Roast Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Rosemary

Instead of using potatoes as the base for this soup we substituted with beautiful colorful organic carrots that were full flavor and sweetness.

The potatoes are a true hit and a wonderful combination, however, this is our Sunday night go to meal so potatoes like these every week just is not part of our diet anymore.

I called this post Chicken with garlic, rosemary and lemon because truly it is our favorite.

We often add other fresh herbs just to change it up a bit. Herbs like parsley and sage.

The chicken does need a base for lying on as the cooking technique in this recipe requires turning the bird three times for perfect cooking.

Start the bird on it's side, the turn it to it's other side. Finish off by cooking the bird on it's back. This technique allows the chicken to stay tender and juicy without drying out the breasts.

We cook this chicken on very high heat-475 degrees- 18 minutes a side. For a total of 54 minutes cooking time.

Here it is.

For the cavity:

1 organic chicken about 3 pounds

A large bunch of rosemary

1 head of garlic

1 lemon

For the Skin:

1 sprig of rosemary finely chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

zest of 1/2 a lemon

2 tablespoons Olive oil

half a stick of butter (optional)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the base:

20 carrots peeled & cut

1 onion sliced

Step1:

Clean out any of the insides from the bird.

Step 2:

Stuff the chicken with one whole head of garlic(does not need to be peeled)

1 whole lemon cut in half

1 bunch of fresh rosemary-does not need to be removed from stem.

Step 3:

In a small bowl combine olive oil, butter, chopped rosemary, zest of the lemon and minced garlic add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.

Mix to combine

Step 4:

With your fingers slightly lift the skin from off the chicken. Slowly rub the olive oil, butter and herb mixture all over the under skin of the bird.

Once you have reached all over under the skin, then rub more of the mixture all over the skin of the bird.

Step 5:

Arrange carrots on the bottom of the cooking tray.

Drizzle small amount of Olive oil all over the carrots.

Place the bird on the carrots side facing up.

Step 6:

Cook the bird for 18 minutes at 475 degrees.

After minutes flip the bird over to its other side.

REMOVE CARROTS FROM PAN!! Set aside

After another 18 minutes flip the bird breast side up. Cook for the last 18 minutes.

Remove the bird. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve the pieces on cannellini beans with carrots.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Fresh Wild Mushroom Risotto

Oyster

Chanterelles

Shitake

Wrinkled Pholiota

Lobster

King Eringee

Funnel Shaped Chanterelles

This dish is mostly considered a winter dish, because it is often made with dried mushrooms that have been soaked in warm water. This often results in a very concentrated stock with flavors that resemble a dried powder, it's often hard to get the balance right with dried mushrooms, although it can be done!

In this case, the mushrooms were fresh and delicate and bursting with flavor, so we couldn't resist making this as a first course for my parents as our goodbye dinner!

My father, who thought he was not a fan of risotto, was quickly convinced that this dish is a perfect vegetarian option for any night of the week.

Patrick's Wild Mushroom Risotto

Note: The portions of mushrooms don't matter too much. The more the better, without overwhelming the dish. They do shrink a considerable amount when cooked.

300 grams of mixed wild mushrooms

we used the following combination:

50 grams chanterelles

50 grams shitakee

50 grams funnel shaped chenterelles

50 grams cremini

50 grams oyster

150 grams large lobster mushroom

1 tablespoon of butter

(normally we would use about 4 tablespoons of butter, but in this case we cut it down to one because of my dads strict diet restrictions. It was still amazing. In my opinion no need for more.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

8 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 cups of risotto rice

6 cups organic vegetable broth

1 cup white wine

Parmigiano reggiano grated- about one cup

salt and pepper

Bring a pot with 4 cups vegetable broth to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and reserve.

Melt the butter and oil in a pan.

Add thyme and mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the onion in the large stock pot with some olive oil or two tablespoons of butter-about 8 minutes.

Add the rice to the large stock pot and stir for 2 minutes to get them covered in butter and oil.

Add wine and boil off liquid-about 2 minutes.

Bring stock up to a boil once again.

Add a ladle full of stock to rice and cook, stirring until liquid has been mostly absorbed.

Continue to add the stock one ladle at a time and stirring until each addition has been absorbed.

About half way through the ladling of broth to rice-add the mushrooms and thyme.

The whole process usually takes about 20 minutes.

When the rice is tender and cooked through, add the parmesan cheese.

Serve in a small shallow bowl and garnish with parmesan, fresh thyme and fresh parsley.

Simple, easy and delicious. Enjoy.

For a vegan option, skip the butter and replace with an extra tablespoon of olive oil. Skip the cheese.

Simply delicious.

A trip to the Organic Farmer's Market in Val David Quebec

I was in heaven for three Saturday's in a row when I got to buy my produce from small organic local farmers in the Quebec region. Patrick was nice enough to let me make the trip on my own so I could take some pics and enjoy the experience.

