stove top chicken thighs in spicy tomato sauce

What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been - mostly political, which often sends me instantly to my bed for a nap.  I tinkered with the Paleo diet after noticing the poundage was creeping up, but I missed too many foods .  Sensible eating seems to be the best way for me to go. I was delighted , however, with the thumbs up for chicken thighs , which I have always preferred over the chicken breasts.

This is one of the Paleo-friendly recipes I came up with and have now made 3 times in the last month:


Stove top chicken thighs :

3 or 4 good sized chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 sliced onion
1 sliced red or yellow sweet pepper
1 cup diced canned tomatoes (I used the one with basil and oregano)
1 cup pitted black kalamata olives
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon thyme
kosher salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet on medium.
Add the chicken thighs.
Add the sliced onion, peppers, tomatoes, olives, water, and thyme and salt and pepper.

Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, then turn the chicken over and cook another 20 minutes, covered.  Cut into the chicken to make sure there is no pink - if it is, cook another 15 minutes, covered.  I served with very fresh skinny asparagus topped with lemon juice and olive oil.

Yummers!

This is a Paleo treat I nibbled on whenever I wanted something sweet - homemade Paleo peanut butter cups.  I found it on Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/260927372142296396/

Be well - and carry on:)

quick chicken soup with greens and rosemary

A few days ago I started a vaguely paleo/keto low carb diet, after a unfortunate side view in the mirror and trying on pants that were a little too tight.  Lots of protein sits well with me, and so do vegetables, and if I have a sudden desire for sugar or pastry, I eat a demitasse spoon full of my homemade marmalade or strawberry jam.  I even bought an old scale at my favorite Goodwill, just to show I'm serious.

I do use a lot of eggs on this diet, so when I emptied the egg carton last night, that meant no frittata this morning.  I had leftover chicken, and loads of greens, so a quick chicken soup was in order.  I'd bought thinly sliced skinless, boneless chicken that had very little flavor, so I bumped it up with lots of herbs and sweet butter.  Here and now, I vow never to buy them again - the bone-in with a jacket of skin and fat has a lot more flavor.

And I have news!  In eleven days heading back to New Hampshire (from Minnesota) for a week to visit family, and finally meet my new grandaughter!  I'm over the moon with excitement!

Here's this morning's soup:

Quick Chicken soup with greens and rosemary

Serves 2.

1 leek white, washed and sliced

1 - 2 sliced carrots, peeled

1 clove garlic

3 cups light chicken stock

1 heaping cup leftover chicken, diced

1/2 teaspoon thyme (I use dried)

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

nice sprig of fresh rosemary

Simmer until the carrots are soft, then add:

1 heaping cup broccoli rabe, sliced or 1 heaping cup torn kale

a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil

salt and fresh pepper to taste

If you want to sneak in some leftover pasta, that would work, too.

Here's a quick peek at my favorite birds - crows!  They sit on the flat rooftops of the apartment building, and swoop down to snack on the seeds and bread a neighbor puts out, then sit in the high trees and converse in their crow-talk, which can sound like a creaky door, to a ha-ha-ha, and I think I heard one whistling the other day.  It's hard to get a picture because they fly away if I get too close. This is snuck through the window screen 30 feet away.

zesty lime chicken with capers and olives

Good grief, it's been a while!  But I'm back with a winner of a dinner that I've now made three times - it is that good.  The snow here in New Hampshire is melting - too slowly for me, since there is still a good two feet of snow, but every day is a little warmer, so I'm happy with that.  And my daughter and granddaughter have been visiting from Minnesota, which has been , well, every moment cherished.  


Zesty Lime Chicken with capers and olives

2 or 3 bone-in chicken breasts, or chicken legs, or a combination
a few slices red onion
several bay leaves
peeled, slivered garlic
2 teaspoons whole thyme
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice for each piece of chicken
several slices fresh lime
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon or so of bottled capers
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons pitted kalamata olives for garnish

I used a round ceramic tart pan to bake these, so if you are using a metal baking sheet or pie pan, your time may be shortened.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Arrange the chicken in the the baking pan.
Loosen the skin and tuck the slivered garlic and a bay leaf under each piece of chicken.
Drizzle each piece of chicken with the fresh lime juice, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and whole dried thyme, then drizzle with olive oil.  Top each piece with half rounds of fresh lime.  I had to buy several extra limes, because I got so little juice from each.  If anyone is a lime expert, please let me know what I should look for to find a juicy lime!

