La Dolce Vita

Sweet Orange Cake

Cakes and sweet baking are not something I do all that often, indeed this may in fact be the first post in that genre.  Rectifying that imbalance I thought I might put this recipe up.  Originally coming from a newspaper clipping, my mother raves about this recipe and makes it often; I’d be fibbing if I told you I wasn’t a convert! 

Apart from being a deliciously moist cake it has a few points which make it a good one to have in the repertoire; very easy to make, particularly if you have a food processor, versatile enough to serve with coffee or as a dessert, also is gluten free.  The gluten free part is also one of the strengths even if you can eat it. The absence of gluten makes such a delicate recipe!  Having friends and family who are intolerant and ceoliac, it’s great to have wonderful recipes to share with them.

No doubt the recipe owes more than a little to the masters of sweet aromatic delicacies in the middle east,  I actually added a tiny tweak to the recipe in that vein this first time I made it.  I have a few further suggestions for variations, but to the recipe…

Ingredients

CAKE

Roughly shot in a hurry, but you get the idea, YUM!

2 oranges, washed

250g slivered almonds

8 dried Apricots, chopped

1 cup caster sugar

5 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

SYRUP

1 orange

½ cup caster sugar

A few drops of rose water essence

Preheat the oven to 150 C.  Put the oranges in a freezer bag loosely sealed and microwave on high for 12 minutes, I’d also pop that in a bowl to avoid leaks! Set them aside for a few minutes to cool.  Grease a 22cm round cake tin and line it with baking paper.  This cake is a big softy so make sure you line with the paper or getting it out may be a hard ask!  Open the oranges up and get any seeds out, also remove any stem remnants.  Pulse the almonds a few times in the food processor to roughly chop, throw in the torn apart whole oranges and apricots and give these a whizz to finely chop and combine.  Caster sugar can be added now and mixed through, finally add the eggs and baking powder and mix for 10-20 secs to combine.  Pour out into the baking tin and bake for 1hr, or until deep golden brown and a skewer comes out cleanly.

For the syrup, take the zest off then juice the orange, combine these and add the sugar in a saucepan, stir vigorously, bring it to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes without stirring.  Take it off the heat and let it cool down.  My tweak from the original was to add the rosewater essence once the syrup was cool, I think it lifts the citrus aroma and flavour and adds such a lovely note to the cake.  

Now at this point the original recipe says to pour over the syrup at serving with cream, ice cream, thick yogurt etc.  This is absolutely fine, however (thanks again mum!) I think the cake is even better if you pour over the still warm syrup and leave it to soak into the cake, and it gets better over a day or two.  Obviously it can still be served with ice cream etc.

As for other variations in the recipe, think about dried figs (possibly soaked in liqueur of some sort) with or instead of the apricots, a little cinnamon in cake or syrup, nutmeg and possibly slivered pistachios over the top with the syrup. Mmm!    

photo of a photo aka "serving suggeston" thanks to the Daily Telegraph.

Countryside Adventures

So here's another post coming to you from the Mid North Coast of New South Wales; I was charged with minding the dog for a few days as others embarked on a few side trips and this is a dish I cooked up to amuse myself and the dog.  He enjoyed it in rather more of a raw form it must be said!  I like this style of cooking the meat and have made this quite a few times with variations in the marinade.  This edition, I guess because of the Sumac, preserved lemon and general spice profile, takes some inspiration from North Africa via the South of Italy.  Quite Australian in it’s multicultural mixture of influences.  You can also use a dash of sweet vermouth in a marinade as variation.   


 

Preserved Grapefruit, an in house product,
but as you won't find that at the shops I suggest lemon!

