Autumn Pot Roasted Lemon, Fennel and Garlic Chicken

Sometimes a simple pot roast or roasted chicken is just what the doctor ordered for a relaxing Sunday. Something easy to throw in the oven while you're busy around the house or the yard can't be beat. A one pot wonder!

I got to thinking, why not "pot roast" a chicken? No reason why not to at all, so that's exactly what went on the menu. I still had a fennel bulb and one lone leek in the veggie drawer...sounded like a good start to me. Sliced leeks, fennel and whole garlic cloves went into my enameled cast iron Dutch oven before anything else. 

Then I created a mixture of softened butter, more garlic, lemon zest, finely chopped fennel fronds and my secret ingredient, fennel pollen. (You remember fennel pollen, don't you? Here's the link again!) Rubbed and massaged between the skin and breast of the chicken to intensify the flavor (and to keep the bird nice and moist), the flavored butter became the next layer of flavor.

Why stop there, though? Those long celery-like stalks of fennel - you know, the ones that stick out from the bulb - went into the cavity of the chicken along with a well-pierced whole lemon to further infuse the chicken with flavor...this time from the inside out. 

Once in the oven, the fennel-y, lemon-y, garlic-y, chicken-y aroma emanating from the oven repeatedly led us into the kitchen by our noses! 

Part way through the roasting, tiny potatoes were added to make it almost a complete meal. Beets - roasted separately but in the same oven at the same time was the only other thing that was added to the meal. Okay...and a green salad. 

Don't you just love a simple, yet very special Sunday dinner? Me, too. Especially when that one-pot-wonder Sunday dinner was simply delicious! 

Autumn Pot Roasted Lemon, Fennel and 

Garlic Chicken

• 5-6 pound roasting chicken

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 cup fennel, fronds only, chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen - see below for link to buy this magical stuff!
• zest of one lemon - then juice and reserve the naked lemon - set the juice aside

• 1 leek, sliced in half lengthwise, washed thoroughly and sliced across into 1/2" pieces
• 1 fennel bulb, stalks cut off and reserved, stem end cut off, bulb cut in half lengthwise and sliced across
• 1 garlic bulb, Separated into cloves, peeled and smashed, make 2 piles of the smashed garlic
• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, small ones - cut in half if larger

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
 
Remove the guts from a whole roasting chicken - rinse in cold water and dry well with paper towels. Set aside.
 
Fennel garlic butter: Put the softened butter, fennel, lemon zest, garlic, kosher salt & pepper and fennel pollen into the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined, stopping and pushing the contents down as necessary. Set butter aside.
 
Pile the leeks, half the garlic cloves and sliced fennel bulb into the bottom of a covered roaster or enameled cast iron Dutch oven. (I use a deep oval one that holds the chicken perfectly.)
 
Loosen the skin on the breast of the chicken by gently running your fingers between the flesh and the skin to loosen - be gentle so the skin doesn't tear. Rub about 2-3 T. of the fennel butter under the skin on one side of the breast and do the same with another 2-3 T. of the butter (more or less) on the other side. Rub what's left of the butter over the outside of the bird all over the breast and legs. Squeeze the lemon you used for the lemon zest over top of all.
 
Roast the chicken UNcovered at 450 for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes all around the chicken, put the lid on, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and roast another hour. Remove lid and continue roasting until the chicken is lightly browned. 

Let rest. Remove chicken from pot onto a large serving platter, lift the veggies out with a slotted spoon and arrange them around the chicken. Carve and serve!


NOTE: Want more veggies? Feel free to add carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, onions...whatever strikes your fancy. It's a pot roast! There aren't many rules where pot roasts are concerned now, are there? 

Chilled Fennel Leek Soup With Lemon

When you think of seasonal fall veggies, what's your first thought? Cabbage? Acorn or butternut squash? Maybe sweet potatoes? What about one of my favorite fall veggies, fennel? Is fennel even in your top 10? Whoa! You're not familiar with fennel? Okay, maybe you know it as anise since it goes by both names. (A veggie with an aka?! Is there a veggie witness protection program? What has fennel done?!)

Even if you haven't actually tried it, I hope you've at least noticed the bulbous, celery-like, ferny-topped pretty veg in the produce aisle. Did you get close up enough to get a good whiff? Licorice! At least a nicely mild licorice scent. It tastes gently licorice-y, too.

