FOOD FRIDAY: In Defense Of Chicken

I love Barefoot Contessa.  There, I said it.  I love watching Ina Garten cook on Food Network and I am not ashamed to admit it.  Why, you ask?  Well, I have many reasons.  Maybe it is because she isn’t a trained chef pretending to cook at home.  Maybe because her hands-on approach reminds me a bit of Julia Child.  Her food is simple, delicious and isn’t picture perfect.  It is just good.  However, maybe the main reason I love Ina is because she taught me how to make the Perfect Roast Chicken.  You can learn how to do it too, just  watch this video:

I LOVE roast chicken!  It is delicious.  There isn’t anything more comforting or heart warming in my world than piping hot, juicy chicken with crispy golden skin.  For me, it brings back memories of my Grandfather, a former military cook, pulling a whole bird out of the oven.  Even as a small child I was always waiting in the wings to sneak bits of crispy skin.  Grandpa would pretend not to see and I would pretend not to burn my fingers.  It was a bond we shared.

My Roast Chicken (Photo by Gourmet Rambler)

Chicken has been much maligned in recent years for being a culprit of diseases.  Most of this reputation is well deserved.  I don’t need to go into the particulars. You can find most recent chicken sins here and here.  None of this troubling news is going to stop me from eating delicious chicken.  It isn’t that I fancy myself invincible, not at all.  It’s just that I think I have a pretty good solution to the problem:  know where your chicken comes from!  (See my earlier article FOOD FRIDAY: Back to Basics of Real Food and Fitness Editor SKo-Fit‘s article TIP TUESDAY: Get out of the supermarket!)  I am profoundly blessed to have access to the butcher, who sells healthy chicken that doesn’t threaten to kill me (thanks, Rob Levitt!) and, with a little luck – so do you!

Come to think of it, another reason I love watching Barefoot Contessa is seeing Ina shop for ingredients.  She is always at the farmer’s market, the butcher or the fishmonger.  Wanna bet she knows where her chicken comes from?  So, go ahead and make Ina’s delicious Perfect Roast Chicken.  Just try to find the best quality bird.  Need a butcher?  I got one.  Just like Ina.

My name is Tatiana or call me Gourmet Rambler.  I love food too much to be skinny.  I am too loud, too sarcastic, tell too many inappropriate jokes and watch too much reality TV.  I am not dainty or graceful unless I am cooking AND eating!  Hungry?  Want more?  Follow me on twitter at Gourmet Rambler.

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Written by Food Editor ~ Gourmet Rambler

Tatiana is better known by her twitter handle, Gourmet Rambler. She is a bon vivant and a connoisseur of all things delectable ~ whether a gorgeous bottle of wine, an exquisitely elaborate meal, fresh farmer’s market produce or unique and unusual ingredients. Tatiana is an adamant advocate for the artistry of a chef, local and seasonal products. A chef once said: “There is a way that everyone else eats. And then there is this whole other world of how Gourmet Rambler eats.” Lover of Chicago, experienced diner, wine maven and home chef. Sassy and stubborn. That is why we love having Gourmet Rambler as our Food Editor!

Tatiana is a contributor to FOOD FRIDAY on theBrideScoop where she writes about her dining adventures.

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