Harvest Roasted Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Rosemary

Fall is here.  Well, it's officially here, but we've had plenty of days that still feel like summer.  I'm not complaining.  Summer was so short this year in Chicago that I welcome the gorgeous days where I can spend my weekend basking in the sun.  I know it's going to hide behind the gray clouds of winter soon enough, so I want to enjoy every last minute before that happens.



But that doesn't mean I'm not ready for fall foods.  The summer produce is dwindling.  Last week was the glorious bit of time where the peaches were OK enough to make peach applesauce - the Monkey Scientist's favorite - with the first of the fall apples.  I think by this week that short overlap of seasons will be over.  I'm just waiting on pumpkin as long as I can so I don't get sick of it too quickly.  And so the season of roasting begins.



My first autumn meal was this roasted  chicken.  I love the sweet grapes with the savory rosemary, contrasted by the brine-y olives.  I picked up the world's largest shallot at the Farmer's market (which sadly has only 3 weeks left) as well as some small pink potatoes to serve on the side.  It was a perfect and hardy warm dinner that the Monkey Scientist even loved, despite his hatred of olives (he picked around them).  And when Deb says your guests will slurp this up with a spoon, she's spot on.  I totally found the Monkey Scientist with a spoon in the serving dish as we were cleaning up.



Harvest Roasted Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Rosemary
from Smitten Kitchen via Serious Eats

Ingredients
2-3 lbchicken parts (thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts), with skin and bones
Table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 c seedless grapes
1 c pitted Kalamata olives
2 small or 1 very large shallot, thinly sliced
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 c dry white wine
1/2 c chicken broth

Instructions
1. Put the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Pat the chicken dry then season well with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down and cook until the skin is seared and golden brown (3-5 min). Then flip over and sear on the other side, 2-3 minutes.
3. Turn the heat off and add the shallots, then olives and grapes to the pan in all of the gaps around the chicken pieces. Sprinkle half of the rosemary over the chicken.  Carefully move the skillet to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. (I like to poke the chicken with my finger to tell when its done using the finger test it should feel at least "medium").
4.  Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken, grapes and olives to a serving platter.  Return the skillet to the stove over medium to medium-high heat.  Add the wine and scrape the pan as it's boiling off to get all of the remaining chicken bits.  Add the chicken broth and allow to simmer until the liquid thickens and reduces by at least half.
5.  Pour the sauce over the chicken.  Garnish with the remaining rosemary and serve immediately.

Arroz con Pollo

Last week was a big week!  Not only was it Valentine's Day, but it was also the Monkey Scientist's birthday.  We celebrated with lots of delicious food!  This was the start of the week - a romantic and easy-to-pull-together dinner.  Nothing says romance like serious comfort food.



Of course, this dish was just a little bit selfish.  The very short list of things that the Monkey Scientist won't eat includes olives.  I get it - they're super salty and definitely an acquired taste.  Dad despises them too.  But, since the olives are still big, he was able to pick around him and he didn't mind at all.  I liked the flavor they added to the dish, but it wasn't so strong that it ruined it for him.



I did let him add his own touches, though.  Any time you see "salt and pepper" below, you can assume we added a good tablespoon of red pepper flakes as well.  It wouldn't be a good dinner without a little bit of heat around here! I enjoyed this addition, and if you're a spice lover I recommend you make this addition as well.



As for difficulty, this really couldn't be easier to make.  I was worried because the rice wasn't cooking after 30 minutes (it was still quite hard) but I just kept adding 1/2 - 1 cup of broth at a time, putting another 10  minutes on the clock, and eventually it cooked to perfection.  When it was "done" there still appeared to be a little broth that wasn't absorbed, but once I stirred the rice up it soaked right in.  Even though I was adding time on, the chicken was super moist - not a bit overcooked.