Seared Kangaroo Fillets



Kangaroo Fillet (roughly two medium sized pieces per person)

Marinade

Garlic, 2 large cloves crushed and diced

Olive Oil, 50ml

White wine, 50 ml

Balsamic Vinegar, 1 dash

Sumac, large tsp

The Kangaroo, Sizzling along in the pan, prior to the oven

Dash of finely diced chilli

Lemon thyme, 3-4 sprigs

Bay leaves, 2 fresh

Preserved lemon, 2-3 pieces, finely sliced

Cumin, ½ tsp

Cardamom. A pinch

 Salt

Black Pepper

White Pepper

Throw all the marinade ingredients together and give it a good mix.  To this, add the kangaroo and make sure all the meat has a good covering of the liquid.  This can all be prepared the day before if you want, or on the day you cook it.  If you do it earlier, cover and throw it in the fridge but give the meat a turn every now and then.  Make sure you get it out of the fridge to get it up to room temperature prior to cooking.  Prepared a few hours before cooking it can just be left out of the fridge, but again give it a mix and stir occasionally.

To cook, remove the meat from the marinade and get rid of any big lumps of garlic, herb etc from the meat.  Reserve the marinade and set an oven to 220C, also heat a pan with a little oil until very hot.  Sear the meat until coloured and browned on all sides.  This might be 30 seconds or so per side, but use your judgement.  Place the meat into a baking dish and pour over the marinade.  Cook in the oven for 5-10 minutes.  The aim is to keep the meat rare in the middle but combine the lovely flavours of the marinade, so don’t overdo it!  If you do like the meat a little more well done, bake for 5-10 minutes longer but at about 180 C.  (Though I think  Kangaroo is at it’s best rare to medium rare!)

Give the meat a rest under foil for 10-15 minutes then serve with a Salad or your favourite roasted vegetables.  Here I’ve done some oven roasted potatoes and a tomato, avocado and cucumber salad.    We enjoyed this with a delicate and lighter Cabernet, but a rich and spicy Shiraz or the classic game companion of a Pinot would also work.

Refreshing Jelly Madness

Rosé Jellies

This is a take on that in between of courses, the palate cleanser.  I was doing a few other things in the kitchen pre Christmas and had a few bottles of wine about the place.  So by way of experimentation I came up with these wobbly imaginings.  Spritely and refreshing, this would work as a chilled aperitif with some nibbles, interlude between heavier courses or in the role of zippy closer to a meal.  What more could you want in the warmer weather, it even has a little alcohol kick!   

Dry Rosé, 1 bottle

15g gelatine

Herbs

Lemon juice

Brown sugar

Dissolve the gelatine in 50 ml of boiling water with a little sugar and lemon.  The amount depends on how dry/sweet the wine and your taste, it can even be omitted.  I only use it to cover off the gelatine flavour so the rule of thumb is as little as possible.

Combine with the wine whilst stirring vigorously. Pour into small moulds and add decorative and aromatic herbs of choice.  (Fresh Bay leaves, Thyme, Basil, Mint, Rosemary could be used, for example).  Place in fridge to set.

Remove from the mould to serve, perhaps with a mint leaf and apple wafer.

The gelatine needs to be at about 2% in the solution to set, so this sits at 20g/L.  Obviously you can vary the volumes to suit the quantity of jelly needed.  This quantity makes about 8-10 small jellies.  Depending on the use of the dish you might also vary the type of rosé, ie a sweeter wine if you were using it at the end of a meal.

Festive Delectables

Christmas is often a time of excess for many, which some of the time is a great thing.  Many dishes of rich food, sauced and puddinged to death, it's very clear it's the festive season.  So sometimes it's nice to enjoy the very simplest of foods beautifully prepared.  This dish certainly fits the bill and has the added bonus of being super easy but impressive; equally at home as a casual dinner or main course whilst entertaining.

Rare Seared Beef Fillet

Whole eye fillet

Thyme

Oregano

Rosemary

1 bay leaf

1 onion

Garlic, 2 cloves

Beef stock 100ml

White wine 100ml

Olive oil

Black Pepper

White Pepper

The Beef is prepared in two stages, first seared in a pan then finished in a very slow oven.  A sauce is rubbed and poured over the beef before baking.

For the sauce fry the crushed garlic and finely diced onion in a little oil until slightly coloured.  Throw in the herbs, stir and then add the stock, wine and seasoning.  Simmer briefly to combine all the elements and reduce the liquid slightly.  Set aside.

