Amazing Roasted Chicken

Amazing Roasted Chicken

1 Roasting Chicken

1 Large Lemon

8 Slices of Prosciutto, thinly sliced

1-2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed

2 Handfuls of Fresh Thyme, leaves picked, finely chopped

1/2 Stick of Butter, softened

Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F.  

Wash the chicken inside and out, then pat dry.  

Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the breast meat.  Be careful not to rip the skin.

Zest the entire lemon.

Tear the prosciutto into small pieces and combine in a bowl with the lemon zest, garlic and thyme.  Add salt and pepper then mix it all with the butter.  You may as well do this with your hands since you now push this mixture into the space between the skin and breast meat. Rub any leftover butter mix on the outside of the chicken.

Cut the peeled lemon in half and place in the cavity.

Place in hot oven and cook according to the weight of the bird.

Beans, Beans, the musical fruit....

A South Indian secret to make beans less 'musical' is, after soaking, boil them for 5 minutes then change the water before actually using them in your recipe.

Deep Dish Pizza

* you can add whatever toppings you'd like to make this your favourite pizza!

1lb (400g) pizza dough
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup sliced olives
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1 rep pepper, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 F
Roll out the dough to 1" thickness.  Place the dough in a lightly greased spring-form pan (It stays in place better if you leave some hanging over the edges of the pan).
Evenly spread the mozzarella over the dough.  Top with bacon, then veggies, then feta.
Evenly spread the sauce over top then sprinkle with parmesan and Italian seasoning.
Fold the extra dough in to form a crust, trimming excess in needed.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until crust and cheese is golden brown.
Let stand for 10 minutes then enjoy.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp dry mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large saucepan.
Boil until thickened.
Use immediately and freeze leftovers for future use.

BBQ Sauce for Chicken

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2  5.5 oz cans Tomato Paste
1 cup dark Brown Sugar, packed
3/4 cup Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Water
2 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cayenne

Heat oil in a sauce pan; sauté onion and garlic until brown.
Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until thickened.

2 Heads Salad

1 head broccoli, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lb bacon, fried and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

* optional 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Place broccoli, cauliflower and bacon in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and salt.  Pour over broccoli mixture and toss so all is coated.  Add cheese and optional dried fruit  and repeat, trying not to let the cheese clump together.

Churros with Mayan Hot Chocolate

Makes 24 Churros

Churros
1 cup water
4 Tbsp salted butter
2 Tbsp + 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
vegetable oil for frying

Mayan Hot Chocolate
1 vanilla bean
3 cups Homo (whole) milk
200 g good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter and 2 Tbsp of the sugar.  Bring to a boil then  remove from heat. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated; stir in the vanilla extract. Scrape the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 3/8" pastry star tip.  Mix together the remaining sugar and the cinnamon in a wide shallow bowl and set aside.

Fill a large pot with vegetable oil, about 4" deep, and heat the oil to 375F.

Meanwhile, make the hot chocolate.  Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a paring knife.  Place the seeds and the pod in a small saucepan.  Add the milk, chocolate and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer over med-high heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has been thoroughly incorporated and the mixture has thickened.  Discard the vanilla bean pod and keep the mixture warm until ready to serve.

Hold the piping bag vertically above the hot oil.  Pipe a 6" length of dough, then quickly cut the dough from the tip of the bag with an oiled paring knife, letting it slide away from you into the oil.  Repeat, frying up to 5 churros at a time, turning once and cooking until golden brown.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet, and while still hot roll each churro in the cinnamon sugar mix. Serve with the Mayan hot chocolate for dipping.