Sprinkle the capers with a little caper juice over the chicken, then place in oven.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken is tender.  Using a ceramic plate took a little longer than using a metal baking pan.  Since the temperature is fairly low, you can safely bake it a little longer without it drying out.

Let the chicken sit for 10 minutes before serving, then remove to a platter.  Drizzle the juices from the pan over the chicken, then add a few more capers and the olives to the platter, then serve.  You can also carve the chicken off the bones, and serve in a tidy little mound, garnished with capers, olives, and a clean bay leaf.

Happy Easter to you, and welcome Spring, finally!

a colorful January!

As I write this, a winter blizzard is moving into New England.  I am inland, so the snow reached here only four or five hours ago - and we have power!  When I measured the snow in the middle of the flat front yard, it was 8" - drifts were much more.

Thinking back over January, I realized I was changing my eating habits subtly - many more greens and vegetables, fewer sweets and, my downfall, tortilla chips with melted mozzarella, salsa, and sour cream.  I still have the chips and mozzarella, but the sour cream has disappeared.

And the colors !  Shining like a rainbow - which definitely puts a smile on my face and a spring in my step (as I go out to shovel:) From the top:  arugula with braised celery,warmed tomatoes with basil, mushrooms, and cubes of mozzarella;  smoked turkey sandwich with arugula and grated cheddar;  kale soup with orzo; asparagus with hardboiled eggs and parmesan;  green chard and shredded chicken soup;  homemade strawberry jam.   Hope you are all enjoying your winter!

Poulet Marengo (chicken with herbs and tomatoes)

The weather has certainly been seasonal lately with snow, sleet and freezing rain making the driveway a skating rink.  Definitely time to stay in and simmer a fragrant casserole with chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, dry white wine, and herbs.

I've made this so often I had to search a while through my cookbooks to see where I originally found it.  It is always listed as "Poulet Marengo", in both the NY Times cookbook and From Julia Child's Kitchen . The Times cookbook seems to be the original one I used, as he uses tarragon (which I love, but many people loathe), Julia suggests thyme and oregano and bay for seasoning.  The original dish was made by Napoleon's chef in the field after the battle of Marengo, and originally contained crawfish, eggs, and olives, as well as the chicken, tomatoes, and mushrooms.  Wherever it came from, it is delicious on a chilly day with a basket of warm French bread.

Lately, I've preferred using chicken thighs in this, bone-in, but you can use a cut up whole chicken if you prefer. I also remove the skin before sauteing if the skin looks fatty - it is tedious to have to spoon off the chicken fat just before serving.

Preheat oven to 350F.

4-6 pieces of chicken thighs (I usually leave the skin on )
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon good olive oil

Rinse and pat the chicken pieces dry.  Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and sear both sides of the chicken, then remove chicken pieces to an oven proof casserole dish.
Add to the butter and oil left in the skillet:

1 cup dry white wine
1 heaping teaspoon tarragon OR basil, or oregano and thyme
10 sliced white mushrooms
2 cups canned plum tomatoes, with the juice (I cut the whole tomatoes into 3 pieces before adding)
1 medium sliced onion
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves peeled garlic, mashed with the side of a knife

Stir the ingredients in the saute pan until hot, then pour over the chicken pieces, and place in oven, covered with foil, for an hour to an hour and a half.  Larger pieces take a little longer.  Serve with a nice loaf of bread and unsalted butter, or a side of rice or noodles.

busy day chicken soup with greens and pasta

What a wild morning!  When I woke up, the rain was pouring, a soft wind blowing, trees shaking and waving, the dark clouds racing across the sky towards the coast.  Two hours later the sun came out and all that is left of the storm is a pretty carpet of leaves in the front yard.

