main course recipe

Roast Chicken With Ramps, Asparagus and Capers

by Anne Maxfield on May 17, 2012

Accidental Locavore Spring RampsHave you been taking the easy way out and picking up pre-roasted chickens? Well, the Accidental Locavore is going to change your mind about doing it yourself at home! This is an easy, no-fuss way to roast a bird with nice crisp skin and added bonus: the veggies are roasted along with the bird.  I adapted this from the New York Times and added asparagus. Feel free to add whatever is in season, just add them in sooner if they need more roasting time. If you don’t do this in the next five minutes, while ramps are in season, substitute scallions, which should work almost as well.

Roast Chicken With Ramps, Asparagus and Capers

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Roast Chicken With Ramps, Asparagus and Capers
Serves 4
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 50 minutes
Total time 1 hours, 10 minutes
Meal type Main Dish
The Accidental Locavore adapted this easy way to roast a chicken from the New York Times. An easy main course recipe for chicken roasted with spring vegetables: ramps and asparagus.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken, 4-41/2 pounds, rinsed and patted dry
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 bunch ramps, about 6 ounces, washed
  • 1lb asparagus, washed and cut into 3" lengths
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1 tablespoon capers

Directions

Step 1
Rub the chicken inside and out with the salt and pepper. If you have time, do this 2-3 hours ahead of time and refrigerate uncovered (this will help the skin crisp up when you cook it). Place a large (10" or bigger) cast iron skillet in the oven and heat to 500 degrees. Leave the chicken out to warm to room temperature while the oven heats up.
Step 2
Prep the ramps: trim the roots from the bottoms and remove the outer layer of skin. Separate the leaves from the bulbs. Cut any bulb fatter than a pencil, in half lengthwise. Cut the leaves into 3" pieces and set aside.
Step 3
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, breast side up. Cut the skin connecting the legs (thighs actually) to the body. Spread out the legs until you feel the joints pop on each side. Place 2 of the lemon quarters in the cavity of the chicken. Remove the skillet from the oven and carefully place the chicken in it, breast side up. Remember the pan is really hot! Press down on the legs so they lie flat on the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the oil over the bird. Roast for 30 minutes.
Step 4
Add the ramp bulbs, asparagus, garlic and capers to the skillet. Stir to coat with the juices from the pan. Roast until the ramps and asparagus are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 10-20 minutes more (total cooking time 40-50 minutes).
Step 5
Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. While the chicken is resting, add the ramp leaves to the pan and stir until just wilted. Cut the chicken into serving pieces, and serve with the vegetables and the pan juices. Add the juice from the remaining lemon if desired. Serve and enjoy!
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My verdict: a great way to roast a chicken and having the side dish made at the same time is a big plus! Use a good quality chicken here, you’ll be able to taste the difference. Because I had them, I used Meyer lemons, which gave it a wonderful mellow lemon flavor that worked well with the ramps and asparagus. Tossing a few small potatoes in at the beginning might work but I would need a bigger cast-iron pan. What do you think?

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Accidental Locavore Recipe for Daube de Boeuf: French Beef Stew

by Anne Maxfield on March 1, 2012

Accidental Locavore Daube de BoeufThe Accidental Locavore was trying to take advantage of all the beautiful cuts of meat from Brykill Farm. Since it was still a little chilly out, a daube de boeuf seemed like the perfect use for the “beef for stew”. It’s essentially a beef stew with wine, olives and orange, easy to prepare, just give yourself some time for marinating the beef. Serves 4 with leftovers.

