E.A.T.

Crispy Sage Chicken Breast with a Pan Gravy

2013-05-22T07:57:00.000-04:00

You might remember when I posted how to truss and roast the perfect chicken — and if you could not wait and just ate the whole thing right out of the oven, well, I understand! If you read through the entire post you would have noticed I mentioned this:

Note: If you plan to make a gravy, drain juices into a saucepan, then add 1 cup of chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of butter to the saucepan. I will detail the gravy and a recipe for the breast in another post later this week.

Before you start your gravy, remove the chicken breast and wrap the lower half in aluminum foil allowing the skin to be exposed. Place in a pan and into the center of a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. This will heat the breast and crisp the skin.

Well of course that week where I promised this post has come and gone but I am here to finish what I started! So let's step back, after you follow the roasting part, reserve any drippings from the chicken. Place this in a container and into the fridge. Later in the week when you are ready to make your gravy, remove from the fridge and immediately take off any fat that may have hardened on top — usually about a 1/4". Pour the remaining stock into a pan, heat and either add 1 cup of chicken stock or 1 cup of dry white wine wine and heat to simmer. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and allow it to continue to simmer until reduced by half.

Do not add salt if you followed the roasting method, as this stock should be salty enough, but of course some fresh ground pepper and then a taste to make sure seasoning is to your liking.

Remove the breast from the oven, slice and add to your serving plate.

Drizzle the pan gravy on top and serve immediately with in season vegetables.

So there you have it — a crispy sage chicken breast with a pan gravy. Be honest, did the roast chicken even make it to this stage or are you rushing out to start over and begin roasting another yardbird?

E.A.T. local E.A.T well

Easy Curried Carrot Soup with Coconut Milk

2013-05-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm at it again over on Lot18 with this curried carrot soup with coconut milk paired with a chardonnay.

Utilizing the fresh local carrots from Origins farm we picked up at the farmer's market really made the flavor stand out in this soup!

As you head out to the market this week, keep this recipe in mind — as it contains minimal ingredients and really is quite easy to make. Find the full recipe here.

As always,

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Parmesan & Herbed Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2013-05-17T07:38:00.000-04:00

This time of year I always get excited coming home to a fresh local box of veggies from The Farm Table. The Farm Box is one of the ways I support locally grown produce from local farmers!

This week's bounty was simply stunning — a box filled to the brim with strawberries, bok choy, sweet potatoes, red leaf lettuce, spring onions, mint, and the star of today's recipe being big beautiful portobello mushrooms:

You might remember last year when the portobellos made an appearance in the box, we did a farm egg in a portobello mushroom with fresh thyme:

Well this year we are stuffing it with quinoa, more of that fresh thyme from the box and a dusting of parmesan cheese to finish things off:

Ingredients:

2 large portobello mushrooms
1 cup of prepared quinoa (after you cook the quinoa allow to cool and incorporate thyme, salt, pepper, and diced cucumbers).
Olive oil
Thyme sprigs and leaves
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wipe your mushrooms with a damp paper towel to clean. Remove the stem, place on a baking sheet and drizzle mushrooms with olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, then transfer the mushrooms to the hot oven to roast for 5-7 minutes.

Remove from oven and scoop quinoa into the mushroom caps, add a pinch of fresh thyme leaves and grate fresh parmesan on top before returning to the hot oven and roasting for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted to your liking. I like to toss a couple whole sprigs of thyme onto the baking sheet at this point to use later for a garnish.

Remove and serve with that freshly roasted sprig of thyme:

So easy for a healthy & fast lunch or dinner! What are your favorite ways to use portobello mushrooms?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Turkey Burgers with Whole Grain Mustard, Avocado, and Greens

2013-05-15T06:45:00.000-04:00

Memorial day is coming fast and these turkey burgers provide the perfect healthier twist from a traditional hamburger. So this weekend or over the holiday weekend head on over to Relay Foods to find this recipe I did for Backyard Grilled Brie Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Avocado and Greens!

What is your favorite recipe to throw on the grill in early spring?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

How to Truss and Roast the Perfect Chicken

2013-05-13T08:35:00.000-04:00

I cannot think of many things more comforting or something that makes the house smell better than roasting your own chicken. There are many variations and most are quite simple, however, there are a few simple rules that I feel each recipe should follow to make your yardbird stand out from the rest. You can cut corners but I am writing a post that I feel is the perfect roasted chicken.

The chicken — whole, organic, free range, fed organic feed, and contains no antibiotics or growth hormones. Rinse the whole chicken and pat to dry well with paper towels. We want the chicken as dry as possible when going in the oven.

I like sage with chicken from the essence it gives while cooking — and also to achieve that faint but unmissable hint of flavor while eating, it is a step I never skip. 5-6 fresh leaves directly under the skin on the breast should do. This also gives an eye appeal to the chicken when done and can be your new best kept secret.

Sprinkle and rub 2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt in and on the chicken — this can be done after you truss the chicken. Add one whole lemon (quartered) into the chicken cavity.

Next we are going to truss (or hog tie) this bird. Trussing allows all parts of the chicken to cook evenly as it brings the legs and wings in close to the body.

First let's talk kitchen cleanliness and safety. When handling raw chicken let's make sure everything is out and within reach that you are going to use or have someone around to help you. The last thing you want is to handle raw chicken then realize you left the kitchen twine in the drawer.

Start by cutting about a 3 foot piece of twine. Tie the legs securely together and then bring the twine around to the front of the chicken, bringing the wings in close and tight.

Bring the string back around to the back of the chicken and tie a knot so the chicken is now one tight ball. Cut any excess string and wash anything that came in contact with the raw chicken in hot soapy water.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (yes we want it hot) and place the bird on a roasting rack in a pan. When the oven is at the desired 450 degrees place pan in a center rack of the oven. Leave it be, only to rotate the pan half way through the 50-60 minute cooking time.

Remove from oven and turn the bird, allowing any juices in the cavity to drain, setting rack and chicken aside.

After you cut and remove the twine, you can slice the chicken and eat, passing the gravy as you serve.

I mentioned the visual beauty of the sage coming through the crispy skin once cooked, as you can see above. So there you have it — my version of the perfect roast chicken.

What's your tried and true method?

E.A.T. local E.A.T well