[1] Chicken with kale and olives made in a skillet. The recipe is below (photos #1, #2, #3, #4 © Good Eggs).

[2] Chicken thighs.

[3] Instead of thighs only, use the whole chicken leg: thigh and drumstick.

[4] Tuscan kale.

[5] Castelvetrano olives (photos © Maiden Lane Restaurant | NYC).

Here’s the recipe from the New York Times, Rishia Zimmern’s Chicken With Shallots, which adds shallots and Dijon mustard to the recipe.

Every time we see chicken thighs on sale, we load up and make recipes like these, plus a big vat of chicken soup (Jewish-style and Mexican-style chicken soup recipes).

Chicken thighs are economical, versatile and more flavorful than white meat (frankly, we can’t understand the premium placed on white meat chicken and turkey).

We also love the ease of one-pan cooking in the recipes that follow. You can bring the entire pan to the table and serve from there (be sure to lay down a trivet ahead of time).

These two recipes are from Good Eggs—a terrific purveyor of groceries in the San Francisco area.

Serve them with a green salad and some crusty bread to sop up the pan sauce.

> September is National Chicken Month.

> The different cuts (parts) of a chicken. Can you name them all?

> The history of chicken.
 
 
RECIPE #1: CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH KALE & OLIVES

Sweet from the tomatoes and salty from the olives, this recipe features the “it” green of the moment, kale, and the “it” olive, the Castelvetrano from Sicily. (Here’s more about Castelvetrano olives.)

If you don’t like kale, you can substitute beet greens, broccoli rabe, chard, collards, spinach or other greens (we’ve liked mustard greens, too).

Cook time is 35 minutes.

Recipe #2, Chicken Thighs With Cherry Tomatoes, is below.

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. WARM a 9-inch cast iron pan inside an oven preheated to 425°F. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs on both sides. When the oven is hot, carefully (carefully!) remove the pan from the oven and add the thighs, skin side down. Place the pan back in the oven and cook the chicken until browned and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 30 minutes.

While the chicken cooks…

2. HEAT 2 tablespoons of olive oil (more as needed) in a second skillet (you can serve from this skillet). When the oil is hot, add the garlic cloves and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. When the cloves are lightly browned…

3. ADD the tomatoes, thyme and olives and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook until the tomatoes have released their juices and the sauce has a nice consistency, about 15 minutes.

4. ADD the kale to the tomatoes and combine with a pair of tongs. Cover the pan for a few minutes to let the greens wilt, then uncover and stir again with the tongs. Cook the kale and tomatoes together over low heat until the chicken is ready.

5. PLACE the cooked chicken on top of the greens and serve in the skillet.
 
 
RECIPE #2: CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CHERRY TOMATOES

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 475°F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; let it rest until it reaches room temperature.

2. HEAT 2 tablespoons of olive oil (more as needed) in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the chicken thighs skin side down. After 3 minutes, decrease the heat to medium high and cook the chicken for another 12 minutes. After another 5 minutes…

3. ADD enough cherry tomatoes to fill in the gaps between the thighs and rearrange the chicken as needed to make sure all the tomatoes are getting equal heat. Add the garlic and a few sprigs of thyme. When the 12 minutes is up…

4. USE a spoon to roll the tomatoes around in the chicken drippings, flip the thighs skin side up and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook for another 13 minutes.

5. REMOVE from the oven and check the chicken for doneness by making sure internal temperature is 165°F (or the juices run clear). Remove from the heat and let the chicken rest for a few minutes for the juices to settle.

*We use canned San Marzano tomatoes when we don’t have fresh tomatoes at hand

†Castelvetrano olives from Sicily are the “greenest” green olives. Not only does the color look great, but these meaty olives have a unique flavor that makes them our favorite. Here’s more about Castelvetrano olives.
 

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Substitute green tobiko for roe of other colors. [1] Green tobiko, the eggs of flying fish roe, in sushi (a gunkan maki—photo courtesy Toria Sushi.[2] Oyster with caviar (photo courtesy Rebelle NYC). [3] Caviar potato bites; the same concept works with potato chips and cucumber slices (photo Fotolia). [4] Top grilled fish (photo courtesy FishStar). [5] In a simple butter sauce (photo KN Studios | Fotolia).

