Let the festivities continue

Herbed roast chicken in wine

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken with skin weighing around 1.25 kgs – cleaned

60 ml of wine – white wine

2 tbsps of butter

For the marinade

1 tsp of oregano powder

Half tsp of thyme powder

2 tsps of chilly flakes

1 tsp of basil powder

2 tbsps of vinegar

3 tbsps of olive oil

1 tbsps of soya sauce

1 tbsp of mustard paste

1 tbsp of minced garlic

3 tbsps of tomato puree

Salt to taste

Clean the chicken, discarding the liver, gizzard etc. Keep the chicken whole and the skin on. Wash well. Drain out all the water. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients together. Use this paste to rub all over the chicken – inside and on top. Make insertions with a knife so that the mixture enters the chicken. Place on a baking tray which has been lined with foil. Place the marinated chicken and cover with a foil. Keep in the fridge compartment for at least 8-10 hours. Bring to room temperature before putting in the oven for roasting. Pre- heat an oven to 180 degrees for 10 minutes and then place the chicken covered with the foil. Cook in the oven at 200 degrees C for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil and by this time your chicken should be almost cooked although not well done. Pour the wine over and allow to cook further, reducing the temperature to 180 degrees C and bake for a further 30 minutes. The wine will evaporate and turn black – don’t worry about that. Add the butter and allow to cook for another 10-15 minutes till the top turns golden brown.  Serve piping hot with sandwiches and salt and pepper veggies for a whole celebration meal.

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Salt and pepper veggies

Ingredients:

200 gms of French beans – cut into 1 inch pieces

100 gms carrots – cut into strips

1 large sized green capsicums – cut into 8-10 pieces – seeds removed

200 gms button mushrooms – washed and pricked

1 small head of broccoli

Salt

Pepper to taste

3 tbsps of olive oil

Wash all the veggies and drain out all the water. Pat dry with a kitchen towel.  Heat half the quantity of the oil in a pan and add the beans. Cover with a lid and cook till only half done. Remove and keep aside. In the same pan add the remaining oil . add the remaining veggies and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Now mix in the half cooked beans and mix gently. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook on medium heat till the veggies are cooked but remain crunchy. Do not over cook. There should be no water in the preparation. Serve with chicken roast and some egg sandwiches and enjoy a celebration meal.

Variation: Garnish the veggies with roasted peanuts if you like.