Perfect Roasted Chicken

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There are few things as comforting to the mind, body, and soul as a chicken roasting away in the oven. My boys have been feeling a bit under the weather the past few days. It was too hot for soup, so I made them our favorite Sunday dinner instead. After eating like birds for two days, I knew they’d be hungry – and, I was right. It was a large roaster, and after all our tummies were full there remained only a small amount of thigh and breast meat. Was happy to see my boys hungry again! Leave it to a stick-to-your-ribs home-cooked meal to bring back their appetite!

Roasting the chicken at a relatively high temperature of 425 helps to ensure that the bird develops a golden brown skin, yet the meat underneath remains perfectly cooked and juicy. I stuff the cavity with citrus, mostly lemons – but I’ve been known to use oranges in a pinch too, and some fresh herb sprigs from my garden. Those fresh flavors really permeate the meat of the chicken, and produces a bird that is unparalleled – at least in my opinion! I’ll usually roast one chicken a week in the summer – just to pull the meat off the bones and keep in the fridge. It’s great for creating so many different quick and easy meals throughout the week, and much more affordable than buying a rotisserie chicken from the store.

Perfect Roasted Chicken

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
1 large bunch fresh rosemary
1 large bunch fresh sage
1 lemon, halved
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and herbs. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or cast iron skillet.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Temperature in thickest part of thigh should register 165. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken, and place on a platter. Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Lasagna

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Lasagna. One of the most comforting meals on the planet. I remember making it for my dad and myself, on the nights my mom was working late giving riding lessons at the stable. She’s not a huge fan of Italian, so I always tried to make something that Dad & I really enjoyed, but didn’t get a chance to have too often. I always used the recipe right off the box, and it always turned out great.

I’ve tried other versions since then, but none of them ever lived up to the classic in my eyes. Although, I do love a good spinach-mushroom lasagna. And, I’m looking forward to trying a seafood lasagna at some point in the future. As with most other pasta casseroles , the possibilities are endless. But, at heart, I’m a traditionalist – so, that’s what I’m sharing with you today.

Layers of perfect pasta, lean ground sirloin, creamy ricotta and chewy mozzarella, and a nice zippy marinara sauce. I’ve used fresh pasta in the past, but to be honest – I prefer the box. While I love homemade pasta, I usually use boxed lasagna noodles. They seem to hold up better for leftovers than fresh pasta does. Plus, who doesn’t love the ruffles on the pasta? In the past I’ve had problems with the lasagna being too watery. I find that only happens when I used a combo of whole milk ricotta and whole milk mozzarella. If I use part-skim ricotta, it’s always just right.  The addition of cottage cheese may seem a bit odd, but it really does lighten up the texture of the ricotta. If you don’t have a favorite lasagna recipe, give this one a try. It won’t let you down, I promise!

Lasagna

1 lb ground sirloin (at least 90/10)
3 cups marinara sauce (or 1 (28 oz) jar)
1 (16 oz) package lasagna noodles
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded (reserve 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 eggs

Brown beef in large saucepan over medium-high heat; drain the rendered fat. Add sauce and simmer 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook lasagna according to package instructions. Separate lasagna and lay out on wax paper or aluminum foil to keep pieces from sticking together as they cool.

Combine cheeses (reserving 1/2 cup mozzarella for topping), eggs, parsley, salt and pepper for filling.

Pour about 1/2 cup meat sauce in bottom of (13×9) pan. Arrange 3 pieces of lasagna lengthwise over sauce, overlapping edges. Spread 1/3 of cheese filling over lasagna and cover with about 1 cup of meat sauce.

Repeat layers of lasagna, cheese and meat twice. Top with layer of lasagna, cheese and meat sauce; top with reserved mozzarella and additional parmesan, if desired.

Cover with aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil; bake about 10 minutes longer of until lightly browned. Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting for easier handling.

Source: adapted from San Giorgio

Maryland Fried Chicken

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The beautiful state of Maryland is usually synonymous with two things. #1) Blue crabs. And, #2) Maryland Fried Chicken. Incidentally, they usually go hand-in-hand together too. I don’t know a single crab house that doesn’t serve you a basket of fresh fried chicken before the crabs arrive (a feeble attempt to limit crab intake – don’t be a sucker). I was interested in what differentiates Maryland fried chicken, from a traditional Southern fried chicken. But, I couldn’t really find a straight answer anywhere.

