Recipe: Jamie Oliver's Epic Roast Chicken Salad

This is one of those recipes you come across and immediately think "I MUST COOK THAT!"  Jamie never fails, you guys.  We know that.  And while this was a little more work than I thought it would be it was definitely worth it.  The leftovers were killer too, which was a huge surprise.

What you'll need:

• olive oil
  1 x 1.2 kg chicken
  sea salt
  freshly ground pepper
  a small bunch of fresh thyme
  1 lemon
  400 g mixed cherry tomatoes
  1 bulb of garlic
  1 country loaf (roughly 300g)
  6 slices smoked streaky bacon
  200 g green beans, topped
  extra virgin olive oil
  1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
  cider vinegar
  a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
  a bunch of fresh mint
  6 green onions

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400°F.  Drizzle olive oil all over the chicken and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Pick and scatter over the thyme leaves (reserving the stalks). Rub the flavours into the skin, then halve the lemon and put it inside the cavity along with the thyme stalks. Pop the chicken into a large roasting tray (roughly 25 x 32cm) and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes, then smash up your garlic bulb and discard the papery white skin. After about 30 minutes, throw the tomatoes and garlic into the chicken tray, ideally holding the chicken up with tongs while you slush everything around and coat the tomatoes in the juices underneath. Put the chicken back on top, then return it to the oven for the remaining 30 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and the juices from the thigh run clear when pricked with a knife.

Transfer the roasted chicken to a plate, cover with tin foil and leave to cool. Tear the bread into the roasting tray in thumb-sized croutons, then toss them in all the cooking juices. Spread the croutons out in the tray and lay the rashers of bacon on top. Pop back in the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes, or until everything is crispy, golden and gorgeous.

These tomatoes were from our garden.  I can hardly believe it.  They were delicious.  What a sense of accomplishment I had cooking and eating something I grew.  Who knew!

Meanwhile, remove all the chicken skin and set aside, then use two forks to strip every last bit of meat off the bone. Pile the meat into a large bowl and drizzle over any resting juices from the plate. Cook your green beans in boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until cooked but not squeaky when you bite them. Quickly drain and add them to the bowl of shredded meat, with 5 to 6 tablespoons of good-quality extra virgin olive oil, the wholegrain mustard and a few good swigs of cider vinegar. Chop up the parsley and mint leaves and finely slice the spring onions. Add them to the bowl. Toss everything together, then have a taste and adjust with more vinegar or seasoning if you like.

Once the croutons are golden, quickly tear the chicken skin into the roasting tray (skip this if you want a healthier salad, I did) and put back into the oven just until it crisps up again. When it's looking lovely, tip everything from the bowl into the tray or on to a large serving platter. Toss everything together and serve in the middle of the table.

 

Does it sort of look like a dog's breakfast?  YEP.  But it tastes AMAZING!

The Kitchen Diaries: Grounded by Basil.

While I've been slowly easing into the changes that having Lenny in school have brought, I'm still feeling somewhat...rudderless.  There are many changes afoot with my work life as well.  I recently wrapped with an amazing client after two great years of managing their social media efforts (shout out to Butterball Canada!) and I'm about to get started working with a new client (which I can't talk about yet because I signed a non-disclosure agreement) but the start date has been moved and now I'm sort of playing a waiting game.  Yes, I have plenty to keep me busy with other freelance work and things around the house.  Yes, I could relax and enjoy some down time.  But the reality is, despite all that, I'm still feeling scattered and a little directionless.

So while I tried to get my head in the game today, I took a few minutes out to make myself a nice breakfast.  I brewed some coffee and made some toast and scrambled two perfect eggs.  I scattered some fresh basil on top from a basil plant on my windowsill that my friend Louisa brought over last week.  And right then, I had what I can only describe as a moment of clarity.

I can still smell the basil on my fingers.  It brings me a great sense of joy and fulfilment.  I feel anchored by it?  I do.  I feel grounded.  In a good way.



This makes me search back over the last couple of weeks to think of other calm moments and I realize that almost all of them are attached to cooking and eating.