Raw, fennel has the almost the same crunch of celery and resembles the cooked texture of celery. A fresh raw fennel salad is wonderful with buttery greens and a nice fennel/orange vinaigrette...with maybe a few sliced, toasted and salted almonds over the top. My friend, Marti, makes a fabulous fennel gratin! that appeared here in May of 2012. 

This time, it was soup I had in mind. Specifically, a nice chilled cream of fennel soup with leeks, brightened with just a squeeze of lemon before serving. One nice thing about making this cream soup ahead is you end up having a choice. Hmmmm...to serve it chilled like vichyssoise or warm? Our warm October day made the choice an easy one - chilled!

Since fennel is such a subtle flavor, it was the perfect opportunity to use one of my new favorite spices, fennel pollen. It really amps up the fennel volume. You know how heat intensifies flavor and releases more of the bouquet of a soup, chilled soups often need just a little more oomph of flavor. That's where the lemon came in, too. A little squeeze of fresh lemon just before serving took the flavors over the top!

Next time you see fennel in the produce aisle or at you local farmers market, pick it up, inhale the sweet scent and give it a try. Oh...and those beautiful fronds? Use them for a garnish or chopped in salads or make fennel simple syrup. It makes for a lovely cocktail! Just wait and see in a few days when my fennel syrup is done and gets together with a little gin! See you then.

Chilled Fennel Leek Soup With Lemon

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 4 cups leeks, sliced almost to stem end lengthwise into quarters, run under water while fanning out the leaves, being sure to wash all sand and dirt from top to bottom - pat dry and slice across into about 1/4" pieces - I used 3 leeks
• 4 cups fennel bulbs - remove the stalks and fronds, remove any tough outer layers, slice in half lengthwise and cut into slivers - I used 3 medium bulbs - be sure to reserve the fronds for garnishes and other uses
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup potato flakes, be sure it's a gluten-free brand to make this GF (Why potato flakes? They thicken the soup without using flour...one of my favorite tricks for thickening soups and still keeping it gluten-free!)
• 1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
• Tabasco sauce, just a couple drops or so for zing
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chicken soup base - similar to bouillon, but not as salty
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen, plus more for garnish

In a large, heavy soup pot, melt the butter, then add the leeks, fennel and garlic. Cook and stir over low until the veggies are very soft. Add the stock, bring to boil and lower to a simmer. Cover and cook until the veggies are VERY soft. Remove from heat.
 
Cool slightly, then buzz with a stick blender until smooth. Check the bottom of the stick blender occasionally. If the bottom gets clogged with fibers from the veggies, pull them out and discard them. I had to do that a couple of times.

Once the soup is smooth, return to low heat and add the half & half, potato flakes, nutmeg, Tabasco, soup base and fennel pollen. Stir well with a whisk or wooden spoon. - you don't need the stick blender here! Refrigerate overnight.
 
The next day, adjust the seasonings - add salt only if necessary. Whisk well and ladle into bowls if you're serving the soup chilled. Warm it up if you want it hot...your decision...both equally yum!
 
If serving chilled, garnish with a fennel frond or chopped fennel, a pinch of fennel pollen and a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!
 
NOTE: If you want the soup extra silky and creamy, after pureeing the soup with the stick blender, put the soup through a food mill. I don't think it's necessary...I like a bit of texture!

NOTE 2: If you use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock, you've got a vegetarian soup!

NOTE 3: You can get fennel pollen online at Gourmet Delights. LOVE this site! (That's where I get my truffle salt, too!)

Orange Roasted Chicken with Fall Veggies

Sundays should be slow and easy.  And so should Sunday dinners.  In that vein, here's a simple post for a simply delicious Sunday dinner.  Enjoy!

Orange Roasted Chicken with Fall Veggies

• a 6 pound roasting chicken, washed, dried, giblets removed - I threw them out...you do what you wish with them

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 1 large leek, cleaned carefully, dark ends removed (and reserved), root end removed and discarded, remaining piece cut into 3-4" pieces
• 2 small fennel bulbs, fronds removed, set aside; stalks removed, set aside; remaining bulbs cut lengthwise into wedges
• 1 orange, zested, then juiced, reserve what's left of the orange halves and cut into large pieces
• 3 sprigs thyme, large ones

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper, lots

• orange juice, reserved from above
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, preferably white
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350.
 
In the bottom of a roasting pan, scatter sweet potatoes, parsnips, leeks, garlic and fennel wedges
 
Mix the rub: orange zest, 2 tablespoons minced fennel fronds, leeks, 2 springs of thyme - leaves removed and minced, 2 T. Kosher salt and lots of freshly ground pepper.  Mix well.  

