making stock

Making stock isn't rocket science but it will save you both time and money in the kitchen.  If you have a local butcher, if you ask nicely, you might even get your bones for free.  I made around 4 litres of chicken stock for around a dollar that's far cheaper than the liquid stocks available ~ it would be around $12 for the supermarket variety.

Leave it for a day when you are home for awhile and let it bubble away doing the work for you.

Chicken stock

4-6 chicken carcasses or a big load of chicken necks

2 carrots roughly chopped

3 stalks of celery and the butt end roughly chopped

3 brown onions, skin and all, roughly chopped

2-3 dried bay leaves

small bunch of fresh thyme or rosemary

10 peppercorns 

• Place all ingredients into a good sized large saucepan. Cover them with water.  For a darker stock, you can roast the bones first if you have time.
• Bring to the boil and allow to simmer away for 4 hours or so.  
• Skim off any skum/fat/impurities that rise to the surface.
• Strain and place into zip lock bags or containers into the freezer or of course use straight away

This basic recipe I will be using for my slow cooker which will be getting a strong workout this winter.  I've created a 'slow cooker' side bar which I'll be adding to over the coming weeks.  I get asked a lot for! slow cooker recipes and advice on how to use them, so I'll get cracking.  For those of you who are scared of them or haven't dusted your old crockpot off in awhile, get them out.  Just think of them exactly the same as a casserole dish sitting in a low oven, they need time and do all the work for you.  

Ciao, Jan.

P.S. It's week 24 of the 52 week money challenge :D

Chicken Pie

This cooler weather just makes me so happy.  I know, I'm strange, but I loved autumn with it's crisp mornings and sunny days and the draw of winter not far away, and here we are 2 days in.  I love cosying up on the couch with a good book while the wind and rain play havoc outside.  Pass me the slow cooker or whack the oven on and I'm a goner~it's comfort food time.

I'm not sure why I forget to make pies as they are super easy and always a hit.  I was reading Kathy's post here  about her super cute looking chicken and leek individual pies and so I got inspired to whip out the pie dish.  I didn't have any leeks but I grabbed some spring onions that had been let go in there pot outside a bit long, just perfect.  I also had a couple of corn cobs that needed using up.  That's the thing with this recipe, it is so versitile.  It could be made with just all the vegies left in the crisper, sauted up in lots of butter and garlic for a vegetarian option.  As long as you stick to the principles of the veloute sauce, you can let your ingredients run riot.  A veloute sauce is a sauce made with stock, butter and flour and is extremely versitile and velvety delicious without the naughtiness of a full cream sauce.

I honestly shake my head in denial most nights at the dinner table.  As you are well aware I lurve food as does my husband but do you think I can get my 7 year old to eat anything other than potato, corn and sometimes pumpkin? Yes she'll have avocado and a mountain of fruit but try and convince her that broccoli or carrots are amazballs tasty, no way Jose. So here I sneak as much in as I dare by serving this scrummy pie with my 3 veg mash potato.

Chicken, spring onion and corn pie
500g chicken free range chicken thighs, or left over roast chicken
4-5 white ends of good sized spring onion or 2 leeks
1-2 corn cobs, corn kernels sliced off
50g butter and a glug of evoo
400ml chicken stock, from stock powder is fine if you don't have fresh
2 tbsps plain flour
1 sheet puff pastry

• slice up your chicken thigh into bite size pieces.  I like to use kitchen scissors for this. Finely slice your spring onions and get all of your ingredients out ready.

• heat the evoo in a fry pan and fry the chicken.  Season with salt and pepper.  You may want to do this in batches as you don't want to stew the pieces, you are looking to create a golden colour to seal in the juices on each piece.  Take chicken out and keep the oil and juices in the pan.
• In the same pan, add the butter and saute the spring onion and corn without adding any colour.  Season with salt and peper.  After 5 minutes add the flour and cook out for 1 minute, stirring all the time.  Gradually add the stock until you have the thickness you desire.  You don't want it too thick or too thin, it should coat the back of a spoon easily.  Test for seasoning.

• Add the chicken back into the sauce along with any juices.  Mix through the sauce.  

• In a 20cm pie dish (approximately), pour in the chicken mixture.  You can cool it at this stage if you don't need the pie straight away or freeze it also for another time.

• Defrost 1 sheet of puff pastry and top the pie dish, using egg wash or milk to coat the pastry to get it lovely and golden.  

• Place in a 200c oven for 30 minutes or until golden.

