Eating Local and Quasi-Seasonal

On my first day back home during this Eat Local Challenge month I decided to check out the Central New York Regional Market here in Syracuse.  The rain wasn't going to stop me.  The unpacking and cleaning wasn't going to stop me.  I was determined.  Not willing to brave both rain and crowds I waited until about 11:00 am and then made my way to Wendy Gornick's stand for some chicken.

No chicken.  What?  That's right, no chicken.  The rain came down and I tried not to pout and protest.  Chickens are seasonal; remember?  At least the pasture-fed, free range, sustainably raised chickens are.  Wendy Gornick is the heart and soul of Sweet Grass Farm.  Unless I go down to Ithaca to buy from Peter McDonald or manage to pick up a bird from Cobblestone Valley*, I rely on Wendy.  But she won't have any spring chickens until this coming Saturday--forget the crowds--best to get there EARLY. 

Thank goodness I discovered my chicken situation early in the day.  I still had enough time to run back home and pull a McDonalds Farm chicken from the freezer.  Still local... good.  But then this recipe beckoned:  Chicken with Black Pepper Maple Sauce.  With the exception of the salt and pepper I could do this with local ingredients--I even had some chicken stock in the freezer.  So what if the maple syrup tasted of winter?  Around these parts with bundles of fresh green produce still a month off, eating locally may not always sync up with the season.  That's alright.  When I'm still eating freshly picked tomatoes in October I won't complain.

Chicken with Black Pepper Maple Sauce (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

• 1 (3-3 1/2-lb) whole chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspon black pepper
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 (3-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary plus 1 (1-inch) sprig
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup dark amber or Grade B maple syrup
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar

Special Equipment:  kitchen shears; 2 (10-inch) heavy skillets (one well-seasoned cast-iron or heavy nonstick); a 10 inch round of parchment paper; 5-6 pounds of weights such as 3 (28-oz) cans of tomatoes--I've also used actual dumbells--whatever works.

Cut out backbone from chicken with kitchen shears and discard.  Pat chicken dry, then spread flat, skin side up, on a cutting board.  Cut a 1/2 inch slit on each side of chicken in center of triangle of skin between thighs and breast (near drumstick) then tuck bottom knob of each drumstick through slit. Tuck wing tips under breast.  This will result in a flattened bird.  Sprinkle chicken all over with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat until foam subsides.  Add chicken, skin side down, and arrange larger rosemary sprigs over chicken.  Cover with parchment round and second skillet, then top with weights.  Cook chicken until skin is browned, about 15 minutes.  Remove and reserve weights, top skillet, parchment, and rosemary, then carefully loosen chicken from skillet with a spatula--I use a spatula and tongs to help lift the bird.  Turn chicken over and re-place rosemary sprigs, then re-cover with parchment, skillet, and weights.  Cook until chicken is just cooked through, 15-20 minutes more.

Make sauce while chicken cooks:

Toast peppercorns in a dry 1-quart heavy sacucepan over moderate heat, shaking pan occasionally, untl fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a clean cutting board and coarsely crush with a rolling pin.  Return peppercorns to a saucepan and bring to a simmer with syrup, 1/2 cup broth, and small rosemary sprig, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter and loosely cover with foil.  Add vinegar to skillet and deglaze, boiling and scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon until liquid is reduced by half.  Stir in maple mixture and remaining 1/4 cup broth and boil until slightly syrupy, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and swirl in remaining 2 tablespoons butter.  Season sauce with salt and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discardking solids.  Serve chicken with sauce.

*  Sweet Grass Farm, McDonald Family Farm and Cobblestone Valley are all excellent local purveyors of chicken, eggs, beef and pork.  Check out their websites under Local Food Sources on the left.

Comments

[Joanne]

Hi there Jennifer--
How did you thaw out that chicken so fast? Please don't tell me you nuked it...
Jo

[Jennifer]

Oh Jo, you're not going to make me confess how late we ate dinner are you??? I'd never nuke to defrost--perish the thought! Two things--we didn't sit down to dinner until after 8pm (our standard time due to our work schedules) and the chicken cooks in less than an hour.

[shuna fish lydon]

I was speaking to jen of Life Begins @ Thirty today about how hard this year's Eat Local Challenge is going to be for those outside of Ca.

Brava for you! I look forward to reading more.

[Tana]

Hey, it's hard for us INSIDE California. In case you didn't hear, the month of March included 27 days of pelting rain. This is so far above the average that we thought there had been a global shift and we'd been bumped to Seattle. It was insane. An entire month with no crops planted. We are a month behind in everything.

Some market stalls: butternut squash and chard. If you're into bitter greens, they're fluorishing, but they don't constitute the basis for a meal. We do have seafood here in Santa Cruz: but it's diminished for other reasons.

I've been making friends with fava beans and asparagus. We're like, best buddies.

It's nice to see chicken on someone else's plate. Looks DELICIOUS.

Thanks, Jennifer.