Chicken Salmoriglio

From Christopher Kimball’s latest book, Milk Street Tuesday Nights Mediterranean, this is a delicious weeknight dinner. 

The book is broken up into three categories: fast, faster, fastest - which helps immensely when you are pressed for time and can’t figure out what to cook for dinner (again!). There are so many great recipes in this book that I have dozens of little post-it scraps stuck to the pages of fabulous sounding (and looking) recipes.

This one, in particular, caught my eye because a) I love chicken thighs, and b) the recipe originates in southern Italy, which holds a special place in my heart. You can’t beat the combination of chicken with garlic, lemon, and oregano roasted crisp in the oven! Served on a bed of arugula or watercress, it’s technically a salad, right? 

The recipe serves four and is from the “fast” section of the book (start to finish in 45 minutes). The name, “salmoriglio,” refers to the sauce/marinade, and you are definitely going to want some crusty Italian bread to sop it up with. I think a chilled Italian white would be perfect with this dish - the WSJ wine columnist has some good recommendations here and here.

Chicken Salmoriglio (Milk Street Tuesday Nights Mediterranean)

Ingredients:

1 TB grated lemon zest, plus 2 lemons halved crosswise

2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated

1 t dried oregano, crumbled

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

5 TB extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed and patted dry

1 TB honey

1 bunch watercress, trimmed, or 5 oz container baby arugula

1 TB finely chopped fresh oregano

Directions:

Don’t skip the step of cutting slashes into the chicken. The cuts allow the seasonings to get into the meat for better flavor throughout and also help speed the cooking.

1. Heat oven to 475°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Grate 1 TB zest from the lemons, then halve the lemons and trim off the pointed ends so the halves sit stably with cut sides facing up; set the lemon halves aside. In a small bowl, stir together the zest, garlic, dried oregano, 1-1/2 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper. Measure 1 TB of the lemon-garlic mixture into a large bowl. Stir 4 TB of oil into the remaining mixture and set aside.
2. To the large bowl, add the remaining 1 TB oil, the honey, 2 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper, then stir to combine. Using a sharp knife, cut parallel slashes about 1” apart all the way to the bone on both sides of each chicken thigh. Add the things to the bowl and turn to coat on all sides, rubbing the seasoning mixture into the slashes.
3. Arrange the chicken, skin side up, and the lemon halves, cut sides up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the chicken is beginning to brown and the thickest part reaches 165°F to 170°F, about 20 minutes. Leaving the chicken in the oven, turn on the broiler. Continue to cook until the chicken is deep golden brown and the thickest part reaches about 175°F, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
4. Place the watercress on a serving platter, creating a bed for the chicken. Using tongs, place the chicken on top of the watercress. Squeeze 3 TB juice from 1 or 2 of the lemon halves, then stir the juice along with the fresh oregano into the lemon-garlic oil to make the salmoriglio. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve with the remaining lemon halves for squeezing.

Strawberry-Lemon Loaf Cake

Photo by Brigitte Tohm from Pexels

As noted in the recipe I clipped this from (New York Times cooking site), “this cake is summer in a loaf pan,” and they are on the money with that description. Light, breezy, bursting with the sweetness of the strawberries and the subtle tartness of lemon, it is just begging to be taken along on a picnic, late-summer BBQ, or (my personal favorite) with a cup of tea in the afternoon. 

The pictures really don’t do this cake justice, but believe me, you will love this cake!

Strawberry-Lemon Loaf Cake (NYT)

Ingredients:

Cake:

Non-stick cooking spray

1 C/150 grams diced strawberries (fresh, don’t use frozen)

1 C/200 grams plus 1 TB granulated sugar

1-1/2 C/192 grams AP flour

1 TB lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

2 t baking powder

1/2 t kosher salt

1 C/227 grams sour cream, at room temp

1/2 C/110 grams vegetable oil

3 large eggs, at room temp

1 TB lemon juice

1 t pure vanilla extract

Lemon glaze:

1 C/123 grams confectioners’ sugar

1 TB lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

2 TB lemon juice

Directions:

1. Make the cake: heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9x5” loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, toss strawberries with 1 TB sugar to macerate while you prepare the cake batter.
3. In large bowl, combine flour, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 C sugar. Whisk to combine. In a second large bowl, combine the sour cream, oil, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir gently to mix. Lift the macerated berries out of their liquid and add to the batter. Gently fold in the berries until evenly incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. If it looks to be browning on top too much, tent with aluminum foil. Cool it in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then un-mold the cake carefully and transfer to the rack to cool completely.
6. Make the glaze: in a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar with the lemon zest and juice and stir until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let stand until set.

Recipe-in-a-Flash: Almond-crusted Baked Peaches

Delicious, quick recipe that those perfectly ripe peaches on your counter are begging for! From chef Virginia Willis, you can whip this up in no time and serve it warm from the oven right after dinner. She suggests resting the peaches on plain yogurt (which I did & it was fabulous), but certainly no one would balk if you used vanilla ice cream. Don’t skip the candied ginger or the sage, both really add to the overall flavor.

Unfortunately, they don't photograph very well but don't let that deter you - this little dessert is terrific!