Gently run your fingers between the skin and the flesh of the breast creating a pocket.  Gently (again) rub 2/3 of the rub between the skin and the flesh.  Rub the rest of the mixture all over the outside of the bird.
 
Mix the leek ends, remains of the orange, rest of the thyme and the rest of the fennel fronds and stalks.  Cram them into the cavity of the chicken.  Settle the prepared chicken on top of the veggies in the pan.

What a pretty chicken all ready for roasting!

 
Roast the chicken until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 180 degrees and the legs move loosely when wiggled. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

NOTE:  The carcass will be turned into a wild rice and fall veggie soup...the dark meat became a Shepherds Pie with a topping of half and half mashed potatoes and cauliflower.  You know how I love my leftovers!

Butternut Chipotle Chowder with Ham

Soup's on!  That was a very welcome call to dinner over the last few days.  Hurricane Sandy, a.k.a Frankenstorm, sure did create havoc out there.  For those of us fortunate enough to have power, soup was just the dish to warm both tummies and spirits. It's a good thing I had a hambone ready to rock!

This is a stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup.  Hearty with potatoes, yet with a delicate balance of sweet butternut squash and tender leeks, spicy with the gentle heat of chipotles in adobo, and smoky with ham and bacon...it just hits all the right flavor and texture notes that make a great soup.

Have you peeked ahead at the recipe?  Did you notice there's no cream to thicken this chowder?  Not even a butter and flour roux?  The creamy, hearty texture comes from instant potato flakes!  Potato flakes help keep the calorie count fairly low...would you believe a big bowl of today's recipe has only 154 calories?  Not bad, huh?

Here's the recipe. Enjoy....and please stay warm and dry and safe.  

Butternut Chipotle Chowder with Ham

• 1 ham bone, with lots of meat
• 2 stalks celery, with tops & extra leaves, cut into large pieces
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• a handful of dried minced garlic - if you can't find it in the store, try Penzey's...I get mine at Costco.

• 2 slices bacon, thick-sliced, cut across into 1/2" pieces
• 2 large leeks, washed well and chopped (see washing method below)
• 6 red potatoes, unpeeled, diced small
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and diced small
• 2 stalks celery, small dice
• 2 small chipotle chile canned in adobo, minced, PLUS 2 T. adobo sauce

• 1 cup mashed potato flakes

Put the hambone, celery and leaves, onions and dried garlic into a large soup pot and just cover with water.  Bring to a boil and immediately lower heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot and let simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the ham starts to fall from the bone.  Remove bone & meat to a platter and reserve.  Take all the meat from the bone and shred.  Discard the bone. 

Then, using a spider or large slotted spoon, remove veggies.  Discard veggies.

In a large skillet, saute bacon until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.  Reserve bacon fat.  Add the butternut squash and saute until it begins to caramelize, but not until soft.  Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the ham stock in the soup pot.  Add the leeks and celery to skillet and continue to stir and cook until soft.  Add to the soup pot.
 
Add the potatoes, reserved shredded ham and the chipotles & adobo sauce to pot.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil again.  As soon as it comes to a boil, lower the heat again to low and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and the soup comes together.  

Add the instant mashed potato flakes to thicken and give a chowder consistency.
 
Serve garnished with reserved crispy bacon and a drizzle of sour cream or Greek yogurt. 
 
If you want, separate the squash seeds and roast them at 350 with a sprinkle of Kosher salt and a sprinkle of chipotle powder and a spray of olive oil for about 10 minutes.  Stir and roast another few minutes until crunchy. Finish your garnish with the roasted seeds.  Better than pumpkin seeds!




NOTE:  Leeks are VERY sandy and it is difficult to get all that dirt and sand from between all the layers.  Back in the 70's Graham Kerr - The Galloping Gourmet - shared his method for cleaning leeks.  Works like a charm!  

He always started his leek segment by saying, "First, you take a leek."  Love his humor!  Okay, the method.  

Trim the dried, fibrous end of the leek off.  Then wash the root end.  Starting from about 1/2" above the roots, slice the leek in half lengthwise making SURE the leaves remain attached.  Turn the leek 1/4 turn and slice lengthwise again.  Spread the leaves apart - again, making sure the leaves stay attached to the root end and wash the leek under cold running water.  Be sure to get between each of the leaves and that you are removing ALL the debris..  When you're sure it's completely clean, dry it thoroughly and proceed to chop.  It may seem like a lot of trouble, but it's simpler than it sounds here.  And the leeks are squeaky clean!