FFWD - Hurry-Up-and-Wait Roast Chicken

 

This week's French Friday with Dorie recipe is Hurry-Up-and-Wait Roast Chicken.  It's just a classic roast chicken, rubbed with salt and the cavity filled with lemon and herbs if you like, but cooked rapidly at high temperature and then allowed to rest for half an hour or so to allow the juices to run back into the chicken.

Here is my patiently waiting, upended chicken (I upended it both ways as I was not clear on which way was best): 

 

 

The resulting chicken had crispy skin and was lovely and moist.

 

I served my chicken with stir fried veges and alas, discarded that crispy skin.  I also made the sauce using the pan juices and water, which I thickened with a dessertspoonful of plain flour.

 

What else is there to say - this was roast chicken in the classical way.  To see what the other Doristas thought, visit the LYL section of the FFWD website.



WWDH - Chicken and Roasted Capsicum Pasta - or Quinoa

This week's Wednesday with Donna Hay recipe was chosen by Margaret. She selected Donna's Chicken and Roasted Capsicum Pasta.

The only part about this recipe that I didn't like was peeling the skin off the roast capsicums - never an easy job, and it takes forever.  I used quinoa instead of pasta in keeping with my diet, and used balsamic vinegar instead of malt vinegar for the dressing.

The resulting dish was delicious, and I would make it again - with pasta.  Unfortunately, I have a quinoa sensitivity (nothing to do with washing the quinoa - I first suspected there was an issue when I was only eating the very processed quinoa flakes), which makes my gut burn for a couple of hours after eating quinoa.  Very sadly, I had to toss the the leftovers from this dish, but if you don't have a quinoa sensitivity, the quinoa makes a very serviceable alternative to the pasta.

To see what Margaret, Kayte, Chaya and Sarah thought of this dish, visit their websites.

WWDH - Green Curry Chicken with Sweet Potato

This week's Wednesday with Donna Hay recipe is Green Curry Chicken with Sweet Potato, chosen by me from Off the Shelf.

My biggest problem with this one is that when I went to use my green curry paste, it had dried out - so I had to use curry powder instead.  That is why my curry is yellow rather than green.  Oh well.  I also sliced my chicken breasts rather than just have a chunk on the plate, like the recipe stated.

This curry tasted just fine, but it didn't wow me.   I get it though - Off the Shelf is meant to be tasty meals made with ingredients "off the shelf", so it's not meant to be fancy or the best thing you have ever tasted.

To see what Kayte, Margaret, Chaya and Sarah thought of this dish, visit their websites.

WWDH - Chicken Spaghetti Salad

This week's Wednesday with Donna Hay recipe is Chicken Spaghetti Salad, chosen by Kayte from p57 of Modern Classics Book I.

This salad is so simple but so good - shredded chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, spaghetti, egg, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

It is absolutely delicious - I could have this again.

To see what Kayte, Margaret and Chaya thought of this dish, visit their websites.

Rwandan chicken casserole

I have previously mentioned Share: The Cookbook That Celebrates Our Common Humanity, sales of which support Women for Women International.  If you are looking for a cookbook that is both beautiful and has something for everyone, this is it, and by buying it, you are supporting a very worthy cause. 

I have been enjoying cooking various recipes out of this book, and recently, I made Rwandan chicken casserole from p133 of the book.  This is a wonderful spicy casserole with a thick, rich sauce - just the kind of meal I love in the winter.  There are various very similar recipes on the Web, but to make this casserole, the recipe is as follows:

3 tbspns vegetable oil
1.5kg chicken pieces
1 thinly sliced onion
3 chopped tomatoes
2 sliced sticks celery
1 minced chilli
250-300ml chicken stock
salt and pepper

Brown the chicken in the hot oil in a large, deep fry pan.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.  Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft and browned.  Return the chicken to the pan with the tomatoes, celery, chilli and salt and pepper to taste. Add the stock, bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covering the pan, for  30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Serve the casserole over rice (or in my case, cous cous).

WWDH - Lemon Chicken Pasta

For Wednesday with Donna Hay this week, I have chosen Lemon Chicken Pasta from Donna's Off the Shelf.  The recipe is also online here.

The title of this recipe says it all - it comprises pasta with shredded chicken, lemon zest and lemon juice, with garlic, capers , chilli and basil thrown in, and parmesan on top.  I used spinach linguine as I had half a packet left over from some other project, and I didn't want to make as much pasta as the recipe suggested.

