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Chicken

First Taste – Sour Cherry, Rosé Chicken Roast

Music We’re Cooking To

She leans over the edge of the world. Bold, beautiful and brave. The first light of day gently lays its lips on her saffron-hued cloak. A hushed whisper of a kiss, casting its golden reflection over Oceanus. Rippling triumphantly over seas, rivers and lakes. Lighting up the world. From East to West.

Eos, the goddess of the dawn, rosy fingered and perpetually in love with the first taste of a new day, rises.

Khanoum, we keep selling out of them. It’s not just Iranians. It’s everyone else. The Americans. I have no idea what they’re doing with the pounds upon pounds of albaloo they’re buying. They are fanatics about them.

I smile and nod politely at the grocer at my local Iranian market, as I fill my own bag with pounds upon pounds of fanaticism.

In the blink of an eye a single word turns on its head, claiming a new, delicious path. A path dripping with rosy red juices announcing the arrival of summer.

Albaloo – sour cherries – can turn the best of us into fanatics.

The Iranian love affair with sour cherries is hardly surprising. It speaks to and satiates the Persian palate and love for all things fruity and tart. A bright burst of early summer in every bite. Sour cherry season is maddeningly short (usually here between mid-June to early July). And when it arrives there is a frenzied rush to enjoy them as much, as quickly and fanatically as possible. The girls and I love picking at them just as they are on the stem, or sometimes sprinkled with a dash of salt. Savoring every bite, as if it’s the first, as if another season might somehow cruelly elude us.

Traditionally in the Persian kitchen sour cherries are enjoyed sweet, sour and savory. Be it in a thirst quenching and perpetual love inducing Sharbat-e Albaloo (sour cherry cordial), the crowd favorite savory rice dish Albaloo Polo, macerated with sugar and rose water for a sweet and sour preserve – Morabba-ye Albaloo (fantastic draped over yogurt), pickled – Torshi-ye Albaloo or reduced down to a syrup to be drizzled over sweet noodle sorbets (Paloudeh) for added tang and color.

Inspired by rosy fingered Eos and her saffron-hued cloak, I celebrate the arrival of summer with this Sour Cherry Chicken Rosé Roast. Whole chicken legs are marinated in saffron, cinnamon, honey and that other muse of summer: a crisp, dry rosé. A bottle that will dance with you straight from the kitchen to the table. twirling and dipping along the way. A wine that will inspire raising your glass to summer, sour cherries, and to Eos.

After briefly marinating the chicken legs I gently stuff a handful of pitted sour cherries under the skin. The natural acidity and juices of the cherries flavoring the chicken as it roasts. The rest of the cherries are cooked down on the stove, lightly sweetened with a hint of honey, cinnamon and another splash of rosé. Drape the sour cherries over the roast chicken when serving for a stunning feast for all senses.

Sour Cherries can be elusive to find. I can always count on my local Iranian grocers, or other Middle Eastern markets. You can also try Farmer’s Markets or online. If fresh sour cherries are not available you can use frozen, unthawed. Jarred cherries in light syrup is also another option. But, be sure to drain these well, and taste before adding honey. They might not need any sweetening at all.

It’s unexpected. And takes you by surprise.

Your first taste of a sour cherry.

Like your first kiss.

Not the sloppy first kiss where you’re just trying to find your bearings. But the one where the ground gives, making your head spin, and your heart drop. The first, that every other kiss will be measured up to, compared to, longed for, dreamed of. A young lovers’ whisper of a kiss, sitting atop abandoned train cars on a warm summer’s night. Leaning into each other, leaning over the edge of the world. Gazing over Oceanus.

In anticipation of Eos and the rising dawn.

In anticipation of love.

In anticipation of that first taste of albaloo.

When the ground gives, making your head spin, and your heart drop.

SOUR CHERRY ROSE CHICKEN ROAST

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling the sheet pan
  • 4 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • juice of 1 large lemon, about 3 tablespoons
  • 1/4 cup dry rosé wine, plus 2 tablespoons
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 whole chicken legs, about 3lbs total
  • 1 large onion, cut into eighths
  • 1 pound sour cherries, pitted

Heat the oven to 425F.

