So, I’ve decided to start a blog – devoted to our day-to-day eating and drinking habits. For me, it’s a way to track what we’re eating, how I’m preparing it, what drinks and food work together, and what doesn’t. I’ll probably rant a bit, explicate a bit, spend time on the soapbox, and generally be, well, me. Maybe I’ll throw in real recipes, for sure some of the techniques I’m using. After all, I seldom cook from a real recipe, per se. If you find it interesting, great. If not, I honestly don’t care – this is more for me than for you. If you can get something out of it, great. If not, well, that’s really not my worry.
My first topic: Roast Chicken. That’s what was for dinner Sunday night. It’s the ultimate in comfort foods. Done right, with a nice crispy skin and juicy meat, can be amazing. Done poorly, well, it’s still OK, so long as you don’t undercook it and poison your diners. Overcooked, yes, it’s dry and rubbery and not all that great, but some sauce will fix it fairly well. Plus, it’s cheap (you can get a decent sized chicken, around 4-5 lb., for about $5), pretty easy to prep, and incredibly versatile. Of course, you’ll get more taste if you “splurge” on a free range local bird, still a bargain around $10.
Versatile, you say? Why, yes. In it’s most basic form, it’s yummy. Toss it in the oven with salt and pepper seasoning, maybe some olive oil or butter to baste it a couple times. Tired of that? Squeeze a lemon over it and throw the squeezed lemon in the bird’s cavity. Now, the chicken has that beautiful acid freshness of lemon. Or, try balsamic vinegar instead. It brings that acetic vinegar note, with some added depth and a touch of sweetness. Cook your veggies in the pan with it—fingerling potatoes and carrots are classics, but turnips do very nicely too, as will an onion or celery. You can use some of these to make a gravy if you’d like – they take on a great flavor along with pan juices. Just throw in a little flour at the end, cook for a couple minutes, deglaze your pan with some white wine, add some stock, cook it down for a few minutes, and season it. Strain, and you have gravy.
Ready for more adventure? Glaze the bird with a fruit based preparation. It can be as easy as heating up some nice jelly or jam, or a complex mix of fruits and herbs. Or, get really crazy, and add an international flair. Try some Asian flavors – ginger and garlic in the cavity, or a soy based glaze, or both. Or, maybe some Latin notes? Or Caribbean? Citrus and allspice could really bring some new dimensions to the bird.
Sunday night, I went uber-simple. Chopped up some veggies for the bottom, seasoned it up with salt and pepper, put a few cloves of garlic in the cavity, and coated it in cheap “balsamic” vinegar and a bit of olive oil. Paired it with a ridiculously bargain-priced 2005 Chanson Bourgogne, and had a nice Sunday dinner without much work. And, we’ve got leftovers for both Julie and me to take for lunch early this week. How much easier could it be? And the very best part? We’ve saved the bones and carcass in the freezer, so after another round of chicken with bones, I’ll be able to make up a nice yummy homemade chicken stock. It’s SO much better than the crap in a can or box, to say nothing of cheaper. I control how much salt goes in, and can freeze it for months. But, that’s a topic for another day.
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