from somewhere in my imagination

What's For Dinner? - Chicken Cacciatore + Polenta

After being a day late with my What's for Dinner post last week I'm a touch early this week.  It's all good.

This is a recipe that I have been cooking for years, but tonight I did it a bit differently and it was so much better than I ever remember it being before.  It is a great weekend recipe for newer cooks (it will possibly involve a few new techniques) but is totally acheiveable on a weeknight because you won't be standing at the stove the whole time.  Make sure you read through all the steps before you start :)

Starting with a whole chicken and cooking the pieces on the bone gives it so much more chicken flavour than using pieces.  If you aren't comfortable cutting up a whole chicken substitute 8 chicken thighs, trimmed and cut in half.

Chicken Cacciatore + Polenta - Serves 6

Ingredients

Cacciatore

1 whole chicken, 1.4 kg approx.  When I am buying whole chickens I always go for free range and preferably organic.  I find that good quality whole chickens are much more affordable than pieces (breasts & thighs) of equivalent quality.

3 celery stalks

3 carrots

1 brown onion

6 rashers short cut bacon

700mL tomato passata...or better still make your own pasta sauce first like I did on Sunday.

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 tsp dried thyme

1/2-1 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional, you probably won't want them if you have made pasta sauce like mine)

150g large kalamata olives, not pitted.

3 Tbs Olive Oil

Stock

2 carrots, halved lengthways

1 celery stick

1 brown onion, halved

10 whole peppercorns

2 1/2 litres cold water

Polenta

1.25 litres hot chicken stock

2 cups instant polenta

25g butter

1/2 cup parmasen cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

Joint your chicken into 12 pieces (2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, cut each breast in half, 2 tederloins) keeping skin on where possible but timming off any excess fatty bits. If you are unsure about joining a chicken consult google, there are lots of you tube vids for your education.  Oooh...sounds like a good vlog for me...chicken jointing tips!

Put the carcass to one side, you will use this for the stock.

Peel and dice celery, carrots and onion.

Cut bacon into thin strips

Heat the Olive oil in base of a large saucepan (mine is 4L)

Throw in the celery, carrots, onion, garlic and bacon, cook until the onions start to go clear but the carrots and celery are retaining some texture.  Tip into a large casserole dish and spread over the base.

Pop the saucepan back on the heat and place in the chicken pieces skin side down, turning when they start to colour.  This shouldn't take very long.  Tip in about 1/2 cup of water to deglaze the saucepan and add your herbs.

Tip the chicken on top of the bacon & veg mixture.  Top with the pasta sauce/passata and mix through a bit.

Pop it in the oven for 45 mins or so.  Alternatively you could transfer it all to a slow cooker rather than a casserole and leave it to bubble away (I'd probably add an extra 1/2 cup of liquid so it doesn't dry out).

To make the stock put the saucepan back on the stove.  Pop in the chicken carcass, carrots, celery, onion and peppercorns with the 2 1/2 litres of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Give the children a bath or read with them because at this point dinner is taking care of itself.

Strain the stock through a fine sieve, toss the olives into the cacciatore (you might need to turn the oven off at this point) and make the polenta.

Return 1L hot chicken stock back into the saucepan and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and slowly but briskly whisk in the 2 cups polenta, stirring constantly as you pour it in a thin stream.  It gets tough pretty fast so you will need to have everything at hand.  A

dd in the extra cup of stock when it starts to get a bit to thick to whisk, when that is incorporated add the butter and mix it in.

Turn off the heat and add in the parmasen cheese and stir through.

Plate up the polenta and cacciatore and dig in.

Delicious.  Everyone in our family loves it.  The homemade pasta sauce definitely turned it into something extra special.

Let me know if you give it a go and how it worked out for you, If something doesn't make sense make sure you tell me!  Have you cooked any of my other recipes lately?  How did they go?

Tatum xx

Alternate Meditation

As much as I love the idea of spending a period of time actually learning to meditate, like Liz Gilbert in Eat Pray Love kinda think.  I can't imagine every sitting still, clearning my mind, not thinking and not achieving anything.

I have a few other activities that I enjoy that I call my alternate meditation.

Running

I have gone jogging for just about as long as I can remember.  When I was in year 12 I got home from school and ran about 12 kms pretty much every single day.  I have never been so focused on achieving goals as I was in year 12.  Although, to be fair, in year 12 I didn't have the same competing priorities then as I do now.

I love lacing on my running shoes, giving everyone a kiss, waving bye and heading out the door.  I prefer running on my own.  I prefer running outside than on a treadmill.  i love watching the world go by, thinking and dreaming.

Sewing

Sewing is a meditation form that I have only realised lately.  I started sewing when I first moved to Mount Isa, nearly 12 years ago.  I made quilts until Lil was born when I didn't really have the time (2 babies 18 months apart) nor the space (we bought and renovated another house).  My stitching fingers started itching again about 2 years ago and I have been loving it.

I love the therapy of sitting at the machine and feeding fabric through.  It doesn't require a whole bunch of thought but it does leave you with an awesom end product.  I also enjoy the busy hand therapy of hand stitching but at times I find it a tad frustrating too because it takes much longer to get to the end result.

Laughing

There really isn't much else to add to this one but there is nothing like a good old belly laugh that really lifts my spirits and leaves me smiling and on top of the world.  I have a silly sense of humour, the strangest things will make me laugh and I am prone to the giggles...once I start I find it hard to stop!

Cooking

Cooking is a therapy that I have enjoyed for many many years.  When I was working full time coming home and cooking the evening meal was my time for unwinding.  Back then we were in Mount Isa and we had an open plan kitchen where the girls would sit on their stools and we would talk about our day while I prepared dinner.

I love getting in the kitchen on the weekend and having a bit baking frenzy, dreaming up new recipes or spending half the day pottering around the kitchen before having friends over for dinner.  I love it all.

Watching my Babies Sleep

One time that I am happy to be still and slient is when I sit and watch my babies sleep.  There is something truly amazing about their peaceful sleeping faces, watching and listening to the rise and fall of their breathing.  I sit and watch and daydream about them, reflect on them and just relish being their mummy.

Do you actually meditate in the purest sense of the word?  If not what are your favourite meditative activities?  I'd love to hear about them.

Tatum xx

All Off - Daffodil Day 2011, The Headshave

So, without further ado...here it is...a condensed version of my head shave on Friday night. Jess did a first pass at #1 and then went over it with no comb.  I'm still rubbing it alot and get a bit of a shock each time I catch sight of myself in the mirror or spot my shadow.

I've sped up some sections...Charlotte really didn't have THAT much sugar, promise.  Enjoy!

 

If you are still keen to donate to the Cancer Council you can pop over here to do so.  Right now with the cash I have to deposit the total is a shade under $3500.  I have a special prize to draw randomly and I'll be doing that on Friday.

If you haven't seen my before and after vlogs yet you can find them here (before) and here (after).  It has all been a pretty amazing experience.

Hope that you have had a lovely Monday.

Tatum xx