Orange Chicken and Kugel

Not a Noodle Kugel

Shumon spent the day with us playing with his new computer and iPhone. He joined us for dinner. We started with The Hungry Cat Salad as we call it. It is one of our favorite salads. We have made it many times. You can get the recipe from our blog of: Nov. 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

For the main course we made Roasted Chicken with Clementines & Arak from Jerusalem by Ottolenghi & Tamimi. This is a fantastic Chicken dish. You slice down the Clementines and they roast with the chicken. The Clementine skin be comes tender and delicious and is a delight to eat.

We saw a recipe for a Potato Kugel in the Los Angeles Times and made that in addition to the chicken. We felt the Kugel was not as great as we remembered our mother’s to be. I need to see if I can find my mother’s Noodle Kugel recipe.

Roasted chicken with Clementines & Arak

Jerusalem

Ottolenghi & Tamimi

SERVES   4

6-1/2       tbsp arak, ouzo, or Pernod

4       tbsp olive oil

3       tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

3       tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2       tbsp grain mustard

3       tbsp light brown sugar

2       medium fennel bulbs (1 pound total)

1       large organic or free-range chicken, about 2-3/4 lb., divided into 8 pieces, or the same weight in skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

4       Clementines, unpeeled (14 oz total), cut horizontally into 1/4-inch /

1       tbsp thyme leaves

2-1/2       tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed

salt and freshly ground

black pepper chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

All the intense flavors lavished on the poor chicken—arak, mustard, fennel, Clementines with their skins, brown sugar—somehow manage to come together in a sweetly comforting dish you will always want to come back to. Serve it with plainly cooked rice or bulgur.

Put the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add

2-1/2 teaspoons salt and 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper. Whisk well and set aside.

Trim the fennel and cut each bulb in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Add the fennel to the liquids, along with the chicken pieces, Clementine slices, thyme, and fennel seeds. Stir well with your hands, then leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (skipping the marinating stage is also fine, if you are pressed for time).

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Transfer the chicken and its marinade to a baking sheet large enough to accommodate everything comfortably in a single layer (roughly a 12 by 14‑inch); the chicken skin should be facing up. Once the oven is hot enough, put the pan in the oven and roast for 35 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is colored and cooked through. Remove from the oven.

Lift the chicken, fennel, and Clementines from the pan and arrange on a serving plate; cover and keep warm. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan, place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and then simmer until the sauce is reduced by one-third, so you are left with about 1/3 cup. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken, garnish with some parsley, and serve.

Potato kugel with sour cream and Parmesan

LA Times

Total time: 2 hours

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: Serve the kugel with sour cream or extra virgin olive oil.

2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (about 8), scrubbed, unpeeled

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 onions, chopped (3 cups chopped)

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped (5 teaspoons)

1 1/3 cups sour cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste, divided

Cayenne pepper to taste

2 large eggs, beaten

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Paprika for sprinkling

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with water to cover by about 1 inch and a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 35 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.

2. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 1 minute, then stir in the garlic.

3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the potatoes while still fairly hot. Cut them in a few chunks. Mash them thoroughly with a potato masher, not in a food processor. Add the fried onion and garlic mixture and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and mix well.

4. Add one-third cup sour cream and three-eighths teaspoon nutmeg, or as desired, and salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Add beaten eggs and mix well.

5. Thoroughly grease a 2-quart casserole with olive oil. Add the potato mixture and smooth the top thoroughly. Bake the kugel uncovered until it is firm, about 40 minutes. The kugel can be made ahead of time up to this point, then refrigerated up to 2 days before serving; to finish, reheat (covered with foil) in a 300-degree oven before continuing with the recipe.

6. Shortly before serving, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Season the remaining 1 cup sour cream with the remaining one-eighth teaspoon nutmeg, or to taste. Spoon the sour cream mixture over the kugel in dollops, and spread it gently to the edges of the kugel; try not to spread the sour cream to the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the sour cream evenly with the grated cheese, then with paprika.

7. Bake the kugel until the topping sets and browns lightly, about 10 minutes.

8. If you would like a browner topping, broil the kugel, checking often, no longer than 1 minute, until the topping is dotted with brown. Serve hot.



Each of 8 servings: 286 calories; 7 grams protein; 32 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 66 mg cholesterol; 5 grams sugar; 101 mg sodium.