Headin’ Southwest

This menu takes its inspiration from Southwestern cooking. The chicken is flavored with cumin, oregano and orange juice in addition to onions and peppers.

Set the casserole up ahead and finish cooking just before dinner. That way the chicken develops more flavor marinating in the sauce, and there is less chance of overcooking.

The Black Bean Chili provides the perfect flavor and texture complement. It can be cooked in advance and easily reheated while the chicken dish is baking. Pass some warm corn tortillas for wrapping up the chicken, peppers, onions and beans. Should you want to serve a salad, garden greens and cilantro leaves tossed in a simple vinaigrette would be the right choice.

Dessert features an old-fashioned double-lemon cake, served with lemon sherbet garnished with strawberries macerated in a mixture of rum, sugar and lemon zest.

Try to find a free-range chicken weighing about four pounds for this dish. It won’t be the most inexpensive bird, but it will give the best flavor. To skin the chicken, grasp the skin with a paper towel and pull it off, then trim away all visible fat with fingers or a paring knife. (Give up on the wings--they’re impossible to skin.)

SMOTHERED CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS AND ONIONS 1/4 cup flour 2 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 (4-pound) chicken, cut up, skinned, trimmed of all visible fat 3 tablespoons oil 3 small onions, sliced 1 jalapeno chile, seeded if desired, minced 2 large sweet red peppers, cut julienne 1 large green pepper, cut julienne 3 large cloves garlic, minced 1 cup fresh orange juice 1 cup chicken stock or broth 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 3 tablespoons cider vinegar

Combine flour, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon salt in plastic food bag. Add chicken pieces in batches. Shake bag to coat pieces evenly. Reserve any remaining flour mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken pieces, batch at time, over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. As chicken is browned, transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture over chicken.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Cook onions until tender, stirring often. Add jalapeno, red and green peppers and garlic. Cook until fragrant and heated through, stirring often. Add orange juice, 1/2 cup chicken stock, tomato paste, vinegar and remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons oregano, 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Bring to boil. Ladle over chicken. Cover. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. (Keep refrigerated until ready for baking; do not let come to room temperature.)

Bake at 400 degrees on lower 1/3 of oven, covered, 50 minutes. Add more stock as needed. Bake 15 minutes more, uncovered. Adjust seasonings in sauce to taste. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 739 calories; 1,275 mg sodium; 174 mg cholesterol; 47 grams fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 49 grams protein; 1.45 grams fiber.

Dried black beans take some forethought because of the soaking and cooking time, but they taste much better than canned black beans.

BLACK BEAN CHILI 12 ounces dried beans, sorted and rinsed Water 2 small onions 2 tablespoons oil 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno chile, seeded if desired, minced 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 to 3 cups chicken stock or broth Salt 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

Soak beans overnight in 2 quarts water. Drain. Place beans in pot and add fresh water to cover by 1 inch. Add 1 onion, cut in half. Bring to boil. Simmer, covered, until beans are cooked as desired, about 1 to 2 hours. Drain. Discard cooking liquid and onion. Chop remaining onion.

Heat oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and saute until tender. Add garlic, jalapeno, drained beans, chili powder, brown sugar, vinegar and 2 cups chicken stock. Bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, adding remaining stock as necessary. Season to taste with salt.

Transfer to baking dish. (Can be made day ahead and refrigerated, covered airtight.) Bake, covered, at 400 degrees (along with smothered chicken dish) until hot, about 20 minutes, adding more water if there is no more stock. Toss beans with cilantro. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 279 calories; 332 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 3.72 grams fiber.

There’s a double dose of lemon--lemon glaze and thin Lemon Frosting--in this old-fashioned cake. Mincing the strips of lemon zest with the sugar in the processor or blender develops more lemon flavor in the cake itself. The cake slices into very small servings, since it is about the size of a single layer and firmly textured, similar to a pound cake. Served with lemon sherbet and Lemon - Zested Strawberries, it makes a lovely dessert.

OLD-FASHIONED DOUBLE-LEMON CAKE 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Dash salt Chopped zest of 2 lemons 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cups unsalted butter or margarine, softened 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon lemon extract 2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice Lemon Frosting Lemon sherbet, optional Lemon-Zested Strawberries, optional

Sift flour, baking powder and salt onto piece of wax paper. Set aside.

Combine lemon zest and granulated sugar in blender or food processor. Grind until lemon zest is almost as fine as sugar.

Cream butter and lemon sugar in mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at time, beating until smooth and flowing. Add lemon extract. Mix to combine (curdled appearance is fine). Add sifted dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Transfer to greased 8-1/2-inch springform pan. Smooth surface with spatula.

Bake at 325 degrees on center rack of oven until lightly colored and wood pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Prepare glaze by mixing powdered sugar and lemon juice.

Place hot cake in pan on cooling rack and brush surface with glaze immediately. Let glaze run down sides of cake. Gently rotate pan to distribute drippings evenly. After all glaze is applied and seems absorbed, carefully remove springform rim. As soon as cake seems cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes, transfer to platter with long spatula. (Aluminum cake pans can affect lemon flavor.) Let cake cool completely.

Spread Lemon Frosting on cooled cake. Serve with lemon sherbet and Lemon-Zested Strawberries. Makes 1 (8 1/2-inch-diameter) cake, or 8 servings.

Lemon Frosting 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine Dash salt Grated zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons lemon juice Water

Combine powdered sugar, butter, salt, lemon zest and juice. Add few drops water for smooth consistency, if necessary.

Lemon-Zested Strawberries Grated zest of 2 lemons 1/4 cup sugar or more, depending on sweetness of strawberries 2 pints strawberries, washed, blotted dry, hulled, split lengthwise 2 tablespoons dark rum

Combine lemon zest, sugar, strawberries and rum in plastic food bag. Secure bag. Shake bag gently to coat strawberries. Refrigerate 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Each serving contains about: 530 calories; 140 mg sodium; 132 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 81 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.47 gram fiber.