Serve with my 3 veg mash - potato, sweet potato and pumpkin and dive in.
Some of the variations I like to make are:

• chicken, bacon and mushroom
• tinned salmon tossed through the veloute (use fish stock in the veloute if you have it), asparagus and spinach (also great with mashed potato on top instead of the pastry
• chicken, thyme, spinach and potato ( blanch diced potato in boiling water for 4-5 minutes first)
• left over roasted vegetables, semi-dried tomatoes, rocket and fresh herb (thyme leaves, parsely, mint and oregano added to sauce at the last minute
• soft boiled egg with curry powder, parsley, potato and tuna

Be guided by whats in season and either growing in your garden or from the green grocers as to what you put in. This is going to be back on our weekly menu this winter.

It's week 23 of the 52 week money challenge, we are almost half way through the year! I must confess, I'm finding it a challenge keeping up as the numbers are getting bigger but I'm doing what I can :D

A bit of an update on my crochet.  I am very proud to show my first ever granny square!  I learnt from this granny square tutorial here that is very easy to follow for anyone who would like to give it a try. Now to practice and start my rug :D

Ciao, Jan.

Cornflakes on Chicken? Yes please!

We had these tortillas with crunchy 'cornflake' chicken on the weekend.

As I make the tortilla's, I pop them into a foil pouch and let them sit happily in the oven on about 150c until all are done and we are ready to serve.

To make the cornflake chicken, you just need a cup or so of cornflakes that you can pound up in a blitzer or in a bad and hit them with a rolling pin.  Coat in natural greek yogurt then into the crumbs and bake on a tray for 25 minutes until the chicken pieces are cooked.

I served ours with avocado slices, sprouts, pickled cucumber slices, tomato, rocket and chilli sauce and they were super crunchy and delicious.

I'm heading away on holidays to Thailand until the start of May later this week, so this will be my last post for awhile as I plan on being as disconnected to technology as I possibly can to recharge and relax.  Well thats the plan anyway :) I'll share my foodie adventures with you upon my return!

Ciao, Jan.

Almond & chia sticky chicken and Week 7 of the money challenge

I've found the yummiest substitute for peanut butter and it happens to be 2 of my favourite foods combined ~ almond and chia spread.  I haven't been able to source it locally, it's only available so far in the big smoke so I've stocked up!  I've been having it spread on rice cakes,wraps and toast, dipping apples and banana's into it as an afternoon pick me up and smuggling it into my smoothies and muffins ~ banana with almond and chia muffins are definately rating high on the tried and tested list.  

I had a brainwave the other night and made this easy but not so traditional gorgeous sticky satay chicken using my scrummy spread that is definately worth trying.

I used free-range skin free chicken drummies for this recipe but you could use any cuts of meat you like, beef kebabs would be killer.  

I started by peeling and mincing a good amount of garlic with some sea salt, around 7 cloves.  We are still working our way through our home grown purple garlic which is super sweet.

In a bowl, mix together the garlic paste, 2 tablespoons of almond & chia spread (or peanut butter but make it crunchy), a good dollop of sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, a teaspoon of brown sugar, a few dashes of fish sauce, a squeeze of half a lemon or lime and give it a good mix up before coat your drummies with it.  I put it in a container that can be easily flipped over in the fridge and tuck them up over night or at least 3 hours before you need them, turning them over as often as you remember.

Line a baking tray with foil and place chicken on a rack, giving them a scattering of sesame seeds.  The foil just makes cleaning up a sinch as it collects all that gooey, sticky sauce that can go straight into the bin.  Place chicken into a hot oven, around 200c for around 35 minutes, turning once or twice.

Serve with plain basmati rice and steamed greens and tuck in for lip smacking deliciousness. 

Can you believe it's already week 7 of the 52 week money challenge too, so get that money into your jar :)

Ciao, Jan

I can't believe its not butter, butter chicken

Notice anything different? Take a closer look...See it? I've found PicMonkey....I'm thrilled and devastated all at the same time.  Why? Well I'm thrilled to have some filters for my pictures and its cool to add a watermark to my photos...but the time people, the time I'm spending on the computer before I found this was enough, but now.  I feel I'm doomed!!! I'm sure once the novelty wears off, it will be watermark only but dear Lord.....my husband might divorce me.

I'm a slow cooker junkie, such a clever invention and a dream for a busy person.  Although I'm not that busy working out of the home, you might be surprised to know I don't like to spend hours in the kitchen working on one dish. Lots of different things yes, some time in the morning and some time in the afternoon but not all at once, so the slow cooker gets a workout in our house.  I made this bastardised version of butter chicken with resounding success.  This is a typical example of me taking an idea of a recipe and changing it to suit my desire at the time.  There is no butter in this chicken nor is there any cream, but feel free to add some.

I can't believe its not butter, butter chicken

for the slow cooker:

1kg of chicken thigh, diced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled & bashed

1 onion finely diced or blitzed in food processor

1 tspn ground cumin

1 tspn ground coriander

1/2 tspn cinnamon

1 tspn garam masala 

1/2 tspn chilli powder

1/2 tspn smoked paprika

1 jar of tomato passata

1 tbsp tomato puree

200mls chicken stock approx, I used up some from the freezer stores

for the rice:

2 cups of basmati rice, well rinsed

1 clove of garlic, bashed

1 or 2 parsley stalks

1 or 2 coriander root or stem

1/2 a lemon

you can add some saffron or tumeric to make it a pretty yellow colour but its not a must

to garnish:

fresh coriander, mint and parsley roughly chopped

roughly chopped almonds or flaked if you have them but toast them before hand

natural yoghurt

I just put everything that's for the slow cooker in and pop the lid on, with it set on high.  You need it on high for around 4 hours so if you plan on going to work or heading out for the day, make it first thing and put the setting on low.  Some worry about using slow cookers but honestly they are just the same as using a casserole dish in the oven, but for a lower temperature for a longer amount of time.  I've gotten quite cheeky lately, I'm not even browning the meat before hand.  You really should as it adds flavour but I'm a rebel. Perfect example is my bolognaise, it rocks the slow cooker, even without browning the mince....I know, amazing! Revolutionary! Not to mention time saver!  I don't own a dishwasher (don't even go there) so any time I can save my manicure I'm down with it.

this is one of my frozen chicken stock packages

With the rice, just bang it all in a medium sized saucepan, cover with cold water (approx 4-5 cups if you need a guide) and boil until just under cooked, around 6 minutes timed once it reaches the boil.  It needs to be under cooked as its going in the slow cooker a little down the track.

I love this paprika and the tins are cute too

After around 4 hours, your sauce should be reduced slightly and the chicken happily cooked, if not falling apart.  Now is when you might add 1/2 a cup of cream.  I then put a layer of silverbeet down on top of the chicken (this is an option, we have so much of it at the moment and by layering it in large pieces I can pick it out for the 6 yr old with an aversion to it) and the rice on top of that and setting onto low for another hour or so.  

I had some pizza dough in the freezer that I took out around lunchtime.  It was perfect just rolled out and drizzled with some garlic infused olive oil, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and baked in a hot oven for 10 minutes or so.  It was just the thing to have with this to mop up the chicken and rice.  A dollop of natural yoghurt, some hot chilli sauce(like sambal oelek if you like some heat), a squeeze of lemon and a scattering of fresh herbs was just the accompaniment to make this dish sing.

I love getting your comments, and hearing what you have to say but it seems very quiet out there....Hello? : ) Do you use the slow cooker? Have a fav recipe?
Ciao, Jan

My high horse served up with slow cooked coq au vin

As you know I've been on my high horse about buying Australian made, you can read about it here if you missed it. So this week I went to the supermarket and am proud to say brought 98% Australian made and/or owned. No doubt it took longer, but as I walked aisle to aisle searching, I felt that at least I was doing my bit.  Coincidently on the radio on the way, Dick Smith was on the Neil Mitchell program (I am officially an old fart) saying his company is on the brink of closure as the products weren't being supported. You can read more about it here. So the first thing I did at Woolies was search for his tomato sauce and brought a couple of bottles.  Further on my travels I brought his peanut butter too and some more SPC tinned fruit to help their plight.  It will take less time next week as I now know what to look for. What little things could you switch to?  Really think about it. Don't forget about it next week. Its these little things that add up to helping an awesome cause, our country.

So off I went to the local market on Sunday.  I was thrilled to buy not only local produce, but organic as well from "Merri Banks".  

My haul from the farmers market

The farmer had beautiful garlic, celeriac and kale which I will work my meals around for the next few days.  I also got some free range eggs, cauliflour, spuddies, apples and tomatoes.  I can't wait to go back again next weekend, my only gripe would be I wish it was on Saturday then I'd have the whole weekend to work with and not be rushing out the door on Sunday!  