So, I took the one thing that makes just about anything scream Maryland, and threw that into the mix. Old Bay! It’s such a great mix of spices; celery seed, paprika, chili pepper, allspice, and cardamom – just to name a few! I’ve always used it on my chicken that I throw on the grill, so why not fried chicken as well? I start the chicken off in a cast-iron skillet, and get a nice brown scald on it. Then I finished it off in the oven for about 15 minutes. I find that if I try to cook it all the way through in the cast-iron, it ends up getting browner than I’d like. This method produced tender, juicy results.

I’ve played around with several different variations, and this one is definitely a winner! I went all out and served it with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and buttermilk biscuits. Eat your heart out, Colonel Sanders.

Maryland Fried Chicken

1 frying chicken (3 lbs), cut into 8 pieces
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Old Bay
3 tsp kosher salt
canola or vegetable oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the buttermilk and 2 teaspoons salt. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. When ready to fry, remove chicken from bowl and let sit on counter for 30 minutes to take chill off.

Preheat oven to 350F. Stir together the flour, Old Bay, and 1 teaspoon salt. Place in a gallon-sized resealable bag, and set aside.

Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat to 365F. Working in batches, place the chicken pieces into the flour mixture and shake the bag to coat, pressing to adhere. Add the chicken to the oil 3-4 pieces at a time.

Fry 5-7 minutes, checking to make sure chicken isn’t getting too brown. Turn, cover and cook additional 3-5 minutes more. Monitor temperature of oil to make sure chicken doesn’t burn. Keep in mind chicken will finish cooking in oven.

Place chicken on baking sheet and continue frying rest of chicken. When done, bake the chicken for 10-15 minutes, until chicken cooked through.

Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

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Making homemade biscuits always scared the hell outta me. They always seemed to be time consuming, and anything involving “cutting in” of cold butter tends to make me nervous too. After seeing Josie’s post on them (such the Southern belle!), she gave me the confidence I needed to try. So glad I gave it a go – because they turned out absolutely perfectly. And both of my concerns that I listed above were completely unfounded.

First off, they aren’t time consuming. Not even15 minutes of prep work, and I had gorgeous butter-topped biscuits that I was putting into the oven. The food processor pretty much does all the work for you, that machine is such a workhorse in my kitchen. A few quick pulses of the flour and butter, then you add the liquid components, knead a few times, shape and cut. It’s that easy!

I don’t like to brag, but they easily were the best biscuits I’ve seen, or tasted. They stood a mile high! Okay, maybe not a mile…but still, very tall.  And the fluffy layers? Unparalleled. They were the perfect accompaniment to the fried chicken dinner I made that night, and the boys and I enjoyed the leftover biscuits with blueberry preserves the next morning. So, if you’re a bit scared of them like I was, get your butt in the kitchen and give it a try. This recipe won’t let you down!

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

2 1/4 cups cake flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
2 Tbs melted butter, for brushing

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Pulse several times to combine well.  Add the butter, and continue to pulse in 2-second increments, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces (about 5 pulses).  This can also be done using a pastry blender or 2 forks if you don’t have a food processor.

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, pour the buttermilk over it, and use a fork to mix for about 1 minute, or until the dough just comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead with floured hands, and pat into a rectangle about 6×10 inches and 1-inch thick.

Fold the dough like a business letter (the righmost third over the center third, then the left third on top).  Turn the dough a quarter of a turn, pat it into another 6×10 inch rectangle, and fold it upon itself in thirds again.  Repeat one more time, then pat the dough into a 6×10 inch rectangle a final time.

Using a floured 2-3 inch biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits from the dough and place them about 1 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.  Pat the scraps into a 1-inch thick rectangle and cut more biscuits.

Brush the tops with half the melted butter, and bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are just beginning to brown.  Brush the tops again with the remaining butter and serve warm.

Source: Pink Parsley, originally from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook