Roasting a chicken is something I learned the basics of from my college friend, who helped me see that whole birds are nothing to be intimidated by.

This was my first attempt at roasting a chicken on my own! For a little extra help, I turned to Thomas Keller and his  ever-so-detailed yet casual preparation of a roast chicken. I didn’t use the thyme, butter, and dijon as he prescribes, but instead stuffed the chicken’s cavity with a few fresh rosemary sprigs and half a lemon. (I know, the lemon goes against Mr. Keller’s desire to not steam the bird, but hey, I wanted a little brightness in my bird.) I also tossed some coarsely chopped potatoes, onions and carrots under the chicken, so that they’d roast and caramelize in its juices. Yummy.

At Mr. Keller’s recommendation, I tried the chicken butt for the first time in my life. I have memories of my grandmother eating this part whenever she steamed a whole chicken (to be eaten, Chinese-style, with an oily paste of minced scallions and ginger), but never understood its appeal. (It’s a butt, for crying out loud.) Now, after tasting this crispy morsel, I can’t say that it’s wholly undesirable – but the fatty texture still bothers me, much the same way chicken skin does. (So much for being FattyPepper.)

After Habanero and I devoured the thighs and legs, the breasts went into a chicken salad the very next day: chopped and mixed with mayonnaise, diced celery, salt, pepper, and a few dabs of dijon mustard. It was perfect between slices of toasted country loaf bread.

This quick and simple dinner, which showcased many of the veggies from this week’s share, also turned out to be more delicious and satisfying than expected.

The pesto chicken cutlets were a twist on the standard way of preparing a fried chicken cutlet. I followed the same steps of dredging chicken breasts in 1) flour, 2) egg (beaten), then 3) breadcrumbs, but only after whisking one or two spoonfuls of leftover pesto into the egg. I also used panko breadcrumbs, which fry up lighter and crispier than the bland and grainy breadcrumbs usually found in grocery stores.

The lettuce mix from our CSA share formed the base for the garden salad. I added sliced cucumbers and grated carrots – also from the CSA – and tossed everything in a balsamic vinaigrette. The freshness of the vegetables really shone through in the salad, and reminded me of how fortunate we are to have regular access to local organic produce.

I first tried beer bread this summer, when my friend made it for a potluck. One bite of the crisp, buttery crust and the soft, yeasty inner crumb had me sold, and I knew I had to make it myself. This recipe, which originates from another mutual friend of ours, is surprisingly simple, and makes for a hearty addition to a weeknight dinner.

Beer Bread

recipe courtesy of Sarah M. (and Wendy C.) – thanks, guys!

3 Tbsp butter, plus more for greasing pan
3 cups self-rising flour
½ cup sugar (some prefer adding a couple tablespoons more, for a sweeter taste)
12 oz bottle beer (this determines the flavor of the bread)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9″x5″ loaf pan.

Melt butter; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour and sugar. Add beer, and mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, then pour melted butter on top of batter. (Allow the butter to sit on top of the batter; do not mix it in.)

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden.

This was my first time cooking with fennel, and it actually was a lot of fun. The more unusual the shape and/or flavor profile of an ingredient, the more excited I am to try it out in the kitchen (and on Habanero).

Chicken provided the perfect palette for warm, licorice-scented fennel and sweet carrots (added in my variation of the original recipe), and these were further enriched by the aroma released from a little minced rosemary. This also was the perfect dish to showcase a little of the Italian parsley from Week 5′s CSA share.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Fennel, Carrots, and Rosemary

very slightly adapted from a cooking.com recipe

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb (about 1¼ pounds), cut into ½-inch slices
• 8 carrots, peeled, (if necessary, cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick pieces)
  
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, minced
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1⅓ pounds in all)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the fennel, carrots, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel is golden brown and almost done, about 12 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the fennel and carrots are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables and the cooking liquid from the pan.

Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Add the chicken to the pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon of rosemary and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until almost done, about 3 minutes longer. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and their cooking liquid and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Let steam 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

About a month ago, when we still had black cherry tomatoes and leftover olives and capers, Señor Habanero and I knew we needed to do something tasty with them. Something very tasty. (Thanks again to our friends who helped us figure out that these were black cherry tomatoes, after all!)

And yes… we’re fully aware of how behind we’ve been on posting! I was barely able to complete last month’s Daring Bakers’ challenge in time. Other parts of our everyday existence sometimes sneakily take on a life of their own, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, the Señor and I still remember how we savored our chosen dish of chicken with roasted lemons, cherry tomatoes, green olives, and capers. The original recipe (which can be found here on epicurious.com) doesn’t include tomatoes, but we decided to throw a few in anyway based on one commenter’s suggestion.

Another commenter recommended briefly brining the chicken beforehand, a tip which we also followed.

