October 6, 2024 Brunch - BLT Sandwiches. Snack - Fabada. Dinner - Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Shallots

October 6, 2024 Brunch - BLT Sandwiches. Snack - Fabada. Dinner - Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Tomatoes,  and Shallots 

I awakened by 7:00 and watched a rather lackluster match between Man United and Aston Villa. When Suzette awakened around 8:00 and brewed her first cup of coffee before going to exercise in the hot tub I drank a latte macchiato and ate a pain au chocolates and then we went to the garage and fetched a package of Kirkland bacon after which I rode 1 mile on the bike.

BLT Breakfast - At 10:00 Suzette fried five slices of bacon, sliced and toasted baguette and the slicing tomato we bought at the farmers’ market yesterday, and the half avocado and fetched the Mayo And lettuce.  We each made BLT sandwiches. I drank tea  with mine and Suzette drank orange juice with some tequila for a Tequila Sunrise.

I then watched a spirited match between Brighton and Tottenham that Brighton won during which I rode two more miles, Then I watched Texas women’s volleyball beat Florida. Then the first part of TCU v. Baylor women’s volleyball but did not see TCU win the match.

Suzette sat at her desk most of the day and did her billing and paid bills except around 1:30 she helped me prune some of the rose bush on the patio until Mike Verhagen arrived to borrow the Dremel and we stopped to talk and I heated a bowl of Fabada for Mike and me and toasted and buttered two slices of baguette and split a Carlsberg tall boy.

I then picked three sprigs of Korean basil and de-stemmed the leaves and pickled them and then picked a handful of tarragon stems and started stripping the leaves from them while Suzette continued working at her desk.

At 5:00 we started making a variation of a recipe I found on line yesterday for chicken roasted in tomatoes, shallot, lemon peel, garlic, and tarragon. 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 8 thighs)

• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

• 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 1 (12-ounce) container Campari tomatoes (12 to 14 tomatoes), halved

• 3/4 cup halved red grapes (12 to 14 grapes)

• 1/3 cup chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot)

• 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons) 

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

• 2 tablespoons parsley

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (about 2 garlic cloves)

• 15 fresh tarragon leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• Flaky sea salt, lemon wedges, and extra-virgin olive oil, for serving.

• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in top third and lower third positions. Set an oven-safe wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pat chicken thighs dry. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons kosher salt evenly over all sides of thighs; set aside on a plate.

2. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium. Add 4 thighs, skin side down, and cook, until skin is golden brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer thighs, skin side down, to prepared baking sheet. Pour rendered chicken fat from skillet into a small bowl; set aside. Repeat process with remaining 4 thighs.

3. Bake chicken in preheated oven on top rack until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion of thighs registers 170°F, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and let chicken rest for 5 minutes. Do not turn the oven off.

4. Stir together tomatoes and grapes in a medium bowl. Stir together shallot, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, parsley, garlic, tarragon, black pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a separate medium-size heatproof bowl. Add half of the tomato-grape mixture (about 1 3/4 cups) to bowl with shallot mixture, and set aside.
   

5. Place reserved rendered chicken fat and remaining half of tomato-grape mixture in skillet. Place skillet on lower oven rack. Roast at 425°F until tomatoes blister and oil is bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer hot tomato-grape mixture along with chicken fat to bowl with tomato-shallot mixture. Cover bowl, and set aside at room temperature until sauce has cooled.
   

6. Place 2 chicken thighs on each of 4 plates, and spoon about 1/2 cup sauce on and around chicken. Top with flaky salt, lemon wedges, and olive oil.

Originally appeared in Food & Wine magazine, October 2024

I had picked a handful of tarragon sprigs yesterday. We fetched the chicken thighs I bought at Costco on Thursday and opened two four packs and Suzette braised six thighs in a large French roasting pan with olive oil and halved the five baby Romas we bought at the farmer’s market, and diced two or three russet potatoes, while I stripped 1 T. of tarragon leaves, minced 1 T. of garlic, and minced I shallot.

                                                           The roasted dish 

Suzette then arranged the ingredients in the roasting pan and covered the pan with aluminum foil and roasted them for 20 minutes and then 20 minutes uncovered.

I snapped the ends off a handful of asparagus and put them in a Pyrex bread pan to which Suzette added olive oil and salt and roasted in the oven with the chicken dish for the last 10 minutes.

I opened a bottle of 2022 Hermann Weimar dry rose of Pinot Noir I had chilled a couple of days ago and poured glasses. The wine was a lovely dry wine that was neither particularly fruit forward and heavy on the back end.

I buy a mixed case of Hermann Weimer wines every year when it is offered.

  

After dinner we drank cognac and ate chocolates and watched PBS mysteries and went to bed at 10:00.

I racked up 3000 steps again and felt strong all day. 

We had a long conversation with Willy who was in Laredo, Cantabria, Spain, near Santander. He said it was beautiful. He was on day 12 of his walk along the northern route of the Camino and will probably end his walk in Santander in a day or two.

I also had a long conversation with Jay about reopening Birdland.

Suzette and I were both satisfied with the mix of business and rest and cooking today.

Bon Appetit