Cast Iron Cooking- Roast Chicken with Herbs and Mushrooms with Sinful Food

Let's talk food trends for a few minutes, shall we? We have all seen some of the current ones and that's not where I'm going right now. Instead, I'm seeing a big trend in returning to some of the great basics. Classic dishes. Familiar preparations. Flavors that bring great memories. Chicken seems to be one of those trends that are super hot right now and especially roast chicken. I love roast chicken. Seriously love it. I could eat roast chicken and roast chicken leftovers pretty much daily and not complain. The leftovers are so incredibly versatile and the roast chicken itself is such a luscious comfort food and with so many herbs, spices and other flavors to enhance it, the boring roast chicken of years ago is long gone.

What does this mean? It means that you guys are going to see a few lovely roast chickens in the coming weeks. You see, I have been reading about chicken a lot. Watching cooking videos and demonstrations to try and figure out some new flavor combinations. Experimenting with different cooking vessels and different temperatures, to baste or not to baste, stuffed and unstuffed. Talking with other cooks and chefs and learning as much as I can about the humble little chicken.

Tonight's chicken was inspired by a cooking video, shared by Bon Appetit Magazine. I have added some of my own touches to customize the recipe but kept the basic bones of the recipe the same- roasting the chicken in cast iron on a bed of fresh mushrooms. The mushrooms roast underneath the bird and absorb all those amazing chicken juices, turning all rich and brown and crusty in places unlike any other mushroom and chicken recipe I have seen. The pearl onions just melt into caramelized heaven. Because the mushrooms take on all that delicious flavor you don't even need to worry about gravy- just toss together a fresh salad and serve with those flavorful mushrooms.

The real highlight of this dish has to be the wonderful garlic olive oil and Signature Seasoning from Sinful Food. I discovered Sinful Foods by way of a Christmas drawing online when I was picked as a winner. Sinful Food is the company founded by Chris Lee, a nutritional industry professional with over 22 years in the business, with an emphasis on blending ingredients. His business acumen and passion for healthy and delicious foods make his a true powerhouse. Chris tells me he spent lots of time with his mother in the kitchen, watching and soaking up everything she did and often helping prepare meals. His grandmother also was a very important influence in his interest in the culinary world, treating him to meals in upscale restaurants, introducing him to chefs and taking him on tours of some of the best restaurants. At a time when many young guys are interested in comic books and sports books, Chris chose a cookbook from the school book fair and headed home to launch his lifelong love of cooking. 

It's only natural that this love of cooking would lead to a desire to create exceptional ingredients and seasonings. Seasonings for meats were the first experiments and a seasoning mixture for salmon became his first success and because of it's versatility became the company's Signature Seasoning. It's delicious on all kinds of meats, fish, poultry and vegetables. Chris is expanding the business to include gourmet flavored olive oils, and gourmet chocolates and eventually coffees. Online ordering will be available soon as well. I know I am super excited to try the many different olive oils. The garlic is exceptional!

I used the garlic oil to toss the mushrooms and onions before roasting, as well as seasoning the bird and vegetables and used the oil in making the homemade rustic croutons. Talk about flavor! The garlic oil tastes like freshly minced garlic and is so light, just like you'd expect from a high end olive oil. I used the Signature Seasoning on the outside of the bird, tossed with the veggies, and sprinkled over the croutons. It's not simply a "seasoned salt", it's so much more. It highlighted the flavor of the fresh herbs and gave the croutons a great savory taste. These products are fantastic and highly recommended.

I used a mix of cremini and while mushrooms.
I had hope oysters or trumpets would be
available but they were not. Almost any
mushroom would work in this recipe.

Roast Chicken with Herbs and Mushrooms

1 3-4 lb roasting chicken

1 lemon

1 head garlic

small handful fresh thyme/parsley/chives (whatever you have on hand)

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

pinch of rubbed dried sage or ground sage

Sinful Foods Signature Seasoning

1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms
1 10oz package pearl onions, peeled

Sinful Foods garlic olive oil

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grab a large cast iron skillet and set aside. You will be roasting the bird and mushrooms right in the skillet.

Set the chicken on work surface. Cut the lemon in quarters, stuff two quarters inside the bird and reserve the other two. Cut the head of garlic in half crosswise. Reserve one half for another use. Cut the other half again in half and stuff in bird along with the fresh herbs.

In a small bowl combine the softened butter with the fresh thyme and sage. Rub all over the chicken surface. Season with Sinful Foods Signature Seasoning.

Clean and trim the mushrooms. Cut any large mushrooms into halves or quarters. Pile into cast iron skillet, drizzle with Sinful Foods garlic olive oil and season with Signature Seasoning. Place the chicken on top of the mushrooms, squeeze the reserved lemon quarters over all. Place in hot oven and roast for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let rest, tented with foil, for 30 minutes. While resting, toss together a quick salad with greens and herbs and a Dijon vinaigrette.

