2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2020
HOME & LIVING
Home-roasted chicken: dish that keeps on giving
By Anita L. Arambula
The San Diego Union-Tribune
For the amount of time I have
spent in the kitchen, one would
think that roasting a chicken would
be old hat by now. I should have
dozens of roasted chickens in my
culinary past. Sadly, until last year, I
could count the number of chickens
I’ve roasted in my lifetime on one
hand.
Why?
Maybe it’s the dried-out chicken
breasts the teen in me remembers
eating at friends’ homes that made
me fearful that I could do no better.
Or maybe it’s the intimidation
of staring at an entire chicken on a
cutting board, string in hand, trying
to fi gure out what the heck “truss”
means?
Perhaps it’s just the convenience
factor of being able to swing by
nearly any grocery store these days
to pick up a rotisserie chicken, no
knowledge of trussing required.
You know what, though? At least
half of the time, those rotisserie
chickens have been sitting under
hot lights long enough for the
breasts to dry out anyway, and the
meat on the legs becomes so hard as
to render it inedible.
The idea of roasting a chicken at
home was becoming more and more
appealing with every disappointing
store-bought rotisserie chicken.
And honestly, is there anything
like the smell of a roasting chicken
as it fi lters throughout the house?
For me, the smell stirs memories of
weekends spent gathered around
fi nd the book inspiring, sparking
new ideas for recipes. It’s easy to
get stuck in a rut of using the same
ingredients and the same familiar
recipes, but this book helps me
in truly creative ways by listing
unique ingredient combinations I
would not have thought of on my
own.
For example, roasting chicken
with grapes.
This idea came about after read-
ing the entry for grapes. It was in
the middle of summer and I had
a large bag of ripe red Muscato
grapes sitting in my refrigerator.
Although excellent for eating out of
hand, they were screaming for more
creative use.
According to “The Flavor Bible,”
grapes pair perfectly with nearly all
of this dish’s ingredients. I just went
down the list of compatible fl avors
under the grape heading, checking
off ingredients I already had on
hand to come up with this recipe.
Dreamstime / TNS Not having tried this combination
Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Red Grapes is an elegant and fragrant dish easy enough for everyday
before, I bit the bullet and went
cooking but fancy enough for company.
with it, adjusting amounts as I
experimented. This roast chicken
the kitchen table, with family
I started the year determined
warmth of the cinnamon.)
is moist, fragrant and utterly
members fi ghting over who got the
to roast more chickens. So far, I’ve
Then there’s this version of
delicious. It’s an elegant dish easy
drumsticks.
only done it a few times.
roasted chicken inspired by a book I enough for everyday cooking but
A freshly roasted chicken straight
The fi rst one I made this year,
recently added to my Kindle library. fancy enough for company.
out of the oven is comfort food times I followed the much-hyped recipe
After having “The Flavor Bible”
Muscato grape season has just
ten.
from Jamie Oliver for chicken
mentioned to me at least a half-
passed, but any seedless red grape
Depending on the size of the chick- roasted in milk with cinnamon.
dozen times in less than a week, I
will do. Some of the grapes burst
en, it’s also a dish that keeps on giv- It was tasty and different and a
bought it and I’m so happy I did.
while roasting, their juices mingling
ing. Leftovers are perfect for chicken recipe I plan to try again. (I had
“The Flavor Bible” is not a recipe
with the butter and olive oil, creat-
salad or shredded for chicken tacos, no sage when I made it, and in
book. It’s a reference book with
ing a lovely sauce for the chicken.
ideal for soups, or even tossed with
hindsight, it needed the bitterness more than 600 entries listing
See Chicken/Page 3B
greens for a satisfying salad.
of sage to balance out the sweet
compatible fl avor combinations. I
FLAVORS
Continued from Page 1B
1. Cut peeled kohlrabi in half
through the stem end. Put the
cut side down on the cutting
board and slice thinly into half-
moons. You should have about
4 cups. Use a vegetable peeler
to shave carrots into long rib-
bons; you should have about 2
cups loosely packed.
2. Put sliced kohlrabi into a
microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/3
cup water and cover with a lid or
plastic wrap vented at one cor-
ner. Microwave on high (100%
power), stirring once or twice,
until fork-tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
(The tip of a fork should pierce
it easily.) Let stand, covered, 5
minutes. Drain well. Return to
bowl; stir in carrots. Cover and
set aside while you make the
dressing.
3. Whisk together soy sauce,
vinegar, honey, hot sauce and
oil in a medium-size bowl until
homogenous. Add kohlrabi and
carrots. Toss well to coat. Taste
and season with salt. Serve
warm or at room tempera-
ture garnished with plenty of
chopped green onions and
sesame seeds.
about 8 minutes.
3. Add drained kohlrabi
and red pepper to onions.
Cook, stirring, to brown the
kohlrabi, about 5 minutes. Stir
in greens, 1/4 cup water, cumin
and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook and
stir, 2 minutes. Stir in sausage
and garlic. Cook, covered, to
heat everything through, 2 to 4
minutes. Add pasta if using and
heat through, about 2 minutes.
Serve with splashes of vinegar,
if desired.
Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune/TNS
Kohlrabi, in green and purple. The vegetable is technically not a bulb, but instead an
above-ground stem.
SMOKED SAUSAGE
AND KOHLRABI
SKILLET
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes: 6 entree servings
If desired, use smoked
sausage made from turkey
or chicken here to reduce
the richness of the dish. If
serving the dish with pasta,
choose medium shapes such
as penne, orecchiette or
gemelli.
