The culinary news of the day was less about the food and more about the sad demise of my timer. It was a frankly rather naff plastic timer in the shape of an apple, but it was given to me as a birthday present by a friend a couple of years ago and I've become rather attached to it. So when I twisted it round rather absent-mindedly as I was cooking dinner this evening, I was horrified to hear the crack of plastic and find half a timer in each hand! I did try and fix it back together again, but a couple of little bits had snapped off inside, so it was RIP apple timer!!
Back home again, we've started a new 'regime', to try and lose a few extra pounds gained over the winter and no doubt not helped by the frequent eating out over the past week or so. It was roast chicken for dinner, but rather than slathering it in butter as I usually do, today it was just drizzled with olive oil, a scattering of thyme leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice - with one half of a lemon stuffed inside the bird, the other thrown into the roasting tray. Then halfway through cooking - estimated without the aid of my timer! - I threw some unpeeled and slightly squashed garlic cloves in too ... I've learnt not to put them in from the start because they just dry out and burn to a crisp.
When the chicken was cooked, I took it out to rest, poured the oil out of the roasting tray, then popped it on the hob. I added a slurp of wine, stirred up the sticky bits from the bottom, squeezed the lemon and the garlic cloves and let it all bubble up to make a wonderfully rich, sharp gravy. Served with boiled new potatoes and some spring greens, it tasted every bit as good as the usual buttery version.
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