Poultry – Goboroot.com

Shiso Pesto Roasted Chicken

How’s everyone’s summer going? Here in the Lower Mainland in BC, Canada, we’ve had the driest July in history. That means we have an abundance of veggies and fruits compared to the past few years. It is indeed overwhelming to choose what to cook so as not to miss out on each food’s prime season. Thanks to the heat, we have been enjoying plump and juicy tomatoes every day!

Today’s recipe is a celebration of shiso (Japanese herb), whose scent always brings back memories of my grandma’s tiny garden, full of weed-like green and red shiso plants that she used to pickle umeboshi. Since this plant is prone to vigorous growth, one only needs to plant a seedling or two to obtain a sufficiently abundant supply.

In this recipe, shiso is used to create a pesto that is inserted under the chicken’s skin to impart a unique flavour to the dish. Make plenty so you mix the leftovers into pasta and/or sneak it into grilled sandwiches for easy weekday meals. We truly enjoyed sandwiches made the next day with the leftover shiso pesto chicken plus fresh tomato slices!

Shiso Pesto Roasted Chicken

Serves 4, or 2 plus leftover

Shiso Pesto
½ heaped cup hazelnuts
¼ cup sunflower seeds
3 garlic cloves
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
A bunch of shiso leaves, stems removed, rinsed and patted dry
1 sprig flat parsley
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon melted butter

1 free-range chicken, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil
A bunch of carrots, leaves removed, rinsed and patted dry

Make pesto. Roast the hazelnuts and sunflower seeds until aromatic and golden. Place all ingredients except oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Start adding oil in a steady drip, and continue to pulse until pesto becomes smooth. It is okay to leave some coarse texture. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place the chicken on a roasting pan, chest side up. Salt and pepper the chicken. Insert the pesto from the openings and spread evenly under the bird’s skin through the breasts to thighs and repeat the same for the back–be careful so you don’t tear the skin.

Remove the pesto from your hands and smear on the outside of the chicken. You can add 2 more tablespoons or so of the pesto and continue to rub the entire chicken, making sure it’s well coated. Rub the inside of the carcass too. Finally, drizzle some oil over top, and coat the outside of the chicken evenly. Tie the legs with some kitchen string.

Roast until done; for example, it will take about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a small bird. Alternately, wait until a thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the poultry reaches 165F.

When the chicken is halfway done, add the carrots (lightly coated with salt, pepper and oil) to the roasting pan.

Baste the chicken and carrots periodically.

Remove from the oven, and rest for a few minutes. Carve the chicken and serve to individual plates with carrots. Serve immediately. Keep the rest of the pesto in an airtight container, and refrigerate for another use.

Chicken Wraps

Every so often, we miss the place we used to live: Main Street and 15^th Ave. in Vancouver. We considered this place to be the centre of all interesting things happening, be it culture, food, people or little clothing boutiques. However, we particularly miss going to Canteen Mitra, a Mediterranean falafel place. We used to grab a chicken wrap and eat under the summer evening light, watching waves of people pass by. Of course, one cannot skip richly flavoured, artfully made latte at JJ Bean coffee roasters next door either.

Possessed by a sudden craving at home, I did my best to imitate Canteen Mitra’s chicken wrap with a lemon herb twist. Alas, nothing beats that chicken wrap they serve, but this is still a pretty delicious version. Also, we enjoyed the leftover chicken made into another meal with roasted asparagus, a super simple yet tasty pasta dish.

Chicken Wraps

Makes 2 wraps

2 pieces of pita bread

Lettuce leaves

Roasted chicken (see recipe below)

Red onion, thinly sliced

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Tzatziki (see recipe below)

Cilantro leaves

Carefully tear the edge of the pita bread all around to open, leaving a part intact. Layer the ingredients on one side, flip the other side of the bread on top, roll tightly and serve.

Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

1 free-range chicken

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

A bunch of herbs (thyme, oregano and marjoram)

2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for sprinkling

Sea salt and pepper

2 lemons

3 whole heads of garlic

Make herb butter. Place the butter, half of herbs (remove tough stems) and oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.

Quarter lemons lengthwise. Halve the garlic lengthwise. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Rinse the chicken inside out and pat dry. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Rub the herb butter all around the chicken. Stuff two pieces of lemon, the rest of the herbs and ½ whole garlic head into the cavity. Tie the legs with kitchen string.

Place in a large roasting pan along with the remaining lemon pieces and garlic. Sprinkle some oil over the lemon and garlic. Roast until meat thermometer inserted in thigh registers 185°F, for about 1½ hours. Remove from the oven and cover with a piece of tin foil for 10 minutes. Carve and serve.

