Charred Cauliflower

As a child, I remember going out to the chicken coop with my grandma when I visited

her and my grandpa at their Indiana farm. We’d walk through an area of the farmyard

reserved for rambunctious geese as they honked wildly and flapped their strong wings

around my legs.

My grandma would protect me as she hurried me along toward the old wooden chicken

coop. Always fearful of being pecked by pointy, sharp beaks, I stood to the side and

watched with awe as my grandma gently tucked her hand under sitting hens, pulling out

large eggs.

The thought of ever having my own chickens never crossed my mind, until a couple of

years ago when I began hearing of urban and suburban dwellers having a few chickens so

that they could enjoy unbelievably fresh eggs.

It sounded charming and romantic. I pictured myself heading out to a cute little hen

house tucked into a corner of my yard, my dog scampering beside me, anxious to visit

the chickens. I would gather fresh eggs, make a quick stop to snip fresh herbs from

the garden, then head back to the kitchen to create plump, fluffy omelets to eat with

whole grain toast and a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee. But those daydreams

were just a passing fantasy. I began purchasing eggs and whole, pasture-raised

chickens from area farmers instead.

But, oh dear. A couple of weeks ago I got a copy of “Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of

Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes by Janice Cole.” One look at the charming

cover of the book and I started getting all dreamy again with visions of colorful hens

strutting their stuff around a darling little chicken coop in my yard.

Cole’s book is a combination of her stories about her first year of raising her own

few hens in her backyard in a suburb of St. Paul. Minn., and more than 100 recipes she

developed using chicken and eggs. As you read of the sometimes humorous and always

interesting adventures of Cole’s first year owning chickens, you will feel as though

you are sitting right across the table from her, sipping coffee and nibbling on a

sweet treat that she whipped up with some of her amazingly fresh eggs. Although

“Chicken and Egg” is not a how-to-raise-chickens-in-your-yard guidebook, it is

filled with tips that can help you decide if you really do want to make the

commitment.

As you spend time thinking about the charms and challenges of having your own

chickens, you can try some of the down-to-earth, easy-to-follow recipes that Cole

shares in the book, using all parts of the chicken. The book is divided seasonally,

because chickens are seasonal in their behavior.

Chicken with Charred Cauliflower and Peppers is a delicious example of the family-

friendly recipes that abound in “Chicken and Egg.” High-temperature roasting brings

out the best in this cauliflower, red bell pepper and chicken drumstick combo. The

vegetables become toasty brown along the edges, developing sweet, nutty flavors. Skin

on chicken drumsticks gets slightly crispy, while the meat oozes with juiciness when

poked with a fork

After becoming acquainted with Cole and her sweet little hens, each with her own name

and unique personality, you will be tempted to become a backyard farmer. You will

definitely feel drawn to seek out the freshest eggs and chickens you can find from

farmers in your area, farmers markets and natural food co-ops.

I’m wondering how I can turn the storage shed in the woods alongside the driveway

into a chicken coop. I can just picture my grandchildren, baskets in hand, going out

with me to gather eggs. Of course, my hens would never dream of pecking little hands.