Busy day, busy day!  Articles to write, pictures to take, recipes to double check.  As I was making one dough, and wrapping another for the fridge, I saw the leftover chicken, the lovely fresh kale, the herbs in the drawer still (surprisingly) firm and green. Which gave me an idea.

I pulled out a pot, and, in between mixing and measuring the tart and pie dough, quickly washed and trimmed and cut and tore the vegetables and the chicken, into the pot.  In with the stock, the sprig of rosemary, and last of all the pasta bubbling away.  This was the easiest lunch to pull together in some chaos of sorts, and I'm grateful to sit down to a big bowl of it in a half hour.


Busy Day Chicken soup with greens and pasta

2 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup sliced scallions (green onions)
1/2 cup Italian parsley, rough chop
1 cup sliced celery
1 teaspoon thyme
pinch hot pepper flakes if desired
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 or 2 cups leftover cooked chicken, cut in chunks
3/4 cup macaroni or small pasta.  I used large ditali from Italy

1 cup packed torn kale greens, set aside to add at the very end

bring the water and stock to a rolling simmer and add everything but the pasta/macaroni and the kale.
Simmer fifteen minutes, then add the pasta.  Cook until pasta is soft, take off heat, and stir in the torn kale.  Taste for seasoning and serve with bread and curls of parmesan cheese, if you want. (which I definitely wanted!)

Have a wonderful day!

roasted chicken thighs with lemon and thyme and wishing for Spring

As I sit and wait for winter to end (hmmm, good luck with that!), I've found myself browsing blogs and Pinterest, which is where I found this delicious pan roasted chicken from Damn Delicious.  I made it last night and it couldn't be easier, though next time I would use half the chicken stock (which is intensely lemony) and twice the thyme.  I also transferred the seared chicken to a sunny yellow casserole dish, just because it was so pretty, but you can make it as she did - in an oven proof skillet.   Ohhh, this was SO good!  And you can find the recipe here.

The sugar snap peas I planted on March 11th are growing by leaps and bounds against the kitchen window  - just seeing something growing makes my gardener's heart happy.


The snow outside is still there - 3 feet of icy, rock-hard drifts that make hiking or walking impossible.  What a winter!  But it IS March, and that snow is going to have to melt sometime, right?  Wishing you all happy springtime thoughts!

rich chicken-vegetable soup with parsley dumplings

As the temperature tumbled the last few nights (24 degrees this morning), my appetite zeroed in on a deeply-flavored, herby, non-vegetarian dinner.  In this case, it was a double-rich chicken-vegetable soup, deep colors of butternut squash, the last green and red tomatoes, a few brussels sprouts, the dark meat of chicken thighs and legs, the sweetness of carrots, the flavor of my favorite herb, thyme - and a pinch or two of oregano and basil, along with a leaf of bay. I love the fall vegetables, and would have included parsnips if I'd had them.  But not turnips:)  Not a fan.

First I simmered a few bone-in chicken thighs or legs with an onion and herbs, then strained and gently simmered again with vegetables and pasta, and finally, poached parsley-flecked dumplings in the rich broth to make a delightfully satisfying meal.  Heaven.

What a way to welcome Fall!

You'll be pleasantly surprised to find that skin on, bone-in chicken, especially the dark meat thighs and legs, are more economical than skinless and boneless chicken breasts, which always puzzles me, as they have so much more flavor.  

First, make the stock:

3 chicken thighs or legs, bone-in, skin on
2 large carrots, trimmed and sliced into rounds
1 teaspoon thyme leaf
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, sliced

Place all into pot, cover with water, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Strain the stock into a large pot and let the chicken cool, then discard the skin, bones, and odds and ends of of rubbery bits, cutting up the meat into a dice.

In the stockpot place:

4-5 cups stock ( add water if needed)
1 cup sliced celery
the diced chicken meat
1 cup sliced, peeled carrots
1 cup kale or brussels sprouts, sliced
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
a handful of cherry tomatoes from the garden, sliced in half
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup bow tie pasta
1 T. butter 
pinch of thyme, basil, and oregano
salt and pepper

Simmer the soup on medium low- it will smell heavenly!

