Dark Days Challenge, 2010 - Week 2

I know, I just posted on Monday my first meal and it's only 3 days later for week 2.  The challenge started on Dec 1, a Wed - so by all accounts, I'm into week 2.

Chicken with broccoli and sunchokes

This fall, I purchased a chicken share from farmer Allan.  This means, as of today, there are 6 whole chickens in the freezer.  He gets them from an Amish farmer in PA who from what farmer Allan tells me, employs all the right methods in raising them.  They are pretty tasty chickens.  I took one out of the freezer a few days ago to thaw and roasted it last night.

Ever since Sean and I watched the show with Jacques and Julia deboning the turkey, I've been fascinated with cutting apart a chicken.  Last spring, Sean and I took a knife skills class and the last part of the session was cutting apart a whole chicken.  You tube is a fabulous source for videos on how to butterfly or spatchcock a chicken.  I've done it a couple of times now and last night, I went a step further and cut the leg/thigh apart from the breast.  My only problem is I only have kitchen shears for herbs and Sur la Table is having a problem re-stocking the poultry shears.

I took some butter (from South Mountain Creamery) and rub it with herbs (my garden) in and around the pieces.  Roast at 450 for about an hour.

Last weekend I went to our neighborhood farmer's market - they come from PA - and bought some broccoli and sunchokes.  Sunchokes are also called Jerusalem Artichokes and are really easy to prepare.

I cut the broccoli into pieces and steamed it lightly,  Then sauteed in olive oil (not local) and added garlic (my garden) and lemon juice (not local - I've only seen citrus trees at the US Botanic garden here in DC).  The sunchokes were coated in hazelnut oil (again, not local) and roasted for about 20 min.