foodessa

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Simple Stupid Salt CHICKEN roast

Sensationally tender and juicy tasting CHICKEN roast...

with only ONE main ingredient...SALT.

Practically...effortless.

Well, at least as far as the roasted chicken is concerned.

After some laborious preparations during the past holiday feasting...

wouldn't it be nice to allow yourself a few lazy recipes with a great return?

***

The very first time I had quickly fixed this meal...

the expression: "keep it simple...stupid" immediately came to mind.

How long does it take to prepare this chicken?

It sure doesn't take time to salt it...stuff it in a bag and leave it alone as it seasons.

After hours of not having paid any attention to it...

crank up the oven...and, in she'll go.

I usually celebrate coming up with quicker ways to...

get things done without sacrificing the end product.

This brilliant simplicity, unfortunately, did not stem from my usual genius.

It's actually another mastermind who’s to be credited for this simplicity.

The illustrious chef Judy Rodgers experimented with this culinary spontaneity and voila...

a very popular chicken roast to be devoured daily at her restaurant Zibo Café in San Francisco.

Alright then...SALT...that's really it?

At first, when I had seen this prepared...
I was honestly sceptical...

but hey, what did I really have to lose?

It did appear like maybe too much sodium was gracing this bird...

especially since I'm so careful with my salt intake.

However, after a brief search...

it confirmed how salt seals in the tasty juices without the salt intensity.

Well, that wasn't so hard to understand.

I've had plenty of opportunities to see how my body retained water...

making me look a little plumper...and not tasting of salt?!?

***

To think that the last time I had been this excited...

was over my slow cooked
creatively concocted,
Sweet and Sour Chicken

However, I was nowhere nearly as exhilarated as with this...

Super Simple Sensation!

Before, finally getting around to writing this post...

I've had the delight of making this roasted goodness a few times already.

Since the originating chef always makes this in her restaurant's brick oven...

I needed to work out the kinks, especially with how to gage the timing with the oven.

I also discovered the difference it ultimately made to have the chicken season over night.

Incredibly, the usually less than tender breast meat...

can be enjoyed with its juicy rendering ;o)

For those, who, through their culinary journey have never had...

the pleasure of experiencing this meal...

here it is...

a succulent unforgettable roast like no other...

well, at least not with just ONE ingredient!?!

Simple Stupid Salt CHICKEN roast

serves 2 people with leftovers for other recipes

or 4 smaller reasonable portions

cooking time: about 1 hour (depending on size)

Click HERE for a PRINT version

INGREDIENTS:

(American / Metric measures)

. 3 lbs. (1.5kg) regular sized Chicken *
(this recipe gives better results with a small size chicken)
. 1-1/2 tsps. (7.5ml) sea Salt
(adjust upwards...only after the first time you tried it)
. Olive oil for greasing pan

* Note: Kindly refer to a very pertinent post I had compiled about selecting humanely raised chickens for consumption.

PREPARATION:

Note: to increase the level of flavour as well as moistness, it's better to season the chicken the day before or at least for a minimum of 8 hours.

...SEASONING the chicken:

1. Season the interior cavity with half the quantity of sea salt as well as rubbing the chicken's skin with the remaining salt.
3. Place the chicken in an airtight plastic bag ...making sure to take out as much air as possible. Place it at back end of the refrigerator.

...ROASTING the chicken:

. Pre-heat the oven at 425F/220C/Gas 6-7. Position the rack at the bottom level of oven. Prepare a shallow parchment paper lined pan. Make sure the pan is not that much larger than the chicken itself. Spread a little olive oil on the parchment paper.
4. Place the chicken with its BREAST UP (wing tips tucked in) and ROAST it for the first 30 minutes. Note: for the chicken to cook at its best...place the feet towards the back of the oven.
5. Take the chicken out of the oven to turn it towards a BREAST DOWN position. ROAST for another 20 minutes. Note: in order not to lose any juices...avoid poking the meat with a fork. Use tools that are more delicate for this handling. Possibly use silicone tip tongs to gently nudge the chicken while picking it up from the cavity and its opposite end.
6. Repeat the last step with the BREAST UP position to ROAST for the last 10 minutes.
. Once out of the oven, it's best to let it REST uncovered for another 10 minutes as the juices spread uniformly.

