Spanish Roasted Chicken

Description:
I had decided to roast a chicken for our Christmas day menu. Lee isn’t a fan of roast chicken so it’s one of those things that isn’t cooked in this house, but I have been craving roast chicken for months lol.
Then I saw this recipe on a tv programme a couple of weeks before Christmas & decided I would try this instead.


Ingredients:
1 chicken Maryland piece per person
1 large brown onion
1 bulb of garlic
1 or 2 chorizo sausages (depending on n° of chicken pieces)
2-3 sprigs of rosemary
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt & pepper to taste
80ml sherry vinegar {if you want to make the gravy}


Directions:
Watch the video on how to throw this simple recipe together :-

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/251.6/popup/index.php?cl=5523266

{copy & paste the link into your browser}

The Verdict;
This dish certainly passed the taste test but I must say I was very disappointed in the presentation. My chicken didn’t brown up at all when I followed the instructions!
It’s been awhile since I’ve cooked chicken with the skin on so I’ve been trying to recall how I used to get a nice crisp brown skin. For starters I think the oven temperature @ 200°c {390°F} is too low.
When I used to roast chicken a lot I would rub the outside of the skin with a little unsalted butter & then season with salt & pepper.
A blasting heat crisps the skin and gives the chicken a great roast flavour, so I would for an initial 15 to 20 minutes cook at 230°c {450°F}, followed by a more moderate 190°c {375°F} for the remaining cooking time. High heat throughout cooking works, but the fat splatters a lot, making a needless mess. If the heat is too low, however, the skin never really develops that lovely crispy brown colour.
Test the chicken is thoroughly cooked, with a skewer {the juices should be clear not rosy}. I found as my chicken Maryland pieces were huge, even after the backbone was removed, I needed to add a further 15 minutes to the cooking time.

Baked yoghurt chicken with tomato, mint & cucumber salad

Description:
I wanted to try out this new feature so I am copying a recipe from my 360 page. We have tried this several times and it's a light delicious meal.

Ingredients:
~ ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
~1 teaspoon chilli powder
~ 2 teaspoons soy sauce
~ 1 clove garlic, crushed
~1 tablespoon olive oil
~200 grams low-fat natural yoghurt
~ 4 x 200 gram skinless chicken breasts

Salad
~ 2 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced
~ 4 roma tomatoes, sliced
~ ½ red (Spanish) onion, finely sliced
~1/4 cup mint leaves
~1 tablespoon olive oil
~1 teaspoon lemon juice


Directions:
In a bowl, gently fold five-spice powder, chilli powder, soy sauce, garlic & oil through yoghurt. Coat chicken with mixture & allow to stand for at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 180 ° C (350°f). Line a baking dish with baking paper.
Heat a non stick frying pan over a medium heat, add chicken & cook for 2 mins each side. Transfer to baking dish & bake for 10 minutes. Remove & allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes. Carve into thick slices.
To make the salad gently toss all ingredients. Divide between 4 serving plates, then add chicken slices & serve.

Bon Appetite

I hope they serve beer in Hell

Rating:	★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Biographies & Memoirs
Author:	Tucker Max

During our travel stint earlier in the year Lee purchased this book to read on the plane. I started it while we were away & finally managed to finish the last couple of chapters the other night. Not saying it was a hard read, I just put it down to read something else & didn't get back to finish it.

I guess it was the blurb on the back cover that caught his eye….

“My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole. I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots & posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable and just generally act like a raging dickhead. But I do contribute to humanity in one very important way; I share my adventures with the world.”

I read this book expecting it to be quite offensive to women and yep there were some parts that raised an eyebrow or two & some parts that were quite hilarious.
Tucker has his own website & a lot of the stories are posted there if this sounds like something you would like to read.

http://www.tuckermax.com/

My favourite Recipe for Guacamole

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

1 large or 2 med avacado's
1-2 small tomatoes
1-2 red chillies, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 tablesp chopped fresh coriander
1 tablesp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup sour cream
1-2 drops of habanero or tabasco sauce

Cut the avo in half, discarding the skin & the stone. Roughly chop & then mash lightly with a fork.
Cut the tomatoes in half , scoop out the seeds & discard. Finely dice the remaining tomato flesh. Combine all ingredients & mix until you reach your desired consistentcy, I like mine to be quite chunky. Season with cracked pepper, lightly chill before serving.

(serves 4-6 people)