Domestic Goddess

Recently I have been on a quest to figure out recipes that I can make on a regular basis. Ones that I can make pretty easily after work, or without to much time when I'm tired and hungry. I love to cook, but by the time I make it home form work at 8 I don't usually have the time or energy to embark on a gourmet extravaganza. I have always been a big fan of Jamie Oliver, originally known as the Naked Chef. His cookbooks are great, and he's also a cutie (and in this case he's made even cuter by the fact that's his married and has adorable British children). In London, the market where he buys a lot of his ingredients, the Borough Market, was a few blocks from where I lived, and I was there most weeks buying some of my own supplies (like the best preserves in the entire world). Jamie's Dinners is a great resource for not too tricky and time consuming dinner recipes. Last night I tried a new one and the result was the perfect recipe for when I'm tired, need to throw something together quickly, but am not so starving and can wait awhile for it to cook. The Tender and Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes was easy to put together, absolutely amazing tasting, and not only that, but it came out looking exactly like the picture, which pretty much never happens. Also it's easy to halve and still made enough for left overs, which is great for those of us who eat alone and bring lunch to work. So here it is:




Tender and Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes
serves 4

Ingredients:
4 chicken legs, jointed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a big bunch of basil, leaves picked and stems finely chopped
2 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (I just used red cus it was all they had at Whole Foods and it was fine) and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1 whole bulb or garlic broken up into cloves
1 fresh red chili, finely chopped
olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Season your chicken pieces all over and put them in a snug fitting pan in one layer (I used a cake pan which works perfectly if you halve the recipe). Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in the tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chili and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath. Place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours turning the tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken is crispp and the meat falls off the bone.

So there you go. Enjoy!