Lemon Thyme and Ginger

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken recipe.

It is obvious, roast chicken is one of my favorite foods. To me it is pure comfort food at its best. The perfect roast chicken has tender and juicy meat with rich flavors that only roasting can bring. Unfortunately, when my children were young, having roast chicken for dinner was an event because it took so long to make. I wish I knew then what I know now. Those oven-stuffer birds of the 90’s would roast in half the time if I removed the backbone. This technique is also known as, spatchcock chicken. A whole chicken with its back bone removed and laid flat in a skillet or roasting pan.

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken recipe.

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken Recipe.

In the 90’s, I knew about Chicken Under a Brick, but I did not transfer that information to my roast chicken recipes until later. From my years as a cook in a gourmet food store, I learned how to cut up a whole chicken into 8 pieces. I knew the process and was very confident using sharp knives and handling raw meats. For whatever reason, I did not cut up the chicken at home.  If I had, those 7 pounds plus oven-stuffer roasters would have made a more frequent appearance on my dinner table. The usual 2 1/2 hours roasting in the oven would decrease to 1 hour 15 minutes. It still takes time to roast a spatchcock chicken, but it is more reasonable. Better late than never.

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken Recipe.

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken Recipe.

Prep a Spatchcock Chicken

Like traditional roast chicken, spatchcock chicken lends itself to an infinite variety of seasoning and types of cuisines. It is delicious plain marinated in buttermilk, salt and paprika, or seasoned with Middle Eastern flavors like Za’atar, fennel and preserved lemons. Take a culinary trip around the world with spatchcock chicken by simply adjusting the herbs and seasonings.

No matter what flavor profile you want, chicken tastes best when seasoned with salt, several hours before cooking. If I plan correctly, I will spatchcock and season a chicken with Kosher salt and keep it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. I prepare the chicken during dinner cleanup so I don’t dirty a clean kitchen. Often, I am likely to forget about this step if I wait till the morning of. I admit there were times I forgot. If that happens, season the chicken with salt then leave it to rest at room temperature for an hour. Even that bit of time makes a difference in flavor and tenderness.

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken Reicpe.

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken Recipe.

I never miss an opportunity to roast vegetables, especially potatoes, with chicken. After a long roast, the vegetables become luscious with pronounced flavor. For this recipe, this extra step is optional. If you roast the chicken in a skillet, roast the vegetables in a separate dish. It will be too crowded in the skillet, and the chicken will steam. Sheetpans are perfect pans for roasting chicken with vegetables.

What is for dessert? Try    Double Coconut Pie 

Chocolate Stout Cake

Swedish Apple Pie

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken reicpe.

Honey mustard spatchcock chicken is a family favorite and so easy to make. All you have to remember is use equal parts honey and mustard. Any additional amounts of herbs and spices is up to you and your taste buds. Personally, I love sage and chicken together and believe it adds earthy notes against the sharp mustard and sweet honey. Also, I like this sweet and savory sauce with some heat from chili peppers. My preference with spicy ingredients is their heat hangs in the background without drowning the other herbs and spices. Sometimes adding a small amount of chili pepper makes the other ingredients more pronounced. Play around with the different herbs and spices and see what you create.

This recipe is also delicious cooked over indirect heat on the grill.

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken Recipe.

 

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Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken Recipe

Honey Mustard Spatchcock Chicken

Chicken roasts in half the time without its backbone. Removing it is easier than you think, when you have good kitchen scissors or a big chef knife. If you prefer, ask your butcher to spatchcock your chicken. Dry brine the chicken overnight for a juicy and seasoned chicken. This step makes a big difference in the flavor of the chicken. If you can't do it, at least salt the chicken and let it rest on the counter an hour before you cook. It is better than not doing it at all. The prep time does not include the overnight brining time. Cook time depends on the size of your chicken.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4 -6 servings
Author Ginger

Ingredients

  • 1 4-5 lb 2 K roasting chicken
  • Kosher salt depending on the weight of your chicken, about 1TB
  • 10 sage leaves - divided
  • 1/4 cup (63 g) Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup (82 g) honey
  • 1/8 - 1/4 tsp ground chili powder or to taste

Optional roasted vegetables

  • 8 oz (385 g) small new potatoes cut in half or quartered
  • 4 / 6 oz (170 g) shallots, peeled and cut in quarters
  • 1/2 (about 216 g) fennel bulb sliced in thin wedges
  • 4 garlic cloves cut in half lengthwise
  • 12 oz (358 g) grape tomatoes
  • 3 TB extra virgin olive oil - divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt- divided
  • 3 sprigs of thyme

Instructions

How to spatchcock a chicken.

