We met on Jr high and became good friends in high school. I hit him with my car (long story that culminated in stupid teenage behavior. It's a good thing that I didn't kill him). He and I share the same twisted sense of humor and like most of the same things. Then he moved away (Jerk). And not a little away- he moved FAR away. Several States away. And left me to fend for myself in the world of high school friendships. Lucky for me, I'm extremely likeable. HA!
We clearly kept in touch and it just so happened that he was planning on moving here about a month after we did. And it has been way too fun to see him again. It's even fun when he the the hubster spend all night playing "Let's make fun of Sarah". It seems to be a favorite sport around here lately. Did you know that they even share the same birthday? Different years, but the same moth and day.
The best part his son and D totally get along and play so well together. It's sweet.
The two of them (he and his son) came over for dinner and games tonight and it was a blast. We had super tasty chicken and RK Treats for dessert. I botched the RK treats (hey... we all have those times when we mess up.) For the record, when your children ask you: "When will I EVER need to know about fractions and multiplication?" The answer- when you double a batch of RK treats. That's when. If you can't multiply a fraction (like me tonight) you get treats that are still good, but could be WAY better. Sigh
But let's talk about the chicken. My sister came by as I was putting it together and when she walked into my house she said "What smells so good?" Then she informed me that I needed someone to taste the couscous. How could I object? She loved it and we devoured almost all of it. Which is impressive since it was a whole chicken, a bunch of Israeli couscous and vegetables.
The original recipe was from Anne Burrell. I love her. Classic food with a it of sass. I feel like that fits my personality...except I'm way more on the sassy side. What I would give to go to a Anne Burrell cooking boot-camp. I've considered purposefully cooking bad food to get on America's Worst Cook, but can never bring myself to do it. Bad food is such a sad thing...
Anyway- you can find her recipe HERE, but this is what I did to it (never can leave it alone, can I):
Ingredients
- 2 whole garlic bulbs
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 large bunch thyme, leaves only
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 5-6 pounds chicken parts (skin on/bone in) I used a pre-cut up whole chicken
Couscous:
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups medium-size Israeli couscous
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, sliced thin on the bias
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 to 3 cups chicken stock
Directions
Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove most of the outer wrapper, but kept the cloves together. Cut the tops off the the garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast them until they are soft when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cooled, squeeze out the garlic cloves from the wrappers.
Put the garlic in a food processor with the lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, cumin, crushed red pepper and salt, to taste. Add some olive oil and puree into a loose paste. Massage the mixture all over the chicken pieces and let sit for at least 1 hour.
Couscous:
Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil, over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook it until it's about 2/3 of the way done, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and reserve.
Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and a little butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and brown it on all sides. Careful the garlic will burn pretty easy!!
Remove the chicken to a plate. Drain the fat from the pan and add the onions and celery. Season with salt, to taste, and the crushed red pepper. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook the onions and celery for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the cooked couscous, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Transfer the mix to a baking dish. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, in the couscous and cover with foil. Add additional chicken stock to keep everything moist.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, covered, then remove the foil and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes.
