Invitations and a Cook-In

Well, yesterday I had planned to be a cook-in day. On Friday evening I removed two chicken legs (rather large ones of the Marks and Spencer “Oakham” variety) and four chicken thighs.

I had intended to cook the chicken legs to have one for yesterday and one cold for today, and to use the thighs to make a curry for freezing.

However, “The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley”, so firstly daughter phones and suggests lunch followed by the cinema on Sunday. Great idea, so I suggested a garden centre near the multiplex for lunch. She would pick me up after church. After the cinema she would come back to inspect my new kitchen (but not stay long enough for the boys to get bored: it is hard to find enough to keep them occupied in a small flat.)

Secondly, I was sitting at the computer yesterday updating the previous blog off line prior to posting it, when in comes an email from S. inviting me over for dinner and a sleep over. Of course I jumped at the offer.

I then decided that the first priority was to cook the meat – can’t leave defrosted chicken hanging around uncooked. So I quickly looked in the fridge and cooked:-

CHICKEN CASSEROLE

2 chicken legs
2 leeks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 organic chicken stock cube

Place all in a casserole, cover with boiling water and cook at 180 for ½ hour, then 160 for 1 ½ hours. Leave to cool and put in the fridge till tomorrow,

CHICKEN SOUP

This is just a variation of the chicken soup I wrote about before. These things all depend on what you have in the store cupboard.

4 chicken thighs
1 leek, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
Handful of long grain rice

Place the first 4 ingredients in a heavy pan and cover with boiling water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours.
Remove the thighs using a slotted spoon and leave to cool.

Add the rice and season to taste.
Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes

Remove the skin from the meat, then take the meat from the bones and cut it into the soup