Source: really short from NYC, USA (wikimedia commons)
As a new food blogger, I thought that it was only right that I pay homage to the celebrity chef that has been a constant source of inspiration to me. While I do love a good gourmet meal now and then, I am a home chef by and large, thus, I have tended to gravitate towards real food by real people such as Rachel Ray, Emeril Lagasse, Amy Beh and Nigella Lawson. I have to say that although there are certainly many talented chefs out there, I am an avid Jamie Oliver, a.k.a The Naked Chef, fan.
So, in no particular order, I present to you, dear readers, 10 Reasons (in my humble opinion) Why Jamie Takes the Cake:
- He was one of the first celebrity chefs in the UK to advocate on the issue of food sustainability;
- He cares about children. I remember watching "Jamie's School Dinners" for the first time and being moved by his enthusiasm and exuberance;
- His recipes capitalize on the natural goodness of food, without being overly seasoned, treated or blasted half to death;
- Moreover, his no-fuss approach to cooking doesn't make you feel overwhelmed. In his words, "cooking has got to be a laugh." The Naked Chef welcomes you into his kitchen, partakes in a glass or two while he prepares the food. It feels as though he is having a conversation with you, rather than instructing. He assures you that while you may have never attended Cordon Bleu, you can still prepare great food at home;
- His recipes are detailed and personalised. Unlike other chefs that I know that jealously guard their secrets, he's always been open about lessons that he's learned;
- Having dined at Fifteen some years back, I was impressed not just by its mission but how great the food was;
- He loves a bacon sarnie, which indicates that at the heart of it, he's an old-fashioned, solid, British chap;
- He is good to dogs;
- He is unabashed in his affection towards Jules, and as a die hard romantic, that melts my heart;
- He's just so darn cute, with his impishness and his mop of hair, and a hint of a tummy that is a sign of a happy man. He's probably the only guy that I know that can look adorable dressed like a giant crustacean.
Roast Chicken is one of those dinners I've experimented generously with. I've previously used an old recipe by Jamie that features loads of butter and where you chop up prosciutto and stuff in between the skin of the bird and the meat. I've tried flavouring the roast with oranges, spice rubs, all sorts of herbs, and Asian seasonings. I've also tried the French style of cooking which requires you to turn the chicken over several times to even out the browning process, and to baste the bird with the pan juices every ten minutes. What I liked about this particular recipe (see original here), which was the centerpiece of a recent dinner party, was the ease in which it came together. I did make several minor modifications to it, which I'm indicating below, but overall, I was very happy with the results. Do try to get an organic chicken, as I did this time around - the difference between the results you would get from a chicken from the pasar and the supermarket is like day and night. The roast was tender and juicy at the same time, according to my guests. So thanks, and cheers, Jamie!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 x approximately 1.6kg chicken, preferably free-range, organic or higher welfare
2 medium onions
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 bulb of garlic
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
a small bunch of fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or a mixture
To prepare your chicken:
• Take your chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before it goes into the oven
• Preheat your oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9
• There’s no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a wash and roughly chop them
• Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled
• Pile all the veg and garlic into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil
• Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the bird
• Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavour)
• Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs)
To cook your chicken:
• Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven
• Turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes
• If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them – get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking
• Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them burning
• When cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so
• Cover it with a layer of tinfoil and a tea towel and put aside. Now is the time to make your gravy.
Serve, carved, at the table, together with gravy and side dishes of your choice.
Modifications/Suggestions:
- I used a baking tray and placed the chicken on a roasting rack instead of directly on the vegetables, as suggested here. I think it helped the browning process.
- I bought a 1.8 kg chicken, and roasted it for 1 1/2 hours instead. I roasted the bird breast side up first, for about 45 minutes, and then basted it thoroughly with the pan juices before turning it over on its back. After another fiteen minutes, I turned it back over breast side up, again basting it with the pan juices, to crisp the skin.
- I used a combination of all four types of herbs suggested above - generous bunches of rosemary and sage, with a few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf and the flavour was great
- Be careful about microwaving the lemon. I had the juice squirt into my eye and it was hot!
- Instead of water, I added about 1/2 cup of light chicken stock to the tray. This not only added flavour to the roast, but provided a good base for the gravy later.
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