...
VARIATION (for unit pieces):
. 4 medium chicken thighs with leg
. 1-1/4 tsps. sea salt
. Follow the same instructions as for the whole chicken except position oven rack at 2nd level from bottom and...
. Rub the pieces on all sides with the salt and bag it.
. Place the pieces skin side down on oiled pan.
. Roast for about 15 minutes. Then, rotate the baking pan and cook for another 15 minutes. The skin should have browned nicely.
. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the chicken pieces to then keep roasting for another 15 minutes. REST uncovered for another 5 minutes before serving.

Optional...a vegetable side dish could have been prepared while the chicken was roasting.

Fresh baby spinach on a bed of caramelized Spanish onions, savoy cabbage as well as sweet red bell peppers.

Voila, that's really all there is to it.

Buon appetito.

You may have known about this type of roast all along and I was out of the loop.
If you were within my loop...you'll surely be stunned at the results.
This chicken turns incredibly juicy and surprisingly tasty every time.

Enjoy and flavourful wishes,

Foodessa

Comments or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SAVOURY creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool. Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc. Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.

. OVENS are unfortunately not created equal. Mine is so old that it has reached many degrees off it's norm. It's really worth investing a few dollars to test yours with an appropriate oven thermometer. You'd be surprised how many ovens I've heard about not being where they should have been. Before you lose any more ingredients and much time preparing a new recipe...run to the store...you'll thank me later.

More CHICKEN recipes and related INFO that may be of interest:

. Best sweet and sour CHICKEN roast

. SOUP Sunday_CHICKEN TOMATO potage soup

. CHICKEN 101 - Let's LEARN more ABOUT what we EAT

clever Stuffed CABBAGE roll CUPS

Stuffing cabbage leaves never excited me...
until messy rolls flipped into lovely parcels.

If you've never seen this method before...

you're in for the same treat I was.

A few weeks ago...I found myself appreciating a little TV action...

from our Canadian based Home Style Steven and Chris show.

That particular day...the creative ‘foodie‘, Jennifer Low,

was demonstrating a very notable how-to method.

Just as she was divulging the efficient way of stuffing cabbage rolls...

I was noticing how I was excitedly at the edge of my chair with anticipation.

Alright, maybe not quite the edge...

but close enough and puppy ‘Sushi’ felt the same ;o)

Basically, Jennifer explained that instead of making

the usual mess of filling and rolling the cabbage leaves...

why not make use of the very versatile muffin pan.

This felt like very familiar terrain...

especially since my eureka moment last August.

Go HERE to find out how to easily roast GARLIC.

Finding myself absolutely enamoured with what I was seeing...

I could only wonder how many more would be served by this idea.

How could I not share this fabulously clever how-to method with my friends?

Last weekend, when I went for my weekly market outing...
where I was received with a glorious Autumn day.
Ahh...my favourite Season had certainly taken hold.

At the top of my list was to be on the look out for my cruciferous friends.
Not, shortly after a few steps, there they were...
a fabulous bounty of sweet Savoy cabbages.

The florals from the regular cabbages was quite impressive as well.

The first thing I did when I got home was

show off the beautiful Savoy as a table centerpiece.

It was so gorgeous that I actually contemplated (only for a few seconds)

about not depleting it from its decorative leaves.
I just couldn't stop staring at her distinctive curves.
They were so delicate, yet showed a strength not to be reckoned with.
Alright, yes...I suppose she reminded me of someone ;o)...any guesses?

It was a little strange how I was reacting to a cruciferous after all.
Just as I was staring...luckily a whisper passed me by

"Claudia...get a life will ya"!

Very quickly, my good sensible qualities came back.
It was time to get cooking.

Stuffed CABBAGE roll CUPS
PREPARATION...How to Method for 12 cabbage cups
You’ll need: a 12 cup muffin pan, 2 baking cookie sheets and parchment paper.

Also think AHEAD of a selected filling and sauce:
. about 3 cups (750ml) of FILLING will be needed
. about 2 cups (500ml) of SAUCE will be needed

Get the PRINTER version HERE

INGREDIENT SUGGESTIONS:

. 1 big head of 'Savoy' cabbage

. 3 cups (750ml) worth of cooked filling of choice
Suggestion: caramelized onions, red peppers, eggplant, ham.

