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!
