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Spachcock Chicken?

Spachcock Chicken recipe - Eat wel on Unoversal CreditOK let's dispense with the myths. Yes you can buy a Spachcock Chicken for £7 in the Supermarket. It's be nicely presented with a couple of sticks crossed through it and an oil and herb marinate. But it will generally be the size of a Sparrow!
 
So why bother? Don't!
 
Spachcock is an old Saxon word which basically means spread-eagled. Realistically if you have a pair of kitchen scissors and any bird you are good to go.
 
Birds , fowl, whatever you choose to call them, are basically an empty box with the good stuff on the outside. The ancient Greeks, the Romans, the.... well everybody before us knew that this is not the best physical structure for roasting. You know that Christmas Turkey with the dried breast meat and the thighs and wings which were always the best bits? There is a reason for that. Even in the best fan assisted oven and covered with foil the top of the bird is going to cook quicker than the parts in the tray and doubtlessly dry out.
 
So the fix?
 
Method:-
 
Get a cheap Chicken (Ours was £2.59 for nearly 2Kg).
With a pair of kitchen scissors cut from the rear to the front, taking out the spine. 
Now think of somebody you don't really like and spread the bird out. You might hear a few little bones breaking. Just continue thinking about that person you don't like!
Lay in a baking tray and oil well. Add Salt and Pepper and seasoning to your choice. We used Chilli flakes and Garlic salt.
Roast as you would normally but for about 10 minutes less, depending on the weight.
Remove from the oven, cover and let  rest for 10 minutes or so.
 
Serve with..... Well whatever you have really. Your Chicken will be the star of the show anyway. Moist, succulent and evenly cooked.
 
We'll probably get 3 meals out of this Chicken, for two humans and Buster The Dog! 

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Aubergine Baked Boats

We like to set ourselves little challenges. We’ve done the “Ingredients Alphabet”, “Around the World” etc. So this time we’re going to jump on the Vegetarian gig and do a “Vegetarian Alphabet”

Aubergine for “A” works.

We;re not into the “Fake Meat” concept so the Urad Dal which we bought from the local Continental shop added the Meaty texture.

Ingredients:-

Urad Dal – (Split Black Lentils)
½ tube of Tomato Puree
1 Aubergine halved and scooped out. (Save the flesh)
3 Onions, sliced
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
Mixed Herbs
Salt & Pepper
Chilli Flakes
Mushrooms, sliced
Grated Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes
Oil

Method:-

(1) Add the Tomato Puree to a little water in a saucepan and bring the Urad Dal to the boil. Reduce the heat, season with Salt and Pepper and simmer for a good hour. Add extra water as required as they are very thirsty little dudes.
(2) When the Urad Dal has expanded and softened take them off the heat.
(3) In a frying pan fry the Onions until translucent.
(4) Add the Mushrooms and fry for a further 5 minutes on a low heat.
(5) Cut the Aubergine lengthways, scoop most of the flesh out and Oil.
(6) Place in the oven at 180c and roast for 30 minutes.
(7) Add the Aubergine flesh, Urad Dal and all the other ingredients excluding the grated Cheese and halved Cherry Tomatoes to the frying pan and fry gently stirring occasionally.
(8) Remove the Aubergine halves from the oven and stuff with your filling.
(9) Heat the grill.
(10) Dress with the Cherry Tomatoes and grated Cheese and place under the grill.
(11) When the Cheese has melted you’re good to go.

We served ours with Chips and Peas. It was really very tasty and filling.

 

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