Our final installment of feedback on our heritage birds is the follow-up from Georgeanne Brennan see what she says below but go to her website for the full version with images! (Link)
"On to chickens, or more specically, roosters. My friend, Nigel Walker at Eatwell Farms in Dixon brought me a present – 3 Black Orlop
roosters – head and feet included.
Yes, roosters. Nigel explained to me that Black Orlops are a dual purpose breed. Females for eggs, males for meat. Well, I cooked one of them yesterday. I was a bit apprehensive about how to cook it, so I some research, then decided to just go ahead and cook it my way, taking into account the longer cooking time and lower temperatures recommended. I took o the head and feet and froze them to make stock later. I rubbed the bird all over with olive oil, a mixture of Herbes de Provence, sea salt, and freshly ground black
pepper, popped a half dozen garlic cloves in the cavity, and trussed up the beast.
I put it in a big Le Creuset casserole, added some quartered onion, several fresh bay leaves, eggplant and peppers from the garden, a little more salt and olive oil and roasted it, covered, for 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees F, then uncovered for 30 minutes.
Amazing. The rooster was tender, succulent and rich with a avor that can only be described as ‘the way chickens used to taste.’ It reminded me more of a guinea fowl that a contemporary chicken. The broth was ethereal. And, of course, those fresh bay leaves make all the dierence. I took a photo, but sadly it
was an ungainly angle, so please use your imagination. I’m going to make Coq au Vin with one of the others."
Thanks again Georgeanne!