And so as I find myself (like I hope many of you) stuck in self isolation, I have decided to start experimenting with recipes. Note, that my OH would open a restaurant in his next life if he had the chance; he loves to cook and experiment! I would describe myself as a reluctant cook in that I am proficient at following recipes, but I do not have the same zeal to create or recreate meals I eat in restaurants (My husband loves to do this!)

Just found a very simple and yummy roast chicken recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver. We used a head of garlic sliced horizontally along with red onion, zucchini, yellow and red pepper under the chicken. Next time I would use aubergine as well. Here is the recipe for those interested:

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/...roast-chicken/

I served it with rice pilaf (for two people: 1/2 onion chopped finely, 1/2 cup rice, 3 tbsp butter and 1 cup of chicken broth. Sauté the onion in the butter for 5-7 minutes until soft; add the rice and cook for 2 minutes and then add the broth. Cover and cook on medium heat for roughly 18 minutes). Yummy

Sounds yummy. Thanks for the recipe / idea! I love trying new recipes.

As a reluctant cook, I have to say this recipe turned out really amazing. And for the record, I typically think whatever I cook was not worth my effort (I am tough on myself). That said, given my hopeless siblings, you would think I was Julia Child in the kitchen - that is how bad/sad they are in the kitchen!

To be honest, I am the youngest of nine, and my Mom was all about expedience and getting "something" onto to the table which was somewhat edible. And yes, we ate a lot of "Hamburger Helper" and "Tuna Noodle Casserole" back in the day! Ughhh!

Thanks to my husband, we make a fresh, non-preservative filled dinner each night. . I am amazed how easy it is to cook from scratch versus buying prepared sauces at the store. And this, from a reluctant cook ...who may be changing her ways thanks to this quarantine/self isolation ...

Maybe just maybe... good can come out from this pandemic? My OH is hoping so...lol!

Just a suggestion for your recipe, roast the chicken in a roasting bag. You don’t get a crisp skin, but the bird comes out very moist.

Also you should splay the bird’s legs open so the inside of the legs cooks evenly. I’ve developed a technique retying the existing elastic string to hold the legs open. I can’t really describe it, but is easily done.

I know some people who would be sweating at the thought.


There is of course the good ´ol post war kitchen.
Strammer Max or Toast Hawaii, Nettle salat or cooked nettles, Dandelion soup or salad. Boiled Suede or other roots. Gruel and Grütze.
Falscher Hase on special days.

Armer Ritter. Panzerplatten or hard tack.
Or grandma´s speciality, newspaper cooked in flour pampe with a lump of Speck.

Sadly her mind was somehow lost in 1946 and she never found it again, so I experienced post war cooking first hand.



She also sent us kids out to forage, berries, mushrooms, I got quite good at finding champignons and forest mushrooms but that was always a bit dodgy, luckly we had a Pilzexpert in the village, the guy probably saved us from a lot of collywobbles.
She also wanted us to look out for roadkill but dad put his foot down on roadkill so we never got to try flat rabbit.

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Lummerland
Eine Insel mit zwei Bergen,
und im tiefen weiten Meer,
mit viel Tunnels und Geleisen
und dem Eisenbahnverkehr
nun wie mag die Insel heißen
ringsherum ist schöner Strand
jeder sollte einmal reisen
in das schöne Lummerland

You do get a crust actually. Might depend on the roasting bag. Did one last week, got one in the fridge to be done today.

I'm into doing whole chickens these days, it's little effort and I can create all kinds of stuff with the left-over.

My favourite way of cooking a whole chicken and to get it moist inside yet crispy skin, is to line a baking tray with tinfoil, place an opened can of beer in the middle and sit the seasoned chicken upright onto that can.

Bake it at 200°C for approx 45mins

On the risk to annoy people, below's the link to one of the FB Blogs I write, in its file section are many tried and tested recipes written by yours truly, as well as if you need some entertainement...a few hopefully humorously written....longer articles with recipes too.

Also, any questions in regards to cooking will gladly be answered asap by me


https://www.facebook.com/groups/1057050264371996/

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Voluntary SWISS shoe -horn to Expats since 1999, do I get a medal now?

My OH is planning to make risotto on Tuesday night with leftover chicken and mushrooms

I am still cooking and doing most of the things you list, minus foraging 'shroomies, but everything else! Happy that the wild garlic season has started and soon many other herbs and things will be ready to forage for

The bags I use, from the Migros, have a maximum temperature of 200c. Anything above that they melt. I usually cook them at 180c for a little longer - and they rarely turn out crispy.

Not too sure about wild garlic, there are too many similar but poisonous plants around to be sure with only my half knowledge.

As soon as the 'bise' (east wind) drops, I shall be out there looking for morels (morilles, Morcheln, spugnole) - for sure in splendid isolation so no worries.

tangan No. 34 (Migros). Put the oven to 200°C (correct, not more), have the bag not too loose (it will blow up anyway, in spite of the holes you've put in or the cornder you've cut off). Works like a treat, for years now.
To be honest I would never use this system if I had no crust.

An other thing that works is a "Römertopf" (clay pot). Doing it with that you must take the top off for the last part of the time, to get a crust. Still doesn't make a mess of your oven. Actually now that I mention this, I'll do the one today in that - no plastic. Remember to soak a clay pot before using and don't preheat the oven. In this case setting it at 180°C (after shoving the thing in the oven) is perfect.

Eet smakelijk as the Dutch say.

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never ever make assumptions

What's wild garlic? Bärlauch? I don't think you will mix that one up with other plants - the smell is so strong, you can even keep it two meters from your nose.

the only one you can confuse with wild garlic is Lilly of the Valley- same shape and texture- but the smell test is 100% clear- wild garlic smells strongly of ... garlic, lilly of the valley (which is toxic) has no smell.

I am going through cupboards and freezer- and it is no good trying to follow recipes as I never have all the right ingredients. So I just go for it- a bit of this, a bit of that, and usually, it turns out quite nice, sometimes very nice- and once in a while, a disaster. Fun

Only one should consider that ....when collecting wild garlic , your hands start to smell strong of garlic quite quickly...so there is indeed a possibilty that one could pick up a poisonous plant, smell it, but instead of smelling the plant....one has got the garlic stench of the hands in the nose......

Furthermore it is not just Lily of the valley, one could confuse ransom with, but also autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) that one can confuse wild garlic with. It is growing the leaves NOW and they look really very similar to wild garlic, the flowers only show, as the name says, in autumn.

__________________
Voluntary SWISS shoe -horn to Expats since 1999, do I get a medal now?

And I thought they said ... smakelijk eten

So what's the bise in Swiss German?

Ah yes, autumn crocuses- colchiques- I have lots in our meadow- but have to say, never seen in woody wet areas where wild garlic grows. Then a good idea to check individual leaves for smell as you wash them, you just need to rub a little and it is then quite obvious.

La Bise, in German - keine Ahnung. Ostwind? or perhaps 'die Bise'?

Simply .....in High German as well as Swiss German


Bise or depending on region occasionally also Biswind


.....and this my dears is my 2000th post!