In a small bowl make the marinade by combining the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, wine, 2 tablespoons honey, saffron, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, salt (if not used earlier on chicken) and pepper. Place the chicken and the onions in a large bowl and cover well with the marinade. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

Drizzle the sheet pan with a little olive oil. Place the chicken on the sheet pan without over lapping. Grab a handful of sour cherries and very gently run your finger under the skin of the chicken (without tearing the skin) and stuff each leg with 3 or 4 sour cherries. Pour the marinade and the onions over the chicken. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken roasts place the remainder of the cherries in a small pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with a little a salt and stir in 2 tablespoons honey.  Bring to a very gentle boil, splash in 2 tablespoons rosé wine, and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes , until the cherries soften and the syrup thickens slightly. Set aside.

Drape the chicken with sour cherries and its juices and serve with a crisp glass of rosé.

by Naz
Chicken

The Neighborhood Thief – An Orange Blossom, Yogurt, Saffron, Shio Koji Roast Chicken

Grab your gardening shears.  Grab a basket, a bag, a sack, anything with handles.  Feel the weight and the cool metal of the shears rest against the warm embrace of your palm.  Make the most of this auspicious occasion. You don’t garden.  You’d like to.  But you don’t.

Call out to your shadows.  Announce you are off to forage.  You don’t forage either.  But you hear it’s the thing to do, the word du jour to throw around.  So you try it out.  It makes you feel current, in the know, in the now.

You steal.

From your neighbors.

With your children in tow.

You have been given permission to do so.  So your conscience sleeps easy.

Most nights.

Make the marinade.  Combine the yogurt, shio koji or salt, and honey. Yogurt tenderizes, shio koji for umami, and a drizzle of honey to balance out the acids but more importantly to sweeten your taste buds and your life.  Marvel at the instant color transformation as the saffron water drip-drops into the yogurt mix. It just never gets old. The beauty of saffron.  Refrain from dipping your finger in for a taste.  There’s more goodness to come.

Take your children by the hand and walk them across the street.  Show them how to look left – right and then left – right again before crossing. Such a simple gesture holding such weight.  Will they ever get it?  Have you repeated yourself enough?  Will your heart ever grant you permission to let them go?

Across the street.

Across town.

Across the ocean.

What if they look left but then get distracted by the rolly polly bug they have entrapped in the fold of their skirt and forget to look right?

Let go.

Watch them run towards the overflowing, bountiful rosemary bush standing guard at your neighbor’s front yard.

Put the neglected shears to work and snip away as the girls run their hands along the spindly branches and stick their noses in as far as they can and take a long, deep inhale. Mmmm’s and ahhhs  abound. Mostly for their own pleasure but also to please you.  To let you know that they’re old enough, sophisticated enough to appreciate the sharp, woodsy aroma that permeates the air as they brush against each and every branch.  The scent that carries with it a promise.  A promise of something good and tasty to come. They want you to know that they get it. They’re in the know, in the now.

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze with one hand as the other hand catches the seeds before they hit the yogurt mixture.  Inevitably a couple always sneak through. Fish them out with a spoon, a fork, your fingers.  Balance the microplane over the bowl and zest an orange, rhythmically tapping on the side of the bowl as you release all the brilliant flecks.  Magical fairy dust your girls would proclaim.  Flip the microplane over and run your finger along the back of the cool grates. Inevitably some of the magic gets stuck back there.  Refrain from dipping your finger in for a taste.  There’s more goodness to come.

Move on to your next heist.  The next house.  The next yard.  The lemon tree.  The very same one that serves as the official ambassador for the girls’ lemonade stands. The very same one that brightens up every stew, sauce, dip, and dressing with a burst of flavor. If it needs fixing squeeze a little lemon on it (a little more salt wouldn’t hurt either).

Fill the basket, the bag, the sack with as much citrus as you and your shadows can carry back.  Haul your loot back home.

