Best Ever Roast Chicken

I just made the BEST roast chicken dinner ever!!!!  I think it made the world of difference that I bought a beautiful organic chicken from a local farm (Henry Reed Farm in Gibsons, B.C.).  Just the experience of purchasing it and chatting with the grower as well as buying some baby carrots and mixed mesclun greens from her that would round out the dinner made the whole experience more deeply satisfying.

(Note: the following recipes have been excerpted from various 'Barefoot Contessa' cookbooks).

Roast Chicken

Thoroughly wash and dry the chicken (I used a 4-1/2 pound bird), rub with some olive oil and generously sprinkle Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Inside the cavity of the chicken, insert half a lemon and a bulb of garlic (but cut the bulb in half cross-wise first).  Set the chicken into a roasting pan.

Next: Use 2 large Spanish (sweet) onions and take off the outer skin and then thickly slice.  In a bowl toss together the onion, 2 lemons that have been cut into quarters, about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.  Scatter this mixture around the chicken in the roasting pan.

Roast at 425 degrees for about 1-1/4 hours or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.  Remove from oven, carefully lift chicken onto a platter and tent with foil.  Leave for about 10 minutes until you make the sauce.

Place the roasting pan on top of the range on a medium-high heat.  Add 1/3 cup of white wine and scrape up all the brown bits that are stuck to the pan.  Next add ½ cup of chicken stock and when mixture is bubbling, slowly sprinkle and mix in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour.  Let simmer for a few minutes and  serve over carved chicken pieces.

I plated the chicken with a simple side dish of roasted carrots:

1 pound of baby carrots

1 tablespoon olive oil

½  teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Put olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet and place on a medium-high heat.  Once oil begins to shimmer, add carrots – they should sizzle and crackle.  Stir them occasionally for a few minutes until they begin to blister then add salt and pepper and put skillet into a 400 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes or until they reach the required doneness to your liking.

On the side I served a simple salad of mixed greens and a champagne vinaigrette dressing:

½ cup olive oil

3 tablespoons champagne vinegar

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¾ teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

Combine all dressing ingredients into a jar and use an immersion blender (stick blender) to mix.  Alternatively, place all ingredients except olive oil into bowl and whisk until mixed.  Next slowly drizzle olive oil into the dressing mixture while whisking continously until well-incorporated.

The Original Double Buffalo Burger

A couple of weeks ago I entered a food contest held by Gnarly Head Wines.  The contest was to enter an original burger recipe paired with one of the Gnarly Head wines and the top three finalists would have their recipes tasted by a panel that includes Rob Feenie.  I was incredibly interested to meet Iron Chef Feenie in order to convince him to open a restaurant in my new home of Gibsons, B.C. so entered the contest with my 'Double Buffalo Burger'.  Double buffalo as I used ground buffalo and buffalo mozzarella. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the finals (although I did get shortlisted) so didn’t get to meet Chef Feenie or give my sales pitch.  However, my girlfriend Tricia is keeping an eye on the menu at Cactus Club thinking Rob might just poach my recipe idea (as if!).  Chef Feenie may not make it, but you certainly can.  Here’s the recipe I submitted.

Gnarly Double-Buffalo Burger (Serves 2)

Basil Aioli

1/3 cup good quality mayonnaise

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

Juice of 1 lemon

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the aioli, place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until well blended.  Cover and place in the fridge for approximately 1 hour to let flavours meld.  When ready to use, taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper, if needed. 

Buffalo Burger

½ lb. ground buffalo

1 small egg

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 medium garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Oil for the grill

2 ounces Buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced

2 hamburger buns, split

1 large tomato, sliced

Prepare a medium-high gas or charcoal grill barbeque.

To prepare the burger, place ground buffalo, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper into a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, crack the egg and mix gently with a fork to break up the egg yolk.  Add the egg mixture to the buffalo mixture and gently mix with your hands.  Form into two equal sized patties.

Lightly oil the grill grate and place the patties on the grate.  Cover and grill for approximately 5 minutes.  Flip the burgers, cover, and cook to desired doneness.  In the last few minutes of cooking, arrange slices of buffalo mozzarella on top of each of the burgers and continue grilling until cheese melts.

While the burgers cook, toast the hamburger buns on the grill.

To assemble the burgers: spread some of the basil aioli on each half of the buns.  When the burgers are done, put them on the bottom halves of the buns.  Top with slices of tomato and top with other half of bun. 

