Speedy words today … and it’s all about FEASTING. Yes, one of the most evocative words in the English language. To me it means gathering family and friends near to me, cooking and sharing, eating and enjoying. That’s feasting!
This month a new movement celebrating food and drink and the land, sky and sea it comes from, bringing together traditions old and new, discovering our heritage and finding the way forward, begins in New Zealand: Feast Matariki
There are over 100 events happening in New Zealand and you can check them out here
and here’s a little film clip which explains Matariki in more detail https://vimeo.com/339303732
On a personal level it’s an opportunity to open your house to your family and friends and to enjoy each other’s company around the table while you share a delicious meal. You can extend the invitation and invite your neighbours, work colleagues and visitors to your country, and bring strangers together to share in the bonhomie. You might just make a whole bunch of new friends.
To get you enthused I have provided a stunning recipe for a pot roasted chicken. Now don’t go ‘ho-hum boring pot roast’. I said STUNNING and that’s what I mean. This is truly delicious, though the trick lies in browning the chicken slowly to begin with. Then you just put it in a pot and forget about it. It emerges so tender it is falling off the bones, so succulent, fragrant and so tasty that you’ll most likely get a round of applause when you dish it up. And, yep, after the initial browning, you can transfer it to a slow cooker if you wish. To go with it? A pillow of mash, of course. And serve your favourite green vegetables – there are gazillions of recipes on Shared Kitchen to choose from. Pot Roasted Chicken with Mustard & Bay
One of the issues people seem to have with a roast chicken is how to carve it up without hacking into it and making a mess. It’s so easy with one little trick. The DIAMOND shape! If you can remember that, you’ll get it right every time. How to carve a chicken
This is all great if you live in my part of the world, but if you are at the start of summer you are unlikely to want to be gathering around a pot roast. You want a grill. Outdoor cooking. So check out Chicken Skewers on Watermelon & Feta Salad, and a scrumpty-do Peach & Chocolate Tart to finish. That’ll bring them running.
Okay, gotta trot! Spot ya next week.
Julie
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