I certainly did.

Here are some pics.

Recipes to follow.

Fresh wild mushrooms in every shape and size inspired a wild mushroom risotto that was superb and easy to prepare.

With Fresh Produce, you can't really go wrong.

Baskets and baskets of blueberry's inspired blueberry pancakes, blueberry goop, crumbles and muffins! We experimented with various blueberry and peach crumbles and finally settled on one we all agreed was the best.

A few of my favorite things...finding new and interesting varieties of fruits and vegetables. These yellow cucumbers were crunchy, sweet and juicy. They added extra color and flavor to many of our salads including greek salad, fatoush salad, Oliver's crunchy salad, Quinoa salad and so much more.

When I saw these at the Market with my mom and the three girls dressed in yellow, I immediately thought of her delicious Zucchini flower soup and taquitos that are delicious and incredibly easy to prepare.

Another sweet and delicious find. Mini baby eggplants. These are so small and sweet they don't even need to be salted before eating. These little mini eggplants stole the show in a grilled cherry tomato, radicchio and fennel salad.

I have gone mad for summer tomatoes. This year has proved to be a spectacular year for tomatoes in Quebec. Time to buy barrels of tomatoes to make sauce and freeze for those cold winter months.





I

Holidaze!

We just returned from a one month holiday at "home". Montreal, that is. It was an amazing month. From the moment I walked into my parents home and smelled the Mexican delicacies being prepared, to Tassy's kitchen, to the amazing organic Farmer's Markets all over Quebec. It was the perfect culinary holiday.

We were completely disconnected to any form of technology. I didn't even know my google account had been shut down until some time in mid August! I was not able to post anything anyway! Apparently, somebody had been up to no good on the sight and so google shut it down for safety reasons. Everything is in order once again and Three Little Hungry Birds is up and running!

I have a ton of new recipes ready for all of you to enjoy from Mexican huevos rancheros, to Quinoa salads, to new soups and Patrick's first posts on meat-for all you meat lovers!!!

Be sure you read his post on, "a word on meat" both here and on his blog, about organic farming and large scale industrial farming. ( link to follow-when he actually writes it!)

Can't wait. Stay tuned.

Zucchini Soup

Here is a recipe for Zucchini soup. I don't normally make Zucchini anything, because I don't particularly enjoy the taste or the flavor. I had to make an exception this one time. My mom's friend brought over a basket of beautiful fresh vegetables from her garden. In the basket were some incredibly large and very "soupable" Zucchinis.

I tend to find Zucchini soup somwhat gelatinous because of it's very seedy inside. This very large zucchini rendered more flesh than anything else so I experimented in the kitchen until I found the perfect recipe.

I needed white wine for the recipe but I was at my sister's house and she did not have any so I used Smirnoff Mojito Vodka mix!!! I know it sounds strange but mint nad Zucchini work really well together so I decided to give it a try. It worked beautifully exactly that special flavor I was looking for.

If you are not feeling daring or don't have any Mojito Vodka lying around ( why would you, really???) go ahead and use white wine.

I had just made a fresh chicken broth form last nights chicken (see kids chicken soup for the recipe) so I used that as the base for the soup. Vegetable broth would work beautifully in this soup too!

I hope you enjoy.

Olive oil

1 very large Zucchini or 4 small zucchini's -seeds removed with a small spoon.

1 onion diced

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes or pepperoncino

1/2 cup pf Mojito Vodka

Chicken broth

Fresh Mint

In a pot saute onion, garlic and zucchini until golden yellow.

Add chili flakes.

Add Mojito Vodka

Add broth

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat to med low until zucchini is cooked.

Let cool.

Add fresh mint about six 6-10 leaves

Puree in a blender or with a hand mixer.

Serve with a slice of toasted bread, shaved parmesan or a dollop pf cream.

Garnish with fresh chives or a sprig of mint!

Zucchini Soup

Coming Home to Color & Warmth.

Camelot is the name for my parents home. It is my favorite place in the whole world. When I come home there is a sense of peace and calm that takes over me.

Perhaps it is the flowers found in every corner of the house, or the use of color in every room.

Perhaps it is my moms breakfasts or the gentle way my parents adopt my children as their own.

Coming home feels right in every way.

The next couple of recipes are devoted to just that. I have tried to write about recipes that warmed my childhood.

These recipes also won the love of my husband.

I try very hard everyday to get them just like mom does, which is the way my grandmother's did it!

Being around my mother inspires the very essence of creativity in me. Especially in the kitchen!

Here are some wondeful Mexican inspired recipes that I hope you all try.

They are easy, fun and full of flavor; the way we all should be cooking!

I wish I could say that when we cook Mexican food we start from scratch.

But we don't!

