sexy beast

I love making a whole roast chicken. Lemon and rosemary is always a favorite flavour combo, as is a really garlicy pesto and roasting a chicken stuffed with homemade preserved lemons is to die for. But you want to know the secret to a juicy, moist and flavourful chicken? Buy free-run organic. That's it. Ever since I saw the documentary, The Corporation, I decided that I could make some small life choices and buying organic free-run chicken would be one such ethical choice. I've been happy ever since! It may cost a few dollars more, but it's worth every penny.

So now that you've got your plump and juicy free-range chicken, you need to boost that goodness with some flavour. My local grocer had blood oranges dirt cheap, so I bought a whole bag full and decided to use some of that flavour to enhance my chicken. The results were stunning and the gravy I made from the pan juices were incredible.

blood orange & rosemary roast chicken with roast vegetables
1 free-run organic roast chicken
1 T kosher salt
1 T dried rosemary
pepper
1 blood orange, zested & quartered
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion, quartered
2 T olive oil
3 large carrots, cut into large 2 inch chunks
4 potatoes, cut into quarters
dried rosemary, salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and pat dry chicken. Rub chicken inside and out with the orange quarters. Set aside orange husks.

2. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and orange zest. Rub the salt mixture under the skin, inside the cavity, and over the skin. Stuff the chicken with the orange husks, garlic and onion.

3. Add half the olive oil to the bottom of a roasting pan or a rectangular baking dish. Swirl about the carrots and potatoes in the olive oil and sprinkle with some salt, pepper, and rosemary. Move the vegetables to the perimeter of the pan. Add the chicken breast side up in the middle and drizzle the leftover olive oil over top. Roast chicken in oven for 1 hr or until juices run clear. Serve.

sexy beast

I love making a whole roast chicken. Lemon and rosemary is always a favorite flavour combo, as is a really garlicy pesto and roasting a chicken stuffed with homemade preserved lemons is to die for. But you want to know the secret to a juicy, moist and flavourful chicken? Buy free-run organic. That's it. Ever since I saw the documentary, The Corporation, I decided that I could make some small life choices and buying organic free-run chicken would be one such ethical choice. I've been happy ever since! It may cost a few dollars more, but it's worth every penny.

So now that you've got your plump and juicy free-range chicken, you need to boost that goodness with some flavour. My local grocer had blood oranges dirt cheap, so I bought a whole bag full and decided to use some of that flavour to enhance my chicken. The results were stunning and the gravy I made from the pan juices were incredible.

blood orange & rosemary roast chicken with roast vegetables
1 free-run organic roast chicken
1 T kosher salt
1 T dried rosemary
pepper
1 blood orange, zested & quartered
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion, quartered
2 T olive oil
3 large carrots, cut into large 2 inch chunks
4 potatoes, cut into quarters
dried rosemary, salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and pat dry chicken. Rub chicken inside and out with the orange quarters. Set aside orange husks.

2. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and orange zest. Rub the salt mixture under the skin, inside the cavity, and over the skin. Stuff the chicken with the orange husks, garlic and onion.

3. Add half the olive oil to the bottom of a roasting pan or a rectangular baking dish. Swirl about the carrots and potatoes in the olive oil and sprinkle with some salt, pepper, and rosemary. Move the vegetables to the perimeter of the pan. Add the chicken breast side up in the middle and drizzle the leftover olive oil over top. Roast chicken in oven for 1 hr or until juices run clear. Serve.

a saucy little meal

If Air Canada and the weather cooperate, tomorrow I'll be flying from Vancouver to my hometown in Ontario, visiting with my parents for a short and sweet pre-Christmas stay. I'm rushing around today trying my hand at candy making (!!!) and baking some favorites so that I don't arrive empty-handed on my parent's doorstep. Before I leave my poor husband alone with his probable weekend diet of hotdogs and fried eggs, I'm sure that something nice and homey for dinner would be very much appreciated. Last night while I perused my usual web haunts, I stumbled upon Joe's recipe for Mustard & Maple Pork Tenderloin. I made a couple modifications, but it was such an easy recipe to put together and the pork came out so tender, juicy and flavourful, that this dish will definitely be made again and again. The best part of this dish? The leftovers! Today's lunch was some leftover pork sliced extra thin and served between 2 slices of thick sourdough bread topped with homemade pickles. Yum!

mustard & maple pork tenderloin
2 T Dijon mustard, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
16 ounces trimmed pork tenderloin
1 t canola oil
2 T cider vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Take 1 T of dijon and spread it over the tenderloin, making sure it's all covered with the mustard. In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown all sides evenly. When evenly browned, move pan into the oven and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove tenderloin from the oven, transfer to a plate, and let it rest before slicing.

3. While pork is resting, add the vinegar, maple syrup and remaining mustard to the skillet. Cook over medium heat while scraping all the brown bits from the bottom into the sauce. Add any juice from the pork into the sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce until thickened.

4. Slice tenderloin and pour over sauce.

a saucy little meal

If Air Canada and the weather cooperate, tomorrow I'll be flying from Vancouver to my hometown in Ontario, visiting with my parents for a short and sweet pre-Christmas stay. I'm rushing around today trying my hand at candy making (!!!) and baking some favorites so that I don't arrive empty-handed on my parent's doorstep. Before I leave my poor husband alone with his probable weekend diet of hotdogs and fried eggs, I'm sure that something nice and homey for dinner would be very much appreciated. Last night while I perused my usual web haunts, I stumbled upon Joe's recipe for Mustard & Maple Pork Tenderloin. I made a couple modifications, but it was such an easy recipe to put together and the pork came out so tender, juicy and flavourful, that this dish will definitely be made again and again. The best part of this dish? The leftovers! Today's lunch was some leftover pork sliced extra thin and served between 2 slices of thick sourdough bread topped with homemade pickles. Yum!

mustard & maple pork tenderloin
2 T Dijon mustard, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
16 ounces trimmed pork tenderloin
1 t canola oil
2 T cider vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Take 1 T of dijon and spread it over the tenderloin, making sure it's all covered with the mustard. In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown all sides evenly. When evenly browned, move pan into the oven and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove tenderloin from the oven, transfer to a plate, and let it rest before slicing.

3. While pork is resting, add the vinegar, maple syrup and remaining mustard to the skillet. Cook over medium heat while scraping all the brown bits from the bottom into the sauce. Add any juice from the pork into the sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce until thickened.

4. Slice tenderloin and pour over sauce.