---

It's Labour Day Monday and we're taking it easy at home.  Lenny has a cold and we want to make sure that she gets better before her first day of school on Thursday.  I consider making her chicken soup because she's not well and has never had it (how did that happen?) but instead I ask her what she wants and the request comes in for mashed potatoes. Classic comfort food.  What to cook with it?  There is some stew beef in the freezer so I thaw it and then braise it all afternoon.  Onions, carrots and parsnips are soft and flavourful.  The beef stock simmers down to almost nothing until I add more stock to create a nice sauce.  The whole thing is scented with Garlic and Bay.  It's rustic and delicious and the beef is as tender as can be, but hasn't fallen apart.  The leftovers make a beautiful lunch the next day.  I think I could eat this dish every day.  It makes me want to curl up with a good book and listen to The Velvet Underground.

---

I've been threatening to make hummus for years.  I know it's not hard and way more cost effective than buying it pre made but I haven't done it.  I finally bust out the food processor and give it a go.  I keep it simple: chick peas, garlic, lemon, tahini and olive oil.  Too much garlic.  Like way too much.  And I love garlic.  I end up having to add another can of chick peas to balance the flavours.  It ends up tasty but there is so much.  Not sure how long it will take us to eat it all.

---

Cauliflower is on sale for $1 a head so we buy several for making soup.  Sure, Mark Twain said "Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education", but I like the stuff.  I rough chop the crumbly florets and the thick stems and roast them in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper.  The next day I simmer the already soft and flavourful cauliflower in a mix of vegetable stock and water (4 cups each) with some onion powder, garlic powder and cajun spices. Later that afternoon I puree the whole mess and it makes for a silky, golden brown coloured soup.  We eat it for dinner and freeze the rest for one of those days down the road when we have neither the will or time to prepare dinner.  I swear that next time I will make some croutons to float on top with a handful of fresh herbs.  That may not happen, but I tell myself it will.

That's the thing about cooking.  The promise of old comforts and new horizons are endless.  Anything can happen, but even if it fails, there's still the smell of that basil, bringing me back to earth.

Recipe: Michael's Classic Strawberry Shortcake

This is, without a doubt, my favourite Summer dessert.  Several years ago our friend Michael made this for us and I was hooked.  Michael is a ridiculously good cook.  He can also do this:

Yes, that's the Robeau on piano!  And yes, you should just go ahead and ignore my terrible camera work.  Thanks for asking.

When I asked Michael for the recipe he sent me these pics.  So I guess technically this isn't Michael's Strawberry Shortcake, it's Susan's.  Shout out to Susan.  Whoever she is!

(click to enlarge)

I'm including the original recipe here because there are several different methods that you can try including pin wheels.  I always do the drop biscuits because I'm a lazy baker.  Happily, my laziness doesn't effect the deliciousness of these things in the slightest.

What you'll need:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon (or orange) zest

1/2 cup of butter (or shortening)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup butter

Directions:

1. Start heating oven to 450 degrees.  Into mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar; add lemon zest

2.  With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut butter into flour mixture until it is course, like corn meal.  Add egg and milk.  Mix.

3.  Drop dough in 3" mounds onto cookie sheet (that is greased or lined with parchment paper)

4.  Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until done.  You'll know when they're done because, oh, the smell!

I like to serve these split and still warm with fresh Ontario Strawberries that have been macerated in just a little bit of white sugar and then cover the whole mess with some whipped cream, scented with vanilla bean, but otherwise unsweetened.

If you want to get a little fancier, you can macerate the Strawberries in a good balsamic vinegar, black pepper and fresh mint or basil (more on that flavour combo here).

Verdict:  Make this! Server it at a BBQ!  In fact, make it tomorrow morning and have it while you're watching Breakfast at Wimbledon.  Because having Strawberries and Cream for breakfast while you watch athletes at the top of their profession is a noble tradition that should be continued at all costs.

 Thanks for this great recipe, Michael!

Recipe: Quinoa Pesto Salad

What did any of us ever eat before Quinoa became a "thing"?  Honestly, I feel like everyone I know is as obsessed with Quinoa as I am.  And let me tell you, I'm obsessed.  So tasty, so adaptable, so good for you.  I want to tell Quinoa all my deep dark secrets and let it stroke my hair as I fall asleep.  Because Quinoa?  It gets me.