Added some cooked, red quinoa with chopped sun-dried tomato made in a mushroom based stock. Complemented by some Gorgonzola and Mozzarella cheese.

. 2 cups (500ml) worth of sauce topping of choice
Note: This sauce was simply some plain yogurt and a homemade red pepper sauce blended together. Then, lightly warmed up.

PREPARATION:

1. Prepare the head of cabbage for blanching: pull away the larger decorative leaves. Cut the bottom stem part where the leaves were extracted so that it'll be easier to pull the remaining leaves after being boiled.
2. Pour the water half way in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the full head of cabbage (stem down) without its decorative leaves. Cover the pot and turn down the heat to simmer for about 12-14 minutes. Drain the hot water and refill the pot with cold running water to cool down the cabbage. Drain it again by turning the cabbage upside down and grabbing the core with the cup of your hand.
3. Prepare a plate to place the leaves which you will carefully peel off the stem. Remember to keep cutting the bottom core when the leaves don’t come off easily. Note: Most leaves will come off in full...however, if they tear a little, it won’t matter much to the finished product.
4. With a kitchen scissor cut the thick ‘rib’ stem from the center of each leaf. Carefully place each leaf into the cups without pressing in too much. Starting from the tray’s center outwards is easier. Overlap pieces of cabbage to avoid gaps in lining.

5. Fill each cup level with your chosen filling by using about an ice-scream scoop full...about 1/4 cup/60ml will be sufficient.
6. Once the cups are filled, press down the overlapping leaf flaps to cover the filling properly.

7. Place muffin tray on a first baking sheet. Cover the cabbage tray completely with a sheet of parchment paper. Place a second baking sheet over top by pressing down on the parchment.
. BAKE for 30 minutes in a pre-heated 400F/200C/Gas6 oven by placing the tray on the middle rack.

Assembly:

. Right before the cabbage cups are ready to come out of the oven...start heating your chosen sauce (about 2 cups / 500ml) that will be spooned over your stuffed cabbage roll cups and ready to serve.
. Take the tray out of oven and leave it rest for 10 minutes. After which you’ll get ready to unmould the cups. Hold both baking sheets that have sandwiched the muffin tray and flip over. Remove muffin tray in order to easily release the cabbage rolls. Serve immediately with warm sauce.

other tips...Freezing and Re-heating:

. Cool the un-moulded cups to room temperature then set on a tray that fits your freezer shelf. Once frozen just barely hard to the touch...place them in single layers in an airtight sealable plastic bag or container.

. When ready to re-heat...the oven should be preheated to 400F/180C/Gas6 and before you place the frozen cabbages rolls into the cups...make sure to put 1 tsp. (5ml) water into each cup ahead of time.

. Again, this time...cover with parchment paper...bake for 40 minutes, or until heated. If only re-heating a few cabbage rolls...you'll need to adjust down the baking time.

Voila...supper was made in no time at all.

Thanks to leftovers and a great new method to stuff cabbage leaves...
no more messes of tucking and rolling leaves in my kitchen.

Flavourful wishes and happy test kitchen,

Foodessa

Comments or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SAVOURY creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool. Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc. Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.

Other meal preparations that may be of interest:
- EGGPLANT cheese RED PEPPER loaf

- ENDIVE ham roll CHEESE sauce gratin

- MILLET stuffed Bell PEPPER cups
- SHEPHERD's PIE aka PATE CHINOIS {Mediterranean style shepherd's pie}

BLUEBERRY ginger citrus GF Muffins

I buried my thoughts with these...
sweet BLUEBERRIES and made a wish.

I asked my precious Food Fairy to please grant me...

success in making my very first BLUEBERRY muffin.

At this point, I figured that a little childish plea
could not hinder my baking challenge ahead.

Trial and error in my kitchen has always been an acceptable form

of learning curve that has excelled me into further adventures.

However, for this time, I honestly, just could not handle a failed muffin with

the few cherished Québec blueberries I was willing to let go onto this baked treat.

I've mentioned this before...

I rarely let go of berries in their fresh state...especially from our local crop.

