Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice, by Diane

This was our main course for our cooking the countries theme, this week being Israel- more specifically Jerusalem. This recipe was SUCH a hit. Neither of us could believe it had come from our kitchens, and it was absolute comfort food. My friend will usually only have 2 or so bites of chicken in a sitting and she wound up eating two whole pieces herself! This would be wonderful to serve to guests as it looks and tastes impressive but actually involves very little work. This dish just tasted like a warm hug, and will definitely be on rotation.

This recipe called for barberries, which are traditional to the area. I subbed in currants and they were fantastic with the dish, but next time I'd like to attempt the more traditional route. If using barberries, soak them in water and sugar for a bit ahead of time to tone down the tartness. There was also an option to eat this dish with warm greek yogurt mixed with olive oil as a topping, which I declined (it's in the recipe if you're interested!).

Ingredients:

4 tbsp EVOO
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 lbs chicken (I used breasts but thighs would work well here)
Salt and pepper
10 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 2/3 basmati rice
1/8-1/4 cup currants (I like the little pops of sweetness so I did 1/4)
2 1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tbsp flat parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


Directions:

1. Place the chicken in a large bowl, and add in 2 tbsp EVOO, 1 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Massage into the chicken and set aside.

2. Heat a large saucepan to medium heat, add in the remaining 2 tbsp of EVOO and the onions, stirring often for 15 minutes until caramelized. Remove the onions and set aside.

3. Add the chicken, spices, and oil to the pan. Sear the chicken 5 minutes on each side until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan, keeping a thin film of oil.

4. Add the rice, onions, currants, 1 tsp salt, and black pepper to the pan. Stir well for one minute.

5. Return the chicken to the pan, pressing it down into the rice. Pour the boiling water over the mixture and cover tightly.

6. Cook on low for 30 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time.

7. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from heat, uncover, and quickly place a tea towel over the rice before re-covering with the lid. Let the rice stay off the heat undisturbed for another 10 minutes.

8. After 10 minutes, remove the cover and add in the fresh herbs. Fluff the rice with a fork as you mix them through. Top with warm yogurt mixture if desired.

Roasted Asparagus and Preserved Lemon Salad, by Diane

Our cooking the countries continues! This weekend our country was Israel, specifically from the Jerusalem area. This was the first dish we made, and it was outstanding. It tasted incredibly fresh and was a great chilled summer salad. I would easily have eaten this as a meal on it's own! Plus it came together really quick, and had minimal cooking which is ideal in this heat. You can use either goat or feta cheese in this dish- although feta may be more traditional the goat cheese got extra creamy when combined with the dressing and it was a definite hit. This dish would also be perfect with chicken or salmon on top.

The twist in this dish was the addition of preserved lemon. To make preserved lemon you simply store lemon slices (peel on) in a mason jar packed with salt and lemon juice. You can make this up to a week ahead of time, but I did it a day ahead and it was fine. For this dish since I only needed a little, I used 1/2 a lemon cut into 3 slices, and made sure to massage the salt into the lemons before I stored it overnight. If you don't want to do this regular lemons will work just fine- or you can cheat and simply rub salt into lemons and use them within a few minutes. If you make the lemons in advance, the salt breaks down the peel and softens it so it's good to eat, so you can eat the whole lemon in this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 lb fresh asparagus, ends trimmed and cut in half
EVOO
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp preserved lemons, rough cut
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese
Fresh lemon juice


Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400, and line a baking tray with parchment paper (mine filled two baking trays since I didn't want to overcrowd the asparagus).

2. Place asparagus and preserved lemons onto the tray(s), drizzle with EVOO, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Roast for 7 min and remove from the oven to cool. Save the pan drippings in a bowl for the dressing.

4. While the asparagus and lemon cool, toast the pistachios in a pan until fragrant and set aside.

5. Finish the dressing with some remaining preserved lemon juice, fresh lemon juice, and add extra EVOO, salt or pepper if desired.

6. Toss the cooled asparagus and lemons with the tomatoes, then top with dressing, pistachios, and cheese.