Roast Chicken Round 2

I made the roast chicken again over the weekend and again it did not disappoint. I had fingerling potatoes from the CSA so they went in the pan with the chicken and cooked along side it. I have been reading lots of Patricia Wells cookbooks lately and made a recipe for Zucchini Crepes from her book Bistro Cooking. They were wonderful and although I don't have a photo I will share the recipe because the crepes were so easy and yummy.

2 medium zucchini, shredded on box grater and then layered in a colander with salt in between the layers. Let the zucchini drain for 30 min, pressing out the liquid every so often. Before proceeding make sure as much liquid as possible has been squeezed out.

in a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of cream or 1/2 and 1/2, 1 egg beaten, 1 small clove of garlic that has been minced, and 1 tablespoon of flour

although the recipe doesn't call for it some finely chopped fresh herbs could be good

add in the zucchini to the egg mixture and stir to coat

heat a crepe or saute pan over med heat and heat a combination of butter and olive oil (just enough to coat the pan

put tablespoons of the batter in the pan, spreading them into about 3 inch rounds

saute until golden on each side

Roasted Chicken

I really should have photographed this bird while it was still whole and I hadn't eaten the skin off that entire breast half. I think it was the incredible yumminess of the skin though that made me think that I should really take a photograph and post this recipe. It was truly the best roast chicken I've ever made and the house smelled amazing. I think the number one factor that made this chicken that much better was that I had the butcher remove the backbone (butterfly) the bird and then I marinated it for an hour. Since it was without a backbone and laying flat the marinade was really able to permeate the chicken giving it great flavor throughout when cooked.

1 small, organic chicken, backbone removed so that it lays flat

Marinade:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

3 cloves of garlic pressed (you could also mince if you are more ambitious than I)

1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped

mix all together and pour over chicken in a large ziplock bag and let marinate for at least and hour

heat oven to 425

lay chicken, breast side up, in roasting dish and pour remaining marinade over

sprinkle salt and pepper over top of chicken

lay thin pats of butter over chicken (this will help it brown and butter makes everything better)

Roast for approximately 30-45 min depending on size of bird.

About 20 min in to roasting time pour some chicken broth on the bottom of the pan to help prevent remaining marinade from burning and also this will make a yummy sauce to pour over rice or mashed potatoes

note: The first time I made this I had white rice and a green salad with green onion, blanched asparagus, and thinly sliced radish, however I got a small chicken and some fingerling potatoes from my CSA this week so I plan on making this again and roasting the bird and the taters in the same baking dish

Fish Sticks! And some darn good sauce.

My husband kept asking for fish sticks...like the nasty frozen ones in the box (no offense if you're into that kind of thing. I'm not). So this was my compromise. I was thinking I'd make them just once to appease him, but oh my gosh they are so good! As in make them once a week good. I have to say I think the homemade dipping sauce does put them way over the deliciousness edge. It is crucial.

2-3 tilapia fillets, sliced longways into strips (each fillet should yield 3-4 strips)

1/3 cup flour, mixed with 1 tablespoon seasoned salt (Lowry's is great)

1 egg beat with 1 tablespoon water

Panko bread crumbs, start with about a cup and add more if you need

Olive oil for frying

set up three shallow bowls in this order: seasoned flour, egg, panko

do an assembly line with your fish sticks by first coating them with the flour (shake off excess), then dip them in the egg, then roll in panko

Fry in olive oil over med-high heat until browned all over

remove to paper towel lined plate and season with some coarse salt while still hot

Sauce

1/2 cup mayo (home made or good quality like Hellmans)

1/4 cup sour cream

1 green onion chopped

1 small clove garlic, finely minced or grated on microplane

minced fresh parsley and or dill

small squeeze of lemon juice

chopped capers or grated pickle

salt and pepper to taste

mix all together in small bowl and taste to adjust to your liking