Rub the beef with a little salt and sear the beef in a very hot pan with a little oil, ideally you would like as much colour as possible, but a rough guide might be 1-2 minutes per side.  Once this is done place the beef in a baking tray and pour over the sauce, if your pan is oven proof you could just use that.

Bake the beef in the oven at about 100-110 degs for 30 min, the point being to gently finish the cooking process and retain the beautiful delicacy and flavour of the meat.

To serve, slice the meat and arrange on a platter.  It can be enjoyed with an array of sides, but simplicity is possibly appropriate as it allows the beef flavour to shine.  Suggestion; Oven roasted Kipflers, or steamed chats alongside some green beans (How about the courgette and bean salad) or leafy salad.    

Breakfast Variations For All Occasions, Or BLT Bliss, nom nom nom!

So in the interest of continued diversification and variety here's another first.  We seem to be having a few, but then these are such exciting times! It's a breakfast construction or “stack”, I use the term because it recalls the humour of a year or two ago (well it got to be funny), when everything you were served, be it in restaurant or more casual eatery was described as some sort of chimney pipe construction. “Stack of duck confit, green pea and kipfler” or “Beef with vegetable stack” and so it goes, you get the idea and one has to admit it is probably a better word than pile, though it can be a challenge to see the difference. Anyway, what matters is the product and the flavour, something good to chomp on! I think this is something along those lines.

*I confess it's only really a stack/pile because I opted for the open sandwich idea, keep that to yourselves though.

Breakfast is not something you really want to mess around with. Your a bit sleepy, at best a bit slow but feeling refreshed, at worst hungover and feeling about as good as last nights ashtray looks. You need a tea/coffee/juice and something to revive the long flagging blood sugar levels. Here's something to help, it might even impress if you have friends and hangers on present.

Suprisingly I took the photo...

I must call it a BACT really, I omitted lettuce and added a slice or two of cheese. Rationale? Who wants lettuce at 9am and you can't have enough tasty protein in this mix.

So to the recipe...

Sourdough Bread, sliced (I use my own, always wanted to say that!)

Avocado, sliced

Bacon (here use whatever cut/type you like or have, remember it is 9am)

Cheese (I used a bit of aged cheddar, but again personal preference and availability is king)

Tomato (I repeat the above statement)

Optionals

butter

garlic

Pepper

Sauce of choice (I'd like to say I enjoyed something sophisticated here, but my guilty pleasure is a dash of tomato sauce.)

Fry some bacon, as this cooks slice your avocado, tomato and cheese. When the bacon has nearly reached the level of cookedness (dodgy word there I know, so sue me) you like, toast the bread. At this point when the toast is done I give it a little rub with a cut garlic clove, not too much and it's very tasty. This is one of the options I suggest and you can also butter or not butter as you desire, I just felt with the cheese and avocado it didn't need it, but choice and free will are great things.

On the toast arrange the ingredients in as artistic or haphazard way as pleases. I did make mine look ok for the photo but I promise everyone that the whole cooking process, even the photography only took me about 15 mins and I made it early in the morning.

Eat it! Possibly with Coffee, Tea or a Bloody Mary depending on how desperate the circumstance.

Baby, You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To... or Mint Orange with Pomegranate Molasses

I'm not much of a dessert man if I'm honest. There isn't some particular prejudice towards dessert, I quite enjoy them and indeed have been known to have a second go at ones I particularly esteem; I even create them on occasion, it's just not a focus I have. Too savoury a palate, or maybe the title suggests I'm subconsciously in a hurry, I have no idea. Here we are anyway with a dessert, which is a first for musings.

Just a note at this point that I think pomegranate molasses the most amazing thing. It is so good in a variety of savoury and sweet situations because of it's beautiful intertwined sweetness and biting acidity.  Translating to a great counterpoint in a dish like this, or a tremendous flavour booster on the savoury plate.

A dessert most simple yet intoxicating, with a tantalising play of sweet and savoury, it could even be used as a palate cleanser if you intended to follow with a more "proper" dessert. Personally my choice after this little number would be a coffee and chunk of chocolate, simple tastes I know...

