One-Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Tarragon

One-Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Tarragon
By Alexandra Stafford

This dish was inspired by a recipe in the March 2017 Bon Appetit that calls for marinating chicken thighs in mayonnaise (and a few other ingredients I did not have on hand), which encourages browning while keeping the meat juicy — it works! There's no marinating here, however — everything gets thrown into the pan at once, and 45 minutes later it emerges beautifully golden. A shower of herbs at the end adds some welcomed color and freshness. Re: potatoes, I've been using a 1.5-ib bag of "Honey Golds—One Bite" that I find at my local grocery store. You can use fingerlings, too, but you should halve them lengthwise to ensure they cook through.

Serves 4
1.5 pounds small potatoes, see notes above
1 medium onion, thinly sliced, to yield about a cup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
a few tablespoons finely chopped herbs, such as tarragon, chives, or parsley


Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 450ºF.

Place the potatoes, onion, olive oil, and water in a large skillet. Season all over with salt. Crack pepper over top to taste. Toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and the mustard. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat on all sides.

Season all over with salt and pepper. Nestle the thighs on top of/in between the potatoes. Crack more pepper over top if you wish.

Transfer pan to the oven uncovered and cook for 45 minutes or until evenly golden, checking after 30 minutes to ensure everything is browning evenly — if the onions are getting too dark, add a few more tablespoons of water to the pan.

Sprinkle tarragon or herb of choice all over the roasted chicken and potatoes.

Transfer chicken to a platter. Toss potatoes with herbs and remaining juices in the pan. Taste. Adjust with more salt or pepper if necessary.

Spoon potatoes around chicken on the platter.

Serve.
https://food52.com/recipes/69720-one-pan-roasted-chicken-thighs-with-potatoes-and-tarragon

No-Knead Deep-Dish Pizza

No-Knead Deep-Dish Pizza
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-deep-dish-pizza-recipe

PREP 15 mins. to 25 mins.
BAKE 25 mins. to 25 mins.
TOTAL 1 hrs 35 mins. to 1 hrs 50 mins.
YIELD 8 to 10 servings

Crust
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/4 cups Perfect Pizza Blend*
1 tablespoon Pizza Dough Flavor, optional; for enhanced flavor
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
*Or substitute 2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour and 1/2 cup semolina flour.

Topping
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
15-ounce can crushed tomatoes in purée
2 teaspoons Pizza Seasoning, or mixed dried Italian herbs
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese



Directions
Grease (or oil with olive oil) a 14"-diameter deep-dish pizza pan or a 9" x 13" pan.
To make the crust: Stir the crust ingredients together to form a slightly sticky, soft dough.
Let the dough rise, covered, for 30 minutes.
Place the dough in the pan and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then pat and stretch it to cover the bottom of the pan. Let it rest, covered, for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Combine the crushed tomatoes with the Pizza Seasoning.
Cover the crust with the tomatoes. Top with the mozzarella and pepperoni, then the Parmesan.
Bake the pizza for about 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
Remove the pizza from the oven, and carefully lift it out of the pan onto a rack; a giant spatula is a help here. Allow the pizza to cool for about 15 minutes (or longer, for less oozing) before cutting and serving.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
Tips from our bakers
For a simpler pizza, top with 1 cup of your favorite pizza sauce; 2 teaspoons Pizza Seasoning or mixed Italian herbs, and 1 1/2 cups of the grated cheese of your choice.

New Study Fleshes Out the Nutritional Value of Human Meat

New Study Fleshes Out the Nutritional Value of Human Meat
The caloric value of the human body is surprisingly low compared to other prehistoric food options
By Brigit Katz smithsonian.com
April 7, 2017 2:46PM



Don't worry: It's beef. (Lisovskaya via iStock)


Why did our early ancestors eat one another? Some scientists say it may have been because they were hungry. But as Nicholas St. Fleur reports for The New York Times, a new study suggests that humans aren't particularly nutritious and speculates that ancient cannibals had other reasons for chowing down on their fellow bipeds.

James Cole, an archaeologist at the University of Brighton, is the sole author of the study, which was published recently in the journal Scientific Reports. Archaeological evidence shows that hominin species were eating each other as early as the Pleistocene era, prompting Cole to wonder whether humans constitute a nutritious snack. Armed with this rather macabre curiosity, he set out to calculate the number of calories contained within the human body.