  • 4 sprigs  fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 3 strips orange zest (2-3” each) and 2 tablespoons juice
  • I medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 1 stalk celery, cut into 1/2 “ slices
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½’ disks
  • 1 bottle red wine (Cotes de Rhone, Cotes de Provence, Burgundy – use something you would drink)
  • 3 pounds stew beef (beef chuck), cut into 1 1/2” cubes
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (if you don’t know about tomato paste in a tube, this is the perfect use for it)
  • ½ cup beef broth (chicken is ok if you don’t have beef)
  • ½ cup Nicoise olives, pitted
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Make a bouquet garni. Take a piece of cheesecloth big enough to hold the thyme, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, and orange zest and tie into a bundle. If you don’t have any cheesecloth, a coffee filter stapled shut or a tea ball will work. Put the bouquet garni, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, wine and beef in a container. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Brown the beef on each side (about 2 minutes a side). You may have to do this in batches, don’t crowd the pan! Set the cooked beef aside.

While the beef is browning, put the wine mixture in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low and simmer for 5 minutes. In a small cup, mix the tomato paste into the beef broth. Add to the sauté pan and stir to get all the browned bits mixed in (deglazing). Add this to the pan with the wine. Stir in the meat and the olives. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Cover the pot and put in the oven. Cook 2 hours (if the daube starts to boil in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 275). After 2 hours stir in the orange juice and add salt and pepper if needed. Cook until beef is very tender, about another 30 minutes. Serve over gnocchi, or noodles and enjoy!

Our verdict: really good! There was a little too much orange juice (the Locavore probably used more than 2 tablespoons). The next time, I might only cook it for 2 hours, not sure that the additional 30 minutes added anything, but it did give me time to make the gnocchi.

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Accidental Locavore Makes Gnocchi: A Recipe

by Anne Maxfield on February 16, 2012

Accidental Locavore GnocchiFor a long time the Accidental Locavore has wanted to learn how to make gnocchi, one of my favorite forms of pasta, but classes never worked with my schedule. When Haven’s Kitchen had a gnocchi class that did fit, it seemed like a perfect opportunity. And wouldn’t a sparkling new kitchen be just the place?

As it turns out, making gnocchi is pretty easy. It’s just like making pasta, with the added step of cooking and ricing potatoes. Unlike pasta (and more like making biscuits) you need to have a light touch. What was surprising was how delicate the dough was, which was good because you automatically started to treat it with respect.

The bad news? Once you’ve had homemade gnocchi, you’ll never order it in a restaurant again. Here’s the recipe (which makes at least enough to feed 4):

  • 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
  • 2 eggs, very well beaten
  • 1 cup of flour, divided into two 1/2 cup portions, plus flour for kneading the dough

Bring the potatoes to boil in a saucepan filled with cold water* and a big handful of salt. The water should be salty enough to taste like the sea…seriously!  When the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, drain them and put them through a food mill or potato ricer into a large bowl (wide and shallow is better than tall and deep).

Gently push the potatoes to the sides of the bowl to form a well at the bottom of the bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the flour to the bottom of the bowl. Add the beaten eggs and top with the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Very gently, starting in the center, start to mix the eggs and flour. As they become combined, start to gently stir in the potatoes. When the dough is well-mixed, but not over-processed, turn it out on to a well-floured board.

If it’s not completely mixed, knead it a couple of times** until everything is thoroughly combined. Form it into a rectangle about 1″ thick. Cut the big rectangle into 1″ strips. Lightly flour your hands. Take one of the strips, sprinkle with flour and gently roll into a long rope about 3/4″ thick. Cut the rope into 1/2“ (or bigger depending on how large you want your gnocchi) pieces. Place the pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Again, gnocchi like wide and deep, rather than tall and narrow, so use your widest pot. Cook the gnocchi until they start to float to the top, about 2-3 minutes, depending on size. Toss with your favorite sauce, serve and enjoy!

 

* Here’s something the Locavore learned: the reason for the cold water is potatoes won’t cook evenly in hot water (the centers never catch up with the outsides).

**Something else I learned, always knead in the same direction, gluten likes a one-way street.

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Recipe for Mexican Style Fish With Potatoes and Salsa

by Anne Maxfield on January 26, 2012

Accidental Locavore Mexican FishSo far, the Accidental Locavore has stuck to my once-a-week seafood goal. A piece of cod found in the freezer clean-out inspired this recipe, based on one of my favorites: Rick Bayliss’ Mexican Everyday. Below is his recipe, for 4 people. It’s easy and fast. I use half the potatoes and fish to serve 2 and keep the rest of the salsa for other uses. 

