Chicken Vesuvio

There is a phrase (winner, winner, chicken dinner) that has gained sudden popularity or regained, I imagine, as it seems to have originated in the 70’s or there abouts. I hate it, it is one of those nonsense things that should not bother me but it really does and then I get annoyed at myself for being annoyed, vicious circle….

anyway, while I struggle with my little neurosis it at least brings me to todays meal…

Chicken Vesuvio

8 chicken drumsticks
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 large potatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 180C.

Sprinkle chicken pieces evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat
oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Add chicken; cook 3
minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.

Add potatoes to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Return
chicken to pan. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt,
broth, white wine, fresh oregano, and minced garlic; bring to a
simmer.

Cover and bake at 180C for 40 minutes or until chicken is done and
potatoes are tender.
Makes 4 servings.

Baked Pumpkin and Bacon Risotto

I found this recipe on the net the other day and was immediately taken with it. I don’t have a photograph of my attempt simply because we ate it all before I thought of it. I found it here Baked Pumpkin and Bacon Risotto on Best Recipes (they have pictures).
I love risotto, any which way you cook it, and this was a tasty combination. Of course I changed things, my recipe is below but it is very similar to the original just a few ingredients swapped out for what I had available.

This was readily (and surprisingly) devoured by an incredibly stubborn pumpkin hating 10 year old boy and even given the nod of approval from my 95 year old Grandmother who happily accepted the leftovers when I brought them down for lunch the next day. I’ll be making this again and again, probably swapping out ingredients each time to create something new.

Baked Pumpkin and Bacon Risotto

4 bacon rashers chopped
1 red onion diced
1 1/2 cups rice
2 1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
60 g butter
1/2 butternut pumpkin peeled diced
1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
1 pinch salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 190C. Lightly pan fry bacon until crisp, and cook onions in bacon
fat until transparent, about 5 minutes.
Place rice, stock, wine, butter, pumpkin, onion and bacon in an ovenproof dish and stir
gently to combine.
Cover with foil or lid and bake for 30 minutes or until rice is soft (took about 1 hour).
Stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper, then serve.

Leftover inspired Soup

Chinese Pork, the day after…
So what do you do when you have a good chunk of Chinese Pork leftover in the fridge? Of course you make an Asian inspired soup from it and anything else you have lying around that seems to fit.

So, as this was completely made up as I went along there is no real recipe to share. However I will do my best to remember what I did.

I had two chicken carcasses, with stuffing intact from shop bought BBQ chickens in the freezer, so those went into a big pot of water. After boiling for a good long time I strained all the solids out of the broth and put the broth back on the stove.

A packet of dried Chinese mushrooms was lurking in a box at the top of the pantry so they went in also. A good bunch of silver beet from the garden was washed, chopped roughly and added. The Chinese roast pork was sliced thinly and added also.

Once the mushrooms were tender I added a block of frozen udon noodles to the pot and tasted the results. A blob of oyster sauce, a splash of fish sauce and things seemed to taste just right.

Served up in a nice deep bowl with all the utensils needed (I use a fork and a spoon, I am hopeless at chop sticks) plonked on the couch with an episode of Bizarre Foods to entertain me while I ate. Best leftovers ever!

 

Chicken Lombardy

This was my Friday night dinner. My Daughter was away for the weekend (she was still home while I was preparing this and was totally put out that she was missing it) and my husband was flying in later in the evening so I wanted something I could prepare earlier and know would be good whenever he got home. This fit the bill perfectly.

The photographs don’t do this any kind of justice. This meal was amazing. For a casserole that took a few minutes to throw together it had a deceptively ‘fancy’ flavour. If I was served this in a restaurant with a nice side of vegetables I would be very pleased indeed.

Of course there was tweaking involved. This recipe originated in a very old microwave cook book that I used to own. The microwave used to have a ‘roast’ setting which my current one does not have so I thought I would adapt it to the oven instead, that is the recipe that you find below. Also I didn’t have any brandy handy (my husband is a South African ex pat, brandy does not last in this house) so sherry made a decent substitute.

 

Chicken Lombardy

1kg-chicken pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 onions, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoon brandy (I used sherry)
1/2 cup cream
1 cup white breadcrumbs
30g butter, melted
1 teaspoon finely chopped oregano

Preheat oven to 220C.
Brush chicken pieces with oil. Place on Low Rack and cook for 30 minutes until roasted.
Combine salt, pepper, onions, chicken stock, white wine, brandy and cream.
Place chicken pieces in a 3-litre casserole dish. Pour over sauce.
Sprinkle with combined breadcrumbs, butter and oregano.
Cook for a further 20 mins or until crumbs are toasted and sauce is heated through.