Take the top off the orange blossom water.  Bahar narenj – spring orange.  Bring it close and take a long deep inhale.  You do this every time.  Even though by now you are fully versed with its mesmerizing scent.  The scent of spring, of love, of poetry.  Mmmm and ahhhh to no one in particular.  Mostly for your own pleasure but also to please your sense of memory.  Memory of a land, a time, a childhood that you can now only recall in fragments, in splinters and in the alchemy of bahar narenj.  Carefully, very carefully add a few drops to the yogurt mixture.  You don’t want to go overboard with orange blossom water.

Spread your loot out on the backyard table.

Lay down a few rosemary sprigs on a small roasting pan.  Set the chicken on top.  Gently run your fingers under the skin of the breast, creating some space without tearing the skin.  Work your way around the bird as much as you can.  Lifting the skin off the meat.  Gently.  Gently.

Take a moment and look up.  Look up and beyond. That’s where true beauty reveals itself. Up and beyond your shared fence. Up and beyond where your next door neighbor’s orange tree weeps down over your fence. It’s not oranges that you spot but orange blossoms. Uncapped. Un-bottled. Fragments and splinters of memory permeate the air and swirl all around you at a dizzying speed.

Spoon half the the marinade under skin of the chicken.  Get in there with your hands.  Rub it all around.  Gently.  Gently.  Try not to tear that skin.  Pour the rest of the marinade on top of the chicken, and inside the chicken.  Front and back.

Grab a stool.

Stuff the cavity with lemon, orange, a shallot, a sprig of rosemary.

Grab your shears.

Place the chicken in the oven.

Climb on top of the stool.  Reach your arm out and grab a branch.

While the chicken roasts prepare the barberries and caramelized onion.

Ignore the concerned calls from your shadows.

Scatter the barberries over the orange blossom chicken and serve.

It’s a quick clean cut.  A single click of the shears and there you stand with an orange blossom branch in your hands.

Set aside a plate.  Place a few chicken pieces on the plate and spoon the fragrant juices all over.

Walk over to your next door neighbor’s house.  With your shadows in tow and a plate of chicken in hand.

Make sure you have some crusty bread to dip into the pan juices.

Ease your conscience and tell the neighbors about the shears, the orange blossom, the thieving.  Hand over the chicken plate.

Mea culpa.

AN ORANGE BLOSSOM, YOGURT, SAFFRON, SHIO KOJI ROAST CHICKEN

Notes:

  • If I’m going to roast chicken I usually roast 2 chickens. I use the bones for chicken stock and any remaining meat can be used in sandwiches, soups, stews. This recipe can easily be doubled.
  • If you use only one chicken make sure you don’t use a large roasting pan.  You don’t want the juices to disperse and burn.
  • Orange blossom water and barberries can be found online and at Middle Eastern grocery stores.  Check here for a more detailed post on how to clean barberries.
  • Shio Koji adds a great depth of flavor and helps in tenderizing the chicken but you can easily use sea salt instead. Amounts for both given in the recipe below.
  • You can also use a small onion wedge to stuff the cavity if you don’t have any shallots on hand.

Ingredients:

Serves 4-6

1 4-lb. chicken
1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup shio koji OR 1 heaping tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon honey
1 large lemon, half of it juiced, the other half quartered
zest of one orange, save 1/4 wedge for stuffing cavity
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron steeped in 1 tbs hot water
1 1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water
3 large rosemary sprigs
1 shallot
olive oil, for drizzling
caramelized onion with barberries (recipe below)

1- Combine the yogurt, shio koji or salt, honey, lemon juice, orange zest, saffron water, and orange blossom water in a small bowl.

2- Place 2 rosemary sprigs on a small roasting pan.  Place chicken on top.  Starting at the neck of the chicken, very gently lift the skin off the breast.  Run your fingers down the chicken gently lifting the skin off the meat as far as you can.  Try not to tear the skin.  Spoon half of the marinade under the skin of the chicken.  Rub the rest of the marinade all over the outside of the chicken and inside the cavity. Marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

3- Preheat the oven to 350F.  Take the chicken out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for 30 mins. Stuff the cavity with 1 shallot, 1 rosemary sprig, 1/4 wedge of a lemon, and 1/4 wedge of an orange.  If you have any citrus left over you can slice into rounds and place on top of the chicken.  Drizzle the top of the chicken with olive oil, about 1 tablespoon.

