Roast Chicken Dinner

Canadian Thanksgiving was well over a month ago, but we have a lot of Americans in my class who are celebrating their Thanksgiving today! I didn't really need an excuse to make a roast, but this seemed as good as any.

Two chicken legs with thighs
2-3 white or yellow potatoes cut to equal sized chunks
red or yellow onion that has been cut into equal sized chunks
4 or more white button mushrooms
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-3 twigs of fresh rosemary (Finally using my rosemary plant!)
Olive oil

Toss the potato chunks in a little olive oil and place in square casserole dish with one twig of rosemary. Cover with tinfoil and cook at about 375 C for 30-45 minutes (I do this recipe a bit by eye, and every oven is different. The main thing is that the potatoes always take longer than the chicken, so get them in first while prepping the bird.).

Meanwhile, cut onions, wash mushrooms and set aside. Gently open the skin on the chicken so that you have a pocket, don't take the skin off completely. Drizzle a little olive oil inside and place half the garlic under the skin. Rub the garlic into the chicken, pushing it into the legs and place one of the remaining two twigs of rosemary. Repeat with other leg and set aside.

Once the potatoes have started to soften up a bit on the outside, push them to the side of the casserole dish and arrange two legs of chicken in middle. Arrange the mushrooms and onions around the edges, recover with tinfoil and put back in the oven.

Cooking this can take anywhere from 1-2 hours ish, so keep an eye on it. As the chicken cooks, rotate the casserole and using a turkey baster, bring some of the liquid in pan over the veggies and chicken. Make sure meat is white and juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

When chicken is done, pull out of casserole, cover and set aside on a plate. Return potatoes to oven uncovered for a final quick crisping.

Enjoy the roast! I certainly did. Leftover over roast potatoes the next day are amazing.

Quickie dinner that makes great leftovers.

One of my favorite dinner items that was an experiment years ago as become a staple in my diet. I love fried rice, I usually get chicken when ordering from a Chinese restaurant, however a few years ago I tried Crab fried rice. It was amazing! Why did I not eat this before?!

I have since discovered my own recipe for crab fried rice. I cheat because I'm cheap and use pollock (fake crab), which I think works just as well.

Fried rice with crab
Ingredients
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled
large pinch of salt
3 tablespoons oil
1 egg
1 cup cooked jasmine rice (I use Uncle Ben's converted white rice, and make the the 2 serving portion)
large pinch of ground white pepper
larger pinch of white sugar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 spring (green) onions, cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) lengths
100g (3 oz) cooked crabmeat
1 tablespoon coriander leaves (I ignore this)

Preparation
Mince garlic with salt. Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic until fragrant and beginning to colour. Crack in the egg, allowing the white to firm before scrambling. Add rice and turn down the heat. Fry gently, mixing and tossing. Season with pepper, sugar and light soy sauce: the rice should be well seasoned, but not too salty. Add spring onions and, after a moment, the crabmeat, reserving a little to sprinkle over the finished dish, along with coriander.

I've made this recipe so much that I don't measure anything anymore, with the exception of the rice to cook it in the microwave. I eyeball everything and it works quite well for me. It's also the only thing I cook in my Ikea wok, worth the $7.99. I usually up the ingrediant quantities to make a larger batch so I have lunch for the next day.
I think I found this recipe on the Canadian Living website, but I can't find it anymore, sorry!

Tomato update, and a late Diwali post!

Shubh Diwali everyone!


Yes, it's a little late, but I did make this recipe on November 5th, I just haven't posted it until now. To celebrate Diwali and to remind myself of my time in Mumbai, I made Saag Paneer. I was also able to use my first major harvest of my tomatoes!

Sadly, I don't remember where I got my specific recipe from, but Google is a wonderful thing in finding some.


Saag Paneer


2 bunches of spinach, cleaned and trimmed
2 tbsp veggie oil (don't use olive oil, it will affect the flavour a bit)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (similar measurement of cumin powder works well)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 tsp finely grated ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander (something I don't like, and leave out)
2 tsp of ground Indian hot pepper, or 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground coriander (put this in!)
1/2 tsp of tumeric
pinch of cinnamon
3 plum tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped (they're fine with the peel on)
1/3 cup plain Balkan yogurt
2 tsp of lemon juice
3/8 tsp garam masala (bit more)
8 oz of Paneer!

 

SPINACH!!

In large pot of boiling salted water, blanch spinach just until wilted; drain, chill under cold water and drain again. In food processor, purée spinach with 1/4 cup (50 mL) water; set aside.

In large deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook cumin seeds until slightly darkened, about 10 seconds. Add onion and butter; cook until onion is golden, about 8 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium; stir in garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Stir in fresh coriander, hot pepper, salt, ground coriander, turmeric and cinnamon; cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until tomatoes break down, about 3 minutes.

Stir in puréed spinach; cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 25 mL) water if mixture is no longer saucy, until steaming hot, about 3 minutes.

Stir in yogurt, lemon juice and garam masala; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low; add paneer. Cover and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. 

Soooo good. Love Paneer. This dish is great fresh and equally good reheated the next day for lunch!

First Food Post!!

My dinner this evening is a recipe that I have shamelessly stolen from a recipe found on the Toronto Star website. It's basically a fancy grilled cheese that uses two of my favorite things in the culinary world, mushrooms and garlic. It also has apples, and apples and cheese is always good!

Grilled Cheese with Mushrooms & Green Apple

1 tbsp (15 mL) each: olive oil, butter

6 oz (170 g) cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced [Can throw in white mushrooms as well]

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt + pepper to taste

4 slices sourdough bread (from the middle of loaf) [I use white bread since I can't go through an entire loaf of sour dough before it goes off]

8 tsp (40 mL) mayonnaise (preferably Hellman’s)

4 sprigs thyme [I have used dried thyme and just sprinkle it over the Mayo side of the bread when the sandwich is on the pan]

6 oz (170 g) old white cheddar, sliced

1/4 Granny Smith apple, cored, thinly sliced

In large fry pan, heat oil and butter over high heat. Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook until mushrooms are browned and tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Lay out bread. On one side of each slice, spread 2 tsp (10 mL) mayo and press with thyme sprig. Flip two slices over and arrange single layer of cheese on top. Top with cooked mushrooms then apple. Place another layer of cheese on top of apple. Top with bread slices, thyme facing out.

Heat large cast-iron skillet or fry pan over medium-high. Add sandwiches. Cook until bottoms are nicely browned. Turn heat down to medium; carefully flip sandwiches. Cook, pressing down with spatula, until other side is brown and cheese has melted. Remove and discard thyme. Cut in half and serve.

Makes 2 large servings.

I half the recipe and make a lunch or one serving of dinner. Throw some cherry tomatoes and some chips on the side = awesome dinner!

Original posting to The Star: http://www.thestar.com/living/food/recipes/article/800397--grilled-cheese-with-mushrooms-green-apple