Tuna Toasts
Ingredients:
- Canned Tuna;
- Mayo (preferably light) ;)
- Toasts or crackers.
Preparation:
Just mix the tuna with some mayo, trying not to leave any big pieces of tuna. The quantities of each depend on whether you like it more creamy (more mayo) or more consistent (more tuna). Put a bit of this on a toast/cracker and it is ready to eat. (Note: if you leave it done for a long time before eating, it is likely that the toast/cracker will go too soft; so don't do it too much ahead or let each person do its won.)
You can also decorate it with some slices of seafood sticks, peper, olives, or other ingredients that you fancy.
Enjoy!
Monday 30 March 2009
Sunday Roast Chicken with Lemon, Mustard and Herbs
This recipe is for a whole chicken, but you can use it for any chicken with skin (alter the cooking times, of course!).
Ingredients
Chicken (a 2.3kg bird easily fed 6 hungry mouths with at least 1 portion left over!)
3 garlic cloves (+ extra if you like garlic)
4 lemon slices
juice of 1-2 lemons
2 tsp mustard (whatever is your favourite, I used wholegrain)
4 sprigs of Rosemary
4 sprigs of Thyme
1 sliced onion
300 ml (1/2 pint) chicken stock
300 ml (1/2 pint) of dry, white wine (use as much or as little as you like!)
Preparations
Preparing and cooking your chicken
1) If you're preparing a whole bird then make sure that the giblets etc are all removed from inside the cavity.
2) Using a sharp knife, make incisions all over the bird, except on the breast.
3) Using your fingers, loosen the breast skin from the flesh so that you can put some ingredients under the skin.
4) Crush 3 cloves of garlic and mix them with the mustard, and herbs. Prepare 4 lemon slices.
5) Push the lemon slices and garlic/herb/mustard mix under the breast skin. Don't push it too far down, just as far as is comfortable to reach. Then, using your fingers, work the top of the skin to push to mix/slices further back, along the breast bone.
6) Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Get out of the refridgerator at least 30 minutes before you start cooking.
7) Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C for fan ovens, around 190 for non-fan ovens. Put the chicken breast down on a rack in your roasting tin. Slice your onion and lay the slices over the top of the chicken. Add 4 tbsps of the stock and wine and any extra garlic (optional).
8) Each oven differs slightly on cooking time but generally you'd cook chicken on the bone for c15-20 mins per 450kg (1lb). Start with the chicken breast down. After 35 mins, turn the chicken over and baste with a bit more wine and stock. If the chicken breast looks like it's starting to burn, then cover just the breast with foil for a while to slow down its cooking progress. It's usually good to baste the chicken with a bit more stock and wine (a couple of tablespoons of each) at least once during cooking.
Chicken needs to be fully cooked (ie. no pink juices). To test this, use a skewer or carving fork to prick the back legs and the back of the breast of the chicken (this is where it cooks slowest). If the juices run clear, it's done. To make doubly sure, you can cut to the bone and check there's no pink. The meat should still be moist.
When the chicken is cooked, wrap it in foil and leave it for 10 mins to let it rest. However, be aware that it keeps on cooking so it's best not to leave it for more than 10 mins or it might dry out.
Preparing and cooking your vegetables
9) Chop up whatever vegetables you'd like to roast. Generally potatoes, parsnips and carrots are British favourites. You need to parboil them before you roast them to cut down the roasting time (very useful when there's lots of stuff in the oven). To parboil, bring water to a boil and then simmer on a medium heat (add salt to taste). I generally parboil potatoes for about 15 mins, parsnips for 10 and carrots for no more than 3 mins but obviously this will depend on how big you cut them. They want to be firm but starting to flake around the edges.
10) Cooking your vegetables - you will need to roast your potatoes for around 40 mins, parsnips and carrots for around 30 mins (although vary times depending on size). Place them around your chicken (on a rack) or on a separate backing tray. Lightly oil them. Cooking along with the chicken. You should aim to have them cooked by around 5-10 mins after your chicken has finished. If they are not crisping up on the outside, then when you remove the chicken from the oven at the end, turn the oven up to around 220 degrees C. This should help them to become crispy.
Optional extras
11) A traditional Christmas roast also has sausages and bacon. You can cook these in the oven alongside your chicken and potatoes. It's best to use chipolata sausages and back bacon. You can wrap the bacon around the sausages or roll up the bacon individually.