  • 4 medium new or Yukon Gold potatoes (1lb) sliced 1/4″ thick
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
  • Salt
  • 1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes (fire roasted if you can find them)
  • 1 large garlic clove, cut in half
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 cup sliced, pickled jalapeños ( use jarred nacho slices), plus 1 tablespoon of the liquid
  • 4 4-6 ounce skinless fish fillets (mahi mahi, halibut, black cod, a firm white fish works best here)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the potatoes in a microwave and oven-safe dish big enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer. Drizzle on the oil, sprinkle with salt, toss to combine and place the potatoes in a single layer. Cover and microwave until the potatoes are barely tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the food processor combine the tomatoes with their juice, garlic, cilantro and jalapeños and their juice. Process until puréed with a little texture.

Layer the fish in a single layer over the potatoes. Top with the salsa.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the fish flakes and is just opaque in the thickest part. Serve and enjoy!

My verdict: this time I used my own tomatillo salsa (click here for the recipe) and the cod from the freezer. It was good but not great. The cod would have stood up to the regular tomatoes and jalapeños. With the tomatillo salsa I would have liked a sweeter white fish. Adding a good squirt of lime helped. If you do want to use your own, or a jarred salsa, just leave out the last four ingredients (keep the jalapeños if you like the heat).

 

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Fooling Frank: Recipe for Indian Style Salmon

January 20, 2012

One of the ongoing challenges the Accidental Locavore faces, is how to disguise that really-good-for-you super-food, salmon, so that my husband will eat it. Raw (salmon tartare), or smoked, he’s there in a heartbeat; it’s all the cooked versions he eschews. If I’m going to stick to my once-a-week fish resolution, it’s got to be [...]

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Cook-Along Recipe for Shrimp With Feta Cheese

January 6, 2012

For 2012, The Accidental Locavore decided to make eating seafood at least once a week a priority. Part of the reason we don’t eat as much of it as we should is that upstate we’re really limited in our sources for good fish. Because we have such good relations with a couple of local purveyors, it’s [...]

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Accidental Locavore Recipe for Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

November 9, 2011

Here’s a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. This is based on things most people have leftover, but substitute whatever you’d like. Most important, have fun! Turkey, shredded Gravy Mashed potatoes (white or sweet) Stuffing Almost any green vegetable Cranberry sauce (optional) Gruyere, (or any firm cheese) grated Butter (for greasing ramekins) Preheat the [...]

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Accidental Locavore Recipe for Crab Cakes

October 21, 2011

Making crab cakes is essentially like making burgers, just switching out ingredients. This is the recipe the Accidental Locavore has used for years. Serves 4-6. These freeze well, I wrap them in wax paper first so they don’t stick together. 2 pounds crab meat 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil 2 medium onions, minced 1 [...]

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Accidental Locavore Recipe: Crab Meat Risotto With Peas

October 21, 2011
Thumbnail image for Accidental Locavore Recipe: Crab Meat Risotto With Peas

A couple of weeks ago, the Accidental Locavore got a package with a can of Miller’s Select Jumbo Lump Crab Meat. While my first thought was to make crab cakes (easy and quick, click for recipe), my more rational/adventurous being thought: been there, done that. It was such beautiful crab meat, it needed to be [...]

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The Accidental Locavore Recipe for Stuffed Squash With Yogurt Sauce

August 18, 2011

This is a long-time favorite of the Accidental Locavore. When properly prepared, it’s delicious! Even when it’s a work-in-progress, it’s pretty good. A little time consuming, but if it’s raining out and you’ve got a stack of zucchini… Depending on the size of your squash, figure 1-2 per person. For the squash: 6 summer squash, [...]

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