Rough Cooking

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

It seems that buying chicken breast with the skin on it is a bit of a faux pas these days. Fair enough, the skinless breast meat is much better for you with a lower fat content, but every now and again you want some crispy skin.

So, you'll probably need to go to a specialty chicken store to purchase chicken breast with the skin on. They might even put it into a brown paper bag for you so you can hide it on the way home...

Chicken breast with skin on lets you stuff delicious morsels under the skin, and a home made basil pesto is perfect at this time of year.

Roast pesto chicken - for two

2 chicken breasts, with skin on
1 tablespoon basil pesto
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
oil
lemon juice
salt

Heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Combine the pesto and breadcrumbs to make a thick paste. Work your fingers in between the chicken and the skin until it separates, leaving the skin attached on the sides. Stuff the pesto mixture under the skin.

Heat a little oil in a small pan and fry the chicken breast, skin side down until the skin browns nicely. Then place the chicken breast onto an oven tray and sprinkle a little lemon juice and salt over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through. Rest for five minutes then serve with a fresh salad.

You could easily substitute the basil pesto with a sundried tomato pesto, Indian spice paste, capsicum relish or tapenade.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Black Forest sponge cake

February 3rd 2010 11:15

Growing up, sponge cake always featured at our birthday parties. Both my mum and grandma were pros at making them, and I even remember one birthday when my dad gave it a whirl.

Sponge cake was one of the sweets which my sister and I were tutored in. We headed down to my grandma's house one Saturday and sitting in her kitchen we leant to make sponge, banbury, apricot slice and shortcrust pastry.

Well, I would have to suggest that maybe I wasn't paying enough attention when we made the sponge, because last weekend, for hubby's birthday I made a sponge, and it turned out like two flat, rubbery frisbees.

However, not one to admit defeat (particulalry on the day of a party) I decided to discard Grandma's recipe and try a different one... you've got it... Jo Seagar's.

But we weren't out of the woods yet. My first batch of egg whites refused to peak. Beating, and beating away to know avail, I decided to put them aside and crack a fresh batch. Much better! We were finally on to something, and as the sponges rose in the oven and turned a beatiful golden brown I knew I was on a winner.

Black Forest sponge cake (sponge recipe inspired by Jo Seagar's Cook School Recipes)

300g cherries
1/2 cup liquor of your choice (Gran Marnier, Cointreau, rum)

1 cup sugar
2 tbs water
4 eggs, separated
few drops vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cocoa powder (omit if you want a vanilla sponge)

600ml thick cream, whipped
1 cup berry jam, heated slightly
grated chocolate to serve

Sit the cherries in the liquor overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease two 24cm spring form pans.

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.

Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until stiff. With the mixer running, slowly dribble in the hot sugar and water solution. Beat really hard. Add the egg yolks and vanilla then carefully fold in the sifted dry ingredients. Be very gentle. Carefully pour the sponge mixture into the prepared tins and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Once cooked, remove immediately from the oven and leave to cool.

Drain cherries. Slice each sponge in half and spread with some of the whipped cream and half of the jam. Decide which sponge you are going to use as the top of the cake. On top of the other cake, spread the whipped cream and arrange most of the cherries, reserving some to decorate the top of the cake. Place the other cake on top and then ice the cakes with whipped cream. Place reserved cherries on top of the cake and grate some chocolate over the cakes to finish.

Serves 12-20 depending on your slice size.

Vote

Comments (3)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Baked Eggplant

January 27th 2010 08:13

I was lucky enough to receive George Calombaris' new book Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Heart from work. I find the book beautiful to look through, but if there was one critisicm I would make it is that there are not so many recipes. Lots of pictures, but not heaps of things to try yourself. One of the recipes which immediately caught my attention was for Melitzana or eggplant and tomato bake. I changed a couple of little things, but as the first try from George's book, I think I'm going to be coming back to this one again and again.

Baked eggplant

1 medium eggplant
olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
400g tinned tomatoes
salt
300ml water

1. Slice the eggplant in half lengthways and score. Rub flesh with oil and roast at 200 degrees C until almost cooked - about 40 minutes,
2. One cool enough to handle, scoopy out half the flesh, reserving the shells.
3. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano and reserved eggplant flesh. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in chopped tomatoes. Season and mix well.
5. Place eggplant shells on a tray and fill with mixture. Add water to cover the bottom on the pan and bake at 200 degrees C for 20 minutes.

Vote

Comments (3)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Cooking Resolutions

January 19th 2010 05:59

I know we're a little past the official New Year's resolution starting date, but the thing about resolutions is that the ones that last, are often not those made in a drunken haze at 12.03, January 1.

So, perhaps not resolutions, but certainly a list of things to work towards

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Comments (6)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Prosciutto chicken with creamy risoni

January 17th 2010 07:19

Rosemary is a very versatile plant and it is great with roast lamb, and also chicken. Another classic combination is bacon, or prosciutto with chicken, so combining the three has to be a winner

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Slow cooked moroccan lamb

January 14th 2010 00:53

On those odd, mid-20 degree summer days why not drag out the slow cooker and enjoy the convenience of dinner being ready when you arrive home from work

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Comments (3)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Easy Potato Salad

January 12th 2010 05:40

Everybody loves a good potato salad and everybody has their own version. This is one I whipped out before going with a friend to the Moonlight Cinema. It was just the two of us, so it didn't have to be big and it didn't have to be fancy

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Pan fried pesto gnocchi

January 10th 2010 09:34

Back a while ago, whenever I went to one of our local pubs, I would always order their pan fried gnocchi. It was delicious - pesto, walnuts, blue cheese and some fresh tomatoes chopped on top. Then, they stopped serving that particular version and they have another similar dish, but it's just not the same

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Comments (2)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Spiced Beef Salad

January 7th 2010 10:00

It is well and truly summer - and with another official heatwave, and three days of 41 degree heat forecast here in SA, it is time for salads, sushi and cold rolls

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Comments (2)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Helen Randell - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend