Chicken Pickin'

This winter, I couldn't get enough Christmas dinner, so we've been re-enacting it every couple of weeks. Roasted chicken is my absolute don't-mess-with tradition for this meal, and I need leftovers. In this land of plenty, free range chickens are available from many farmers, and my favourite is Maple and Ewe. Their chickens are large, like at least 6 pounds. This makes them a bit of an investment, but you can make at least three meals of one (and enjoy each immensely!) They take a couple hours to cook, and they are so flavourful that I just add salt and pepper, throw it in the oven, and back off. I roast mine at low temperature, about 300°, until it reaches about 175° in the thickest part of the breast. Then I cook a mini array of vegetables, make some gravy, and we're feasting like the Kings and Queens of Winter.

It is really worth searching out a decent bird for your family. Not only will you be supporting the local economy, you will be rewarded with unparalleled flavour for practically no effort. A larger chicken yields more meat per pound, so go ahead! Leftover cooked chicken can be made into chicken soup, added to salads and sandwiches, or incorporated into a new dish over the coming days. Maple and Ewe free-range chickens are available at Meadowbrook Meat Market and the Wolfville Farmer's Market.

Christmas Anytime Roasted Chicken

1 Free Range Chicken

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 300°. Put the chicken in a metal roasting pan and rub with salt and pepper-I use lots. Roast in the middle of the oven until the thickest part of the breast reaches 175°. Let the chicken rest while you prepare vegetables or whatever. Leaving the juices behind in the pan, carefully lift the chicken onto a serving platter. I remember it being a big deal to carve the holiday bird, but we don't need this kind of fuss. Just remove the leg/thigh after the bird cools a bit (resting will make the meat juicier anyway). Then cut them in half (there is a natural divide, so this is easy). Gently pull the breast meat off and cut it into several chunky pieces.

For the gravy, take the pan the chicken cooked in and set it over a burner. It won't fit, don't worry. Turn the burner to medium and scrape the pan with a fork. Sprinkle in a few tablespoons of flour and work it into the juices and fat. Add about two cups of water and stir it up like crazy (you might switch to a whisk at this point), getting into the corners of the pan so all of the liquid gets a turn directly over the heat. Add salt to taste, and maybe a little rosemary or thyme. Continue to stir and cook while the gravy bubbles and thickens. If it's too thick, thin with a bit more water. Serve the chicken and gravy with lots of veggies. Refrigerate the leftover chicken and gravy.

Later, or the next day, completely strip the chicken carcass of meat. Put all the bones and bits of skin into a large pot and cover with water. Set over medium-low heat and cook for several hours, then strain. This is now the base of a delicious chicken vegetable soup.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Maybe you don't need a recipe for this. Maybe you do. In any case, feel free to add any vegetables you like, including whatever leftover cooked vegetables are in your fridge. I also like to add a handful of uncooked red lentils, quinoa, barley or rice just before stirring in the stock. Make sure your grain is cooked completely before removing the soup from the heat.

1 Onion, diced

4 stalks Celery, diced

3 Carrots, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 lb. Sweet Potato, diced (or Winter Squash or Potato)

½ C. Barley, Quinoa, Rice or Lentils, optional

the Chicken Stock from above

½ bunch Parsley, chopped

½ bunch Spinach, Kale, or Swiss Chard, sliced thinly
2 C. leftover cooked chicken, chopped 

Your stock should have a thin layer of fat on top. Spoon a little of this off carefully and place in a large pot over medium heat (you can use olive oil if necessary). Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook for twenty minutes or so, stirring often and breathing in the amazing aromas as the vegetables caramelize slightly. Add the sweet potato, chicken stock and optional grains and bring to a near boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potato is tender. Add parsley, chopped greens and chicken and simmer until greens are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Big Bunches of Greens

My garden gives me great joy, but sometimes overwhelms me with too much of a good thing. I've also found the same thing true at farmer's markets. There is so much beauty I want to take it all home, but if I do it without a plan, it might go to waste. This recipe is for such times as you find yourself with the desirable problem of too many fresh greens in your fridge. It's filling and stew-y, but also very rustic Italian and sophisticated. I can't help but feel good about life when I eat this. Warning: Eat it for lunch and you might find yourself justifying a half glass of red wine at noon. You're welcome.


