A two for one, Butcher and Indian BBQ

With the temp in the 80's here on Vashon, my mind turns to butchering chicken   Bar bee ques and deck parties. Actually, if it gets above 60 here, I put on my shorts and a T shirt and pretend it's summer.
Here's a little tip on cutting up a whole chicken, and a wonderful Indian marinade to go with it.

Step 1. 

If I have to spend time in the kitchen on a hot and gloriously sunny day, I try and prepare other things as I go along. In this instance, the trimmings off the carcass and some root vegetable go straight into a pot of water to make stock while the rest of the prep is under way.

Put the chicken onto a cutting board and pull the legs and wings away from the body in preperation for the dissection.

Cut the wings off at the elbow joint and toss them into the stock pot.

Next, pull the leg away from the body, and using a sharp knife, cut the skin enough so you can fold the leg backwards away from the body and dislocate it at the hip joint. This will allow you to cut the leg off without cutting through the bone.

Find the knee joint and cut the leg between the joint, using a little pressure. Once again, we are trying to cut it in half without cutting the bone. Put the 2 halves to one side and repeat with the other leg (the chicken's, not yours). You may have to turn the chicken round to do this. This should leave you with 2 whole breasts still on the bone.

Find a point on the breast half way between the breast bone and the outside edge of the breast. Cut down through the breast at that point. You can make a couple of incisions at the halfway point if it helps to visualize where the cuts will be made.
Slice down the middle of the breast and through the joint. It is easy to find if you have cut at the halfway point.

Once you have both breasts cut, you need to turn your attention to cutting the carcass off from the remaining breast meat. Hold the point of the breast and pull back as you slice the carcass off the meat. You may need to chop the bone with the heel of the knife to separate it.

Add the rest of the carcass to the stock pot.

You can now cut the remaining breast into halves. This will give you 4 white and 4 dark portions.

Put the meat into a dish large enough to hold it and cover and place in the fridge until you have the marinade made. Score the meat a couple of times on each piece to allow the marinade to penetrate the flesh well.

Step 2

You will need ;

• 1 1/2 cups of plain Yoghurt
• 1 Tbs Chilli powder
• 1 Tbs Coriander seeds
• 1 Tsp Cumin seeds
• 2 Tbs veg oil
• 1 Tsp coarse salt
• 1 Tbs Ginger puree
• 1 Tbs Garlic puree
• 1Tbs Fenugreek (Methi) leaves
• 1 large Lemon

Grind the salt and seeds, and add to all of the other ingredients  in a bowl.

Stir well and cover the chicken pieces, making sure it goes into all of the cuts. Use your hands to do this as it is the easiest and quickest way. Cover and leave for a few hours, or overnight if you want to prep well ahead.

When ready to cook, I thread 2/3 pieces onto a kebab skewer and lay them across a roasting tray so they are suspended off the bottom. Why???...... Because I say so. Actually, it stops them sticking to the bottom when you pop them in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.
Why????  Because   I find that pre cooking chicken a wee bit helps prevent burning while the inner parts near the bone get done.

Take the chicken out of the oven after about 20 minutes and place on the Barbie. Unless you have a Tandoori oven in your back yard, this is the closest you will get. We have gas, but anything that can get up to a good hot temperature would work.
Here's the chicken ready to serve. Sprinkle with some chopped mint and serve with wedges of lemon and a Yoghurt and Mint dressing.

You can also serve individually. Here I made a Turnip and Rutabaga curry, together with their leaves and served it as a side dish.

Enjoy

Cherry Tomato, Thyme and Dijon Mustard Tart

As usual, life has a habit of getting in the way of good intentions. I've just been back to the UK to visit my dad who is recovering from a major heart attack. He is 89 anyway, and considering what he just went through, he is doing really well. We spent a lot of time together, including taking him out for lunch. As he has simple tastes, I don't really have much for this Blog from the trip, except to say the Fish and Chips in Northumberland really are the best in the world, and that the local meat and cheese is outstanding.
So now I have made my excuse for my absence, here is a simple and delicious dish that is versatile, cheap and easy peasy. Thanks to Mr la Ruche for the idea, and letting me get his kitchen dirty.

I am referring to Cherry Tomato, Thyme and Dijon Mustard Tart, a succulent and tasty treat you can make for any meal of the day, as an appetizer, or even as a quick meal when those pesky guests show up unexpected.

You will need some frozen puff pastry (who makes this stuff fresh any more), and depending on the size of the tart, you can roll it out and cut it into bite size pieces, or leave it whole for a larger version. In this case, I buy packs of 5" squares.

Lay them on a baking sheet and score a smaller square on the inside, about 1/2 an inch from the edge, careful not to go all the way through. Inside this square, paste some Dijon Mustard with a pastry brush, more if you like Dijon, or not so much if you don't.

In a small bowl, add the halved Cherry Toms, a touch of Olive Oil, some fresh Thyme and salt an pepper. Coat the Toms generously and arrange, face up on top of the Dijon so that the juices don't all run out and make your bottom soggy (pastry that is.)

Place them in a pre heated oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes, or until light brown. Always make more than you need so you can taste them as they come out. Be careful as you bite in to them as the juice is hot and travels far.
Sorry Carolyn.

Place them on a platter and decorate with some salad greens and serve. Bon Appetite.