My "Home Alone Thanksgiving", but hey, don't feel bad for me, it's a "voluntary home alone". I am like Theeee most thankful person in the world. Great income, the exciting startup of my own entrepreneurial investment firm, great peace of mind, great "friends to the end" type friends (a gift greater than gold), the priceless subtle feeling that after all these decades that I still got my whole life ahead of me and all my goals can become reality, and almost another year finished where I can still say those most thankful of words, "beyond a bad cold, I never been sick a day in my life".
Healthy, free, the world before me,
…..Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune
–Walt Whitman
Anyhoo, after conversating with mom on the phone (she's my girl), she totally understands after the non stop running around over the last couple months after my relocation, I am so not in the mood for spending half the Thanksgiving weekend at the airport, trying to get from Seattle to Chicago and back. She said cool, and asked me, "So whatcha gonna do? I said "boys stuff". Sleep, watch some good football, drink a few Peroni Beers, a Italian imported smooth beer (I only drink 5 to 10 beers a year now, but when it's time, it's time), and, I'm gonna grab one of these pasture raised chickens from Whole Foods that the meat guy behind the meat counter has been raving about, and try this Roast Chicken with pear, shallots, and thyme recipe. Mom said, "Well, handle your business…………………"
Roast Chicken with pear, lemon, shallots, and thyme
1 whole pasture raised chicken, my Whole Foods now has "level 5" poultry as they rate it in their 1 to 5 rating system, with level 5 being local pasture raised and not transported to another facility for final processing
Pink Himalayan Salt and Organic Coarse Ground Pepper
1 tablespoon fresh organic thyme leaves, plus 10 fresh organic thyme sprigs
3 organic garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 organic lemon, halved
8 organic shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
3 Organic Anjou pears, halved, cored, and halved again
a few of my favorite beers imported from Italy, Peroni (everything in moderation, including moderation :))
Directions
I ran across good advice that the chicken must be at room temperature before it goes in the oven, or the chicken will not cook evenly. What is recommended is leave the chicken in the refrigerator, uncovered (on a plate and not touching anything else in the fridge), for 1-2 days after buying it, so that the skin gets a bit dried out. It will roast up crispier this way. Then 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours before it goes in the oven, we put it on a plate on the kitchen counter to come to room temp (about 70 degrees).
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting pan and season all over with salt and pepper. Gently loosen skin and rub chicken breasts with thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Stuff cavity with 5 thyme sprigs, garlic, and lemon. Using kitchen twine, securely tie legs together; tuck wing tips underneath.
Roast chicken for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, baste with pan juices; add shallots, pears, and remaining thyme sprigs to pan. Return to oven and continue to roast, until thermometer inserted in the thick part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reaches 165 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting and tossing pears and shallots once. Transfer to a serving platter and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
I'll probably throw some tiny fingerling potatoes rubbed in olive oil in the pan also.
Leftovers (if there are any) make for good pulled chicken on top of my veggie salad, or diced up chicken to mix into my morning eggs scrambled in unrefined coconut oil.
~stay healthy~
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The Healthy Chef's Corner
Grass fed and pasture raised meats and poultry are a totally different animal (pun intended) than conventional and commercially raised animals. The health benefits of grass and pasture raised animals can be found here.
Pink Himalayan salt is different from table salt in that it contains 84 minerals in perfect balance as nature intended. I think it is also superior to most types of sea salt .
Not just an herb with a fragrant aroma, thyme has many health benefits.
Shallots, garlic and onions are gaining much attention as fighters of prostate cancer
EAT HEALTHY, BUT ENJOY WHAT YOU EAT!!!!!.
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