We got a nice deal on some young chickens at the grocery yesterday, so I was on a mission to find a new recipe for it. It's always interesting to find things that don't use a lot of dairy - but a baked chicken recipe is bound to steer away from that. I also wanted a nice new veg recipe to try out, and I found a brilliant one in Jamie Oliver's book. I also tried a new salad. I'll start with the chicken dish.
Pollo al Limone - Ingredienti
1 chicken
1 lemon, halved
2 tbsp margarine
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon, strained
1 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprig, chopped
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Gently rub the chicken cavity with one of the lemon halves, then slice the remaining half. Stuff the cavity with the lemon slices, half the margarine, and the garlic clove. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with the olive oil and remaining margarine, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 minutes. Then, sprinkle the lemon juice over the chicken, return to the oven, and roast for a further 40 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Place the meat on a warm serving dish, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.
This dish was pretty good - though the lemon and garlic flavors didn't really shine through. Overall, a serviceable roasted chicken dish. Next up, the cauliflower.
Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin, Coriander, and Almonds - Ingredienti
1 head of cauliflower, outer green leaves removed, broken into florets
sea salt
olive oil
margarine
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1-2 dried red chiles (optional)
1/2 cup of blanched almonds, smashed
zest and juice of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 400 F. Blanch the cauliflower in salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes, then drain in a colander, allowing it to steam dry (be sure not to leave any water or it won't roast properly). Toss the still-hot cauliflower in a big bowl with some olive oil and margarine. I used about 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of margarine.
In a pestle and mortar, smash the spices, chiles, and a pinch of sea salt, then mix with the almonds and place in a dry, hot, ovenproof pan on the stove in order to toast them. After a few minutes - add the cauliflower. When it gets a bit of color on it, add the lemon juice and zest and mix around well. Fry on the stovetop for a minute or two longer, then place in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes to let it crisp up.
This recipe was superwonderfulfantastic. Kudos to Jamie Oliver for continuing to impress. I added a bit more ground cumin and coriander with the lemon juice, just to make the flavors pop a bit.
Word of warning - the flavors in this dish are VERY subtle, and would get lost next to something more robust, or acidic (like pasta with sauce, something with lots of garlic or heat, etc.). Here's a pic of the final result:
The colors don't really pop on the white plate, I'll admit, but it was quite tasty - and will be seen again in La Cucina Viola :)The salad was just a basic crunchy salad with a spinach base, lengthwise, thin-sliced carrots and celery, and flat-leaf parsley, along with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.
I'll say that Jamie Oliver has done wonders for my appreciation for veg - and this cauliflower recipe is no exception. The salad wasn't bad - but I wasn't hugely impressed. It was a nice salad - but tonight's trifecta of lemon could have caused a bit of overload....dunno.
Tomorrow it's Pollo Alla Ratatouille, also from the Cucchiaio d'Argento cookbook.
-C
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