While we were there, she gave us a chicken. It was frozen and didn't have any feathers, and I was excited to take a chicken home, knowing where it came from and how it had been raised. Lucky, lucky, grateful us.
So Wednesday I made Roast Chicken with Citrus and Thyme. I also had some zucchini and summer squash from my last trip to the farmer's market, so I made Pesto-Topped Grilled Summer Squash. I served it with a Trader Joe's Harvest Grains.
Getting my mise en place together, I decided to record my musings as I prepped the meal. I found this to be a really great tool and will use quotes in this and future blogs to relay my journey while cooking meals in the most honest way I can.
ME: "While chopping my mise en place, I discovered that my chicken has a neck and must have all it's... gizzards and everything in there. So. I'm trying to Not Be Afraid, and I'm going to learn today how to butcher a chicken for real. And that's kind of exciting and I'm trying not to be afraid of that. So as I was peeling my garlic by hand, instead of using my rolly thing, thinking of Anthony Bourdain saying that if you don't do all of your work to get garlic, you don't deserve garlic, I'm trying to make a plan. So I'm going to look in a couple of my books and see if I can learn to butcher this chicken."
I then continued to get all of my ingredients together, chopping, scrubbing and peeling each ingredient with care and intent. Being mindful of what each thing had gone through to get to me, and grateful for the opportunity of a stretch of time with occupied children in which I could prepare this meal for my family (and, in turn, you). Bill had been away in San Diego for a few days, and I was happy to serve him a home-cooked meal upon his return.
I then set upon my cook books. In addition to the Eating Well cookbooks and magazines, I frequently use Brilliant: Food Tips and Cooking Tricks by David Joachim, The New Basics Cookbook but Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, and How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I left Martha on the shelf, as I was looking for butchering tips, and thought she probably has people for that.
ME: "Lots in my cookbooks about how to take apart a chicken into it's various parts, but nothing really to tell me how exactly how I'm supposed to get this neck off of here and the gizzards out, so I'm going to call the butcher at Byerly's and see if maybe they can help me."
I called the butcher counter at Byerly's because I am under the impression that they are actually butchers and know what they're doing (as opposed to the 20 year old kid I've seen behind the counter elsewhere). He informs me that he more of a beef butcher, and that all of their chickens have come in processed for the past twenty years, and that he can't really help me.
ME: "As I'm talking to the butcher, I realize that all of the guts are out, and it's just the neck that's on there. He told me just to pull on it and it should come right out, so that's what I;m going to try. I'm really grateful that I don't have to deal with, like, lungs and things, but.. I'm also really proud of myself for being brave enough to actually.... I was gonna try that! So, here goes the neck, I guess..."
Here's the stack of cookbooks, topped by the phone book, next to my handiwork.
I got the neck off. It took some doing. I had to use my knife between some vertebrae. I later mused that it reminded me of the chiropractor. It also gave me further appreciation for the thing that I was preparing. That it had a neck - that was once attached to a head. It also had a few feathers. Small, wet feathers, which took my appreciation even further.
I must take a minute here and confess that the reason I thought the chicken had all it's guts, was that I had it upside down, as you can see in the pictures above. I hope you all have forgiveness in your hearts, and this doesn't shake your faith in my cooking ability. I at least have passion, and can say I've never cooked poultry upside down. Something my parents cannot claim. (Their first Thanksgiving turkey was cooked upside down, and my Maimie, bless her heart, told them some people did that to keep the breast meat juicy.)
The rest of the prep went without too much fuss. Here is the chicken, stuffed with orange and lemon slices and garlic. It has fresh thyme from my garden slid between the breast meat and skin. I learned that there is very little help on the internet about any fancy was to truss the legs of a chicken. Mostly it says "tie with a string".
Here it is in the roasting pan with carrots, garlic, onions, and the rest of the thyme scattered about.
One little hitch: the roasting pan is about a half inch longer than my oven. I tied the door shut to keep the heat in.
Chicken out of the oven.
My side was pretty easy. I got basil from the garden and mixed it with garlic, parmesean, oil and lemon juice. I toasted the pine nuts (a close call Every Time I Do It), and put the summer squash and zucchini on the grill. OCD? I have no idea what you're talking about.
In the meantime, I cooked the fabulous Trader Joe's Harvest Grains (Israeli Style Couscous, Multicolored Orzo, Baby Garbanzo Beans and Red Quinoa) and made the gravy.
I love this meal. It had bright, complex flavors, and a comforting array of texture. I immediately dropped some on my shirt. It was so worth it.