The croutons with the garlic oil and Signature Seasoning were
so delicious I ate all the leftovers for a snack!

Carve chicken and serve with mushrooms and onions and salad with croutons made from crusty bread.

If you cannot find pearl onions you can cut a couple large
yellow onions into wedges but I promise you, the pearl onions
make the difference. The melt into sweet bulbs of flavor
that burst in your mouth. Totally worth the trouble.

This chicken and those mushrooms are so flavorful and filling you will not miss having a starch on the side. For real, grab some zippy salad greens- baby lettuces and peppery arugula, maybe some bright radicchio, and a quick to mix Dijon vinaigrette and that's seriously all you need to have a lovely and impressive dinner that's great for everyday or entertaining.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free as part of a random drawing. There was no requirement of using the products and then providing written promotion. This post is entirely of my own writing. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A Peck of Pickled Shishito Peppers

Ok, well not quite a PECK but....... hey it's shishito season! What the heck is a shishito, you ask? It's a cute little pepper, Japanese in origin, the name compares the pepper to a lion, and some people think the end of the pepper resembles a lion's head- I didn't see it, but what do I know? 

Shishito peppers are bright green, crispy and glossy

If you haven't had a shishito pepper before you simply must seek them out and try them. They are curious little things. Bright green, thin skinned, crispy and amazingly NOT hot they are a super quick pepper to cook up- Pop them under the broiler for a quick minute, just to start to blister the skins, or grill them in a hot skillet, toss with seasonings and a little olive oil and serve just like that for a quick and easy snack. Thread them on skewers and grill for barbeque fun. Be brave and try them- they really are not a hot pepper.

I found them at Trader Joe's this time but I also see them in
the regular grocery store during shishito season.

With that being said, there is always an occasional rule breaker in the basket- and in this case every once in a while you will encounter a shishito that is a bit on the hot side. How does that happen? Pepper growers think it's caused by stresses to the parent plant, or excessively hot weather during fruiting. It's fine with me because I enjoy hot peppers, and especially in a quick pickle recipe, like we're doing today. 

Shishito Quick Pickles

1/2 pound fresh shishito peppers

1 teaspoon mustard seed (I went with brown seed)

3 cloves garlic

1 dried hot red pepper (or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper)

1 teaspoon salt*

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper*

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/3 cups water

* Instead of the salt and pepper I used a generous teaspoon of Montreal Steak seasoning- I keep the stuff in a ceramic pot on my stovetop and use it to season everything!

Wash and sort the peppers. Cut a slit on each side of the peppers (two slits). Pack the peppers into a clean quart jar. Canning jars work great, so do repurposed commercial jars, since this is a quick pickle ad will not be sealed and shelf stable. Just make sure the jar seals tightly.

Peel the garlic cloves and cut several slits in each clove. Pack into the jar with the peppers. Add the red pepper (I used a dried Red Flame chili), salt, black pepper and mustard seed to the jar.

In a small saucepan bring the water and vinegar to a boil. Pour over the peppers in the jar to cover. Seal the lid and give the jar a gently couple of shakes to distribute the seasonings and dissolve the salt. Allow the jar to rest at room temperature for a couple hours to cool, then pop in the fridge.

Sadly.......you have to wait a good two or three weeks before eating the peppers. It's difficult, but so worth the wait.

When making quick pickles you can be as creative as you want with the ingredients. Since we don't have to worry about shelf stability we can use any herbs we want, so let your tastebuds be your guide. I like to use all different kinds of dried hot peppers in pickles and chose a Red Flame chili for this batch because I wasn't looking for something super hot, just a tiny hint of heat. Pickled shishitos remind me so much of pepperoncini, like you see used in salads and they are absolutely wonderful drained, sliced and sprinkled over a pizza- they add a kick of pepper taste and keep their fresh crunch because they're not processed in a canning bath.

Artisan Condiments- Spicy Tomato Jam

I don't normally share a whole lot of home canning recipes here, rather over on City Girl, Country Life, but this recipe just seemed to be more at home over here on RTK. So there. You don't have to freak out and think "What the ****!! I don't know how to can things!" You don't have to- you can freeze it as well. 

Fancy jams are another trendy food that gets labeled as "artisan" these days. I often think that term is overused but some foods, like homemade small batch jams, are probably deserving. Jams aren't just for breakfast anymore and that's where tomato jam finds it's unique little niche. Depending on your recipe it can be absolutely appropriate for the breakfast table, but a little switching up of flavors, spices and adding some heat and acidity and you've moved over into the savory condiment section. I call this my ketchup for grownups.

