Foodback
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One Chicken, Two People, Three Meals
27 January 2010
I underwent foot surgery the first week of January, which means I'm stuck at home with limited time standing up to cook. Frederic is holding down the fort at work, and can do little shopping and cooking. After the first two weeks of eating disgusting supermarket prepared foods that I'd stocked up on beforehand, yummy but fatty charcuterie pâtés and heavy-on-the-mayo salads, delivered sushi, and finally, eggs and toast, we decided to roast a chicken and have a real meal. There's no butcher between work and home, so Frederic bought a small, reduced price free-range chicken from the supermarket (€7 because it had a 3 day "a consommer avant" date), and then some tiny, tiny potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and green beans from a vegetable market. I loosely stuffed the bird with squashed garlic cloves, half each onion and carrot. Because I couldn't get up and baste the chicken every 10 minutes I began roasting it upside down, in an oiled pan, and indeed the fat from the bottom of the chicken basted it perfectly with no help from me. After a half hour, I added the rinsed and dried potatoes, some unpeeled garlic cloves and the rest of the carrot and onion, sliced, shaking the pan so the rendered chicken fat coated all the veggies. After another 20 minutes, I turned the chicken breast side up and shook the pan. Then I blanched the green beans and refreshed them in cold water. Basted the chicken a couple of times, and in another half hour it was cooked, crispy and golden. While it rested, I added the green beans to the roasting pan with the other veg, tossed everything around to coat it with the fat, and left it in the oven while carving the bird.
There were so many veggies to eat that first night that we had enough chicken for a stir-fry the following day. We added some mushrooms, more onion and carrot, the left over green beans, Thai noodles, ginger and a bit of broccoli. There was enough for 4, but we ate most of it, and there was still a bit of chicken that I hadn't added to the stir fry.
Next day, I boiled down the carcass with another onion and carrot and ended up with a good liter of full flavored stock. To which I added the rest of the chicken meat, Thai noodles, green beans, mushrooms and the little leftovers from the stir-fry and a bunch of chopped coriander at the very end. The rich soup was every bit as good as the two previous meals.
We'd love to have similar experiences based stretching and elaborating--not for economy but for gastronomy and the love of home made meals made from great ingredients and care.
01 January 2010
I think it's going to be more traditional, simple foods, and sharing with friends. Entertaining at home; good value for money rather than glitz and ostentation. Stews, old fashioned tourtes, heavy breads, well chosen wine and cheeses. Home made desserts, seasonal fruits. Simplicity.
What do you think? Ideas, menus, recipes? Please comment.
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