Have I told you about the chicken coop that was on our property
when I was young? It was a working chicken coop, which means the
chickens produced eggs and then gave up their lives for dinner.
Have I told you about the chicken coop that was on our property when I was young? It was a working chicken coop, which means the chickens produced eggs and then gave up their lives for dinner.
The dastardly deed took place in the dark of night. We’d approach the coop with our flashlights, my sister clinging to my mom and me trying to be brave behind Dad. He knew everything about chickens, having grown up on a farm in Denmark. My mom knew grocery store chickens, having grown up in Denver.
The chickens would be sleeping and we’d have to slip our hands underneath them and grab their legs. At that point, they’d wake up, screeching and flapping their wings.
My mom would close her eyes as she tried to get it into the gunny sack. I’d shove mine in as soon as possible. My sister screamed and just let go, at which point the scared stiff chicken would start flying around.
One time the bird landed on my screaming sister’s head. As she ran from side to side, my mom tried to grab it to no avail. My dad was telling all of us to stop it. It was chaos.
The chicken-nabbing happened for a while, though my sister was no longer required to grab birds. Then my Denver mother put her foot down. She was through plucking the damn chickens, as if having to catch them wasn’t bad enough (we don’t know how they got from catching to the kitchen counter, I just remember the awful smell of wet feathers). From then on, we got our chickens from the grocery store and replaced the chickens at home with peacocks and geese which, to our undying relief, never required catching or plucking.
This week, it’s a trio of chicken recipes, each building on the first. First, make the chicken: My husband made this chicken (three of them) on the barbeque spit. It took about 2 hours and tasted delicious.
You can also use these directions to make it in the oven. It’s definitely worth doing at least two of them at a time. You can have chicken salad later in the week with the leftovers.
Roast Chicken with Garlic Herb Butter & Vegetables
1⁄4 lb. unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs, any combination of parsley, rosemary, thyme,
chives, or oregano.
10 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1, 5 lb. roasting chicken
1 lb. baby carrots
1 lb. cippollini onions, trimmed and peeled
1 lb. baby potatoes, or larger ones cut in half
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
– Combine the butter, chopped herbs, garlic, Dijon, salt and pepper.
– Slide your fingers between the chicken breast meat and the skin, loosening the skin. Spread half the butter mixture under the skin onto the breast meat.
– Melt the remaining herb butter, reserving about 2 tbsp. to brush over the top of the chicken, and add the vegetables. Toss until well coated.
– Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Arrange the vegetables round the chicken. Brush with remaining 2 tbsp. of herb butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast chicken at 400 degrees F. for about 2 hours until golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to serving platter.
– Serves 6.
Next, make some homemade stock: Really, this doesn’t take any effort at all. Put it all in the pot and then let it simmer. You can do whatever else you want – fold laundry, work outside, watch a movie on the couch. After you debone the above chickens, just put the bones into foil and into the refrigerator. The day you’re ready to make the stock, get out the bones and start the following recipe.
Berta’s Chicken Stock
1 chicken carcass
2 qts. Water
1 tsp. salt
1 large or 2 medium onion
4 ribs celery with leaves
8 sprigs fresh dill
4 carrots, peeled
3 parsnips, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
– Put the carcass in the pot. Add the water and salt, and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam as it collects on the surface.
– Add the onions, celery, and dill. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
– Cut the carrots and parsnips in half and add them to the stock. Simmer about 1 hour. If the stock is not flavorful enough at this point, continue to reduce it until it reaches the desired taste/consistency.
– Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (or use a colander above a bowl), and allow it to cool; then refrigerate or freeze.
– About 8 cups regular stock or 4 cups reduced rich stock.
Last, use your wonderful stock: This recipe is definitely better with the homemade stock, but can be made just as well with canned. It’s a delicious variation on a standard. I love the taste of the prawns with the cheesy risotto and mushrooms and peas. Might make it tonight!
Risotto with prawns, mushrooms & peas
6 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lb. large prawns, peeled, deveined and cut into three pieces each
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 cups Arborio rice
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
1⁄2 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
– Bring stock to a simmer. In separate pot, melt butter and oil and add onion. Saute 5 minutes.
– Add mushrooms. Saute 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to a coat with oil, 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until absorbed.
– Add hot stock – cup at a time, stirring constantly. When absorbed, add next – cup.
– After 10 minutes, add prawns, peas, salt and pepper.
– Continue as above; total time is about 20-25 minutes. Risotto is done when creamy outside and tender inside.
– Remove from heart, stir in cheese, adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Note: can add 1 lb. chopped asparagus with mushrooms if desired.
Happy cooking!
It’s time for our annual salad days. Please forward any particularly successful salad recipes you’ve tried lately. E-mail to jd****@****ic.com or send to Jenny’s Kitchen, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy 95020.