  1. 1- Remove the neck and gizzards from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse the inside and outside with cold running water. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
  2. 2- Place the chicken on a cutting board breast side down with the legs pointing towards you.
  3. The back bone runs through the middle of the back and is about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches wide.
  4. 3- Grab hold of the "tail" end with one hand and cut along a side of the backbone toward the neck with good kitchen scissors. Repeat on the other side of the back bone.
  5. 4- If you do not have kitchen scissors, score the skin through to the meat with a sharp chef's knife along each side of the backbone. Turn the chicken upright onto its neck, and slice along the side of the backbone. Cut through the skin, meat and bones down to the neck. Lay the chicken down and open the chicken up like a book, and cut through the other side of the backbone.
  6. 5- Once the backbone is removed, turn the chicken over breast meat facing up, and press down on the sternum until you hear a pop and feel the breastbone release and lie flat.
  7. 6- Tuck the wing tips under the back of the neck, or trim them off so they do not burn.
  8. Save the backbone for chicken stock.

Prep the chicken

  1. The night before, cut the back bone off the chicken.
  2. Generously, sprinkle Kosher salt all over the chicken on both sides. Slide a sage leaf under the skin and on top of the breast meat on each breast. Repeat for each thigh. Let the salted chicken rest for 30 minutes uncovered on the counter.
  3. Place the chicken in the refrigerator, uncovered overnight and up to 24 hours.
  4. One hour before you want to begin cooking take the chicken out of the refrigerator. Let the chicken come to room temperature.

Putting it altogether

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C)
  2. While the chicken is coming to room temperature, make the honey mustard sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, honey, ground chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt until combined.
  3. Rough chop, or snip with scissors, 4 sage leaves and add to the honey mustard. Taste and correct the seasonings.
  4. Once the chicken has come to room temperature, baste the chicken on both sides with the honey mustard. Get a good even coat over the whole bird .
  5. Place 4 sage leaves in the center of a low sided sheet pan, or 12-inch skillet,(30 cm) and place the chicken over the sage leaves.
  6. If adding the optional vegetables, put the potatoes, fennel shallots and garlic into a medium bowl. Stir in 2 TB extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt. Add the prepared vegetables in an even layer around the chicken on a sheet pan. Then scatter the thyme sprigs over the vegetables.
  7. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile add the tomatoes in the same bowl you used for the vegetables, and stir in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt. Later, scatter the tomatoes around the vegetables after 20 minutes of roasting.
  9. If you have honey mustard sauce left, baste the chicken with the remaining sauce. Use up all the honey mustard sauce.
  10. Rotate the pan left to right and front to back, and roast for 20 minutes more. Check the chicken and vegetables to see if they are done cooking. The chicken is done cooking when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh is at 165°F (74°C) and the breast meat is 170°F (77°C), and the juices run clear. There should be no cloudy, pink or blood color in the meat juices. Make sure you check the temperature of both breasts and thighs. The vegetables are done when they are tender in the middle when pierced with a fork.
  11. If the chicken is not done, continue to roast and check at 5 - 10-minute intervals depending on how much more the chicken needs to roast. Often the breast and thighs cook at different rates and one is done roasting before the other. If either part is done and you still have a way to go before the other portion of the chicken is done, cut off the done part and let it rest on a carving board.
  12. If the vegetables are finished roasting before the chicken, remove the vegetables and place in a serving dish or plate. You want the vegetables to be tender, but still maintain its shape. Keep the vegetables warm while the chicken is roasting.
  13. When the chicken is done, place it on a carving board and let it rest for 10 - 15 minutes before cutting it up.
  14. Cut into 8 pieces and place on a platter surrounded by the roasted vegetables. Serve family style.