While the soup is simmering, make the parsley dumplings:

In mixer bowl, place:

1 1/2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
scant teaspoon of cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons minced parsley
3 tablespoons butter, diced
kosher salt and pepper
1 cup of milk

Mix well until the mixture forms a somewhat sticky ball.  Either use your hands or use a small ice cream scoop to make balls.

Just as the vegetables seem tender in the soup, place the balls of dough on top of the soup.  If the soup needs more liquid, add a cup or so so there is liquid just covering the soup.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes - fish out a dumpling to make sure it is completely cooked and tender.  If not, cover and cook five minutes more.

Makes a generous 4 servings.

Two days ago, I was out hiking and saw this beautiful little plant flowering.  I thought it was odd that a plant would flower so late in the season - and today, with below freezing temps, I went back to check on it.  The plant was still green, but the flower was gone.  Nature is a wonder!

A delicious Mother's Day

With a new grandbaby , a two year old, and a seven year old, I thought it was a good time to make 
Mother's Day brunch for my daughter and daughter-in-law for them, heaven knows they have more than enough on their hands.

  A simple meal preparation  (as usual) stretched into several hours, in part because a new recipe caught my eye and we know how that goes:)  pleased to say this tzatziki recipe was fabulous first time out.  Boneless chicken breasts marinated in a yogurt-garlic-cumin sauce overnight, then baked and sliced, a fresh, zesty celebration of veggies:  cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion and black olives, garlic, dill and parsley.  So good!   I served it with chunks of goat cheese  - as we all know, goat cheese makes everything even better.  Marinating the chicken in a yogurt sauce overnight made the chicken breasts incredibly tender and juicy and I plan to use that recipe often.  The whole dish was colorful and tasty, though I was temped to add more cumin and oregano, everyone else thought it was perfect as is.  A little side dish of sliced avocado and some warm pita pockets was all I added to the table - the kids love fresh, healthy food and ate everything.

For dessert, I made a platter of strawberries with confectioner's sugar, and Julia's strawberry clafouti with vanilla and cinnamon,  and some simple shortbread cookies , some chocolates from my son -definitely a Spring celebration!  And then?  They took us all out for ice cream sundaes at our local farmstand.  Somehow we made room....


Hope your Mother's Day was a treat as well!

spring soup and a fresh chicken salad

It's coming.  Outside may be frozen into icy snowdrifts, and trying to take a walk?  You take your chances on the slip- n- slide paths.  But the temperature is slowly climbing, starting out at 20 degrees, and up to 40 a few hours later. I know you're out there, Mother Nature - and you're bringing Spring!

It's astonishing what a change it makes, knowing we are only a few weeks away from the official start of gardening.  The sun peeks out first thing in the morning, then disappears behind gloomy gray clouds, but still.  We know you're there.  

A morning walk is out of the question right now, but my menu has made a radical turn.  A perfect salad with chicken, goat cheese, and cranberries, and lots of greens, and a daily soup made of handfuls of lettuces, turnip greens, and kale or spinach, with a few baby bella mushrooms sliced up, simmered quickly in stock and pureed.  Only a few weeks ago I was making mashed potatoes with lots of butter, a few too many times a week.  Desperate times, then.

For the soup:

4 or 5 mushrooms, sliced
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
a small bag of spinach, or two handfuls
2 cups other mixed greens from your vegetable drawer: kale, turnip greens, rapini, celery leaves -whatever is fresh.
2 or 3 cups stock, chicken, beef, or vegetable
1/2 t. thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the mushrooms in the olive oil briefly, then add the greens and stock, thyme and salt and pepper.  Turn heat to low and cover.  Cook for 8-10 minutes, then take off heat and let sit before pureeing with an immersion blender.  Serves 2.

For the salad:

3-4 cups assorted greens, cut to bite size or not
1 large chicken breast, cooked, skinless and boneless, or use leftover chicken.  Dice the chicken in fairly large pieces.
1  1/2 cups dried cranberries
about 5 inches of goat cheese from a log, flaked into large chunks with a fork

Dressing:

Makes 1/4 of a cup dressing.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt

1 teaspoon poppyseeds

salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle on the dressing and enjoy!

Serves 3, depending on your appetite.

