Does your store have an Ugly Food bin? Mine does, and I find all sorts of treasures there for a lower price! This time I found ugly Bartlett pears. There’s nothing wrong with the nutrition or flavor of ugly food, it just doesn’t look like the picture perfect food that stores like to have on display. We have learned from TV and pictures that our food should look a certain way, but Mother Nature just does her best to grow food that tastes good, no matter what it looks like. These pears only had brown spots on their skin that they probably got on their long ride from the orchard to the store.
This recipe has too much cutting for my tiny humans to help me today. This recipe is for big kids that can use a knife and put a hot skillet into a hot oven without getting hurt. Pears are great to eat anytime for a serving of fruit! I see them a lot as a snack or dessert, but did you know you can put them in your dinner too?! Pears are really good with chicken or pork! Lets get cooking!
First wash your hands! Then turn the oven on to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and begin getting your ingredients ready. Gathering all your ingredients and getting them ready before you start cooking is called mis en place (meese-en-plass). It is a French term meaning “everything in its place” and is the best way to make sure you don’t forget an ingredient or burn your food. If you have ever seen a TV Chef make a dish, you can see that they have all their mis en place ready to go before they start to cook too. Once you have measured, cut, and seasoned all the ingredients, its time to cook!
I did all of this in a cast iron skillet, but you can use any skillet or frying pan that can go into the oven. Little pieces of chicken will cook faster than big pieces of chicken. The best way to know that your chicken is cooked all the way is to use a thermometer.
Poultry (meaning edible birds like chicken and turkey) is done at 165 degrees. You need to put the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat to be sure it is done all the way. If you make this recipe with chicken legs, don’t put the thermometer near the bone because you won’t get a good reading that way.
What can you think of to make with ugly food? Have you ever served fruit with meat before?