Spit-roasted chicken

Warm weather means outdoor cooking. I put the rotisserie extender onto the Weber and prepared one of the the Jamisons' options for spit-roasted chicken -- just rubbing herbes de Provence onto the chicken with some olive oil. I also sprinkled salt over the chicken and into the cavity, and just for good measure, put a couple of lemons a la Marcella Hazan into the cavity with some sprigs of thyme.

I followed two Jamison directions I haven't paid too much attention to in the past. One is to loosen the skin -- not to put something underneath it, but apparently just to get it to crisp up better. It certainly worked. The other was to tie the chicken more tightly using their criss-cross twine method (take 4 ft of twine, bind the legs with the middle of the piece, then criss-cross around the chicken, being sure to bind the wings, up to the neck). I roasted it to 170 degrees in the thick part of the thigh.

This time I used one of the Amish chickens from the co-op. It costs more, but it had a really nice flavor, stayed moist, etc. The innards, which I sauteed separately, were also delicious. Whole Foods has started carrying no-name own brand chickens, and while I know they are always boasting of their high standards I've been a little skeptical since I read that their 365 extra virgin olive oil did not test very well.

The kale also looked very good at the co-op, so I got it, even though neither of us cares that much for kale. It is supposed to be super-healthy, so I found a recipe in Deborah Madison's Local Flavors that combined it with red beans, cilantro and feta cheese. Even starting at 1 p.m. I was able to soak 1/2 lb. Rancho Gordo pinquito beans for 4 hrs, then cook with 1/2 c. chopped onion and 1/2 tsp thyme leaves for an hour or so, until tender. Madison says to add salt at the beginning, but I still prefer to add salt at the end of cooking beans.

Separately, you trim 1 bunch kale leaves away from the tough stems, chop into 1-in. pieces and cook in several quarts of boiling salted water for 5 to 7 min. and drain. You take another 1/2 c. of chopped onion and saute that in 2 Tbl of olive oil with 1/2 c. chopped cilantro for 10 min. Add the kale and beans w enough of the bean cooking juice to make sauce and simmer it all together for another 10 min. Finish with sprinkling of 1/4 c. chopped cilantro, 3 oz. crumbled feta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. It was a very nice recipe and of course you don't even taste the kale. Can't beat those Rancho Gordo beans.