Jamie's Food Revolution Recipes Series: Roasted Sumac Chicken...

I am not surprised to see roast chicken on Jamie's top ten recipes to save your life. It is something I do with my family often especially if I'm scratching my head on what to make or need a simple no-fuss protein to complement a bunch of veggies. Roasting whole chicken is super easy to do (rub, stuff and leave to roast), and cooked to crispy on the outside, juicy moist on the inside, it is a sure bet meal your whole family will eat and enjoy. And part of the fun is the combination of flavour rubs and/or ingredient stuffings to make it different and creative some or every time. Although I typically do a basic salt and pepper rub with a lemon, onions and garlic stuffing, tonight in creating my own twist ode to Jamie's bird roast, I thought how cool would it be to change it up simply with sumac in the rub-- a tart lemony berry spice I adore and is commonly used in Persian dishes. And what a perfect Sunday dinner it will be with a roast chicken and some healthy sides. We are a family of five so I typically look for a 3-1/2 pounder (1.75 kg) to make a roast for dinner and easily have leftovers for the next day for another meal-- meat for lunch sandwich, shredded chicken for fajitas or chicken soup (also making a broth from the carcass). I also love this size because it fits just right in my toaster oven and saves me from using the big oven unnecessarily and wasting energy. 

This is what I do to get a perfect roast...

Roasted Sumac Chicken

For a 3-1/2 lb. whole chicken

1.75 kg (3-1/2 lb.) whole chicken

salt and ground black pepper

1 lemon, cut into quarters and pricked all over (to release juice and steam inside chicken)

1 small onion, cut into quarters

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. ground sumac

Preheat toaster oven/oven to 375 F. Rub the inside cavity of the chicken with salt and ground black pepper. Stuff with lemon, onion and garlic. Citrus gives a juicier bird and makes it fragrant when it steams. 

Place chicken breast-side up on rack (optional) on foil-lined roasting pan. Rub all over surface and bottom with salt and pepper. Mix softened butter, mustard and sumac into a paste; spread and rub all over and into chicken crevices. Untie the legs and tuck wings underneath (if difficult to tuck, wrap tips with a bit of foil). TIP: I find the skin of the legs are crispier when not bound together.

Use plastic disposable gloves to make rubbing mess-free.

Meanwhile, I prepared my sides-- sautéed butter and garlic green beans, grilled zucchini, steamed sweet potatoes and quinoa tossed with chopped spinach.

Roast chicken, uncovered for 1-3/4 hours or until leg moves easily and thermometer reads 170F in thickest part of thigh. TIP: I like to roast for 3/4 hour, then turn it upside down to roast the bottom for another 3/4 hour. I turn up the dial to broil at 450F for the last ten minutes to crisp up the skin. This also allows the juice to drip down and baste the breast making it more succulent. I turn the heat back down to 375F and flip the bird around one last time roasting the remainder of the time until thoroughly cooked.

Remove chicken onto cutting board and tent loosely with foil for ten minutes; this allows the chicken to rest, juice to redistribute and to firm up for easier slicing. Pour out the cooked chicken liquid from the roasting pan into a bowl and skim off the fat to serve as gravy if desired.

I like to carve the chicken into wings, legs and breasts (6 pieces) in total which gets divided up again at the table. Usually the kids have the drumsticks and a thigh, my husband a thigh and wing, and I, the back and a wing. The kids are getting bigger and hungrier, so we dig into part of the breasts but sometimes there is meat leftover for chicken sandwiches or part of dinner the next day. 

And there is our lazy Sunday roast chicken dinner with ample sides for choosing or having a bit of everything.

Digging in...

Sumac imparts a wonderful fragrance and lemony touch to the skin! Just a perky perfect rub for chicken! 

For more roast chicken recipes, check them out on Jamie Oliver's site.

Jamie's Food Revolution Recipe Series: My Spaghetti Bolognese and Jamie's Italian Pastas...

