Poussin

In the United Kingdom, poussin (or less common coquelet) is a term commonly used by butchers for a young chicken, less than 28 days old at slaughter and usually weighing 400-450 grams but not above 750g. It is sometimes also called spring chicken, although the term “spring chicken” usually refers to chickens weighing 750-900g.

Stateside, poussin is an alternative name for a small-sized [cross-breed] chicken called Rock Cornish game hen. Developed in the late 1950s, this breed is twice as old and twice as large as the typical British poussin.

Roast poussin with cumin-lime-herb butter, served with pan-fried potatoes, shallots and rosemary

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If you can’t get poussin at your local farmers’ market, substitute a Cornish game hen. You might have to adjust the cooking time however. Allow one poussin or Cornish game hen per person.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt
freshly milled black pepper
2 poussins
1/3 cup pinot gris or other white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a small bowl stir together 2 tablespoons butter, parsley, lime zest, cumin, salt, and pepper until combined. Trim necks of poussins flush with bodies if necessary. Rinse birds inside and out and pat dry. Beginning at neck end of each bird, slide fingers between meat and skin to loosen skin, being careful not to tear the skin. Divide seasoned butter into 4 portions. Using a teaspoon put 1 portion of butter under skin of each breast half. Spread seasoned butter evenly under skin by pressing outside of skin with fingers. If desired, truss legs of each bird together with kitchen twine and secure wings to sides with toothpicks or skewers.

Arrange birds in a roasting pan or Pyrex baking dish just large enough to hold them. Melt remaining tablespoon butter. Brush butter onto birds; generously sprinkle with salt. Roast the poussin in the upper third of oven for 45 minutes, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of the inner thigh registers 170 F.

Transfer birds to a platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Add wine to roasting pan and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Gradually whisk in the butter cubes. Reduce over moderate heat until sauce thickens slightly. Check seasoning.

Serve poussins with sauce.

The potatoes were 6 Ozette potatoes and one large shallot, peeled and sliced, fried in unsalted butter over medium-high heat, then finished with sea salt and rosemary leaves.

“Eggs and Things”

“Eggs and things”

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I call this “eggs and things”. It’s sort of like a reverse frittata. The actual vegetables used don’t matter too much, as long as they’re fresh and in-season. Made with potatoes and onion, this becomes la tortilla de españa.

Here’s a version I did back in April — with ramps and Yukon potatoes.

This preparation contains plum tomatoes, shallots and baby spinach. It’s delicious.

1 large shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 lb. baby spinach, washed and trimmed*
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently or until translucent, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, a scant pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté or until tomatoes disintegrate slightly and form a light sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Season to taste. Once tomatoes are thoroughly cooked but not yet completely liquid, add the spinach. Cook until spinach barely begins to wilt, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add a couple of beaten eggs; pour over the vegetables. Cook until eggs are set. Stir to break eggs up — the eggs should be somewhat “shredded”. Check seasoning, then serve immediately.

Time: 20 minutes (including prep time).
Makes enough for 1 serving. Pair with a baguette and a glass of white wine for a light dinner.

* Substitute regular spinach, however you may have to adjust the cooking time slightly.

A Farewell to Summer

I know, I know…it’s early November. I have no business posting anything about summer knee-deep in autumn.

Migliorelli had some beautiful plum tomatoes for about $1.60 a pound. I bought three or four pounds fully intending to make some of Marcella’s tomato sauce later in the week but this post on Mouthfulsfood gave me other ideas.

Tomato risotto

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A Hearth Pictorial

No new pictures this time around — because I haven’t been to Hearth in over a year, since the economy tanked. That being said, I’ll probably stop in sometime in the next couple of weeks. They’ve been doing something called ‘La Cucina Povera’ for some time now. Three courses for $35, with wine pairings for $15. Those prices are quite gentle for a two-star establishment in NYC. An equivalent restaurant in the Midwest would be something like $30 for the whole deal. Can’t beat that.

Here are a selection of pictures that were taken at various times over the course of the past three years. Enjoy.

Big Eye tuna, capers, pickled mushrooms, vitello tonnato sauce

Copper River salmon, mussels, parsnip, chanterelle mushrooms

Sweetbreads, pickled cauliflower, shallot marmalade

Italian Treatment

It has relatives that are more well-known, like spinach, beets and quinoa, and some less known ones such as epazote and Jerusalem oak. It is one of the most nutritious plants available. It grows in abundance in the mid-Atlantic states, yet it is considered by some to be an invasive weed. Its name is lamb’s quarters and in a word, it’s delicious.

Its Latin name is Chenopodium album, meaning white goosefoot, referring to the shape of its leaf and to a mealy white powder appearing on both sides. In Canada it has been widely known as pigweed and bacon weed because it was often fed to pigs.

Lamb’s quarters

The whole plant can be eaten when young. The leaves are good in spring and early summer. After that, the upper leaves are best. The leaves can be used raw in salads or cooked in soups, stews, casseroles, simply steamed or sautéed. Lamb’s quarters dries well and can be reconstituted or powdered for use in winter. It is very good in raw cheese or tofu dishes like quiche, as its wild flavor and high mineral content go well with cool, bland high protein foods.

