EATING ON DURKEE STREET IN SUMMERMaya Angelou once described her favorite meal as a roast chicken and a bottle of chilled white wine. Quite often in the summer, dinner consists of a “picnic” in our garden. On these days, one of us will stop by the grocery to pick up a roasted chicken and a loaf of French bread. We make a salad of greens from our garden, dressed simply with favored vinegars and oils. The rest of the meal consists of charcuterie, cheese, olives and whatever else we can easily pull out of the refrigerator.
Of course, a whole chicken is too much for the two of us. Here’s a favorite recipe for the leftovers.
3 c. chicken diced into half-inch cubes
c. red onion or shallot, minced
¬ c. celery, minced
_ c. mayonnaise
c. pecans, chopped
2 T. parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Assemble ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Adjust seasoning.
What to do with the bones? We never throw the bones away. Sometimes we store the bones in a plastic bag in the freezer until they accumulate.
Place them in the slow cooker overnight with an onion, a carrot, a rib of celery, a couple bay leaves and a couple peppercorns. Let them steep on low overnight. The result is a tasty and natural chicken stock that is relatively low in sodium.
Cordially,
Chef Bob