As you can probably tell from the name, this dish incorporated a handful of different flavors, from the brininess of the olives and capers, to the bright acidity of the lemon, to the subtle sweetness of the black cherry tomatoes.

Our palates were seriously stimulated (in a good way!), and we will definitely make this again – but with two major caveats:

1. To skip pre-salting the chicken breasts (before dredging them in flour), as there is already plenty of sodium from the capers and olives, and also from brining the chicken.
2. To make sure the chicken breasts are pounded to an even thickness, to ensure that different parts of the chicken are equally seasoned.

Without further ado, here’s our tweaked version of the original recipe.

Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Olives, and Capers

adapted from an epicurious.com recipe

Roasted Lemons

• 12 thin lemon slices (from 2 lemons)
• Olive oil

Chicken

• simple brine solution, cold – basically about 3-4 Tbsp salt dissolved in 1 quart of water. (The linked article gives a great description of what goes on during the brining process!)
• 4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves
• All-purpose flour
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• ½ cup sliced pitted green Sicilian olives or other brine-cured green olives
• 2 Tbsp drained capers
• 1½ cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• pepper, to taste

For roasted lemons:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange lemon slices in single layer on prepared sheet. Brush lemon slices with olive oil; sprinkle lightly with salt. Roast until slightly dry and beginning to brown around edges, about 25 minutes. (Lemons can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to container. Cover; chill.)

For chicken:
While lemons are roasting, let chicken sit in a brine solution for about 30 minutes; remove and pat dry. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess. Heat 5 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Stir in cherry tomatoes, olives, and capers. Add stock and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Boil until liquid is reduced to syrup consistency, turning chicken over after 3 minutes, about 5 minutes. Add butter, roasted lemon slices, and 2 tablespoons parsley; simmer until butter melts and chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to platter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

I am increasingly becoming a fan of the NYC greenmarkets. I used to avoid the one in Union Square because it sometimes gets pretty crazy there, (though it definitely does not compare to shopping in Hong Kong’s wet markets). Now, however, I find that the lure of fresh, local produce is helping me overcome my resistance to the crowds. (Shopping at smaller greenmarkets also helps, too.)

A couple weeks ago, Avy alerted me to an upcoming one-day event which intended to “foster a regional, sustainable food system by establishing a permanent, indoor public market in the City of New York.” Intruigued – and fully aware that the mobs would descend upon the Seaport, rain or shine – I set off last Sunday to explore the third ever New Amsterdam Market with a few friends.

[piclens-lite-link]

It did rain – and it was crowded – but it was also so much fun to see and sample foods that were produced from locally-grown ingredients in a manner that respects our environment and its resources. Some notables:

DAIRY & CHEESE.

Above: Ronnybrook Farm Dairy sampled their flavored butters – (they have a sweet little cafe/shop in Chelsea Market that’s worth visiting); cheese samplings from Brovetto Dairy and Cheese House (their Harpersfield cheese); Saxelby Cheesemongers (what a great name – not to mention their cheese); and Mecox Bay Dairy (of which I tasted their nutty and slightly sweet Sigit cheese).

Life with the Señor has made me into total turophile. Our refrigerator is never, ever without a chunk or two of some cheddar, parmesan, or whatnot.

VEGETABLES.

Above: luscious kale and fresh eggs from Queens County Farm Museum; Italian flat-leaf parsley, tricolor sage, and rosemary (but no thyme?), also from Queens County Farm; ravishing radishes and vine-ripened tomatoes from McEnroe Organic Farm.

BREAD.

The guy at the Balthazar bread stand had an odd habit of yelling out a description of what he was doing – something about only six loaves left, and yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is the very same bread you’d eat if you dined at Balthazar. The man at the Bouchon/Per Se booth, however, seemed much more calm and happy. His bread also happened to be better tasting than Balthazar’s.

POULTRY.

Avy’s friend’s sister, Anita, helps run Bo Bo Chicken. They sell whole chickens (head, feet, and all) to various local restaurants and markets in NYC and beyond. She demonstrated how to cut up a chicken with scissors – the way my mom does at home! After the market closed, Avy experienced the generosity of her friends and tottered home with two big bags of freshly cut chicken.

SWEETS.

Above: Is there a greater comfort food combo than Milk and Cookies? The ladies of this Village bakery sampled what remained of some lovely honey lavender shortbread cookies, and also some peanut butter cookies. Both had a light, buttery texture, which explained why there were only crumbs left to be had. Further down, Paumanok Preserves displayed their extensive jam, jelly, chutney, and fruit butter lineup. They had some fantastic and unique flavors, including a lighthearted Chardonnay wine jelly.

Are you a greenmarket fan, too? What kinds of produce do you like to buy at your local greenmarket – and what do you make with them?