Mod Ozzfest 2013 -- Australian Fry-Up with Spicy Bacon

(This recipe accompanies Naked Vine New Year 2013 -- A Taste of Australia.)

• Eggs
• Toast
• Baked Beans
• Bacon
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the bacon slices on the paper in a single layer. In a small skillet, combine the honey, coriander and cayenne and cook over high heat until melted, about 1 minute. Brush the spiced honey on one side of the bacon and bake for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, depending on the thickness and fattiness of the bacon, until sizzling and browned. Transfer the bacon to paper towels, glazed side up, to drain and cool slightly. 

Meanwhile, make your eggs and toast however you like. Heat the beans. Serve.

Me and the [Roasted] Bean – Curried Cauliflower & Beans in Lemon Yogurt Sauce

Some of you may know that the Sweet Partner in Crime and I were out for my birthday dinner last night. We did the “tasting menu” at Hugo, which was an absolutely divine experience to kick off my year #40. The next morning, we remained stuffed (8 courses was a challenge -- but what a divine challenge!). We decided it’d be a good idea to have something relatively light the next day.

I saw a recipe in a Food & Wine that looked good, but with my level of energy and motivation that evening, there were a couple of steps too many. I didn't need to make my own croutons or cook down a bunch of spices. I tried to make the recipe as foolproof as possible. What I ended up with was a pretty scrumptious vegetarian meal. Lots of fiber here, my friends…

• 1 good sized head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1/2 a red onion, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 2” pieces
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 c. plain yogurt (I used Dannon, but the original recipe calls for Greek)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 c. minced fresh cilantro or 1 tbsp. dried
• croutons

Preheat the oven to 425. Put the cauliflower and onion strips together in a bowl. Add about 3 tbsp. olive oil, the curry powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Put into a baking pan, sprayed with nonstick spray.
Put the beans in the same bowl. Add another tsp. of oil. Mix well. Put in a smaller baking pan, also sprayed.
Put both pans in the oven and roast, stirring a couple of times, until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned (about 15 min for the beans, 25 for the cauliflower mixture).

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper.

When the veggies are roasted tender, put into bowl and stir to combine. Add a handful of croutons and stir again.
Plate up the veggies. Drizzle with the sauce. Chow down.

Simmer Overture (chicken thighs in orange-mustard sauce w/roasted potatoes, carrots & green beans)

I’ve focused a lot on meals you can make when you’re in a hurry, but what if you’re lucky enough to find yourself with a little extra time on your hand? Sure, you could go into a long, involved cooking session, but why not make something you can just check on while you’re doing other things?

I was poking around Epicurious to find something that might tickle my palate and I stumbled across a chicken thigh recipe that looked fairly interesting. I snagged the ingredients for it and a couple of sides.

In case you don’t know, chicken thighs are the bomb. Any recipe that calls for chicken breasts, I often will substitute thighs. Why? The meat’s juicier and more tender. Sure, you have to deal with an extra 70 calories, but pull the skin, trim the fat, and take a walk around the block afterwards. It’s one of the few things in the world that’s cheaper but tastes better. Worth the trouble.

So, your shopping list for this:

• 6-8 chicken thighs, skin removed and fat trimmed
• 1/2 c. orange juice
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. stone ground mustard
• 2 tsp. Tabasco
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. Creole seasoning
• 1 1/2 lb. new potatoes, cut into chunks (I used gold, red would be prettier)
• baby carrots
• 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 tsp. dried
• 1/2 a small onion, chopped
• minced garlic
• 3/4 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved if large
• olive oil (I’m going to start leaving this out. If you don’t have this in your kitchen by now, there’s no hope for you.)

Preheat oven to 425. Put the potatoes, onion, & carrots in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Stir the lot to coat. Put it in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring about every 15 .

Whisk together the orange juice, broth, mustard, Tabasco, honey, and Creole seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken thighs with salt & pepper on both sides and put in skillet. Brown on both sides for about 3 minutes, then add the juice/broth mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, flipping the chicken after 10. Check for doneness. If the chicken is done, remove from heat. If not, simmer until it is. (Start this step around the time you’ve stirred the potatoes & carrots for the second time.)

Meanwhile, put the beans in a small roasting pan and add a couple of cloves of minced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir it all together. When the potatoes have cooked for 45 minutes, take them out of the oven. Add a splash of olive oil and the rosemary to the potatoes. Stir. Put both the potatoes and beans back in the oven for 15 minutes.

If you want, you can take the chicken out of the sauce, boil the sauce down, and make a thicker version. Myself, I just plated everything up and ladled a little of the sauce over the chicken and splashed the beans with it. Making the liquid into an actual sauce would be very tasty, though. If you take the time to reduce the sauce, throw the chicken back in there at the end for a minute to warm it back up.

You’ll end up with something like this. Looks tasty, no?