Meryl Streep’s easy roasted chicken

Photo from Glamour Mag

Last night I made Meryl Streep’s easy roasted chicken. The recipe was featured in Glamour magazine (on newsstands now), How to Make a Roast Chicken Last a Workweek by Meryl Streep. Original recipe stemmed from Mrs. Child, but since the article was by Streep and she makes it, I call it her chicken.

I didn’t really get the concept of easy/basic, because I’ve made roasted chicken a million times.

As I was following directions all I was thinking is, this is definitely not what I’m use to. And I wish I could meet Meryl Streep so I can teach her how to make roasted chicken the Puerto Rican way. Where you season with adobo, stuff with whatever you got, rub with butter, then throw it in the pot for the allotted time.

These are some fun highlights I have from making this dish:

1: Truss chicken

The article said truss chicken if you feel ambitious; well I did. After visiting a couple of sites like Mahalo.com and YouTube I memorized the skill. When I was actually doing the Truss of the chicken—I forgot everything, was completed confused and I basically just tied the bird until it did not move.

2: Preheat the oven

This was the first time I put my “Tim Love” cast iron pot in the oven. My boyfriend asked if I have a roasting button on my stove; I said no but assured him every time I put something in my oven I hit the please don’t explode prayer button. My oven is off by about 25 degrees or so. I have to check the temperature every 15 minutes to make sure its right (using a handy meat thermometer my mom gave me—thanks mom).

3: Brown the chicken

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in pot. After lay chicken, breast side down. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes, regulating heat so butter does not burn. Turn onto other side and continue browning and turning. “And do not break the skin!” Meryl said.

I broke the skin. After turning the skin ripped on the bottom of the bird.

While making this chicken I was seriously worried it was not going to taste good or have enough flavor. But it was so delicious and juicy; we were amazed and kept saying, “This is basic chicken—so good”.

It did use a lot of butter. I guess the healthy part comes where you really do have enough chicken for a few more meals.

I learned that drying chicken after you clean it really does make a difference. This helps with the browning, although mine wasn’t that brown it was kind of naked looking. Maybe next time.

There are many more steps as you can imagine. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Remedy

When you’re having a bad day my suggestion is to cook something. But cook something you would not think of making on your normal day.

Cooking something you’re unfamiliar with forces you to concentrate on what you are making and not other things that might be going on. Also, cooking something new usually takes more time.

Today I tried asparagus frittata. I came across the original recipe from the NY Times health section. And watched a Mark Bittman (NY times) video one morning; where he made it look so easy. Then I changed the recipe a bit. Used soymilk instead of milk and no cheese. That’s the great thing about a frittata you can make it with what you have. After all we can’t run to the store every time we don’t have something; we need to improvise.

I had with a side of some cherry tomatoes.

It came out tasty, very tasty. But it fell to pieces. It could have been because I don’t have a fancy heavy 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet, that I can place in the oven. But either way it tasted good. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out for you.

Asparagus Frittata

5 thin or medium stalks asparagus, trimmed

4 large or extra-large eggs

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon low-fat milk – I used soy milk

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated Parmesan – Deleted I don’t eat milk

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, dill, chives, tarragon, or a combination (I included cilantro and parsley)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Steam the asparagus until tender, about 5 minutes. Refresh with cold water, and pat dry. Cut into 1/2-inch slices and set aside.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Beat in the milk, salt, pepper, and herbs. Stir in the asparagus and the Parmesan if using.

3. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet. Hold your hand above it; it should feel hot. Drop a bit of egg into the pan and if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Swirl the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking. Turn the heat down to low and cover the pan. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan every once in a while, until the frittata is just about set. Meanwhile, light the broiler.

4. If the frittata is not quite set on the top, place under the broiler, about 3 inches from the heat, for 1 minute, watching closely, until just beginning to color on the top. Do not allow the eggs to brown too much or they’ll taste bitter. Remove from the heat, allow to sit in the pan for 5 minutes or longer, then carefully slide out onto a platter, or cut in wedges in the pan. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.

Soba Noodles

Yesterday I decided to visit Brooklyn Heights for some written inspiration.

My first stop was the Connecticut Muffin cafe. They have free Wi-Fi, which we all love right? Yes. Well the connection was just horrible. It took way too long for pages to load. I got it working long enough to drink my latte and email my friends about the new site I launched for my sisters business the other day.

For lunch I stumbled upon a place called Vegetarian Ginger, “Vegan Healthy Food” on Montague Street. Don’t be afraid, vegan just means no animal products. No worries its still tasty, trust me.

Honestly I don’t know why people are afraid of vegan food? Yeah, I understand they don’t know what’s in it, but do you really know the ingredients inside Chicken McNuggets from MC-D’s? Think about that.

So, there was a sign outside that read “$5.95 lunch special”. Hmm, I can handle that.

The dish: I tried the stir-fried Soba Noodles w/ veggies and tofu. This comes with a choice of soup; I choose Miso.

What came:

What you're going to get for $5.95 is small-portioned plate, similar to the size of a small Chinese food box (the amount of food inside the box of coarse). The amount is just a little less, but just enough to energize you and fill you up. A healthy portion.

What I thought about the food, price and service.

If you are looking for a dish with chunks of veggies, this isn’t the one. It’s made with shredded cabbage, slivers of tofu, bean sprouts and chopped up snow peas. Made in a light brown sauce. I’m not a big fan of snow peas so I didn’t mind that they were chopped to small pieces. Turns out I like them better that way.

The trick to this meal was I didn’t buy the “healthy drinks” the waitress was pushing. $2.25 to $4.25 a pop for the juices on the menu. Plus juices tend to be high in even natural sugars, etc.

Its best to let your food digest, and have juice or fruit later as a snack. This way your calorie intake is smaller. And you save money on the bill. Total bill $7.48.

Overall the service is nice and everyone said thank you as I left the restaurant.

Extra nutritional info: Soba noodles are brownish buckwheat noodles from Japan. They have a nutty flavor, rich in protein and fiber. They are good cold and warm. I like to have about a ½ cup 45 minutes before I work out. They give me energy.

Why didn't I think of this sooner?

While thinking about what I should eat for lunch today, I thought of something I could write about. Food. I love to eat and cook. In-fact I think about food all the time. What if I were to write a blog about eating and cooking healthy on a budget? I’m constantly looking for opportunities to cook and/or eat out.

My problem is money. When you want to make a dish from a cookbook or from a TV show, you have to have cash to spend. One type of food I love the most is Spanish food. I am Hispanic, but I can’t cook Spanish food. We’ll I can—but I would not dare serve it to anyone else. When I want rice and beans I usually just order. Although local Spanish food tends to be delicious at a low cost, the portions are big and not very figure flattering.

I would like to add that this is a constant conversation between my boyfriend and I. He who didn’t know avocados and guacamole are related. He loves to eat cheap and mostly thinks that cheap food has to be unhealthy; most people think that way.

So here I am. It’s hard to eat in and out on a very strict grocery budget. How will I stay healthy, cook healthy and stay fed on little cash.

Lets see...