'Souper' Summer

Nothing says summer like a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup!  For all those Canadian West Coasters out there you know exactly what I'm talking about.  This summer has been unseasonably cool while the rest of Canada enjoys a heat wave.  This cool weather has put me in the mood for chicken noodle soup, which is so straightforward to make and takes no time at all.  I really believe the secret to a good chicken soup is salt.  Yes, salt.  Not the artery-clogging table salt, but salt all the same.  For this recipe I use Kosher salt because it has a mellower flavour than sea salt, I find.  M-m-m Good!

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 chicken breast, split (with bone in and skin on)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups good quality chicken stock
3-4 carrots, medium dice
3 celery stalks, medium dice
2 cups egg noodles (or substitute your favourite pasta noodle)
Handful of Italian flat leaf parsely, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rub chicken breast with olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until done.  Remove from oven and let it cool enough to handle.  Remove and discard skin, remove bone, and cut up chicken into a chunky dice.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring chicken stock to a simmer; add carrots, celery and noodles and simmer for an additional 10 minutes until veggies are tender.  Add cut up chicken and parsley and continue to simmer until heated through.  Add a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.  Taste and add more salt if needed.  (I generally end up adding about a teaspoon or so of salt.  It all depends on the saltiness of the chicken stock).

Born to (Grocery) Shop

I love grocery shopping and don’t classify it as a “chore”; however, there are plenty of times when I’m short on time and end up having to rush one of my favourite activities.  For those times especially, I’m glad I have an organized shopping list to follow that helps me not forget anything and doesn’t having me running up and down the grocery aisles multiple times because I forgot something.  My grocery list plays double-duty as my weekly menu plan as well as any additional recipes I want to make.

I feel that feeding myself and my husband is the most important job in the world.  Making the right food choices keeps us healthy, energized, and fit.  I tackle this job by first deciding what we have for dinner every night and using the planner to note down what that meal will be.  I have a collection of cookbooks and recipe clippings I browse through to get inspired.  By choosing what recipes I plan to make, the next step is recording the ingredients I need to purchase on the grocery list.  While looking through the recipe books and clippings, I usually come across another few items that I’d like to make that will serve as a lunch item, snack, or treat.  I record these recipe names under the “To make” heading to be sure not to forget them.  Additionally, I include any reference information after the recipe name such as the name of the cookbook and page number, or if it’s a clipping I just put the word “loose” and keep it in a folder that has a home in my cookbook stand for just such items.  Sometimes I make a large quantity of something, portion it, and freeze it.  So for those busy days I can put one of these previously frozen dishes on the menu planner and put “freezer” next to it to remind me to leave it out to thaw for that day.  Lastly, I check cupboards, fridge, and freezer to add any staple items to the grocery list.  Then I have a good look at the meals for the week to make sure it’s well-balanced and has variety.  Now I’m good to go and know we have a yummy and well-thought out meal plan for the week ahead.

Attached is my grocery list and weekly menu planner form that I hope is useful for you too.  I print this double-sided so everything is together and after the groceries have been purchased, this print out lives in my cookbook stand, front and centre, so my plan is always visible because that way I’ll follow it.

DOCUMENT: Grocery List & Weekly Menu Planner

Gadget Crazy

(photo from Cuisinart Web site)

Just when you thought you had every kitchen tool and gadget there was to be had, along comes something else you can’t live without!  I’m talking about the Cuisinart Spice & Nut Grinder.  Although it’s been around awhile, I only purchased one late last year.  My main mission was to see if I could adequately grind whole flax seeds into flax meal (ground flax seeds). Previously I had tried grinding flax seeds using a mortar and pestle, a blender, and a food processor – all with poor results.  The problem with purchasing flax seeds already ground is they quickly and easily turn rancid and you don’t know quite how long they’ve been sitting on the grocery store shelf so you’re always best grinding your own.  Plus most supermarkets don’t keep them refrigerated – another way to help them turn rancid quicker.  Besides, who wants to purchase a package of whole flax seeds and ground flax seeds when just one will do.  Well, now that I have my Spice & Nut Grinder I’m able to produce perfectly ground flax seeds in seconds.  It’s the only tool that works! 

Another great use for this gadget is making your own tahini.  I’ve been paying about $7 a jar for the organic tahini and now I make my own with sesame seeds and a little olive oil (recipe below).  Sesame seeds are a great source of calcium, so whether you spread tahini on toast as a nice change from a nut butter or incorporate it into your favouite hummous recipe (mine is below), you’re doing a good thing.