When it was finally done, it was super delicious.  The rice was cooked perfectly - warm, tender, and loaded with flavor.  The chicken was perfection.  We don't usually eat thighs but for Valentine's Day this was a special treat and absolutely worth it.  The Monkey Scientist said he thought it was delicious as well (especially because I managed to avoid getting any olives on his plate!).  After we finished, we ate the bits of rice that had become crispy on the bottom of the pan.  It was absolutely the best part!  Valentine's Day might be over this year, but you can make this for your honey any day of the year!

Greek Salad Bruschetta

I'm not quite ready to talk about the Superbowl yet.  But I think I'm finally ready to talk about the food.  We did have lots and lots of food.



I wanted to make something a little bit lighter than the typical wings, chips, dip, and pizza this year.  I loved this bruschetta because it was a little bit different than regular bruschetta, was nice and light, and is easy to pick up and enjoy while watching the game.  Plus, it reminded me of the Greek salad we get when we visit our family friends in Florida, and it was right around the Superbowl last time I was down there.



The Monkey Scientist and his roommate hosted the Superbowl party this year and, despite the outcome, we all had a great time.  It was a true hodge-podge of our friends, but it was really great to get everyone together.  Folks seemed to like the bruschetta, although it may not have been the right crowd because the chicken tenders were eaten much faster.  I think this would be a great appetizer for a dinner party or even a family holiday because it comes together pretty quickly.  It's light, a bit acidic, and tasty.  Even though I am not a tomato-lover, I enjoyed this one a lot!



Greek Salad Bruschetta
slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients
French baguette, sliced
1-2 tbsp butter, softened.
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
1/3 cup kalamata olives, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 tsp Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spread butter on baguette slices. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until baguette slices are golden brown and toasted.
3. In a medium bowl, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, and red onion. Add red wine vinegar, lemon juice and feta cheese. Stir until well combined. Season with oregano, Cavender's, salt and pepper.  Bruschetta topping can be kept in the fridge for a couple hours before using.
4. Top baguette slices with bruschetta topping. Serve immediately.

Roasted red pepper pesto pasta with olives and feta

I saw this recipe this afternoon and knew I had to make it for dinner!  I keep trying to quit eating carbs, but it just doesn't tend to work out.  A good recipe makes it totally worth needing to run a little more often!

This recipe is actually a series of 3 recipes from Closet Cooking.

 The first is recipe is really just a set of instructions of how to roast peppers when you don't have a grill or gas stove.  Instead, you roast them in the oven. Super easy!













The next recipe is a greek-style sundried tomato pesto.  Check out the adorable measuring spoons I got for Christmas!

 The peso is simple.  You just throw everything in the food processor and blend away!

The final result is a lovely smooth sauce for the pasta!

 

You can use any pasta you like.  I'm a big coupon user and I got a great deal on mini versions of classic pasta shapes from Barilla.  They're an awesome shape.

Finally, I mixed the pesto into the pasta with feta and kalamata olives.  The olive bar at Giant only had pitted kalamata olives - it was a pain to depit them all.  I recommend searching for the pitted kind.

The final result was pretty tasty.  I probably wouldn't make it again, but a recipe has to be SUPER good for me to want to make it again.  I'd give this about a 3 out of 5.

Here are the recipes from Closet Cooking:

How to Roast Red Peppers

(makes 1 roasted red pepper)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
red peppers

Directions:
1. Cut the red peppers in half, remove the stem and seeds.
2. Place the red peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
3. Preheat the oven to 450F and then change it to broil.
4. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 10-20 minutes.
5. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
6. Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily "pinch" off.

Greek Style Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

(makes 1/2 cup)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 large roasted red peppers
1 tablespoons fresh oregano (optional)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
2 tablespoons feta (crumbled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place everything into a food processor and puree.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Pasta with Feta and Kalamata Olives

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
1/2 cup greek style roasted red pepper pesto
1/4 cup kalamata olives (pitted and coarsely chopped)
1 handful parsley (chopped)
1/2 cup feta (crumbled)

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta as directed on the package.
2. Drain the pasta reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
3. Toss the pasta with the pesto, pasta water, olives and parsley.
4. Serve garnished with crumbled feta.