Let me just start by saying that I am not scared of vampires after this week! Or the flu! There was a lot of garlic.
Speaking of garlic, have you heard of elephant garlic? Yeah, me neither, until I moved to the country. It’s big – big bulbs, big cloves, big flavour. I managed to score a bag at the very end of the season a few weeks ago, and have been generously using it in everything. Some people might figure that one clove of elephant garlic equals about 4 cloves of normal garlic and adjust accordingly. I am not some people.
I preserved the peeled cloves in a jar filled with white vinegar, stored in the fridge.
FOOD I COOKED MYSELF
Hands down the best meal I made this week was a chicken tray bake with lemons and garlic. This was sooooo good!
Ordinarily I would link to the recipe, but I honestly don’t know where I got this recipe from and my Google searches have been fruitless. So, I am going to have to post it here and apologise in advance to the original chef.
Chicken Tray Bake with Lemons and Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 large whole chicken free range
- 2 red onions peeled and cut into 6 pieces
- 4-6 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lemons sliced
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove chicken from refrigerator about 30 minutes prior.Preheat oven to 200℃.Drip 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a roasting pan, add the onions, garlic and lemon slices and, with your hand, mix it all together until everything is coated with the oil.Move the vegetables to the side and add the chicken. Rub the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil into the chicken. Season well with salt and black pepper and arrange the vegetables around the chicken. Drape the sprigs of thyme over the chicken and vegetables.Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Don't be alarmed if the onion and lemons start crisping to black at the edges – it will all be worth it in the end! Once chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven. Cover with foil and let it all rest for 20 minutes. Don't skip this step!
There you have it. I had it with salad, and it was a very satisfying meal. I had no idea caramelised lemons could be so delicious.
I also cooked soup (we’re in the middle of a very cold spell). You can find the recipe here. I had to make some modifications, as I had no leeks or turnips. Instead I used more onions and I added some cubed sweet potatoes. I’m having some more for dinner in a bit…
Breakfast this morning was from one of my new favourite recipe sites, Spain on a Fork. While they are not exclusively vegetarian, they have a lot of vegetarian recipes. I had to use the mushrooms in my fridge, and the picture looked so good… Find the recipe here. Definitely making this again.
Of course, I baked some sourdough bread as well. In fact, I baked a loaf for a neighbour. Go me! I just heard him shouting for the dogs outside, so it seems he survived. I have a lot to say about my adventures with sourdough, so keep an eye out for a post in the near future.
FOOD FROM ELSEWHERE
While I cook most of what I eat, I did join my friend for dinner one evening and she made Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (garlic and olive oil in Italian – a simple pasta dish, but oh so delicious!) I had never had it before, because I thought it would be weird and oily. It was not. I will try this at home!
If you’ve read my progress page you’ll know that I am really watching my sugar intake in an effort to manage my Type 2 diabetes. My sweet tooth cries itself to sleep each night. But yesterday I bought some organic dark chocolate (70% cocoa) at The Foodie Hub. It’s not sugar-free (yet), so I’m limiting myself to one small square a day and it does the trick.
That’s it for the week that was. I have no clue what I’m making this coming week.
PS. I’m only sharing my successes. Nobody needs to hear about my kitchen calamities!
Love your journey – also with food. It echoes some of my Hopefield experience – and even if it didn’t, i’m interested because it takes a lot of courage and determination to make radical changes in one’s life. Well done!
You are the first comment! Thank you, Martie. I am so grateful for you in my life…