4- Roast chicken for  1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours.  Basting with pan juices every 20 minutes.  You want the skin to get crisp and golden but if it starts burning loosely cover. Roast until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads at 165F degrees.

5- Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes.  Spoon the pan juices and the barberries over the chicken and serve with plenty of crusty bread to dip into the pan juices.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND BARBERRIES

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
salt
1/2 cup barberries, picked through and soaked

1- In a small pan heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, sprinkle with a little salt and cook, stirring frequently until gently caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Turn down the heat if necessary.  Add the barberries and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and set aside until needed.

by Naz
Chicken

A Green Beans and Chicken Rice with Lavash Tahdig – A Friday Night Loobia Poloa

Occasionally I’ll be caught standing in front of the fridge or the pantry – a blank look on my face – desperately staring down the goods – hoping that this time, all the produce, legumes and grains have magically developed telepathic powers to convey to me how to prepare them in a mouth watering, nutritious fashion for the whole family to enjoy.  It is a losing battle.  As my six year old Luna is quick to remind me.

Vegetables and beans and rice can’t talk Mama.  They can’t even think.  Even though vegetables are alive they’re not like us because they don’t have hearts.  Except for artichokes.  Artichokes have hearts.

So just as I am about to give up – throw my hands up in the air – walk away from it all –  declare that my cooking days are done – that one song, that one beat, that one sound, that one voice echoes through the speakers.  And in an instant, inspiration fills the house, my knife comfortably cozies up to my hand ready to begin our duet.  And before the song has ended I have the night’s meal figured out.

What I listen to while I cook is much more critical than what we listen to while we eat.  It can make all the difference between an inspired meal and a tedious job that just needs to get done. My musical tastes and the songs that inspire me in the kitchen vary from day to day.  But there is one sound that is a constant companion in our house.  On at all times – providing the soundtrack to our daily lives.  This.

NPR is the sound that links us to the outside world, challenging our minds, provoking debate, but more importantly comforting and grounding us in our daily routine.  The meal equivalent of this comforting staple in our house is Loobia Polo – green beans and rice.  Loobia Polo is my husband Drew’s most loved Persian meal.  In fact, it could very well be his all-time favorite dish for dinner.  It’s the one meal that even the pickiest of little eaters will dig in for seconds.  It also makes a great thermos lunch for school the next day.

Where NPR challenges us, gets us thinking, and fills us with sensational-free information – Loobia Polo comforts and soothes our souls.  Every morning we wake and without a second thought put the kettle on and turn on the radio.  And every Friday we celebrate having made it through another week with an exultant Friday Night Loobia Polo.

Green beans are bursting at the farmers market and in our farm box right now. The green bean mixture is quite easy and quick to prepare.  The beans delicately soak up the  aromatic and flavorful blend of the spices: saffron, turmeric, cinnamon – with the addition of tomato paste to create a sauce, and of course freshly squeezed lemon juice for that slightly tangy sour taste that dictates most Persian stews.  When the end of the recipe asks that you adjust the seasoning to taste, this not only applies to the addition of salt and pepper but also to extra lemon juice if necessary.  What you also want to keep in mind is to maintain the texture of the green beans.  No mushy, out of the can style, green bean mess please.  The green bean mixture is traditionally served mixed in with rice – I typically use brown basmati rice, but you can serve it along side white rice or any grain you prefer.  The mixture can also be prepared ahead of time.  Fridays happen to be one of our busiest days, so I like to split up the preparation process.  I might prep the beans and chicken (prepping is the most time-consuming part) the night before, so all I would have to do the day of is cook the mixture and put on a pot of rice. Or if I can find the time I will cook the mixture a few days in advance. The green bean mixture can be made 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge.  It can also be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.  And if there is one dish that begs to be accompanied by mast o khiar, it’s Loobia Polo.

