the most satisfying way.  Grab some crusty bread and you’ve got a fantastic meal.

Portugese stew 2

I had a few of these adorable baby Yukon golds at hand, along with some bell peppers that went in also ….. after all, a stew is intended to help you clean out the fridge!

  • 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • 6 garlic cloves, divided
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon Pimentón de la Vera dulce (or your favourite paprika)
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium-size (9-ounce) yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 cups chicken stock or lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
  • 2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
  • 2 pounds Manila clams or cockles, scrubbed
  • Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
  • Lemon wedges and crusty bread, for serving

How to Make It

Step 1

Season pork all over with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and place in a large ziplock plastic bag. Smash 3 garlic cloves, and add to bag with wine, bay leaves, and Pimentón. Seal and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove pork from marinade, and pat dry. Remove and discard garlic and bay leaves; reserve remaining marinade. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add half of pork, and cook, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate. Repeat with remaining half of pork. Chop remaining 3 garlic cloves, and add to Dutch oven with onion and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; cook, stirring often, until golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, red pepper, and reserved marinade

Step 3

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, 3 minutes. Return cooked pork to Dutch oven; stir in 1 cup stock until pork is mostly submerged. Cover and bake in preheated oven until pork is fork-tender, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Step 4

Stir in potatoes and remaining 1 cup stock. Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Step 5

Transfer Dutch oven to stovetop over high, and add clams. Cover and cook until clams open, 3 to 5 minutes. (Remove and discard any unopened clams.) Season with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

bread

My “no knead” bread was a gift with this stew, the perfect combo!

Make Ahead

Pork may be prepared through step 3 and refrigerated overnight. Reheat before proceeding with step 4.

Suggested Pairing

Robust Portuguese red.

Portugese stew 3

If you should be lucky enough, you will have friends with an amazing bonfire pit to sit around and enjoy your stew, dunking the crusty bread and sipping your beverage of choice.

I spotted this recipe just as we finished making our own Paprika – grilling or smoking, then drying a variety of peppers before grinding them up to enjoy all winter.  This was featured in Food and Wine Magazine, and I’ve copied it exactly as written.  On this particular day we were eating it the same day, so I had to skip the lengthy marinade, and just carried on as it is written, stirring the onions and garlic together after browning the pork.  Everything went into the oven and it wasn’t long before the most magical aroma was filling the house.  We then carted it off, with the bread, to enjoy at our friend’s house with a bonfire.

Beef Stroganoff

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Stroganoff 2

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds beef stew meat, in bite size pieces
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 1 cup thinly sliced onions
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 cups low sodium beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (I keep a tube of tomato paste in the fridge – so useful)
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup fresh herbs (parsley, chives, oregano)

 

  • 12 ounces broad egg noodles – cooked according to package directions

(you could use any noodle really, but egg noodles are traditional with stroganoff)

Preheat oven to 325.

Combine flour with salt and pepper.  Lightly coat beef pieces in seasoned flour (I like to put it all in a bag and give the beef a good shake).  Reserve seasoned flour.

Heat oil (just enough to coat the bottom of the cooking vessel) in Dutch oven (or any heavy bottom pot with a good fitting lid.  When oil is just starting to shimmer add beef pieces.  Don’t overcrowd the pan or the meat will steam instead of getting a light crust.  You may have to do this in batches.

Set browned meat aside and if needed, add a bit more oil to the pot;  saute onions, garlic & mushrooms.  Once the vegetables have softened add 2 tbsp of the seasoned flour mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Combine beef broth, tomato paste, dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce and pour into pot.  Stir gently to release any bits from the pan and allow sauce to thicken …. then add the beef back in.  Stir to combine.

Slow roast at 325 for 1 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork tender.  (This is pretty forgiving … don’t have that long?  Go for 350 for an hour.

 

 

Lemony Greek Chicken Thighs

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Greek chicken 4

So delicious – olives, caper berries, sweet onions and tender chicken thighs …… you will be licking the pan, at least Leah did!

This is one of those “guideline” recipes.  I’m going to go ahead and give some amounts, but feel free to adjust to whatever you have on hand, or whatever your taste buds are asking for!

  • vegetable or peanut oil
  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 large lemon, halved, then sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed lightly then halved
  • 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup mixed olives (I used kalamata, stuffed green & caper berries)
  • 2 tbsp of sliced sun dried tomatoes
  • generous handful of minced herbs (today I used parsley, oregano & thyme)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Splash of good dry white wine

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Bring cast iron skillet up to a moderate temperature, add just enough neutral oil to generously coat the pan.  As soon as it starts to shimmer, add chicken thighs. Try not to overcrowd the pan as you want to get a nice sear on the chicken pieces.

Turn once they release easily from the skillet.  Once the second side has seared, remove from the heat.

To the same pan, add a splash of white wine and the onions, garlic, lemon & sun dried tomatoes.  Saute until the onion is translucent and just starting to soften.  Add the herbs and nestle the chicken back into the skillet.  Scatter olive mixture in amongst the chicken and put the whole skillet into an oven at 375 for 30 minutes.  Watch carefully and if you think the chicken is browning too quickly – cover with tinfoil so it cooks through.

Remove from heat, if desired finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a splash of your best olive oil.