Lemon, Parsley, and Parmesan on Today
Last week, on my regular appearance on The Today Show, I shared some delectable recipes from the January issue of Martha Stewart Living. Most cooks will have versatile lemons, parsley, and Parmesan within reach. These three ingredients are easy to have on hand because they last a long time. However, they don’t often get used together. The recipes that I demonstrated proved that, when blended, lemons, parsley, and Parmesan become a power trio, infusing foods with a flavorful brightness that’s sure to please.
1 Last week on the Today Show, I demonstrated recipes from the January 2012 issue of my magazine, Martha Stewart Living.
2 If you're craving a burst of refreshing flavor, look no further. This three-some of hardworking ingredients helps reinvent some mealtime basics.
3 Reach for the brightness of lemon.
4 And the freshness of parsley
5 And the sharpness of Parmesan
6 Think of these three ingredients as your refrigerator's Power Trio!
7 These incredibly versatile, and all too often unsung, flavors combine to make delicious meals for any time of day!
8 Getting ready for the segment as Matt Lauer reviews his notes
9 A flavor-packed salad of flat-leaf parsley, both grated and shaved Parmesan, toasted croutons, and roasted carrots tossed with a lemon vinaigrette - The carrots are roasted until they're slightly charred, bringing out their sweetness.
10 These three ingredients are often thought of as a garnish, an afterthought, or followed by a dismissive 'optional' in recipes. When they're all mixed together, lemon, parsley, and Parmesan become a magical flavor trifecta.
11 For a wonderful pasta, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, Parmesan, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and olive oil to make a pesto-like dressing.
12 The ingredients for the pasta - so basic and easy!
13 These microplane zester/graters make really nice citrus zest and grate even the hardest cheese, chocolate, and coconut into fine lacy wisps. They work well on ginger and garlic, too.
14 I also demonstrated how to make a very special roast chicken. The chicken is placed breast side up on a baking sheet, rubbed with 2 T of olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
15 Sprigs of parsley and half a lemon are placed in the cavity of the chicken, where they will infuse the meat with flavor from the inside.
16 To ensure a juicy bird, tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
17 Toss one pound of fingerling potatoes or small new potatoes with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and scatter the potatoes around the chicken before roasting in the oven.
18 The chicken and potatoes roast for 15-minutes at 425º and then for about 50-minutes more at 375º until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165º.
19 While the chicken is roasting, you make a sauce with minced garlic, chopped parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, Parmesan cheese, salt, and red-pepper flakes. After roasting, the sauce is brushed on the chicken and potatoes.
20 The fresh and zesty sauce in this dish provides a welcome diversion from the same old roast chicken. YUM!!!
21 I also showed Matt how to make a baguette filled with prosciutto and lemon, parsley, and Parmesan flavored eggs.
22 The eggs, of course, were laid by my chickens.
23 The ingredients for a hollowed out 15-inch baguette include 5 eggs, a bit of whole milk and some bread pieces, as well as lemon zest, parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
24 You will also need about 4 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto.
25 You line the bottom of the hollowed out baguette with the prosciutto.
26 You then pour the egg mixture over the prosciutto and bake the whole thing in a 350º oven until the eggs are puffed up and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
27 This dish is an especially good recipe to make if you happen to have a day-old baguette or leftover Italian bread.
28 It's not exactly an egg sandwich and not quite a strata, but no matter how you slice it, this toasty egg, cheese, and prosciutto recipe makes an irresistible meal!
29 Posing with Judy Morris - MSLO producer of special projects
30 With Prop Stylist, Jocelyn Worrall
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I watched the Today show live and loved your segment amazing and delicious recipes and so easy to prepare. I love your January digital issue for iPad love your kitchens and recently downloaded your Feb issue love love it. Thank you Martha. Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend xo
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | January 19th, 2012 at 4:50 am
I really enjoyed the recipes in this January issue of Living. I made Lucinda's(Mad Hungry) Salisbury steak with onion gravy last night. Delicious! Everyone enjoyed it. I'll have to make it into frozen dinners and see how it goes.
Posted by: Julie | January 19th, 2012 at 8:40 am
I also watched the segment on the Today Show and everything looked so delicious! I always keep lemons on hand. It's my go to ingredient when I want to add brightness to what ever I'm preparing. I have a question though if anyone knows the answer, should I be keeping lemons in the fridge or should they be kept at room temp! I love seeing you on the Today Show Martha, it's a treat!l
Posted by: Cindy F | January 19th, 2012 at 8:41 am
I love those flavor combinations! That egg/strata/prosciutto dish is one I must try!