Mint Orange with Pomegranate Molasses

4 Oranges (navels may be the go, otherwise deseeding is an additional task)

Pomegranate Molasses

Mint, handful torn

Optional White Port

With a knife, top and bottom the oranges, then take the skins off. Slice finely crossways. Arrange on a serving dish as you please, throw some mint over and add another layer of orange. How you do this step all depends on the quantity your making, obviously you can make more and this would allow more layers. When constructed drizzle generously with pomegranate molasses. Refrigerate for 2hrs or so for maximum flavour. If you like, a drizzle of White Port (or favourite liqueur, Cointreau would work well) with the molasses adds further tastiness. Garnish with whole fresh mint leaves when serving.  It really is quite the delightful melange.

Despite the apparent simplicity, this really is a show stopper!

Warm Courgette & Bean and Salad

Most of the time I like to try and be an original, or at least think I am. I know I know, it's all been done before but I resist as I can. So anyway this is a first where I post another's recipe pretty directly, bear with me though as it serves a purpose beyond mere cookery. Oh and it's fantastic in flavour and simplicity.

The recipe comes from an episode of Poh's Kitchen where Poh teams up with Antonio Carluccio. For those unfamiliar with either, do you live under a rock? Google them! It's Antonio's recipe, sure, but not really (I'm certain he would agree). It's so simple and classic that it or a variation has graced many a table; we are blessed to have and be able to pass on dishes like these.

So before I get to the recipe, this dish says a number of things to me: It illustrates beauty in economy and quality of ingredients. It also allows me to express one of the joys which food gives me in that it is a celebration of what unites us, whilst encouraging diversity.  The two cooks in question come from very different origins, yet have such a similar outlook when all is said and done.  I admire very much Poh and Antonio for their enthusiasm and love of great food and the atmosphere it engenders, both show such obvious delight in what they do.

What of this recipe you ask? It's so simple!

Green beans

Courgettes

Garlic, roughly crushed

Mint, torn

Olive oil (I infused the garlic for an hr or 2 in the oil)

Lemon juice

In salted boiling water cook the beans and courgettes until slightly softtened, al dente etc (it really depends how you like it) but don't go too far! Drain and toss through the oil, lemon, garlic and mint. Quantities, well I'll just say have a little more courgette than bean and be generous with the mint and garlic over the top. Slosh some oil and lemon over, season, and well, pleasure should ensue! Also, you can obviously adjust it to suit the number eating. Still confused? Click here...  There's also a great load of recipes available, so it's well worth a look.  (Thanks ABC TV).

Easily a good dish to go with lamb or another cut of meat, it is also delicious alone or with some salami and good bread.

In closing as Antonio Carluccio says, MOF. Minimum of fuss, Maximum of flavour! Thanks to you and Poh Ling Yeow.

“What's that Skip, you fancy something Italian?” Kangaroo Bolognese...

It's funny how some people react when you mention Kangaroo featuring in a dish you cooked or tried, I'm not entirely sure why, but it seems to divide, some love the idea whilst others appear perplexed. Sure I understand the notion of it being a national symbol; many seem to see kangaroos as cute and cuddly, up there alongside koalas for example, but there's some irony in the fact that neither are particularly like this most of the time in the wild. Not that koalas are eaten regularly, but I digress! Kangaroo seems a logical additional protein choice for a variety of reasons, but principally, alongside more familiar meats, such as beef, chicken, lamb etc, here is a relatively sustainable and low impact product. There is some argument about how sustainable, but there is no comparison between the relative environmental impact of cattle vs kangaroo.

From the consumers point of view this meat is interesting for a few reasons: it can be seared as steaks for a lean and flavoursome dish, and many prize the gamey quality of the meat. This high quality, it's leaness and flavour also suggest it would make excellent carpaccio. However for this dish I'm using a mince, the main concern with any preparation of roo remains ensuring the meat does not dry out due it's extreme leaness (for those unfamiliar with it think of venison). It's handy to use a little bit more oil or even use another fat or stock to maintain the delicacy of the meat.  For steaks, in the form of marinades and bastes; in this case a little more olive oil in the initial cooking process.

For this take on a dish possibly done to death, I feel the kangaroo brings such a wonderful depth of flavour and a welcome twist and sense of difference. It is also intentionally an easy one to prepare regardless of your skill level.  The nervous or novice can do this one and it's great for the pros when you want something good, but don't want to be slaving in the kitchen for hours.  I love cooking, just not all the time!

Ingredients



The dish goes nicely with a Cruickshank 2007 Shiraz...
(See it in the previous post)

 Olive oil

2 small to med onions

3 cloves garlic

500g kangaroo mince

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp mixed herbs

A little dried chilli

Good grind of black & white pepper

salt

1 tsp sugar

2 bay leaves dried (really a matter of taste, I'd use less if fresh)

Some of my superdupa pork belly stock! (beef stock is ok if you don't have the former) *

2 400g tins of tomato

a little quality red wine (2 dessert spoons approx)

parsley

parmesan cheese

Piling it all in the pot

Sweat off and lightly brown the onion in a little oil, throw in a little salt as this nears completion. Add your mince and garlic, cook until the meat is coloured through. pop the spices in and let this cook a little as you open the tins of tomato. Whack these and your stock in the mix and combine. You should have quite a lot of liquid, but this is good as I just let it all cook for a couple of hours and reduce gradually to a rich sauce, really the longer the better, but if your low on time turn the heat up. Right at the end of the process I add the small amount of wine as an essence to the sauce, it gives a lovely subtle lift to the flavour.  You may like to use the same wine you will serve with the food, if your having wine.  (Who makes statements like that?  Of course you shall have wine!) You can also check your seasoning at this point as well and adjust accordingly.

Mix through al dente cooked pasta of your choice, I like Fettucine, but the choice is between you and your pantry shelves.  Garnish with parsley and parmesan if desired.

*My Pork stock is the rendered material of an oven roasted piece of pork belly, there's onion, spices, wine and various other goodies that went into the roast originally, anyway I froze the remaining liquid and have been using it in sauces and other dishes to give depth and richness. It's great! If I don't use this or another “proper” stock, I've been using good quality stock cubes in recipes, this would be fine here.

Skippy rates it 5 stars ;)  Actually reflecting on it, the thought of Cannibalistic Kangaroos digging into this is somewhat disturbing, or the seed of a new horror film...  On that note, enjoy!

Ossobuco alla Sydney

Well this is definitely one of my favourite dishes for winter. It's rich, tasty and satisfying, with the best part being the ease of preparation. For this edition of the dish I had a collaborator, with my brother joining the fray. Full credit must go to him for the delicious mash we served with the meat and broth!

We improvised the recipe really, don't all the best rustic Italian farmhouse cooks? Anyhow the result is fairly faithful to the dish most of us know, with a few tweaks here and there. Interestingly there are really two main types of sauce you can go with: The modern version we know with a tomato base, onions, celery, carrots etc, and the much older Ossobuco bianco, which is primarily flavoured with bay leaf, cinnamon and gremolata. I always find it fascinating the extent to which we associate the tomato with Italian cooking, when in fact it is a rather recent addition, tomatoes arriving in Europe from South America in the late 1500's with the returning Spanish. Even from this point not being adopted into Italian cuisine on a large scale until the 17^th century.

In a nod to the older version of the dish, I started with a mix of spices including cumin, bay and cinnamon, I love the tomato richness as well so here's our take...

Ossobuco pieces, dusted in flour (as many as you need, 1 per serve)

2 onions

2-3 cloves of garlic

chilli flakes (few dashes to taste)

cracked black pepper ½ tsp

white pepper ½ tsp

mixed herbs 1-2 tsp

cumin ½ tsp

cinnamon ½ tsp

salt 1 tsp (to taste really)

sugar (again to get balance, to taste)

Rosemary 2 sprigs

Sundried tomatoes 150-200g

2-3 dried leaves, (use less if you have fresh, and of course these are always better!)

handful of chopped parsley

I also added about 75g of rendered sauce from a pork belly roast I made, and froze. It was a little like a stock base I guess, and you could use something similar or add some more stock to the mix of a type to your liking. The whole point is the depth of flavour in the finished dish.

red wine 250ml

water and/or stock (judge to cover the meat)

Tin of whole tomatoes 375g

2-3 carrots, roughly halved or chopped

Butter

Olive Oil

In a large, heavy pot, brown the meat in a little oil and butter, the more colour and caramelisation, all the better for the flavour later! When you are happy with this stage, throw in the chopped onions and garlic along with the herbs and spice (at this point I added my “Pork belly booster” and the sundried tomatoes).  Mix it all together and let the onion and garlic cook a little before adding the wine to deglaze the pan. At this point you can add the canned tomatoes, mix them through and then add the other liquid ingredients so everything is immersed. We simmered on a very low heat for about 5-6 hrs, obviously you can go shorter if time is tight, just simmer a bit faster. With the extra time you can go for a very low, barely bubbling simmer, everything cooks very slowly and is extremely tender. The carrots were added with about 2 hours to go and the lid removed for the last hour, to cook off a little liquid. Don't really reduce as your after a broth rather than a thickened sauce.

For the potatoes, quarter and boil in salted water until tender. We mashed with butter, salt, black and white pepper and a good handful of finely chopped parsley. If your adventurous a squeeze of lemon really lifts the mash, whipped through just before serving.

A flexible dish, my brother enjoyed this with a Guinness.  I on the other hand thought it sublime with a 2004 Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo, each to their own I guess but it worked nicely both ways. (I'd say try with the Piedmont expat though ;) ! )  There may have to be a review of this wine now...  

What else to say but a tasty, satisfying and glorious dish for the cool weather when something hearty is craved. I think it's so good you can do it anytime...

Tomato Marinade Roast Pork Belly

For the baste I used a basic pasta sauce I often make, well it was actually the remainder of one I had made earlier, but I wanted to try this with the belly.

Marinade

1 tin whole tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

1 small onion

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp mixed herbs

chilli flakes

2 tsp soy sauce

olive oil

75ml red wine

S & P to season

Pork Belly (Size depends on servings, 700g will feed 4 or 5)

Vegetables to roast

white wine

Heat oil and toss the finely chopped garlic and onion in. When this is golden throw all the herbs, soy, tomatoes and wine in. Give it a stir and bring to a simmer. Season and allow to reduce by ½ or more, quite thick is good. Really, cook as you would any rich tomato based pasta sauce, the more time you have, the better to reduce the liquid and intensify the flavours.

This part of the recipe can be prepared in advance and put in the fridge or freezer for later use.

Pork

It is desirable to get the Pork fat to crackle, how far you want the process to go is up to the cook. For a softer crunch you can reduce the length of high temperature cooking at the start of the roasting, keep an eye on it.

Reserve about a third of the marinade.  Use the rest on the meat.

You can scald the fat side with boiling water to assist the crackling process. Personally, I don't know that this is an absolute must, try it both ways! If you do scald it, dry well before continuing.  Rub down the heavily scored fat side with salt and olive oil, you can be fairly liberal with the salt. Work the marinade into the meaty side and rub a little into the fat side, though the salt is the main bit here. The whole piece can be placed in the fridge for several hours, overnight would be ideal. Before roasting a little more salt can be rubbed into the fat to ensure the crackling has crackle!

Roast in an oven at 220 C for 1/2hr (this depends on the oven and how crunchy you like the crackling) then turn the heat down to 165 for a further 1 ½ hours. 

At the point where the oven is turned down add Potatoes, carrots, sweet potato or your other favourite vegetables to roast in the pan.  (If you like these a little more crispy and crunchy, they can be put in at the very start of the roasting, but don't add the wine until you turn the oven down.) These should be cut into hearty, rustic slabs. I added white wine to the pan as well to keep it moist and form a sauce, with the wine put the rest of the marinade over the vegetables. The volumes depends on the pan, you want a good covering, but you don't want to swamp the meat. Cover* Take the lid off for the last 10-15min.

*I'd suggest using a roasting pan with a lid to make this easy, and it also has steaming effect, retaining moisture and delicacy.

Slice the belly and serve with the vegetables and some of the delicious sauce. I'd also suggest a green/garden salad on the side to counter the richness of the dish.

Sweet Spice Roast Chicken

Roasting a chicken isn't a hard task, but it's always good to have a few tasty variations up the sleeve to give variety.  I cooked this up for a Sunday evening.  It's easy enough for an ordinary meal while your pursuing weekend activities, tasty enough for entertaining with a casual dinner; a recipe for when you have plenty of cooking time but are short on preparation time, let's face it, that can be any time.

1 Chicken (Obviously)

Stuffing

Olive oil

1 ½ tbs Balsamic vinegar

1 ½ tbs Soy sauce

30ml sweet vermouth

Generous dash of chilli flakes

1 tsp mixed herbs

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp 5 spice

1 apple, finely sliced

6-8 Kalamata olives, pitted whole

2 cloves garlic, diced finely

1 slice raisin toast, roughly chopped

½ handful parsley, finely chopped

6-8 fine slices of butter

black pepper

*The quantities listed here are for a small chicken, you could adjust these as needed for a bigger, or multiple birds.

Preheat oven to 190 C.

Begin with a generous slug of oil in a mixing bowl, to this add all the stuffing ingredients, apart from the butter and mix well. Toss the butter through last as this is intended to melt through in the cooking process. The mix should be moist to slightly wet, If it is too dry add a little water or wine.

Stuff the chicken and then rub the outside with a little more olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish and cover with foil.  The foil will hold the moisture in and maximise flavour infusion.

Cooking time is some 2+ hrs, give the bird 15min at 190 then turn the oven back to 155 C. After 1¾ hrs approx remove the foil and allow the chicken to colour for ½hr. Remove from the oven when golden. Keep an eye on things at this stage, as browning time may vary.

Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a warm spot, reduce the juices to make a lovely jus.  The beauty of the relatively slow oven is that the meat stays tender and doesn't dry out, so this really is a low stress recipe allowing you to cook another dish, do the housework or entertain friends. I'd suggest serving with with your favourite roast vegetables and light greens. The versatility is such that a salad would equally suit as an accompaniment.

Brussel sprouts with Kale & Baby Beetroot leaves

So there I was peering into the fridge, with the idea that I should try and throw together something healthy and tasty with the fresh vegetables that were available.  I was surprised how well this little improvisation worked and will give it another go I reckon.  I suppose I should also preface the recipe by stating that enjoyment of this dish hinges on the diner liking brussel sprouts, which seem to be a food that fall into the love or loath category.  The Kale and the beetroot leaves really provide interest in flavour and texture, but you could always substitute for English spinach or another equivalent, dependent on what you can get your hands on.  My naughty admission here is that I used a supermarket prepacked mix of the two! 

Ingredients

12 brussel sprouts, quartered and slightly steamed

2 medium potato, cut to small pieces, steamed

200g mixed leaves (Kale & baby beet leaves)

2 garlic cloves

½ chilli

1 lemon

To a hot pan with a little olive oil add the finely diced garlic and chilli. After 1 min throw in the sprouts, toss and then add the potato, season with salt and pepper. A few minutes should allow these to colour a little. At this point throw in the leaves and allow to wilt, (rinse and shake off greens immediately prior to adding to the pan, the little water keeps things moist and aids cooking). I like to do this in two batches about 30 sec apart so there is a little variation in the degree of cooking of the greens for texture.  Wilting should only be for about a minute as a little crispness of texture is desirable.  Turn off the heat while wilting and toss into serving dish with a squeeze of lemon and dash of oil to finish.  Check for seasoning at this point.

*I'd make the steamed potato/brussel sprouts underdone, as they will cook further in the pan. 

*Also, the chilli usage is entirely up to cook and diner, based on what else your eating and how much heat you like.  The chilli I used wasn't very hot.  My intention was to lift and enhance the flavour, rather than generate much heat.  

This would make an excellent side dish, however I ate it alone as it is quite substantial.  So there you have it, a tasty take on brussel sprouts and you never know, it might even convert some non believers!