tonight's cooking
Jan. 12th, 2014 06:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kindkitTonight for dinner I spatchcocked a chicken, which is my new favorite thing. (Don't worry, it only sounds like it might get you arrested. Spatchcocking means splitting a chicken for easier roasting. You cut out the backbone with kitchen shears, open the chicken up skin side up, and press down on the breastbone a bit to flatten it. The result is a chicken that roasts much faster and more evenly, with browner skin and all around better results.) Most of the leftover chicken has gone into the freezer. A thigh portion and the wings will become soup later this week; not sure about the rest yet. I've also made some chicken salad with peanuts, lime juice, and garam masala for my lunch tomorrow.
Since the oven was on, I decided to roast the cauliflower I had in the fridge. Googling recipes pulled up one for roasted cauliflower with chickpeas, which sounded awesome, but had Indian spicing. Since tonight I found myself more in the mood for Mexican flavors, I improvised. I roasted the cut-up cauliflower and a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas in the pan I had used to roast the chicken. Before it went into the oven I added some salt, cumin seed, and about a teaspoon or so of ancho chile powder (anchos are mild and wonderfully flavorful). Once the cauliflower was almost tender, I added a chopped clove of garlic--next time I'll use more--and a canned chipotle chile in adobo, chopped. I also turned the oven up a bit to get some crunchy bits and roasted flavor. And I squeezed some lime juice over it before eating. Results: very good. The cauliflower was nice, but the chickpeas were fantastic. Dry heat really brings out their flavor.
Since the oven was on, I decided to roast the cauliflower I had in the fridge. Googling recipes pulled up one for roasted cauliflower with chickpeas, which sounded awesome, but had Indian spicing. Since tonight I found myself more in the mood for Mexican flavors, I improvised. I roasted the cut-up cauliflower and a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas in the pan I had used to roast the chicken. Before it went into the oven I added some salt, cumin seed, and about a teaspoon or so of ancho chile powder (anchos are mild and wonderfully flavorful). Once the cauliflower was almost tender, I added a chopped clove of garlic--next time I'll use more--and a canned chipotle chile in adobo, chopped. I also turned the oven up a bit to get some crunchy bits and roasted flavor. And I squeezed some lime juice over it before eating. Results: very good. The cauliflower was nice, but the chickpeas were fantastic. Dry heat really brings out their flavor.
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Date: 2014-01-13 02:57 am (UTC)One of my chicken recipes calls for spatchcocking it (though it doesn't use that word! which is a cool word!) and then roasting it in about an inch of a mixture of chicken broth and lemon juice -- enough water to cover the bare meat but leave the skin dry. The skin gets nicely roasty but the meat is cooked in a way much more similar to poaching; I liked it.