Week 22: Rainy Days

A rainy, cloudy day on 8th Street Greens.  Photo by Shannon Gilbert.

Hey there, everybody!  This is our 2^nd to last box for the 2011 CSA season!  It's a rainy Monday again.  Used the morning for paperwork.

photo by Shannon Gilbert

This week's box:  is gonna be heavy to deliver.  We got some salad in there and Jerusalem Artichokes from 8^th Street Greens.  The sunchokes are in bloom right now, but we're going to dig them for you tomorrow anyways.  We might be digging through mud—it'll remind me of my days farming on the Olympic Peninsula.  I've given you each 1.5 pound of the chokes.  They have an incredibly distinctive flavor.  A couple years ago a friend made choke-beet soup with some broth and milk or coconut milk.  There may have been sauteed onions or garlic in there.  It was more beets than chokes.  It was a pureed soup that was delicious.  I tried to find a recipe of it but, alas, didn't.  Epicurious.com does have several Jerusalem Artichoke soup recipes that you could look up. 

Shawn digs up Jerusalem Artihokes, which go well in the recipe below. Photo by Shannon Gilbert.

Roast Chicken with Parsnips, Golden Beets, and Jerusalem Artichokes with Beer Pan Juices

Bon Appétit  | October 2010

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Active time: 1 hour, Total time: 4 hours 10 min

The secret to a roast chicken with crispy skin and tender meat? Salting the chicken and letting it sit for at least a few hours.

Ingredients:  1 4-to 4 1/2-pound chicken

4 large fresh sage leaves plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, divided

3 fresh thyme sprigs plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, divided

3 fresh rosemary sprigs plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided

2 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

3 2 1/2-inch-diameter golden beets, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch wedges

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 pound parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces

8 to 10 ounces Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), scrubbed, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1 cup lager or pale ale

Preparation:  Tuck wing tips under chicken. Starting at neck opening, gently loosen skin from breast of chicken. Slide 2 sage leaves, 1 thyme sprig, and 1 rosemary sprig under skin of each chicken breast half. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt inside chicken cavity and insert 1 thyme sprig and 1 rosemary sprig into cavity. Sprinkle outside of chicken all over with 2 teaspoons coarse salt. Place chicken, breast side up, on plate. Let stand uncovered at room temperature 2 hours or cover and chill overnight.

Position oven rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Coat large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place chicken in center of prepared sheet. Place beets in medium bowl. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1/2 tablespoon chopped rosemary, and 1 teaspoon chopped sage; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes in another medium bowl. Add remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1/2 tablespoon chopped rosemary, and 1 teaspoon chopped sage; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Arrange all vegetables around chicken on sheet. Roast chicken and vegetables 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken thigh registers 165°F and vegetables are tender, turning vegetables occasionally, about 50 minutes longer.

Shannon roasted tomatoes and garlic, then pureed and froze the sauce. A great way to preserve heirloom and slicing tomatoes! Photo by Shannon Gilbert.

Using tongs, tilt chicken to allow juices to drain from main cavity onto baking sheet. Transfer chicken to platter. Arrange vegetables around chicken. Place baking sheet over 2 burners. Add beer to baking sheet and boil until pan juices are slightly reduced, scraping up browned bits, 3 to 4 minutes. Season juices to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer juices to small pitcher. Serve chicken and vegetables, passing pan juices alongside.

Also in the box is Cylindrical Beets and a Red Kuri “kubocha type” winter Squash from Yonder Farm.  The apples are from Filaree Fruit.  The Fruit Share gets extra apples, pluots and more Concord Pears.  I'll hand write the variety of apples when I find out! 

All the Best!  ~~Shannon    p.s.:  parsnips (never before in this CSA), will be in your box next week!!!