Salt Crusted Chicken

,

Salt Crusted Chicken...
you can try this at home!!

A few months ago our family was watching a cooking show on PBS and the chef was making different foods in his outdoor, wood burning stove/grill.  Interesting!  Midway through the show he started making Salt Crusted Chicken.  Fascinating!  We couldn’t stop watching.  He basically covered the entire chicken with a thick layer of salt, and then put it in the oven to bake.  Really!!  It was riveting!  The salt was supposed to harden in the oven while baking, sealing in the flavors of the chicken.  We couldn’t wait to see how that chicken turned out.  After he pulled it out of the oven he cracked open the salt shell, and…the chicken looked amazing!  The skin was crispy, and the chicken looked incredibly juicy.  So cool!  I knew at that moment that was something I was definitely going to try in the future…once I found the courage!  A while later, I was reading one of my “Chicken” cookbooks and came across a similar Salt Crusted Chicken recipe.  It didn’t seem all that complicated, a little scary because of the massive amounts of salt needed to make the recipe, but not that difficult.  I decided that the perfect time to try out the recipe was the week that we read the Torah portion Vayera, about Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt.  With that plan I put the recipe aside, ready to make it when the time came.  As it turned out, the week that that Torah portion was read turned out to be the week I was in New York for Kosherfest…rats.  So I came up with a new plan – I made the Salt Crusted chicken the first week possible...which was this week!

I was a little nervous (read: a lot nervous) about how the chicken was going to turn out.  Kosher chicken is notoriously salty, and here I was adding more salt!  This had the makings of a potential disaster written all over it.  A friend of mine stopped by while I was making it and she looked at me like I was crazy, packing the chicken in a layer of salt!  It was either going to be really good or really bad. 

The salt crust hardened beautifully in the oven.  I have to admit I was very anxious about breaking the salt off of the chicken.  The recipes I read online also said to remove the skin from the chicken.  I wasn’t sure what I would find or how it would taste when the salt crust was removed…

Ironically, over Shabbat, I happened to pull out the December issue of Bon Appetit and guess what I found on page 110…Salt-Roasted Chicken!  Great minds must think alike!!  They even discuss it in their “Prep-School” section of the magazine.  The major difference is that they used a lot more egg whites with the salt (12 egg whites to 7 cups of salt – the article said that they recommend a 3 ½ : 1 ratio of salt to egg white) and the magazine used kosher salt instead of coarse sea salt.  Unlike my recipe they also roasted the chicken uncovered.  I think the combination of more egg whites and roasting uncovered made for a browner, stiffer salt shell – but I’m not sure that it made much of a difference in the overall result of the chicken.  According to the article the salt “locks in moisture and insulates it from direct heat”.

The outcome of our Shabbat Chicken?  It was great!  The chicken was incredibly tender and juicy, and not really salty, unless you got a piece of chicken that had a stealth salt granule that I missed when clearing off the salt shell.  While making the chicken, I wondered if there would be a difference in the flavor of chicken roasted using my oven’s “convection roast” mode and chicken with a salt crust.  In the “convection roast” mode air seals the outside of the chicken, and with the Salt Crusted version the salt seals the outside of the chicken.  They actually were very different, which I didn’t expect.  Both are incredibly juicy and flavorful but in different ways.  The convection chicken tastes more “roasted” and the salt chicken is just incredibly moist and flavorful.

All in all, this was an incredibly cool experiment.  I have to imagine that people in Lot’s time, who lived right near the salt filled Dead Sea, probably made this type of chicken a lot!  The Bon Appetit article said that you could even make fish this way…we’ll see…stay tuned….

Salt Crusted Chicken

Note:  Use at least 2 egg whites for this recipe.  You can use more if necessary.  You want the salt to be moist and “snowlike” in order to properly pack around the chicken.

1          3 to 4 pound    chicken, washed then patted dry

7          cups                 coarse sea salt

2          large                 egg whites (or more if necessary)

Preheat oven to 375° F.   Line a baking dish with a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil.

Place the salt in a large bowl.  Add the egg whites and mix until thoroughly combined.  Place some of the salt on the bottom of the pan.  Place the chicken on top of the salt, then completely cover with the moist salt – tightly packing the salt around the chicken.  Tightly cover the chicken with the foil, then bake for an hour and a half.  Remove chicken from the oven and open the foil.  Let rest open for 10 minutes.  Break open the salt shell.  Say a little prayer that the chicken turned out, then remove the skin and serve.