© 2017 – 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.

Tortellini with Basil Pesto, Tomaotes and Green Beans

Tortellini with basil pesto, grape tomatoes and green beans recipe.

Pasta is the perfect foundation to pair with basil pesto. The intense herb flavor combined with sharp cheese needs a mild flavored foundation to compliment the sauce. Any type of pasta will suffice, but my favorite pasta with my favorite basil pesto recipe is cheese tortellini. Tortellini is widely available at the store, either freshly made, frozen or dried. As it happens, tortellini with basil pesto, grape tomatoes and green beans is one of my family’s favorite pasta dinners.

My Favorite Basil Pesto recipe

I love making pasta dinners with enough additional ingredients for a well-rounded meal. Marcella Hazan says a pasta meal is all about the pasta with just the minimal amount of sauce and add-ins. The pasta is the star. I learned a lot about cooking Italian food from Marcella’s cookbooks. However, here is where I diverge from her rule. For me, I try to make a whole meal that is nutritionally balanced.

Usually, I create a pasta dinner using pasta as the foundation with enough vegetables and/or proteins for a well-rounded meal. This way if I can’t make a salad, I know everyone will get at least one serving of vegetables. You still enjoy the comfort and flavor of pasta with the added nutritional benefits of a full serving of vegetables. Hopefully, the additional vegetables reduces pasta’s glycemic-index as well. Tortellini with basil pesto, grape tomatoes and green beans is also a great way to sneak in more vegetables for picky eaters.

Tortellini with basil pesto, grape tomatoes and green beans recipe.

Tortellini with Basil Pesto Grape tomatoes and Green beans reicpe

Tortellini with basil pesto, grape tomaotes and green beans reicpe.

Whenever I mix pesto into tortellini, or any type of pasta, I always add grape tomatoes. I never serve pasta with pesto without them.  The sweetness and acid of the tomatoes nicely compliments the pesto and makes it taste more refreshing. I also love adding blanched green beans to my tortellini and pesto. It doesn’t add extra work and cooks in the same pot as the tortellini. Quickly blanched and crisp green beans add a nice textural contrast to the soft tortellini and smooth pesto. Basil, tomatoes and green beans all grow at the same time and as the saying goes, “What grows together, goes together.”

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Tortellini with Basil pesto, grape tomatoes and green beans reicpe.

Tortellini with Basil Pesto, GrapeTomaotes and Green Beans

Tortellini with basil pesto, fresh grape tomatoes and blanched green beans makes a delicious meal all in one pot. It is a very easy dinner and perfect for any night of the week. Make the pesto and prep the vegetables while you wait for the water to come to a boil. Blanch the green beans in the same pot with the tortellini. If you want creamy pesto tortellini: make the pesto but don't add the cheese. In a small sauce pan, heat up one cup (225 ml) of heavy cream, or half and half, to a light simmer then whisk in the grated cheese, 1/4 cup (60 ml) at a time. Taste and correct for seasoning. Keep the cream and cheese sauce warm while the tortellini cooks. When the tortellini is done, add the heated cream and the basil pesto to the pot with the tortellini, green beans and tomatoes. Stir to combine and taste. Add more pesto if needed. Serve immediately. I portioned each serving to equal 8 oz (226g). Don't be alarmed, each serving does not contain a half pound (226 g) of pasta. Each serving should contain about a quarter pound (113 g) of pasta with a quarter pound (113 g) of vegetables. Tortellini with pesto, tomatoes and green beans is best eaten immediately when it is finished cooking. Any leftovers will last in the refrigerator in an air tight container for a couple of days.
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings 4 generous servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450 g) fresh, dried or frozen cheese tortellini
  • Kosher Salt for pasta cooking water and seasoning
  • 1/2 lb (227 g) grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/2 lb (227 g) fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) Basil Pesto
  • Serve with freshly grated Romano cheese
  • 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream or half and half Optional. Follow directions in summary.

