Trwyn Tal retreat

Recharge, refocus, relax

Recharge, refocus, relax in the Welsh mountains

Beer Can Chicken

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If you can get over how funny this looks (or weird / wrong depending on your perspective!), this is a fab recipe for delicious, tender chicken: Crispy on the outside, flavoursome and moist on the inside, the beer can turns a simple roast into a bit of a feature with very little effort on your part. My thanks to the lovely Felin Fach Griffin near Hay-on-Wye, for the inspiration, tips and encouragement to try this recipe out!

Beer Can Chicken… you just got to laugh!

Beer Can Chicken (Serves 6+)

One large chicken ~ 2.2 kg
One can of beer (with no plastic widget thingy)
1 tsp mixed herbs
Salt & Pepper
Small knob of beef dripping

This is a very simple recipe. I particularly like the second step… :

Mix the herbs, salt and pepper together and rub over the chicken.

Open your beer. Drink half. Yes, drink, share or otherwise use half of that beer.

Place the beer can on a roasting tin and, with whatever comments you feel are appropriate, sit the chicken onto the can so that about half the can is inside the chicken. (You need a bit of gap inside the chicken to create a nice beer steam bath :o)

Looking weird but ready for the off

Sit the beef dripping on top of the chicken, and put into a hot oven 190C, uncovered.

Roast for about 1 hr 50 mins or until cooked (juices run clear.)

Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. The beer & juices in the can can be incorporated into the gravy, but will probably be pretty strongly beery – depending on size of can and how much you drank – so add to taste.

Carve on the can for added effect. Served with roast potatoes, veg and juices from the pan, this is tasty roast chicken with plenty of humour!

More to…

Mountain Retreats with plenty of space, humour, and cake

Capel-y-ffin

Aunty’s Homemade Beefburgers

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Quick, easy, tasty…. These beefburgers are simply minced beef and a little seasoning. They’re ideal for a barbecue, and equally good rustled up for an indoor feast. I’d like to dedicate this recipe to two of my nephews, David & Ben who are big fans of these burgers, and delightful contributors to my cooking confidence. Thank you, fine nephews!

Aunty’s Homemade Beefburgers

Aunty’s Homemade Beefburgers

750g minced beef
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
2 tbl double cream
2 tbl finely chopped curly leaf parsley
salt & pepper

Serve with:

Tomatoes
Creamed Horseradish sauce
Mayonnaise

and/or

Sesame bun
Mayonnaise
Tomatoes
Gherkins
Crispy lettuce

Firstly, a word about mince beef. Do not buy the extra lean mince, it just doesn’t do the job, and you’ll get leathery, tasteless beefburgers. Buy the best quality good old standard mince you can find, ideally local meat from your local butcher: Then you’ll get tasty, soft burgers.

The rest is really simple: Peel and crush the garlic, dice the onion and finely chop the parsley.

Mix everything together – you’ll be shaping the burgers by hand, so you may as well mix them by hand too. Give the mixture a few squidges so it sticks together but don’t work it too much. You just need the cream, parsley and onion nicely dispersed amongst the mince.

For bun-sized burgers, grab a hand full of burger mix. Roll it into a ball, then flatten slightly and put on a plate. You can of course make any size burger you like… for picnics (or quicker cooking!) I make half size burgers. The quantities above will make about 4 large or 8 smaller burgers.

You can leave the burgers in the fridge till you’re ready, or carry straight on:

To cook, fry for a few minutes on each side or until just cooked (still juicy and just a bit pink in the middle). No need to guess with this – just cut one of the burgers open and take a look at its centre.

I love eating these with a bit of horseradish tomato salad – slice some tasty tomatoes, sprinkle with a little salt, and add squidges of mayonnaise and creamed horseradish. The combination of creamy sauces and these burgers is fabulous.

Alternatively, serve with traditional bun, lettuce, gherkin, mayo, cheese etc. … and chips (or saute potatoes) would seem likely too.

Happy eating! :o)

 

Drooling, but feeling too busy to cook? Take some time for yourself

and have these and other lovely homemade meals cooked for you!

Warm welcome, calm, & burgers here

Beef in Coconut

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My aim for this recipe was simple: Create a slow cook beef stew which was quick and easy to assemble, used simple larder ingredients and was a contrast to all those lovely beef in red wine variants. A few attempts later, here it is – a beautifully simple, tasty,  slow cook stew!

Beef in Coconut (Serves 6)

1.5kg diced stewing beef
2 tsp Coriander seed
2 tsp Cumin seed
5 cardamon pods
6 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt
Vegetable oil
1 tin coconut milk
2 cinnamon sticks
Juice of half a lemon
Fresh coriander

First there’s a couple of minutes of preparing the spices: Peel and chop the garlic, crush the cumin and coriander seeds and lightly crush the cardamom pods just so they split. Put all of these in a casserole with the olive oil and heat for a minute or so.

Now for the rest of the stew: Add the meat and brown. Pour in the coconut milk and lemon juice, add the cinnamon sticks. Preparation done.

Bake in a cool oven (140C or Aga simmering oven) for 3 hours until tender.

Check seasoning before serving with some chopped fresh coriander sprinkled over the top. Goes brilliantly with new potatoes or rice, and some lovely leafy greens like Spring Greens, Kale or Cavalo Nero.

If you like this, you may also like:

Rich Beef Stew
Timi’s Vegetarian Lamb Curry
Coconutty Rice Pudding
Look for the easy way

What can I say? Feeling nourished… this place is food for the soul!

More to…

Mountain Retreat Holidays
in the Brecon Beacons

Lemon & Parsley Chicken

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When I first tested this recipe out I was stunned. So simple, soooooooooo gorgeous! It’s a bish-bash-bosh sort of way to elevate chicken to a higher level of chickenness. Think you can’t cook? You can manage this!

Lemon & Parsley Chicken

Lemon & Parsley Chicken (serves 4)

Chicken
4 portions of chicken – breast or leg portions

Dressing
200ml olive oil
80g raisins
4 tbl fresh parsley
Juice of 2 lemons
60g pinenuts
Salt & Pepper

Start with making the dressing – the flavours sort themselves out beautifully whilst the chicken cooks.

Measure out the olive oil, add the raisins, chopped fresh parsley and lemon juice plus a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Put it to one side to do the magic infusiony thing (NB Don’t add the pine nuts yet, they come later).

Now pop your chicken in a roasting tin, sprinkle over a little salt and pepper and roast for about 40-60 minutes at 180 C (Aga roasting oven). Check it’s cooked properly by puncturing the skin with a fork – you should see clear juice come out.

Just before you take the chicken out of the oven, toast the pine nuts in a clean, dry frying pan (no oil). Keep your eye on the pan, these little blighters cook quick and taste gorgeous when toasted, not incinerated. So keep the pan moving and tip the pine nuts into your lemon dressing as soon as they start to go golden.

Serve your chicken with the dressing drizzled over. Good with new potatoes and bit of greens. Yum!

If you like this, you may also like Herby Roast Chicken and Lemon Pudding

Welsh Mountain Retreat Holidays Some time out, where someone takes care of you for a change.

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