It's been a moderately lazy weekend which has been lovely. Friday we met with somebody about the Judi's trust for the boys and then refinanced our house, knocking our monthly payment down about $100 and saving ourselves about $36,000 over the life of the loan. Got home totally unprepared for our dinner guests but luckily they are understanding and kind. Given the iffy, rainy weather we cooked and ate inside. I made a dish that I had made the week before and been happy with. This time I gave it more time to marinate and it was even better...and the leftovers better yet. It's a Nigella Lawson from the Food Network that I found just because I had chicken to cook and wanted to use some of those nice fresh Italian sausages we had gotten at Volpi's in St. Louis.
Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson
(Copyright 2004, Feast, Hyperion, All Rights Reserved)
Show: Nigella Feasts Episode: Weekend Wonders
- 1 large onion or 2 small onions
- 1/2 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
- 2 teaspoons English mustard
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 lemon
- 1 (4-pound) chicken, jointed into 10 pieces
- 12 sausages
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped
Peel and cut the onion into eighths, and put into a freezer bag with the oil, mustard, dried sage, a good grinding of pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cut lemon in half, squeeze juice into bag, and then cut the halves into eighths and add them. Squidge everything around to mix (the mustard needs help to combine) and then add the chicken pieces. Leave to marinade in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature in its marinade.
Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting tin skin side up with the marinade, including all the bits and pieces, and tuck the sausages around them. Sprinkle the fresh sage leaves over the chicken and sausages and then put the tin into the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the sausages over half way through to color them evenly.
Arrange the chicken and sausages on a large platter.
It's obviously one of those incredibly forgiving recipes....I didn't have dried sage but used a bit more fresh....you could use other herbs as well. I probably used a bit more lemon then called for because I love lemon....the dry mustard is a must----I think wet mustard would get lost with everything else. Also, I only cooked mine an hour because well....that's when it was done. Not exactly a summer recipe unless you're in the a/c on a rainy day as we were but it's definitely something we'll do again.
We just had a baguette with it and a lovely green salad that Mary brought----nice greens, little radish slices and a great salad dressing----equal parts orange juice concentrate, rice wine vinegar and vegetable oil. It was great----light and tangy and sweet. I really liked it----it would be great over vegetables too.
Oh, and I gotta say....I know I have some friends that are very good pie bakers----Ann, Boo....but I think the gauntlet has been thrown down because Mary brought the BEST cherry pie EVER. EVER.