Roasted chicken with pan gravy, steamed broccoli and mashed acorn squash with butter and brown sugar
Wow. Last night’s dinner was perfect. This meal exemplifies how I like to eat – simple ingredients prepared in a basic way, a fresh and wholesome meal. How long did it take to make? Maybe an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. When I write our menu I always include at least one meal that with a meat and two veggie sides. Now that we are in fall I have to include some squash (cause its so damn good!) Roasting squash is the best way to go. The slow cooking moistens the flesh and caramelizes the texture with the addition of a little olive oil or butter. While the chicken was in the oven I sliced a acorn squash in half, oiled a baking sheet and threw in in the oven underneath the bird. The squash took about 50 minutes. The bird took about 60 and while the carcass rested I could also let the squash cool and make the gravy.
In most cases I would say making gravy is luxurious but when you have the time and the ingredients on hand, it’s a great way to use the juices in the pan. While the bird rested I added the juices to a small pan over medium heat and brought to a slight boil. Then I added 1T of gluten-free flour and stirred the lumps away. Then I added 2T butter and a cup of water and while it came to boil, I stirred here and there. Meanwhile, in another pot, I added 1 inch of water and some chopped up broccoli and let that come to boil and steam till I like it (maybe 10 minutes?) Yes, there is a degree of multitasking but I was cooking by myself. Had another person accompanied me this would have been so easy (though it already was pretty easy.)
Normally when I roast a bird I follow a simple recipe of salt, pepper and butter. This time I added a few more flavors – crushed garlic, lemon and rosemary. The bird and gravy recipe can be found here. (I halved the original recipe since I only wanted to cook 1 bird.) The squash mash I made up last year and it is now a preferred way to enjoy this hearty vegetable. Overall, a relatively easy meal to prepare that is not too complicated for a novice cook. Was it inconvenient to cook all this food? For the taste and the leftovers, I think not.
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Tags: Chicken, cooking, Recipes, seasonal eating, weekly menu