Greenmarket Foraging: Quattro's Game Farm and Oyster Mushrooms

Having grown up in Southern California, I have no intuitive sense of when things are in season, since most things are somehow available there year-round, regardless of whether it's January or June. It's sad, but one of the steps I've taken to rectify this native ignorance is by visiting greenmarkets for seasonal goodies and asking too many questions of vendors. Cooler weather inspires a craving for rich brown flavors, whether from frying, roasting, caramelizing or braising, and an instinctive desire to fill my belly full of hearty ingredients. And when the stomach speaks, I listen. Isn't that what it means to 'follow your gut'?

Saturday at the Union Square farmer's market is always a bit frustrating due to the sheer number of people who mill around without the intention to buy anything, not unlike cows at pasture. But it's also when the most vendors come out, making the weekly trip down to Manhattan. One of these weekly stands is Quattro's Game Farm, a poultry farm up in Dutchess County; a quick stop and I walked away with 1/4 of baby chicken. Ginormous wild oyster mushrooms, which sprout abundantly on tree trunks starting the early autumn, were everywhere, and screamed for a saute with butter and salt (and maybe a bit of liquified chicken fat, too, if for some reason you happen to have it sitting in front of you).

It was dinner for one, so I decided on an easy, one-pot dish. I cooked the chicken with olive oil, pimenton (apparently Mark Bittman's favorite spice, and maybe yours as well if chorizo is your favorite sausage), salt, and pepper. The meat was shiny with bird juices, and the dusting of pimenton lent beautiful color and a smoky sweetness. Farm-raised chicken is firmer, chewier, and yet more tender than its industrial counterpart, with the felicitous side benefit that the skin also crisps up better (I'll have to ask why on my next visit), and was so crunchy I was reminded of chicharron (deep-fried pork rind), my favorite 'chip'.

Dump the chicken into hot olive oil, sear thoroughly on all sides (tip: if the skin sticks, it's not crispy enough) till a nice crust forms, half cover the pot with slightly lowered heat, and less than 20 minutes later, a filling start to hibernation mode.