Spring Chicken

I hear it constantly, and half the time I don’t have an answer because I have no measurements for the recipes, no teaspoons of this and tablespoons of that. I appreciate the exactitude in recipes I read in cookbooks and magazines. I appreciate the backbone it provides for spinning off into the world of imagination while still tethered by one string to reality. But sometimes reality comes in handfuls and pinches and sprinklings. Sometimes reality is a flexible backbone.

Think flexibility when you read this month’s recipe. Of all seasons, perhaps, springtime is the season of opportunity, and this year’s spring has been a real one—rains and soft sunlight pearling through the mist of early morning. The mealy blue sage spreads like blue fog along the roadways, and in the gardens Swiss Chard unfurls shiny deep green leaves along magenta stalks, or stalks the color of lemons and sunrise. Sweet pea vines bloom their scent across the wet earth where the strong shoots of young onions hide new bulbs. Rosemary, the herb of remembrance, extends soft new shoots from last year’s gnarled branches.

Take advantage of this blooming and bulbing.

Buy yourself a nice fat chicken and cut the backbone out with a pair of poultry shears or a good sharp knife. Flatten the chicken as much as you can, then rub the cavity with a paste of butter, smashed garlic, chopped rosemary and finely grated lemon peel (zest.) If you have an aversion to or a health issue with butter, use olive oil or a mixture of the two. Salt and pepper the cavity.

Turn the bird over and work the paste under the skin, particularly under the breast. Spread more across the skin. Salt and pepper.

Place the chicken breast-side down in a casserole large enough to spread it out flat

and still leave room for the chunks of onion and chopped garlic that you will scatter around the pan.

Use one to two onions—depending in the size of the onion, the room in the casserole, how much you like onions. Use three or four garlic gloves. Be flexible.

Open a bottle of full-bodied white wine (or use the remains of yesterday’s wine) and pour enough around the bird to cover the onion and garlic. Place the pan in a 400-degree oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes, basting every once in a while. Turn the chicken over, pushing down on it to flatten it, and baste again.

Bake the chicken, basting occasionally, until an instant read thermometer (a really good idea for every kitchen) inserted between the thigh and breast meat, reads 180 degrees—possibly another half hour to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the bird and the temperament of your oven.

While the bird is cooking, thickly slice ½ pound of mushrooms, squeeze a lemon over them, sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and a light dash of cayenne and sauté in butter and olive oil until just tender. Set aside.

Wash six or seven full stems of chard, which is plentiful and beautiful now at the local Farmer’s Market. Slice the leaves once vertically, then cut them horizontally into wide strips and plunge them into boiling water for about two minutes, until just soft. Drain them.

When the chicken reaches 180, remove it from the pan and let it rest on a cutting board while you swirl the mushrooms and a scant handful of blue cheese (gorgonzola, bleu, stilton…choose your favorite) into the onions and wine at the bottom of the casserole. The heat from the juices will melt the cheese.

Spread the chard on a platter. Carve the chicken into serving pieces and pour the sauce over all. You’ll be glad you did.