Roasted Chicken with Tunisian Harissa Chickpeas

Mike purchased harissa sauce for me.  I chose this recipe because it seems appealing and easy. 

Harissa sauce is Tunisian. Use it as a condiment for meat or fish, add it to roasted vegetables, or stir into stews and soups.  The ingredients are green pepper, green chili pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and cumin.

•Credits - Bon Appetit January 2014 issue

Ingredients:

•1 tablespoon olive oil
•8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 lb.)
•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 small onion, finely chopped
•2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
•2 tablespoons tomato paste
•2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed
•¼ cup harissa paste
•½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
•¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
•Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425°. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. drippings from pan. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until beginning to darken, about 1 minute. Add chickpeas, harissa, and broth; bring to a simmer.

Nestle chicken, skin side up, add the chickpea mixture, and transfer skillet to oven.  Roast until chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes.  Top with parsley and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Quinoa with Avocado, Toasted Pine Nuts, Chives, Parsley, and Garlic

So simple to make.  I served with roasted vegetables that Mike made. 

 

Quinoa with avocado, toasted pine nuts, chives, parsley, and garlic

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

2 tbsps olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
1/2 cup of quinoa
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of chicken broth
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh chives, snipped

1 Haas avocado cubed

2 tbsps lime juice 

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot then cook, stirring often for 2 minutes. Add the quinoa and minced garlic then cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; bring to a boil. Cover with a lid then reduce heat to low; simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat then let sit covered for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid then fluff with a fork; add the lime juice, avocado, pine nuts, parsley, and chives then toss to mix evenly. Taste and re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Quinoa with Artichoke Hearts and Avocado

These ingredients are odd but when thrown together they blend nicely.  I started rinsing the quinoa before cooking.  It was suggested from another blog I read.  It makes for a more fluffy quinoa.

2 cups of cooked quinoa, cooled

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

4 artichoke hearts

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

3 oz black olives

4 oz. Pesto

(Chop these above 4 ingredients in a food processor)

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

salt & pepper to taste

Throw it all in a bowl and mix it up.

Mashed Avocado Toasts with Shrimp and Bacon

I've had this several times this week in different variations.

1 ripe avocado

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea salt

2 slices whole-grain bread, toasted

Red pepper flakes

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

6 sautéed shrimp with garlic

2 slices of panfried Canadian bacon

 

Cut the avocado in half, remove pit, and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and sea salt, to taste. Mash the ingredients together with a fork, keeping the texture slightly chunky.

Spread half the mash onto each piece of toast and garnish with some red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.

Add the bacon and shrimp.

Herbs de Provence Chicken

New York Times recipe that's so simple to make on a weeknight!  I added in a few more ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken legs or 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ to ¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence (Frontier brand)
1 lemon, quartered
8 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled
4 to 6 medium-sized shallots, peeled and halved
⅓ cup dry vermouth
4 sprigs of thyme, for serving
10 Kalamata olives

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow pan, and lightly dredge the chicken in it, shaking the pieces to remove excess flour.

Swirl the oil in a large roasting pan, and place the floured chicken in it. Season the chicken with the herbes de Provence. Arrange the lemon, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken, then add the vermouth to the pan.

Put the pan in the oven, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, then baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is very crisp and the meat cooked through.

Serve in the pan or on a warmed platter, garnished with the thyme.

Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Thought this recipe was neat to make.  It's something i wouldn't think of.  Buttermilk and chicken!  Who knew.

INGREDIENTS

1 4-pound chicken
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
1 tablespoon Maldon or other sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves,    roughly chopped
1 tablespoon honey

PREPARATION

Butterfly chicken by placing breast side down and using heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut along both sides of backbone. Discard backbone, turn chicken over and open it like a book. Press gently to flatten it.

Place chicken in a large freezer bag. Add buttermilk, 1/4 cup oil, garlic, peppercorns, salt, rosemary and honey. Seal bag securely and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.Remove chicken from marinade and place on a rack so excess can drip off. Line a roasting pan with foil and place chicken in pan. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Roast for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees. Continue roasting until well browned and until juices run clear when chicken is pierced where leg joins thigh,about another 20 minutes.

Place chicken on a carving board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces. Place a portion on each of four plates, and drizzle each serving with pan juices.

Roasted Feta With Honey and Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

I made this dish as a accompaniment to the roasted buttermilk chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce slab Greek feta, blotted dry
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Greek thyme honey, or other honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Greek-style pita bread, toasted and cut into wedges
• Heirloom tomatoes, roasted beets, nuts or pickled vegetables (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Select a small oven-to-table earthenware dish or a small ovenproof sauté pan lined with aluminum foil to help transfer the cheese to a plate after roasting. Place the feta in the dish and cover with the olive oil. Bake until the cheese is soft and springy to the touch but not melted, about 8 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Heat the honey in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water until it is fluid enough to be spread with a pastry brush and then paint the surface of the feta with it. Broil until the top of the cheese browns and just starts to bubble. Season to taste with black pepper. Serve immediately with pita wedges and, if desired, sliced heirloom tomatoes, roasted beets, nuts or pickled vegetables.

Tomatoes:

Slice in half, brush with olive oil,  salt and pepper.  Roast them for 3 hours at 225°F.