chicken fricassee, carrots, and mustard greens with garlic mashed potatoes

I talk about food all the time; eat it even more frequently; cook every night Sunday through Thursday without fail. So I've long thought about being one of those people who blogs about what they cook, what they eat, how it goes. But I won't be lamenting that Julia Child doesn't like me, that Top Chef rejected my audition tape, that I can't get a segment on The Today Show. This is really about recording what I eat, and how I do it. In other words, this is a compendium for me. Secondarily, it's a place for dedicated amateurs with day jobs; people who like to cook homemade, semi-serious food without too much fuss; those who don't have the time or inclination to mess around with intricate recipes, but who don't think Sandra Lee is necessarily something to aspire to, either.

Day 1: Labor Day. Instead of a backyard barbecue, I decided to go with something rich and slow-cooked, one I'd cook in a Le Creuset pot if I owned one. Instead I use pans inherited unopened from my parents when I moved to New Orleans. Fricassee is, fittingly, a French word popularized in Southern cooking. It means "to cook chopped food in its own juices" (swoon!), and probably comes from the words frire ("to fry") and casser ("to break"). The process keeps the chicken unbelievably moist, leaves you with a great broth or sauce to give flavor to sides, yet retains a little crispness and texture because you brown the chicken before getting those juices flowing. It's a perfect Sunday (or holiday Monday) meal — it takes a little longer, but you can have a glass of wine and watch sports [oxymoron alert?] while you do it. 

Full disclosure: I got the idea from a recipe on epicurious.com (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Fricassee-with-Carrots-Mustard-Greens-and-Avgolemono-Sauce-5682), but the whole thing was a little involved (even for a day off), so here's my modified version:

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

- Take chicken pieces — skin on, for sure, maybe 2 breasts and 2 thighs —and drizzle them with lemon juice, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil (enough for a nice thin coat on the bottom of a big saucepan) and add the chicken. Cook chicken until brown on all sides and remove.  Keep the pot going.

- Add 4 chopped carrots and about 12 whole cloves of garlic to the pot and saute for about 2 minutes. Then add a cup of dry white wine, about 1/4 cup of lemon juice and turn down the heat. Simmer until it reduces and starts to become somewhat more sauce than cooking liquid. Add 3 cups of chicken stock and the chicken pieces, turn off your stove and pop the pot into the hot oven. Cook uncovered for maybe 30 minutes. (One way to know chicken is done: pierce it with a sharp knife, and if the juices run clear, you're all set; if they run pinkish at all, give it another 5 minutes.)

- Take everything out of the pot except the cooking liquid, and tent it with foil so it stays warm. Back on the stovetop, boil the liquid until reduced by half. Maybe 7 minutes? Who cares...

- Add the mustard greens to what's left, cook for 2-3 minutes, then throw in some chopped scallions, Dijon mustard and parsley.

- Meanwhile, I have been making instant garlic mashed potatoes, according to the directions on the box (here's where I'll let a little bit of Sandra Lee into my kitchen).

- Serve, making sure you get a good amount of that cooking broth on the plate, while avoiding "whole chicken breast and mashed potato soup." If you want to thicken the liquid into more of a sauce/gravy, throw in 2 tablespoons of butter and maybe a teaspoon of flour, and stir well.


Roommate rating: "The mustard greens were my favorite. It was good, it was really good. It was delicious, like everything you make." 3 stars