Ronnie: This one is for you!

I was first introduced to Ronnie Fein back in the '80s, when I took a part time editing job at The Advocate newspaper in Stamford, CT. I was there to do lots of different things, but the job I loved most was editing the weekly food section. In 1985, Ronnie Fein was already a fixture at the paper, writing as many cover stories as the paper could afford.

You could say I inherited Ronnie, but I never once wished I hadn't. I love Ronnie's writing, her recipes, and over the years, have come to love and admire Ronnie the person.

This is all a long winded way of spreading the word about Ronnie's new blog, Kitchen Vignettes, which can be found at www.ronniefein.com. It is chockful of food lore, wisdom and recipes, so worth a daily stop. Right now, she is taking us all on a culinary World Cup Tour -- with foods and recipes from different countries -- so even if soccer is not your thing, you can join the festivities.

What follows is a recipe Ronnie posted last week prior to her World Cup tour -- so easy and succulent, I recommend it highly.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH ORANGE, LEMON AND GINGER

1 roasting chicken, about 4-6 pounds

1 orange

1 lemon

1 large scallion, finely chopped

2 Tblsp. finely chopped parsley

1 Tblsp. finely chopped fresh ginger

2 Tblsp. softened butter

2 Tblsp. honey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup orange juice

2 Tblsp. lemon juice

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Rinse and dry the chicken; remove pinfeathers; remove the giblets.
• Grate the orange and lemon rinds into a bowl. Halve the fruit and squeeze the orange to extract the juice; add more if necessary to make the 1/2 cup. Squeeze the lemon to make the 2 tablespoons of juice. Mix the orange and lemon juices together and set aside. Place the fruit inside the cavity of the chicken.
• To the bowl of citrus peels, add the scallion, parsley, ginger, butter and honey. Mix the ingredients until well blended. Rub onto all sides of the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Roast another 15 minutes. Pour the reserved juices over the chicken and roast another 15 minutes.
• Turn chicken breast side up. Continue to roast, basting occasionally, for another 45-60 minutes or until fully cooked (a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 160 degrees. Remove the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan juices. Makes 6 servings.