Tzatziki

Makes about 1 cup

2/3 cup julienned cucumber, moisture squeezed out

A few parsley leaves, finely chopped

A dash of lemon juice

A pinch of cayenne pepper

½ cup full fat plain yogurt

Salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix.

Roasted Asparagus

Serves 4

2 bundles of asparagus

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 475F.

Rinse the asparagus and cut off the tough ends. Place them in a roasting pan and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt, pepper and oil over top.

Lower the oven to 450F. Roast until tender, for about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot. Remember to reserve the oil for the below pasta dish!

Pasta with Roasted Chicken and Asparagus

Serves 4

Spaghetti

Leftover cold chicken, cut in cubes

Roasted asparagus, cut in 2 inch pieces, oil saved

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper

Boil water, add a generous amount of salt and cook the spaghetti until al dente.

Drain the spaghetti well, and toss the chicken, asparagus, tomatoes and reserved oil from the asparagus in a large bowl to mix. Serve and sprinkle with the cheese. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Chana Masala and Delightful Accompaniments

A big thank you to my friend Paula, who recently threw a beautiful Bollywood-themed birthday party, for kindly sharing some of her delicious recipes. This event also inspired me to create a wonderful curry dish. Now I’m able to pass these delights on to you!

At Paula’s party, all of the guests appeared in colourful, gorgeous saris and brought with us tasty dishes to share. The night was filled with Paula and her talented musical friends’ tunes; in fact, Paula possesses an extraordinarily beautiful voice and melted all of our hearts with her singing. Sunshine, good company, irresistibly tasty food, enthusiastic music–what more can you ask for? Thank you again for the wonderful time, Paula!

Indian_cuisine

Chana Masala

Serves 6

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon canola oil

Spices

1 teaspoon fennel or anise seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Garam masala

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground clove

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 large bay leaf, torn in a few pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 small knob ginger, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, finely chopped and juice saved (makes about 2 cups)

About 3 cups cooked chickpeas (I use cooked ones from 1 cup dried chickpeas)

1 ½ cups chicken stock or water

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups cooked Basmati rice

In a large heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter, add the oil and fry all the spices over medium heat. When the spices give off a nice scent, add the onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until soft and onion becomes translucent.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, and cook until softened. Add the chickpeas, salt, generous amount of black pepper and chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with Basmati rice.

Spicy Blackstrap Chicken

This chicken is quite sweet, but adds a nice caramelized smokiness to a plate of Indian cuisine. Combined together with the curry and the below salad, it is just perfect.

Serves 6-8

6 to 10 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in about 2 inch pieces

1/3 cup unsulfured molasses

¼ cup cane sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ tablespoon turmeric

½ tablespoon ground saffron

½ tablespoon ground cumin

½ tablespoon whole coriander seeds, freshly ground

Preheat the oven to 375F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Combine the molasses, sugar, salt and all the spices. Place the chicken in a large cast iron pan and pour over the molasses mixture. Roast until chicken produces a caramelized look, for about 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve hot along with below dishes.

Curried Apple and Celery Salad

Serves 6-8

¾ cup slivered almonds

4 sticks celery

2 medium apples (I like this salad with Granny Smith)

½ cup raisins or dried cranberries, or mixture of both

3 tablespoons parsley, chopped finely

Dressing

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon curry powder or a mixture of small amount of following spices;

Turmeric

Ground ginger

Ground coriander

Ground cumin

Garam masala

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from ½ orange)

Chop the celery stalks into ¼ inch pieces or, using a food processor, make small slivers. Peel, core, and chop the apples into ¼ inch pieces. Make dressing by thoroughly combining all the ingredients in a bowl.

Combine the almonds, celery, apples, raisins, parsley and the dressing in a large bowl. Keep refrigerated until serving time. Serve with the curry and the chicken.

Fried Cumin Tortilla and Cucumber Raita

Make a large platter

2 packages of whole wheat tortillas

Olive oil

Ground cumin

Coriander, freshly ground is preferred

Brush a cast iron frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and add ¼ teaspoon of each cumin and coriander. When the pan is hot, add tortilla and fry until golden brown. Flip over and fry the other side. Repeat for the rest. Cut into wedges and serve around a small bowl of raita (recipe follows) on a large platter, pointy part facing toward the raita for a pretty presentation.

Cucumber raita

½ cup grated cucumber

¾ cup plain yogurt

¼ tablespoon ground cumin

½ tablespoon cane sugar

Salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Adjust the sugar and salt to your liking. Chill and keep refrigerated until serving time.