What I Cooked Last Night
Last night was really simple but so delicious. I bought a whole chicken last weekend and cut it up and froze the leg/thigh pieces and the bone-in breast pieces separately, and I made chicken stock from the back and the wings. When you do it this way, the individual pieces are huge. LJ and I think one breast is plenty for the 2 of us. So last night I took one of the bone-in breasts, seasoned it with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chopped, fresh rosemary and put it in a 400 degree oven to roast for 35-40 minutes. I put 3 cups of water on to boil for polenta, and then scattered broccoli florets onto a baking sheet. I thinly sliced a couple of cloves and garlic and sprinkled them over the broccoli. A drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and they were ready to go into the oven with the chicken. By then the water was boiling and I salted it and added 1/3 cup of polenta, stirring with a whisk to assure no lumps. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to stir polenta constantly as it cooks. Just go back occasionally and stir to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You may have to adjust the flame every now and then so it doesn’t boil over, and I put a lid partially covering it when it begins to thicken and the volcano action starts. Then I poured myself and glass of wine and waited for everything to finish. Just before serving the polenta, whisk in about 2 heaping tablespoons of grated Parmesan (the good stuff) and a tablespoon of butter. Take the chicken breast off the bone and slice into pieces. Serve everything up and enjoy! Oh, and the little garlic chips on the roasted broccoli are delicious!