Pablo roasts the humble chook

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 14, 27 August 1985, Page 8

Pablo roasts the humble chook

Fowl is a broadly polite 'nom de plume' for hens 10 months or more. They are too old to roast but make well-flavoured additions to the stock pot. As you guessed this week it's the humble chicken poking its feathered head into sight. Chickens come in all sizes and shapes. From baby chicken (spatchcock or poussin) to boiler the range is extensive. Each type of chicken has its best use. For roasting a No. 6 chicken will be the best. Small chickens can be boned out and stuffed. Breasts are also available on the local market and are best panfried, after being beaten out, then flavoured.

Stuffings are also a welcome addition to roasts. Sometimes a little variation in herbs and ingredients for a stuffing are fun. Recently I've been testing out some stuffing variations. So if you want a good stuffing come to Discovery! Pablo 's French Roasted Chicken (with an Onion Lemon Stuffing) Ingredients: ★No. 6 chicken ★paprika, thyme, basil ★black pepper (to taste) ★garlic powder ★ Lea & Perrin's sauce (good splash) ★two cups white wine ★two lemons ★good dob of butter Method: In a large roasting pan put the wine, butter and Lea & Perrin's sauce. Rub all the herbs into the chicken. Stuffing ★ one cup parsley & onion ★one lemon finely chopped ★ one cup breadcrumbs ★one cup chopped bread ★garlic to taste ★three egg yolks

Saute onions in butter, add the lemon and parsley. Blend crumbs, chopped bread, garlic and egg yolks. Stuff the chicken. Get in as much as possible. Put your seasoned chicken into the large roasting pan. Put the pan into a hot oven uncovered for half an hour. When the outside is browned cover the whole pan with fpil. Turn the oven down to a low heat and bake for two hours. This way you get the rich colour open roasting gives you in combination with the tenderness steaming provides. The flavour of the stuffing goes through the whole chicken. To make a gravy simply remove the juice from the roasting pan to a pot, bring to the boil and add a cold water/cornflour mix to it. This should make a delicious sauce. Also at the last minute the addition of sour cream to the sauce is good.