Dew of the Sea

Rosmarinus officinalis.

It’s Latin and it means, Dew of the Sea. And though it’s most closely associated with the cooking of the Mediterranean area, it blocked my way today while walking down the sidewalk.

Right there in front of God and everybody, a whole five foot by five foot display of what looked like a hedge I wanted to dig up and cook with right on the spot.

Which was not fair at all because I can’t smell Rosemary, without thinking of roast chicken. And I can’t roast a chicken unless the dinner I’m cooking falls between September and April. Which might sound stupid, but it’s sort of my rule.

Roast chicken is a cold season meal as far as I’m concerned.

And yet there it was right in front of me. Suddenly I wanted this:

Rotisserie Roast Chicken with Rosemary, Orange and Garlic

Ingredients
1 roasting chicken big enough to feed your crew
1 tsp salt
5 sprigs chopped rosemary (and no I’m not giving you mine)
zest from 1 orange
2 tsp garlic flake
rock salt

Method
1. Rub salt, rosemary and orange zest all over the chicken including the inside cavity. Leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, coarsely grind the garlic flake. (don’t even pretend you don’t want one)
3. Rub garlic flake over skin and sprinkle with rock salt.
4. Truss chicken and rotisserie at 180˚C for 45-60 minutes or until the juices run clear. (I think trussing is a pain)
5. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before carving.

So there it is. That’s what flooded my mind when I ran into the Dew of the Sea. It’s no-nonsense, simple, and a favorite around here. And though I’m not cooking it tonight, I’ll break my rule and throw it in the oven the first time the temperature drops below 60˚.

Now…if anyone has an award-winning gravy recipe, I’m all ears.