House Girlfriend

I am the type of person who will listen to the same song for, literally, weeks on end until I tire of it. And I’m the same way with food. I repeatedly eat the same meal over and over again at restaurants, afraid that if I try something new, it will not live up to my tried-and-true. I could do the same at home, if it were just myself.  

Similarly, I have a couple favorite flavors that I would put in everything, if I could justify it: I could live off the lovely lavender, fennel and basil that resides within my precious French herbs, I could add a little (or a lot of) lemon to everything I cook. But I’ve learned the hard way that not everyone cares for Herbes de Provence and lemon-dressed salad four nights a week. Long ago now, I traumatized my sister’s palate by over-serving just such a thing. And haven’t- until today- tried this particular flavor combination again. And I’ve never tried it the way I’m trying it.

Stumbling blindly into the dark, I’m going to try and combine an un-tried, invented by what I had lying about, Citrus Chicken recipe with a Kale Salad inspired by one I had recently in a restaurant (Forage, if you’re curious). If it works, my kitchen may just see a resurgence of my great love of Herbes de Provence… if it doesn’t, well, The Boyfriend will just have to take himself out to for second dinner. For now, I’m turning up Etta James, pouring myself some Chardonnay and diving headfirst into the unknown. 

Here’s to trying!

CITRUS CHICKEN (with thanks to Joy of Cooking for cooking times and temperatures)

INGREDIENTS:

1.25 pounds boneless chicken fillets

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence

1 quarter of a red onion, diced

1 half a lemon, juiced

1 cup Ruby Red Grapefruit juice

1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, cut into chunks

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 375. Pat dry your chicken fillets with a paper towel, then smear with Dijon mustard and arrange in a shallow casserole dish, just large enough to hold your pieces in a single layer. Sprinkle the herbs and onions over the chicken, then cover them in the lemon and grapefruit juices. (I marinated my chicken overnight in this mixture, but if you haven’t the time, I think the flavors would be just fine without.) Sprinkle the chicken with butter chunks. 

Bake, basting once, for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook about 20 minutes more- until the chicken is tender and golden. Put the chicken aside to cool.

Pour the juices into a small saucepan and boil over high heat until syrupy- set aside for use in dressing.

KALE SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

10 ounces of kale, chopped 

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, I made mine today with Herbes de Provence (of course!) and garlic

1/4 cup of shaved Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk the olive oil together with the still-warm chicken sauce reduced before. Toss the dressing into the kale. Add first the breadcrumbs (putting a bit aside for garnish) and toss, then add the parmesan and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Chop the chicken and toss into the salad. Serve, garnishing with a few added breadcrumbs and cheese, and enjoy!

The salad was wonderful… very flavorful and rich, without being heavy or too-filling. We found the reduced onions and the sweetness of the grapefruit juice to be heaven; the chicken perfectly cooked; the kale the perfect green for holding and complimenting the flavors… and the Herbes de Provence… let’s just say, The Boyfriend wasn’t craving second dinner. Not tonight.