Happy almost-Spring!

chicken & celery, tomato, and clementine soup with rosemary and rigatoni

We have been in the deep freeze for the last ten days, with nights reaching 8 below, and days not budging from 10 degrees, in spite of some very welcome sunshine.  The next few days should be inching up slowly, for which I am very, very grateful.  It may sound wimpy, but I didn't go out if I didn't have to, thanks, I think, to the scare I got in the fall with pneumonia.  But today has finally hit 20 degrees, so I'm hopeful we're out of our January freeze.

I've been going to bed early, snuggled under two wool blankets and a down comforter AND long johns and wool socks in the chilly bedroom , but happily occupied with plenty of books and cookbooks.  One of them was a real favorite of mine when I was making soup for a small ski area a long time ago  -  Recipes from the Night Kitchen .  While I often changed the recipes, they were full of fun and imagination.  This one started out as a chicken and rosemary stew, and ended up with clementines, celery, and a handful of pasta stirred into the soup and topped with cheddar.  It's a tangy, perky soup, and the color brightens this icy, snowy day.  

Makes about 4-5 servings.

2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed or minced
1 medium onion , peeled and roughly diced
2 clementines, peeled and sliced in circles
1 cup canned plum tomatoes, cut into large-ish pieces
1 t. thyme
4 six (6) inch springs rosemary, stripped from stem, or just throw in whole and fish out at the end of cooking
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock

2 medium skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 T. butter or olive oil for browning the chicken

3 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

For the pasta:

2 cups rigatoni
boiling water

Cook until tender and drain

Garnish with shredded cheddar

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed stewpot .  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, then add the clementines, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf and cook briefly, then add the chicken stock.  Turn heat to low and cook, partly covered, for 40 minutes.

Just before the 40 minutes are up, melt the butter or oil in a skillet and saute the chicken until just cooked.  

Add the chicken, parsley, and celery to the soup, stir and taste, adding more seasonings as needed.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Place a large spoonful of the pre-cooked pasta in the bottom of each bowl, add hot soup, then sprinkle with the cheddar.

Stay warm!

roasted chicken with green garden sauce: the end of summer

Tonight the chill at 5 o'clock was obvious - summer is over, and fall is creeping in.  The last few nights have been brisk enough to start a fire in the woodstove . Instead of vibrant ( and what I call "transcendental") brilliant orange and red leaves, we have seen only the slow yellow fading of the summer greening.   The brisk weather inspired me to roast a little chicken, but instead of the tarragon chicken I usually make, I thought of my friend from Red Maple Farm, who makes a glorious adieu to her garden with a zesty, green sauce of everything from tomatillos to pinched leaves of chard and the last cucumbers.  Though lacking tomatillos, the sauce I made from bits of this, and leaves of that, I was able to come up with something that shouted a last goodbye to the garden.

First, you need a small chicken. Preheat oven to 400F. Rinse the chicken, pat it dry, then smear with unsalted butter and drizzle a little olive oil over, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Squeeze a lemon all over the chicken, including the inside cavity, then put the squeezed lemon inside the chicken.  Roast for an 1/2 hour, then turn heat down to 350F.  Roast for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the legs move easily when jiggled - it depends on the size of the chicken and the temperature when it was put in the oven.

For the green sauce:

Take a stroll through your garden or herb garden ( or your fridge!) gathering mild greens in a basket.  Avoid strong-tasting herbs, as this is a mild, fresh-tasting sauce.  Avoid basil, sage, more than a pinch of oregano, garlic.

I used:

 1 cucumber, washed and partly peeled, cut up

a handful of arugula

a handful of green tomatoes

a small handful of onion/scallion tops

a handful of parsley, both Italian and frilly

a few stems and leaves of green chard

a few chives, snipped

a small handful of nasturtium leaves

sea salt and pepper

a few drizzles of olive oil

Oh how I wish I had bought some tomatillos!  They are amazing !  Tangy, spicy, delicious.  And sorry to to have forgotten to bring home some radish leaves, which are amazingly tasty in sauces, like this, or green smoothies.

Place in food processor and coarsely puree.  Taste, and correct seasonings- it usually needs more salt.  Serve on top of sliced roasted chicken, along with the last tomatoes and some fingerling potatoes.

