After a disapointing (road kill) experience with a boned chicken ballotine awhile back,

I finally got around to trying again. The only hard part was setting up my computer in the kitchen

so I could watch the video while I boned the chicken. Our WiFi sucks so there was lots of swearing involved After stopping and starting the video a zillion times, (washing my hands thoroughly each time) I got the hang of it. Jacques Pepin (not to be confused with my Jacques, who thinks the whole enterprise is insane) says the process should only take a minute or so. It took me 45, but it worked! Next time will be quicker.

A friend told me that if I had a tablet, I wouldn't need to move the computer. I relayed this information to (my) Jacques who said, "YOU HAVE ONE! IT'S BEEN IN THAT AT&T BAG IN THE CORNER FOR A YEAR!" I forgot I got a free tablet with my most recent phone. I have never activated it.

Anyway, here is the recipe for Jacques Pepin's Spinach-stuffed Chicken Ballotine. It was absolutely delicious. I would strain the final sauce next time:

Chicken Ballotine with Spinach, Cheese and Bread Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 chicken (about 3 3/4 pounds), boned
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Spinach, Cheese, and Bread Stuffing

Spinach, Cheese, and Bread Stuffing:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
5 ounces baby spinach leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Gruyere or mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups cubed (1/2- inch) bread

Sauce:

1/3 cup water
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 celery stalk (2 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/2 cup)
1 carrot (2 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon potato starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

For the Stuffing: heat the oil in a large saucepan or skillet. Add the garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper, and cook for 1 minute to soften the garlic and wilt the spinach. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Reserve the cheese and bread and continue with the recipe.

Lay the chicken skin-side down on the work surface and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Spread the cool rice or spinach mixture evenly over the chicken. If using the spinach stuffing, sprinkle the cheese and bread cubes on top of the spinach. Roll the chicken up, tie with kitchen twine, and place in roasting pan.

Roast the ballottine for 1 hour. Lift it from the pan and place it on a platter.

For the Sauce: Skim off and discard most of the fat from the drippings in the pan. Add the water and wine to the drippings to deglaze the pan and heat over medium heat, stirring to loosen and melt the solidified juices.

Strain the juices into a saucepan. Add the celery, onion, and carrot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and boil gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the dissolved potato starch and soy sauce and bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring, to thicken it. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the ballottine to a cutting board and remove the twine. Cut half of it into 4 or 5 slices, each about 1 inch thick. Return the uncut half of the ballottine to the serving platter and arrange the cut slices in front of it. Pour the sauce over and around the ballottine, garnish with the parsley, and serve. Cut additional slices of ballottine as needed at the table

 
The other hit of the evening was this Butternut Squash Soup from Patricia Wells.

SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

from Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells
8 servings

2 Tbls. olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
Fine sea salt
2 cups butternut squash puree (halved squash seeded and roasted in a 375* oven until tender, about an hour
2 small parsnips or turnips, peeled and cubed
1 baking apple, peeled, cored and cubed
1 quart chicken stock
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger

In a stock pot, combine the oil, onions and salt and sweat—cook, covered, over low heat until soft—3 to 4 minutes. Add the squash puree, parsnips, apple, and stock. Cook, covered, over moderate heat for 30 minutes. Puree until smooth. Add the curry powder and the ginger. Taste for seasoning, and serve.

My notes: I needed more stock than called for. Patricia gives a recipe for curry powder--I had some on hand that was unimpressive. I toasted some cumin and coriander seeds, ground them and added them to the soup. I garnished the bowls with a little lime-scented crema (described above for the Butternut Squash Ploblano soup)

 
I have a question for you, Joe, or charlie, or anyone who has had success de-boning a chicken.

Are you able to get all of the gristle out? How meticulous would you have to be in order to do that?

I've always pictured myself working for an hour or so, like you, Joe, and ending up with having to continue the process at the dinner table because there's so much connective tissue present. Is this the case?

Michael

 
We didn't come across any gristle. The whole roast was incredibly tender

I think Pepin's method of pulling more than cutting leaves all the cartilage behind.

 
Thanks, Charlie. I'll try another chicken or two first! I know the next one will take half the time.

 
I've got to try that--sounds awesome. Sometimes I stuff the boned chicken with

a rice pilaf.

I add cooked loose Italian sausage and a bit of fresh thyme to the prepared rice.

An easier way to debone if you don't need to have the bird completely uncut is to make a slice down the backbone and start deboning from there.

You can then just roll it up and tie like a jellyroll.

 
Aw yes, easier but I can feel the slap on my hands my Vietnamese

friend would do if she saw me doing it. Those little tiny Asians are not to be messed with let me tell you. ;o) Hope you try out the recipe. It is really yummy.

 
I'm lost here Michael. I've never seen gristle in chicken. I just can't

figure out what you mean.

 
Aw, got ya. The first one is at the center of the breast bone and that

is included with the bone you are taking out. You will use your very sharp (especially at the tip) knife to slowly slice away the bone from the meat. I do it in little short slices, a little at a time as I move around the bones. I just follow the contour of the bone and the meat just comes away. The other photo is from the leg. I remove the large bone and break it just above the bottom to better keep the shape when it is re stuffed. Remember, you are just taking all the bone out pretty much in one piece and what is left is a sad looking flat chicken with just the skin and meat. No bones, no cartilage.

 
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