Lebanese style chicken legs or tofu, an easy recipe

Hello dear neighbors ! OK so my funny bone my humerus is really broken in two places, not just cracked. That’s what the doctor told me early this week, and even I could tell just by looking at the X-ray. He also said I would need the sling until July 4th, and then therapy.  Now I didn’t expect this.  Came home not feeling so grand any more.  But I don’t have a choice, do I? 

Enough self-pity.  In the meantime, there are peas to be picked in the garden, and yes I can do that, I just do it slowly and on my knees.  Now don’t you fret, dear neighbors, my arm lets me know when it’s time to stop; actually this is the whole point of not taking pain medication: it forces you to listen to your body.  And I promise you I do: I know, for instance, that I cannot stand for a long time or even walk too far.   But look at my peas!  I think I picked about 2 kilos yesterday morning (over 4 lbs).

It’s a jungle out there but a totally organic one! 🐝🐞🐛🦋

My gear for pain-free pea picking: an old recycled sweat-shirt for my knees, and the radio set to the BBC for entertainment and culture: yesterday they had a very interesting talk about Christine de Pizan, a Franco Italian woman author of the 14th century.  A very determined, combative, and independent-minded lady.  I bet she and I would have gotten along very well!

And, for Kathryn, a photo of the crawler plants in front of our house, facing south. Please Kathryn, don’t look at the weeds, they are taking advantage of my tricky condition! Their Latin names are Thymus Serpillum, Sedum (Spurrium and Lanceolatu) and Helianthemum ‘Miss Mould’.  Of course I will have forgotten their names by tomorrow… I just hope they like it where they are and spread fast, it looks so bare and sad right now! Our rose bushes are just starting to bloom and the lavender yields such beautiful fragrance after the rain…

Anyway, today I am sharing a very simple recipe that was mostly inspired by my dear neighbor Jack  of Pepsfreefromkitchen, who often uses marinade to spice up his chicken.  This particular one is apparently of Lebanese origin. I have made it with tofu for myself, and also guinea-hen legs (as in the photos) so it would obviously work well with plain chicken or turkey legs.  The only difference with Jack’s original recipe is the water and tamari which I add at the end to deglaze the  drippings in the baking dish.  The resulting gravy is extra tasty, I recommend trying it on rice, green beans, peas of course, or sweet potato!  I hope some of my dear neighbors will indeed test this easy dish before it gets too hot to turn on the oven… 

Baking whole chicken legs is a great option for me right now: there is nothing to chop!  

Ingredients ( serves 2)

– 2 chicken legs / turkey legs / guinea-hen legs (OR tofu only if you can tolerate it; most people with sulfite intolerance, like my husband, don’t ) 

  For the marinade:

– 1 tsp sage, finely chopped

– 1 tsp basil, fresh or frozen, finely chopped

– 1 tsp oregano; mine was dried,  if using fresh oregano you may need more

– ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt

– 1 TBSP light tahini (sesame butter) 

– 2 TBSP olive oil

For deglazing:  1  tsp tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) thinned with 1 TBSP water

How to: (to be started 3 hours ahead, and more in a tofu version)

1. Mix marinade ingredients and lather over poultry legs or tofu pieces.  Let sit in fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight if using tofu; for this vegetarian option please follow cooking directions at the end of the recipe*.

2. Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F, fan-forced, otherwise  210°C / 410°F.

3. Bake poultry legs in baking pan, skin side down for 20 minutes, then turn over and bake an additional 20 minutes.  Remove meat and set aside.  While the meat is cooking, you can prep a nice “side” dish of vegetables.

4. Add tsp tamari and TBSP water to pan drippings and stir.  This makes wonderful gravy for both the meat and the vegetables. I know, I’m repeating myself.  Please forgive your aging neighbor.

*Tofu cooking:  Cook in a lightly oiled frying pan, adding tamari and water at the end.

Have a great weekend, dear neighbors !

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