A Chicken in Every Pot - And Stock in Every Freezer.

 The roast chicken is that moment in your favorite romantic comedy where the male lead chases down the female lead in the rain and captures her heart with a passionate kiss.  The stock you make from the bones of that roast chicken is the first 5 minutes of UP.  The best part about both the roast chicken and the stock is that it is so much easier than actual love...or movie making for that matter.  Cheaper too.

    Hoover promised a Chicken in Every Pot, but I think he was underestimating the economy of this simple bird. With six bucks and a few things you've probably already got in the fridge or freezer you can make an amazing dinner and stock your freezer with liquid gold.  Stock adds flavor, protein, and nutrients to almost any dish to which you would normally add water or wine.  It's also about 99% cheaper than store bought stock and 1000 times better.  Where is the downside here?

If I don't have you convinced let me just give you a few tips that make it even easier and cheaper.  

1.  Save a Ziploc freezer bag and any time you have any discarded chicken bones or uncooked meat, carrots, celery, or onions (yes, the parts you cut or shave off work beautifully, even the skin) throw them in the bag.

2.  Use your slow cooker.  Jam it with the contents of your full freezer bag and the bones of your roast chicken then fill it to the tippy top with water.  Set it on low to simmer away while you're at work.  

3.  Freezer Ziploc bags in quart sizes, gallon sizes, or mason jars make freezing your stock a breeze.  

4.  Skimming the fat off the top of your cooled stock before filling your bags or jars means you have control over how much fat your stock has.  It also give you schmaltz!  Schmaltz is chicken fat and delicious.  Store it in a separate jar in the fridge for a few days or in a Ziploc in the freezer for... well, forever.  Storing it in the Ziploc bag in the freezer in a horizontal position means you can just break a piece off when needed.

If you're still reading then you're likely convinced and are ready for the process.  

You can go in a hundred different flavor directions with a roast chicken but let’s keep is simple this time:  A couple tablespoons of butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, half an onion, and a couple of bay leaves, and half a lemon, and a few sprigs of thyme.  Make sure you set all of this out before touching your chicken.  Confession: I totally did this with just the salt and paper... still amazing.

Oh, you'll also need a whole chicken.  You can go organic, free range, or even frozen.  If you get frozen, you'll need a couple of days to thaw it in the fridge, though.

After you open your chicken, reach in the cavity and get the bits and pieces.  You don't need to know what they are, but save them.  They go in your stock later.  Rinse the chicken and pat very dry.  Using your hand massage the butter under the skin of the breasts.  The coldness of the chicken can make it a bit difficult to spread smoothly so sometimes I cut the butter really thin and kind of slide the slices in rather than rub.  

Next you'll want to put a bay leaf under the skin on each breast and then drizzle the bird with olive oil.  Salt and pepper generously.  Put your half an onion in the cavity, along with a half of a lemon.

You don't want the wings and legs flopping around, so fold the wings back behind the neck of the bird.  Cut two small holes in the loose skin near the cavity.  Cross the chicken's legs, yes it's a lady, putting the legs through the holes you've created.  You know what.  Just watch this video, it explains everything.  Trussing a Chicken

Put your bound bird in a large cast iron pan or a roasting pan or a casserole pan or any oven safe container that's large enough to accommodate it with some breathing room around the sides.  We could really get picky here but I am a firm believer in no excuses cooking.  Don't let the fact that you don't have exactly the right roasting vessel keep you from making this.  

You could get as lazy as putting the bird in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until the juices run clear and/or a meat thermometer reads 165.  Or you could put it in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes to get a really rich, crispy skin, then drop your temperature to 350 for another 30 minutes or so until your bird reaches the aforementioned 165.

At this point it's a matter of letting your bird rest for about 10 minutes.  This is the perfect time to set the table, make the couscous, have a martini.  And because I really shouldn't be telling anyone how to carve a chicken here's Jacques Pepin to show you his fancy technique.  Or go in with a fork and butter knife.  You know, the butter knife because it’s so tender. A word of warning to get those bay leaves from under the skin before serving the breasts. I've been accused of attempted murder...twice...by the same person because I forgot to take them out

And now for the stock!

In addition to your newly stripped chicken carcass you'll need

- a slow cooker or large stock pot

- some aromatics:  carrots, celery, onion halved, 1 TBSP whole peppercorns, 1 halved onion, OR that bag of frozen bits and pieces you've been stashing. Don't bother trimming or skinning anything.  Just cram the slow cooker or stock pot full full full.  

If using a slow cooker fill it to the tippy top.  If you're using a stock pot leave some room for simmer.  Put the lid on your slow cooker, set it for as long as you want on low, at least 6 hours.  Umm... I cheated a bit and after 6 hours scooped out the liquid and filled it back up again and let it cook overnight again.  The first batch was a super rich dark stock and the next batch was lighter in color.  I didn't combine my two batches but you certainly could.  I like the idea of having a richer stock for a serious punch for soup and gravy or a lighter stock for replacing water in rice and deglazing.  

If you're going the stock pot route bring it to a boil and simmer for as long as you can, a couple of hours skimming the top of any residue.  

Strain your stock through a sieve, let it cool, skim off the fat and choose your method of storage.  That's it.  I make no promises but if you stay tuned someday I might post some recipes that take full advantage of your stock prowess.  

Catrina's Edwardsvile

Plodding along again on my 16in16 quest (yes, I've upped the ante from 12in12) of trying 16 new-to-me places this year.  All must be local (vacations don't count) and someplace that I have never been before.  This time we headed up to a place in Edwardsville, IL that was recently converted from a throwback arcade and bar into a fresh ingredient Mexican (I'm going to use the word) fusion place.  

