Roast Chicken Dinner

What a great weekend. I cannot think properly because it will probably take me a week to recover from a night out, which does not happen very often anymore.

We were able to go out, enjoy a drink, eat dinner, and talk to friends without rushing like crazy or taking care of a baby at the same time.

Food of choice- Italian.





Italian equals ultimate comfort food for me. Pizza, pasta, creamy sauces. Risotto, ricotta, deep fried donuts...do I need to keep on going? Italian food has one feature- the simpler and fresher ingredients- the better.

Not too long ago I finished reading a very good book titled "The Summer in Tusany" by Marlena De Blasi. The author is a food writer and I love the way she talks about food in her book. How important it is and how it brings people together. Everything revolves around food when you think about it. Lunch is the best part of the day when at work, an afternoon espresso helps in those sleepy afternoon hours, Saturday morning breakfasts and Sunday night dinners are to be celebrated with every sip of coffee and every bite of meticulously prepared meal washed down with a glass of aromatic wine.


“They all know the truth, that there are only three subjects worth talking about. At least here in these parts," he says, "The weather, which, as they're farmers, affects everything else. Dying and birthing, of both people and animals. And what we eat - this last item comprising what we ate the day before and what we're planning to eat tomorrow. And all three of these major subjects encompass, in one way or another, philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, the physical sciences, history, art, literature, and religion. We get around to sparring about all that counts in life but we usually do it while we're talking about food, it being a subject inseparable from every other subject. It's the table and the bed that count in life. And everything else we do, we do so we can get back to the table, back to the bed.”

― Marlena De Blasi, A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure



At the restaurant I enjoyed some pasta, made with beets, which name I cannot remember, probably because I had too many glasses of wine at this point. It was served with duck meat and rapini. And even though I am not a huge fan of duck this pasta was definitely delicious.

Sunday's dinner after this night out had to be easy. I was sleepy and sloppy. I had a whole chicken which I washed, sprinkled with salt, pepper and thyme (do not forget the olive oil) and placed on a bed of onions and carrots and garlic in a deep roasting pan. Roasted it for about 1 hour, in 360F. Times will vary depending on the size of the chicken.

When the chicken was ready I cut it and transferred with the veggies to a serving plate. I added some white wine to the juices and cooked it until it was reduced. Imagine dipping a piece of fresh baguette in it.....

I also boiled some potatoes, mashed them with roasted garlic, a bit of milk and butter, salt and pepper.

Arugula, orange slices, cucumber and walnuts made it to my salad with an orange-vinegar-olive oil- mustard dressing. It was perfect for lunch today with the leftover chicken.

Dessert had to be skipped. I indulged way too much in the pasta on Saturday as well as a bit of deep fried doughnut with ricotta cheese inside, but it really tasted more like creme brulee in a donut. Amazing.

Green Salad with Citrusy Dressing

mixed greens (baby spinach and arugula)

2 oranges

broccoli (the roots, chopped)

a handful of walnuts, toasted

1 cucumber

three slices of red onion, chopped

Dressing

1 part orange juice

1 teaspoon grainy mustard

salt and pepper

half a teaspoon red wine vinegar

3 parts olive oil


Shake the dressing ingredients in a closed jar and pour over your greens.

ENJOY