 The ingredients...

Pack the chicken in salt...really!

The crust hardens...

I broke it with a kitchen mallet!

The yummy chicken inside!

It's SO juicy!!

That's a LOT of salt!!

Can't wait to eat it...it's so good!!

Kosherfest product of the Week - Pistachio Chewy Bites from Setton Farms

As I was leaving the house one day this week, I was trying to decide which of the amazing products to write about and also trying to decide what type of snack to grab on my way out.  When I thought of the all natural Pistachio Chewy Bites from Setton Farms – I had the answer to both my questions.  They are delicious and nutritious!  They are made with over 50% pistachios, moist antioxidant cranberries, low glycemic agave nectar, and as they advertise – light and chewy.  I think they are incredibly delicious and a perfect grab & go snack.  Hopefully they are going to be available in stores soon – here is the link on amazon.com.

Look for additional information about Edible Experience Kosher Everyday at www.koshereveryday.com,

aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,

 or on Facebook at Edible Experience by Sharon Matten.

These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!

Congratulations!

KosherEveryday is one of the finalists for the 

2011 CBS Most Valuable Blogger Awards!! 

Kosherfest 2011, Stuffed Peppers & Humus Chicken

Stuffed Peppers!  Fresh,
seasonal, healthy, and delicious!
The experts would approve!!!

Happy Anniversary Kosher Everyday!!!  It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since I began this blog after my inaugural visit to Kosherfest last year.  It’s been such an exciting year and so many incredible things have happened – way beyond my wildest expectations!  Kosher Everyday articles and recipes were quoted and featured in foodiesunite.com, joyofkosher.com, aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine and even bonapetit.com – how cool is that?!!!  Kosher Everyday was even a finalist for the CBS Most Valuable Blogger Awards…incredible!  I’ve had the opportunity to meet incredible “foodies” along the way and I’ve learned so much too!  Thank you so much to all the Kosher Everyday followers.  Your comments and input have been an inspiration to me – keep reading…the best is yet to come!

Kosherfest 2011 Baby!!

Last week was Kosherfest 2011.  I was a little concerned that after my absolutely amazing experience last year, that this year would pale by comparison.  I had seen so many new products last year, and I wondered if it would just be the same old thing and the novelty wouldn’t be there.  Boy was I silly!  This year’s Kosherfest was fan-spankin-tastic!!!  There were still tons of new vendors and products to inspire, and enough new food to taste that I seriously need to watch what I’m eating for a while to take off all the pounds I put on while at Kosherfest 2011!  Some of my favorites from last year were there too – like Gus’s Pickles (this year I didn’t feel the need to prove myself again and tried the excellent regular sour pickles!), and the Mike E’s sauces (loved the new sugar free sesame teriyaki sauce on steak!).  Manischewitz actually came out with a vending machine that dispenses hot, kosher meals to go – it’s like space age technology!  My husband suggested that it might be great for our teenage son’s bedroom, but I nixed the idea…we’d never see my son if he didn’t need to come downstairs to eat!! I also finally solved a (non-life altering) mystery that has been secretly bugging me for a long time – what is the difference between the foil, paper, and brown paper packages of Kojel Non-Flavored gelatin (*see the answer below)?  I had incredible Australian Lamb Stew (YUM!!), wonderful 3 minute rice, awesome cheeses (cousin Tziporah’s favorite was the fresh Parmesan…she was really tempted to buy the whole cheese wheel!!!), incredible pareve ice creams, phenomenal chocolates, and amazing gluten-free products too.  Sabra Humus came out with some fantastic new products this year – frozen ready-to-use pesto and alfredo sauces.  They even had new guacamole (outstanding!), and basil and pesto humus which they recommended spreading on chicken before baking  – Humus Baked Chicken (Check it out…I actually made it this week with spinach and artichoke humus - the basil and pesto wasn’t available yet).  It was great, and I bet the basil and pesto version will be even better! 

Humus Chicken!

Instead of writing a seventeen page description of all the products I saw, I have decided to include a Kosherfest featured product paragraph at the end of future blogs.  There were so many terrific products and I really would like to give each one the attention it deserves.

