This is a very special Fiesta Friday, we have lost a dear friend, Selma from Selma’s table succumbed to cancer on July 4th. I never had the pleasure of meeting her personally and only knew her through her blog, we exchanged a few emails she was encouraging me about my sour dough starter. Her starter made it’s way around the blogging community, she was generous with her time and advise and talent.

Her recipes were rustic and full of flavor. She was a great recipe writer, developer, photographer and of course an amazing cook, you can tell she cooked with love.  As many of you know I am very active as a contributor at Food52, when I saw that her amazing chicken dish was a finalist in the contest for “The best one pot meal” I literally jumped for joy. I saved the recipe meaning to try it,  but life got in the way and I forgot about it. It was a well deserved win for Selma, this dish is incredible. I mean INCREDIBLE, I kid you not it is so loaded with flavor when you take your first bite all you can do is close your eyes and thank her. If you are not vegetarian make this dish NOW, it’s that good. If you are vegetarian visit Elaine’s amazing blog Foodbod and make the dish that inspired Selma’s contest winning recipe

If you have never visited Selma’s Table please do, make one of her fantastic recipes and you will see what I mean when I say what a wonderfully talented cook she was. When the editors at Food52 found out about Selma’s passing they decided to post a tribute to her highlighting several of her recipes, look for it today on Food52 (here it is).  This week along with Angie@The Novice Gardener/Fiesta Friday we are joined by Elaine@foodbod, Jhuls@The Not So Creative Cook, and Sue@birgerbird to remember Selma and honor her life as we cooks do best by preparing Selma’s recipes. If you would like to participate in this special tribute to Selma simply click on the link above, you don’t have to cook if you have a poem or anything that you feel celebrates Selma’s life it would be great.

Selma, you were/are loved by so many and your presence will be sorely missed.

Selma’s Extraordinary Marinated Chicken,potatoes and chickpeas

Extraordinary Marinated and Roasted Chicken, Potatoes, and Chickpeas

By Selma | Selma’s Table

Food52 Editors’ Comments: WHO: Divasparkle is an adventurous cook who hails from across the pond, in London. WHAT: A comforting one-dish meal with a sauce built in. HOW: If you’ve read the title of this recipe, you know the method — just marinate, roast, and eat. WHY WE LOVE IT: This is the ultimate dinner-party dish; it will taste like you’ve been working on it all day, but you’ll know the truth: You spent 10 minutes mixing the marinade and turning on the oven, and had the rest of the day to yourself. Tell them, or don’t; it’s up to you.

After its stint in the oven, the marinade cooks down to this incredible, sticky savoriness around the potatoes and chicken. And when combined with the crispy bits of chickpeas, tender chicken, and marinade-sodden potatoes, it’s heaven on a plate. This is adapted from Elaine Boddy’s “Lebanese Inspired Potatoes and Chickpeas” from her lovely blog “foodbod.”

Serves 4 to 6

• 400 grams chickpeas (about one 15-ounce can)
• 800 grams (1 3/4 pounds) potatoes
• 1 medium head of garlic, cloves separated
• 8 bone in, skin on, chicken thighs
• For the marinade:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 to 3 lemons
• 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon harissa paste (or to your taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to season
• To finish/serve:
• 2 teaspoons dry-roasted whole cumin seeds
• 80 grams chopped coriander leaves and stalks (or one small handful)
• 300 milliliters Greek yogurt or tzatziki (or enough for each serving to have a generous dollop)

1. The day before, rinse and drain the chickpeas. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 3 inch chunks.
2. Give the lemons 30 seconds or so in the microwave to help release more juice, or roll on a flat surface while applying a little pressure. Slice in half and squeeze out as much juice as you can. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. Place the chicken, chickpeas, potatoes, and garlic in a large freezer bag and pour in the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Flop it around a bit to make sure that the marinade gets everywhere. Place on a plate or in a bowl and pop in the fridge to marinate for a day. Turn the bag over whenever you open the fridge over the next 24 hours. (Alternatively, you can just mix the chicken, marinade, and other ingredients in a bowl, and place that bowl, covered, in the fridge, mixing occasionally as it marinates.)
4. An hour or so before you are ready to eat, heat the oven to 200º C (375º F). Remove the bag from the fridge and tumble the contents into a roasting dish large enough for everything to be spread out. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish tightly with foil and cook for 1 hour. Remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the chicken skin and potatoes are crispy and cooked through, and the chickpeas get a little crunchy. Watch carefully to make sure the marinade does not go from gooey and delicious to a burnt crisp. Remove from the oven and scatter over the roasted cumin seeds and chopped coriander leaves.
5. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or tzatziki on the side, and prepare to be worshipped.

so delicious