What a better way to spend a weekend (especially Valentines Day weekend) than out of touch with the world, completely disconnected in a relaxed and tranquil place, called Beaverlac. One of the greatest things about camping besides having to live with very little is of course, cooking with very little in the way of utensils as well as ingredients. It also doesn’t help when silly me forgets a rather vital part of that, our own braai grid.
For a meal that doesn’t take that long to cook, and tastes that good.. Well definitely worth doing over and over again in my opinion. For the steak, any cut you prefer is fine and when it comes to seasoning its always about your taste. Remember I bought some amazing spices from a market a week ago? Well I marinaded the steak in some olive oil and the steak and chops spice and then just placed it on the grill. (Which you do at the very last minute especially if you like it more rare than medium)
Today’s dish is a very simple and fast meal too.
If you can find the vegetables ready cut, that saves you even more time.
So you will need a pack of skinless chicken breasts, some vegetables (Spinach, peppers, carrots, celery, mushrooms, corn, peas, onions, garlic, cabbage) Anything you fancy really. Slice up the chicken breasts and brown in a pan.
Take the chicken out of the pan and brown the mushrooms.
For me this is always the best, and surprisingly, the easiest dinner to make.
Roast chicken with roast potatoes and of course some veggies and gravy.
Roast chicken spatch-cocked with Potatoes
What more could I ask for for a relaxed sunday evening.
The way I make a roast chicken is spatch-cocking it, because this evens the cooking as well as lessens the cooking time. As I mentioned before, I never usually use recipes, instead I just look in the cupboard and fridge and get creative. That said I do have a box of recipes passed down to me from my Dad which he collected since 1976. So after the last few years I have tried to sort it out, bit by bit but am still a long way off. So perhaps sometime I should go through those and experiment with those recipes. But for now, back to the chicken.
To spatch-cock it, you need to remove the backbone. So place the whole chicken on a board, breast side down. Cut on either side of the back bone with an incredibly sharp knife. I have a bread knife that does just the trick. You can also use kitchen scissors if you find this easier.
Once the chicken is ready, mix together some olive oil, peri peri oil, some peri peri sauce (My favorite is definately Nandos mild) and some lemon juice. Brush this over the chicken, and sprinkle on some herbs and spices. I went down to the muizenberg market and bought myself some Lemon and herb, some kentucky spice, and some steak and chops spice. Tonight for the chicken I used some of the kentucky, the lemon and herb, and my secret ingredient for roast chicken, a sprinkle of curry powder.
For the potatoes, peel them cut them into quarters or how ever you like and micorwave for about 7 minutes until “al dente” and then cover them in some oilive oil, salt and a herb seasoning like rosemary and olive. Take 2 red onions, peel and cut in half, leaving both ends intact (This helps it hold its shape)
Place the chicken in a roasting pan, and place onion on either side of it, and scatter the potatoes around the chicken. Place in the over at about 180 degrees centigrade, for about an hour.You may need to make more mixture of lemon juice, oil and peri peri sauce, and keep basting every 15 to 20 minutes to keep the chicken from drying out too much. The time is such a guideline because I dont usually time it, I know when the chicken is ready when the juices run clear and the outside is crispy. Another trick I use which I am sure some people cannot stand the thought of is once the chicken looks cooked, but you just aren’t sure, place it in the microwave for about 3 minutes, and return it to the oven. This way the chicken stays moist every time.
Gravy is pretty simple too especially if you use a ready made packet of gravy and just add water. Or you can go throough the whole process of bisto, some stock and if needed, some maizena or corn flour. Either wya I make a gravy, I take everything out of the pan, and place it on plates or dishes for the oven and then turn the oven down really low. Place the rasting dish on top of the stove and after you have spooned out some of the excess fat, place the gravy in the roasting pan with the stove plate turned on and mix and stir it around a bit to take in the flavours from the juices of the chicken.
Add some veggies, or salad and serve.. Eat your heart out!
Jay
Today was Dads birthday, and this year I decided to give him a subscription to Fresh Living magazine, and seeing as there was nothing I actually gave him today because his first issue only arrives in a month, I decided to throw together an impromptu brunch, which was rather enjoyable, and simple too
A lunch like this is really easy, and quick too, depending on what you have in your fridge, or how lazy you are to go to the shops 
I still had some potato salad and coleslaw on the fridge, but you can even buy that ready made.
Then, was a mix of coronation chicken, and also a Peri Peri chicken mayo (Chicken left over from the burgers last night) Then, you can add a selection of cheeses and crackers, add something to quench a thirst, like a simple iced tea made with some mint and some apple juice, add some butter onto the table and away you go. Simple lunch, that looks impressive too.
Until next time,
Jay