I had been asked what my favourite go-to recipe is, and I would have to say out of everything I cook, hands-down it has to be Spaghetti Bolognese (a hearty spin on Jamie's ten Cook For Your Life recipes-- Classic Tomato Spaghetti). It is so versatile, you can use a variety of meats, or in combination and/or a whole whack of veggies, that could be hidden in the delicious sauce and enjoyed by the pickiest of eaters. I like to use up the odd bits and ends of veggies in the fridge and simmer my sauce for two hours to get tender melt-in-your mouth morsel after morsel bite. Jamie says of his classic tomato spaghetti, "it is a great introduction to pasta for kids – loads of fun to eat, and a brilliant base for adding all kinds of other fresh ingredients.”

Speaking of pasta, the family was super excited to dine at Jamie's Italian restaurant in Toronto's Yorkdale this weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary of 13 years! I'm in Jamie recipe mode, gradually cooking up his ten recipes for my family and with my friends, and I thought where else would I want to try and dine? Jamie's menu features a nice array of delicious pasta creations which I hope to try a few with my husband and kids. And it hit me just like that.... it literally dawned on me after weeks of planning my own rah-rah Food Rev day events with Real Food For Real Kids and Northview Heights Secondary Culinary Department to inquire, what the heck they had planned for Food Revolution Day! :)

Big-Batch Spaghetti Bolognese

Jamie’s Italian is Jamie Oliver’s first North American restaurant at Yorkdale Mall. Family-friendly Italian dishes of pastas, pizza, mains and salads are made with sustainable, ethically sourced and local-when-possible ingredients. They also have an appetizing kids menu that offer adult-loving flavours such as Salmon in a Bag and Seven Cheesy Pasta.

Lots of Jamie's cookbooks, chopping boards and Jamie branded napkins 
handsomely on display off the front foyer into the main dining room.

The busy bustling bar scene on Saturday at 5pm...

The view from the second floor onto the bar dining area...

I asked to speak to the head chef of the night and here is Chef Simona. She approached my table and we started gabbing about Food Revolution Day! I was stoked to hear their team has invited 20 middle school children to partake in a cooking activity to make Jamie's DIY Oaty Fruity Cereal-- one of his ten recipes but one which Jamie is particularly highlighting to emphasize the importance of a nutritious breakfast to start your day off right. They will contact me further next week to provide me more details so I can share back to my local and global Food Revolution team! So exciting and fun!!

With Jamie's Italian Chef Simona

Appetizers consisted of Artisan Breads-- house-baked focaccia, ciabatta, carta di musica, sourdough, grissini served with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic and black olive tapenade, Pork and Fennel Meatballs-- slow-cooked pork meatballs in a fiery arrabbiata sauce with lemony gremolata and Crispy Squid with garlic and lemon mayo, chilli, parsley and fried garlic.

Pork and Fennel Meatballs with spicy sauce on top (original) and ours on the side.

Crispy Squid with garlic and lemon mayo

Enjoying a variation of Singapore Sling-- YUM!

Here comes our mains...

Serving up deliciousness with charming server Dawson!

Fresh Crab Spaghetti with garlic, capers, chilli, fennel, parsley, anchovies, lemon and olive oil. Loads of crab and just the right amount of oil to smoothly tie all the flavours together on al dente noodles. I just loved the bite of fennel and capers, and the hint of chilli was perfect.

Tagliatelle Bolognese is Jamie's first restaurant boss and ongoing respected mentor Chef Gennaro’s original pork and beef Bolognese recipe with hints of fresh rosemary-- slow-cooked and served with pangrattato and Parmigiano Reggiano. Such a hearty, succulent and flavourful sauce on top of complementary ribbon noodles! YUM!

We asked for no cheese and breadcrumbs were topped instead.

A charcuterie cured meats board for uno-- Fennel salami, pistachio mortadella, prosciutto and schiacciata piccante served with mini buffalo mozzarella, pecorino & chilli jam, a selection of pickles, olives and a crunchy slaw.

