Eye for a Recipe

This recipe from Canadian Living is quick enough for a weeknight but would also be great for a casual Sunday dinner with family and friends. The chicken is flavoured with a spice rub and stuffed with lemon and orange quarters. While the chicken rests, make the delicious chimichurri, made with fresh herbs and citrus. Chimichurri, which originated in Argentina, is a green sauce served with meat.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the spices do not contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Coat chicken with spice rub

Let roasted chicken rest for 10 minutes

While chicken rests, make chimichurri

Spiced roast chicken with orange-cilantro chimichurri

Ingredients:

Spiced Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken (about 1.5 kg)

2 tsp (10 ml) vegetable oil

½ tsp (2 ml) kosher salt

½ tsp (2 ml) each pepper and tumeric

¼ tsp (1 ml) each ground allspice and ground cloves

Quartered orange

Quartered lemon

Orange-Cilantro Chimichurri

½ cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup (125 ml) chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup (75 ml) each chopped fresh oregano and fresh parsley

½ tsp (2 ml) grated orange zest

3 tbsp (45 ml) orange juice

2 tbsp (30 ml) lime juice

¼ tsp (1 ml) kosher salt

¼ tsp (1 ml) pepper

Preparation:

Spiced Roast Chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Brush all over with oil; sprinkle with salt.

Stir together pepper, turmeric, allspice and cloves; rub all over chicken. Place orange and lemon quarters in cavity. Place chicken, breast side up, on greased rack in roasting pan.

Roast in 400°F (200°C) oven, basting occasionally, until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 185°F (85°C), about 1 hour. Let rest for 10 minutes; discard orange and lemon. Carve chicken into portions.

Orange-Cilantro Chimichurri: While chicken is resting, in bowl, stir oil with garlic. Stir in cilantro, oregano, parsley, orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, salt and pepper. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 24 hours.) Serve with chicken. Serves 4-6.

From Canadian Living

This recipe from the January 2014 issue of Bon Appetit tastes as good as it looks. Salmon is tossed with fennel, orange and lemon slices, chili and dill and roasted at a low temperature for about 40 minutes. Cooked this way, the salmon is moist and tender, and the roasted citrus, fennel and chili are delicious on top. This recipe would also be good with cod or halibut.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

All of the ingredients in this recipe are fresh, so no need to worry about additives.

Place salmon in dish with citrus, fennel and dill

Slow roasting makes the salmon very moist

Slow-roasted salmon with fennel, citrus and chiles

Ingredients:

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 blood or navel orange, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 Meyer or regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 red Fresno chile or jalapeño, with seeds, thinly sliced

4 sprigs dill, plus more for serving

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1 2-lb. (907 g) skinless salmon fillet, preferably center-cut

¾ cup (375 ml) olive oil

Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 275° F (135° C). Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chile, and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow 3-qt. (2.8 L) baking dish; season with kosher salt and pepper. Season salmon with kosher salt and place on top of fennel mixture. Pour oil over.

Roast until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque), 30–40 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer salmon to a platter, breaking it into large pieces as you go. Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs. Season with sea salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs. Serves 6.

From the January 2014 issue of Bon Appetit