Posted by: Simple Girl | January 19th, 2012 at 8:54 am
Just another great NBC segment and LIVING magazine edition.TV does make people like Lucinda easy to recognize unlike those behind the scenes..Would have loved to have seen more of caterering staff on TODAY party blog yesterday.Some may not quite get it about effort that goes into making living look so good.
Posted by: ann | January 19th, 2012 at 9:48 am
Hi Martha,
I did miss this episode and so glad you posted the highligts of the cooking segment! Because of you, I always have lemons in the fridge. I never use lemon pepper, but if I roast a hen, she'll have a pierced lemon in the cavity & when roasting legs & thighs with potatoes, there will always be a quarterd lemon on the baking sheet.
Thanks again,
Sharon
Posted by: Sharon | January 19th, 2012 at 10:08 am
Martha,
Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | January 19th, 2012 at 10:18 am
Hi Martha,
Whenever you are on the Today Show and if the video is available, I put a link on Twitter for those who might have missed it. I’m definitely going to make the Lemon, Parsley & Parmesan Pasta and maybe the baguette and actually left the January issue opened to those pages. They make my mouth water – yum is right! I’m intrigued with the Goddess of Healthy Delight recipes too! Thanks. Trish
Posted by: Trish | January 19th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Hi Martha, YUM! My mouth is watering looking at these fantastic photos of the fabulous foods you made on the Today Show last week! Everything looks so delicious and I'm going to have to get some lemons, parsley, and parmesan as soon as I can get to a grocery store! I do have the microplane zester/grater and the lemon squeezer and they are great-thanks for making them for us! It was really neat to see more of the Today Show kitchen area! Can't wait to see you again on the today show next week! We had 6"s of snow yesterday and it was covered with ice this morning and awfully hard to walk outside, especially for sweet little Dudley Do Right to do his business this morning! Power went out last night when trees fell on some wires nearby. It's supposed to rain today so who knows what's next! Hasn't snowed here near Puget Sound for several years. Hope you have a great day! Please hug F,S,&GK- I love them, too! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | January 19th, 2012 at 10:46 am
I think parmesan is my favourite kind of cheese - although there are so many varieties to choose from. I like its sharpness and flavour so much. The kitchen set in these photos is delightful! Is it new for the Today Show?
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | January 19th, 2012 at 10:49 am
Thank you for appearing on a lesser known video produced by Farm Sanctuary. It's great to see you being an outspoken advocate for conscientious food choices and animal welfare. It's admirable that someone of your stature has taken a stand AGAINST supporting factory farming and the conglomerates that make money off of animal suffering.
Posted by: Julia | January 19th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Today, off to Costco to get a bag of lemons etc. to do all these amazing recipes! Thanks so much for the tips Martha. I love all of these flavours!
Posted by: Frances | January 19th, 2012 at 2:35 pm
Hi, Martha,
Simple, but elegant! Thank you for inspiring me!
Posted by: Bobbie | January 19th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Martha,
It does sounds and look as if this episode was just what the doctor ordered to get some color back in the scene. January does have a terrible reputation for the blahs. Unfortunately keeping parsley on hand is not an option for me. Lemons hang around a little bit longer. I try to use such perishible ingredients but I hate to see things spoil.
I applaud your prep team--that must be a gifted crew.
I must make a comment regarding animal welfare. Whether it be in heat of summer or frozen winter I have never seen anyone work harder making sure animals have water and food than professional animal raisers and producers of animal products. Amateurs will never understand.
Posted by: Margie | January 19th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Martha,
It is because of you that I always have fresh lemons in my kitchen. You're so inspiring! The food looks absolutely delicious!
Posted by: Evelyn | January 19th, 2012 at 7:42 pm
I love the 3 simple ingredients you have used. They burst forth with flavor, and remind me of using fresh ingredients from the garden each summer.
Posted by: nantucketdaffodil | January 19th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
I watched the spa show and at the end you mentioned the facial soap that you used, and I missed it, can say the brand again, and do have it on you website? Thanks
Posted by: hennypenny | January 19th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
Martha...love love love this! Question, I've been searching for the soap you recommended on your show (you specifically mentioned that you use it for cleaning your makeup brushes) but also for other things. Can you help? I'm not having any luck finding it.
Posted by: Gretchen | January 21st, 2012 at 12:10 pm
What is the name of the song that opens the January 2012 iPad magazine?
Posted by: Anne sheeran | January 23rd, 2012 at 8:33 pm