Olive-Brined Chicken with Grilled Onions and Pimenton Oil

Are you looking for a great chicken recipe to serve for a 4th of July Barbeque? I have just the recipe for you. How do I know? I served this chicken for 4th of July last year, and I received rave reviews from my guests. Best of all, this chicken is easy to make for a crowd.

I found this recipe in Food & Wine’s July 2008 issue. Chef Paul Virant (a Food & Wine Best New Chef 2007) created this recipe, which he served with Warm Potato Salad with Arugula (among other recipes) for his 4th July magazine spread. I’ve made this chicken several times in the past year, and I can’t get over how moist the brined chicken is. The herbs de Provence in the brine give the chicken an almost flowery flavor, and the pimenton makes chicken deliciously smoky. The two flavors combine with the tart lemon juice and olives to create a complex dish that is simply delicious. I highly recommend Olive-Brined Chicken with Grilled Onions and Pimenton Oil.

Olive-Brined Chicken with Grilled Onions and Pimenton Oil
From Paul Virant in Food & Wine
2 quarts water
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup herbs de Provence
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 cup pitted Spanish green olives, smashed
10 fresh bay leaves
12 chicken drumsticks
12 chicken thighs
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pimenton de la Vera (smoked Spanish paprika)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 large sweet onions, sliced ½ inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives, sliced
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large saucepan, and simmer until the salt is dissolved. Pour the brine into a very large glass bowl and cool to room temperature. I poured the brine into two gallon Ziplock bags after if cooled. Add the chicken to the brine, seal the bags and refrigerate overnight.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the oil, pimenton and 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme, and place over moderate heat until the mixture is hot.

Light a grill. Brush the onion slices with the pimenton oil, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of thyme. Grill the onions over moderately high heat until lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the onions to a platter, and separate the rings. Toss the onions with the sliced olives, parsley and 2 tablespoons of the pimenton oil.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Grill the chicken over moderate heat, turning often until the skin is nicely charred and the meat is cook through, about 25 minutes. Brush the chicken with the pimenton oil and place the chicken on the platter with the onions. Serve.

Fettuccini with Spicy Sausage and Creamy Tomato Sauce

A couple weeks ago I was craving spicy Italian sausage and pasta. I didn’t have a recipe in mind when I went to the store, so I just picked up the sausage and the pasta. A couple of days later, I needed to move my craving from an inspiration into a complete meal. I had the fettuccini and sausage on hand of course, and I also had some tomatoes, cream and parsley, but I knew my dish needed another flavor. I looked though my refrigerator and freezer and came up with the quintessential Italian ingredient of frozen edemame. No, not so Italian, but still good in my pasta dish. You could substitute some broccoli or spinach if you don’t like edemame. My family enjoyed this dish. My son loves Italian sausage, so he thought I was a hero to serve it with pasta. My husband and daughter enjoyed it too.

Fettuccini with Spicy Sausage and Creamy Tomato Sauce
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
1 lb fettuccini
7 ripe medium tomatoes
11 oz bag frozen shelled edemame
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook the pasta following the package directions. Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in a large skillet. Once the sausage is brown, remove it from the skillet, and drain all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook until the tomatoes are soft, and then add the cream, edemame and sausage. I added a couple of ladles of pasta water to loosen the sauce, and then I added salt and pepper to taste. Toss the pasta into the sauce, and add the parsley and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Chewy, Chunky Blondies

I’m sorry I have been neglectful of my blog lately. My neglect did help me come to a realization that although, Tuesday’s with Dorie sounds like a fun group to join, I just can’t face having one more thing I have to do. And, I can’t kid myself, as fun as it sounds, I won’t always have the time to devote to the recipe of the week. That would take some of the fun out of the project. I will still be baking recipes from the book, and I will let you know my results.

Since I am not going to join the TWD group, I can post this recipe for Chewy, Chunky Blondies out of order. If you like baking at all, I do recommend buying Baking From My House to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. The recipes are beautifully photographed and the recipes I've tried are delicious. The Chewy, Chunky Blondies were a big hit in my household. They were sweet and chewy, and just plain delicious. And, in an effort of full disclosure, I have to tell you we enjoyed these brownies without the coconut. I would like to say I left the coconut out on purpose, but that would not be true. I was proudly placing the blondies into the oven, when I turned around and saw the package of coconut on the counter unopened. AUGH! The blondies were good despite my mistake, but I can't wait to try them with the coconut.

Chewy, Chunky Blondies
Recipe by Dori Greenspan Baking From My House to Yours
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup Heath Toffee Bits
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 325° F, and butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan, and put it on a baking sheet. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, and then add the eggs one by one beating for 1 minute after each egg. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients mixing just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, toffee bits, walnuts and coconut. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. Once baked, transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool for about 15 minutes. Turn the blondies out onto another rack and cool completely. Makes about 32 2¼ by 1½ inch bars.