Here, I’ve given it a slightly Italian treatment. Shrimp are briefly sautéed with garlic, then folded into coarsely chopped lamb’s quarters that have been separately sautéed with garlic, red pepper flakes and breadcrumbs. This is then combined with spaghetti and served with a little Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil drizzled on top.

Tomato Season 8

In a few weeks (if not sooner), heirloom tomatoes will disappear from farm stands in New York City, not to be seen again until next summer. You may have heard of widespread cases of tomato blight that occurred all throughout the eastern seaboard of the United States earlier this year. I know of at least two farmers who had to throw out over $50,000 worth of product during the first harvest in late July.

The expected increase in price hasn’t materialized but I can’t help think that quite a few vendors won’t be returning next year in order to recoup their losses.

Heirloom tomatoes

Tonight’s dinner is loosely based off of this recipe found in this article from this past Wednesday’s New York Times.

Ripe tomatoes are roasted with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then handfuls of fresh sheep’s milk ricotta are scattered over. The result is a sweet, luscious sauce that conjures up a haunting memory of summer and a taste of a season to come.

Flounder and Chicken Congee

Flounder and chicken congee

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Otherwise known as jook, congee consists of rice and (either water or) stock that’s slowly simmered until the rice grains begin to break down. The result is a thick porridge that epitomizes Chinese comfort food at its very best. It’s perfect for a chilly autumn evening like tonight.

There are as many recipes and variations of congee as there might be hairs on a donkey’s tail. This version contains flounder that was marinated in a mixture of sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce, along with some leftover roast chicken from last week’s chicken dinner.

The beauty of congee is that it can be a flavor vehicle for whatever toppings you happen to have on hand. These may include chopped deep-fried strips of dough, “hundred-year old” eggs, roasted peanuts, minced onion chives and nam yu (fermented tofu).

Le Chevrier Vert

I rarely cook from recipes unless it’s something I’ve never made before. Then I’ll make it once or twice to get the technique down pat before venturing out on my own. I own a very limited set of cookbooks — 23 at last count. I use them primarily for reference, occasionally as inspiration. Once in a while I’ll prepare something lifted straight from their pages. I find that it’s best when you’ve cooked something that you’ve devised from the ground up. Besides, it’s seriously useful when you’re building your repertoire. There’s a quiet confidence that develops when you can gaze on a basket of food and call to mind ideas for the evening’s menu.

Technique is the most important element when it comes to cooking, in my opinion. Once you’re able to master something, the world becomes an open book.

And of course, nothing is more gratifying than cooking something from scratch and having it come together without a hitch.

Shelled flageolet beans

Le Chevrier vert, also known as the flageolet bean, was first obtained by a French grower named Gabriel Chevrier sometime in the late 19th century. This bean is set apart by its green color, which it holds onto even after the bean has dried in the pod. Though it is technically a white-seeded bean, it possesses the ability to retain chlorophyll much longer than other beans. It maintains its pale green shade even after cooking.

Flavor wise, the bean is creamy, delicate and slightly starchy. It tends to absorb and intensify the flavor of food it has been cooked with. Flageolets are best cooked simply with aromatics such as carrots, leeks and onion in chicken or vegetable stock, or in cassoulet.

Corn

According to food historians, wild corn may have been growing in southern Mexico as early as 5200 B.C.E. , while cultivated corn may have appeared as early as 3400 B.C.E. Corn was so sacred to the Mayans that they used human blood to fertilize it. Columbus was introduced to corn by the Arawaks in the Caribbean, and when settlers arrived in the New World, the native Americans taught them how to cultivate and cook corn as well as grind it to make cornmeal. In Europe, corn never became popular for more than animal feed except in isolated pockets, such as northern Italy, where polenta is a dietary staple.

Sweet corn, of which there are many varieties, is the type of corn served on the cob and preserved by canning and freezing. It is picked when immature while the kernels are still sweet and juicy. Field corn (also known as dent corn) is picked when mature and starchy, then dried. Over eighty percent of field corn in the United States is used as livestock feed; the remainder is used in processed food and drinks, as well as non-food products such as plastic and fuel. Popcorn is a field-type corn with a very hard hull. When heated, the kernel’s internal moisture becomes steam and because the steam has nowhere to go, it causes the kernel to explode. Indian (or flint) corn, with its multicolored kernels, is the type used as decoration in autumn. Blue corn, which was nearly extinct in this country in the 1980s, is now a featured ingredient in tortillas, cornbread and pancake mixes, and is also sold as cornmeal.

Saturday Market Gallery

It’s high Indian summer here in New York City. So hard to believe that heirloom tomatoes are still on offer. The days grow increasingly shorter; time to take advantage while they’re still around.

Icicle and French breakfast radishes

The thermometer foretold seventy degrees this afternoon. Truth be told, it felt more like fifty-five.

Carpe diem indeed.