Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

Today's taping of Home At Last! showcased one of Ron's favorite chicken dishes. Mediterranean Chicken with Grapes, or Chicken Veronique as it is sometimes called. Preferring red grapes to green, and globe reds to seedless red-I have really made it my own with the addition of fig balsamic. I shared my easy homemade Fig Balsamic recipe, 3 cups of 15-year old Balsamic vinegar and 1 cup canned figs. I cooked figs over the summer, added a scant 1/4 cup of sugar, before processing the jars in boiling water for about 1o minutes. They were so perfect for the recipe and made an excellent fig balsamic. The mixture reduced on a low heat for about thirty minutes, creating a rich, almost-syrup like balsamic. Making chicken stock from leftover trimmings of skinless chicken is another easy way to recycle in the kitchen. I made a bouquet garni bag of herbs. . .bay leaf, sage, and celery leaf. Into a large pot of water, I added chunks of chicken breast, carrot and celery chunks, fresh gar...

    I don't use enough Tahina in a year to pay for a large jar . . .only to watch it turn rancid. So I create a more relaxed Italian version of a Chick Pea spread that delivers amazing flavor, a rich, smooth texture and loads of vitamins and fiber. For two cans of Italian chickpeas, I strain the off the liquid, add three to four tablespoons of my homemade garlic oil, add four or five cloves of fresh garlic, 2 tbsp of white sesame seeds, 1 - 2 tsp of sesame oil and a tsp of fresh lemon juice. I use a pinch of kosher salt to round it all out. I love this milder version. It's so tasty served on top of my fire-roasted bread or as in this picture with my homemade cracker bread.I've topped it with fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes tossed in a little fig balsamic vinegar! A small grating of pecorino cheese on top! And my husband tells me I have given him new reasons to come home at night! Hey, whatever it takes!