12) To make gravy, use the grill pan you roasted the chicken in. Tip the pan to one corner and spoon off as much of the fat as possible. Then add the rest of your stock and wine and put it on a hob (in the pan) to heat up. Stir occasionally. It should reduce down but if it's still too runny, then put a teaspoon of plain white flour in a cup and add a small amount of cold water and stir. Then add this to your gravy as required.
12) Eat, and enjoy!
This recipe is for a whole chicken, but you can use it for any chicken with skin (alter the cooking times, of course!).
Ingredients
Chicken (a 2.3kg bird easily fed 6 hungry mouths with at least 1 portion left over!)
3 garlic cloves (+ extra if you like garlic)
4 lemon slices
juice of 1-2 lemons
2 tsp mustard (whatever is your favourite, I used wholegrain)
4 sprigs of Rosemary
4 sprigs of Thyme
1 sliced onion
300 ml (1/2 pint) chicken stock
300 ml (1/2 pint) of dry, white wine (use as much or as little as you like!)
Preparations
Preparing and cooking your chicken
1) If you're preparing a whole bird then make sure that the giblets etc are all removed from inside the cavity.
2) Using a sharp knife, make incisions all over the bird, except on the breast.
3) Using your fingers, loosen the breast skin from the flesh so that you can put some ingredients under the skin.
4) Crush 3 cloves of garlic and mix them with the mustard, and herbs. Prepare 4 lemon slices.
5) Push the lemon slices and garlic/herb/mustard mix under the breast skin. Don't push it too far down, just as far as is comfortable to reach. Then, using your fingers, work the top of the skin to push to mix/slices further back, along the breast bone.
6) Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Get out of the refridgerator at least 30 minutes before you start cooking.
7) Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C for fan ovens, around 190 for non-fan ovens. Put the chicken breast down on a rack in your roasting tin. Slice your onion and lay the slices over the top of the chicken. Add 4 tbsps of the stock and wine and any extra garlic (optional).
8) Each oven differs slightly on cooking time but generally you'd cook chicken on the bone for c15-20 mins per 450kg (1lb). Start with the chicken breast down. After 35 mins, turn the chicken over and baste with a bit more wine and stock. If the chicken breast looks like it's starting to burn, then cover just the breast with foil for a while to slow down its cooking progress. It's usually good to baste the chicken with a bit more stock and wine (a couple of tablespoons of each) at least once during cooking.
Chicken needs to be fully cooked (ie. no pink juices). To test this, use a skewer or carving fork to prick the back legs and the back of the breast of the chicken (this is where it cooks slowest). If the juices run clear, it's done. To make doubly sure, you can cut to the bone and check there's no pink. The meat should still be moist.
When the chicken is cooked, wrap it in foil and leave it for 10 mins to let it rest. However, be aware that it keeps on cooking so it's best not to leave it for more than 10 mins or it might dry out.
Preparing and cooking your vegetables
9) Chop up whatever vegetables you'd like to roast. Generally potatoes, parsnips and carrots are British favourites. You need to parboil them before you roast them to cut down the roasting time (very useful when there's lots of stuff in the oven). To parboil, bring water to a boil and then simmer on a medium heat (add salt to taste). I generally parboil potatoes for about 15 mins, parsnips for 10 and carrots for no more than 3 mins but obviously this will depend on how big you cut them. They want to be firm but starting to flake around the edges.
10) Cooking your vegetables - you will need to roast your potatoes for around 40 mins, parsnips and carrots for around 30 mins (although vary times depending on size). Place them around your chicken (on a rack) or on a separate backing tray. Lightly oil them. Cooking along with the chicken. You should aim to have them cooked by around 5-10 mins after your chicken has finished. If they are not crisping up on the outside, then when you remove the chicken from the oven at the end, turn the oven up to around 220 degrees C. This should help them to become crispy.
Optional extras
11) A traditional Christmas roast also has sausages and bacon. You can cook these in the oven alongside your chicken and potatoes. It's best to use chipolata sausages and back bacon. You can wrap the bacon around the sausages or roll up the bacon individually.
12) To make gravy, use the grill pan you roasted the chicken in. Tip the pan to one corner and spoon off as much of the fat as possible. Then add the rest of your stock and wine and put it on a hob (in the pan) to heat up. Stir occasionally. It should reduce down but if it's still too runny, then put a teaspoon of plain white flour in a cup and add a small amount of cold water and stir. Then add this to your gravy as required.
12) Eat, and enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)