The Joy of Simplicity

Duck unadorned

The last couple of weeks of February were about simplicity for me. I read a fun and easy novel, something that I could slip into the story quickly. I colored in my grown up coloring book, it's all the rage these days and it's a great stress reliever so stop judging me. And I cooked simple meals in the kitchen. Of course, simple doesn't mean they weren't delicious or special because they were. But the dinners I prepared required few ingredients, were easy to prepare, and highlighted simple flavors - duck unadorned, chicken roasted with lemons and herbs, roasted parsnips, and my new obsession, pickled eggs. These dishes comforted me and shone on their own merits, not doused in sauce or too many ingredients or complex cooking methods.

It's very gratifying to execute simple but satisfying food that remains elegant. These recipes do exactly that. No frills. Just good, quality, joyously simple food.



Roasted Chicken Provençal - serves 2 with leftovers
adapted from NYTimes.com

*This chicken recipe is so easy to make and really has incredible concentrated flavor. We had ours with roasted parsnips (recipe below) and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients
2 chicken legs and 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 lemon, quartered
8 cloves garlic, peeled
4 medium-size shallots, peeled and halved
⅓ cup dry vermouth
2 sprigs of thyme, for serving


Prep
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow pan, and lightly dredge the chicken in it, shaking the pieces to remove excess flour.

2. Swirl the oil in a large roasting pan, and place the floured chicken in it. Brown on both sides. Season the chicken with the herbes de Provence. Arrange the lemon, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken, then add the vermouth to the pan.

3. Put the pan in the oven, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, then baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting for another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is very crisp and the meat cooked through.
Serve garnished with the thyme.

Provencal Chicken, Roasted Parsnips, mashed potato

Rosemary Roasted Parsnips - Serves 4
*It doesn't get much easier than this. Parsnips are at their best when roasted.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-by-2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper


Prep
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss parsnips with oil and rosemary, then season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and golden, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Serve immediately.

Slow Roasted Duck Breast, green beans in duck fat, winter panzanella

Slow-Roasted Duck Breast - Serves 2-4 (depending on your level of duck love)

Recipe from All About Roasting, by Molly Stevens (www.MollyStevensCooks.com)

*When I was in France in January I twice had duck cooked in this fashion. What's best is that they were, like this recipe, unadorned except for a sprinkling of sea salt. I set out to recreate those meals and was led to this recipe by Molly Stevens. It was all I hoped it would be, perfectly simple delicious duck.

Ingredients
2 Moulard duck breasts (magrets), about 12 ounces each
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Prep

1. Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. Use a sharp paring knife or boning knife to score the skin and fat in a crosshatch pattern, making the cuts about 1/2 inch apart. The key here is to cut down through the fat without exposing the meat. Go slowly at first, until you get a sense of how deeply you can cut while leaving a thin layer of the fat (about 1/8 inch) uncut. Season the breasts well all over with salt and pepper. Leave the seasoned duck at room temperature while the oven preheats.

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (175 degrees for a convection oven). Have a small roasting pan or small heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet outfitted with a flat roasting rack at hand.

3. Heat a large, heavy skillet (10 to 12 inches, preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Add the duck breasts skin side down and cook for about 6 minutes without moving them, until the skin is deeply browned. The duck should sizzle, but it shouldn't splatter wildly or smoke. If the skin appears to be browning too fast and there is a risk of burning, reduce the heat slightly.

4. Transfer the duck, skin side up, to the rack on the roasting pan or baking sheet. A good amount of duck fat will be left behind in the skillet. Reserve the fat in the pan to saute greens to go along with the duck, as described in the headnote, or pour it into a heatproof container (leave any solids behind in the pan) for another use.

5. Slide the duck into the oven and roast until medium-rare (an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 145 to 150 degrees), about 50 minutes. (If you like your duck seriously rare, you can take it out when it reaches 135 degrees; begin checking after 25 minutes.)

6. Transfer to a cutting board and let the duck rest for about 5 minutes before carving. Cut each breast crosswise into 1/4-to-1/3-inch thick slices and serve.

Bread and Butter Pickled Eggs

Recipe from Molly Yeh from FoodandWine.com

*I've made several batches of pickled eggs since my mom turned me onto them in December. This recipe is my favorite. Though I am not a fan of bread and butter pickles, the added sweetness from sugar just made these eggs so scrumptious. Trust me and try these! They are great to snack on or added to salads.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled
6 large eggs
Za’atar, flaky sea salt, black pepper and hot sauce, for serving (optional)

Prep

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, kosher salt and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the garlic and let cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Using a slotted spoon, carefully add the eggs to the boiling water and cook them for 5 minutes. Transfer the eggs 
to the prepared ice water bath and let cool completely. Peel the eggs and carefully transfer to a glass jar. Pour the cooled brine over the eggs; top with a small bowl or ramekin to keep the eggs and garlic submerged in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 week.


3. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with za’atar, sea salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce and serve.