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    The Twelve Days of Christmas ... Day Four

    Julia Hill
    Julia Hill


    Location | Ligging : All Around The World
    Posts | Bydraes : 151
    Points | Punte : 259
    Join date | Datum aangesluit : 2011-08-28
    Age | Ouderdom : 53

    The Twelve Days of Christmas ... Day Four Empty The Twelve Days of Christmas ... Day Four

    Post by Julia Hill Mon 19 Dec 2011, 5:38 pm

    On The 4th Day Of Christmas, My true love gave to me ...

    4 calling birds,
    3 French hens,
    2 turtle doves,
    and a partridge in a pear tree

    This evening I cooked dinner for the minister and his wife (Alan & Diane) of Michael Church, in Nikki and Trevor’s home – their home is amazing – aside from the fact that these are the folks who have so generously opened their home to me whilst I get on my feet – it is wonderful to experience a truly elastic house – it really seems to just expand as it needs too and this got me to thinking ... my culinary Christmas carol list is really growing the problem is how to deal with all these birds that keep popping up .... personally I think that the man that wrote this carol has some serious issues – I think that he dated, once upon a time, a woman who was an ornithologist, and he lost to that great passion of hers, and this was his way of getting back at people who love birds for all time – make them sing about them so much that they go half mental and need help ... like he did when she left! Anyhow dinner was a great success and much I have no idea where to find calling birds (and I am not sure it would be legal to catch and prepare them anyhow ...) I share here my recipe – a simple but tasty roast chicken with a scrumptious side which I know people will want more of.

    ROAST CHICKEN WITH SAGE & LEMON
    SERVED WITH ROASTED POTATO WEDGES & STUFFED ONIONS

    (again with this recipe am being vague with amounts as you will adjust to the number of friends or family you are cooking for)

    1 Chicken for 3 – 4 people (depending on size)
    1 lemon for each chicken to be prepared
    Salt & Pepper
    Olive Oil
    A good handful of fresh sage roughly shredded or broken
    1 Onion roughly chopped, and lightly sautéed in olive oil (or you can use the “inners” from the stuffed onions below)

    Prepare the chicken with the remaining ingredients (except the sautéed onions and lemon)– don’t be afraid to be generous with the sage. Place the onions in your roasting dish, place the chicken on top of it and then squeeze the lemon juice all over the chicken and put the remaining lemon inside the chicken cavity.

    Stuffing:
    ½ loaf of bread (brown or white) turned into bread crumbs
    1 onion, finely diced and sauted in a little olive oil
    A good handful or two of fresh sage, chopped quite fine
    Salt & Pepper to taste
    1 egg, lightly beaten

    Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well

    Oven Roasted Potato Wedges with Stuffed Onions

    1 – 2 potatoes per person cut into thick wedges – blanch in salted boiling water for 5 – 7 minutes
    Drain well, and set to one side.
    Top and tail the onions and cut in half – take the “inner” onion rings out and stuff the onions with the prepared stuffing. Also set to one side.
    If there is any stuffing left you can add it to the lemon in the chicken cavity and it will roast nicely in with the chicken.

    .... Once the chicken has one hour left, toss the potato wedges in a little olive oil and spread in the chicken pan and arrange the stuffed onions with it.

    Continue roasting for the last hour, carve, dish up and enjoy!
    Delicious served with a nice savoury sauce of your choice.

    16/12/2011
    (c) Julia Claire Hill


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