Orange Roasted Chicken

Most likely at this point in time you’ve already figured it out yourself. I'm not exactly a kamikaze-foodblogger, ready to do anything to keep fueling the Holy Fire of culinary creativity. Sometimes I need to take a break, and it usually happens when at night I start dreaming of crying tomatoes, who beg me to find them one mozzarella that deserves its name; of lumpy dough growing out of proportion, accusing me of never feeding it with a sourdough starter; of out-of-reach croissants, that first shake their buttery fragrance under my nose, and then run, run far away, and happily jump into a bowl of coffee.

Unmistakable signs that it's time to take a vacation, amuse oneself in the sweetest culinary oblivion, forget how to make pastry dough, how to gut those poor sea breams, or why months ago I had bought a bag full of barley flour. And this time it hit me so hard, that for few weeks I seriously considered giving up and blog-retiring after only one year of (respectable) service. And because I trust you and I know you won't tell anybody, I admit that during the past months I've done crazy things, like selling 22 cookbooks (!!) one after the other, the Kitchen Aid, a clay pot that I had never used, and my beloved Imperia. And, even worse, I didn't even regret it. It was so easy. ZAC! The time to write an online ad, and that's it. Just try it.

And yet, as unexpectedly as it went away, the culinary fervor shows up again, taking over your commuter's fantasies and forcing you to reach for the few books that have survived the massacre. It may have been October's crisp air, that one random day ordered me to lock myself in the kitchen, baking cookies like crazy with the oven in full glory; or it may have been all those pumpkins, slaughtered for Halloween, that begged me to please use them for a risotto. The thing is, one day I simply went and bought a cute new apron, I took out the tools from the bottom of the drawer (what am I talking about? I don't even have a drawer...), and I recharged my camera's battery.

Enough doughs went under the blades, enough chickens went under the broiler to make me understand that it'll be always like that, an on-going change of feelings, an endless love/hate relationship with this insanity called blog. Foodblog, to be precise. That sweet vacation was not the first one, and for sure it won't be the last one either. Take me as I am.
Amen.


Orange Roasted Chicken
serves 4

chicken, cut in pieces 1
orange marmalade about 1/2 cup
lemon 1
bourbon 3-4 tablespoons
red onion 1
oranges 2
salt, pepper, ground clove to taste

Why the Holy Fire hypnotized me with visions of chickens, citrus, and marmalade, I don't know. As for me, I didn't put up any resistance, quite the opposite, I took it as a good excuse to use one of the countless marmalade jars in my pantry, freeing up space for the next one.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towel and rub it with salt and pepper. In a small pan mix orange marmalade, juice and grated zest of lemon, bourbon, and ground clove, and warm them up. Pour marinade over the chicken pieces, so that they are covered on all sides, and let rest for at least one hour.
Then, place the chicken on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, skin side up, add the onion and one orange, quartered. Drizzle with the juice of the other orange, and bake at 400 for about one hour, or until chicken skin is golden brown.
Place chicken on a serving dish. Collect the juices from the bottom of the baking pan, place them in a small pot and reduce them to a thick sauce. Pour it over the chicken and serve.
It may be unnecessary to say this, but I strongly recommend eating the above dish with your hands. Lick it, people, lick it.

Chicken Salad With Walnuts And Dried Apricots

Boiled meat and me have never gotten along too well. Last night, for some strange reason, I decided to make a batch of chicken stock. If you think about it, one can't stay without chicken sock, right?
I've been able to verify that one of the side effects of the aforementioned chicken stock is that all of a sudden you find yourself with an unmanageable amount of boiled chicken... : 0
And why nobody told me??? I've never liked boiled meat. UAHHHHHH! Panic.
The prospects of living from now to eternity eating bland, boiled chicken-based dinners start taking shape. Did you really have to put a whole chicken in your bag? Wouldn't have been better to go see a movie instead? Calm down, calm down, the Girl In The Kitchen inside me says everything is under control, there is a remedy for all things, even for boiled chicken. I trust her. After all, we've known each other for a long time, and even if at times she makes me act a little bit insanely, this Girl is a nice gal.
I decide to follow her advice and then, twenty-four hours later, I make peace with boiled chicken. Here's how.


Chicken Salad
with Walnuts & Dried Apricots

boiled chicken
Chioggia radicchio 1 head
walnuts
dried apricots
slivered parmigiano cheese (or crumbled goat cheese)
olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper

To make boiled chicken, just rely upon your stockinlish imagination (I've thrown the bird in a pot with one onion, one tomato, two carrots, two celery stalks, black peppercorns, few cloves, salt, parsley and rosemary, and I've let it simmer for about one hour, skimming when necessary).
When it's ready, remove chicken from the pot and cut it in small pieces. Add some chopped dried apricots (or some raisins, previously soaked in water and drained), dress with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Shred a head of radicchio, add chicken and dried fruit, a handful of walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped, adjust the seasoning and sprinkle with slivered parmigiano cheese or crumbled goat cheese.

Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Pomegranate, Honey and Cinnamon

I know, I know. Pomegranate is out already, big time, not to mention Christmas. And instead here we keep turning a blind eye.
The thing is, although I can't stand all that Christmas cheesiness that each year starts haunting us one week earlier, when Christmas comes for real I don't want it to end, ever. That is to say, deep down I too have a soft heart.
Make no mistake here, in this recipe there's very little of pomegranate. Pomegranate molasses (or concentrated juice) is used instead to marinate the meat; it's a typical product of Middle Eastern cooking that I'm fortunate enough to find quite easily here. If you're serious about it, you could as well make it at home - you just need to reduce on the stove some pomegranate juice mixed with a little sugar and lemon juice (as explained here). But it will be for next Christmas.
With this one, I promise, I'll send pomegranate on vacation.


