Sandwich – 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.

MEAT & BREAD

Since there is not much excitement in my garden right now (besides that which I get from snipping arugula and spinach leaves and admiring flowers on potato plants…), I thought I would share my first experience at MEAT & BREAD in Gastown, Vancouver.

As I’ve always seen long lines plus a huge crowd of people inside and out in front of the restaurant, I was worried that we might not get seats when we arrived around lunch time. Thankfully, it turned out that just before 2 pm was no so bad.

The place was so photogenic that I couldn’t stop myself from quickly snapping a few shots. The photographs shown here are only the tip of the iceberg, and I cannot wait to go back with a faster roll of film, especially to capture interesting props in the backside of the space and of course, to try their other sandwich varieties!

My porchetta sandwich, and what seemed a bowl of wheat bulgur (correct me if I’m wrong) salad, were absolutely delightful. The salad reminded me of the dish I used to make with couscous in the heat of summer days. So here I did my best to simulate the delectable salad I enjoyed at this restaurant. Hope you can visit this cool place on your next trip to Vancouver!

Meat&Bread4 Meat&Bread5

Oat Groats and Radish Salad

I substituted wheat bulgur (I think) for oat groats, since this was the only close thing that I could find from my local organic store. In return, the salad got a chewier texture that I really enjoyed! Make sure you have extra, because it is so tasty the next day.

Serves 4 to 5

1 cup oat groats

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup cucumber, cut into ½ inch cubes

2 tomatoes cut into ½ inch cubes

1 bunch radishes, leaves removed and sliced

A few leaves of parsley, finely chopped

Lemon juice from ½ lemon or to taste

A few swirls of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Rinse the groats. Bring the groats, stock and salt to a boil. Cover, turn the heat down and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Rinse the groats under cold water and drain well. Place in a large mixing bowl along with onion, cucumber, tomatoes, radish, and parsley.

Add the lemon juice and oil, and adjust with salt and pepper. Mix well and let stand for 20 minutes in a refrigerator or until serving time.

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.