This was simple to make and good - I do think it could use more sauce though.

To see what Kayte, Margaret and Chaya thought of this recipe, check out their websites.

FFwD - Chicken Breasts Diable and Spiced Butter-Glazed Carrots

Thank goodness we've made it to Friday again - and the first of March already!  It has been a steamy, hot week this week - which is very unlike Melbourne and much more like Brisbane, where I hail from.  Ironically, it is wet and cool there - has the earth been turned on its head?  Extraordinary!!!  The humid heat has made it difficult to sleep, so I am not sure whether I am coming or going this week.

This brings me to this week's French Fridays with Dorie dish, Chicken Breasts Diable - aka chicken breasts pan fried and served with a creamy mustard sauce.  My photo may not do the dish justice, but this was seriously good.  The hardest part for me was ensuring that the chicken was cooked through, as I overlooked the requirement to flatten the chicken breasts a little before cooking - oops.  It all worked out in the wash, although it took significantly longer than 8 minutes for the chicken to cook.  However, if you like things hot and spicy, don't be fooled by the name of this dish - it is tame as a lamb in the spice department.

I served my chicken with the lemon-steamed spinach (to be revealed later this month), and the spiced butter-glazed carrots that I missed way back in December 2010:

These were pretty good - I am a ginger fan so I especially liked the fresh sliced ginger flavour through the carrots.

The only dish I now have not made from our schedule is Salmon in a Jar - and that was deliberate.  Maybe one day I will get the stomach to try it, but not right now.

To see what the other Doristas thought of Chicken Breasts Diable, visit the LYL section of the FFwD website.

WWDH - Soy-simmered chicken

Chaya is this week's Wednesday with Donna Hay host, and she chose Donna's Soy-Simmered Chicken from Modern Classics Book I.  You can also find the recipe here.

This dish was simple but delicious - the sauce gave a slightly sweet flavour to the chicken.  I served my chicken with stir-fried veges. 

I really enjoyed this dish - it is quick to prepare, tasty and nutritious.

To see what Chaya, Kayte and Margaret thought of this dish, visit their websites.

WWDH - Chicken and Pumpkin Risotto

For the last Wednesday with Donna Hay this year, I have chosen Chicken and Pumpkin Risotto from p130 of Modern Classics I. You can also find it online here.

I left out the parsley but otherwise made the recipe as stated.  It is much easier than risotto usually is to make because this is a baked risotto, so you can set and forget.

I adore pumpkin and chicken, so this flavour combination suited me perfectly.

To see what Margaret and Chaya thought of this risotto, visit their blogs on Wednesday, US time.

Hopefully, Wednesdays with Donna Hay will resume in the New Year.

FFwD - Chicken, Apples and Cream a la Normande

This week's French Friday with Dorie recipe is a special treat - it is chicken, apples and cream a la Normande, and is one of the most delicious chicken dishes I have ever tasted.  Yes, I gush - however, you know that I am just as ready to tell you if I don't like a recipe, so take this as an honest to goodness, although subjective, review. 

This dish features pan fried chicken in a cream sauce dotted with apples and mushrooms.  If you would like to replicate this deliciousness, you can find the recipe online here.  The only changes that I made were to use light cream instead of heavy cream and use a brown onion rather than a yellow one (I have never seen a yellow onion!), and my choice of alcohol was brandy (as that is what I had in the house).

As per Dorie's serving suggestion, I served my chicken with Dorie's lemon steamed spinach, which cut nicely through the creaminess of the sauce.

I have never been to Normandy, but boy, I like the way they cook chicken.  To see whether the other Dorie cooks agree, visit the LYL section of the FFwD website.

WWDH - Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

This week's Wednesday with Donna Hay has a distinctly Asian flavour in the form of Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup from page 30 of Modern Classics 1.  Chaya is our host this week and selected this dish.  Chicken and sweet corn soup is a Chinese classic, on the menu as a starter at most Chinese restauarnts, and is a good choice for its light but flavoursome qualities.

This was rather lovely soup - nice enough to take to work for lunch.  It is also relatively simple to make.  I substituted the Chinese rice wine for sherry, which I read has the closest flavour to the rice wine.

To see what Chaya and Margaret thought of this soup, do go visit them.

