Miso Chicken

12 chicken thighs with skin and bone

1/2 cup dried wood ear, shiitake or Chinese black mushrooms

4 medium carrots

3 tablespoons chicken fat or vegetable oil

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

1 cup bourbon

½ cup dark miso

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 ½ teaspoon Chinese garlic chile paste

1 ½ pound (or more) kale

4 cups chicken broth or water

Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle. Place chicken on a large, shallow baking pan big enough to hold the pieces in one layer. Roast 30 minutes, until golden. Reduce heat to 300 degrees

In the meantime, boil 4 cups of water and pour it over the mushrooms. Set aside to soak.

Remove and discard stems from kale, wash kale and chop the leaves. Set aside. Cut the carrots in fourths lengthwise, then cut in 1-inch lengths. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then add onions and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 15or 20 minutes, stirring often and reducing the heat if necessary. Add ginger and garlic and cook 5 minutes more, stirring. Add bourbon and boil, stirring, about a minute. Stir in miso, soy sauce and chile paste and stir to distribute miso.

Drain mushrooms, squeeze dry and cut off any hard bits. Slice mushrooms in slivers.

Transfer roasted chicken to a bowl and pour pan juices into a class measure. Spoon off fat and add broth back to the roaster. Put kale in the roaster; sprinkle carrots and mushrooms over the top. Pour onion mixture over the kale, followed by the chicken broth. Place chicken on top of kale. Cover the roaster snugly with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Serve kale and chicken with boiled rice.  Serves 12.