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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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Thai Style Fishcakes recipe, eat well on universal credit

I happened across a whole Coley at half price yesterday. We understand it’s a member of the Cod family? Well this one isn’t now! My knife skills are biased towards Butchery rather than Fish Mongering, so this was an interesting gig. Between us we skinned, filleted and ‘Pin Boned’ the flesh. Even the unban Foxes would have turned their noises up at the bits and bobs we had left so it went in the bin (Outside bin that is!)

Ingredients:-

1 Coley, filleted, skinned and Pin Boned
1 Thumb of Ginger, grated
The Juice of a Lime
½ a Tsp of dried Coriander
A drizzle of Olive Oil
5 medium Potatoes, pealed, boiled and mashed
2 Tsp of Hot Chilli Jam
1 Tsp of Thai Basil
1 Tbsp of Capers, finely chopped
1 Tbsp of Cashew Nut Powder (Just wuzz them in a blender)
50g of Cornflour
200g of Breadcrumbs (Gluten free bread wuzzed for us)
1 Tsp of Turmeric
1 Tsp of Paprika
2 Eggs, beaten
Salt & Pepper to season at various stages

Method:-

(1) Line a large dish with kitchen foil.
(2) Dress the fillets with the Ginger, Lime juice, Coriander and season with Salt & Pepper.
(3) Drizzle over the Olive Oil and wrap the foil around the filleted Fish and fold to seal.
(4) Cook in a pre-heated oven of 180c for 10 to 12 minutes until the Fish is cooked through.
(5) Allow to cool then flake to Fish into a bowl. Make sure you remove any remaining small bones.
(6) Mash the Potatoes and allow to cool.
(7) Add the flaked Fish to the mashed Potatoes and stir in.
(8) Add the Chilli Jam, Thai Basil, Capers, Powdered Cashew Nuts, and season with a little Salt & Pepper.
(9) Combine well.
(10) Divide into portions and roll into a ball.
(11) Flatten the balls and form into thick Fishcakes.
(12) Mix the Turmeric and Paprika with your Breadcrumbs, seasoning with Salt & Pepper.
(13) Dip each Fishcake in the Cornflour and coat well.
(14) Dip into the beaten Egg and then coat evenly with the Breadcrumbs.
(15) Place in the fridge for 20 minutes or 10 minutes in the freezer, to set.
(16) Place the Fishcakes in a pre-heated Air Fryer at 180c for 20 minutes, turning once half way through cooking.

These might look like they were bought, but you’ll never buy Fishcakes with this depth of flavour and kick! Also we had 8 in total, 4 of which are now frozen so by way of price, they’re hard to beat budget wise…..

 

 

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