From the top, I want to express a moment of gratitude for the new subscribers, welcome, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Please let me know if you have any questions before we begin.
In recent news about the brownie video I posted on instagram and tiktok, let’s start there first. If you want a new version of brownies in your life, please try Chris Morocco’s “Triple-Chocolate Brownie.” The recipe is available on the Bon Appetit website. I made these brownies to bring over to a friends house. The precursor to the brownies were nachos. We paired this with episodes of “Catfish” on MTV. Theres something about human trickery and indulgent rubbish that induces relaxation the body requires. I would make this recipe again.
Since moving into my own spot this year, I knew that setting up my place would come in waves. When I first moved in, my friends were surprised at how quickly I settled in. I didn't have the items that are shown in the photo above. The chairs, mat, and table(s) are all new additions. I had a vision and I knew by April I would feel *relatively* moved in. I achieved my goal. My next phase is painting on a large canvas’ again. I love the rush when a palette knife is smeared with fine oils or acrylics bound in various mediums. I trust the process and I believe in myself.
I went to Culinary School and it was all a ruse. A couple of student loans later and I left school having never caressed an Artichoke. Upon graduating, I could probably only tell you a handful of ways to serve eggplant. Cooking on your own and remaining curious about the product and the process is what fuels my desire to foster a relationship with food and cooking. Culinary School was like most things around my early twenties, just gathering information. Work and life were still in development. After moving around frequently, some friends that knew me well insisted that I prioritize having a home kitchen. I would hear over the phone, “What about getting a place with a good kitchen,” “You know you’re going to want to cook, I can’t believe you went that long without a kitchen.” I had denied myself the thing that has always given me clarity and fulfillment, cooking.
“I’ve been called the Daniel Day Lewis of dinner, the Parker Posey of pots and pans.”
When I think about cooking I like to think about “Method Acting.” There’s a dance, a feeling, a moment you’re attempting to capture. The music, the clothes, the seasonality, the weather, the company all harmonize with cooking. The recipe = the script. The ingredients = the cast. The setting = the production. The cook = the actor. Having a knack for entertainment, the act of cooking is performative and in my opinion art. My word choice was deliberate when I said, “act of cooking.” A lot of people cook; but to engage senses, to heighten awareness, to lead with intuition is next to divinity.
This weeks recipe is Half Roasted Chicken with Prosciutto, Sage, and Capers. The dish is like Saltimbocca in its essence, but it gets a zippy finish with red wine vinegar. If you love vinegar, this is a dish where you can really go for it. Each ingredient is not more important than the other. Like most great movies, sometimes you never really know just how great it was until later. At the recipe’s core its a humble chicken dish giving the performance of a lifetime.
Roasted Chicken with Prosciutto, Sage & Capers
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Half Chicken-bone in, brought to room temperature (have the butcher slice a whole chicken in half for you).
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb prosciutto, thinly sliced
10-15 whole leaves of sage
2 tbsp Salted Capers, rinsed of their salt
2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar, the best you can get
Method:
Preheat your oven to 425ºF.
In a large (oven safe) sauté pan, preheat to medium-high. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season liberally with kosher salt. When the pan is hot, add olive oil. Place the chicken skin-side down into the oil . Leave the chicken alone for at least 8-10 minutes. If the noise and action seems dramatic, lower the heat slightly. We are achieving golden color on the skin in this step.
Turn the chicken over and place the pan in your oven. The chicken should take about 15-20 minutes. When the chicken is done, the flesh will be firm to the touch. Do check the leg portion to ensure that it is cooked thoroughly. Allow the chicken to rest on a plate or tray.
Using the same pan with the fat used to cook the chicken, return the pane to the stove and turn the heat to medium. In small batches add the prosciutto to the pan, avoid crowding. Crisp the prosciutto, this step is quick. Remove prosciutto from the pan and gently lace over the resting chicken. Add in your sage leaves and fry until crispy. Both the prosciutto and the sage will continue to crisp post-fry, so pull on the earlier side. Lastly, add in your capers and bloom in the fragrant fat. The capers will open up like little flower buds. Spoon the fried capers over the chicken.
Turn off the heat and while the pan is still hot add the red wine vinegar. Stand back because the vapors from the vinegar can be intense. Allow the whole mixture to thicken and reduce slightly, season with cracked pepper.
Plate your chicken with the prosciutto, sage, and capers all cozied together. Spoon the warm vinegar sauce over the chicken and serve.
yum we will make the chicken and salad when in 29!