faux roast chicken and veggies

subtitle: sunday supper in a pinch


sometimes you just need some comfort food. comfort food on a sunday? that's sunday supper! i honestly can't believe i haven't done this before because it's so darn easy and delicious. seriously, it really is AND it even gives lunch leftovers for the week (something i try to plan). so what is this wonder dinner? faux roast chicken. i'm only calling this faux because there isn't the need to roast an entire chicken. however, there's nothing actually faux about the results. simple concept really: choose some vegetables and grab some chicken parts (whole breasts in my case but you could use thighs or drumsticks as well) and basically throw it all in the oven. my veggies of choice were sweet potatoes, leeks and whole garlic cloves as well as a few mushrooms and a little bit of onion since i had it in the fridge. i washed, peeled and chopped my veggies, placed them in the bottom of a baking dish, splashed on some olive oil, salt and pepper and tossed around to coat. then i seasoned the chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and paprika (all completely based on what i had on hand) and put it right on top of the veggies. i stuck the whole dish in the oven at 450 degrees until the chicken was done and the veggies were nice and roasted. this took about an hour but will totally depend on the chicken you use. if you use smaller chicken pieces, you might want to give the veggies a head start before adding the chicken. you could also use any combination of vegetables that you want (potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, the list goes on and on).

literally within minutes of this entering the oven my roommates were ooing and aahing about the wonderful smell that had filled our apartment. and then i got to eat the results. 5 days in a row. sweet.

weeknight dinner: thai basil chicken

subtitle: BOMB DIGGITY thai to make at home (get the theme here?)



first i ate at jitlada. then i learned i could make a dish at home that got me almost as excited as hollywood thai and maybe even more excited because i had made it myself. i came across this dish on my google reader and i filed it away. now i think it might make it into the regular rotation. but i'm getting ahead of myself here. first, major props to michele of serious eats for posting this one. now that we have that taken care of, i give you gai pad krapow (thai basil chicken)!!!

this dish has that classic yummy sweet, salty, spicy combination. you really can't go wrong. adjust the spice to your liking (remove seeds and membrane from chilies if you want the flavor without so much heat) as well as the sweetness level with the sugar. it is also surprisingly easy and quick to make. and it's a perfect one to feed a crowd and impress guests.


gai pad krapow (thai basil chicken)

• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• finely chopped chilis (you can use the kind of your choice here, i used 2-3 thai chilis for pretty decent heat)
  
• 1 large shallot, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 lb green beans trimmed to 1 1/4"
• 1/2 pound ground chicken
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 bunch basil, leaves only (use holy basil, if you can find it)

• boiled rice
• fried egg (over easy)
  
• nam pla prik (recipe follows) or fresh lime wedges

• heat the oil over high heat in a wok or large frying pan. when you can see waves forming in the hot oil, add the chilies, shallots, and garlic and stir-fry until golden, about 30 seconds.
• add the green beans and stir-fry until cooked but still crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes.
• add the ground chicken, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat into small pieces. stir-fry until chicken is cooked through.
• add the fish sauce and sugar to the pan, and stir to distribute. Taste, and add more fish sauce or sugar if desired.
• reduce heat to medium-low. add the basil leaves and stir-fry until completely wilted. remove from heat.
• serve with boiled rice, over easy fried egg (optional), and nam pla prik or lime wedges.

nam pla prik (chili fish sauce)

• 3-4 parts fish sauce
• 1 part fresh lime juice
• chilies, finely chopped
• shallots, finely sliced

• combine ingredients. consume immediately, or pour into a clean jar and store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

jamaica me awesome!

i could have done another buffet post about the lackluster options at the all-inclusive resort i stayed at for a librarian's conference in jamaica. yes, conference, no, not jamaica, queens. you can be jealous of my non-existent tan i acquired from being inside of a conference hall.

however, these "lackluster" choices i speak of were so depressing that i rather never think of them again. except for the soft serve machine. that was awesome (the one day it was operational). in any case, at first glance, jamaica isn't exactly an on-the-go, wheat-free person's best place to eat because of the abundance of patties and fried chicken.


i was determined to have one good, jamaican meal. because what fun is traveling if you can't experience some local cuisine? i finally got some awesome jerk chicken at pelican grill in montego bay. i don't have a whole lot of jerk chicken experience and thus my basis for comparison is next to nothing however, this was delicious.


my last day in jamaica was even better. further adventures into jamaican cuisine began with a colleague bringing me some jamaican apples to try (otaheite apples). these apples are bright red and conically shaped. the texture is almost identical to a pear but the taste is not. they're sweet but slightly tart, very fresh tasting, rather than soft and sweet.

we ate dinner in kingston, at prendy's on the beach (beware, there is no beach). the restaurant is very casual with picnic style tables and no physical menu (fish, shrimp, or lobster). i had fish soup (yummy and delicate in a thin broth) and coconut curry shrimp. the curry was fantastic! it was sweet and spicy but not too hot. there were onions and potatoes in it along with the shrimp. after dinner, we went to devon house to get ice cream to satisfy my sweet tooth.

i chose rum and raisin--when in rome...the ice cream was sweet, creamy and almost sticky as if there was some sweetened condensed milk in it.

so fear not all-inclusive resort goers! leave your gated compounds behind and venture into the world of real food, with real live ingredients!