It would be different if these berries would come by the case load...

however, so far...no such glory on the home front.

During the year, I don't mind baking with the frozen berries...

but for now... call me a little strange...

I do admittedly get a little possessive of them.

Not only have I never made blueberry muffins before...

I decided to add the extra challenge of also making them gluten free.

Yes...for those who are not willing to go there with me...

a classic form with all purpose flour can certainly apply.

I dove into my experiment full throttle and crossed my fingers

that my experience in baking was going to pay off.

I waited patiently...and then within a short time...

the magic was slowly wafting through the air.

As soon as I witnessed the muffins rising and sensing the aromas in my home...
I started getting that warm and fuzzy feeling of baking euphoria.

To my ecstatic surprise it appeared that I may have got

the hole in one during my very first try.....victory.

The generous Food Fairy granted my wish after all ;o)

As I just mentioned before...

I've been too busy eating one of my favourite berry in its freshness

to even think of putting a bunch of them into any baked goods.

The season is never long enough and I have yet to have my visit at a field of

voluminous blueberries...hopefully next year I'll make it out for extra pickings.

In the meantime, this year for some reason I was itching

to make muffins with these blue sweeties.

If I think back to when this tickle started...

it must have been during a small TV segment I caught of

America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) bragging that they had found the

very best way to achieve the perfect blueberry muffin.
They boosted the berry flavour from incorporating intensity through jam.

Then, I started seeing these adorable berry muffs appearing

here and there on blogs...which served to open up my appetite even more.

So...last week, I had finally decided to tackle the incredibly

sought after blueberry muffin with a little twist or two of my own.

The one thing I decided to do was to take an excellent piece of advice from...
ATK creating a part of the mixture to be in the form of jam.

The rest of the recipe is me experimenting with gluten free baking.

BLUEBERRY ginger citrus MUFFINS

No electric mixer required

yields 12 standard muffins

Note: I have come back to re-vamp and simplify this recipe.

PRINTER VERSION here

INGREDIENTS:

(American / Metric measures)

. 2 cups (500ml) fresh or frozen Blueberries
    (thawed and drained if from frozen)
    [Note: reserve 1 cup (250ml) for the jam part]. 1-1/4 cup (275g) granulated sugar
    [Note: reserve 1/8 cup (25g) for the jam part]
…

WET mix:
. 2 xLarge eggs
. 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
. 1 Tbsp. (15ml) pure vanilla extract
. 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk
    [or 1 Tbsp. white vinegar and milk to equal 1 cup]

DRY mix:
. 2 cups (260g) sweet white Sorghum flour
. 1/2 cup (65g) Tapioca flour (or Arrowroot)
. 1 Tbsp. (15ml) GF baking powder
. 1 tsp. (5ml) sea salt
. 2 Tbsp. (30ml) grated fresh Ginger
. 1 orange or lemon, finely zested
. 1/2 cup (120g) candied ginger (finely chopped)

PREPARATION:

. Position the rack in the center of the oven.
. Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
. Lightly oil the surface of the muffin pan and then place the paper liners into the cavities.

...JAM making:
1. In a small saucepan place half (1 cup) the amount of the berries with the sugar (1/8 cup) and bring to a boil. LOWER the heat to medium and stir every so often until the berries and sugar have reduced, thickened and concentrated the berry flavour as the water evaporates. Remove from the heat and let it cool while preparing the rest of the recipe.

2. In a large bowl, combine and whisk ALL of the mentioned DRY ingredients and make a well. Then, whisk the eggs in the well, followed by the oil, vanilla and buttermilk. With the aid of a solid spatula, combine just until traces of flour have disappeared.
3. Spoon in the batter only about halfway before sprinkling most of the blueberries evenly. Then, spoon the remaining batter evenly and finish off by slightly swirling in the jam on the surfaces. Last, add the remaining blueberries over tops.
. BAKE for 22 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and wait only 5 minutes before removing the muffins and placing them onto a cooling rack.

I do hope you get to bake up a batch of these scrumptious berry treats soon.

Alright then...anyone care to admit which fruit they feel possessive over?

Flavourful wishes,

Foodessa

Comments or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SWEET creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool. Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc. Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.