Flower Pot Chicken? - Roasted Chicken in Terra Cotta

I have decided that I have WAY too much kitchen junk... As I have been packing, I am running across things I have forgotten that I have. Mainly because they have ended up buried. I found my Romertopf Terra Cotta roaster that I picked up at the Good Will or some such second hand store eons ago...

I don't think it has seen the light of day in the 3 years I have lived in my current apartment. Going from "Box" to "Buried" while I was unpacking my kitchen when I moved in. Go Figya! So, since I have not used it in a millennium or two, I decided that I should probably use it before it goes back into a box again... LOL

So here is how I use my roaster. I should make a note here that this is made of Terra Cotta, which is not the same as the stuff that Pampered Chef makes. Pampered Chef Baking and cooking stones are more closely related to the materials for Pizza Stones. However, I DO tend to use mine in a similar manner as I would a Pampered Chef Pan. Technically the Terra Cotta is suppose to be soaked in water for 5 minutes. Then simply toss stuff into it and place it in a cold oven instead of a preheated one. I oil the inside of mine instead, after giving it a quick rinse, and place it in a cold oven. Never use soap, just really hot water, as it absorbs into the clay and our Onion Butt chicken will taste like Palmolive chicken. YUCK!!

Terra Cotta Onion Butt Chicken

4-5 lb (2-2.5 kg) Roaster Chicken
Olive oil (I used the last of my Orange infused, Lemon infused is good too)
1 small onion
3 Cloves Garlic
Black Pepper
Kosher Salt
Lots of Fresh Sage leaves
Thyme
Savory

Lightly oil your clay baker,

top and bottom, with Orange infused Olive Oil.

Rinse the chicken.

Removing the giblets. (Not in the mood for these today so they are going in Le Garbage)

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Place in the clay baker and rub it down with orange infused olive oil.

Quarter the onion and place the pieces, along with the garlic cloves, in the empty cavity of the chicken (Basically, up it's butt)

Sprinkle the whole chicken with pinches of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Lay out sage leaves over the skin.

Sprinkle with Thyme and Savory.

Apply just a few drops of Orange Olive oil to the sage leaves to keep them moist while cooking.

Place the cover on.

Place in a cold oven, turning the heat up to 475 degrees.

Cook for 60 minutes.
Remove lid and carefully pour off any liquid into a sauce pan.

Return the Baker, uncovered, to the oven and continue to roasting for 15 -20 minutes longer to crisp the skin.

Serve with a simple gravy by combining cold water and cornstarch.

Bring the liquid drained from the chicken to a simmer over medium heat.
Add cornstarch slurry; stirring occasionally until gravy thickens then season with salt and pepper.

I, like my father before me, am a breast man. Although I won't pass up a juicy thigh either. So what is your favorite piece of roasted chicken ??? (When I was a kid, it was all about the legs, cause they had a handle for eating)

Mangia!!
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A Sandwich Just Isn't a Sandwich, Without the Tangy Zip of....

.... Orange Infused Olive Oil.

HA HA!! I bet you thought I was gonna say Miracle Whip Salad Dressing (yuck) Although to be honest, I have nothing against the "sweet pickle" flavor of Miracle Whip. It has it's place in certain applications, though they are very few. My issue with sandwich usage stems primarily from the fact that it is "gray". Seriously. If you hold a spoonful of Miracle Whip against a spoonful of even store bought Mayonnaise, it has a gray cast to it that I find completely unappetizing... It's unnatural looking. That coupled with the fact that is kind of has the texture of gooey plastic when you scoop it out of the jar... (shudder)

A-N-Y-W-A-Y. I'll nip this in the bud before I get stuck on a tangent regarding unnatural food colors, like blue. Blue is not a food color. Dark Purple, yes.... Blue, no. I remember my biology classes. There are no "Blue" genes in plants. Violet, but no blue. (I am sure there has been some new discovery since I was in school and I am probably wrong now, but until such a time as ) LOL

See, I cannot help myself... Tangent, Tangent, Tangent.... ;)

Sandwich...... Must talk about Sandwich....

My supplies have been dwindling on certain things, and due to budgetary constraints, I have not been replacing them as often as I normally do. While I think I usually get the best "bang for my buck", cause I am a cheapskate, even my affinity for finding a bargain is not really helping in the current economic crunch.

Thus it was that after the last pizza fest (which I have not posted yet) I was out of my favorite olive oil for this type of application. I am very much a fan of a particular Sicilian Olive oil that I purchase at Trader Joe's for such things as, well, Pizza dough or brushing on bread before toasting or just drizzling on certain items like sliced Mozzarella di Bufala. But since I used the last of it to make my last batch of pizza dough, I had to improvise. Luckily I still had a little bit of Orange Infused Olive oil that I had picked up at T J Maxx (See, I told you I was a cheapskate) for about 3 bucks. This is the Olive oil, there is also a Lemon version made by the same company, that I normally drizzle on salads and other fresh vegetables, unless there I am feeling particularly Greek, at which point I use the Kalamata Olive oil (also from Trader Joe's).

Thankfully, the Orange Olive oil really complimented the other ingredients, adding a nice depth of flavor. This pleased me immensely, since I am using the last of my San Marzano Tomatoes and Basilico Napolitano for this sandwich. Yes, I was SO excited about growing the famed tomato from Campania, but alas, my patio was too hot and cooked the plants in their pots, causing low harvest and small, though utterly delicious, fruit.

So it was, with a heavy heart, I made one last foray into the Caprese/Pizza Margherita flavor area with this sandwich. At least I was able to share the experience with a friend. :)

Caprese on Ciabatta

2 Ciabatta rolls
1 San Marzano Tomato
4 oz Mozzarella di Bufala
Neapolitan Basil (lots, cause I really didn't have enough)
Orange Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat the oven to 375
Slice the mozzarella, tomato and cut the Ciabatta rolls in half

Drizzle the Ciabatta rolls with Orange Olive oil

Place on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 3 minutes (Only partially toasted)

Remove from oven and lay basil leaves on 1 half (or both if you like a lot of basil)

Lay Mozzarella slices over the Basil leaves and Tomato slices on the other half (this will keep the basil from burning); then drizzle with more Orange Olive oil and hit both sides with Salt and Pepper. (I used smoked salt)

Place back in the oven and bake for about 5 minutes, just until the Mozzarella starts to melt (you don't want it to melt all the way and run off the bread onto the pan)

Remove and slap the 2 halves together, then slice and enjoy.

Mangia!!
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