A Festive Spring Dinner: Fresh Pea Soup, Crispy Braised Chicken with Potatoes, Carrots, and Apricots, and Luscious Lemony Ricotta Bars
Let's gather!
I’ve got some treats for you to celebrate whatever you’d like to celebrate right now. Maybe you don’t need a reason. It’s enough to gather with friends. If it’s not yet Spring where you are (and Spring is most definitely not here yet), let’s just pretend it is.
Easter and Passover are looming, and you could apply these dishes to that meal, but hell’s bells, Marie, just invite your friends over! They’re your magic and your gold. They deserve something good to eat and so do you. Right now, they’re probably saying, hey, I wish someone would call me so I don’t have to eat cereal again for supper.
A Delicate Spring Pea Soup
Start the meal with something green, you know, that bright green that’s so elusive to some of us at the moment. Soups don't get much simpler than this: peas, chicken stock, a splash of wine and lemon juice, and a leek are practically all that's in the pot. The sugar in fresh peas turns to starch unpredictably (not unlike corn on the cob) so frozen peas make a convenient and sensible substitute. Leeks can be sandy, so be sure to fan out the layers and rinse them thoroughly (you can substitute a medium onion, if you need to). Be sure to let the blender whiz longer than you think you should for the velvety texture that makes this soup so appealing.
Crispy Braised Chicken with Potatoes, Carrots, and Apricots
Juicy, tender whole braised chicken, cooked on a bed of carrots, potatoes, spring onions, apricots, and olives, is a festive dish that could be your Easter or Passover meal. Even though the bird is braised, the skin is crispy. The technique is somewhere between roasting and braising. Vegetables simmer in wine and chicken stock, while the chicken, browned first in the pan, is perched on top. In a little over an hour, the sauce is infused with vegetable and chicken flavors. Stir in a little vinegar to add some acidity. Setting the browned chicken just above the liquid keeps the skin crisp, and the steam from the liquid renders the meat tender and succulent. While braising generally means cooking meat in a small amount of liquid with the cover on, this method -- without a lid -- gives you the skin you're looking for with juicy meat. Once the chicken has finished cooking, transfer it to a plate and simmer the vegetables in the sauce for about five minutes to reduce the liquid a little, just enough to concentrate the flavors. Serve the chicken on a platter surrounded by the vegetables and sauce.
Lemony Ricotta Bars
These creamy bars, imbued with plenty of lemon and baked on a buttery crust, bring some lightness to the table. The crust, inspired by Alice Medrich, a California author of a baker’s dozen of excellent baking books, is made with melted butter instead of the traditional method of cutting butter into flour. It’s a genius technique and couldn’t be easier to press into the bottom of the pan. Once the crust is baked and golden, add the filling, a combination of mascarpone, cream cheese, cream, and eggs, and bake again. If you can find a local brand of fresh ricotta, be sure to choose it. Other brands may contain more liquid, but you solve that by draining the ricotta for an hour or so to remove some of the excess liquid. Lemon adds just the right note to uplift the sweet and luscious filling. Refrigerate for up to two days if you’d like to get a head start on your meal.
Thanks for reading, friends. I hope this inspires you to have people over; they need you and you need them, so treat yourselves to something delicious. As always, if you liked this post, please share and click the little heart. It brightens my day.
Have a great week and eat something delicious to soothe your soul in these trying times.
XXOO
Sally