Instructions

  1. Fill a stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add at least one teaspoon of Kosher salt to the water and carefully taste. You want to taste the salt in the water. The lore is, the pasta water should taste like the sea. Sometimes I find that amount too salty. continue to add more salt until it is just right for your preference.
  2. Add the tortellini and cook according to the directions given with the pasta. While the tortellini cooks, occasionally stir the pot to prevent the tortellini from sticking together.
  3. About two minutes before the tortellini is done cooking, add the prepared green beans to the pot with the tortellini. Cook until the water returns to a boil. Taste the tortellini for al dente.
  4. Drain the water and return the tortellini and green beans to the stock pot. Add about a 1/2 cup of pesto and stir o combine. Add the grape tomatoes and stir to combine.
  5. Serve immediately with more Romano Cheese on the side.

© 2017 – 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.

My Favorite Basil Pesto Recipe

My Favorite Basil Pesto Recipe

It is October and that means I need to trim my herb garden and use up all the annual herbs before the temperature drops below 50°. It would break my heart if they went to waste, especially my basil. I have four basil plants and after a rough start they grew, continuously producing new stems and leaves for my pleasure. I was not so fortunate last year. What a difference having an herb garden makes. I can select the amount of herbs I need, and pick them when I want them. Nonetheless, it is time to use it or lose it. Fortunately, the best way I know how to use up a bunch of fresh basil is make basil pesto.

Summer Vegetable Steak Salad with Spicy Citrus Dessing Recipe

Sweet Basil Pesto recipe

There is nothing like a fresh herb pesto to add bright herbaceous pizzaz to pasta, vegetables, and fish or chicken. Usually, I also add in an extra leafy green vegetable or herb, like arugula or spinach, when I make basil pesto. The additional greens add extra body and texture to the pesto. Spinach leaves really softens the basil flavor and smooths the pesto. Arugula’s peppery bite brightens the basil flavor. Both versions taste delicious. For my recipe if you want to omit the arugula, go ahead. This is a classic basil pesto recipe, if you omit the lemon zest and arugula there is no need to add in more basil leaves to supplement it.

Pesto has three essential ingredients: basil, olive oil and freshly grated cheese. The quality of these ingredients influences to the flavor of the pesto. I always recommend buying the best quality food or product you can afford. This is especially true for the olive oil. For pesto, an all-purpose extra virgin olive oil is fine to use. There is no need to buy top shelf extra virgin olive oil, save that for salads. I use California Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil for my every day use and I am very happy with the flavor. Unfortunately, the labels on olive oil are misleading and not regulated. 100% olive oil is often not 100% olive oil.  For more information about buying olive oil, here is an article about how to find real olive oil at the grocery store. Also, here from Business Insider.

My favorite basil pesto recipe.

 

Sweet Basil Pesto recipe

Other than the fresh herb in pesto, the freshness of the grated cheese impacts the flavor. The traditional cheeses in pesto are Parmesan or Romano and sometimes both. I use Romano cheese for its sharper flavor, and it’s less expensive than Parmesan. Whichever cheese you use, only use freshly grated cheese. If possible, buy a chunk and grate the cheese at home. Parmesan and Romano cheese are expensive, but they last a long time. If you need to buy grated cheese, buy the cheese that is grated at the store. It is a lot fresher than buying factory grated cheese with preservatives in it.

Want more herb sauce recipes? Check out my recipe for Rolled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Sweet Basil Pesto recipe.

Every Italian cookbook author, says never to cook Basil pesto. In general I follow this rule, unless I am grilling salmon with pesto (without cheese). Any level of heat will darken the color of the basil, dull its flavor, and diminish the scent. For best results, serve pesto at room temperature, stirred into warm pasta. When I make it, I make a batch and freeze it before adding the cheese. That way if I need it for pasta or to garnish a soup, I can use the pesto either with or without the cheese. Stir in the cheese a little before adding the pesto to your pasta dish. This will allow the ingredients to meld and the cheese to absorb the oil and basil.

Enjoy.

