Friday Night Roast Chicken

This recipe has become one of our favourites ... especially for Shabbat :o)
Chicken, particularly this one, has become one of our favourite Friday night Shabbat dinners. It is really good accompanied with Potatoe salad with a lemon mayonnaise dressing. Both these recipes follow below :o)

Friday Night Roast Chicken

Prep time : 15 mins
Cooking time: approx 85mins
Serves: 6

2-2.5 kg roasting chicken (giblets removed)
1 bunch (about 25g) fresh rosemary
1 lemon, sliced into wedges
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
250ml dry red win
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C / 400 degrees F/Gas mark 6. Pull the skin from the breast of the chicken and slip some rosemary, lemon wedges and garlic cloves under it. Place the rest of these ingredients in the chicken cavity.

2. Arrange the onion in a roasting tin. Pour the wine over the onions. Add enough water so the tin is three-quarters full.

3. Place the chicken breast-side down in the tin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil.

4. Bake for 80-85 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10-15 mins. Carve into portions and transfer to a serving platter.

Keep the bird covered until the last 15 mins of cooking time. Remove the foil and place back into oven for the remaining 15 mins allowing the skin to crisp. Adding the red wine and water to the roasting tin keeps the chicken succulent and prevents the flesh from drying out.

Potatoe Salad with Lemon Mayonnaise

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 8

2 teaspoons sea salt
750g baby new potatoes, cleaned and halved
2 large egg yolks
Juice and zest of 1/2 med organic lemon
1 teaspoon dry mustard (any variety)
1 tablespoon castor sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
300ml vegetable oil
Snipped chives to garnish

1. Fill a large saucepan with water. Add 1 tspn salt. Bring to the boil over med heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender (approx 20 mins). Drain and leave to cool.

2. Place the egg yolks. lemon Juice and zest, mustard and sugar in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Blend ro process until the mixture is smooth.

3. With the blender running, slowly add the vegetable oil. Blend or process until the oil is thoroughly blended into the mixture. Adjust the seasoning as desired.

4. Mix together the mayonnaise and cooled potatoes. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with chives and serve.



Of course this is served with gorgeous home-made Challah and fresh green salad :o)

Shabbat Shalom to you all!!

Blessings

That Blessed time of the week again!

Preparing for Shabbat is truly something I REALLY look forward to :o) The whole day is filled with the expectancy of the rest to come...... . I love the smells that waft from our kitchen and fill our home on this day of preparation...mmmmm.....Rachel's challa, and usually a dish that I would not normally prepare any other time of the week. I love the way all of this sets the day apart from all the others in the week and makes this time special and something to look forward to. I love that time just before sunset when the candles are lit, and  quietness seems to descend, and the security of being in YHWH's presence is tangible.
Some preparation days do not go too smoothly, at the end of which  I feel as though I am falling over my feet entering into our rest :o), but then we have days like today....where everything just flows beautifully. When our work in the kitchen seems to be so well choreographed and orchestrated and we have time........time to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea, and to write a post on my blog!! Time.....I hear the sound of the sewing maching in the background with Rachel busy with another project. Oh how I love days like this!!!
On this day where time seems to be strolling along I thought  I would share one of our Shabbat regulars with all of my readers. It is one of our favourites, and a truly 'South African' dish :o).....and just to make it a little more 'fun' and interesting I thought I would challenge my beautiful sisters to making this dish.......you can let me know how it turns out and the first reader to let me know will be receiving a wonderful box of real South African 'Rooibos tea'. This is a caffeine free tea highly beneficial to ones health, and a tea that we absolutely love. It is best enjoyed with some honey and no milk. Now for the recipe....

Milk Tart

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 egg
2 cups cake flour sifted
pinch of salt

Soften butter, add castor sugar and 1 egg, pinch of salt and 2 cups sifted flour and mix well into a pastry. Butter a pie dish and divide mixture in two (as this makes two pies). Press pastry into pie dishes bottom and sides. Place in an oven for approx. 10 minutes (until sides are slightly golden brown) and remove. Place to one side.

Filling:

4 cups of full cream milk
1 tbsn butter
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsn corn starch
3 tbsn cake flour
1 tspn vanilla essence

In a bowl place the castor sugar and add 2 eggs and 1 tspn vanilla essence, mix well, then add the three tbsn cake flour, mix well, lastly add the 3 tbsn corn starch and mix well.....put one side.
In a saucepan melt the butter and then add the 4 cups of milk and slowly bring to just before boiling point. Remove from heat and slowly add the flour, corn starch mixture stirring continuously. Place back onto a low heat and continue stirring, the mixture will thicken. When it is the texture of a nice thick custard, you can remove and pour into pie crusts. Allow to cool, and lastly add a sprinkling of cinnamon.

I really hope that you will enjoy this pie as much as we do! Maybe you have a recipe of your favourite pie that you would like to share with me? (Lina......I have my eye on your cherry pie recipe!!)

I pray that this Shabbat will be wonderful for all of us, that we will come to understand that much more of this deep rest that YHWH has given to us by His grace, and that much more of His love!!

Benefits of Rooibos Tea


Shabbat Shalom!!