Chicken: A Natural Celebration

Brian Bistrong started his culinary career working on a New Jersey farm at the age of 13. Now, after cooking all over the world, he is the executive chef at The Harrison in New York City, where his menu features fresh, seasonal ingredients. As the Chef on a Shoestring on The Saturday Early Show, he prepared a healthy meal for four on a budget of $40.

It wasn't just the farm life that inspired Bistrong to become a chef. He worked in restaurants throughout high school and, after deciding to pursue a life of cooking, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. He graduated with honors and moved on to study hotel management at Boston University. While in Boston, he picked up additional "real world" experience by cooking in Odette Berry's kitchen at the celebrated Boston restaurant, Another Season.

After graduating, Bistrong moved to New York City to work with Gray Kunz at the then newly-opened Lespinasse. Positions at Restaurant Bouley and Amy's Bread followed. To further his culinary education, Bistrong went on sabbatical and cooked his way through the world, working at several Michelin-starred restaurants, such as Manoir de Quatre Saisons and La Cote d'Or. With all these experiences came new influences on his cuisine. Returning to the U.S., he found that his food naturally picked up hints of Mediterranean and Eastern European cuisines.

Bistrong worked at several of the country's best restaurants, and received his highest honor to date as chef de cuisine at Bouley Bakery when it received four stars from the New York Times. Most recently, he was executive chef at Joseph's (formerly Citarella the Restaurant). Bistrong came to The Harrison specifically to work with Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams, enjoying the unique creative freedom and "totally down-to-earth" vibe that Bradley and Abrams have established in all their restaurants.

Here is Saturday's menu:
Chicken Vegetable Soup
Pan-Roasted Chicken with a Trio of Winter Root Vegetable Purees
Blood Orange Granita with Vanilla Yogurt.

FOOD FACTS:

Celery Root: Also called celeriac, this ugly knobby root vegetable tastes like a cross between strong celery and parsley. It's available all winter long and can range in size from that of an apple to a small cantaloupe. Choose a relatively small, firm vegetable with a minimum of rootlets and knobs. Refrigerate in a plastic bag for 7 to 10 days.

Rutabaga: This root vegetable is a member of the cabbage family and resembles a large turnip. It has a thin, pale yellow skin and slightly sweet, firm flesh. The vegetable can be prepared in any way suitable for a turnip.

Granita: A combination of water, sugar and juice. During the freezing process, the mixture is occasionally stirred, resulting in a slightly granular final texture.

RECIPES

CHICKEN VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients:
1 small white onion, diced, plus one onion for stock
2 carrots, peeled and diced, plus two carrots for stock
1 stalk of celery, diced, plus 2 stalks for stock
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 chicken thighs, skinless and diced
2 quarts chicken stock (made from the bones of the chicken and above vegetables)
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/4 cup barley
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons dill, chopped (for garnish)

Method:

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Then lower heat to medium and add the canola oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sweat them for approximately seven minutes.
   
2. Add the diced chicken and barley, mix in and cook for approximately three minutes.
   
3. Add the wine/vermouth and stir, deglazing the pot for about a minute, and then add your chicken stock. Bring it to a simmer, check your seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 15 minutes and then ladle into bowls and finish with chopped dill.

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH A TRIO OF WINTER ROOT VEGETABLE PUREES

Ingredients:

For chicken
4 chicken breasts, skin on
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Pepper
2 cups chicken stock, reduced by half

For purees
1 rutabaga, peeled and diced
1 celery root, cleaned, peeled and diced
6 carrots, peeled and diced
Salt
Pepper
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 Tablespoon butter

Method for the chicken:

1. Heat a large sauté pan and once hot, add canola oil. Place the chicken in the pan skin side down (it should crackle) for about a minute and then place in 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.
   
2. Remove from oven, season with salt and pepper and place a chicken breast on 4 plates. Drizzle chicken stock on top.

1. For the carrots, melt the butter in a hot pan and add the carrots. Stir until the carrots are coated in butter.
   
2. Add the honey, salt and pepper and cover with just enough water to coat the carrots. Simmer until the water is gone.
   
3. Once the water is gone, put the carrots in a blender and puree.

BLOOD ORANGE GRANITA WITH "VANILLA" YOGURT

Ingredients:
2 cups, blood orange juice (from about 6 oranges)
4 tablespoons simple syrup
1 container (8 oz), plain, low-fat Greek yogurt
1 vanilla bean
Mint for garnish if desired

Method:

1. Mix the blood orange juice and the simple syrup together and place into a low, rectangular pan. Put it in the freezer and as it freezes, scrape off the orange ice crystals from the side and top of the mixture with a fork. Do this once every hour for about 3-4 hours. The result should be almost like Italian ices.
   
2. Cut open the vanilla bean, scraping the insides into the yogurt. Serve parfait-style, with the granita on the bottom and the yogurt quenelle-style on top. Garnish with fresh mint.