Nutrition information per serving
(for 6 servings): 69 calories, 1
g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg
cholesterol, 15 g carbohydrates,
10 g sugar, 3 g protein, 665 mg
sodium, 4 g fi ber 3 medium-size kohlrabi,
COMFORT
about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled,
diced to 3/4-inch size
Salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large (12 ounces) Vidalia
or other sweet onion,
halved, thinly sliced
1 small red, yellow or orange
bell pepper, seeded, diced
3 cups chopped fresh
kohlrabi greens, lacinato
kale or baby kale leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
12 ounces smoked, fully-
cooked sausage, such
as Polish, kielbasa,
cheddarwurst or andouille,
sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 cloves garlic, fi nely chopped
idea of comfort food. If you are looking
to cut down on saturated fat, try using
Continued from Page 1B
half ground turkey and half ground
A slow cooker is the perfect appliance beef, or all ground turkey in a meatloaf.
for making savory soups and stews.
If you want a new treat, try mashed
Both soups and stews can be economi- yams instead of the usual mashed
cal because they can use less expensive potato. Cooked mashed yams, with a
cuts of meat and still yield a tender
little butter, salt and pepper gives an
product after hours of cooking.
extra measure of Vitamin A.
Again, the key to a tasty soup or
Other folks prefer their comfort food
stew is the use of herbs and spices
in the form of macaroni and cheese. If
to bring out the fl avor of the other
you are looking to improve the health
ingredients. Another positive about
of the typical cheesy macaroni and
slow cookers is that they are effi cient: cheese, try using whole wheat pasta (or
Everything goes into just the liner
mixture of regular and whole wheat),
of the slow cooker. It also makes the
and 1% milk instead of full fat milk.
house smell nice. Pair your soup or
Chicken pot pie is also a great
stew with some warm, crusty bread to comfort food and has almost all the
sop up all the juices and you have the food groups represented. Add milk and
perfect comfort meal.
a fruit salad and you have a complete
If you ask other people, they will say meal.
meatloaf and mashed potatoes is their
For some, a dinner of pancakes and
3 cups cooked pasta, optional
Malt or unfi ltered
cider vinegar
1. Put diced kohlrabi into a
microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/2
cup water and 1/2 teaspoon
salt; stir well. Cover with a lid
or plastic wrap vented at one
corner. Microwave on high
(100% power) until fork-ten-
der, 7 to 8 minutes. Let stand,
5 minutes. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large
(12- or 14-inch) nonstick skil-
let over medium heat, then
add oil and onion. Cook,
stirring often, until golden,
eggs is what satisfi es their yearning for
comfort food. There is just something
about pancakes that harkens back to
our childhood and family breakfasts
that makes people feel comforted and
secure. Pancakes can be made with
whole wheat fl our, and if there is a
gluten intolerant family member, pan-
cakes can also be made with gluten-
free fl our.
Whatever your idea of comfort food
is, in times of uncertainty, when we
must remain isolated from family
and friends, a dose of comfort food can
make us feel consoled and less alone
and, well ... comforted.
Ann Bloom has worked for the OSU
Extension Service for 15 years as a
nutrition educator. She studied journalism
and education at Washington State
University. She lives in Enterprise.
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Nutrition information per serving
(without pasta): 296 calories, 24
g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 41 mg
cholesterol, 13 g carbohydrates,
6 g sugar, 9 g protein, 619 mg
sodium, 3 g fi ber
GRILLED BEETS AND
GREENS
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Makes: 6 servings
If you do not have fresh, un-
wilted beet greens, substitute
about 4 cups chopped lacinato
kale or Swiss chard leaves.
4 large golden or red beets
with leafy green tops,
about 1 1/2 pounds
1 small red or yellow bell
pepper, seeded, diced
1 large (12 ounces) red
onion, halved, thinly
sliced into wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus
more as needed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 or 3 cloves garlic,
fi nely chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
or farmer’s cheese
or queso fresco
Chopped cilantro or parsley
1. Prepare a charcoal grill
or heat a gas grill to medium
hot. (Or heat oven to 375
degrees.)
2. Remove leafy green
tops from beets, rinse them
thoroughly and roughly chop.
Set aside.
3. Peel beets and cut into
3/4-inch dice. Place on a large
sheet of heavy-duty alumi-
num foil. Top with bell pepper,
half of the onion and half of
the olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2
teaspoon salt, the thyme and
1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold foil
to completely enclose beets.
4. Put the foil packet on the
grill directly over the coals
if using charcoal or over the
heat source if using a gas
grill (or on a baking sheet in
the oven). Cook, turning the
packet once, until beets are
fork-tender (peek into the
packet and spear them with
a knife), 20 to 30 minutes.
Transfer from the foil package
to a bowl. Season with the
balsamic vinegar and adjust
salt and pepper to taste.
5. Meanwhile, heat remain-
ing 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in
a large nonstick skillet over
medium heat. Add the re-
maining onion and cook until
golden, about 4 minutes. Stir
in chopped beet greens; saute
until barely wilted and tender,
2 or 3 minutes. Stir in garlic;
saute, 1 minute. Remove from
heat. Season with salt and
pepper to taste.
6. Spoon beets over the
greens. Sprinkle with feta
and herbs. Serve.
Nutrition information per
serving: 187 calories, 12
g fat, 5 g saturated fat,
22 mg cholesterol, 15 g
carbohydrates, 9 g sugar, 6
g protein, 486 mg sodium, 3
g fi ber
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