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03/12/2020 12:01 AMA few weeks ago, I took my friend to St. Raphael’s Hospital for a very complex surgery. What should have been a seven- or eight-hour vigil (appointment, surgery two hours later, three-hour surgery, one hour recovery) turned into 10 to 11 hours. I read an entire book, ate at the cafeteria twice, and read a few magazines front to back.
One of those magazines was Martha Stewart Living. I am not a craft person. I am not a person who gets pleasure from wrapping presents or cleaning bathrooms. My desk is cluttered. But I do love to cook, and that was Martha’s first love, I think. In the magazine was a recipe for chicken thighs with cherry tomatoes and Pernod.
I like Pernod because Pernod tastes like licorice. I like licorice. Although I drink very little, I will drink Pernod or Ricard with one cube of ice and a squirt of water. I like the way it turns from clear to cloudy. I first tasted Pernod during a very chilly Philadelphia Eagles football game in 1971. Tom Dempsey was the field goal kicker. We drank a mayonnaise jar filled with Pernod and coffee beans. It kept me warm, but I don’t remember the score.
This recipe is delicious. If you don’t like Pernod and fennel seeds, this is not the recipe for you. Maybe you will like next week’s recipe more.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Chicken Thighs with Cherry Tomatoes and Pernod
From Martha Stewart Living, September, 2019
Yield: Serves 4
6 bone-in, skin-on thighs (about 2 ½ pounds total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
1 tablespoons fennel seeds, crushed with the bottom of
a heavy pan
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
4 shallots (8 ounces total), halved lengthwise, or
quartered if large
12 ounces cherry tomatoes on a vine
(I used grape tomatoes, halved)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, for serving
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature, 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the center. Whisk together Pernod, fennel seeds, olive oil, and lemon juice. Arrange shallots and tomatoes in a large roasting pan; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken; drizzle with Pernod mixture. Toss to coat, then arrange chicken skin sides up.
Roast until chicken is golden and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Switch oven to broil; cook until skin is very crisp and vegetables are slightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Transfer chicken and vegetables to a serving platter. Pour pan juices into a small saucepan. Reduce over medium-high until slightly thicken, about 2 minutes. Drizzle sauce around chicken and garnish with basil and serve.