You might wonder what all the fuss is about. It's jam. Big deal. But it's much more than that. It's jam alright, but it's spicy and sweet and savory and it's delicious and the perfect thing for crowning a juicy burger or alongside a nice hunk of beef. Want a grilled cheese that's just a little more than sliced American and white bread? Break out the GOOD cheese, some crispy bacon or crispy prosciutto, a smear of tomato jam on crusty sourdough and grill that baby up. It makes meatloaf a little more special than gramma's drizzle of ketchup over the top, and it's REALLY GOOD. Really good. So good you'll find yourself never wanting ketchup ever ever again. That's just the BASIC recipe! This time we're rewriting a page from City Girl's Canning Cookbook and making it RTK Style.

This rich and gooey jam starts with tomatoes. Summertime in Iowa is without a doubt the best time to get tomatoes. If you grow your own- even better! This summer was horrible for my garden and I had zero tomatoes to speak of. Thankfully I have access to some great farmers markets and was able to get a nice 10 lbs or so of beautiful red ripe Romas. You can use any kind of tomato you like but Romas are known for their meaty texture and drier interior- so the jam doesn't have to cook quite as long as some of the juicier tomatoes do. Any color tomato works too. I love tomato jam made with orange or yellow tomatoes- it looks so beautiful in the jars. Prep was easy-I sat down with my tomatoes and halved them, removed the core, scooped out the seeds and diced them. I leave the skin on my tomatoes because it's too much work to remove them, I don't mind them in my food and they are extra fiber really, but you can blanch and remove the peel if you want to.

Dice them up and put them in a large bowl. Measure them as you go and you won't have to do it again later. This recipe relies on evaporation to thicken, not pectin, so the recipe is flexible. The amount of sugar depends on the amount of tomatoes and I just cut up tomatoes until I'd used them all.

We need some heat and spice in this jam. The original recipe calls for cayenne pepper, but we have all kinds of beautiful peppers here so a good handful of fresh kung pao chilies got chopped finely and added to the party. Also in the original recipe is shredded or grated fresh ginger. I just so happen to have all that crystallized ginger tucked away n the freezer, so I plucked out a few slices and minced them up. Cumin, cinnamon and allspice go in as well, and a twist on the plain old salt. Because this is used as a savory condiment, I like those savory notes to hit from all over, so instead of plain salt I used some Montreal Steak Seasoning. Love this stuff- I just keep it on the counter in a salt crock and use it on everything. 

Spicy Sweet Tomato Jam

10 lbs Roma tomatoes

sugar

3/4 cup bottled lemon juice*

6-8 fresh kung pao chilies**

2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

vinegar of choice, if needed

*Always use bottled lemon juice because it has a stable acidity level

**If you don't have kung pao chilies, use cayenne or whatever you have on hand, to taste. You can use fresh or dried and ground. I would start with 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne and taste- add more if desired.

Peel tomatoes if desired. Halve; remove cores and seeds and dice. Place in large stockpot, measuring as you go. For every 3 cups tomatoes, add one cup sugar. I ended up with about 16 cups of tomatoes and used 5 cups of sugar. Stir to mix. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until mixture is very thick, reduced, and mounds when spooned out. Be sure to taste the jam at least twice. You want to adjust for heat, and if the jam is too sweet, add a splash or so of an additional acid- balsamic vinegar or rice wine vinegar are great. Make sure you do this while still cooking down so it maintains the thickness.

The tomatoes start out bright red.......

Prepare a boiling water bath canner and jars (pint or half pint), or freezer containers. Spoon hot jam into jars, fix lids and rings and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes; or spoon into freezer containers. Allow to cool slightly, then freeze.

Look at all the deep caramelization going on there.

Now this jam can take a loooooong time to thicken. I usually do it in the crock pot with the lid off. I can let it go overnight and in the morning be ready to go into jars and there is almost zero chance of scorching. Don't get discouraged if you go to give it a stir and it seems too watery- I promise, it WILL evaporate and thicken.

A couple notes about canning and food safety: 

Home canned foods can be amazing and wonderful and unlike any other food in the grocery store, but they can also be deadly. Be sure to practice safe food handling when canning- ALWAYS use a boiling water bath for high acid foods or a pressure canner for low acid food. NEVER place hot food in jars, invert them, and let them seal without heat processing. 

Along those same lines, it's very tempting to add a lot of extras to home canned foods to customize them. Unless you are a microbiologist or have a very in depth knowledge of home canning safety- DON'T. Stick with tested recipes. This recipe is only different from a USDA tested recipe because of the change in spices, which do not affect acidity. Never add things like onions or garlic as they can upset the pH and make the recipe unsafe and allow botulism to grow in the sealed jars.

Pay attention to your altitude. It affects heat and processing time. Always adjust for your altitude.

NOTE: This recipe has not been tested by the NCHFP. If you are not comfortable canning untested recipes, please do not use this one. For home canning information, visit the NCHFP website.