The preparation of the bread tahdig is very similar to that of a rice tahdig.  I used bread here for variety and because the girls happened to ask for it.  Some days Luna prefers bread tahdig and Soleil prefers rice tahdig.  The challenge is to get them to agree to the same kind of tahdig on the same day. Typically we use lavash bread – which is like a thin Middle Eastern style flat bread.  On this particular day I used a whole wheat lavash from Trader Joe’s.  I simply tear fairly large pieces and place them on the bottom of the pot. Then I patch up any open spaces with smaller pieces.  Make sure the sides of your pot are well-greased to avoid the bread sticking to the sides of the pot.  Bread tahdig can burn very quickly so really keep a nose on this one and use a heat diffuser for the rice steaming part to ensure no burning of the bread.  I use an old toaster oven metal rack insert as my heat diffuser.

So thank you Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep, Renne Montagne, and David Greene for accompanying us through another school year of hurried and harried breakfasts and lunches.  Thank you Weekend Edition’s Scott Simon, Rachel Martin and puzzle master Will Shortz for your constant reminders that we are now parents, and that weekends and sleeping in are no longer synonymous.  And thank you to All Things Considered’s  Robert Siegel, Mellisa Block and Audie Cornish for being there with us through many weeknights of dinner prep – culminating with a satisfying Friday Night Loobia Polo.  And of course, my husband’s favorite: Lakshmi Singh.

Please do share – what do you like cook to?  Is there a particular tune that gets you going in the kitchen?

Green Beans And Chicken Rice With Lavash Tahdig – Loobia Polo

Notes: 

  • If you don’t want to make the tahdig you can simply make the mixture and serve it with any kind of rice or grain you like.  It is tastiest mixed in with your grain of choice.
  • The recipe below uses brown basmati rice.  If you would like to use white basmati rice keep in mind that white rice takes a shorter time to cook al dente at the par-boil stage.  8-10 minutes for white rice, 20-25 minutes for brown rice.
  • For a more detailed guide to cooking Persian rice please see this post.

Ingredients:

Serves 6-8

2 1/2 cups brown basmati rice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pound organic green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron steeped in 2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 4 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 6 tablespoons hot water*
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, roughly the juice of 2 lemons, plus more to taste
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons ghee or butter
lavash tahdig

*  I used bionaturae tomato paste.  I find it is slightly less concentrated in flavor than other tomato pastes. So I ended up using 4 tablespoons of paste.  You might want to start with 2 tablespoons and add and adjust amount to taste.

  1. Wash and soak brown basmati rice and 2 tablespoons salt for 1 hour.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until onion softens.
  3. Add green beans and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Saute for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until green beans soften slightly.  Take care not to burn green beans.  Turn down heat if necessary.
  4. Add chicken, turmeric, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Saute for 3-5 minutes.
  5. Add saffron water, tomato paste water, and lemon juice.  Stir to combine.  Turn heat down to medium low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occassionally until chicken has cooked through and green beans have softened, but not mushy.  Adjust seasoning and add more lemon juice if necessary.
  6. Meanwhile, bring 10 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of salt to a boil in a large non-stick pot.  Drain soaked rice and add rice to pot.  Bring back up to boil.  Scoop off any foam that rise to the top.  Start testing your rice at 20 minutes.  Once rice is al dente (takes 20-25 minutes) drain in a colander and quickly rinse under cold water.  Allow rice to completely drain off any excess water.
  7. Melt 3 tablespoons ghee or butter in the large non-stick pot over low heat.  Arrange the bread on the bottom of the pot.
  8. Place 2 spatulas full of rice on top of the bread.  Using the back of the spatula or the back of a wooden spoon pack down the rice firmly.  Add a layer of green bean mixture on top of the rice.  Repeat, alternating rice layer and green bean layer in the shape of a pyramid.  Your top layer should be a rice layer.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon poke a couple of holes in the rice to allow the steam to escape.  Cover and turn up heat to medium-high.  Cook for 10 minutes.
  9.  Turn the heat down to low.  Cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel or a couple of layers of paper towel.  Place heat diffuser under the pot.  Cook for 50 minutes.
  10. Remove lid.  Scatter the green beans rice mixture on a serving platter and gently remove the tahdig and serve on the side.  Serve immediately.  Remember to serve with a side of mast o khiar!

Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

by Naz

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