Tag Archives: chicken

Spicy Chicken Little

Spring in Michigan is often a practice in patience.  Just when you think she’s here for good, you wake up to a hard frost or an inch of snow.  Our tomato starts in the greenhouse struggled against stiff north winds and low temperatures.  Yet hope for spring returns when you step inside that greenhouse and are greeted by a bright green hum.  You plant seeds with the hope that each one produces the miracle called a plant.  It’s an exercise in faith.  I could never live in an area of the country where the seasons never change.  Seasons remind me to pay attention to the earth’s rhythms. As farmers, we are hyper-sensitive the many signs that nature provides; our livelihood depends on it.

Today, after helping our neighbor Lynne start rehabbing her pontoon, I wanted something simple and fast for dinner.  I love recipes that use ethnic flavors with common ingredients. Inspired by a recipe from the NY Times, I made some slight alterations and came up with a dish that balances warm spices with cool yogurt.  The arugula sprouts and baby potatoes, reminded me of the newness of spring.  You can adjust it to feed a few or a crowd.

Roasted Chicken With Baby Potatoes and Spicy  Yogurt:

  • 2 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs
  • 1-2 lbs. baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2  tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. sriracha or thick hot sauce of your choice
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon zest, plus 6 lemon wedges
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1-2 cups arugula sprouts
Spring fresh, arugula sprouts

Spring fresh, arugula sprouts

  1. Combine chicken and potatoes in a large bowl.  Season with 1 tsp. of the salt and all of the pepper.  In a small bowl, whisk together the sriracha, cumin and 3 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Pour over chicken and potatoes and toss to combine.  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
  2. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Arrange chicken thighs and potatoes on sheet pan in a single layer.  Roast for approximately 40-50 minutes, or until everything is golden and slightly crisped.
  3. While the chicken cooks, whisk together the yogurt, chives, garlic and lemon zest.  Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. To serve, spoon yogurt sauce over chicken and potatoes.  Scatter arugula sprouts over mixture.  Drizzle remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil and squeeze a few lemon wedges over the whole thing.  Pass extra yogurt sauce.

Serves: 4

Contrasts in flavor

Contrasts in flavor

“Each experience leaves an imprint, its transformation into something useful is a choice.”

Made For Each Other

Don’t we all know when certain combinations go together?  Like tomato and basil, greens and eggs, steak and mushrooms, bacon and everything!   Each day can be an adventure in eating!  When we eat the magic that each season offers there are combinations that are savory surprises.  This week we needed to use some of the acorn squash we were storing.  We thought a pairing with chicken thighs was a simple, yet delicious combination.  Quick, easy and satisfying, you can put this together in no time and your family will love the results.

ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH ACORN SQUASH:

  • 1 lemon, ends trimmed, halved and cut into wedges
  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chick thighs
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup local maple syrup
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 medium acorn squash, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch rings
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
Marinating chicken thighs

Marinating chicken thighs

  1. In a a large bowl, toss chicken thighs with lemon slices, 1 Tbsp of olive oil, sage, coriander, salt and pepper.  Let stand 30 minutes to an hour.
  2. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine syrup, butter, additional salt and cumin.  Simmer for 3 minutes.  Toss mixture with squash slices.
  4. Spread squash in a 9×13 inch pan. Nestle chicken and lemon on top of squash.  Roast for 30 minutes.  In a small bowl, toss scallions with 1 tsp of olive oil.  Scatter over squash;  keep roasting until chicken is no longer pink, about 30-40 minutes more.
Ready for the oven

Ready for the oven

Serves 4

“All the statistics in the world, can’t measure the warmth of a smile.”

Savory combination of squash and chicken.

Savory combination of squash and chicken.

Toxic Thoughts

Can we talk?  I mean really talk?  I love liver…always have.  Maybe it’s my German heritage.  I know, I know, some of you have to get past the yuck factor; but when you get past all those toxic thoughts, you’ll learn it is one of the most nutritionally dense foods you can eat.  Yet how do I convince all you skeptics out there?  After all, its been appreciated for thousands of years, and recently advocated by Paleo enthusiasts.  Why, its developed a bit of a cult following.

So let’s start by stating some nutritional information.  Liver actually contains, gram-for-gram, more nutrients  than any other food!

  • Nature’s most-concentrated source of vitamin A and vitamin B12, and rich in all other B vitamins
  • Great source of folate (folic acid is the synthetic stuff found in vitamin pills)
  • Rich in copper and chromium
  • Co-Q10 for heart heath and antioxident benefits
  • High quality protein
  • Contains an “anti-fatigue” factor (making it great for individuals fighting anemia, like me!)

Another misconception is that liver stores the toxins and therefore is not safe to eat.  It is true that liver is a detox organ.  But it is not true that liver is where the toxins are stored.  What it does store is a motherlode of critical vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidents.  These are what help the liver get rid of the toxins in the body–not trap them inside.  One caveat I do strongly suggest is insisting on grass-fed liver from pasture-raised chicken or cows.  The term “you are what you eat” does not only apply to humans.

So there it is…I suspect that if you were inclined to eat liver before, you will continue.  If you have never tried liver, I urge you to give this recipe a shot.  It’s savory, rich and delicious.  Who knows…you might just like it.

Sauteing with fresh rosemary and vermouth

Sauteing with fresh rosemary and vermouth

 

CHICKEN LIVER PATE:

  • 3 Tbsp ghee
  • 1 lb grass-fed chicken livers
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 lb mushrooms, cleaned, and coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2/3 cup white vermouth
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
  • 1/4 cup ghee, (plus a little additional for melting on top)
  • Sea salt
  1. Melt first 3 Tbsp of ghee in a large skillet, over medium-high heat.  Add the livers, onions, and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the livers are browned.
  2. Add the garlic, vermouth, mustard, lemon juice and rosemary.  Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until the liquid is gone.  Allow to cool.
  3. Process in a food processor with 1/4 cup of ghee.  Season  with salt to taste.  Place in individual ramekins or mold, pour melted ghee over top to preserve.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours.  Freeze additional ramekins for future use.  Serve with crackers, coarse mustard and pickled red onions.

Serves 8-10 total

And so GOOD for you!

And so GOOD for you!

 

“Laughter is an instant vacation.”  –Milton Berle

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