I finally met some of my fellow Kosher food bloggers like Sarah Lasry (kosherstreet.com), Leah Schapira (cookkosher.com), Brigitte Mizrahi (sincerelybrigitte.com), Shoshana Raff (koshershopaholic.com), and many more.   I also got to meet some of my culinary “hero’s” too, and was able to get personally signed cookbooks from Noreen Gillitz and Levana Kirschenbaum which I will definitely treasure for years to come.  There was also a kosher “Iron Chef” competition, and an informational panel with some of the leading culinary authors/chefs including Levana Kirschenbaum, Jeff Nathan, Suzie Fishbein, Gil Marks and Jamie Geller.  When the panel was asked what the current food trends are they nearly all said that it’s important to use seasonal, fresh, locally grown (if possible) produce and products for the best tasting results.  So, when I got back to Chicago and went to my local mega fruit store and found beautiful, small, yellow peppers on sale – the expert advice I got at Kosherfest resonated with me.  Those cute little peppers were perfect for Stuffed Peppers!  When the peppers are fresh and in season they are incredibly sweet and flavorful when roasted.  Filled with a vegetable, meat, and rice filling they are one of our favorite, and prettiest, Shabbat appetizers.   This dish is also fun to make.  After decapitating the peppers, I then get to disembowel the insides (translates as: cutting off the tops of the peppers and removing the seeds and inside membranes…but it’s not nearly as fun to describe it that way!).  I always make a lot of filling…it makes a great side dish too!

The expert panel!

Me and Jamie Geller!
(This is how I look after a 6 AM flight!)

The kosher vending machine!
Great for the dorm!

I’m already looking forward to Kosherfest 2012 (November 13-14, 2012), and can’t wait to see what fantastic and exciting things (I”H) this upcoming year will bring!

Stuffed Peppers          

I use fresh small (not miniature) peppers for this recipe.  You can use any color pepper, just make sure that any additional peppers you add to the recipe are a different color for a beautiful contrast.  I also make a lot of filling and use the leftovers as a side dish. You can use up to 24 small peppers depending upon the size of the peppers and how much filling you would like to have leftover.  These peppers also freeze well to use at a later time.

12-16   small                colorful peppers (slightly smaller than a tennis ball), stems removed

2          tablespoons      olive oil

1          large                 onion, diced

2          cloves              garlic, minced (or 2 frozen cubes)

2 ½ - 3 pounds             lean ground beef

1          large                 pepper (different color from small peppers), finely diced

1          1.25 ounce       envelope taco seasoning

6          ounce               can tomato paste

3          cups                 cooked brown rice

                                    non-stick vegetable spray

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.  Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray with non-stick vegetable spray.  Set aside.

Slice the tops off of the small peppers. Finely dice the pepper tops, then set aside.  Place the peppers on the prepared cookie sheet.  If the peppers don’t sit nicely on the tray slice a small portion off the bottom or the pepper, being careful not to make a hole on the pepper.  Set the tray aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté until onions are clear.  Add the ground beef and sauté until beef is browned, making sure to break up any large clumps.  Add the diced peppers and sauté for another 2 minutes until peppers are softened.  Add the taco seasoning and tomato paste, stirring until completely blended.  Stir in the cooked brown rice.

Spoon the taco filling into the prepared peppers.  Bake for 30 minutes until the tops are browned.  Serve warm.

Note: This dish is great for the GFE (Gluten Free Eater).  Simply use gluten-free taco seasoning or substitute 1 tablespoon chili powder or your favorite chili sauce.

All the ingredients...

Cut off the tops of the peppers...

 Then dice the pepper tops...

Brown the onions, garlic & beef,

then add the peppers...

Add the taco seasoning...

Mix in the rice...you could

eat it right out of the pan it's 

so good plain!!

Fill the peppers...

then bake!

30 minutes later...

Stuffed Peppers!!

(Can I have two??)

Humus Baked Chicken

2                     chickens, cut into 8^ths skin removed

1          cup      your favorite Sabra Humus (like spinach & artichoke or basil and pesto)

non-stick vegetable spray

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.  Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray with non-stick vegetable spray.  Set aside. 

Place the chicken on the prepared cookie sheet.  Spread the humus on the chicken with a pastry brush making sure to coat completely.  Bake for 60 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.

