Lately, I have tried to cook my way through my cookbooks (ok, I did stop short at the sheep's head recipe in Momofuku - just didn't have a big enough pot). If it is a well written cookbook, there will be lessons learned through the journey - ways to apply methods to varied ingredients, differences and similarities in styles from culture to culture, chef to chef. Sometimes it is the introduction of new ingredients, or combinations of ingredients.
My latest acquisition is an excellent example - cooking these dishes, I feel a sense of the city of Jerusalem, bustling, diverse, vibrant. A cross section of cooking traditions, spices, herbs and approaches representing ethnicities from all over the Middle and Near East as well as Eastern Europe and North Africa. Cooking, like music, is a fabulous bridge to geography and history - only it tastes better.
This particular recipe caught my eye. Orange and fennel are a glorious combination. Especially if the orange is amped up with honey, saffron and vinegar, boiled down to a soft syrup, and processed into a chunky dressing. Essentially, orange gold, and definitely the foundation of this lovely, crunchy, fragrant recipe from Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.
If you are not familiar with fennel, click on the link below. Extremely healthy and very versatile, with a distinctive licorice flavor that sweetens and mellows with cooking, fennel definitely adds dimension and brightness to many dishes.
Fennel Facts
Now for the recipe:
1 orange
2 tbsn honey - more is better than less if the orange is not overly sweet - you will be cooking down a lot of peel and pith, so the honey counteracts the bitterness
½ tsp saffron threads
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
Enough water to cover the oranges
2 1/4 lb skinless chicken breast
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 small fennel bulbs, sliced thin Including the fronds
1oz picked cilantro leaves
1oz picked basil leaves, torn
15 picked mint leaves, torn
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 red chili, thinly sliced -I only had a green chili, but added thinly sliced red mini peppers for color and a little extra sweetness
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt & black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 180C/350F
Slice off the top & bottom of the orange & cut it into 12 wedges. Discard any seeds. Place the wedges in a small saucepan & add the honey, saffron, vinegar & just enough water to cover the wedges. Bring to a boil & simmer gently for about an hour. At the end, you should be left with soft orange pieces & a few tablespoons of thick, fragrant syrup. Place the oranges & syrup in a food processor & blitz until you have a smooth, runny paste, add a little more water if need be. Blitz is my new favorite cooking term.
Season the chicken breasts generously with salt & pepper & drizzle with half the olive oil. Place the chicken on a very hot, ridged griddle pan & sear for about two minutes on each side, to get some good char marks all over. Place the chicken in a roasting tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, until just cooked. The juices will run clear when cooked through.
Set the chicken aside, and when it is cool enough to handle but still a little warm tear it up in to bite sized pieces. Place the chicken in a large bowl & pour over half the orange paste & gently mix together. I used more than half the paste - the chicken is fairly unadorned, I really wanted to rev up the flavor. I still had enough left over to put on salmon for another meal. The remaining orange syrup will keep in the fridge for a few days.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the salad, including the rest of the oil, & toss gently. Taste, season with salt & pepper & if you like add a little more olive oil or lemon juice.
One additional note - the basil may be overkill - coupled with the fennel, the flavor was a bit overwhelming, the mint was definitely lost in the mix. If you use all the herbs, consider chopping them rather than just tearing them for smaller bits in each bite.
Enjoy.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Rockville, MD
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