As usual I went along with my love, Gene.  I honestly was a little prepared not to like it.  I have my favorite Mexican place already.  It's authentic, it's warm, it's local, it's all the things I love about dining out.  I am pleased to say I didn't get my way.  Even better, it was about WAY more than the food.  

A local restaurant, at it's best, is someone opening their home and passion to you.  Their life, love, and time is wrapped up in this effort that most of us take for granted every day.  Maybe growing up with a mom who used food as a way to make everyone who entered her home feel comfortable, safe, and accepted has given me a grandiose idea of the power of food.  It's not just in the eating it.  It's in the sharing it, the excuse it gives you to linger in conversation, the joy that it brings someone.  In a lot of ways it makes me think of Christ.  He always met the smaller physical need first.  It allowed Him a way to meet the greater spiritual need.  Food is healing the blind man.  I firmly believe that when God designed our bodies one of the most miraculous gifts he gave us was the ability to taste and feel our food.  It could have been manna from the start, but instead he gave us flavors, textures, and smells.  Our body and our souls need food. “Taste and See that the Lord is Good.” Psalm 34:8

Catrinas boasts of being "More than just food" and that's exactly how I'd describe them. They boast farm fresh, never frozen, prepared-on-site Mexican food.  They should also boast about their staff.  Every one of them seemed to hold the same passion for the food and the dream as the owner and chef, both of whom graced the dining room, along with adorable little children, which never hurts.  When our host came to visit with us he expressed that a lot of new patrons don't think that Catrina's is real deal Mexican at all.  I know exactly why.  I searched the menu up and down, front to back and didn't see the words queso, burrito,  or chimichanga anywhere.

Very Generous portion of the delectable Octopus Salad

They also offered pastas and chicken wings, which I'll admit doesn't seem the most Mexican food to me either.  But it all comes down to flavors and ingredients.  Those chicken wings are worth the trip all by themselves. They've kept it simple and packed the flavors in without feeling the need to cater to the Con Queso crowd.  You can get typical American-Mexican food in a dozen different places here, but I have yet to see a menu with octopus salad and chicharones.  Not to mention that they make dang fine margaritas from house-made mixes and simple syrups.

Mushroom Broth Soup is deceptively rich and hearty

I was so incredibly and pleasantly surprised by the octopus salad. My only advice would be to either raise the price or cut the portion. This is true of most of their dishes, the value far outweighs what you're paying. But let me talk to you about the soup of the day which was a mushroom broth soup.  It's like a hug from your mom when you were three, if your mom were just a little chubby and had pillowy  bosoms.  It's deceptively simple, just broth, herbs and mushrooms, but the flavors it packs are deep and rich.  I admit to just taking a few sips so that I could bring the rest home and enjoy it when I'm all alone and in need of comfort...and so I'd have room for churros.  Their churros aren't what you would normally expect.  Instead of long waffled sticks they’re like little bite-sized doughnut holes with your choice of chocolate or caramel for dipping.  The caramel was not the kind you find on the store shelves that you pour over ice cream.  It's the kind that reminded me of my childhood in Mexico.  It was thick, slightly tangy, and tasted like winning the lottery.

I think we spent as much time visiting with the staff and owner as we did eating.  Our conversation was initiated by Gene, who is less shy than I am, and I am thankful to him for that.  He'll talk to anyone about anything, and I usually learn something in the process.  Speaking with the people that make and serve the food you're enjoying makes it tastier somehow.  Food is love and Catrina's is a Valentine.  

Quick and Dirty: Pasta Carbonara for One

If I were the kind of person who got hang overs pasta carbonara would be my go to recovery food.  it's the perfect combination of everything great about a bowl of pasta and breakfast.  Yep, it's like bacon and eggs and pasta but not weird... and amazing.  It only takes a few ingredients and whips up in the time it takes to boil your pasta. 

Today I've got a quick and dirty "recipe" for one.  There aren't many recipes for one serving, which I find strange since it is the perfect food to eat in secret.  Recipe isn't really the right word either. There is a method involved though, but it's not hard at all to master.  

Put a big pot of water on to boil. Once its boiling add 3 to 4 oz of spaghetti, I used thin spaghetti.  

Chop up about 4 pieces of bacon into lardons (just really small pieces) and throw them into a medium skillet to get really crisp.  If they start to crisp up before your pasta is done just lower your temp to medium low to low.  Once the bacon is done you can drain a little of the fat but the fat is part of the sauce so feel free to leave it all in, and definitely don't drain it all, and you can add a little back if you feel the need. 

Slice up a clove or two of garlic and set it aside until your bacon is just about crisp and you've lowered your heat to medium low.  You don't want it to burn, it's just adding flavor to your fat.  If you plan to pour out any fat do it BEFORE you add your garlic.  

Whisk up one egg with about a 1/4 cup of Parmesan.  You don't have to use freshly grated, but I IMPLORE you to use freshly grated.  

Once your pasta is al dente scoop out about a cup of water and set it aside before draining your pasta. Throw the pasta into your pan with the bacon and garlic.  Make sure you get the pasta good and coated with all that yummy bacon fat then remove it from the heat.  

Here is the only place it can get at all tricky.  Once you've taken the pasta off the heat but it's still piping hot dump your egg and parm mixture into your pasta and stir like a madman.  The idea is to use the heat from the pasta to cook but NOT scramble the eggs.  After you get it mixed in you can use your reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce, only a tablespoon or so at a time until it's exactly how you want it, yellow and creamy.  

Grate more parm on top, add salt to taste, and a ton of freshly cracked pepper.  Yes, a ton of freshly cracked pepper, it's crucial.  

Now, what are you doing still sitting here, go make some.