SUMMER CORIANDER & MINT ROAST CHICKEN

 This recipe is perfect for the hot weather we have been experiencing lately. Light, zesty and incredibly tasty. It is also delicious to eat cold a few day later, so perfect to make on a Sunday and use the remaining meat for work lunch boxes or easy evening meals.

RECIPE 

*Adapted recipe from "Chicken Lemon cumin and Mint" Epicurious | May 2002 | Lori Longbotham

2kg Whole Chicken *preferably free-range

A good handful of fresh mint leaves

A good handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves & stalks *leaves for serving

Zest & juice of 2 lemons

2 Garlic cloves crushed & minced

1 tsp Ground cumin

1 tsp Paprika *preferably hot

1/4 tsp course salt

freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

METHOD

1. In a food processor or wizzer, combine the coriander, mint, lemon zest & juice, garlic, cumin, paprika and seasoning. Blend together whilst slowly pouring in the olive oil, until it starts becoming more of a rough paste pulp.
2. Place the chicken on a large baking tray *one that will fit in your fridge. Take your marinade and spread all over, loosening the skin on the breast of the chicken and spread under the skin and  underneath the chicken too. Making sure you get it round the legs and wings. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or over night. I prepped this a day before so ended up marinading for 24 hours. 
3. Preheat the oven to 200° FAN. Let the chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes at 200° before reducing the temperature down to 180°. Cook for another 65 minutes and base the chicken half way through, making sure it doesn't dry out.
5. Once cooked cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
6. Pour the juices from the pan into a jug, skimming off the fat from the top. Carve the chicken and serve a drizzle of the juices over the meat with marinated courgette salad, herby cous cous.

 *Any leftover cold meat also works perfectly in a salad with the leftover orange saffron puree made from the Saffron orange salad recipe, bean sprouts, chilli, peeled courgette and lots of fresh coriander leaves.

A Sunny Sunday Roast

Every Sunday without fail Pete suggests we should have a 'ROAST'. A very manly request, that takes them back to the feral carnivorous stages of wanting MEAT and two veg. Anyway don't know if you noticed but this weekend was a bit of a scortcher and even though saturday had all the glory Sunday was still rather hot day. so the thought of having a heavy hot roast dinner wasn't really very appertising.

As my mother has always said to me ' compromise, compromise, compromise' and my father says 'Don't see a problem, See a solution'. Wise words don't you think! So knowing that a salad would not to do I thought we should just combine the two. Nice and easy.

So here is what I made: Whole chicken baked with rosemary & garlic - A great recipe from AntonioCarluccio's simple cooking book.

Served with a simple salad and also a spicy puy lentil, bean, broccoli salad. Ooo will be doing that puy lentil salad again it was lush!

SPICY PUY LENTIL BEAN SALAD

• 100g Puy lentils
• 500ml hot vegetable stock
• 100g broccoli
• 70g frozen soya beans , thawed
• 70g sugarsnap peas
• 1 red chilli , deseeded and sliced

FOR THE DRESSING

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• juice 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 40ml reduced-salt soy sauce
• 3cm piece root giner, finely grated
• 1 tbsp clear honey  

1. Boil lentils in stock until just cooked, about 15 mins. Drain, then tip into a large bowl. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, throw in the broccoli for 1 min, add the beans and peas for 1 min more. Drain, then cool under cold water. Pat dry, then add to the bowl with the lentils.
2. Mix together the dressing ingredients with some seasoning. Pour over the lentils and veg, then mix in well with the chopped chilli. Pile onto a serving platter or divide between 4 plates and serve. 

And then to finish off individual rhubarb, apple & raspberry crumble served with orange creme fraiche. Hmm maybe I ended up making a pretty big meal anyway!? Rhubarb is ace!

A Sunday by Pete

Today is Sunday and like most Sunday's, Pete likes doing a Sunday Roast! He's rather good at them, well better than me anyway. I'm hopeless at Sunday Roasts. Nearly as hopeless as growing herbs! Had to buy two new plants to replace another two that had died...woops! You know I swear it's not me, it's this crazy weather we've been having... hmmm will see how long I manage to keep these ones for...

As it was such a nice day we went for a quick stroll and met a random squirrel enjoying his lunch too.

Yorkshire Pud Success!!

This weekend was the first in December & to help to get into the spirit, it was also the Hither Green Christmas fair. It was a good turn out this year, with lots of little stalls, local school kids singing carols & German Sausage stand (not overly xmas, but tasty even so). Ha :O) they even had badges!!

One of my buys from the stalls... found it quite amusing as it is a saying my mum has always used.


Pete was ill this weekend, a bad case of 'man-flu + hangover'. As he is usually the one who cooks Sunday Roast, it was down to me to sort out.
I've always loved cooking, but have steared clear of doing Sunday roasts. So many things you have to cook to be ready at the same time = easy disaster!

The menu was: Roast Peppered Beef, honey roast veggies, sprouts, gravy & Yorkshire pud. Great yorkshire pud!?!?! Have tried it before and had ended up with a greasy spare tire, not good :O(
After failing at yorkshire pud to many times, I asked a few friends for advice.. Mrs Joanne Bouwens came to my rescue, with this brilliant recipe!! Thanks Jo x

Here were the results:
Just before the hot gravy was poured on top, at which point stopped taking photos & got stuck in!Here is the recipe Jo sent me, I think it was from a Jamie oliver recipe;

Makes 8-10 Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients:
1/2 pint (285 millilitres) milk
4 ounces (115 grams) all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
3 eggs
Vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Mix the batter ingredients together. Let rest for 10 minutes
3. Preheat a Yorkshire pudding tray or muffin tin with 1/2-inch (1 centimetre) of oil in each section.
4. After the 10 minutes divide the batter into the tray. Cook for around 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and puffy, don't open the oven door before then or they won't rise.