FFwD - Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes & Prunes; Eggplant “tartine” with tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers

Hooray, it's Friday again!  I am having some pretty turgid weeks lately, so it always brings a smile to my dial when I make it to yet another Friday and know that I can settle in with a drink after work with friends and forget all about it.

This French Friday with Dorie recipe was Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes.  I was pretty excited about this one, as this is my kind of food.  I adore meat and fruit dishes (which I know others hate with a passion), so this one was a no brainer for me to make.

I used "lovely legs" for my chicken pieces, being chicken thighs with the bone in and skin off.    When I worked in a deli as a teenager, we used to titter about the "lovely legs".  I  made the recipe as written, except that I added half a preserved lemon to the mix - hey, I have a big jar of them, so I might as well use them.

I loved this tagine every bit as much as I thought I would - the sauce was so devine that I even mopped it up with a slice of bread so as not to waste a drop.  Superb recipe and a keeper!

I then did a rewind to the first Friday in September to make  the Eggplant Tartine with Olives, Tomatoes and Cucumbers:    

This dish was not such a hit with me, although it looks pretty.  I did like the rounds of baked eggplant, but found the salsa on top a little too bitey for my tastes.

To see what the other Dorie participants thought of this week's tagine, visit the LYL section of the FFwD website.

Have a fabulous weekend!

FFwD - Chicken Basquaise

This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe is Chicken Basquaise.  This is a Mediterranean style (rather than French) chicken dish with capsicums (peppers) - lots of them!

The resulting dish has a rather hot flavour to it, so if spicy is not your thing, don't venture here.  I quite enjoyed it it, with the piperade (capsicum mix) forming a lovely sauce for the rice. 

Also be warned - if you are time poor, don't attempt this, because all the chopping and cooking and simmering and browning takes some time - you need probably a good two hours to make this dish.  I had to make this one night and eat it another night, as it was too late by the time it finished cooking for me to eat it that night.

Here's the chicken in the pot so you can identify that under all that stuff, there is definitely chicken there:

To see what the other FFwD members thought of this dish, visit the LYL section of the website.

Wednesdays with Donna Hay - Chilli Cashew Chicken Noodles

After a hiatus, Wednesdays with Donna Hay is back.  We will still be cooking from Donna's website, but also from her books, Off the Shelf and Modern Classics Book One.

This week's recipe was chosen by me from Off the Shelf.  It is Chilli Cashew Chicken Noodles.  This dish has a beautiful combination of Asian flavours - chillis, soy sauce, fish sauce and coriander, to give the vegetables, noodles and chicken a flavour kick.  The cashews added crunchy textural contrast.

Loved this dish.  To check out what Kayte, Chaya and Margaret, thought, visit their websites.

Wednesdays with Donna Hay - Roasted capsicum and chicken bruschetta

I'm back!  I went home to my family for Easter, and it was a blissful 4 days.  The weather was simply gorgeous ("home" being more northern than my chosen place of residence, where winter has already started to set in), and it was simply wonderful to just be.  I have Easter eggs flowing out of my cupboards, both from home and work - I can feel my backside expanding just thinking about them, though I am very grateful to be so blessed.  I hope you all had a great Easter.

My absence explains why this Wednesdays with Donna Hay dish of roasted capsicum and chicken bruschetta, chosen by Kayte, became my dinner last night.  I reluctantly dragged myself out into the cold after work to do my grocery shop for the week, and bought  the ingredients for this week's WWDH pick, then cooked it the same night.

This dish was actually quite delicious.  I have no idea where my grill pan is, so I just toasted my oil-sprayed sourdough in the oven.  Otherwise, I pretty much made the dish as stated, but divided it in half as a meal for one.  The dressing of red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt and pepper was simply perfect, and gave some kick to the rather mild chicken and tomato.  I even roasted my own capsicum over a gas flame for this recipe - definitely not one of my favourite jobs, but now I know I can do it, I'd do it again.  I simply pan-fried my chicken breast in a pan sprayed lightly with spray oil, and sliced it thinly rather than shredding it.  I used Thai basil, as it is sold in smaller packs than regular basil, but both are hideously expensive.

Kayte is on hiatus, but go check out what Margaret and Chaya thought of this recipe tomorrow (as they are the best part of a day behind me).

