What would my last meal be on Earth? Quite possibly this...A Roast Chicken

Whenever, I have ever been asked as a Chef, if I could choose anything at all, what would my last meal on earth be? Invariably, the answer is usually between a really simple yet perfect bowl of pasta like the one that I recently discovered at Briscola restaurant in Toronto or the King of all comfort food…roast chicken.  To be honest, I believe that nothing congers up visions of homey, rustic, delicious food than a simply cooked roast chicken.

Now I am certain that there are as many different preparations of roast chicken as there are days in the week. But for this post, I have decided to break down a few chickens into its component pieces, to expedite the cooking time and to make it applicable to home cooking even on weekdays where time or the lack thereof is always a concern.  I hope that you enjoy this simple, delicious and quick recipe of one of my favourite foods.

Ingredients

1 Whole free-range chicken (chicken legs, drums or breast can also be used)

1 Large Onion

1 Celery stalk

1 Carrot

1 Bunch of Fresh Thyme

1 Bunch of Rosemary

3 Bay leaves

Kosher Salt

Cracker Black Pepper

Fresh flat leaf parsley

3 Garlic cloves

½ Lemon

Olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 450° F

If using a whole chicken, breakdown it down into pieces OR can use store bought pieces – whichever is easiest.

Place in a large mixing bowl.

Wash hands and sanitize.

Season with whatever you would like – keep it simple.

I used seasoning salt, pepper, paprika and soya sauce to marinate the chicken pieces.

Place in fridge until ready to cook.

Get a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.

Wash, peel and cut into a small dice the carrot, celery and onion.  This is the holy trinity of roasting, braising and stocks and so much more.  This is called a mirepoix. Place the mirepoix on the tray, a drizzle of olive oil, add thyme, bay leaf and garlic cloves.

Get the chicken out of the fridge and place in a even layer to promote even and thorough cooking.

If your oven is convection turn on the fan and place tray in the oven.

Once chicken is in oven, reduce heat to 400°F and let roast for 25 mines.

After cooking for 25mins, flip the chicken pieces to allow for even browning and crispy skin.  Allow to cook for approximately another 15mins or until the chicken is done. 

Chicken is done when an instant read thermometer reads an internal temperature of 180°C.

Take the chicken out and let sit for a few moments.

When you are ready to serve the chicken squeeze the lemon over the chicken.

Enjoy!

For any suggestions on flavour combinations or advice on how to butcher a chicken please comment or connect with me on @Twitter! Take care and enjoy the recipe!

Roasted Beets, Carrots, Peppers with my Garden Herbs..so simple so delish!

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with beets. When I was a child, my parents would make beet soup with pork. It was rustic, homey and delicious.

Beets are nutritious and packed with flavour. Like carrots, beets have natural sugars that are released when roasted, which makes them so sweet. 

I was at a local market the other day and saw these beautiful deep purple beets and thought to myself, “what can I do with these?” This is a simple, quick recipe that I created consisting of roasted beets with carrots, red peppers, onions and fresh herbs are so easy to make and hard to resist!

 

Lovely locally sourced beets, carrots, red peppers - treated simply, when cooked the natural sugars caramelize and make them hard to resist!

Ingredients

3 Beets

3 Carrots

3 Red Peppers

1 Bunch of Thyme

1 Large Onion

3 Cloves of Garlic

Olive Oil

Kosher salt

Cracked Black Pepper 

Method

Preheat oven to 400° F

Prepare the baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Peel and slice the onion.

Wash, peel the Beets, Carrots and Peppers.

Cut them into wedges keeping in mind the differing time required to cook the ingredients evenly. Carrots and beets take longer than peppers to cook.

Crush the cloves of garlic.

Combine in a large mixing bowl with the thyme.

Drizzle the olive oil and mix thoroughly.

Season with salt and pepper.

Lay out the mixture on the baking sheet evenly and place in the oven to cook.

Roast in oven for approximately  35 mins or until the beets and carrots are fork tender.

Enjoy!

A Little Bit of Paradise - My Vegetable Garden

I have only recently discovered the joys of growing my own food. Michelle and I live right in the city of Toronto. We have a small backyard with a large deck right I built last year. When I was designing the deck, I wanted to make sure I had enough space around it to grow vegetables. I started with herbs - to save money and for a better quality ingredient from what I normally would find in grocery stores. Then, I planted some tomatoes. Now, I have more than 5 varieties of tomatoes, 5 types of herbs, baby mixed greens, carrots and 2 kinds of onions. I can’t wait to harvest and taste a bit of everything!

I started to harvest young onions both yellow Spanish and red onions from the garden this weekend. They smell lovely!

I am quite proud of myself as this is the very first time that I have had the pleasure to grow my own. Ever since I had the pleasure to enjoy the fruits of my friend's efforts, I have desired to grow my own herbs and vegetables.

I just wanted to share a few shots of what is growing in my small paradise. Take care and enjoy the summer!

Keep Gardening!