BTW: there is a “secret” ingredient in this recipe — soy sauce! Not something usually found in desserts, but here’s why it works (from Virginia’s site):

“Soy sauce is highly flavored with umami. However, it’s not solely the unami. We have a couple of things happening here. First, peaches and almond are related and ingredients match when they share key aromas. So, we have the match-up of peaches and almonds. Also, according to The Flavor Matrix by James Briscione and Brooke Parkhurst, stone fruit is a surprise pairing with soy sauce! Both peaches and soy sauce share certain molecular compounds and when that happens it lines up heightened flavor and aroma. There’s an actual physical reason certain things taste good together.”

Enjoy!

Almond-crusted Baked Peaches (Virginia Willis)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 TB unsalted butter - room temp, or 2 TB mild oil, such as sunflower

1/4 C fine almond flour

2 TB coconut sugar or brown sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 t pure vanilla extract

1/2 t low sodium tamari or soy sauce

2 freestone peaches

Skyr or yogurt for serving

Candied ginger, chopped, for serving

Honey for serving

Sage leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine the fat, flour, sugar, extract, and soy sauce. Stir until smooth. 
2. Halve the peaches and discard the stones.
3. Divide the mixture between the peaches, about 2 TB per peach. Spread it to evenly coat the peach. Place in ovenproof casserole or skillet. Transfer to oven and bake until peach is tender to the point of a knife and the almond topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, garnish the plates with the skyr or yogurt, candied ginger, and honey. Rest the peaches on top and garnish with sage.

Summer Ratatouille

Ratatouille over couscous

Right about now, you might have more zucchini in your garden than you know what to do with. You’ve probably already cycled through the usual suspects (zucchini bread, zucchini pancakes, even zoodles…) and are ready for something else.

This recipe, from My Place at the Table by Alexander Lobrano, makes good use of not only zucchini, but also eggplant, bell peppers, ripe tomatoes, red onions, and fresh herbs. It is a delicious melange of summer’s best vegetables and is the perfect base for a number of different additions. 

Pre-roasting

Just out of the oven

Mr Lobrano suggests tossing it with pasta and salted capers (done!), or as a garnish to salmon (done!), or mixed into couscous with fresh mint (also done!) - they are all fabulous options (and you will probably come up with a few of your own!). I used pearl couscous, which are a bit bigger than average couscous so it made for a much heartier meal. 

With pasta

Another bonus of this recipe is that you can serve it lukewarm and it keeps well (refrigerated) for a few days so you can use it in all those terrific dishes mentioned above (lazy summer days cooking dilemma solved!). 

Enjoy!

Oven-Roasted Ratatouille (Alexander Lobrano)

Total time: 1 hour

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant (1 lb), trimmed and cut into 1” pieces

1 t fine table salt

1/4 C fruity extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 TB for drizzling

2 large zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1” pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded, and cut into 1” pieces

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, and cut into 1” pieces

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 red onions, peeled and cut into 1” wedges

3 large ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped into 1” pieces

1 t chopped fresh rosemary

1 t coriander seeds, coarsely ground*

1 t coarse sea salt

1/2 C torn fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Put eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with fine table salt. Toss eggplant and let it sit at least 45 minutes, stirring from time to time to expel bitter juices.
2. Preheat oven to 375°. Pour olive oil into a large rectangular baking dish. Add zucchini, eggplant, red and yellow peppers, garlic, and onion wedges to baking dish and toss in olive oil to coat well. Sprinkle vegetables with chopped rosemary, sea salt, and coarsely ground coriander seeds, and toss again. Lightly drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, then stir in tomatoes. Continue baking until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes more.
4. Remove from oven and serve lukewarm with a garnish of torn basil.

* I could not find coriander seeds anywhere locally so I omitted this ingredient & the dish was still fabulous. See this article for substitutes

Spanish Tapas-style Shrimp

Tapas is one of my favorite type of meals in a restaurant or bar — I can order a few different plates, a glass of a lovely wine or an interesting  cocktail, and graze the afternoon away. Ah, memories of past European trips flooding my mind right now…

This dish (from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything) is a spin on Spanish tapas-style shrimp, but served over linguini, it’s a perfect weeknight dinner. I always have frozen wild-caught shrimp on hand for those nights when I can’t figure out what to have for dinner, because they defrost quickly, cook quickly, and easily pair with pasta, rice, or wrapped in a taco. 

When I made this last week, I knew it would be good because I usually love Bittman’s recipes, but I never expected to want to “lick the plate!” The juices that you get with the spices in this recipe (cumin, hot paprika), combined with fruity olive oil, garlic, and the parsley garnish, were so incredible I was desperately wishing I had a hunk of crusty bread to sop them up (sadly, I didn’t). This is an OMG dish. Make it, you won’t be sorry.

Spanish Tapas-style Shrimp (Mark Bittman)

Ingredients: 

1/3 C extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

3 or 4 big cloves garlic, cut into slivers

About 1-1/2 lb shrimp, 20-30/pound, peeled, rinsed, and dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 t ground cumin

1-1/2 t hot paprika (I used smoked paprika)

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Warm the olive oil in a large, broad ovenproof skillet or heatproof baking pan over low heat. There should be enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan; don’t skimp. Add the garlic and cook until it turns golden, a few minutes.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp, some salt and pepper, the cumin, and the paprika. Stir to blend and continue to cook, shaking the pan once or twice and turning the shrimp once or twice, until they are pink all over and the mixture is bubbly, 5-10 minutes*. Garnish and serve immediately.

*Be careful not to overcook the shrimp - mine only took about 2-3 minutes per side.