Reading Material

I don't read The Wall Street Journal regularly.  First of all, during the week we don't get it at home because Ted reads it at the office.  Second of all, I can get my daily dose of business news from The New York Times, which we do get at home.

A couple of years ago, the WSJ must have been running some kind of a special.  Ted subscribed to the Saturday edition, which is now delivered directly to my doorstep along with my NYT.  At the time, I'm sure I probably said something like "whatever you want Ted", and didn't pay much attention at all.  Silly me, because at the time I had no idea how much I was going to grow to love the "Off Duty" section.

Besides covering fashion (yay!), travel(!), home design(!), and gadgets (none of which any mere mortal can afford), there are always articles about food and restaurants and recipes.  Yes, there are recipes.  In the Wall Street Journal.  And they always sound delicious.  And these recipes are usually simple enough that mere mortals (who may not be able to afford a $200,000 wrist watch), can make them at home.

I'm smitten.

This particular recipe for Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak was quick, easy, and delicious enough to serve even your most discerning Wall Street Journal reading guest.


Recipe:  Roasted Chicken With Clementines & Arak
Adapted from "Jerusalem: A Cookbook" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, to be published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
Wall Street Journal, September 15-16, 2012

An invention of the authors, this simple chicken dish reflects Jerusalem in the use of arak, a popular anise-flavored liquor, and fennel and citrus, which evoke the region's Mediterranean climate.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons arak (or ouzo or Pernod)
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium fennel bulbs, cut lengthwise and then into quarters
1 2-pound organic or free-range chicken, divided into 8 pieces
4 clementines, unpeeled, sliced thin
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed Parsley, to garnish

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together arak, oil, orange and lemon juices, mustard, brown sugar and salt. Season with pepper, to taste. Add fennel, chicken, clementine slices, thyme and crushed fennel seeds. Turn several times to coat. If time allows, marinate chicken for a few hours or preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Transfer all ingredients, including marinade, to a large roasting pan. Chicken should be skin-side up. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, 35-45 minutes. Remove
from the oven.

Lift chicken, fennel and clementines from pan and arrange on a
serving plate. Cover and keep warm.

Pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then simmer until sauce is reduced and you are left with about 1/3 cup. You can degrease by using a spoon to remove some of the fat from the top of the sauce.

Pour the heated sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve.