Quick-roast chicken for two

So I was flicking through a food magazine today and I saw a recipe that sounded lovely for dinner tonight, but then I read the ingredients and the list became "he doesn't eat that, he doesn't eat that, or that. Hmm, it's not really very winter seasony either. Hmm."
So I popped to the supermarket for the chicken breasts (though mine are part-boned, skin on thankyouverymuch!) and mooched around the kitchen until I'd thrown this together. I've called it a quick-roast as it's done in about an hour (less if you use skinless, boneless chicken breasts) compared to an entire roast chicken! The quantities are so easily bumped up to feed more than two, having made this once I'll now be making it again, and again, and it'll be on some of our dinner party menus for sure!
On a side note, I've used marjoram as it's a lovely light herb that goes delightfully well with chicken. I know it's not a common herb these days (not trendy enough I guess) but it's so suitable here, and sets off the vegetables perfectly too. As a member of the mint family it has a lovely sweet, delicate flavour, and works so well with roasts. If you can't find it feel free to use sage or rosemary, though they'll be much more robust so go easy with them.


Serves 2 but easily changed to feed more


Ingredients


2 carrots, quartered lengthways and cut into large chunks
2 parsnips, quartered lengthways and cut into large chunks
1 white onion, roughly chopped
4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
Large pinch of thyme
Large pinch of marjoram
Rapeseed oil
2 chicken breasts, part-boned, skin on
About half a cup of chicken stock and a dash of white wine or sherry


Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
2. Peel and chop your potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onion.
3. Oil a suitably sized roasting dish and add your vegetables. Give them a good roll around in the oil and then sprinkle over your chosen herbs.
4. Pop the vegetables in the middle of your oven for 30-35 minutes.
5. When your veggies are about 20 mins in put a frying pan over a high heat and add a little oil. Fry your chicken breasts until golden brown and starting to crisp on the outside.
6. Add the seared chicken breasts to the vegetables in the roasting dish (skin side up so it stays crispy) and place back in the oven.
7. Again, after about 20 minutes take the roasting dish out of the oven and drizzle the half cup of stock and sherry over everything. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and dish up!

Now, you'll have to excuse the quality of the photo, I was dying to get eating so just grabbed a quick shot on my iPhone, but you get the idea!

Cream of Vegetable Soup

It's minus something important here, and the freezing fog has graciously moved off enough so I can see...when the cats sit on the window and want to come in. Definitely soup weather!

Made this one this morning whilst Himself had a lie-in. Nothing better than waking up to freshly made soup and bread (not that I'd know that since I'm always the one making it, but I've heard...) and it's also great for using up the vegetables that you'd otherwise turn your nose up at. Slightly sad looking carrots? In ya go! Pepper that may or may not be about to start sprouting fur? Cut off the soft bits and in you go as well! Everything and anything can go into this soup, whatever you have in your kitchen at the time. I've used leeks here as I had them and they needed using, but onions would be perfectly good as well. How many it'll serve depends on how much you make, this morning I used 'The Vat' so I've a good 4-5 litres of soup (and that's only it half full!). Just try and use the biggest saucepan you have, if you've made too much you can just pop it in the freezer (or drop some round to friends, family and neighbours), that's the joy of soup.

Serves: Lots!

Ingredients
4 carrots, sliced
2 leeks, sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
Half a squash, cubed
1 head of iceberg lettuce, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 potatoes, cubed
1 bay leaf
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of rosemary
Handful of chopped parsley
Stock (vegetable or chicken), to cover
Salt & pepper
Half cup of cream
Knob of butter

Method

1. Prepare your vegetables and herbs. Have them all ready to rock and roll and it'll make the soup so much easier for you. Melt your butter in a large saucepan over a high heat.
2. Add the leeks and celery to the saucepan and stir, cooking until slightly softened. Add the rest of the vegetables, and your herbs. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 6 minutes (make sure that you actually turn the vegetables over one another, and it's not just all the same ones sitting on the bottom of the pan).
3. Add your stock, enough to just cover the vegetables. Either chicken or vegetable stock is fine, whichever you have to hand. If you're using pre-made stock cubes remember that they can have quite a high salt content, so go easy with the salt later on.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Remove from the heat and puree your soup. You may need to do this in batches. Return to the saucepan over a medium heat.
6. Add the cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Pop into bowls and eat, eat, eat!

This soup really goes help keep you warm on a cold winter's day so pop it on to cook then go out for a brisk walk. By the time you're back it'll be ready to finalise and serve, you'll have worked up an appetite, and it'll keep you full and warm for ages afterwards.

Gorgeous served with brown or white soda bread.