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Aetherflow – Winter 2019
A whole dodo stuffed with savory vegetables and slow-roasted on a spit. Often prepared near the end of the year as an offering to the Twelve.
Since the original Starlight Dodo idea is actually based on turkey, we will shrink things down to chicken size so that even beginners could definitely give this recipe a try!
For the chicken you’ll need
1 broiler chicken (pick a size depending on your appetite)
2 tablespoons melted butter
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika powder
For the stuffing you’ll need
About 8 slices of toast/sandwich toast bread
One bunch each of fresh parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary (feel free to skip on either thyme or rosemary)
½ of a celery rib (can be omitted if you don’t like or are allergic to celery)
1 small onion
1 pear or apple
4 tablespoons melted butter
A generous splash of white wine or vermouth
For the gravy you’ll need
240 ml (1 cup) of water (or a mix of water and white wine)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Special equipment
A broiler pan with rack
Cooking twine
Cooking thermometer
Chop onion, celery, and a pear into small pieces and fry them over medium heat with about 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Once the onions are soft and glisten, add the remaining butter and let everything cool down a bit.
Chop up the bread (or shred them by hand into morsels), chop up the herbs as finely as possible and mix both of them in a large bowl. Pour the fried mixture over the bread and carefully toss to make a bread salad. Stir in the wine/vermouth. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Remove any giblets/neck from the cavity of the broiler chicken. Clean cavity with cold water. Loosen skin around the breast. Brush melted butter all around the bird and under the skin. Rub spices into the skin and meat. Spoon stuffing into the cavity.
Use the chicken legs to hold the stuffing in, by tying cooking twine around the legs to keep them in place. Roast in the oven for at least 1 ½ hours or until cooking thermometer reads 80°C /176°F. Let the roasted chicken rest for a few minutes before carving.
Prepare gravy by combining water with pan drippings in a small pot. Dissolve cornstarch into the gravy and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook gravy until thickened. Serve with mashed popotoes and vegetables of your choice.
