It’s not often you get a chance to really know someone by spending 48 hours with them in your own home, but that’s exactly what my friend Sara and I did last weekend. Sara and I have been Instagram friends for a while (that’s a real thing!) and finally got a chance to meet this March when I was in Los Angeles. We hung out with our mutual friend Karlee multiple times and I think it’s safe to say we both felt a ~connection~. Similarly, she worked in food media, went to culinary school, and now works for herself creating gorgeous content, private cheffing, and writing her amazing newsletter. She’s spending a month in New York and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity for her to come visit me in the Catskills. We hiked, picked flowers, had the first fire of the season, and of course my favorite part, made a meal together. Today, we’re sharing two (!) recipes we developed together.
Don’t forget to subscribe This Shit Rocks, by Sara Tane, here!
Coriander-Fennel Rubbed Chicken with Herby Hazelnut-Pepper Salsa
Serves 4 to 6
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 55 minutes
I haven’t shared about this (yet!) but Ryan and I spent the summer raising our first batch of pastured poultry. These chickens were moved twice a day on fresh grass, got organic feed, and got to forage their hearts out. While I may be biased, it’s the best chicken I’ve ever had —and now we have five freezers full of it! Local friends, we’re actually starting to sell the chicken (message me if you’re interested!). Because of this it only made sense that Sara and I make a chicken-centric meal. We first rubbed the chicken in a spice blend using coriander seeds from the garden and then grilled it until smoky and charred. We smothered it in an herby salsa made of broiled Jimmy Nardello peppers with toasted hazelnuts and sherry vinegar.
The beauty of this herby salsa is that it’s just as delicious over the chicken as it is over some smashed potatoes (or any cooked potato method, really). We reserved about 1 tablespoon of the chicken spice rub to season our smashed potatoes. If you’re not making potatoes with your meal, then use the entire spice rub on the chicken.
If you don’t have a grill, you can roast the chicken in the oven. To do so, preheat the oven to 425˚F. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet (throw the potatoes, tossed in oil, salt and pepper, under the chicken!) and roast until golden brown with an internal temperature of 165˚F, about 1 hour.
Ingredients
Chicken
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, finely ground
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, finely ground
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
One 4-pound chicken
Salsa
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted
8 Jimmy Nardello peppers, stems trimmed (or 2 red bell peppers)
1 bunch scallions (we used Row 7’s garleek), thinly sliced
½ bunch fresh parsley, about 1 cup, finely chopped
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 red or green jalapeno, stem removed, seeded, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 anchovies, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Make the chicken: Add the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, paprika, salt, and pepper to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board. Using sharp kitchen or garden shears, cut along one side of the backbone from the tail to the neck, all the way through. Then, cut alongside the other side of the backbone. (Save the backbone for stock by placing it in a zip-top bag in the freezer until ready to use.) Flip the chicken so that it’s breast side up and use your hand to press firmly on the breastbone to flatten the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
Rub the chicken on both sides with the spice rub.
Prepare the grill. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the hot coals on one side of the grill, to give yourself both direct and indirect heat zones. Let the grates get hot for at least 10 minutes before brushing the grates with olive oil. If using a gas grill, set it to medium-high heat.
Place the chicken skin side down on the grill over direct heat and cook until the skin is deeply golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
Use grill tongs to flip the chicken over and move it to indirect heat. Place the lid on the grill and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Use tongs to turn the chicken 180° so that every part cooks evenly; continue grilling, with the lid on, until cooked through (when the internal temperature reaches 165°F), about 25 to 30 minutes more.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.
While the chicken is cooking, make the salsa: Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Add the hazelnuts to a rimmed baking sheet and bake until toasted and aromatic, about 8 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes, then roughly chop.
Preheat the oven to broil on high. Place the Jimmy Nardello peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until charred and softened, flipping halfway through, about 8 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes, then roughly chop.
Add the hazelnuts, peppers, scallions, parsley, olive oil, jalapeno, sherry vinegar, anchovies, and salt to a medium bowl and stir to combine.
Brown Sugar Plum Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits
Sara and I are both aligned that the best desserts are the ones that are centered around butter, flour, and sugar. Enter, these brown sugar cornmeal biscuits. We used plums, but this would work with whatever fruit you have hanging around.
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Filling
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
12 plums, pitted, cut into eighths
Biscuit Topping
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¾ cup cornmeal
¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cold and cubed
1 cup whole milk, plus 1 tablespoon, cold
Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Make the filling: Add the brown sugar, flour, salt, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla to a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the plums and stir until well coated. Transfer the plums to a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
Make the biscuits: Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter to the flour mixture and use your hands to quickly work it into the dough until the butter is the size of peas. Add 1 cup milk and use a spatula to combine.
Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface. Form the dough into a 5x7-inch (12 x 17 cm) rectangle, and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough in half, then roll out again. Repeat 4 to 5 more times to build the flaky layers of the biscuits.
Use a 2-inch round cutter or glass to punch out 12 biscuits. Place the biscuits on top of the plums and brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk. Sprinkle biscuits with more sugar and flaky salt.
Transfer the cast iron pan to the oven and bake until the biscuits have puffed and are golden brown and the plums are bubbling, about 50 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Five freezers full of chicken is wild! I am not super local but I'd be interested in buying some if I come up to the Catskills this fall!
This all sounds amazing and I am legitimately making it tonight!