We just don't always find what we need in season for many recipes. Therfore we have found an array of Mexican cooking products and lines that we like to use in order to maximize flavor.

However, when we do find Chile Poblano, zucchini flower, fresh corn, fresh epazote and beautiful ripe avocados in the market stands, we get a little crazy and buy as many as we can! We make rajas, we make chiles rellenos, we grill, we roast, we fry for days! It's a lot of fun.

SALSA VERDE

Salsa Verde:

4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered.

1 large garlic clove peeled and quartered.

1/2 onion roughly chopped (optional)

1 Jalapeno chili stemmed and roughly chopped.

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cilantro and onion in a blender.

Add 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process to a coarse puree.

Taste and season.

Serve within the hour to enjoy the freshest possible flavors!

We kept our in our fridge for up to a week and it was still delicious on day 7!

LA TORTILLA MEXICANA

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

12 eggs whisked

1/2 cup yellow sweet corn(in the summer try and use fresh corn)!

1 cup chile poblano stemmed, seeded and skinned (from a can if you can't find fresh poblanos). Be careful not to rub your eyes after seeding the rajas. It's amazing how many times I have done it!

1 onion sliced

Mozzarella

salt

pepper

Whisk eggs and set aside.

In a large skillet gently heat corn, rajas, and onion with olive oil.

Add eggs to pan and cook as if cooking an omelet.

Cook for about 8 minutes.

Sprinkle mozzarella on top of the egg.

Transfer skillet to oven and finish cooking for about 8 minutes longer.

The top should be nicely browned and inside nicely cooked.

Transfer Tortilla to a large round plate and serve whole on the table.

Everyone can serve themselves.

Serve with warm bread or warmed tortillas.

RAJAS

4 chiles poblanos

Char the skin of the poblano over an open flame until it starts to crackle and blister. Be sure to burn all sides of the poblano.

If you are not using an open flame, roast in the oven at high heat 475 degrees until black.

Throw them in a ziploc bag when they are hot.

Allow them to cool.

Once cooled remove the poblano and remove the black skin, the core and the seeds.

Slice your poblano into thin strips.

To make Rajas with crema (cream)! This recipe is incredibly delicious and works as a side dish for any dish, meat, pork, poultry and fish.

Slice a large onion into slices.

Add the onion and sliced poblano to a frying pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat.

Season with salt.

Heat until the onions become soft and translucent about 20 minutes.

Add 1 small container of sour cream.

Heat through.

We especially love this with steak for Patrick, Tuna steak for me!

Simple Scrambled Eggs with Tortillas

Olive oil

2 eggs

Heat oil in skillet on medium low heat

Gently fry tortillas about 2 minute each side, on medium low heat.

Set aside on plate with paper towel.

Scramble your eggs with salt and pepper.

Transfer eggs to Tortilla

Wrap and eat! So easy and so tasty.

This little meal makes a great kids breakfast, lunch or dinner! As a child I used to eat these with ketchup. My kids do the same thing!

Huevos a la Mexicana

Recipe for 2

4 large organic eggs

1/2 cup diced tomato-any kind you like. In the winter I always use cherry.

1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion

half a jalapeno finely sliced

if you don't like heat but would still like to add some green color, we often use diced green pepper.

In a pan saute onion, tomato, jalapeno, green peppers for about 2 minutes.

season.

Add eggs and scramble.

Serve with bread or tortillas.

Los Huevos Rancheros:

large organic eggs

Corn Tortillas

Salsa Verde or Salsa Roja

Cilantro

Sweet onion finely sliced

sour cream for garnish.

sliced avocado for garnish.

Warm salsa verde in frying pan or small pot.

Gently fry 4 tortillas on medium high heat.

Set aside on a plate with paper towel.

Crack 4 eggs and cook sunny side up.

Place sunny side up egg on tortilla.

Pour salsa verde on top of eggs.

Use sour cream and avocado for a garnish and eat with warmed tortillas.

Las Tostadas

We love these with Tuna but you can make them with just about anything. Cooked white fish, chicken, pork, beef. The possibilities are endless. So fast and so easy. Great for entertaining large groups!

Simple fresh ingredients allow for bold flavors that make any simple dish come alive.

Tostadas (baked tortillas that are crunchy and hard)

1 can of white tuna-even better if you use fresh tuna grilled and cut.

1 Finely diced sweet onion

1 Finely diced tomato seeds removed

Finely chopped Cilantro

Finely diced iceberg lettuce

1/2 teaspoon chipotle

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

For the tostada

Refried beans

For the Garnish

Avocado

Sour Cream

Place tuna and all ingredients in a bowl

Combine and mix well.

Spread a Tostada with beans.

Scoop a tablespoon or two of tuna mixture onto Tostada.

Garnish with Avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

Eat and enjoy!