Can we talk cooking philosophy? What’s yours? Do you have one? I used to be all about the next, best, greatest recipe (true it had to be somewhat easy, but still it needed to have some sort of wow factor). Not so much anymore. I’m going back to basics (me and Ina), except I don’t really have a back to go back to. I started out cooking full speed ahead, never making the same recipe twice, dabbling in all sorts of cuisines and filling my pantry with Thai red curry paste, garam marsala, brown and yellow mustard seed, keffir lime leaves…and more, much more. And while these things are all lovely, I was not developing a basic cooking strategy. When faced with a simple chicken breast, I had to go find another next, best, greatest recipe to try.
No more. I want to be able to cook with a handful of ingredients. Because I am using lovely free range chicken, grass fed beef, and gorgeous organic CSA produce, it shouldn’t need a lot of fancying up. This recipe from Real Simple, Chicken with Mushrooms and Green Beans is exactly what I am talking about. Lovely, simple, flavorful. AND I learned a fabulous technique, something probably all of you know, but I just discovered…roasting an orange and then squeezing it over the dish before serving! How fabulous is that?! I’m going to use this same technique with lemons and limes. Love it!
Chicken with Mushrooms and Green Beans (from Real Simple)
Heat oven to 400° F.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a roasting pan.
In a small bowl, combine the thyme, red pepper, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.
Brush the chicken with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle with the chopped garlic and spice mixture. Arrange the whole garlic cloves and orange halves around the chicken. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the green beans and mushrooms on a baking sheet (I just moved over my chicken because I had room). Drizzle with the remaining oil and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Roast until the mushrooms are cooked through and the beans are lightly browned, stirring once, about 15 minutes.
Divide the chicken and garlic among individual plates and squeeze the roasted orange halves over the top. Serve with the green beans and mushrooms.
This will be my entry for Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum!
This sounds great and simple and no, I didn’t know about the roasted orange.
I like the roasted or grilled citrus “sauce” at the end. I’ve done that with lemons and yes, it is fabulous too, you’re going to like it.
You need to talk with my dearly beloved who moans that I never make the same thing twice… no matter how much he likes it. Well, that’s just not true but you make a point about great ingredients not needing a whole lot of hoopla… moderation in all things!!! I am inspired.
I’m all about simple today too Pam and I totally agree with you.
I used to do fancy foods, but they tend to be too rich for me today. I remember loving a dish in Julia Child’s The French Chef. It was “Supremes De Volaille a Blanc” – chicken breasts poached in butter with wine and cream and served over Risotto. We served it once a week. I can’t imagine eating something that rich today.
I like Les’s philosophy – quick, easy with a dash of elegance.
Sam
What a beautiful dish of food…and a great philosophy 😉
We like to mix it up – a few times a week we eat something new and other times – our favorite basic dishes. This chicken with mushrooms & green beans is a nice one!
I agree, I love Ina’s books & Real Simple’s recipes! Plus with two little ones, the simpler the better.
I love your ‘orange trick’. I will have to try it for sure.
another friday’s favorite!
I’m all for simple and tasty.
Mimi
so simple and stunning. Just three ingredients and you’ve got a dinner:)
The best ideas are the simple ones:)
take care
Just
I’m with you, Pam. When I use the best ingredients all I want to do is compliment their flavors in a recipe. Squeezing a roasted orange over the chicken sounds fantastic.
Mmmm, simply delicious. ☺
I love being able to just throw something together without a lot of fuss or fancy ingredients. This looks nice!
Sounds simple enough to me! I love simple, but good. I will try this one. Thanks Pam.
This is my kind of recipe! Quick, easy with a dash of elegance.
Someday, when I have more time to enjoy cooking, I’ll begin to use some of the new cookbooks I’ve bought over the past year or two. For now, though, I’m going to work my way through my collection of favorite recipes. They’re tried & true, which is just what I need as we head into the crazy retail season of the holidays. Yes, it’s just around the corner!
Good for you Pam! Simple is wonderful and just wait till you try those roasted lemons and limes…especially little key limes. Fabulous. As for me, I love creating new things in the kitchen until I have a string of failures. Then I head back to the tried and true for a while till I get my groove back.
I, too, have a friend who never makes the same dish twice. But what I see is that she is not developing any confidence as a cook, because she has not mastered a basic repertoire of dishes she can rely on. Practice does make perfect, and from perfect, you can go on to experiment and adapt the basic recipes to make them your own.
I’ve never heard of roasting an orange before using it – must try that out
As for my coking philosophy it pretty much sounds like your previous one, I think though that once I have kids I will be using a much simpler easier philosophy
i won’t lie–i see the word ‘philosophy’ and my eyes glaze over. i just don’t get profound like that. so sue me. 🙂
I agree with you. I went through this crazy trying everything new craz a couple of years ago. I’m now working on getting a good solid set of recipes in my database that are tried and true. You, Ina and me. 🙂