Hello? I’m very surprised that anyone at all is reading this. There are a lot of people writing about food and quite a few have blogs that are better looking than this one. I could say that I am just writing for friends and family, but I know that most of them won’t bother to come here. So, I’m either writing for you, stranger, or else it’s for posterity. A record of what we eat. I’m wondering what we’ll think of all this food 20 years from now.

In this first installment, I’m writing about the humble chicken to give you some clues about what is likely to come. First, you will find recipes here for omnivores. Not everything will have meat or animal products, but I’m as likely to eat meat as I am to eat beans. I like them both. Secondly, I’m into slow food and I’m a little bit of a Francophile. In reference to his plans for France, Henri IV said that he wanted to put a chicken in every pot. Well, I want to put one in yours. A roast chicken is exactly the kind of thing that everyone needs to know how to make; it’s not very complicated and in the time it takes to roast it, you have an hour to do other things, like read about food or make the rest of the dinner. Finally, I like food that keeps on giving. After I roast this chicken, I’ll turn it into broth and use the leftovers for a variety of things, like risotto, chicken salad sandwiches or soup.

I don’t know why anyone would want to buy one of those bland, stringy, dry chickens they’re selling in the grocery stores these days. Roast one yourself and you can have the better tasting, free-range, organic variety and you won’t overcook it. A whole chicken is the best deal there is because you can have a great dinner on Sunday and leftovers for two or three days. There’s also nothing like the smell of schmaltz in the house.

Roast chicken

• 1 3-4 lb. free-range organic chicken, wing tips tucked under body, legs tied together with kitchen string
• 1 Tbs. butter, melted
• Salt, pepper
• Optional: fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary or thyme, minced garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub a little butter onto bottom of cast iron frying pan or roasting pan and the rest on the chicken. If using optional ingredients, chop herbs and mix with garlic (if using); rub most of it under the skin of the chicken and a little in the cavity of bird before tying. Place chicken in pan, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and put pan into oven. After about ten minutes move chicken around in pan to prevent it from sticking. After ten more minutes, brush bird with a basting brush or spoon any liquid over skin (if there is no liquid, you can usually find some collected inside the cavity of the bird). Turn oven temperature down to 375 degrees. Baste every 15 minutes for 50-70 minutes (depending on the size of your bird). Test for doneness by pulling on one of the legs, it should be loose. Don’t worry if there is a little pink next to the bone. Remove from oven; take chicken out of pan and place onto cutting board or platter. Let sit 10 minutes. For two servings, carve out breasts and serve with green vegetable and potatoes (mashed, scalloped, steamed). Use pan drippings to make American-style gravy or French-style pan sauce (see below). Save remainder of chicken for leftovers.

American-style gravy

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tbs. flour or cornstarch (the former will give you an opaque sauce, the latter will look more clear) and ? cup of warm water. This is called a slurry. Use warm water to help prevent lumps. Lumps are commonly formed when ingredients of differing temperatures are mixed together. Tilt the pan and let drippings collect to one side, spoon off the clear liquid (the fat). Put the pan on the stovetop on medium-high heat. Whisk in the slurry before it comes to a boil. Whisk constantly as the gravy comes to a boil, turn down the heat and cook for a couple of minutes until the mixture has thickened. If mixture is too thick, add a little water and bring back up to a boil. Use immediately. Store any leftovers in a non-reactive container.

French-style pan sauce

After you’ve removed the chicken from the pan, spoon out as much of the fat as you can. Pour in 1/2 white wine or water and turn heat to high. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan so they mix with the liquid. Turn heat off. Once the liquid has cooled down a little, whisk in 1-4 tablespoons of very cold butter. Obviously, more butter tastes better and gives a thicker sauce, but less will be a healthier rendition. Add salt and black pepper to taste. You can also saut? mushrooms and add them to this sauce. If you’ve put the giblets in when you roast the chicken, they can be chopped finely and added as well. I especially like to add the liver, but this is not to everyone’s taste.