Saturday, February 8, 2014

Romantic and rustic roast chicken



A scenic and nostalgic trip and recipe brought to you by Mary Jane Maffini, part of the Victoria Abbott team.


Roast chicken: romantic and rustic
When you look at great recipes, usually they are made up of ordinary ingredient, good quality and fresh, prepared well with spectacular results. This chicken reminded me and my husband of the dinners we shared in a tiny, perfect apartment we shared in the historic village of Anghiari, Tuscany, a few years back, when I was researching The Dead Don't Get Out Much, the fifth Camilla MacPhee mystery (yes, it contains a trip to Italy). We’d pick up the ingredients in the small shops around the piazza and carry them back up the steep and twisty medieval street to the apartment where we’d cook in a kitchen that was smaller than the typical desk. The meals were always terrific, in part because of the lovely herbs that grew on the little terrace by the door, in part because of the location and in part because of the vino that was served at every dinner. 

We were tickled to reproduce that flavor and feeling in freezing Manotick, Ontario, in the middle of winter. With the delicious meal, the simple setting, a candle, and an Italian red wine in stemless glasses, it felt like a mini-vacation. 

Here’s how we did it:


Half a loaf of rustic Italian bread cut in 1 thick slices, enough to provide a bed for the chicken
4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 chicken about 4 to 5 lb
½ to one whole garlic head (rub off outside papery skin and slice in half horizontally through all the cloves)
½ lemon
½ lime
Sprigs of fresh rosemary or two tsp dried
1/2 bunch fresh thyme, coarsely chopped 






Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C). 2. Place bread slices in centre of a metal roasting pan.







Drizzle 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 mL) of the olive oil over bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Season cavity of chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with prepared garlic head, lemon, lime, tarragon and thyme.







4. Rub outside of chicken with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
5. Place chicken, breast side up, on bread slices.















6. Roast chicken for 1 1/2 hours, until it is very brown and crispy and pan juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. Internal temperature should be 165 F (74 C). 7. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.







8. Serve with slices of the fabulous bread from the pan.








This property is owned by one of my Canadian friends. If you’d like to get more details, click this link:

http://excitingtuscany.com/ilnido
 

This is the book I wrote based on the research in Tuscany.  It's available in print through some outlets and in ebook format.  You can check out this and the other twelve Mary Jane Maffini books at Mary Jane Maffini

Here's a link to the ebook! The Dead Don't Get Out Much: A Camilla MacPhee mysteryi
Enjoy the food and the trip! 




18 comments:

  1. I was scrolling down this post and stopped at the first picture and said, "Ah, Tuscany." Did I ever show you pictures of the kitchen in a Medici villa I visited? Copper pots in every size imaginable.

    I love the idea here of using the bread to catch all the tasty drippings from the chicken.

    Now I have to go find the book. And just finished the Sayers Swindle! I thought the way the pace picked up toward the end was great.

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  2. Thanks, Sheila. Did you stay at that villa? Because if you did, I may have to kill you out of sheer jealousy. How Medici is that?

    Glad you like the Sayers ending. Why do I love fire in fiction?

    Hugs,

    MJ

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  3. Oh my gosh MJ, the chicken looks amazing! I've roasted some birds that have come out in a huge pan of grease--I'm wondering about the bread in that case...But everything would taste great in that setting! What amazing trip--must try this book right away. xo

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  4. Thanks! The bread isn't greasy, Lucy - although that chicken fat has to go somewhere. I think the temperature changes it to a crispy fried delicious taste Maybe not for those arteries every day, but once in a while.

    Hugs,

    MJ

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  5. Mary Jane--That chicken is calling my name. The Italians really know how to do a simple dish. Thanks for posting the recipe.

    Beverle Graves Myers

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  6. Thank you, Bev! I hope to see you at LCC or Malice this year. Hugs, MJ

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  7. This is a truly beautiful post and recipe for Valentine week, Mary Jane (Victoria). Love the photos, love the story, and I *especially* love the crusty bread under the chicken. And with a glass of wine, oh my goodness, perfezione!

    ~ Cleo

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cleo! There's nothing like actually being there, but this felt close enough to revive the memories.

      XOX

      MJ

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  8. Another simple idea that is simply divine! Thanks for a lovely trip to Tuscany.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Libby! And I can't be there, at least I can taste a bit of it.

      Hugs.

      MJ

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  9. Roast chicken is one of my favorite foods! I'm drooling. Never thought of putting bread underneath. Yummy! And those Tuscan pictures...swoon.

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    1. Thanks, Peg. Those Italians never waste a bite of food. So many ways to use bread.

      Hugs.

      MJ

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  10. What a charming place! European villages are so special. I love that kitchen.

    Coincidentally, I have a chicken roasting right now. But it never occurred to me to lay it on a bed of bread!!!!!! I'm drooling at the mere thought!

    ~Krista

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    Replies
    1. You are right about European villages, Krista. And everything tastes better in them.

      XO

      MJ

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  11. This looks absolutely fabulous and definitely romantic yet easy! Yum! Hoping to get to Tuscany very soon. :)

    Hugs,

    Daryl / Avery

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    1. You will love Tuscany, Avery/Daryl! The cheese opportunities are outstanding.

      Hope you get that trip soon.

      XO

      MJ

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  12. I have always wanted to go to Tuscany, but alas I haven't made it yet. I will definitely make that chicken though, and pretend I am there.

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    1. I am sure you'll get there, Vicki. You have more adventures than anyone I else I know.

      XOXO

      MJ

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