20111029 Baked Parmesan Garlic Little Chicken Drumsticks

These were good...finger-licking good! They were so simple to make but so tasty. I served them with some brocoli and baked potatoes. But they would be great finger food to serve at a party too.

(SOURCE: Steamy Kitchen - Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings)

INGREDIENTS
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried rosemary
1/2tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1kg little chicken drumsticks
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp minced fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4cup grated parmesan cheese

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 220C. Slightly bruise the dried herbs. Season the little drumsticks with the dried herbs, cumin, and salt and pepper.
2. Bake the chicken drumsticks for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the drumsticks turn golden brown. While the drumsticks are baking, mix together the oil, basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and salt in a small bowl.
3. When the drumsticks are cooked through, toss them with the garlic/cheese mixture sauce.

201111017 Chicken Drumsticks with paprika potatoes

(SOURCE: GoodFood 101 One-pot dishes)

The recipe called for a roasting tin with a rack, so the potatoes can be cooked on the roasting tin while the chicken drumsticks are roasting nicely on the rack above the potatoes - this way the potatoes would have absorbed the juice from the chicken, and the chicken would have been more crispy. As I don't have such a roasting tin, I had to improvise - and the result was not bad. (By the way, apologies for the photo. It looked alright on my computer but refused to turn upon uploading...after several attempts to fix this, I gave up!)

INGREDIENTS
10 chicken drumsticks
2 lemons
2 tbsp dried tarragon
2 tbsp olive oil
500g small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1-2 tsp paprika

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 220 degree C. Slash each drumstick 2-3 times.
2. Finely grate the zest from 1 lemon and squeeze the juice from both. Mix in a shallow dish with the tarragon, 1 tbsp of oil and some salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the marinade.
3. Spread the potatoes over a roasting tin. Toss in the remaining oil and sprinkle with paprika. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Lay the chicken drumsticks on another roasting tin. Place the tin with potatoes to the bottom rack of the oven, and the tin with chicken drumsticks in the middle rack. Roast for 40 minutes until the chicken is well browned. (check on the potatoes halfway, and cover them with foil if they get too dry)

20111012 Italian-style Beef Stew

(SOURCE: GoodFood magazine 101 Meals for Two)

I didn't feel like cooking but really wanted a proper home cooked meal, after surviving on takeaway and microwaved dinner for the last few days. I needed something that is easy to prepare and quick to cook. I flipped through a few cook books and finally found this one. I didn't have high hopes for this but was pleasantly surprised. The slightly bruised rosemary and thinly sliced garlic gave this dish such fragrant - what little bit of herb/spice can do! It was the perfect dinner for a lazy Wednesday evening.

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic clove, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
250g pack beef stir-fry strips
1 yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
400g can chopped tomatoes
dried rosemary, slightly crushed

METHOD
1. In a large saucepan,soften the onion and garlic until turning golden.
2. Tip in the beef strips, pepper, tomatoes and rosemary, then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the meat is cooked through, adding some boiling water if needed.