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My Favorite Basil Pesto reicpe

My Favorite Basil Pesto

Homemade basil pesto is bright and bursting with fresh basil and flavor. I like to add an additional green herb or leafy vegetable, like arugula or spinach to help balance the basil flavor. If you are making a lot of pesto and want to freeze it, omit the cheese. Store the pesto in an airtight container with a layer of olive oil over the top to protect the basil. The pesto will keep in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost the basil pesto in the refrigerator and add the grated cheese before you use it. Pesto is delicious stirred into pasta. This recipe makes more than enough of sauce for a pound of pasta.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 3 /4 cup (200 ml)
Author Ginger

Ingredients

Basil Pesto

  • 2 cups lightly packed (38 g) basil leaves cleaned, dried, and stems removed
  • 3/4 cup (20 g) arugula cleaned , dried and stems removed
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1/4 cup (27 g) pine nuts lightly toasted
  • Zest of half a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup (40 g) freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, or a blend of both
  • Little squeeze of fresh lemon juice if needed to brighten the pesto*

Instructions

Basil Pesto

  1. Place the basil leaves in a food processor and process until the leaves are slightly chopped. Add the arugula and process with the basil to combine.
  2. Add the garlic, lemon zest, Kosher salt, and pinenuts and pulse until an even consistency is achieved.
  3. Add half of the olive oil and process until smooth. Using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of your food processor and stir it around. Add more olive oil until you reach the consistency you want. Taste and correct seasoning. Before you add more salt, remember the cheese is not added yet and is salty.
  4. If using soon, pour the pesto into a small bowl and stir in the grated cheese. Start by adding half the cheese, stir and taste. Add more cheese as you wish. Regrigerate the pesto without the cheese until needed. Add the cheese to the pesto before using.
  5. Stir the specified amount of pesto into your favorite pasta and serve immediately.
  6. Pesto is best used immediately or the day it is made. It will last for a week in the refrigerator, or freeze, without the cheese, for 3 months.
  7. Never heat up pesto. Heat causes the pesto to change color and the flavor lose its intensity.

Recipe Notes

*Adding an acid like lemon juice could change the color of leafy greens and other vegetables. If you feel the pesto needs to get brighter, add a little squeeze of lemon juice just before using.

© 2017 – 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.

Roasted Curry Chicken with Potatoes and Raisins

Roasted Curry Chicken with Potaotes and Raisins recipe.

Other than the ingredients, all you need to make a delicious and easy dinner is one knife to chop, one bowl to mix and one sheet pan to roast. No special equipment required, except an oven. What you do need is time to mix, marinate and bake. Roasted curry chicken with potatoes and raisins has it all. A flavor packed one-pan meal with warming spices and fruity-sweetness enveloping tender chicken meat and potatoes.

Roasted curry chicken with potatoes and raisins reicpe.

 

Roasted Curry Chicken with Potatoes and Raisins recipe.

For this recipe, as well as salt I added a ground curry spice blend for the main seasoning. My recipe for roasted chicken curry is not traditional Indian cuisine, or any curry meal from Asia. It is an American rift inspired by Indian flavors, and ease of preparation. I love curry, but there are so many types and each one is as unique as the cook making it. Every country, region, city and cook has its own variation of spices for curries. As I learn more about curries and the cuisines that developed them, I plan to make my own curry spice blends. Until that time, I’ll take a shortcut and use store-bought ground curry to satisfy my hankering for curry flavors.

Chicken for a cook, is like a blank canvas for an artist. It is the foundation from which all added flavor will enhance. Because chicken has a mild taste and texture, it benefits from adding seasoning and then letting the flavors steep into the meat before cooking.  Of course, if pressed for time, you will still have a decent tasting curry chicken dinner if you must skip the marinating step. However, taking the extra time to marinate will make a big difference in the over-all depth of flavor.

Roasted curry chicken with potatoes and raisins recipe.

More one pan dinner recipes:

Mediterranean Style Chicken Dinner

Oven Baked Chicken with Shallots and Fennel

Spanish Style Mussels with Chorizo

I realize not all children like the spiciness of curry powder. Some curry blends have a lot of pepper and chilies in them. If you can find a ground curry blend that is on the sweet side it might change your family’s opinion of curry. I found a Massale curry blend from Spice and Tease in New York City. It is similar to a Garam Massala but not as hot and peppery as other curry blends.  For more information, here is an article explaining the differences of the two spice blends.

