Recipe Talk

Roast Chicken with Sage Bread Salad
American Southwest, Chicken with bread dressing

This is a great dish for two from Zuni - an always current restaurant in San Francisco. Zuni has an oven dedicated largely to this one dish.

Serves 2

Ingredients Chicken ingredients:
1 2-1/2 lb. chicken
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cloves whole garlic

Salad and Dressing ingredients:

6 cups stale Tuscan bread (no crust) cut into 1 inch cubes
4.5 tsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbl warm water
1 Tbl currants
4 tsp pine nuts

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2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 Tbl Champagne vinegar
5 tsp salt
5 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 cloves whole garlic (chopped)
4 scallions (thinly sliced)
3 cups mixed young bitter greens including arugula, chicory, frisee


Steps 1. The day before sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken. Place a sprig of thyme and a garlic clove in each of 4 pockets between the skin and flesh under the breast sides and legs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate all night.
2. Preheat broiler to toast the bread. But first toss it with half the olive oil. Lightly toast bread along with pine nuts and set aside. Combine red wine vinegar, water, currants and let stand for 1 hour.
3. Set oven to 425. Roast chicken for 30 minutes. Turn chicken back side up for another 20 minutes. Let stand while you make the salad dressing.
4. Whisk mustard, Champagne vinegar, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, and then slowly whisk in 2 tsp of olive oil. Add bread and toss to coat. Heat 1/2 tsp of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and scallions and cook for 2 minutes. Drain currants and toss them in the bread mixture with scallions and garlic.
5. Place dressing and chicken in a baking dish and let bake for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let dish sit inside oven for 10 minutes. Mix the salad greens with 2 Tablespoons of pan juices. Serve chicken and salad, and enjoy.

Notes Thanks to Judy Rodgers, chef and co-owner.
Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, California
Sunday, March 08, 1998

Sage And Cumin Bread With A Cheese Filling Recipe

3 cups unbleached white flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 tsp sage, or more to taste
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 large egg
2 cups buttermilk
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into thin slices
1/2 cup diced, canned green chilies
4 tbs butter

Directions
Preheat oven 375 degrees and place a rack in the upper third part of the oven.
Butter a 10-inch pie plate or a quiche pan or a deep-dish pizza pan with 2 tablespoons of the butter.
By far the best choice is a pan made of pottery--it produces an evenly browned, crusty bottom.
Place the first 7 ingredients in a food processor and blend for a second or two. Add the egg and buttermilk and blend for just 4 seconds more. The best method, since you want to avoid any hint of overbeating, is to pulse the dough once, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and then pulse once more. You need to go only far enough for the dry and wet ingredients just to be blended.
Spread half the dough in an even layer in the pan, then top with the sliced cheese. Try to cover as much of surface as you can but leave a 1/2-inch margin around the edges. Dot the cheese all over with the green chilies. Drop the rest of the dough over the filing with a tablespoon.
Spread this top layer evenly with a knife, then dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. The finished bread will be raised and hollow sounding when you thump it in the center, and the top should be lightly browned. For a browner top crust, you can finish the loaf by running it under a broiler flame for 1 last minute. Serve immediately, or within half a n hour, cutting the bread into pie-shaped wedges directly in its baking pan.