Greek Chicken Thighs

I'm not going to lie, I mostly made these Chicken Thighs because I wanted to use my new baking dish.
My office does Secret Santa every year and it's no secret that I'm big into cooking. I was really delighted to get this dish, not just because it is super pretty, but because it's the perfect size for the portion sizes I tend to make. I have a lot of bakeware and trying to find room for this dish made me realize that I seriously need to go through my cabinets and organize what I have and possibly re-home some duplicate pans.

In case you are curious, I gave my Secret Santa Beer, Chocolate and Coffee. It seemed like a good choice. 

I stumbled across this recipe in the 2012 wrap up from the blog Everybody Loves Sandwiches. I changed it just a smidge, but the recipe is pretty straightforward. These chicken thighs get marinated for a couple of hours, then baked in a good hot oven until cooked. Although they get cooked uncovered, the chicken thighs stay nice and moist. I took the skin off mine, but the original recipes says you can leave them on if you wish. This dish is really light and tangy. The flavor of the chicken shines through nicely.

Greek Chicken Thighs

Multiply this recipe as many times as you like to fit your preferred portion size!

2 Boneless Chicken Thighs
4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Cloves Garlic, smashed
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
Black Pepper

In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, salt, oregano, garlic and a few good grinds of black pepper. Put your chicken thighs in a ziploc bag and pour over the marinade. Let sit for at least a couple of hours, flipping the bag over a couple of times if you can. You can also let it sit in the fridge during the day to cook at night if you like.

When the chicken is marinaded, preheat the oven to 425F. Pour the chicken and the marinade into a shallow non-stick baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

Eat with some lightly buttered boiled potatoes off your favorite plate on a Sunday afternoon.

Serves two for lunch or one for dinner.

Blueberry, Lemon and Ricotta Tarts

I've figured lots of things out over the last 5 weeks or so. I've figured out that my Stung Guy really is my best friend and having him living 2,000 miles away is not something I like. I've figured out that the whole time he and I have lived together, my cat has been secretly wishing he were two feet shorter so she can sleep where his feet go. I've figured out he eats a LOT of cereal. I've figured out that if it's my weekend I have to have something planned with real people at least one of the days, because if I spend two days my myself in my apartment I will go more than a little nuts. My cat does not approve of me trying to hold conversations with her. She'd rather be sleeping in her nearly acquired spot at the foot of the bed.

One of the good things about being by myself is that I can spend an entire uninterrupted day in my kitchen, which is what I did on Tuesday. Since I'm in this big pantry busting phase, one of the rules I've made myself is that if I'm looking to make a recipe, I can only need to purchase 1 ingredient in 5. Since I had a dinner date the next day, I decided that I could work on a recipe for these tarts. I had seen the blueberry and lemon ricotta combination over at The Pastry Studio and loved the combination. I made mini versions for my birthday and wanted to make bigger ones to take over to Rene and Moray's house. 

If you haven't discovered the wonders of cream cheese pastry yet, let me enlighten you. Cream cheese pastry is incredibly simple to make and it comes out very flaky and fluffy, not too heavy at all. It's a nice alternative to standard pie pastry because it doesn't come out as dense, and if you are making little tarts with it in a muffin pan, you can make it really thin and it will still hold up the filling. These tarts are really yummy, and leftovers are pretty great for breakfast the next day with a mug of coffee.

Blueberry, Lemon and Ricotta Tarts

You can use frozen blueberries here if need be, though fresh is always better. I like to reserve a few to bake on top of the tarts. This recipe makes extra pastry, which I like to just stick in the freezer so I can pull it out and whip up a couple of small desserts or tarts at a later date with little effort.

For the Pastry

1 Cup Flour

4oz Cream Cheese

1/2 Cup Butter

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

For the Blueberry Filling

4oz Blueberries 

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1/4 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

For the Lemon Ricotta Filling

4oz Ricotta

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 Egg Yolk

Zest of 1 Lemon

In a mixing bowl or a stand mixer, cube up the butter and the cream cheese. Sift over the flour and the salt and then work into a dough. It will need a few tablespoons of cold water for it to come together. 

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge to firm up a little while you make the fillings. This makes it easier to roll later.

In a small saucepan, add the ingredients for the blueberry filling and simmer over a medium heat, stirring often. The blueberries will break apart and the whole mix will resemble a compote. Have a careful taste and add more sugar if necessary. It's nice for it to have a bit of a tart edge, but there should still be some sweetness to it. It will seem quite thin at first, but will thicken up as it cools. Once this is made, set it aside so it can cool a little.

In a small mixing bowl, add the ingredients for the Lemon Ricotta filling. Makes sure these are all mixed well and that you don't have any big lumps. I love the colors of the filling before it's mixed, all different shades of yellow.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Divide your dough into 12 pieces, then mush three of those back together and stick them wrapped up in the freezer for a later date. Roll the remaining pieces into balls and then use a rolling pin to flatten them into thin discs. Place them into 9 muffin cups. 

I started out with twelve, then remembered this recipe makes less filling than that and changed my mind.

Divide the blueberry mixture into the pastry cups, then spoon over the ricotta and the top with a fresh blueberry. Bake for 30 minutes and then cool on a wire rack. 

Makes nine delicious tarts. Serve a little warm or at room temperature, or cold for breakfast the next day.

Here is another recipe you might like:

Eggplant and Tomato Stacks