Note: This dish is great for the GFE (Gluten Free Eater). 

 I used spinach & artichoke humus

but you can use your favorite flavor!

Spread it on the chicken...

So delicious...can't wait to try

the spicy buffalo humus!!!

*The Kojel Packaging Mystery Solved: The answer, given to me by the kind manufacturer at the show, was fascinating.  All gelatin is packaged on the same machines.  When different flavors of gelatin are packaged, in between different flavors the machines are “dry-cleaned”, i.e. no water is used and specific machines are used for specific varieties of flavors.  Each machine has a unique packaging – paper, foil, brown paper.  However, when packaging un-flavored gelatin the machines need to have a “wet-cleaning” to make sure that there are no traces of the flavored gelatin color.  Even a small amount of flavored gelatin would show up in an unflavored, clear, gelatin package.  Therefore the company uses whichever machine happens to be available rather than a specific machine – thus the variation in packaging.  Like I said…fascinating!

Look for additional information about Edible Experience Kosher Everyday at www.koshereveryday.com,

aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,

 or on Facebook at Edible Experience by Sharon Matten.

These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!

Congratulations!

KosherEveryday is one of the finalists for the 

2011 CBS Most Valuable Blogger Awards!! 

Purple Slaw with Carrots & Craisins

A delicious and healthy excuse...

It’s dead.  My faithful kitchen companion that stood by me through kugels, salads and pastries is no more.  My dear, dear food processor that I had had since I got married, stopped working after faithfully making tartlet pastry one fateful day last week.  It was like losing a trusted helper.  Now since a food processor is an inanimate object – I got over it pretty quickly.  I actually had my eye on a sparkly new 14 cup food processor for a number of years but could never justify the purchase because I had my tried and true one.  Once my old processer kicked the bucket I had the perfect excuse to go out and get a shiny new one!  Being the savvy shopper (read cheap) that I am, I searched online and in the newspaper ads for the best price, and finally found a store that had it for nearly half price online.  I then went into Macy’s, where they matched the online price and gave me a 10% discount for being beautiful (read a Macy’s cardholder).  In the end, my new kitchen companion cost me less than half of the retail price and promised great things!!

It really did fit into one bowl...
with room to spare!!

There was no question about what I was making for Shabbat this week – anything processed.  I have a new toy and I wanted to play with it!!  So, this week I made mushroom rice - I sliced the mushrooms with my food processor…something I never do but I had it out and wanted to amuse myself with all the new features of the processor!  I made Potato Kugel – yes, I tossed all the potatoes and onions into the HUGE work bowl all at once.  Aside from the starches that I made, I wanted to make a guilt free salad that I could just pull out of the fridge and nosh on.  Conveniently I also had a beautiful, purple cabbage in my fridge that was dying to be shredded on the “medium shred” setting – and Purple Slaw with Carrots & Craisins came to be.  I cut the cabbage into quarters, ran each quarter and two carrots through the processor, and put it all into a large bowl.  So simple.  I added equal parts of vinegar and Splenda (instead of sugar), the perfect slaw pair, a little mayo, and lots of Craisins (I said healthy but it still had to taste good!).  Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.  Colorful, delicious, and super easy to make. 

My very expensive plaything is now put away in the cabinet waiting the moment when it gets to come out and grind a few things just for the fun of it…I can’t wait either!!

Purple Slaw with Carrots & Craisins

1          small                 puple cabbage, cut into pieces small enough to process

2          medium            carrots, peeled

4          tablespoons      lowfat mayonnaise

½         cup                   white vinegar

½         cup                   Splenda (you can use sugar if you like)

1 ½      cups                 Craisins

Shred the cabbage and carrots in a food processor.  (You can do it by hand too if you like).  Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, and Splenda.  Stir to combine.  Add the Craisins and stir until the Craisins are evenly distributed.  Serve chilled.

All the ingredients...

 All in a bowl...

So pretty on a plate...

yummy and healthy too!!

Look for additional information about Edible Experience Kosher Everyday at www.koshereveryday.com,

aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,

 or on Facebook at Edible Experience by Sharon Matten.

These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!

Congratulations!

KosherEveryday is one of the finalists for the 

2011 CBS Most Valuable Blogger Awards!!