The dish does take time, but not yours- you can devote yourself to the goings-on of mid week as the long roast makes house smell like Home with a capital "H." Those who live in large apartment buildings in Mediterranean cities with a strong mid-day meal culture recognize tempting familiar lunches as they go up in the elevator- fresh mullets frying, stuffed peppers baking, etc. It's gratifying to hear someone open the door exclaiming "I was hoping that was coming from here!" This is that dish- the one everyone hopes is theirs. It is yours for the price of a chicken, the most tired of your produce, and 15 minutes of a busy afternoon.
One of the goings-on of our mid week is trying to find room for the produce of Monday's λαικι ("laiki"- neighborhood weekly farmers' market). Making room in the vegetable drawer, I found a half box of mushrooms and a single eggplant. On the table were the rest of the previous week's tomatoes- too withered for salad but by no means spoiled. New and irresistible from Monday's shopping were a bunch of delicate sweet carrots.
Chicken and potatoes in the oven with olive oil, lemon, and oregano is a beloved Greek dish, and our worthy starting point. The addition of the eggplant, mushrooms, carrots, and tomatoes made our dish still more generous and colorful. As they roasted, each vegetable became more like itself- the mushrooms and eggplant more rich and meaty, the carrots more sweet and mellow, the tomatoes bursting with tang. There was great variety of flavor and texture on the plate, all brought together by the rich chicken juices, the lemon and the herbs.
Chicken and potatoes in the oven with olive oil, lemon, and oregano is a beloved Greek dish, and our worthy starting point. The addition of the eggplant, mushrooms, carrots, and tomatoes made our dish still more generous and colorful. As they roasted, each vegetable became more like itself- the mushrooms and eggplant more rich and meaty, the carrots more sweet and mellow, the tomatoes bursting with tang. There was great variety of flavor and texture on the plate, all brought together by the rich chicken juices, the lemon and the herbs.
Of course, you could use all fresh produce, specially bought just to make this dish. But there is no need- the week of gentle withering of the vegetables simply started the work that the roasting finished- concentrating their flavors and textures.
We will need:
A chicken as large as you like, or even better two small tender ones.
5 or 6 large potatoes
other vegetables of your choice- here we have:
a dozen mushrooms
an eggplant
5 carrots
3 tomatoes- these added much to the dish
the tops of a fennel bulb
several whole garlic cloves
some lemon zest and the juice of two or three lemons
a very large spoonful of dijon mustard- this also adds much to the dish
a wineglass full of olive oil
salt and pepper
oregano
another herb of your choice (sage here- nice with poultry)
Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces, perhaps the width of two fingers. Halve the mushrooms, cut the eggplant into large dice, the carrots into 4 or 5 sections each, the tomatoes into large pieces (they will take up quite a bit in roasting- we don't want them to disappear altogether), peel several cloves of garlic, and put them all into your largest roasting pan. They should be about two pieces deep- a single sparse layer and they may dry out; too deep and they will steam rather than roast and turn golden:
Salt and pepper your whole chicken, taking care to salt the cavity as well. Put a garlic clove or two in the cavity, and half of a lemon- these will perfume the meat from the inside out. If you care to, carefully lift the skin from the breast without tearing, and put some fresh herbs beneath it- we used sage leaves here. It also perfumes the meat, and makes a fine appearance at the table. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables- they will serve nicely as a roasting rack.
To this, add a large spoonful of dijon mustard, the herbs (fresh oregano is very good if you have it but dried is just fine), more olive oil than you would think is wise- certainly a large wineglass full- and salt and pepper. Whisk it together, massage the chicken with it, and pour the rest over the vegetables, tossing to see that they are all nicely coated.
Roast the dish at 180 C/350 C for an hour, turn it down a bit, and leave it in for another 30-45 minutes, even another full hour. The vegetables will be done after the hour and a half, but the extra time seems to do them no harm, and the chicken is probably technically done after an hour and a half too (74 C/165 F, with an instant read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh), but give it a little more time to be meltingly tender, coming easily away from the bone. Above all, make sure the skin is crisp, and a beautiful mahogany color.
It's a good idea to let poultry rest before serving to re-absorb some juices. Cover it lightly with tin foil so it stays warm while you set the table. If we'd done the classic chicken with potatoes, we'd need to make a salad now, but no need with all of these roast vegetables on the plate. Serve straight from the roasting pan- it's a handsome rustic dish just as it comes from the oven. There is ample juice in the pan, but we often have plain yogurt on the table as an informal sauce, sometimes mixed with chopped fresh mint and a little salt- a raita a la Greque (just like we serve with our stuffed peppers). Apart from that there is no need for anything else on the table. It is splendid the next day, if you have any left.
No comments:
Post a Comment