Roasted curry chicken with potatoes and raisins recipe.

Roasted curry chicken with potaotes and raisins recipe.

I love making meals where I can mix together the flavors I love and cook them together on one pan in the oven and forget about it. No standing or stirring over a hot stove. Just place in the oven and bake. This easy recipe, of roasted curry chicken with potatoes and raisins is so simple it is hard to make a chicken dinner any other way. The raisins may seem out-of-place, but the sweetness compliments and softens any heat in the curry spices. Add, additional vegetables, like cauliflower or broccoli, for a more well-rounded dinner.

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Roasted curry chicken with potaotes and raisins reicpe.

Roasted Curry Chicken with Potatoes and Raisins

An easy sheet pan dinner the whole family will enjoy. Prep and marinate the chicken in the morning, and bake in the evening for a hassle-free dinner. Some curry spice blends are sweet, and some are spicy depending on how much pepper and chilies are blended in. Find a curry blend that suits you and your family for that perfect flavor balance. The sweetness of the raisins and yogurt sauce will cut any pronounced spicy heat of your curry. Add cauliflower or broccoli flowerettes for a well-rounded dinner.
Prep Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings 4 -6 servings
Author Ginger

Ingredients

Curry Chicken with Potatoes

  • 3 garlic cloves mashed
  • 1- inch 2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger*, grated
  • 3 TB 35 g extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 TB curry spice blend not a spicy curry blend
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Zest from one lemon and juice- divided
  • 1 TB chopped fresh tarragon can use dried tarragon if fresh is not available, but only 1 teaspoon
  • 6 chicken thighs either bone-in and skin on, or boneless
  • 1 lb 450g fingerling potatoes, or other small wax potato like red potatoes or Yukon Gold
  • 1/2 medium onion sliced in half moons no more than 1/4 inch (6mm)
  • 1/4 cup 60 ml raisins
  • Optional: Half a head of cauliflower cut into flowerettes. Reduce the potatoes to 1/2 to 2/3 lbs 225 g - 300 g.

Yogurt Sauce

  • 4 oz 125 g plain yogurt
  • Juice from half a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2- inch 1.3 cm piece of fresh ginger*, grated

Instructions

Chicken Curry

  1. Peel each clove then slice in half. If the green germ is there, remove it. If you have a fine microplane grater, grate the garlic cloves. Or, scatter a pinch of salt over a pile of roughly minced garlic cloves then mash the garlic with the side of your chef's knife. Move the blade from side to side pressing down with the blade until the garlic forms a paste. Add the garlic paste to a medium mixing bowl large enough to hold the chicken and vegetables.
  2. Mince or grate the ginger root and add to the bowl with the garlic.
  3. Add the olive oil, curry powder, lemon zest, Kosher salt, a couple of rounds of fresh ground black pepper, tarragon, and juice from half a lemon. Mix until just incorporated.
  4. Add the chicken, potatoes, onion slices and raisins (cauliflower if using). Using your clean hands mix the chicken and vegetables until the marinade evenly coats all the pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
  5. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you want to cook dinner and bring up to room temperature. The chicken can rest up to one hour on the counter before cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F (204°C) twenty minutes before you are ready to cook.
  6. Spread the chicken and vegetables evenly across a low sided sheet pan. The sheet pan should be just big enough for the chicken and potatoes to fit comfortably without overcrowding. Too big of a pan and the juices will dry up. Too small of a pan and the ingredients will steam.
  7. Place the sheet pan in the oven middle rack.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes, then using a thin spatula, turn the potatoes around. Bake for another 20 minutes. Check the chicken and potatoes to see if they are done. The chicken is done when an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165°F - 170°F (74°C - 77°C) and the juices run clear. The potatoes are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork.
  9. If either ingredient needs more cooking time, remove the chicken or potatoes and place on a plate cover and keep warm. Continue to cook until the vegetables or chicken is done.
  10. While the chicken is baking make the yogurt sauce. Mix together the yogurt, grated ginger, Kosher salt and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and set aside until the chicken is done. Just before serving, garnish with fresh herbs and lemon zest.
  11. Serve curry chicken and vegetables with the yogurt sauce on the side.