He turned to studies from the 1940s and 50s, which analyzed the protein and fat content of four adult men, Alessandra Potenza explains in The Verge. Based on those analyses, Cole was able to calculate an average caloric value for various human body parts. The torso and head, for instance, contain 5,419 calories, according to Cole’s calculations. Meaty human thighs have 13,355 calories. The heart clocks in at around 651 calories, while the brain, spinal cord and nerve trunks collectively contain 2,706 calories.

All told, Cole concludes, the human body contains about 125,822 calories. ( Read more... )

“The issue is not one of nutrition as an alternative to large game,” Erik Trinkaus, an anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis, told Engelhaupt. “It is an issue of survival when there are no other food sources, members of one's social group have died, and the surviving members consume the bodies of already-dead people.”

Ultimately, every cannibalistic episode happened under different circumstances, Cole writes in his study, and no one can say for sure why our ancestors opted for the occasional human smorgasbord. But Cole’s findings lend further credence to the notion that some ancient cannibals were acting out of choice, not desperation.




Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-cannibals-did-not-eat-humans-nutrition-study-says-180962823/#GYQw1vvxmFRz5U96.99

Whole-Grain Mustard

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/8749-whole-grain-mustard?
Whole-Grain Mustard

Homemade mustard is easy to prepare and packs a lot more punch than the store-bought stuff. For our recipe, we start with a 1:1 ratio of milder yellow mustard seeds to more pungent, spicier brown seeds. A little brown sugar tempers the mustard seeds’ bite while cider vinegar (rather than straightforward white vinegar) adds complexity. We soak the seeds before processing them in a food processor with the other ingredients. This step not only softens the seeds but also ensures that they break down evenly when processed. Reserving ½ cup of the soaked seeds and stirring them back into the pureed mustard gives it an appealingly grainy consistency. If sampled right after mixing, the mustard might taste a little bitter. We found it best to let the mustard “ripen” on the counter for a few days to allow bitter compounds to dissipate and spicy ones to develop. Refrigeration will halt these enzymatic reactions, so chill it once it reaches your desired heat level.

Yield - 2 Cups
Ingredients

3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/3 cup brown mustard seeds
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Instructions

Don’t be tempted to hurry the soaking time by using hot water, as heat activates an enzyme that will kill the mustard’s flavor.

1. Combine vinegar, water, yellow mustard seeds, and brown mustard seeds in medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

2. Measure out ½ cup vinegar–mustard seed mixture and set aside. Combine remaining vinegar–mustard seed mixture, sugar, and salt in food processor and process until coarsely ground and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed; return to medium bowl. Stir in reserved vinegar– mustard seed mixture.

3. Using funnel and spoon, portion mustard into two 1-cup jars. Cover and let mustard stand at room temperature until it has reached desired spiciness, 1 to 2 days. (Mustard will become spicier as it rests at room temperature, so refrigerate it once it has reached desired spice level. Once refrigerated, its flavor will continue to mature, but it will not become more spicy. Mustard can be refrigerated for up to 6 months.)

Stirring in some whole mustard seeds delivers the right texture.

Prompt - The Way Out

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-crypt-of-the-original-sin?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=fe51aa128f-Newsletter_4_6_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f36db9c480-fe51aa128f-63124913&ct=t(Newsletter_4_6_2017)&mc_cid=fe51aa128f&mc_eid=dbc2f66964

St. Cyprian the Mage, the patron saint of necromancers, witches, and sorcerers

Relics of Zlătari Church
The preserved arm of a 3rd century sorcerer is believed to have the power to lift curses and spells.

At a small church in Bucharest, Romania, are the relics of St. Cyprian the Mage, the patron saint of necromancers, witches, and sorcerers, who lived in the 3rd century CE. The preserved arm of the ancient magician, which rests in Zlătari Church, is believed by many to have the power to lift curses and spells when touched.

According to the legend, Cyprian, before becoming a Christian, travelled around to places like Greece, Egypt, and India, and became a powerful sorcerer. When he finally settled in Antioch, near the modern day Turkish town of Yalvaç, his reputation brought people to him asking for favors.

One of these people was a fellow pagan who desired the hand of a Christian woman named Justina, who had taken private vows of chastity. The pagan asked Cyprian to cast a spell on Justina and induce her to fall in love with him. Cyprian summoned demons to corrupt her, ( Read more... )