I love having the slow cooker on. It means dinner is taken care of in the morning as it works its magic. After coming home from the market I got to making Coq au vin. It means " chicken cooked in wine" in French but the recipe is chicken pieces cooked in red wine, bacon, mushrooms and optionally garlic. An option I gladly took on. A necessity really.  I used good quality free range chicken legs, already trimmed up. You can also use thighs and wings but please, please don't use breast for this. It is a waste. These long braises are ideal for meat on the bone that will sing after hours of gentle cooking. Breast will just go tough so save them for a quick cooking method. Also, don't be tight with your plonk. The saying that if its not fit to drink then its not fit to cook with should be your motto, and you need to taste the wine so it needs to be drinkable :) The rest of the bottle will be a perfect match with it too.  I'm going to break from tradition and add some kale to this at the last minute and also pair it up with potato and celeriac mash, I can hardly wait.

Coq au vin

8 chicken pieces

2 rashers of bacon, sliced and excess fat removed

8 eshallots, peeled and kept whole

1 eshallot, finely diced

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

3 bay leaves, fresh or dried

5 large portebello mushrooms, thickly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbspn plain flour

S & P

1 cup of red wine

1 litre of water or chicken stock

1/2 bunch kale

1 celeriac, peeled and chopped

3 spuds peeled and chopped

Put the flour and s & p in a freezer bag along with the chicken pieces and give a good shake. This flour will help thicken up the stock. 

In a frypan heat some oil and fry the pieces in batches. You want them to go golden, make sure they sizzle. Add your thyme and a little extra s & p, turning a few times. Put the batches straight into the slow cooker. 

  In the same pan, don't you dare wipe it out as you need all those brown bits for added flavour, heat a few drops more oil and lightly fry your diced eshallot, whole eshallot, garlic, and bacon. After a few minutes, deglaze the pan with the wine, it will bubble up and let it reduce for a few minutes. 

Add this to the slow cooker along with your mushies, bay leaves and stock or water.  Put the lid on, setting on high, and come back in 5-6 hours. Add the sliced kale just before serving. Peel some spuds and a celeriac, boil until tender and mash with a dash of milk, s & p and butter.  Don't forget to fill your wine glass and savour every bite.

Ciao, Jan

Super Chicken

Sussex chickens I'd love for our yard,
one day soon

How amazing are chickens? I've got a dream to have some free ranging in our yard in the next year or so. We are in the middle of finishing off a backyard reno so not really the right time but it will happen.  I was lucky enough to see a baby chicken hatch at fun4kids childrens festival in the school holidays and it almost brought a tear to my eye, amazing.

Here he his working his way
 into the world

It could seem in bad taste that I talk and show pictures of chickens in a blog that is to be about roast chicken, but we can't live in denial. Its the way things are. I'm not that keen on thinking too much about it but if I am going to eat chicken I want it to have had the best life possible, so I'm free range all the way.  If you are someone who likes the pre-cooked chickens from the supermarket, or buys 2 for 1 for $5.99,  my one wish would be you compare the taste to a free range chicken. Too expensive I hear some of you say, well yes they are but they need space to roam, good quality feed to eat, care is what you are paying for and in turn that creates better flavour.  Those cheap chickens are squashed into cages on top of each other, nothing to scratch up like grass or worms, no fresh air and are pumped full of hormones and water and is that really what you want to be eating? Just some food for thought.....

So, unless you are vegetarian, many of us eat chicken a few times a week.  The thing I love most about a free range roast chicken is you not only get the juiciest and tastiest chicken as it’s cooked on the bone, it lasts our family for 2 dinners making an $11 bird a bargain.  

The beauty about a roast chicken is you can use it for so many different dishes and put an assortment of different flavours on it. But for this beauty, its a traditional roast dinner with gravy and roasted vegies I'm chasing.

I roast all my meat over a wire rack with water in the bottom. This is so the fat and any juices collect in the water as it reduces,  steams and creates its own lovely gravy to be thickened once the fat has been skimmed off. I use a jug to collect the juices and put in the freezer for 30 mins. The fat rises to the top and solidifies so is easy to take off.

Take your bird and pat it dry with some paper towel. Remove any excess fat around the opening of the carcass.  I use herbs and garlic and/or an onion to stuff the chicken with to add flavour not to eat.  For this one I used rosemary, sage, mint, parsley stalks and 4 cloves of garlic. Dose with a good amount of sea salt, pepper and a light dusting of sweet smoked paprika.  A little tip with the paprika is to use a tea strainer to get it really finely sprinkled.  It is more for the added colour it gives than flavour. Drizzle with a little evoo and put into 180c oven for around 2 hours. 