Summer Solstice Soup of Garden Greens and White Beans
Don't worry if you're missing something. Either substitute another green, like Swiss Chard, Arugula, or Mustard, or leave it out.

2 T. Olive Oil
1 small Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, sliced
a handful of Garlic Scapes, chopped
1 small bunch Kale, sliced into ribbons
3 C. Chicken or Veggie Broth, or Water
1 small bunch Broccoli Raab, stems and leaves separated and chopped
½ lb. Asparagus, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 can White Kidney Beans
3 T. Chopped Parsley
1 T. Fresh chopped Thyme
½ lb. Spinach, chopped
Salt and Pepper
3 Tomatoes, diced
freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Basil

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or so, until nicely browned and fragrant. Turn the heat to medium- high and add the garlic scapes and kale. After a minute, stir in the broth or water. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the kale is nearly tender. Add the broccoli raab stems, asparagus, white beans, parsley and thyme. Stir and cook uncovered until the raab is tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in the spinach and broccoli raab leaves and turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in big bowls with chopped tomato and grated Parmesan on top, and basil if you've got it.

Mixed Baby Greens

The little baby lettuces in my garden enjoyed the rains of last week. Gorgeous curls of burgundy, bright green and speckles of dark red form a plush carpet. I've often seen mesclun at its peak and thought that Anne Geddes would do well to nestle a perfect peach of a baby in amongst the leaves, but luckily my own little ones weren't plopped down naked and photographed. For one thing, it's still frigid in June around here, and for another, we don't want to squish our salad.
Many gardeners go to their efforts for the sake of salad security, and that is my primary reason for spending more on the garden then I would at the farmer's market. I like arugula and chard, beet greens and mustards, lettuces and spinach, and all of them love being in the salad bowl together. If you find yourself with some fresh greens, either your own or obtained at the market, make it easy on yourself. Either have a great dressing ready to go in the fridge that makes tossing and serving a matter of seconds, or dump the greens in a bowl and dress them right then and there. Here's how you do it:

Fresh Greens with “Molly Dressing” (this was a lame attempt to make my daughter love salad)

A bowlful of prepared greens (washed, dried, torn or chopped if necessary)
Fresh Garlic
Salt
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar (or the Apple Balsamic made by Boates)
Pure Maple Syrup

Place the garlic (about 1 small clove for a big bowl of salad) on a cutting board and smash it with the side of your knife. I do this by laying the side of the knife on the garlic and pressing down firmly until the garlic smushes. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and, again using the side of the knife, mash it into a paste. Throw this into the bowl with the greens. Drizzle in some olive oil (maybe a couple spoonfuls) and toss the greens with tongs or your hand until they are lightly and evenly coated with oil. Add a few splashes of balsamic (go easy) and a healthy dollop of maple syrup. Mix, mix, mix, until the garlic is distributed. Now taste, taste, taste, and add a little more maple syrup or vinegar if it needs it. Pile into individual serving bowls. Each serving is amazing just how it is, but you could also top them with bits of Bleu or Parmesan cheese, toasted pecans or almonds, sliced strawberries, sectioned oranges, garlic croutons or whatever you can imagine!

I've always loved Green Goddess dressing, and if you haven't had it, try this! It's best drizzled over your salad rather than mixed in. It's also a lowish fat topper for any fish (grilled salmon especially) and a wonderful pasta salad dressing (try it with cheese tortellini, cherry tomatoes, and diced orange peppers). If you're afraid of buying a big bunch of parsley, only to have it go bad, just brave with me and add it to everything. It keeps almost forever in a plastic bag in the fridge and makes a great vitamin rich and flavourful addition to any soup, pasta dish or salad that you're cooking up.

