Saturday:                Broccolini, Red Onion, Chorizo, Fresno Pepper Pizza

Sunday:                   Lemon Roast Chicken with Squash

Cooking is not a Chore

I can grasp, intellectually, what people mean when they call cooking  a ‘chore,’ but I can’t really feel it. You might say, “Well, you’re retired and you have the time to cook.”  But, in fact, I began cooking long before retirement.  The process and the result simply fascinated me, especially so after a trip to Italy.  And the gratification of cooking something really pleasing, not just to me, but to others, was addictive.  And there was the realization that, like all skills and crafts, cooking takes experience and simply, inevitably, improves with time, if you’re paying attention.  So, I took over the cooking at Casa Stuarti for largely selfish reasons.

I’ll concede that cooking involves a bit of work but that doesn’t make it a chore.  Your occupation involves work, practicing a sport takes work, studying medicine is hard work – but none of these are chores.  Chores include taking out the garbage and cleaning the dishwasher filter.  If your cooking resembles either of these tasks, I think you should eat out more often.

And chores don’t involve imagination or choice.  But cooking requires both, as well as organization and keeping a cool head under fire.  Indeed, most cooking involves fire or, at the least, heat, and there is always an element of give in how long it takes for a cut of meat or a vegetable to sear or cook through, especially outdoors, over a grill – my favorite way to cook. 

And, really, no one is going to compliment you on how well you are at taking out the garbage, but the people you feed will sometimes say, “Wow, this is really good.”  I can’t hear that often enough; indeed, I don’t actually hear it often enough – SWMBO, please take note.

And here, for those of you who have struggled through this self-regarding and self-aggrandizing post, is my gift to you – one more addition to the 1,326 chicken recipes we have shared over the years.  This is my new favorite: Crispy-skinned chicken thighs served with a savory lemon gravy and silky sections of leek.  This dish is perfect with rice or potatoes, and a small green salad would not be amiss.

Apologies for the fairly loose schedule we’ve been following recently – more like ‘what we cooked last fortnight’ than last week.  But there have been mild illnesses, general lethargy and Thanksgiving to deal with.  We (well, to be honest, it’s my fault, so “I” not we) will try to do better.

Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken with Squash

(Adapted from David Tanis – NYT 10/7/25)

This recipe is good enough to serve to company, but is easy to cook and not a bad treat for the middle of a long week.

Timing:             1 hour 45 minutes (includes 30 min. of marinating)

Ingredients:                                    Serves 6

6 Large, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (3 ½ to 4 lbs.)

2 delicata squash, seeds removed, sliced crosswise into ½-ince rings

(you can also use acorn squash or any of the smaller squashes)

½ cup lemon juice (3 lemons)

3 lemons – 2 cut crosswise – 1 for zesting

2 heads of garlic separated into unpeeled cloves

3 small leeks, cut into 2-inch lengths (I had one large and one medium leek)

½ cup rosemary leaves – stripped by about 6 sprigs

¼ cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the squash

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon pimentón or smoked paprika

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Prep:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Trim the thighs, if the butcher hasn’t.  I.e., remove some fat and the long extra flap of skin that supermarkets leave on the thighs, then pat the thighs dry and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. 

Now put a pinch of turmeric and pimentón on each thigh – skin side – and rub it into the surface.

Pour the lemon juice over the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes – you can get by with a bit less or a bit more time.

Arrange the lemon slices around and under the chicken in a roasting pan. Scatter the garlic cloves and the leeks over the top and sprinkle with rosemary and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Cook:

Put the roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven, uncovered , for about an hour, until the chicken is nicely browned, the lemon slices slightly charred and the meat is tender and juices run clear.

Meanwhile, arrange the squash rings on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Add to the oven (on the top rack), after the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes.

Serve:

Mix together the parsley and lemon zest.  Transfer the chicken, garlic, leeks and lemon slices to a serving platter and top with the squash rings and the parsley-lemon mixture.  Enjoy.