Mid-Summer
A snapshot of Mid-Summer:
Lake swims under the stars
Blackberry stained fingertips
The inescapable race between me and the drips of melting ice cream on the cone.
Early morning boat rides through the most amazing channel surrounded by mountains and greenery, sea otters popping up like the cutest game of whack-a-mole, a cinnamon coloured bear on the shoreline turning up rocks to get his fill of crabs, and completely in awe of two bald eagles swooping down to pluck their meals from the ocean.
Salty beach hair.
Barefoot in the garden, 'shopping' for my dinner.
The first crispy bite of fried squash blossoms showered with flaky sea salt.
Making my world more beautiful with all the fresh flowers. In almost every room and on my plates.
Mentally creating my own version of all the deliciousness that came from the most amazing Westcoast inspired fishing lodge meals.
Deep conversations on the patio while the sun dips down.
Soaking in the full moon with minimal clothing.
Dock jumps.
Reading cookbooks like novels poolside or under a tree.
And fantasy novels.
Fairies. Witches. Wolves. Give me all of them to devour.
Bike rides to my local Farmer's market - heart and basket full.
The smell of summer rain.
Feeling the cool respite of standing beside a rushing river.
All of this gives me life right now.
Some are big moments, but most are small.
It's all nourishment.
PS - Poached Chicken and why it’s magic right now.
So here we are mid summer where yes, I’m just savouring the magic that is this time of year. For me summer nourishment is all about taking advantage of all the beautiful produce available and usually avoiding turning on the oven as much as possible. So you can bet when I do its for good reason and that I’ll make the absolute most of it.
Enter poached chicken. I know maybe sounds basic but this is why it’s so perfect. Because it’s like a blank canvas. You can flavour however your little heart desires. And who doesn’t love cold chicken to toss into salads, wraps or just snack on straight from the fridge?
The best part? The cooking water also becomes the most amazing broth - which you probably know now I believe is the elixir that cures all things. If you don’t know, read here.
There’s really not alot you need to do here (again the best part - minimal effect, maximum satisfaction). Take a whole chicken, put it into a pot that it’ll fit in. Add enough cold water to just barely cover the chicken and then get creative with the aromatics - for me the other day I went with Pho flavours; star anise, cinnamon stick, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, clove, thai basil and cilantro. Once you’ve added your aromatics, put it on the stove and heat until the water is just barely at a bubble (like a bubble or two every few seconds). Let the chicken poach for about 30-35 minutes (you can use a meat thermometer if you’re worried about it but this is usually good for a 3-5 lb chicken). Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and if you want to use the broth (which I highly recommend you do because you’ve come this far and your future self with thank you), when the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and then return the carcass back to the broth. Cook for another few hours and bam you’ve got broth to use for another day. I added fish sauce and some rock sugar to finish the pho vibe for this broth and I’m so happy about it.
A few ways I’ve used this so far; I made summer rolls dipping the rice paper in the cooled broth then adding the cold chicken, cucumber, carrot, thai basil, radishes and then a hosing sauce for dipping. I made a pho flavoured bahn mi sandwich with the chicken, veggies, bean sprouts, cilantro, mayo and then heating up some of the broth for dipping - so pho, bahn mi, beef dip….yum. Can you see the possibilities for deliciousness? Just let yourself get creative and have fun with it.
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