Lemony Mushrooms / Limonlu Mantar

Writer's Note:  I love these lemony mushrooms.  My roommate in Cambridge, MA, made them for me once about a decade ago and they are still my go-to mushroom dish.  Something about the butter and lemon combination imparts a tangy flavor that is both bright and earthy.  Thanks, Cory.

Ingredients:

1 lb brown or white button mushrooms, or other varieties, cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 tbsp. olive oil

2-3 tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence

1/4 cup white wine

1 lemon, squeezed

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet until butter is melted.  Add mushrooms, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper, and saute until the mushrooms begin to sweat.  Add white wine and saute until wine is absorbed.  Add lemon juice and saute until the mushrooms are tender and lemon juice is absorbed, about 10 more minutes.  

Orange Fennel Chicken with Black Olives / Zeytinli Portakalı Tavuk ve Rezene

Writer's Note: It is really cold in Berlin. There is snow on the ground, my heaters are cranked to high, and yet, I am still freezing here in my new apartment in Kreuzberg. In honor of sunnier places and a yearning for the Mediterranean, here is a new recipe.

Ingredients:

2-3 large chicken legs, or other chicken parts

1 navel orange, half squeezed, half sliced into thick slices

1/3 cup olive oil

2-3 fennel bulbs, peeled and quartered

1/2 cup black olives

1 tsp. Aleppo pepper

1 tsp. dried mint or Herbs de Provence

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. fresh pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Mix olive oil, spices, and orange juice as marinade. Rub the marinade on the chicken and fennel pieces. Line the bottom of a deep baking rack with aluminum foil and lay the chicken pieces and fennel pieces in the bottom. (If using chicken breasts, lay them breast side down for the first 50 minutes of baking.) Surround with the orange slices. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken and fennel. Bake chicken for 10 minutes at 500 degrees and then lower temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for another 50 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Ten minutes before the chicken is finished, add the olives to the bottom of the pan. If the chicken skin has not crisped, turn the broiler on for 5-10 minutes until skin is crisp. Serve with drippings spooned over the chicken and fennel.