As long as the air conditioning is on, I don’t have a problem with turning on the oven for a bit on a muggy, hot day with rain in the forecast. In summer months I tend not to make long-cooking stews or pot roasts but go to the market and see what moves me.
Yesterday it was roasted chicken breasts, roasted young carrots and Israeli couscous.
For the chicken I got two smaller breasts on the bone and with skin, painted them with the juice of half a lemon and an equal amount of good olive oil, then dusted both sides with a mixture of salt, pepper and smoked paprika (pimenton), then placed them in an 8×8 Pyrex dish and popped them in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
The carrots were already in that oven for about 15 minutes before I added the chicken. They were lovely, with their foot-long tops which I twisted off at the grocery check-out. I just scrubbed them, took off tips and tails and put them on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme and let them roast away, whole, shaking the pan every 15 minutes.
I’m new to Israeli couscous, and have always been a fan of quick-cooking couscous but my husband is not. If I could pack flavor in there and change the size of the grain, I might be able to win him over.
For the couscous I’ve read ratios from 1 1/4 cups liquid to 1 c couscous up to 2:1. The first time I used 1 1/4 and it was perfect. This time I used 1.5:1 and had to watch it constantly and taste, then strain out additional liquid (flavor) at the end. The liquid was juice of 1/2 lemon and the rest chicken broth, and a pinch of salt. This time I sauteed the couscous in a little butter and olive oil for a minute or two, then added the liquid and let simmer about ten minutes. After draining, I re-seasoned, added a bit of lemon zest and chopped parsley and served.
It was a pretty plate, sorry no photos. I’ll have to re-create it for you later! Things get hectic around here when my husband is hungry and the dog is sitting there staring at me (she’s perfected the “I Want Something, Mommy” stare over the years) wanting her dinner so I don’t generally have time to get out the camera. The colors were pretty, though, crispy chicken with pimenton, couscous with parsley and lemon zest and roasted young carrots.
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In a hurry on Sunday afternoon and needing a picnic lunch, we picked up a small pre-made salad at the store. It was very good but I can make it better and less expensively at home. The “recipe” is greens, dried fruit, crumbled cheese and toasted nuts with a tangy/sweet vinaigrette. My husband loved it.
When I think about it different combinations swirl around in my brain. Any way I can get him to eat greens and dried fruits instead of steak or ice cream will be good. Think Greek with romaine, feta, toasted pine nuts (he hates them) and sun-dried tomatoes. Italian insalata mista with mixed greens, Gorgonzola dolce, dried figs and noce. Southern US with arugula, a US blue cheese like Maytag, toasted pecans and dried peaches with a clementine vinaigrette.French salade with greens, Roquefort, hazelnuts, and any one of 150 French vinaigrettes with shaved truffles on top.
I used to make my husband his own version of “trail mix” as he’d pore over the self-serve bins of nuts and dried fruit to find out what he liked best. Then I toasted the nuts, cut up the fruit, mixed and placed them in snack bags in 1/4 cup servings for him to place in his desk at work in case he got hungry one afternoon. That’s a habit to pick up again, for me, that is.
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There’s still a pull-apart loaf of Hawaiian bread from our picnic sandwiches (garlic-rosemary shaved turkey and Muenster-based) and I may make French toast with it this morning, or just regular toast with jam. For true French toast I’d have to cut off the lovely tops so simple toast with jam it is. Isn’t summer wonderful? Cheers! Dee
Note: I never used air conditioning until I lived in the South. Here, we can’t open the windows because of pollen (him) and breeding mosquitos in standing water that no-one will drain (me). So the oven is OK for 45 minutes or so. Dee
Cooking with Dee 