Intro
Pardon me while I gush for a moment. You see, I feel like I’ve been waiting for years to hold this book in my hand and to get downright giddy in my admiration for the lady who wrote it. I’m talking about Seven Spoons
Tara and I have both been at this blogging gig for quite sometime now. In fact we joke that we are practically the grandmothers of this field. We have walked through unchartered waters when there were just a few of us, all friends, all figuring it out as we went along.
We also have two boys right around the same ages so we have spent hours discussing their mutual love of Star Wars and the pains of stepping on misplaced legos.
We both longed to write cookbooks, eager to put our voice into the into the world of books amid the likes of some of our mutually admired predecessors. To put recipes onto a tangible page that our readers could stain in their own kitchens. At just about the same time we both had that opportunity. Together we talked about the insecurity of it all, the excitement in recipes gone right and the fear that comes with putting something you love so deeply out into the world. She would go out of her way to encourage me deeply through my own fears and even though we had practically an entire country that separates us I could feel and hear her cheers from my tiny kitchen.
Now her book, Seven Spoons
I served our dinner with whipped hummus from the book; Rose Water and Orange Blossoms
The images are striking, simple and pull you immediately into the food. The recipes are classic with twists that get me fluttery with excitement and leave me popping off of the couch and into the kitchen. But her words – oh her words. Tara has a way of describing things that is really unmatched. She uses words like punchy, slurry, piquant, puddles, rivulets, and caramel-licked. They describe the food perfectly so I am left craving the recipe and somehow know exactly what to expect.
On the day her book was released I spent most of my day within the pages of her book as it sat, getting splattered, teetering on my counter, getting used. I made almond milk, trail mix bars, her classic sandwich bread, walnut and espresso butter (which my kids have asked that it become a regular in our home) and this chicken with a punchy relish. It was the best way I could think of to celebrate her book, her hard work and to show just how damn proud I am of what she created.
She thinks I’m biased but really I know a classic when I see it and this book is just that. I know that it will find a home in thousands of kitchens getting tattered, splattered and used for years to come. It already has in mine.
Serves 4, generously
The original recipe calls for couscous and I am eager to try it that way but I had lentils and didn't have couscous so I went with that. Other than that the recipe below is in Tara's beautiful words.
1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Medium-grain kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
Approximately 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
4 cloves garlic, with loose paper removed but unpeeled
8 ounces lentils or as Tara wrote the recipe, large pearl couscous
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed if salt-packed
Generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed if packed in salt, drained if packed in brine
2 tablespoons golden raisins or dried currants
A couple handfuls of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Pickled caperberries, for garnish, optional
Preheat an oven to 400° with a baking pan on the lower middle rack.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the butter all over the chicken, making sure to give the back a good coating. Season generously with salt and pepper, inside and out. Position the wing tips behind the back and tie the legs together. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the preheated pan. Roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir the juice from 1/2 lemon into the stock in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until steaming, then pop in the garlic. Pull from the heat and keep in a warm spot.
(I leave it on top of the hot stove, but with the burner off.) After 30 minutes are up for the chicken, pour 1 cup of the liquid into the baking pan, holding back the garlic, and roast for 30 minutes more.
Cut the juiced lemon half into wedges; keep the other half for the relish.
Pull the baking pan from the oven. Sprinkle the couscous around the chicken. pour the remaining liquid onto the couscous and tuck in the lemon wedges and soaked garlic. Return the baking pan to the oven and continue to roast until both the chicken and couscous are cooked through, around 30 minutes. If the liquid is absorbed before the couscous is cooked, add more liquid, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed.
Let the baking pan stand for 10 minutes while you make the relish. Squeeze the (now) roasted garlic into a small skillet. Add the oil and set the pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the anchovies and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring and breaking up the anchovies and garlic, until they've turned into a grungy past, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the capers to the pan and cook for 1 minutes more. Stir in the juice from the second half of the lemon, along with the raisins and half of the parsley.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then check for seasoning. Remove the chicken to a board and carve as you'd like. Fluff the couscous with a fork, then arrange the cut chicken on top. Scatter the res of the parsley over the whole baking pan of chicken and couscous, and serve with relish.
Note: I've used a variety of grains instead of the couscous with success - rice blends, bulgur, farro, and all sorts of smaller pastas, from orzo to alphabet shapes, and a mix of all of the above., in an exercise of getting rid of the straggling amounts found in my pantry. most will cook in the prescribed 30 minutes, but allow some leeway either way, adding heartier substitutions like farro to the pan earlier than you would the couscous and adding more water as needed.
What a lovely tribute to Tara, Ashley. You both truly are veterans of this space — how fitting that you both had the opportunity to write your own cookbooks at similar times. So looking forward to having cookbooks of two people I admire so much in my own kitchen!
You two really are ‘grand dames’ of the blogging world, in the youngest, hippest way 😉 I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!
My goodness this looks magnificent! And the photography is so earthy and amazing. Fabulous! I am looking forward to trying this gorgeous meal!
I adore Tara’s blog and am uber-excited about receiving her cookbook tomorrow. This chicken looks delicious- I will definitely try it, and your photos are gorgeous! So light-filled!
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Oh, Ashley, this post is incredible. Your writing is so beautiful and you describe Tara & her book so perfectly. I can’t wait to get my hands on the Seven Spoons Book and cook my way through it. It certainly sounds like a good one. <3
I have and love both your cookbooks! Just sayin. lol
My plan for the weekend is to cook my way through Tara’s book, much like I cooked my way through yours when it first arrived. This dish is one of the first I’m going to make I think.
Gush away! Tara’s book is amazing and totally deserving of enthusiastic praise. It’s heartwarming to see you two support each other in such a beautiful way and wonderful to see the kinds of friendships that can evolve around food. Beautiful photos as always!
One of my absolute favorites.
This looks terrific BOTH ways (lentils or pearl couscous)….and I love your “grungy past”…;)!!!! I think the best cooks always have a “grungy past”!!!
The photography (superlative as usual)…as well as concise descriptives..beg for this to be made. Lentilles de Puy waiting to be used for this offering. Merci de la France.
One of my absolute favorites. It’s such an elegant dish.
I love how you said the best way to celebrate her book was to begin cooking out of it-teetering on your counter and getting splashed. Perfect.
What are the “rounds” in the pictures? Thanks, nt
Sounds yummy! Cant wait to make some
This recipe certainly does sound great! Thank you!
Great recipe,must try it.Thanks for sharing
These are such lovely, touching words about what sounds like the most special of friendships — so much admiration for you both! This chicken looks incredible, and your photos are absolutely breathtaking. I love this so very much.
This meal looks divine! And what a lovely story! Congrats to Tara on her cookbook and to both of you for pioneering the way for the rest of us <3 Charlie, http://www.lemonbutterlove.com
I appreciate the way you celebrated Tara in this post. I will also celebrate her by ordering a copy of this wonderful cookbook.
Happy Thursday, Ashley 🙂
http://www.lovecompassionatelee.com/
Tara’s cookbook sounds awesome! It must be an amazing feeling to be holding your dear friend’s cookbook 🙂
Yes! I couldn’t agree more. Her book is perfect. I love the substitution of lentils, and your photos are equally gorgeous, to boot. xo.
What a lovely post and tribute to Tara. Her book arrived here in Brussels just short while ago as well and I adore it as much as you do. I love the way Tara writes (I even read out sections to my sister when she came to stay) and her recipes are wonderful. I have already made her chimichurri and the roasted carrots with dukkah and harissa aioli and there are dozens more that I have bookmarked.
What kind of lentils did you use?
Black lentils.