Rosemary & Mushroom Fried Chicken

My kids love fried chicken and this version satisfies even the most discerning of tastes! I boil the chicken legs first in salted water, that way I don't have to fry them for a long cooking time in oil. They are very moist with this preparation and are always cooked through to the bone! We use whatever ingredients we have on hand for a tastey drumstick treat and always make a big batch for next day breakfast and lunch leftovers. Yes you heard me correctly.. I love dinner for breakfast and my mom still recalls me eating cold breaded veal cutlets straight from the fridge! :) For this preparation I sauteed minced garlic, parsley, rosemary and shallots together, then tossed in slices of crimini mushrooms and a few olives I had on hand. When saute time was complete I drizzled a few splashes of a white wine.. not a lot, just enough for some added flavor dimension.
Ingredients
2 Pkgs. Chicken Legs
Large Pot of Water
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
1 Tbs. Minced Shallots
1 Large Sprig Fresh Rosemary Chopped
1/2 Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
7 Crimini Mushrooms Sliced
1/2 Cup pitted Kalamata Olives (optional)
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Paprika
Kosher Salt to taste
Sauvignon Blanc

Preparations
Clean and prepare your chicken ahead of time. Fill stock pot with enough water to just cover chicken. Add around 1 - 2 tablespoons of salt. Taste your water to make sure it's seasoned correctly! You can replace salt with bouillon if you would like more flavor. Boil chicken until cooked through. Drain water from pot and keep chicken warm.

Meanwhile, mince your garlic and shallots. Finely chop parsley and rosemary. Slice crimini mushrooms. If you decide to add olives slice or leave them whole, it really makes little difference. In small sauce pan with a little bit of olive oil saute garlic and shallots, add chopped parsley and rosemary, crimini mushrooms and olives. When ingredients are at a wilted stage drizzle a few tablespoons of white wine. Cook for two minutes, take off heat and set aside.

Heat a large skillet. Add around 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place chicken in pan and season with freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. There should be enough flavor from boiling the chicken in the seasoned water, so salt probably won't be needed. Shake some paprika on chicken for color.. browning with paprika makes for beautiful color! Toss a sprig of rosemary on top of chicken during cooking process. Cook till a golden crust is obtained all over the chicken. This step is quick and really for the beautiful crust you get on the chicken.. the chicken should already be cooked through.
When browning is almost complete remove rosemary sprig and add the saute ingredients. Cook and toss long
enough to coat chicken well with the ingredients. The smell of mushrooms and fresh rosemary is outrageous! Simple..yes? :) Buon Appetito,
Laurie

Orange Roughy with Sauteed Olives, Capers & Tomatoes

"This is my entry into the event supporting
"O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month"

I applaud our community of food bloggers with hearts open wide to the needs and concerns of fellow foodies so dear and close Globally! In this day and age, in a world so "Me" focused, it is an honor and privilege to say yes to the call to support a cause like Ovarian Cancer Awareness! Thank you to Jenn of "The Leftover Queen", Michelle of "Bleeding Espresso" and Sarah of "Ms Adventures in Italy", for hosting this event!

And with a special prayer of support for Gina DePalma and her family;
"The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace".

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found in an old Bon Appétit magazine by Chef Candida Sportiello. The modifications I made to this recipe were a reduction of the red pepper flakes eliminating some of the heat, and adding capers and white wine at the end of the saute period! It is such a fabulous and tasty dish I didn't feel it needed much in the way of change at all.. She is quite the chef and restaurateur!

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Orange Roughy fillets
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, whole
1/8 cup Capers
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. Sauvignon Blanc

Preparation
Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add half of fish to skillet and sauté until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Repeat with remaining fish. Add parsley and crushed red pepper to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, capers and garlic; sauté until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2 minutes. Spash a few tablespoons of wine and season with salt and pepper as needed; spoon over fish.

I had made saffron rice with this but while I was pre paring to take photo's I completely forgot to plate it. :) It also was yummy!