Proper roast Sunday dinner

Sometimes you feel like a proper roast Sunday dinner.  This was one of those days.  Around the table we had nearly every possible dietary requirement … vegetarian, veg dodger, gluten free, lactose intolerant … but we all had a damn good dinner.  Obviously the vegetarian didn't have the chicken, but we managed to get 3 of his 5 a day into the veg dodger via the root vegetable mash (don't let on!) … and then another couple in pudding Rhubarb, apple and pear nutty crumble.

As this was a proper Sunday dinner we had (unusually) a proper pudding too.  The recipe is listed separately here but I have suggested where the prep might happen in this recipe, so the dinner is all ready at about the right time.  (Thank me later)

Chicken
Olive oil
Lemon
Garlic
Baby potatoes
Carrots
Swede
Parsnips
Green beans
Leek
Courgette
Sundried tomatoes
Vegetable stock
Butter beans
Cornflour
Chicken stock
Green beans
Butter

1.  Stuff a halved lemon and a few garlic cloves into the chicken.  Rub olive oil, salt and pepper over all of the skin.  Roast (breast side down fist) at 180 for as long as it takes (1 hour for a very small chicken - 2 hours for a large one).   Remove from the oven to rest for about 15 minutes when done.
2.  Toss baby potatoes in olive oil and roast for about an hour.
*** start pudding - stage 1
3.  Peel and chop root vegetables (in this case carrots, parsnips and swede - but could also use celeriac, turnips, sweet potato or even butternut squash).  Boil until mashable - about 12-15 minutes depending on size of pieces.  Mash with lots of butter and black pepper, bake in the oven to get a crispy top.
*** pudding - stage 2
4.  Sweat down chopped leeks with some crushed garlic, add chopped courgette (and any other veg you fancy) and a mugful of vegetable stock, simmer for a couple of minutes.  Add sundried tomatoes, simmer again.  Add a tin of drained, rinsed butter beans and heat through.  Keep warm in the oven.  Chop green beans and boil water ready for stage 8.
5.  (about 30 minutes after the chicken has gone into the oven) Carefully drain the fat from the chicken pan.  Turn the chicken over onto its bottom, continue roasting.
*** pudding - stage 3
6.  Spoon off the top layer of fat from the chicken juices.  Pour the rest into a saucepan and heat through.  Slake a spoonful of cornflour in cold water.  (Slake just means mix to a paste)  Add this to the chicken juices and bring to a boil - stirring continuously.  Add about half a pint of chicken stock (from a cube is fine).  Simmer as it thickens.
7.  Take chicken out of the oven - put pudding in to bake.
8.  Steam  chopped green beans.  Carve chicken.
9.  Serve, scoff …. every gathered person picking to their tastes/requirements.
9.  Have seconds ...

Sea trout, roast potatoes and roast mediterranean vegetables

Another winner from Paul the fish on Todmorden market!  Garlic, olive oil and greek salad seasoning from The Mediterranean Pantry - and the rest from Garry the veg!

This takes an hour and a half start to finish - but after 15 minutes there is not much to do until the final 15 minutes.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Red onion
Red pepper
Courgette
Garlic
Greek salad seasoning
Sea trout
Lemon

1.  Wash potatoes and cut into bite sized pieces - par boil.
2.  Add olive oil to 2 big oven dishes, one for the potatoes and one for the veg.  Put the potatoes one in the oven to warm up.
3.  Prep veg into bite sized pieces and put into second oven dish, sprinkle with salad seasoning and turn over in the oil.  Bake.
4.  Drain potatoes and put into oven dish - roast for 1 hour +.
5.  Chat, wash the dog, do some gardening ... whatever.... 15 minutes before serving...
6.  Turn potatoes and veg over in their pans.
7.  Pan fry the sea trout in olive oil - 3-6 minutes each side (depends how big it is).  Squirt of lemon juice, grind of black pepper ... all done.

Butter bean casserole, roast potatoes and steamed vegetables

This was a very nice dinner - but the roastie 'tatoes were absolutely delicious.

Right... there is one recipe ... butter bean casserole - and one technique - roastie 'tatoes - OK, two - prepare and steam some veg - for about 15 minutes when everything else is just about ready.

The potatoes take longest, so start with them - heat oven to about 180.  The trick with roasties is to heat the oil enough, then chuck the 'tatoes in and make sure they are tossed about to have a film of oil over every
facet of the surface.

So, potatoes...  I didn't peel them

1.  Chop into bite sized pieces, and boil in salted water for 5 minutes.
2.  Put a baking tray in the oven with 3tbsp olive oil in it.
3.  Drain potatoes, chuck into hot oil, toss about a bit, sprinkle on salt and chuck in oven for about an hour (check and toss when necessary).

Butter bean casserole

olive oil
leek
celery
white wine
italian herbs
garlic
tin of butter beans

This is easy - but don't let it dry out - add more wine/ water as it cooks.  Don't add salt until the end so that the skin of the butter beans don't harden unpleasantly.

1.  Sautee chopped and washed leek and celery in olive oil.  Soften a bit.
2.  Add crushed garlic, herbs and white wine.  Simmer gently for a bit.
3.  When veg are nearly done add drained butter beans.
4.  Simmer, add water if necessary.... etc

Meanwhile, steam veg (carrot and savoy cabbage today) - then serve and scoff - was delish.

Roast lamb dinner

For a greedy person!  Delish.  Season leg of lamb with salt and pepper and rub on olive oil.  Cut bulb of garlic in half and chuck in roasting tray, lie leg of lamb on rosemary on grill in roasting tray - chuck in a glass of white wine.  Stick into hot oven for 30mins, then turn oven down to about 150 - cover in foil, and roast slowly for 2-3 hours.   Drain juices after about an hour, to make the gravy.  After 1 and a half hours parboil potatoes, then roast, in a hot oven in hot olive oil (for about an hour and 10 minutes).  In a little olive oil, chop red onion and half a red cabbage, 2 chopped apples - add apple juice, splash of cider vinegar, black pepper and dried fennel seeds, simmer for at least 40 minutes - or bring to the boil and then stick in the oven with the lamb.  Peel and chope carrots, swede and turnip.  Boil for about 12 minutes then drain and slash vigorously with a sharp knife, adding a knob of butter and just too much black pepper.  At the same time soften sliced leek in a drop of water (or white wine if there is some left), just before soft add shredded green cabbage.  Finish off gravy ... fat from lamb pan, tablespoon of flour add lamb juices and stock.  Scoff (with or without mint sauce/mustard/ horseradish), have seconds, and scoff that as well.  Victims all finished their plates, and visiting victims took some home for tomorrow.

Onion and red wine tarte tatin, roast potatoes and green vegetables

Have been thinking about trying another savoury tarte tatin for a while - and visit from (nearly) vegetarian mother prompted me.  Was lovely - details will be sketchy as busy chatting - but - soften onions in butter and olive oil - make pastry - par boil poatatoes - then roast... chop leeks, celery, green beans - add herbs, white wine and stock - casserole for a while.  Drain potatoes and chuck inothot oil in roasting pan for 45+ mins.  When onions are good and soft add soft brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, red wine and seaoning... simmer until reduced.  Take onion mixture off the heat and cool a bit, add sliced brie and cover with pastry.  Bake for 20+ minutes.  Steam and butter cabbage.  Serve.  Listen to adoring fans... or not - they are too busy with sudoku.