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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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Bits of Pig Casserole

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Bits of Pig Casserole I intentionally bought the least promising bits of Pork. Two Trotters and a Shank. When I was in the Butchers the Shanks were put in boiling bags in the Ham Boiler overnight and sold on the hot counter, but the ‘Running Gear’ as Geoffrey called them invariably went in the Bone & Fat bin outside. This was emptied every couple of weeks and taken away for rendering. So can you make anything good from these scraggly bits of meat in the slow cooker? Oh yes you can! Ingredients for the Casserole:- 2 Pigs Trotters 1 Pork Shank 1 Large Onion, roughly sliced 1 Tin of Kidney Beans 1 Tin of White Beans, whatever you have 1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes ½ a Tube of Tomato Puree 1 Stock Cube / Stock Pot Salt & Pepper to season 1 Tsp of Chilli Flakes Cider, as cheap as you can get. 1 Tsp of Marmite (We use the Morrisons own brand as it is Gluten free) Method:- (1) Bung everything in the Slow Cooker on high. (2) Add enough Cider to cover everything. (3) After 4 hours push the meat down if it has floated to the top and give everything a good stir. (4) After another 4 hours remove the meat. (5) With a fort and reasonably sharp knife strip the meat from the bones and skin (These were a real threat for our Foxes). (6) Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir well. We served this over Garlic Mashed Potatoes and garnished it with sautéed Spinach. This would easily have fed a family of 4 and was actually really tasty.

I intentionally bought the least promising bits of Pork. Two Trotters and a Shank. When I was in the Butchers the Shanks were put in boiling bags in the Ham Boiler overnight and sold on the hot counter, but the ‘Running Gear’ as Geoffrey called them invariably went in the Bone & Fat bin outside. This was emptied every couple of weeks and taken away for rendering.

So can you make anything good from these scraggly bits of meat in the slow cooker? Oh yes you can!

Ingredients for the Casserole:-

2 Pigs Trotters
1 Pork Shank
1 Large Onion, roughly sliced
1 Tin of  Kidney Beans    
1 Tin of White Beans, whatever you have
1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
½ a Tube of Tomato Puree
1 Stock Cube / Stock Pot
Salt & Pepper to season
1 Tsp of Chilli Flakes
Cider, as cheap as you can get.
1 Tsp of Marmite (We use the Morrisons own brand as it is Gluten free)

Method:-

(1) Bung everything in the Slow Cooker on high.
(2) Add enough Cider to cover everything.
(3) After 4 hours push the meat down if it has floated to the top and give everything a good stir.
(4) After another 4 hours remove the meat.
(5) With a fort and reasonably sharp knife strip the meat from the bones and skin (These were a real threat for our Foxes).
(6) Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir well.

We served this over Garlic Mashed Potatoes and garnished it with sautéed Spinach. This would easily have fed a family of 4 and was actually really tasty.

 

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