Strawberry Jam and Spatchcocked Chicken

This was my second and much more successful attempt at jam-making. We picked our own strawberries at a local farm, and as it was the end of the season and they were rather ripe, I dropped everything to can them when we got home. So, I followed the directions on the recipe for Sure-Jell, but this time I added almost double the pectin, and I did everything in the proper order. Simple delicious and they make a great gift. However, there probably won't be any around to give away by Christmas. I felt like my grandma was there with me when I had my first PB and J. Growing up, my grandma would always make freezer jam for me and I loved it. I even complained if my mother tried to put store-bought jelly in my lunch.

Spatchcocked Chicken

I was introduced to this method of cooking by a magazine. Basically, you spatchcock the chicken, meaning you turn it over and cut out the spine along each side, so you are left with a cowardly, spineless chicken. Then you flip it over and flatten it out. There are so many advantages to cooking it this way, one being that it cooks evenly and more quickly than other methods. So your white meat and dark meat won't dry out.

Here is what I did: Stuff the chicken with slices of lemon and cold herbed butter under the skin (probably about a 3/4 stick of butter), season with salt and pepper. Add favorite vegetables, tossed with olive oil to the pan. I used red potatoes and onion, but I suppose carrots, celery or squash would work too. Roast on 325 until juices run clear and thermometer reads proper temperature.

Now you are probably wondering how to make herb butter. Easy. Soft butter + your favorite herbs. You can mix it by hand, make small or large amounts, or even use the food processor. I like parsley, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, and chives. Add a little of each at a time to your own taste. It keeps for weeks in the coldest part of your fridge. Great on steaks too!

Eggplant Not-Parmesan and Two other Tales

Eggplant is my new favorite vegetable. I've been making variations of this dish for a few months now. I believe that this dish is a combination of so many things that I can now call it my own. So here we go. Ingredients are in red, so they match the sauce.

Eggplant, about 5-7 small, Italian eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick, salted and roasted. Sliced eggplant should be salted to remove excess water and bitterness. I do mine with coarse sea salt in a colander for about 20 minutes. Italian eggplant tends to be less bitter but you can use any variety of eggplant.

Roast eggplant drizzled with olive oil on baking sheets for about 10-20 minutes, switch them about halfway through to ensure they will finish at the same time.

Alright, the sauce for this one happens to be a simple marinara sauce.
Two 28 oz. cans of San Marzano tomatoes and two cloves of garlic pulsed in a food processor. Cook over medium heat with about 2 tbsp olive oil, for 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add about 1 handful of chopped basil, cook for another 5 minutes or so over medium heat.

Now, leave the oven on 350, and in a 9x12 pan, spread a layer of sauce on bottom. You can start your water for your pasta here, too. Layer eggplant with sauce and sliced fresh mozzarella, and about 1/2 cup of a grated hard cheese like Parmesan or Romano. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the mozzarella just begins to brown. Serve with a pound of your favorite pasta, fresh grated cheese at the table and if you are like me, a few dashes of crushed red pepper.

I just wanted to share these strawberries that we picked at a local farm, the same one where the eggplant for this recipe came from.
Here I made black raspberry jam, it was my first attempt at jamming. The recipe came from the box of Sure Jell. I would have probably used more pectin if I had not already misread the directions and headed down the slippery slope to runny jam. It did thicken up a bit but not as much as I had hoped. However it is more than edible and I was able to use it in an ice cream recipe. The blackberries came from Costco, if anyone was wondering.