Next week:  Lemon and dill smoked salmon pasta

Wednesdays with Donna Hay - Sticky Chicken Parcels

Today's Wednesday with Donna Hay recipe is Sticky Chicken Parcels, selected by Kayte of Grandma's Kitchen Table. 

Who doesn't like getting a present, and these little parcels certainly are a gift.  They contain chicken breasts marinated in soy sauce, plum sauce and garlic, paired with vegetables (baby corn, leek, capsicum, carrot and ginger), all wrapped in parchment paper.

I didn't have any string to tie the parcels shut, but that didn't matter - I was able to fold them well enough to keep everything in.

These parcels were very tasty and quick to make, and I like the fact that it was a "one bag" meal (although I paired it with potatoes and beans, this is not necessary).

Go visit Kayte for an alternative view on these parcels. 

Next week - Brown buttered beans

FFwD - M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken

This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe is for M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken.   This is basically a chicken roasted with brandy (or Armagnac, if you have some) with vegetables and seasoning.

I am never sure which way up to roast my chicken, and mine looks rather immodest - I assume that I got it wrong again.  Oh well, it tasted good (I adore roasted chicken), but it didn't knock my socks off.

I did like the flavour of the vegetables, which were seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and bay, and after roasting, are left to bubble away in the thickening sauce on the stovetop:

This was my dinner on night 1 of this chicken dish:

I was too lazy and it was too late at night (this dish takes around an hour and a half to make) to add some greens to the mix - perhaps tomorrow night.

To see what the other FFwD members thought of this dish, visit the LYL section of the website.

Chicken Cauliflower Curry with Seven Vegetable Cous Cous

It's probably time to mix things up a bit and allow your teeth to recover from all of my sweets.  Today, I am going to share two delicious dishes that I made on the weekend - Chicken Cauliflower Curry and Seven Vegetable Cous Cous.

The recipe for the Chicken Cauliflower Curry can be found here.  My inspiration for making it is - what can I cook using ingredients that I already have in the house?  A quick Google search led me to this delicious curry, which has zing without being too hot, and is relatively healthy too - no cream, coconut milk or buckets of oil.  I made the recipe as is and was worried there wouldn't be enough sauce - never fear, once you have simmered the curry for the prescribed time, there was enough sauce to cover it (though it wasn't "saucy" as such).


I teamed this delicious curry with a colourful Seven Vegetable Cous Cous:

You can find the recipe here.  I skipped the harissa (which some people said overpowered the dish), and replaced the lima beans with tinned cannelini beans.  I also skipped the squash (as I didn't have any), so technically, I made a six vegetable cous cous.  Seven is apparently a magic number in Morocco, hence the origins of the seven vegetables, but you can add and subtract whatever you want from this dish.  You could even add some cooked chicken for an all-in-one meal. 

While the cous cous would make a fabulous main in its own right, I served it as a side dish to the curry: 

Doesn't it make you happy looking at all of those colours on the plate together?

Both dishes contain  raisins, which some people may baulk at, but I love a fruity main course.  You could leave the raisins out without ill effect, or substitute cranberries.

Enjoy!

FFwD - Olive-Olive Cornish Hens

It's Friday again - can't you hear the birds singing and smell the hope and joy in the air as the weekend beckons ever nearer?

This week's French Friday with Dorie challenge was  Olive-Olive Cornish Hens (in my case, poussin) - little birds butterflied and with their skins stuffed with homemade olive tapenade (green, in my case), olive-oiled and seasoned to perfection, and roasted until their skins are crispy and the tapenade flavour has melded into the bird.  Bliss!

I served my hens with asparagus roasted with lemon and salt, good old mixed vegetables out of a packet, and wild lime pickle - devine:

 

Look at how wonderful and crisp the outside is and how tender the meat is:

 

It oddly reminded me of my Mum's Sunday roast, though there was never any olives in my mother's house.

To see what everyone else thought of this week's dish, visit the LYL section of the FFwD website for this week (once available).

FFwD - Cinnamon Crunch Chicken - errr, Ginger Crunch Chicken

This week's French Friday With Dorie recipe is Cinnamon Crunch Chicken.  This comprises chicken breast strips coated with creme fraiche and broken up speculoos.

Speculoos are not readily available here, so I used gingernut biscuits instead  hence ginger crunch chicken.  I also substituted natural yoghurt for the creme fraiche.

This dish makes a delicious change - I would happily make it again.  Visit the FFwD website to see  what everyone else thought of this dish.