Yet another way I’ve been utilizing this machine is for a rockin’ antioxidant mixture that I sprinkle over oatmeal and on top of toast and almond butter (recipe below).

I think Cuisinart should have renamed this little appliance.  I’ve hardly used it for spices and nuts.  I’m sure you’ll find all kinds of different applications for it too.

Homemade Tahini

(yields 1/3 cup for hummous recipe below – but feel free to double the recipe and store tahini in the fridge for other uses)

1/2 cup raw sesame seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil, more if necessary

Place sesame seeds in a dry skillet and place over a medium-high heat.  Make sure to move the sesame seeds around – either my stirring or shaking the pan – to avoid burning.  (If you do burn them, throw it out and start again.  Burnt sesame seeds are extremely bitter tasting and will not be pleasant to eat). After just 3-4 minutes or whenever you see the sesame seeds turn a golden colour and smell toasted, remove from heat and spread on a cookie sheet to let cool.  Once cool, place in Nut & Spice Grinder, add olive oil, and process until smooth.  Add more olive oil if needed for a smooth consistency.

My Favourite Hummous Recipe

(adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, page 46)

2 cups of cooked chick peas (or 1 - 19 oz. can, drained and rinsed)

1/3 cup tahini

1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

8 dashes of Tabasco (or other hot sauce)

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

3 garlic cloves, minced 

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped (I like my hummous with a bit of texture, but feel free to process until smooth if that’s the way you like it).  Adjust seasoning, if needed.  If mixture is too thick, add more water.

Rockin’ Antioxidant Mixture (RAM)

1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds

1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons whole flax seeds

Put all ingredients in the Spice & Nut Grinder and process until fine.  Sprinkle over anything you like.  Keep mixture refrigerated.

Note: If you are going to use this gadget for grinding spices, a great way to remove the odour from the machine so you don't ruin your next recipe, is to put a handful of rice in the grinder and process.  The rice will absorb the odour and clean the machine.

Veg-O-Mite

Photo from Flickr

I’ve got a bunch of veggies in the fridge and need to use them up - and here's how I plan to do it. 

Fresh Vegetable Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chopped celery (about 4 stalks)

2 cups (2-inch) cut green beans (about ½ pound) or use frozen

1-1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears) or use frozen

1 cup thinly sliced carrot

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced (about 1 cup)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

7 cups of vegetable, beef, or chicken broth

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained or 1-1/2 cups of cooked kidney beans

1-28 ounce can chopped tomatoes (including juice) or 4 cups chopped seeded tomato

2/3 cup (about 3 ounces) uncooked macaroni or other small-shaped pasta

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 cups shredded green cabbage

¾ teaspoon sea salt

¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese

·          Heat oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat

·          Add onion and garlic and sauté 2 minutes

·          Stir in celery and next 9 ingredients (celery though kidney beans)

·          Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes

·          Add tomato, macaroni and tomato sauce

·          Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is done

·          Add cabbage, salt and pepper

·          Cook 5 minutes or until cabbage wilts

·          Serve with freshly grated parmesano reggiano cheese

Best-Ever Granola!

(photo from http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/easy-granola-recipe-00000000031329/index.html)

I’ve made a lot of different granola recipes, but always come back to this one, which I came across in the magazine Real Simple a number of years ago.  I’ve modified a few things to eliminate the refined sugar – including the brown sugar that was in the original recipe.  Everyone asks me for this recipe and says it’s their favourite too.  I make a double batch every time in order to make it last a while. To make a double batch split the mixture onto two baking sheets and move the rails in your oven to the top third and bottom third positions and don’t forget to switch the trays halfway through the baking process.

Pecan-Cranberry Honey Granola

¼ cup honey

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup raw pecans, sliced (or buy pecan pieces)

1-1/3 cup rolled oats

¼ cup sliced blanched almonds

¼ cup shelled pumpkin seeds

¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

¼ cup golden raisins

7 dried unsulphured apricots, sliced

¼ cup dried cranberries (I prefer the ones sweetened with apple juice – available at Galloways)

Heat oven to 350˚F.

In a large bowl whisk together the honey, orange juice, and vanilla. 

Add the pecans, oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and coconut and toss to combine well. 

Spread out on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper, if possible but not necessary) and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside until completely cooled.

Transfer the cooled mixture to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and toss well.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.