Roast Cabbage and Beans

Loving this dish from Dan Pelosi in NYT Cooking! It takes a few minutes separating the cabbage into strips but well worth it.

Preheat your oven to 400F. Remove the tough outer leaves and quarter a small green cabbage through the stem then cut out the triangular shaped core pieces from the four sections. Slice the quarters crosswise so you end up with half inch chunks, then separate the leaves with your hands into individual strips.

Place the strips in a large bowl with a few splashes of olive oil and toss to coat well. Spread the cabbage out on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.

While your cabbage is in the oven, drain and rinse two cans of white beans. Then, in your food processor combine a can of drained anchovies, two to three peeled and coarsely chopped garlic cloves, a big splash of olive oil, and a few shakes of chili flakes. Pulse until finely minced, then along with the beans mix well in a large bowl.

When the cabbage is done add it to the bowl with the beans, toss well and add some more salt and olive oil if needed. Slide back onto the baking sheet and put back into the oven for another 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately garnish with some coarsely chopped parsley and serve.

Roast Chicken with Oranges and Fennel

 

This one checks all the boxes, super tasty, relatively easy, warms up the kitchen, and takes advantage of the Minneola orange season that just started…although naval oranges, clementines, or tangerines would all be fine.

For the marinade, mix together 4 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice from two oranges, 2 rounded tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, three teaspoons of kosher salt, a teaspoon of black pepper, and if you like it hot, a few generous shakes of chili flakes or Harissa spice. Set aside.

In a large glass dish combine 8 bone-in chicken thighs, three unpeeled oranges in quarter inch slices, and two trimmed fennel heads cut into small wedges. Pour the marinade over the top and mix together using your hands to coat well. Put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, and up to 12 hours.

When you’re ready to go, preheat your oven to 425 and transfer the chicken, oranges, fennel, and all the marinade to a large roasting pan making sure the thighs are skin side up. Roast for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, serve with lots of sauce over the top.