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.

In this week’s share:

• Batavian Lettuce
• Rosemary
  
• Shallots
• Blackberries
• Zucchini (more, again)
  
• Red Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cantaloupe Melon

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.