Two tomato cans act as pillars to anchor the cured meats board. How neat!

And of course, how can we bring our kids to an Italian restaurant without ordering pizza. Jamie's Italian serves up nice thin pies-- this one Margherita with Sicilian tomato as the base, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Mmm... just like nonna makes it.

This was definitely a nice dining experience for the family to mark a special occasion. We ordered off the regular menu for everyone and shared, and most of the dishes were appreciated by my kids. Dessert was a simple three scoop fruit sorbet of each lemon, mango and strawberry, and three spoons for five mouths to savour! Thank you Jamie's Italian, and looking forward to hearing, seeing and retweeting all the wonderful fun action at your kids' cooking event on Food Revolution Day May 20th!

Jamie's Food Revolution Recipe Series: Seafood and Greens Noodle Stir-Fry...

It's all about cooking up Jamie Oliver`s Food Revolution recipes these days, and the next one up from his top ten is a noodle stir-fry. Each of his recipes were hand selected to bring a series of basic cooking techniques to your culinary repertoire to cook for your life. This dish is definitely about practising to hone your knife skills-- chopping and slicing ingredients into bite-size and consistent pieces for even cooking. He makes a Veggie Noodle Stir-Fry and says, “A great way to make sure you’re getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs is to eat the rainbow. Eating a mixture of different coloured vegetables, like in this stir-fry, will help you do that. This dish will give you two of your five-a-day. Of course, feel free to use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge – this is a great dish for using up leftovers too!” Indeed, and that is exactly what I did! I scoured my freezer for meat and decided I could do a seafood variation with frozen shrimps and squid tentacles. And I had a whack of green veggies, bits of onions here and there-- how perfect were these ingredients to concoct my noodle dish... I even had a can of sliced bamboo shoots in my cupboard. Just a trip to the store for noodles and I was all set. 

Noodles is truly a beautiful customizable dish- one that you can add any combination of your favourite ingredients, using up leftovers laying around in the fridge, and also a fabulous dish to try a new ingredient or two with the family!

For me, Cook For Your Life means... being able to look into your fridge and pantry, and quickly know what ingredients goes with what to come up with something decent to cook for you and your family, and not waste leftovers and food. People who lack the skills would throw out wilted produce and slightly bruised fruit. That is the P.O.W.E.R. of food education and cooking, and it begins with learning the basics of food and cooking!

Bak choy, broccoli, zucchini, cilantro and green onions make for a green noodle affair! 
Use up those onions ends and bits too.

Everything in it's place-- Mise en place, the French call it, is the best method ever in the kitchen and the secret to success especially in stir-fries and when you have a lot of recipes on-the-go. It gets everything prepped and ready within your reach-- no frantic last minute running around so you can keep focused on delivering your tastiest dish(es).

Here are some of my tips to keep organized:

1) Wash, peel, chop and slice everything. Measure all your spices and ingredients as needed;
2) Set separate bowls out for ingredients such as garlic and onion to use as you please;
3) Arrange ingredients for each dish on large separate plates to keep you on track of everything in the recipe;
4) Keep your counter and sink clean; place empty dishes into the sink as you go to give you more counter space for the finished dishes;
5) Have your seasonings and condiment jars opened and ready to use when you need to add a dash or splash;
6) Have your cooking utensils within reach such as extra spoons for scooping sauce or for tasting.

