Local Lemons

Leftover Grilled Cheese

Add this to your list of things to do with leftover roasted chicken. It also helps to have a tad of arugula, a few cheeses that are almost gone, and a lone, ripe tomato. Stack all of these things between some whole wheat bread, add a little butter, a swirl of olive oil, and you have a five-star grilled cheese made from kitchen scraps.

I hate throwing things out, so when I clean out the fridge, I always try to make use of all the odds and ends that are hanging on for dear life. I actually look forward to this time of the month, because I always end up finding inventive flavor combinations I wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

For this grilled cheese – and all others actually – cook it slowly. The biggest mistake I see people committing when cooking this American staple is rushing it over high heat. If it gets too hot, the bread will burn, and the cheese will still be hard – especially if you overstuff it, of which I am definitely guilty. For all of my grilled cheeses, I add a little butter inside the sandwich, swirl some olive oil in the pan, cover it and cook on low for at least 15 minutes. Try it on your scrap night – it never fails!

A Slight Tweak on Marcella Hazan's Roasted Chicken with 2 Lemons

I know, I know. This recipe has been talked about, blogged about, maybe even sung about and many of you may be tired of hearing about it. Well, I have found a way to make Marcella Hazan’s chicken just a tad better. That’s right, I said it – her succulent, incredibly tasty roasted chicken can be even better!

It’s not so much the chicken that I changed, but what I cooked with it. A couple of weeks ago, Melissa Clark, food writer for the NYTimes, wrote about bread soaked in the pan drippings of a roasted chicken. Ever since I read her article, I could not get the idea out of my head. Marcella’s chicken, with Melissa’s bread. Perfection.

It’s pretty simple. Place thick slices of bread under the chicken before you put it in the oven, and it all cooks together. Melissa suggested brushing the bread with olive oil, salt and pepper, but I just left them plain. She used ciabatta bread, but I chose a sourdough baguette, that I sliced on the diagonal. I thought the crust on the baguette would stand up to all the delectable juices better than the softer ciabatta. The result? Crunchy in some places, soft in others, and delicious everywhere. I think I ate more bread than chicken.

Serve this with some bright vegetables to add some color to the poultry and bread. Some steamed broccoli drizzled with olive oil and crushed red pepper would be ideal.

Salt & Pepper Drumettes over Roasted Reds

It always amazes me how the most simple chicken recipes always turn out the best. This was a lesson I learned from Marcella Hazan, one of my favorite chefs. As long as you buy high-quality, happy chickens, there is little you have to do for it to turn out juicy and delicious.

Roasting is probably the way I prepare chicken most often, and because of that I've picked up a few tricks along the way. First, always make sure your chicken is DRY. Pat it down thoroughly after you wash it. This is true for vegetables too - if you wash them right before cooking, dry them with a cloth before putting them in the oven. Second, put your tray in the upper-middle of your oven. If it's too close to the bottom everything will cook unevenly.

I didn't have much on hand when I made this, but the combination of tomatoes, peppers and onions was really all the chicken needed, and the final dish was definitely worth blogging about. I almost thought this recipe was too simple to post, but I didn't want to deprive you of a perfect alternative to the chicken dish you make most often. Served with some brown rice to soak up the juices, and you have a super easy happy chicken recipe.

Traditional Ajiaco Soup

I hate to admit it, but when Alejandro woke up sniffling and sneezing, I was more excited at the idea of making Ajiaco than I was concerned for his well being. Does that make me a bad person?

Ajiaco is the Colombian soup of Alejandro's childhood. It's a thick potato, corn and chicken soup, served with avocado, fresh cream and capers. What makes this soup so different from those with similar ingredients are the specifics - including the papas criollas and the cream that you use as a garnish. Papas criollas are small, yellow potatoes that grow in high altitudes and dissolve in the soup to thicken it up. If you have a Latin American grocer nearby, start your shopping there.