"We must absolutely do what we love or we run the risk of doing nothing at all"
As I mentioned in my previous post, I cooked up quite the feast last Friday night and I wanted to share some pictures and recipes with you all from it! This particular feast consisted of Rosemary Lemon Roasted Chicken, Roasted Beet Salad, Wild Rice, and Sauteed Asparagus. Everything was so delicious and the meal was a lot of fun to create! So here it goes...onto the recipes!
Rosemary Lemon Roasted Chicken
2 T Olive Oil
3 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
3 Small Lemons
1 T Oregano
3 Bay Leaves
1 T Course Salt
1 T Freshly Ground Pepper
4-5lb Whole Chicken
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F (on convection mode if available).
Coarsely chop two sprigs of rosemary and place into a bowl. Add the juice of one lemon, the oregano (I used dried, but coarsely chopped fresh oregano would be ideal), salt, pepper, and olive oil to the bowl. Mix ingredients until they are well combined.
Place your chicken in a large roasting dish. Use your fingers to separate the skin from the meat of the chicken. Place the mixture of herbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive juice under the skin of the chicken with your hands or another utensil you see fit for the job.
Cut the remaining two lemons in half and place them inside the chicken. Add the last sprig of rosemary and bay leaves.
Roast in the oven for about an hour and a half or until golden brown and cooked thoroughly.
Roasted Beet Salad with Pancetta, Feta, Mint, and Arugula
6 Large Beets
3 T Olive Oil
12 oz Feta Cheese
1/2 Mint (Approximately 2/3 oz package)
2 Small Lemons
4 oz Arugula
16 oz pancetta (sliced about 1/8" thick)
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F (Convection mode if possible)
Cut the ends off the beets. Cover them with a light coating of olive oil and place them in oven safe dish. Roast them in the oven 45-60 minutes until they feel tender with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.
While the beets are roasting, chop feta into small cubes if you purchased it in block form. At my local health food store, crumbled feta cost nearly double what the block style cost. I decided it wasn't that difficult to chop it myself and opted to save the $5. Coarsely chop a 1/2 C of fresh mint and set aside. Wash and dry arugula and place it in a large serving bowl. I chose a glass serving bowl, because all of the ingredients are so vibrantly colored, but use whatever you have available. Cut the lemons into wedges and set aside.
Cook all of the sliced pancetta in a large skillet on medium heat until crispy. Pour off the excess grease into a small dish to use with sauteed asparagus if you are cooking that as well. Let cool and chop into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Once the roasted beets are cool enough to touch, peel the outer skin off them with your hands if possible or with a knife. Dice the beets into approximately 1" cubes and place them on top of the arugula in the serving bowl. Next, add the cooked pancetta. Add the chopped feta and then top it with the chopped fresh mint. Drizzle the salad with 1 to 2 T of olive oil depending on how much dressing you prefer to add to a salad. Lightly toss the salad. Place the lemon wedges around the serving bowl or on the plates for guests to squeeze over the salad for some tang. Serve and enjoy! Yields 8-12 servings depending on portion size.
Wild Rice with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Almonds
2 C Wild Rice
2 T Butter
8 oz Water
1/4 C Dried Cranberries
1/4 C Sliced Almonds
Rinse the rice thoroughly and let dry in a strainer. In a large pot on medium heat, add the 2 T butter and let it lightly brown. Add in the 2 C of wild rice and mix until the butter evenly coats the rice. Add in the 8 oz water and cover. Keep it at a slow boil for an hour or until the grains of rice pop out. While the rice is cooking, chop the 1/4 C dried cranberries and set aside. Lightly toast the 1/4 C sliced almonds in a 350 degree F oven for about 6 minutes. Keep an eye on them though, because they tend to get too toasted faster than you might expect. Once all the moisture has cooked off the rice and it is the texture you prefer, place it into a serving dish. Add the dried cranberries and lightly mix together. Top the dish with the toasted almonds. Serve and enjoy! Yields approximately 8-12 servings depending on portion size.
Sauteed Asparagus with Maple Dijon Glaze
2 bunches Asparagus
2 T Maple Syrup
2 T Dijon Mustard
2 T Pancetta Drippings
Using the same pan (without cleaning) that the pancetta was cooked in, saute the asparagus on medium heat. Add a small amount of water and a lid to lightly steam the asparagus if necessary. Combine the maple syrup, dijon mustard, and pancetta drippings in a small bowl. Once the asparagus is tender and lightly browned if desired, then turn down the heat to low. Next, add the maple mustard mixture to the cooked asparagus and let simmer until the asparagus is just lightly coated. Remove from heat and place on a serving dish. Serves about 8 people depending on portion size. Enjoy!
Just putting up these recipes and the pictures makes my mouth water. Happy cooking and hope you enjoy these fresh and flavorful recipes as much as I do!