Recipe Notes

*Do not substitute the fresh ginger with powdered ginger. The curry spice blend might already have powdered ginger in its mix. The minced ginger adds a fresh ginger flavor.

© 2017 – 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.

Crystallized Candied Ginger

As is often the case with specialty ingredients, a recipe requires a small amount, but you must purchase a much larger portion then needed.  This is often true for ingredients like fresh ginger root or fresh turmeric. Unless you cook recipes that use fresh ginger every day, using up a knob of ginger takes a conscious effort. What to make with all that ginger? One solution is make candied ginger.

Crystallized Candied Ginger recipe

Baby, or young, fresh ginger root

Crystallized Candied Ginger recipe

Adult, or mature, ginger root with candied ginger

This week I found myself in this exact predicament of having more fresh ginger than I could use. I bought more ginger than usual because a couple of farmers at the market sold baby ginger. I love how baby ginger looks (also known as young ginger), and wanted to photograph it. With its’ creamy pale-pink coloring and smooth skin, it is hard to believe it is ginger. I had about a half of a pound of young ginger and needed to figure out something to make with it. It dawned on me there was no candied ginger in the house. This was a missing pantry item over the whole summer, so it was time to make it.

I happen to like ginger and often cook with it. When I have candied ginger in my pantry, I enjoy it with my breakfast sprinkled over yogurt, in granola, oatmeal, cookies, pies, crumbles, cakes and muffins, or for an afternoon pick-me-up. I found eating a date stuffed with a slice of candied ginger and a walnut, squelches any sugar cravings and afternoon munchies.

People swear by fresh ginger’s ability to soothe an upset stomach and morning sickness, and is good for digestion. I used to drink an elixir of ginger, turmeric, lemon juice and honey to reduce inflammation. With all these great health benefits, I like to always have some form of ginger available.

Crystallized Candied Ginger recipe

Crystallized Candied Ginger recipe

Some people have a philosophy, that they won’t make a specialty food if they can easily buy it from a quality and reliable source. Not me. I am open to make just about anything. So why make candied ginger when you can easily buy it? For me, it is all about knowing what I put in my body and reducing my carbon footprint. If I make candied ginger, I can buy organic ginger at the store, or locally grown baby ginger at a farmer’s market. I also don’t use any preservatives.

You also get two by-products when you make candied ginger, ginger simple syrup and ginger sugar. Both taste great in hot or cold tea, coffee, homemade soda or drinks, or in baked goods. I particularly like using the ginger syrup in a ginger martini.

Crystallized Candied Ginger recipe

 

Crystallized Candied Ginger recipe

There are a couple of obstacles that intimidate people and prevent them from making candied ginger. You need a candy thermometer, or one that reads temperatures above 250°F (121°C), like a Thermapen instant read thermometer. Thermometers are our friends. They tell us important and accurate information about our food, especially when cooking with meats. This information lets us know our food is properly cooked, or not. There are visual clues to read, but the internal temperature of a piece of meat does not lie and indicates exactly how far along your meat has cooked. If you don’t own a thermometer, you should get one. I rely on mine all the time. You don’t need an expensive one, just one that is reliable and easy to read.

Thermometer brands I like are Thermoworks, and CDN. The Thermapen by Thermoworks is the highest rated instant read thermometer. It is also expensive. Thermoworks makes other instant read thermometers, like pocket thermometers that are less expensive. (This is not a sponsored post)

Also, making candied ginger does take some time to make. Fortunately, while the ginger simmers, cools and dries, you can work on other projects. The time between the cooling and drying, and coating the ginger with sugar is a couple of hours. Later, the sugar-coated ginger needs to air dry some more.  Fortunately, this is something you can set up and forget about until later. I believe the positive reasons for making candied ginger outweigh the negatives.