Ready for some culinary adventure on St. Patrick’s Day?

We look forward to our annual green bagel and corned beef and cabbage, but needed to find something green for hors d’oeuvre and a first course (not guacamole, not spinach dip, not green bean salad, but something special).

Browsing through the market, we came across a large jar of green tobiko caviar and began to play with it.

Tobiko (flying fish roe) is a popular sushi ingredient, as both a garnish and in a gunkan-maki or “battleship roll” (photo #1).

The roe, or caviar*, if you will, comes from the flying fish of Iceland and the Pacific Ocean. Naturally orange in color with a delicate nutty taste (no fish flavor), it has eye appeal and a crunchy texture.

Over the past 20 years, the roe has been colored black, gold, green or red—for colorful garnishes beyond the sushi bar.

It can also be flavored; for example, spicy orange tobiko, green wasabi-flavored tobiko, yellow citrus- ginger-and yuzu-flavored tobiko and pale red ume (plum) tobiko.

We’ve even had brown truffle tobiko!

So garnish we will! Here’s what we came up with for green tobiko with everyday dishes, nothing haute cuisine.
 
BREAKFAST

 
APPETIZERS

 
FIRST COURSE

 
DINNER

TOBKO VS. MASAGO: THE DIFFERENCE

Even if you’re a sushi bar habitué, you may not know that there’s a difference between masago and tobiko.

Both are small beads of roe, both are naturally orange in color.

However, the do differ:

 
________________

*For centuries, “caviar” referred only to sturgeon eggs; all other fish were “roe.” However, the barriers have broken down, and no one should look askance at you if you call tobiko, ikura, and any other fish eggs “caviar.”

Gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day, we wanted to try a Green Bloody Mary. Yes, can green it up for St. Patricks Day, with the tricks below.

The first GBMs of our experience were made with the green tomatoes and yellow tomatoes of August—more legit than this St. Patrick’s Day version, since puréed tomatoes equal the tomato juice of a traditional Bloody Mary.

But those tomatoes are around for just a few weeks of the year, and months away from St. Patrick’s Day.

So we went a-looking, and found this recipe from New Orleans bartender Jimmy Syock, who made it as part of the Bloody Mary Bar at Atchafalaya Restaurant.

He uses what’s typically a year-round fruit: the tomatillo (yes, it’s a botanical fruit; all about tomatillos).

We adapted Jimmy’s recipe a bit, although we kept his party-size measurements. You’ll get 12 Collins glass-size drinks, and more if you use an Old Fashioned/rocks glass.

Recipe #2, below, is much simpler to make, and makes just four servings.
 
 
RECIPE #1: JIMMY SYOCK’S GREEN BLOODY MARY

Ingredients For 12 Drinks

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients except lime juice and salt in a blender; process until smooth. Strain to remove the pulp and any remaining seeds.

2. STIR in the lime juice and add salt to taste. Chill until ready to serve.

3. GARNISH as desired from the list below.
 
GARNISHES

We’ve omitted the standard celery stalk and lemon or lime wedge. When you go green, you upgrade your garnishes.

Some ideas:

[2] Here’s the recipe from The Kitchy Kitchen, which includes the option of infusing your vodka with vegetables.

[3] Tomatillos from The Chef’s Garden.

You might enjoy putting an “antipasto pick” together with choices from each group; for example, a cheese cube, grape tomato, ham cube, and gherkin.
 

[5] Fully loaded, from The Wayfarer | NYC

Ingredients For 4 Drinks

 
Preparation

1. PURÉE the tomatillos and cucumber in a blender or food processor. Add the vodka, horseradish, and a few dashes each of green hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon celery salt and a pinch of kosher salt.

2. POUR into 4 ice-filled glasses. Garnish and serve.
 
 
KNOW YOUR BLOODY MARYS

 
 
MORE BLOODY RECIPES

These recipes use traditional red tomato juice, but you can switch to the green blend as you prefer.

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