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Roasted orange chicken with fennel

This is my new favourite chicken recipe. It is a more winter-y recipe since it has oranges and fennel, both more in season in winter, but I just had to try it. The original recipe calls for blood oranges but I couldn’t find them in June. In my opinion any kind of oranges would work.

prep time 15min     cook time 45 min
ingredients for 6
  • 1,2 kg chicken thighs or pieces
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons flour
  • 1-2 fennel bulbs
  • 1 big onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 3 oranges
  • big handful of olives of your choice
  • rosemary sprig
  • a cup of chicken stock (or water)
  • half a cup of white wine
  • salt and pepper

1. Turn on the oven to 175 degrees.

1.  Brown the skin-on pieces of chicken in a hot pan in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and let  simmer for a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate. Sprinkle with flour. Remove the chicken and the juices to a large glass ovenproof pan.

2. Slice the fennels, save the fronds for garnish, slice the carrots, peel and chop the onions and garlic and add to the pan.

3. Peel two of the oranges with a sharp knife and segment them taking care of removing all the white pith and also the membranes. Add the segments and also the juice of the third orange to the pan.

4. Add the olives, rosemary and pour the chicken stock over the chicken.

5. Place in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through.

6. Serve with rice, quinoa or couscous.

FOR GLUTEN-FREE option use appropriate flour

BUON APPETITO!

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Italian frisella

Italian frisella is a quick and light lunch option, or a light dinner option too for that matter, if you are not in a mood to cook anything.  There are many options for the topping: tomatoes, tuna, anchovy, feta or other cheese or even grilled vegetables. My favorite ones are with tomatoes and tuna or tomatoes and feta with olives and capers thrown here and there.

prep time 10 minutes
ingredients for 1 frisella
  • 1 frisella
  • 80g tuna, broken into bits
  • 5-6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 2-3 artichoke hearts in oil, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • a handful of capers
  • salt
  • dried oregano

1. Soak the frisella under a running cold water for 15 seconds and put in on a plate.

2. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the toppings with some salt, a little more olive oil and oregano.

BUON APPETITO!

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Tuna potato salad

I love potatoes, well I should since I am a Finn! This tuna potato salad is perfect for these sunny summer days. It is easy to make in advance, great for a main course or as a side dish if you have planned a big lunch. Easy to make and bring to a party too.

prep time 15 min
ingredients for 6
  • 1 kg potatoes, boiled in advanced with skin on
  • 160-180g of tuna
  • 3 hard boiled eggs
  • 3-4 tablespoons capers
  • 4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4-5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • fresh loose leaf parsley and thyme to garnish
  • salt and pepper

optional add-ons:

  • artichoke hearts in oil/vinegar
  • pickled cucumbers
  • sweet corn
  • boiled green beans
  • cannellini beans
  • cucumbers
  • olives

1. Peel and cut cold potatoes into cubes and start adding them to a large mixing/salad bowl. I make this salad in layers.

2. Season with salt and pepper to taste and a few tablespoons of olive oil and a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Red wine vinegar tends to colour the potatoes.

3. Add the tuna, broken into smallish bits, the capers and one or more of the optional ingredients if using. This time I used artichoke hearts, cannellini beans and a few leftover mini pickled cucumbers.

4. Add another layer of the ingredients and season each layer with salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar to your taste and keep layering until you are finished with the ingredients.

5. Garnish with hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges and sprinkle with chopped parsley and thyme. Let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes and then serve at room temperature.

tip: I don’t toss the salad in order not to break up the potato pieces.

tip: As for any potato salad, make sure to use yellow-fleshed waxy potatoes, not the ‘mealy’ kind you would use for gnocchi or baked potatoes. So new potatoes, Red Bliss and Yukon Golds are all good choices, while Russets are not.

BUON APPETITO!

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Farfalle pasta with smoked salmon, zucchini and tomatoes

Another quick and delicious pasta recipe. I make this all year round but cherry tomatoes are now ripe and at their sweetest and of course more affordable.

prep time 10 min     cook time 10 min
ingredients for 4
  • 400g farfalle pasta or pasta of your choice
  • 200g smoked salmon
  • 2 zucchini, cut in rounds
  • 12-14 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 garlic glove
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • parsley to garnish

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions but drain it 2 minutes before it is cooked. Save a glass of the pasta water.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over medium high and add  garlic clove and let cook for a few minutes before adding tomatoes cut in half. Cook them for a few minutes at high heat, don’t forget to add some salt and pepper.

3. Add the zucchini rounds to the pan and let cook for a few minutes. Don’t cook too long, the zucchini should be a little crunchy.

4. Add the salmon cut in small pieces and let it cook only for 1-2 minutes until it has changed colour.

5. When the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the pan, mix thoroughly with the condiment and let simmer for 1-2 minutes.

6. Serve with some chopped loose leaf parsley.

BUON APPETITO!