This recipe is slightly adapted from David Lebovitz recipe . I have been making this for a few years and really like it. It produces a lot of the ginger syrup too. I scaled his recipe down and only use a half pound of ginger. The original recipe specifies, one pound of ginger and 4 cups each of sugar and water. It is an easy recipe to scale up or down because the ingredients are easily divided by or multiplied by 2. Plus, the water and sugar ratio is one to one.

Crystallized Candied Ginger recipe

Crystallized Candied Ginger reicpe

Recipes to use with your candied ginger:

Apple muffins with Lemon Glaze

Chocolate Bark

Low Fat Granola

Baked Oatmeal with Apples and Apricots

Fall is here and along with the changing leaves, back to school, and colder temperatures, the holidays are around the corner. Hopefully, that means there is a lot of festivities and parties to attend. I believe a jar of homemade candied ginger is a perfect host/hostess gift. What a thoughtful thank you. Who does not like a delicious homemade treat? Attach a recipe that uses candied ginger, and your host or hostess will be more appreciative.

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Crystallized Candied Ginger recipe

Candied Ginger

Making your own candy ginger is easy to do and tastes a lot better than store bought. In addition to the candy ginger, this recipe makes two other by-products, ginger simple syrup and ginger sugar. So don't throw out anything. The syrup is great in drinks or used in baked goods. The total time to make candied ginger does not include the couple of hours needed to dry the ginger after it is cooked in the simple syrup and before you coat the ginger with granulated sugar. Candied ginger, also known as crystallized ginger, tastes great served with fresh fruit, like pears and apples. It is also a great addition in muffins, pies, cookies and cakes. I like to add it to my bowl of yogurt and granola. This recipe is slightly adapted from David Lebovitz recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Author Ginger

Ingredients

Candied Ginger

  • 1/2 lb fresh ginger root
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • small pinch of salt

Special equipment

  • 3-4 quart saucepan
  • Candy thermometer
  • Lightly greased cooling rack or parchment paper
  • Sheet pan large enough for the cooling rack to fit in
  • Air tight container to store the candied ginger

Instructions

Candied Ginger

  1. Peel the ginger using the side of a spoon and scrape off the thin skin. Slice the ginger into 1/8-inch (3 mm) pieces with a thin and sharp paring knife or mandoline slicer.
  2. Add the ginger slices to a saucepan then add enough water to cover the ginger slices by one inch (2.5 cm). Bring the water to a boil and simmer for twenty minutes or until the ginger slices are tender and easily pierced with a fork*.
  3. Pour out the tender ginger slices into a fine mesh strainer resting over a bowl to catch the water. Measure the water and add more to equal 2 cups for a half pound of ginger.
  4. Add the water and 2 cups of sugar, pinch of kosher salt to the saucepan and add the ginger slices. (if you are concerned with the ginger syrup crystallizing add 1- 2 TB of corn syrup). Stir to help the sugar dissolve.
  5. Bring the sugar water to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-high and cook the ginger until the sugar water reaches 225°F (107°C).
  6. Turn off heat and set the saucepan aside.
  7. If you want to keep the candied ginger in the syrup, let it steep in the syrup for at least one hour, up to overnight. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about one year.
  8. If you want to dry the ginger and add a sugar coating, immediately pour the ginger into a fine mesh strainer resting over a bowl large enough to hold the ginger syrup. The ginger syrup is delicious and can be used in many different recipes.
  9. Spread the candied ginger over a cooling rack, resting on a sheet pan to catch any drips. Make sure the ginger slices are not stuck together. Let them air dry for 2 hours. You are ready to coat the ginger when it is sticky but not too wet or dry.
  10. Pour about 1/2 cup (125 ml) of granulated sugar on a plate and toss the ginger slices in the sugar to coat. Return the ginger to a clean cooling rack resting over a clean sheet pan and let it dry for 2 hours.
  11. Store in an air tight container, in a cool, dry place. The candied ginger will last for about one month.

Recipe Notes

*The time spent simmering the ginger depends on the age of your ginger root. The younger the ginger is the more tender it is. Older ginger can get a very fibrous texture. Simmer the ginger slices until it is just tender.

© 2017 – 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.

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