Colourful dish will whet appetite
The colour of our food can whet our appetites. Just remember the last time you faced a plate of beige foods with nary a sprig of parsley to liven it up.
U.S. photographer Kimberley Hasselbrink, who writes a blog called The Year in Food, has produced a beautiful cookbook called Vibrant Food (Ten Speed Press/ Random House, $29.95) that makes the point of how appealing bright colours are on the plate.
It’s a seasonal book with chapters on adding edible flowers to the plate, photos showing loads of trimmings on every bowl of soup, and artful close-ups of, for example, purple basil, a scoop of grape sorbet and purple cabbage slaw.
Take note, too, that it’s a collection of gluten-free recipes.
Today’s recipe uses contrasts — the golden-coloured chicken leg, caramelized onions and deep-green chopped flat-leaf parsley.
Roast Chicken With Spring Onions and Salsa Verde
Serves 4 4 whole chicken legs Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 6 small spring onions, trimmed, halved lengthwise Extra-virgin olive oil For Salsa verde ¾ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped capers 1 tablespoon minced garlic Grated peel of 1 lemon ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Preheat oven to 425 F. Wash chicken legs and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, combine onions with a little oil, salt and pepper.
Grease a 9-by 12-inch baking dish and arrange chicken and onions in a single layer in dish.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until thick part of leg registers 165 F on an instant-read thermometer. Let meat rest for about 10 minutes. Salsa verde: In a small bowl, whisk together the parsley, oil, capers, garlic, lemon peel and salt.
Serve chicken with salsa verde spooned on top and additional salsa verde offered on the side.