Seafood and Greens Noodle Stir-Fry
Makes 6 to 8 Servings

Flavouring Sauce:
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 Tbsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon seasoning
3 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil 

1 cup water

Filling:

1 pkg. (1 lb.) fresh egg noodles (I used miki- a type of Shanghai yellow wheat thick noodles) 

2 Tbsp. oil, divided

1/2 onion, cut into thin slices

2 green onion, cut into 1-1/2 " pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pkg. (300 to 400 g) medium shrimps, shelled, de-veined, rinsed and pat dry

1 pkg. (small) frozen squid tentacles, thawed and rinsed with inner hard cartilage removed, pat dry

broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoot (buy in a can, drain and rinse well) 

zucchini, sliced into coins and cut into thick strips
bak choy, sliced in half

2 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine 

2 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed in 1/4 cup water
cilantro for garnish, chopped

Cut and slice all the vegetables. Set aside. Deeply score your shrimps down its de-veined back be careful not cutting through (this will create shrimp orbs that are heartier to eat, and very typical of Asian shrimp stir-fries). Slice the cleaned squids into even pieces.

Prepare noodles according to package instructions. Drain.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in hot skillet/wok on medium-high until hot. Add onions and garlic, cook for a minute until fragrant. Add shrimps, cook for one minute on high heat, toss until translucent then add the squid. Toss for another minute or so until cooked through. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet/wok, add broccoli, bamboo shoots and a little water until vegetables are par-cooked, stir-frying for two minutes. Add bak choy and zucchini and cook for one minute more adding cooking wine. Return the shrimp mixture and toss with the noodles. Pour in the flavouring sauce and toss well; cover and let steam for one to two minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.

Oh my deeelish and pretty in green.......

Top with chopped cilantro!

Setting out bowls for my boys...

Gotta have hot sauce at the table.... sambal oelek chili is especially tasty and a side of kimchi too.

Slurrrrpppelious Good!!

Ha, I had leftover Korean sweet peanuts and I tossed it in my noodle bowl for extra crunch and protein. 
Anything goes really!!...

Here is Jamie's Veggie Noodle Stir-Fry recipe you can print out with step-by-step cooking photos.

Veggie Noodle Stir-Fry

Click for more recipes on our family favourite noodles. 

Mother's Day with Omelets Ode to Jamie's Cook-For-Your-Life Recipes....

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful, fabulous mothers and those celebrating with your mothers!

What a way to celebrate this special day with a stay-in brunch of customized omelets. I challenged my family to make me an omelet with my favourite ingredients.... it was also a way to kick-start Jamie's newly launched official Food Revolution site with his champion starter package recipes for cooking. This year's 5th Annual Food Revolution Day (FRD 2016) is all about the Power of Cooking. Jamie Oliver has defined ten recipes which he will be asking people everywhere to join him and cook. This will be centred around ten delicious, nutritionally balanced recipes, which has been defined as the “Starter Pack of Cooking”, each covering a different skill and technique that can give anyone the confidence to cook good, real, healthy meals for themselves and their families, for now and the future. Jamie has spoken about the idea of ten recipes to save your life since his TED talk in 2010.

One of these ten recipes is indeed a simple cheese omelet, which my husband and son Sebastien cooked up a spin with smoked salmon for me (yay! my favourite) and mushrooms, spinach and bacon as an alternative for the family. As Jamie's site says, “this is a great quick meal at any time of the day. Eggs are a fantastic, affordable source of protein, helping our muscles to grow and repair and helping us to feel fuller for longer. Serve your omelette with wholemeal bread and a simple tomato salad for a healthy, balanced meal.”

Dicing and slicing lessons for my six-year old son :)

Smoked salmon, capers and red onions mixed with Dijon mustard and added to the omelet as a filling.

Roll 'er up!

Another omelet offering filled with spinach, bacon and mushrooms. 

Homemade gifts and cards from my sweet boys. The sentiments were universal throughout-- thanks mom for taking care of me and cooking me delicious food! Awww---- !

Smoked salmon omelet served with a side salad, a dollop of sour cream sprinkled with fresh tarragon-- YUM!

Stay tuned as I continue to cook out of Jamie's ten Starter-Pack or Cook-For-Your-Life recipes leading up to Food Revolution Day May 20th! What are my variations on these awesome recipes and will you join me by cooking with yours?