Tangy Green Goddess Dressing

Combine in a blender:
½ C. Mayonnaise
1 C. Plain Yogurt (low fat is fine and dandy) or Buttermilk
1 clove Garlic
1 large handful Parsley
3 T. Lemon juice
3 Green Onions
½ t. Freshly ground Black Pepper

Blend until smooth, adding salt to taste. Pour over any combination of greens and chopped raw vegetables. Any remaining can be refrigerated for up to two weeks for practically instant salads.

I just want to encourage you to add a salad to your meal at least once throughout the day (or to make it the main attraction!). A big bowl of fresh veggies with a dressing you love can really up your vegetable intake painlessly and deliciously. It can also help fill you up so you feel satisfied with smaller portions of more calorie dense foods, a good trick for lifelong healthy weight maintenance.

Spinach

Spinach. It's green and leafy. You know it's good for you, but maybe you don't eat enough of it. Yet I know by the popularity of the Poppyseed dressing at the Cafe that lots of you are eating it, in the form of Spinach Salad. Add some Bacon, a few slivers of Red Onion, some Tomato and Sliced Egg, and you're in business. We've usually been able to find a local source of spinach by late March or April, which makes it the first fresh local vegetable in spring. We've been buying beautiful spinach from Katrina Fairn at the Berwick Farmer's Market and Taproot Farms, and I've gotten lovely stuff in previous years from Goldfinch Farm (just look for Dora at the Wolfville Farmer's Market). And while one can certainly consume plenty in raw form, cooking it reduces its volume so much you can easily eat half your daily vegetable requirement in a few luscious bites.

In fact, it's cooked Spinach that I now adore, in many different forms. Just try adding a large chopped bunch to a hot pan with Olive Oil and Garlic and turning it until it's cooked (sprinkle in some salt to taste). Or make a simple pizza and top with chopped Spinach, Tomato and minced Garlic. Mix cooked Spinach into your scrambled Eggs, add a big handful to any pasta dish, stir lots into curries and soups and use a bed of chopped spinach under just about anything. Spinach adds great flavour, and virtually calorie free volume (there may be more to come on this subject, since I love to pig out but don't like the side effects). Here's the latest favourite staff meal at Union Street:

Spinach and Veggie Skillet with Broiled Cheese

For 2 Veggie Lovers

1 T. Olive Oil
½ C. Red Onion, sliced
1 C. Mushrooms, sliced (we like Valley Mushrooms)
2 C. Red or Green Peppers, sliced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 enormous handfuls Spinach, chopped
1 C. Decent Tomato Sauce, or 1 large Tomato, chopped
1 C. Cooked Chicken, chopped
½ C. Feta cheese or Mozzarella

Preheat your oven's broiler and move the rack to the top position. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and peppers and saute until onions have softened and mushrooms are beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic, spinach and a pinch of salt and cook for another minute, until the spinach has wilted. Add the tomato sauce or tomatoes and the chicken if you're using it. Top evenly with the cheese. Place the pan under the broiler for a few minutes, watching intently, until the cheese has melted and is bubbling and browned. Divide between two bowls and serve with crusty bread.

We have experimented with about a hundred different Poppyseed Dressing recipes, but we feel this is the best. It comes in a roundabout way from the old Broadstreet Cafe in Kentville, NS via my dear friend and fellow food lover Terry Thornhill. It has a shocking amount of sugar, but it does make Spinach tempting to even the most vegetable-wary.

Poppyseed Dressing makes lots, and keeps at least 1 month in the fridge
1 T. Dry Mustard
1/2 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Vinegar
1 C. Canola Oil
1 t. Poppyseeds
1/2 t. Salt
1/8 t. Pepper
1/2 t. (yes) Garlic Salt

Put all the ingredients except the poppyseeds in a blender and blend until thick. Pour into a jar and add the poppyseeds, shaking to distribute. My oh my.