I love serving it in soups and with salads.  One of my all-time favourite recipes is this one for Green Bean Quinoa Salad but last week I wanted something a little less sharp and a little more luxurious tasting and that's how this Quinoa Pesto Salad was born.

What you'll need:

2 cups low sodium vegetable stock

1 cup quinoa

1 package of prepared pesto (170 grams)

1 bundle of green onions

1 pint of grape tomatoes (halved)

1 cup (or more) of corn (fresh off the cob or frozen would work well)

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Make your quinoa as per the directions on the packet.  I don't rinse mine or toast it.  I do use vegetable broth instead of water as I find it imparts it with lots of great flavour.  That said, be your own quinoa spirit guide on this one.

2.  Once the quinoa has cooled slightly, stir in the pesto.  I find the small 170 gram tub of prepared pesto is perfect for this.  That said, if you have homemade on hand, knock yourself out.  I think homemade kale pesto would probably be lovely in this as well.

3.  Stir in your chopped green onions (the white and the green parts), your halved grape tomatoes and your corn.

4.  Top with fresh ground black pepper and...enjoy!

Verdict:

This salad is killer and stupid easy.  We served it alongside some chicken thighs but it would be great as a main course on it's own.  It also kept very well and was enjoyed for the next two days for lunch.  This yields a pretty big batch and would be perfect for taking to a pot luck.  I am sure I'll be making this one a lot in the Summer to take to BBQs using gorgeous Ontario corn (grilled, of course) and some heirloom grape tomatoes.

Happy eating!

I know what you're thinking...

You think that Relaxo ate me. Well fear not, Bloggy McBloggerson, "Participatction" has not been the end of me. I am alive, just not alive on the intornet. As mentioned earlier, Blogger is indeed being a douche. Of course, if you are reading this, the douchery has subsided at least temporarily and I shouldn't bite the hand that feeds me. For free. Thank you Blogger. I adore you. Even when you're being a giant douche.

Relaxo is treating me well, thanks to all the great music suggestions that you sent my way. I've also downloaded a bunch of "Arrested Development" tunes - remember that great Hip Hop act that was popular in early 90s? GREAT workout music. Just great.

Expect updates really soon on The Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis and Toronto's newest jazz club Live @ Courthouse. Also, Golden Thai Curry. That's something that I want to talk about a lot. I'm not kidding. A LOT.

In the meantime, please enjoy this disgusting and amusing bit of yester-year. And you thought there was only one!



I am NOT done!



Now I'm done. Feel free to go about your business, you MINDSTICKERS!

20 lashes with wet noodle.

That's my penance for being such a neglagent little blogger lately. I'm sorry Bloggy McBloggerson, but hey, check out some of the cool stuff I've scouted for you while I've been busy not writing:

I don't like to talk about my day job at CSIS, because I like my job a lot and if I did talk about it I would live in fear of stepping in it and being dooced. I will make this one, rare exception to direct you all to the website for the Canadian Premiere of We Will Rock You and the photos I got to take at a press event last week. The show opens next month and promises to be a fun, rockin' romp! And who couldn't use some of that these days?

Since I am now a Rock Chick Supremo I want to give a shout out to my favourite Rock Chick, my friend, surrogate little sister and Toronto's own Basia Lyjak. She rocked it old school at the ElMocombo on Friday night (where Zee Noixy and I worked the door) and her brand new EP "Writings on the Wall" has just been released. I know what you're thinking, you're thinking, "but Nolan, a ROCK recommendation? We trust you to show us how to snap on two and four, but please, keep your ROCK advice to yourself." And I understand your skepticism. I really do. But go on, and have a listen. She is fabulous. She rocks.

This week in egg news, I had a wonderful mid-afternoon brunch yesterday with the lovely Hutch. She introduced me to a great breakfast joint called BOOM. The Martini Boys Review says it all pretty nicely. As did the contented look on my face after delicious eggs benny with perfect hollandaise, crispy, seasoned taters and fresh fruit. A plate full of good, sunny eggs are the perfect antidote to the February blaaahs.

On another note, damn it's cold. I miss global warming.