Food

Very impressive. Need a singular slice pic to complete the triptych.

Spatchcocked a 3kg chicken given to us by a friend a la Kenji by dry brining for 24 hrs with salt and baking powder (2:1) inc pricking all the fat deposits with a skewer. Then dusting excess off and coating with chopped herbs stirred into mayonnaise inc under the skin which I carefully separated from the breast. (I was dubious about the mayo but shouldn't have been). Preheated 240 degrees on a wire rack, 30 mins, check temps, turn down to 180 for a while longer then last 5 mins back up to 240 before bringing out to rest and reach final temp.

By far the best cooked piece of meat I've ever served. Perfect seasoning, texture, juiciness. Baking powder ftw.

Hot saute pan, little rendered chicken fat, diagonals of courgette, don't touch to sear, bring pan back up to temp, add double shelled broad beans, squirt of lemon, salt and pep, toss 30 secs, rest.

Hot saute pan, dry, trimmed asparagus, sear, roll them after they're largely cooked through, squirt of lemon, knob of butter, last roll, rest.

Wide saute pan, spine and offal from the chicken, rendered chicken fat, brown, add mirepoix, brown, herb stalks, vermouth, water, simmer 20 mins. Strain, small saucepan, reduce, add butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt and pep. Rest. Unbelievably tasty jus. Soy and lemon highly recommended.

Carrots, that sort of pyramid diagonal slice, couple of sage leaves, steam, rest.

Chicken fat potatoes.

Cut the rested chicken in half down the breast, trimmed off the leg and wings, jointed each but, 2 wings, 2 clawy nibbly bits, 4 chunks of breast, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks. All roughly equal size, all served on the bone.

All gone.

3kg chicken

That's a big chicken.

The rest sounds damn fine.

What does the baking soda contribute?

Never heard of that before but sounds good, will try.

Baking powder, not soda. Very important!

I made the mistake of using baking soda on the skin of pork belly and it turned bitter.

Was a whopper. Hence the spatchcockery. Worked a treat.

@ChasnotRobert re. baking powder (not soda):

alkaline mixture raises the skin's pH levels, which allows proteins to break down more efficiently, giving you crisper, more evenly browned results. Simultaneously, it combines with the bird's natural juices, forming carbon dioxide gas that leaves you with a layer of tiny bubbles. It's these bubbles that increase the skin's surface area, allowing it to develop a crunchy texture once cooked.

17 minute walkthrough of it all here:
https://youtu.be/yUcZqyGrWYw

I'd be tempted to bone it out completely, rather than just spatchcock. It also ends up looking like a chicken suit that you can put on a cat.

Awesome, thanks :)

Anyone have tried and tested short ribs recipe? Chinese/Vietnamese vibes preferred!

Rainy day so I made soft pretzels for breakfast. Turned out amazing.

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Google Dr Pepper Short ribs. No recipe as such, that I use, just take the principles, ingredients and throw in what you feel works and have left in the pantry. Add chilli, 5 spice that makes it Asian imo. Garnish with some spring onion too.

Those soft pretzels look delicious,

swoon

Wild garlic time!

I went to my parents' house at the weekend, and this was a sight I saw on my run.

I've made a big batch of pesto for the freezer, another one for the fridge, and I've still got a decent amount left.

If anyone wants some and can get to E12 in the next couple of days, it's all yours.

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Yeah it's out in force. I've stocked up the freezer with pesto and wild garlic butter. Although I need to work through my 2022 batches of both first (went a bit mad on quantities last year).

Anyone got any recommendations for black truffle olive oil?

Wild garlic butter is a good shout.

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We frequently get the M&S stuff - not mind blowing but makes half-decent truffle mayo/truffle fries etc

Make sure it’s full sugar Dr Pepper. A bit like ham cooked in Coca Cola the versions with artificial sweetener are horrible and don’t work.

It's a super simple dish but Nigella's one pot Chicken and Orzo is a great meal. So easy and such a comforting eat.

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Went to Durak Tantuni in green lanes at the weekend - would highly recommend.

Beauty

I'm making this for my mum this weekend. Cheers :)

Excellent, it's really tasty.

Only comments on her recipe are that you need to cut the carrots nice and small so that they cook in time and that when you put the orzo in at the end, leave the lid off when you stick it back in the oven to get the nice colour on the chicken skin.

I shred the meat off the chicken and then mix it back in with the orzo to serve.