Serving Suggestions: Week 15

Griggstown Farm Chicken

From Bob:

I’ve been loving the Griggstown Farms chicken every two weeks. I get the cut-up chicken which is perfect for weeknight dinners – no butchering needed and the smaller pieces cook faster than a whole bird. I’ve done the chicken on the grill, in the slow cooker and just plain roasted too. I was looking for something a little different this week and looked to my Cook it in Cast Iron cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen. The recipe I used was for Indoor Barbecue Chicken which used the hot cast iron pan to make a quick homemade barbecue sauce after the chicken was done. The sauce was great (used as a dipping sauce for grilled cheese the next night – fantastic) but it made the chicken a little soggy after I had worked so had on a flavorful crust. Next time I will follow the recipe but stop when the chicken comes out of the oven and just serve it with a squeeze of lemon. Here’s my adapted version of the Test Kitchen recipe:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 tsp of spice mixture (at least 1 tsp each brown sugar and salt, other spices to taste, see note at bottom)
1 cut-up chicken

Turn oven to 500 degrees. Place cast iron pan in oven while it preheats.
Pat chicken dry, rub with oil and spice mixture to coat.
When oven reaches 500 degrees, turn it down to 450. Take out the pan and add the chicken, skin side down.
Let chicken cook in oven for 15 minutes then flip. Cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through. Be sure to check both white and dark meat for doneness – you may need to pull smaller pieces sooner than larger pieces to avoid any getting overdone.
Let chicken cool for at least 5 min before serving.

Note: mix up your spice mixture depending on the flavor profile you’re looking for. Start with 1 tsp each of brown sugar and salt. I used chili powder, cumin, onion powder and garlic powder. For an Asian twist, use some five spice and ginger powders instead of the cumin and garlic powder. Or go with some ground coriander and garam masala for a curried flavor. Just be careful if you’re using a pre-made spice blend as those typically have salt, in that case omit the starting teaspoon. The possibilities are endless and it’s a perfect way to use up random CSA veggies – simply roast in the hot oven with the chicken, tossed with a little oil and matching spices and you’re good to go.

From Shana:

Cabbage is one of the most challenging CSA vegetables that for me to use completely (other than maybe Kohrabi). What I’ve found to help power through the huge heads with little waste that will keep for awhile is Kimchi. This spicy fermented pickle is a staple in Korean households and adds a lot of flavor to any dish. It is very easy to make and you don’t have to worry about it going bad like sauerkraut which always worries me a bit. Below are a few recipes that looked yummy to me, but if you google it, you’ll find loads more.

The way I first made it was with an Asian chili paste that I got at Fairway. I chopped the cabbage (I used red which turned out beautifully), in big chunks, added chopped carrots, and radishes, grated ginger and garlic and then rubbed them heavily in the chili paste. I stuffed them into a large mason jar until really packed tight and stuck it in the back of my fridge turning daily for a week or so. Each day you’ll see more juice (water) leech out. After a week it was delicious, I drained a bunch of the water and ate (and gave to friends)!

http://www.chowhound.com/recipes/basic-napa-cabbage-kimchi-kimchee-29505

http://www.yogajournal.com/article/lifestyle/probiotic-powerhouse/