fiveandtwo

The Chicken Recipe

I've just had a wonderful weekend of sewing at Sewjourn in Lancefield. In the company of a bunch of splendid women. I can't show what I made just yet - buttons and buttonholes need to be done.

Requests were made for the recipe of the "french-style" chicken we had on Saturday night.

Here it is:

7 chicken maryland portions

butter and olive oil for browning chicken

1 bulb garlic, peeled, finely chopped (yes, the whole thing, not just 1 clove)

2 leeks, halved, finely sliced, rinsed of dirt

2 carrots, peeled, finely diced

2 sticks celery, finely diced

half a bottle of dry white wine

salt and pepper

fresh parsley, chopped

Brown the chicken in butter and oil and place in a large baking dish. Heat a bit more oil and butter in the same pan used for browning the chicken, add garlic and soften a little. Careful not to burn it. Add celery, carrots and leeks and stir for a couple of minutes. Add wine, salt and pepper. Stir and heat through. Pour mixture over the chicken, spreading the vegetables around. Cook in a moderate oven about 1.5 hours, until the chicken skin has crisped a bit and the "sauce" has reduced.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve. Very nice with plain cooked rice and a green salad.

All I added to the dish at Lancefield was an extra carrot and 3 extra maryland portions (to serve 10).

Since I don't have a picture of the cooked dish you'll have to make do with this somewhat disturbing one.

 

It comes from The River Cottage Family Cookbook by the quintessentially english-named Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Fizz Carr. A lovely cook book aimed at the novice cook of perhaps 11+ years and onwards. Or younger, if cooking with an experienced helper.

And now for something completely different.

I found four Kathie Winkle plates and two Kathie Winkle bowls at the op-shop yesterday! And a cup and saucer in a green I particularly like.

 

It's a wonder you didn't hear me hyperventilating from there.

A Year In A Bottle

I bought this book recently:

It's citrus season at the op-shops. Truly, there's a box of limes, lemons or grapefruit next to every counter at this time of year. Practically being given away.

At one there were "small mandarins" which I bought. I do think they were cumquats though. I tried the mandarin jam recipe which produced a delicious smooth "jam" tasting just like cumquat marmalade. I had some warmed as a sauce on ice cream - yum!

I bought a big bag of limes - $2.00 - at another oppy and made the lime cordial recipe, a double batch. Splendid. The best cordial ever according to Clare and Ally.

It's an Australian book (the author lives in Tasmania), and I can see myself using it a lot.

I wonder how much sugar you'd need to store if you preserve in the form of jams, cordials, conserves and the like. Chutneys and relishes contain sugar too. I should start a running record to find out.

Cheers.

Fish o' The Decade

Definitely a once-a-decade phenomenon. My husband catching an eating size fish, that is (not through lack of effort, though).

A 1kg trout, what a beauty.

It's been a scattered week. Well, more so than usual.

I got my large, luxurious sheepskin off lay-by. I haven't sat on it yet, but doesn't it look sooo comfortable.

A random room shot from where I was sitting on the couch to photograph the "sheepy".

The room through the doorway is Linsey's bedroom. It's really interesting to go and look at the ever-changing pictures, photos and artworks on her walls.

I was tagged for the "Seven Weird Things" meme by Janet. I should be able to come up with loads of weird things to tell since I've been considered weird for most of my life! The label did lessen somewhat upon finishing high school. Then I pretty much embraced the tag.

I'll come up with the seven in due course.

Yum

Summer's bounty.

Summer In A Jar

We're well preserved around these parts (sorry, couldn't help it). The glut is dealt with. Behold:

Do I feel virtuous? Indeed.

Probably ten or so kilos of apricots, dried. Two double batches of apricot chutney (excellent with dhal, or a cheese sandwich). Two double batches of apricot jam. A double batch of plum sauce.

Not so much plum sauce as there's still a couple of bottles from last year. It's the recipe from Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion. I find I need to add vastly more sugar (like a kilo or more) or the sauce is tongue-curlingly acrid. Mostly I use it for marinading and as a baste, although it's ok with barbequed snags.

Anyone got a killer plum sauce recipe? Pass it on!

The apricot jam recipe is from the same book, and turns out excellent. Perhaps my plums are more tart than the ones Stephanie uses?

The chutney recipe I found long ago in a magazine, title not remembered. As with many of you, I'm always on the lookout for tasty recipes to manage the glut! Here it is:

APRICOT CHUTNEY

• 750g ripe apricots, stones removed & roughly chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 250g raisins
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped finely
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 chillies (or to taste), seeds removed & finely chopped
• 30ml (2 tablespoons) tomato puree
• 500ml (2 cups) brown vinegar

Place all ingredients in a large, stainless-steel saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Simmer gently for about an hour until mixture is thick and flavoursome. Stir occasionally to prevent mixture sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

Pour into hot, sterilised jars and seal with sterilised lids.

Makes about 1.2 litres of chutney.

Add extra sugar if chutney is too sharp for your taste. I always add more suger, I don't like vinegar to be the dominant flavour!

I might make plum jam. However the blood plum tree is fairly light-on this year, so we'll probably eat the rest fresh. Usually this tree is groaning with fruit. It's actually a relief to "have a break".

Now I need to find somewhere to put all this bounty!