Slow Roasted Lemon Chicken

Friends coming to lunch, and wanting something new to try Pinterest becomes my go too at the moment. I wanted a slow cooked, succulent and soft roast with my soft bread and a nice grilled vegetable salad....thinking yes should tick all the soft maybe to try and eat for the Wisdom Tooth extracted Daughter.

After reading lots of different slow cooked chicken recipes, they all seemed very similar to one I had done before that is a Nigel-la recipe - so here is what I did.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.8kg tray of chicken pieces from Coles
• 1 kilo chicken drumsticks
• 1 head of garlic, crushed and bruised, cloves still have the skin.
• 4 lemons cut into chunks
• 6 larger new potatoes cut into wedges
• fresh from my garden oregano - about 4 sprigs, leaves plucked
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup Marsala
• Salt and Pepper

METHOD

1. Pre-heat oven to about 150.
2. Place chicken, garlic, lemons, potatoes, oregano, olive oil, Marsala and salt and pepper into a very large baking tray
3. With your hands massage all the oils and seasoning's into the chicken and potatoes. Try if you can to make sure that the chicken is skin side up.
   
4. Cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook at that slow temp, you will think it's not cooking after about 2 hours, the smells will just start leaching from beneath that foil...remove oh my the aroma will be there... yes this is what you want...
5. Crank the oven too 200
   
6. Cook uncovered now for about 30-45mins, if like me you cooking some nice fresh bread to go with pop it in now. The chicken skin will start brown and lemons should start to caramelise a little.
   
7. At this point, impressing table service is to transfer the potatoes, garlic bulbs and some of the lemons into a nice serving platter, topping with the chicken pieces.
8. Skim from the top of the baking tray the oily residue - I didn't have too much, a few sheets of good paper towel soaked it up quick then pop the baking tray onto the stove top and reduce that wonderful sauce by about half, and serve in a jug beside your slow roasted lemony garlic chicken.

Curried Lamb Triangles

another old family favourite that I have been makign for years, and hadn't realised that I hadn't shared till my son asked could he cook it....so this is a more from memory post so that he could cook it.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion diced
• 4 potatoes diced
• 500g lamb mince
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 handful pine nuts, toasted
• 1 large handful sultanas
• 1 packet and half Puff Pastry
• 1 handful chopped fresh mint
• 1 tub low-fat Greek yoghurt

Method

1. Fry off, garlic, onion, potatoes, lamb with the spices over a medium heat till brown. Add Sultanas and toasted nuts stir until combined. Cool for 5 minutes.
2. Preheat Oven 180
3. Cut pastry sheets into quarters and place spoonfuls of mix onto half of each square fold over to form a triangle and crimp edges (use a little water or milk to help seal them well)
4. continue till you have used up remaining ingredients. 
5. Place on a lined tray and either brush with a little beaten egg or spray with spray oil. before baking in the oven for about 10-20 minutes till golden.
6. Combine Yoghurt with mint to serve.
7. 
   

We make large batches, and freeze these on baking paper before baking them. they are a great straight from freezer to oven meal for either lunch or dinner with a salad.

ROASTED PUMPKIN, SPINACH & FETA SLICE

Sorry no photo till it's cooked again, LOL it was all eaten before i got to snap it.
Serves 8
Preparation 15 Minutes
Cooking 55 Minutes 

Ingredients

750 g butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 3cm pieces
2 Zucchini, cut into chunks
1 large redonion, cut into thin wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
80g baby spinach
90g feta, crumbled
8 eggs
1/2 cup cream or milk
salad, crusty bread to serve.

Preheat oven to very hot, 220 Degrees.
Line a large baking dish with foil.
Lightly grease an 18x28cm slab pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.
Toss pumpkin, zucchini and onion in prepared baking dish with oil, season to taste and spread out.
Bake for 15-20minutes, or until vegetables are golden and tender.
Remove from oven. Toss with spinach. Place vegetables in slab pan and spread out.
Sprinkle evenly with feta.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and mil and season to taste. Pour over vegetable mixture.
Bake for 30-35mins, until set. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Serve with salad and crusty bread.

TOP TIP - you could also try leftover baked vegies, or broccoli, capsicum and mushrooms.

Well - working from my cupboard tonight - the kids prefer sweet potato to pumpkin, didn't have baby spinach but had a packet of frozen spinach so substituted both those (used the whole packet of frozen spinach.) I used the milk not the cream and we had a salad and not the bread....very filling and very yummy. I did line my baking tray with the paper, and cooked the vegies, and then I removed them from the tray and the paper, and then sprayed the same tray with a little spray oil....didn't see the sense in lining tray with foil and I used the same tray making less dishes. It was divine.

Paula's & Sonia's Impossible Pies

Picture coming later - when we eat dinner....lunch was divine.
Paula's Recipe This is the recipe I used today...LOL, with extras of roasted pumpkin...but I tend to use whatever is on hand...

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain flour
2 cups milk
4 eggs
90g butter, melted
1 cup grated tasty cheese
2 rashers rindless bacon, chopped (or 1/2 cup chopped ham)
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

seasoning to taste

1. Sift flour into a bowl. In a large jug, whisk milk with eggs & butter. Pour the milk mixture over the flour & whisk to combine.
2. Add half the cheese & all the remaining ingrediant to the milk mixture. Combine well.
3. Spoon mixture into a greased, deep 25cm pie plate.
4. Sprinkle top with the remaining cheese. Bake in moderate oven (180) for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve in wedges with salad.

and My mum's variation... OMIT THE BACON AND TOMATO FROM PAULA'S RECIPE AND INCLUDE. 1 (200 g) can salmon, drained and flaked 1 small white onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped parsley



or Mum's Sweet version.

Swap the cheese, bacon, tomato, parsley and seasoning for

1 cup sugar

1 cup coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract



blogged and found a couple of variations ....
Passionfruit - only 1 cup of milk and remove the vanilla and add pulp from 4 passionfruits

Citrus - only 1 cup of milk and remove the vanilla and add rind and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange.
Well we baked today - and I put the left over roast vegies from last night into it and it was very YUMMY - and I also made the citrus version which was delicious.