Enjoy!

cold chicken plated salad with zucchini ribbons

The French call them composed salads;  those delicious cold plated salads so perfect in summer, whether for lunch or dinner.  In America, I see everything from "dinner salads" to simply spelling out the ingredients and adding the word "salad".  I call them plated salads now, simply because I plate them individually and serve with little bowls of condiments, like that bright, cheery jar of pickled red onions, or several different kinds of olives, or a basket of bread and unsalted butter.


I used a mustardy dressing for this, sadly out of anchovies, which would have been my first choice.  


Dijon salad dressing:


1 T. virgin olive oil
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1 t. drained caper berries
1 t. prepared dijon mustard
salt and fresh pepper
Mix the ingredients with a fork until blended well, then drizzle over the plated salad.


To compose a plated salad, start by spreading the platter or plate with greens, then carefully add components that harmonize visually.  Hard boiled eggs, sliced into quarters or halves, are traditional.  Quickly cooked green beans, or flash cooked sugar snaps, are another common addition - but feel free to use what's freshest and therefore, pretty on a plate.  Instead of grated or sliced zucchini, I shaved ribbons and very, very briefly popped them into simmering water, and quickly drained them.  When they were cool, I rolled them up and drizzled dressing on them.


I used leftover cold poached rosemary chicken to anchor the plate, but fish or meats can also be used this way - and it's a more interesting way to serve leftovers than a quick sandwich.  Sliced boiled potatoes are also traditional, but it's best to drizzle the dressing on while they're still warm, then chill or let cool to room temperature.


Hope you're enjoying your summer!  The raspberries and blueberries are ripe - two or three weeks earlier than usual after that funny winter ( or non-winter) we had, so I'm hoping to find those ripe, warm, summer tomatoes soon, soon, soon.

perfect roasted chicken with rosemary: poulet roti

Why was I roasting this chicken at eight this morning? In part because I knew it was nestled in the fridge, just waiting to be roasted with carrots and shallots, sweet butter, and a small handful of fresh rosemary, but mostly because I was so caught up in Downton Abbey AND the Super Bowl last night I couldn't tear myself away. So I woke up with the all-consuming vision of hot roasted chicken, drizzled with pan juices, tucked up with some little potatoes, rosemary sprigs, and carrots that roasted right along with the chicken, and nothing would do but to plunge ahead and make it for an early lunch.

I started with a 4 lb chicken, so if you have a bigger or smaller one, the cooking times should be adjusted.

First, take the chicken out of the wrapper and blot it all over with a tea towel. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes or so.

While it's sitting, cut up:

4 medium carrots, peeled

4 small to medium potatoes

2 shallots, peeled

or any other assortment of vegetables you wish.

Set aside the vegetables.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Using your fingers, rub soft unsalted butter (you can also use olive oil, but it's not quite the same) all over the outside of the chicken, and put a tablespoon or so inside the chicken.

Sprinkle a teaspoon of kosher salt inside the cavity of the chicken, as well as some rosemary sprigs and a little thyme. Do not salt the outside of the chicken.

Place the chicken in the roasting pan and arrange the cut up vegetables around it, and roast for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle kosher salt on the chicken, turn the heat down to 350F, and continue to roast the chicken for another hour, basting two or three times with a spoon, baster, or brush. Baste quickly, so the heat doesn't escape from the oven .

How do you know when it's done? Tip the chicken at one end and let the juices run out. They should be fairly clear. Wiggle the drumstick to make sure it isn't too tight. It will sit and continue to cook another half hour after you remove it from the oven, so one and a half hours should be fine for a chicken 3 1/2 or 4 pounds.

Remove the chicken and let sit for 20 minutes, so the juices are re-absorbed, then slice and serve with the vegetables and a few spoonfuls of the juices. Some nice side dishes would be sliced steamed cabbage with butter or olive oil, sliced and sauteed brussels sprouts, or some broiled tomatoes with basil, or braised celery.

What I'm reading: The Kitchen Daughter , a gumbo of a book: grief, Aspberger's, memory and family, magical recipe cards. Loved it.