Roasted Game Hen
with Pomegranate, Honey & Cinnamon

game hen 1 each person
(to show off, call it poussin, you'll make quite an impression)
pomegranate molasses 2 or 3 tablespoons each
garlic 1 clove each
cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, olive oil to taste
honey 1-2 tablespoon each

Rinse the game hens and pat them dry them thoroughly on the inside as well. Mix the molasses with plenty of cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper and slivered garlic. Pour the marinade over the hens and rub them so that the flavor gets everywhere. Let them rest in the refrigerator, covered with plastic, for at least 8 hours, turning them occasionally.
After this time, drain the hens from the marinade, sprinkle each one with salt and pepper, and tie their legs with kitchen twine. Arrange them chest side up on an greased baking pan, and bake at about 390-430 (depending on their size) for approximately 40 minutes. At the end, brush them with the honey and bake 5 more minutes.
Serve each hen on a individual plate and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs and pomegranate seeds.

After All It's Just a Chicken...

...right? Wrong. It's ZUNI CHICKEN.
For those who live in San Francisco and surrounding, Zuni Cafe is an institution, one of those places you can go 1,000 times and yet, right when the espresso comes, you already dream of the day you'll afford to go back. It's not only for their menu - because if you think about it, they are famous for a roasted chicken and a salad! - but it's for the passion they put into preparing your food, their love for sustainable, local and seasonal ingredients, for their open kitchen where the chefs don't have ANY single spot of sauce on their uniform, for their rustic bread, so fragrant and crunchy, for the impeccable yet unpretentious waitstaff, for their deep knowledge of the history of all ingredients that go in your dinner - from the type of olive oil mill to the origin of the cocoa beans that go in the chocolate cake; it's for the people that seat at the table next to you, who instantly become your friends just because you exchange opinions on the ricotta gnocchi, it's for the wide windows that look above that theater that has become Market Street, for those stairs that lead to the second floor, and yes, so that you too can say....I've been there.

Since I tried it the first time, I've always wanted to replicate the recipe for Zuni Roasted Chicken at home. I have to admit, though, I am super lazy and the 20+ pages of meticulous description of the process, as they appear in the Zuni-Bible have always turned me down. Whaaaaaat? If it takes me 4 hours just to read the recipe, it will take me at least 3 days to execute it, and all this for a damned chicken!
That is correct, one of the secrets is indeed to plan in advance and let the bird rest in the fridge all naked - well, almost... - for one to three days, so that the meat can absorb all the aroma from the fresh herbs.

Last week I really set my mind on the project, I printed tons of pages on Zuni's chicken and I totally committed myself. I had also promised my pot friend Irene (pot being the pan and not the weed...) that I would confront the chicken one day and I would transfer the recipe overseas. You have to keep your own word, so they say.
The chicken is really excellent. The recipe is very simple after all (despite its lenght...), just follow this simple advice: in order for it to come out just right, you have to select and treat the ingredients with love, Zuni style.


Zuni Roasted Chicken
for 4 people

1 small whole chicken approx. 3 lb.
rosemary, thyme,sage 4 sprigs each
salt, pepper
country style bread, stale 8 oz.
currants 1 tablespoon
pine nuts 2 tablespoons
olive oil, white or Champagne vinegar, red vinegar
garlic 2 or 3 cloves
scallions 4
arugula or frisee a couple of handfuls

Prepare the chicken (at least one day in advance, better if 2 or 3), discarding any fat lump from the inside, rinse it and pat it dry, inside and outside. It is important that the chicken be really dry, because if it stays wet, the water will take too much time steaming before the skin can actually start turning brown.
Using your fingers, make a little pocket under the skin of each of the breasts and thighs, and insert one sprig of each of the herbs. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, cover with plastic and refrigerate.

For the bread salad, discard all the crust, cut the bread in slices approximately 1" thick and then cut them in big chunks. Brush with olive oil and broil for few minutes, turning them on each side so that the surface turns golden brown.
Make a vinaigrette with 1/4 cup of oil, 1 1/2 tablespoon of white or Champagne vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss the bread with one quarter of it and set aside. You can also prepare this few hours in advance. Moist the currants with 1 tablespoon red vinegar and 1 tablespoon warm water and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 475 (exact temperature will depend on the size of the chicken). Warm the roasting pan by placing it in the oven for about 10 minutes, then place the chicken in it, breast-side up, and put it in the oven. Check it after 20 minutes, if the skin hasn't started browning yet, raise the temperature by about 25 degrees; if instead it is too dark and the fat has started smoking, reduce it accordingly. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over and let it cook breast-side down for another 10-20 minutes. Turn it again and keep roasting for 5-10 minutes longer (total roasting time will be anywhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour).

In the meantime, slightly toast the pine nuts. In another pan, heat a tablespoon olive oil and briefly saute the slivered garlic and scallions, without letting them turning brown. Add pine nuts, garlic and scallions, and drained currants to the bread salad. Drizzle with one tablespoon of water, taste and eventually add more salt and/or vinegar. Keep it warm (you can also place it in a baking dish and put it in the oven with the chicken during the last 10 minutes).

When the chicken is ready (you can test by checking the juices that are released, they have to be clear and not red), arrange it on a plate and let it cool down. Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts, then tilt the dish and drain the juices over the roasting pan.
Discard the clear fat, add a couple of tablespoons of water to the rest and gently simmer for few minutes. Add the greens to the warm bread, dress with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the chicken juices and the rest of the vinaigrette which you prepared before. Arrange the bread salad nicely on a serving dish.
Cut the chicken in 8 pieces, and set them on the plate with the greens and the bread salad. Serve it while still warm.