It's not Christmas, and let's be real, nobody wants it to be. Remember how relieved you were when it was over? Relieved and fat, from delicious feasts! A few times a year I get a strong craving for a roast bird of some kind and all the fixins, so I dust off my old recipe cards and get to work. Isaac Hansen was here to cheer me on and eat everything- also to take these stunning photos. The stuffing is an old family recipe and- I can't stress this enough- raisins need to be a part of it. We also roasted chicken, and I halved it to save time and to use the neck, back and giblets for gravy. As a result, I baked the stuffing in a casserole dish... more stuffing this way too!
6 cups diced bread without crust
3 sticks butter
2 coarsely chopped onions
5 chopped celery stalks
1 lb raisins
1/4 t thyme
1/2 T basil
1/2 cup parsley
salt and pepper
one peeled and grated apple
Scatter bread cubes on a cookie sheet and dry at 170 degrees for 1- 1 1/2 hours until crisp. Allow to cool and heat the butter in a pan, then add the onion and celery and saute for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and combine with the dried bread and all other ingredients. Mix well, then dump into a casserole dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake along with your chicken.
Roast Turkey or Chicken with Gravy
An average-sized bird, halved, with the neck, back and/or giblets
1 each onion, carrot and celery stalk chopped
parsley
summer savoury
2 bay leaves
coarse salt and pepper
white wine
olive oil
4 T flour
Preheat oven to 325. Rub the chicken halves all over with the oil, lay breast-up on a rack in a roasting pan and sprinkle with the summer savoury, parsley, salt and pepper. Add a little white wine to the bottom of the roasting pan. Cover with foil or lid and bake 15 minutes per lb or until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 185. Uncover for the final 15-20 minutes to brown the skin, basting it in it's own juices 2 or 3 times. Meanwhile...
After popping everything in the oven, combine the neck, back, etc with carrot, bay leaves, onion, celery, about a cup of white wine and just enough water to cover in a large pot. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium on the stove. Simmer uncovered for about and hour. Strain and cool the stock, spooning off as much of the fat that rises to the top as possible.
Once everything is out of the oven, allow the bird to rest, covered, while you finish the gravy. Heat 4 Tablespoons of reserved fat from the roasting pan in a medium pot, and stir in the flour. Cook for a few moments, stirring constantly. Pour in the strained, skimmed stock and allow to come to a boil, whisking often until it thickens. Taste and season to your liking, or preferably mine.
Now... EAT. I guess you should probably have some veggies too.
And don't forget to come out to Gus' Pub this Friday, March 30 to celebrate Adam Kindred's birthday. It's gonna be a time with 6 bands, including Vixens, Mean Mug, Negative Circles, Concrete Asylum, Idontgivarips and yours truly.
love, Slumlord
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