Use a meat thermometer if you are unsure, it should read around 90c. I pull the drumstick away from the carcass slightly to check the meat is cooked closest to the bone, the last thing you want is raw chicken.  The meat near the bone will still be slightly dark red, due more to the colour of the dark meat not from blood when its cooked.

Rest your chicken on a tray for at least 30 mins covering with foil, collect any juices to add to the gravy.  The juices should be clear and not bloody, if it is bloody after the first few minutes of resting, put it back in the oven for another 10 mins or so. And that’s your chook cooked!!

Yes he is missing a leg, I keep forgetting to take
the finish photos,
too eager to get eating!!!

Ciao, Jan

Hail Caesar

Hands up if you don't own a salad spinner? Don't even know what it is? This is disastrous you know, go out immediately and get one, your salads will thank you and so will your hip pocket as your lettuces and herbs will last so much longer if you use one. They get so much excess water out of your greens which will keep them for days longer in your crisper.

Cos lettuce from the garden

So now we are over that hurdle, Caesar salad, one of my favourites but it can be done so terribly that I rarely order it out due to being constantly disappointed....over cooked black hard boiled egg, watery under cooked poached egg, no egg, too much dressing, watery dressing, no dressing, soggy croutons, packet pre-grated parmesan cheese that isn't really parmesan cheese, grated cheddar cheese, dried out bacon, cheap anchovies are some of the crimes committed against poor old Caesar.  I'm here to share with you my tasty version.

So you all know how to poach an egg from my older post "the quickest dinner for one". But you can do 4 minute soft boiled eggs (eggs in cold water, into a pot, once reaches boil time 4 mins and then cool under cold water to stop cooking). Pop your oven on to 200c while you are at it too. You can poach the eggs in advance if it helps during the dinner frenzy, just gently put them on kitchen paper and set aside in the fridge until you need them, and you can get everything else prepared before hand too, just don't, and I mean really don't put the dressing anywhere near the lettuce until you are about to eat it, no limp Caesars wanted.  The other ingredients you will need for 4 people is:

1 good sized cos lettuce or maybe 2 if you are serving this salad in a large bowl communal style

2 rashers of bacon, cut into slices

4 poached eggs

2 tbspns best foods mayonnaise (The BEST mayo!!) or whole egg mayonnaise 

1-2 tbspns lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 

1 large good quality anchovy fillet like Delicius, finely chopped, and some for the table

Sea salt & pepper, lots of cracked pepper

3-4 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley

2 slices of ciabatta bread or sour dough, cut into cubes, leave the crusts on

1 clove of garlic slice in half
1/2 cup or so of peeled/shaved parmesan, using your veggie peeler

Place bread in a bowl and drizzle with a little evoo, sea salt and pepper.  When the oven is hot, put the bacon onto a tray and put in the oven, 10 mins later add the bread cubes, keep an eye on them so they don't burn, around 7-10 minutes.  Shaking them every few minutes to get evenly browned.

In a jar large enough to take 1 cup of liquid, put in mayonnaise, lemon juice, S & P, parsley and anchovy and give a really good shake, check for tartness and seasoning, may need more lemon or mayonnaise.  If you are watching your calories substitute low fat sour cream for all or half the mayonnaise, but hold back on as much lemon juice.  Try and avoid low fat mayo's, they really are nasty, better to use less of a better quality whole egg one than more of  a crap, over processed, tasteless low fat one.

Take bacon and croutons out of oven and allow to cool.
Take any tough stalky centres out of the cos leaf and wash, spin thoroughly in your new lettuce spinner.  Slice the leaves into 1 cm strips.

In a large bowl place the cos, bacon, croutons, half the parmesan and just before serving add some of the dressing, around 3 tbspns, and gently toss until all is nicely coated but not dripping in dressing, you may need more or less.

We use Millel parmesan blocks to support hubbies work and its yummy too

If serving out on 4 plates, evenly distribute the salad, top with poached egg, and garnish with parmesan shavings, cracked pepper on the egg.  Make sure you can see some croutons and bacon just so its appealing to the eye. I'm not a mad anchovy person so I always put the anchovy jar on the table for people to help themselves.  This is also great served in a large bowl on the table, just slice the eggs in half.  You can also take this to a dinner party or bbq but assemble it there, you won't be sorry for the hassell.  Hail Caesar!!

 We had roasted chicken drummies and spuddies with ours, delicious!!! And can I just add for the the record, our 6 yr old ate 3 anchovies!!! Her dad is way chuffed.

If you give it a go or want any other tips let me know, I love getting your comments.

Ciao, Jan