The Goods on Rosemary

Not only does this fragrant herb come handy in the garden or kitchen, rosemary is known to improve digestion, enhance memory and prevent aging within the brain. Rosemary is also a source of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds which make it an immune system booster. Pair with roast pork, lamb or potatoes, in sauces or anywhere else you could use a dose of its flavour. Yum!

Provencal Lemon Stuffed Chicken Breast

Chef Luis Felipe Lavieri

Ingredients

Compound Butter
-4 Table Spoon Unsalted room temperature Butter
-1 Poultry Mix Herbs (Thyme, Sage, Rosemary)
-1 Lemon
-2 pinch of salt
-(optional) 1 tbsp of Roasted Garlic

Chicken
2 Chicken Breasts
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Everybody and their second cousin knows how to cook chicken, and you probably think that this is probably one of the simplest chicken recipes that you will see, but the devil truly is in the details. I don't want you to just know how to cook a chicken but how to do so with the flare of a 3 star restaurant chef. If you follow the instructions, this dish will be one of the best dishes you eat this week.

Turn on and set the oven to 375 F

Grab 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 leaves of sages and one sprig of rosemary. Take all the little leaves off the stems on both the rosemary and the thyme. Chop up all the leafs liberally into very small pieces.

Mix the butter with the herbs, the zest of a lemon and salt (optional - and the garlic too).

Make an incision on the back side of the chicken with a paring knife. I have attached a drawing to help you out.

-Two very important tips here - Keep your fingers away from the sharp side of the blade. You are puncturing meat so it is very easy to slip and cut yourself. My recommendation is to lay the breast flat on a cutting board and to insert the knife away from you.

- The second tip is to go as far as the handle will take you. Paring knifes usually are between 3 and 5 inches long, while chicken breasts are usually around 5-6 inches long, which means that you won't be puncturing through. You want to create a pouch in which you can put the compound butter. If you don't make a hole on the other side, less butter will come out, and less of the natural juices of the chicken will come out. The end result is a juicer chicken with more flavour.

Stuff about 2 table spoons of the compound butter into the chicken.

Add 1 pinch of salt and 1 pinch of pepper to the outside of the chicken

In a hot pan at medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil

Sear the chicken. About 3 minutes per side should be good enough. Each side should have turned golden by the time you turn/take the chicken off. Give it enough time per side to sear.

Place the seared chicken in the oven for 25-30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breasts. If unsure whether your chicken is done, check the internal temperature with a thermometer. It should read 75 Celsius or 165 Fahrenheit.

Recommendation - If you happen to have a cookie cooling rack that is rated to be able to go in the oven, cook the chicken on the wire rack. This has the added benefit of distributing the heat evenly all around your chicken. If any juices come off, the chicken will not sit on them cooking the meat at two different temperatures.

After you take the chicken out of the oven, allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes while covered (with a lid or aluminium paper). This allows the juices to sit in the meat, and your chicken won't dry out once cut.

Tomato Carrot Ginger Soup

by Michelle Giangualano

Ingredients

2 tsp coconut oil

4 cup tomatoes, quartered

1 cup carrots, shredded

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 cups vegetable broth

½ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp, ground pepper

1 tsp whole cane sugar (or coconut sap)

½ tsp rosemary


Directions

1.) Heat 2 tsp coconut oil in a saucepan, add tomatoes and carrots, then sauté until slightly soft. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the broth, and all remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

2.) Use a submersion blender or transfer soup into a blender and puree until completely smooth. (Use caution, as the soup will be very hot).

3.) Serve and enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.


The perfect fall soup; warm, delicious and simple to make. This recipe boasts fabulous immune boosting nutrients, as well as tremendous lung support. Its makes a perfect side dish for any meal

Infused Simple Syrup

We already add sugar to our lemonade and other drinks all summer, so why not just prepare some great flavours in advance too? I'll be using Mint for my example (great in lemonade and iced tea!) since we have Fresh Mint this week. You can use any herbs, spices or zests for infusing (orange zest & cinnamon). You can also switch it up with brown sugar instead! Have fun experimenting this summer! I found a list online to get you started. Infused Simple Syrup Recipes

Brought you from
My Own Kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup sugar or sweetener
1 cup water
1 cup fresh mint leaves

Funnel

Mesh-wire strainer

Airtight container for storing
-- one that pours easily


Directions

1. Add water to saucepan and put on medium high heat.

2. Stir in sugar/sweetener and mint leaves.

3. Bring to a boil and wait 1 minute or until all sugar is dissolved.

4. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes.

5. Get container ready with your funnel. (I reuse olive oil bottles and label them with masking tape & sharpie)

6. Pour liquid through a wire-mesh strainer or cheese cloth into container to get rid of leaves.

7. Seal and Chill for 4 hours before adding to drinks.

Can be stored in refrigerator for up to one month.

Skillet Rosemary Chicken

Adapted from the The Food Network

INGREDIENTS

orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, one per person
olive oil (see below)
Spicy Dipping Sauce with Sriracha (optional, but good)

Seasoning Mix Ingredients:
(You'll want to make this over and over so my recipe makes enough spice mix for several batches.)
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano (use any Mediterranean oregano like Greek Oregano or Turkish oregano, but not Mexican oregano for this.)
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt
- See more at: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/10/spicy-sweet-potatoes-fries-recipe.html#sthash.vUtPwU9L.dpuf

 

orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, one per person
olive oil (see below)
Spicy Dipping Sauce with Sriracha (optional, but good)

Seasoning Mix Ingredients:
(You'll want to make this over and over so my recipe makes enough spice mix for several batches.)
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano (use any Mediterranean oregano like Greek Oregano or Turkish oregano, but not Mexican oregano for this.)
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt
- See more at: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/10/spicy-sweet-potatoes-fries-recipe.html#sthash.vUtPwU9L.dpuf

 

3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
salt, to taste
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon leaves
1 clove garlic, smashed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
10 ounces crimini mushrooms, halved

 

orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, one per person
olive oil (see below)
Spicy Dipping Sauce with Sriracha (optional, but good)

Seasoning Mix Ingredients:
(You'll want to make this over and over so my recipe makes enough spice mix for several batches.)
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano (use any Mediterranean oregano like Greek Oregano or Turkish oregano, but not Mexican oregano for this.)
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt - See more at: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/10/spicy-sweet-potatoes-fries-recipe.html#sthash.vUtPwU9L.dpuf

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet and drizzle with the juice of the remaining lemon.

Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Fan Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

6 medium potatoes, peeled
2 Tbsp flour
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Without cutting all the way through, cut 1/4-inch thick slices in potatoes. Stop cutting about 1/4-inch from the bottom on each slice.

In a small bowl, blend together the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Roll each potato in the mixture and put them, uncut base down, in an ovenproof dish or roasting pan.

Add the rosemary to the melted butter, stirring to combine, then drizzle over the potatoes as evenly as possible.

Bake until the potatoes are slightly fanned out, tender, and golden and crispy, about an hour and fifteen minutes. Drizzle any browned butter in the pan over the potatoes and serve hot.

Rosemary Roasted Blue Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb small blue potatoes, unpeeled but washed whole, any sprouts or bruises removed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp dried rosemary leaves, slightly crushed
1 Tbsp sea salt, slightly crushed

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cover bottom of a roasting pan with the olive oil.

Cut potatoes into quarters, add to the roasting pan and toss to coat with oil.

Position pan on middle rack of oven. Roast potatoes for 20 minutes.

Turn off oven heat. Stir potatoes and keep them in oven another 10 minutes.

Stir potatoes one last time, then transfer to a serving bowl, tossing the rosemary and salt mixture over them.

Serves 4