Dinner 2015 (Part 3)

mm84321 · May 29, 2015

Chicken roasted in hay

huiray · May 29, 2015

Kale & spinach in chicken broth w/ chicken fat, leftovers from here, with vermicelli added in. Dressed w/ sliced red-streaked fresh spring onions.

The vermicelli.

A sauté of garlic, pork snecken (see here) cut into rounds, halved morels, trimmed broccoli rabe (see here); tossed w/ al dente linguine [Rustichella d'Abruzzo] in the pan plus a bit of pasta water. Dressed w/ chopped spring onions on the plate.

Fresh mango slices.

FauxPas · May 29, 2015

Chicken roasted in hay

I saw instructions for this (Country Living) and thought it seemed a bit odd, but I guess it's got quite a history? Have you done it before? Did the hay infuse a nice flavour? Is it a method you would use again?

Josh71 · May 29, 2015

Can we do this using oven?

I can imagine there will be a lot of smoke, no?

Tempting ...

Chicken roasted in hay

Thanks for the Crepes · May 29, 2015

mm84321,

I also would love more info on your chicken roasted in hay. It looks beautiful, as all your photos do, of course, but what is the purpose of the hay?

liuzhou · May 29, 2015

Tonight I cooked my first meal in my new kitchen in new home. I had to think long and hard on what to cook, but settled for an old favourite which I once ate in a SE-Asian themed restaurant in Nanning, China.

It is beef marinaded in garlic, chili pepper and Thai fish sauce. This is then stir fried until cooked but allowed to char a little to get smoky flavours. Then diced mango is added and heated through.

I served it with pan-fried asparagus and rather unusually, couscous. I normally would serve it with rice, but my rice bucket seems to have become lost in the move.

Seconds were had.

Ann_T · May 29, 2015

Huiray, I want to eat at your table.

My husband's birthday dinner.

Grilled%20Filet%20Mignon%20Moe%27s%20Bir G

Grilled%20Filet%20Mignon%20Moe%27s%20Bir

Grilled Filet Mignon with roasted potatoes, corn and asparagus.

It is a tradition that his birthday cake/dessert is always something with strawberries.

Strawberry%20Rolled%20Meringue%20Moe%27s

Rolled Meringue filled with strawberries and whipped cream.

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Norm Matthews · May 29, 2015

Chicken roasted in hay

Is that anything like turkey in the straw?

kayb · May 29, 2015

kayb, first I baked a brioche, crumbled it and let it dry ;-) with egg yolks, I do following: take an eggcup, line it with cling film., crack in the yolk, twist the cling film tightly, freeze. once frozen, remove the cling film and roll in flour, beaten egg, brioche crumbs. put back into the eggs and into crums to receive a more stable crust.. deep fry and enjoy

Fascinating. Thanks!

**Shelby** · May 29, 2015

Ann--Your husband is a lucky guy

Liuzhou--What a nice first meal!

I would think it would be kind of hard to find untreated wheat straw......we have wheat planted this year...should be ready by end of June. But, I know it's been treated..... I, too, am very curious about the taste the straw imparts on the chicken, MM. I have never seen this before. Sure is a pretty presentation.

Pizza night last night.

Fernet-Bronco · May 29, 2015

mm84321,

I also would love more info on your chicken roasted in hay. It looks beautiful, as all your photos do, of course, but what is the purpose of the hay?

Yes, I fourth or fifth this! More info please.

btbyrd · May 29, 2015

Cooking in hay is an old technique. (Or techniques, really, since you can use it multiple ways)

Stable to Table Dining.

Hitting the Hay

Fergus Henderson's Ham in Hay

Heston Blumenthal's Hay Smoked Mackerel

Heston also uses that technique to smoke fish for pies. The technique starts at about 12:40 in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UULOU7bOICs

Edited May 29, 2015 by btbyrd (log)

mm84321 · May 29, 2015

I colored the bird in the pot, before then placing in the hay, which I nested the bird into, covered the pot, then placed in a 400ºF oven for about 40 minutes. I used a rather large (34qt) Staub cast iron pot for this. Once cooked, I allowed the bird to rest in the pot for another 30-40 minutes. The hay permeates the flesh of the bird and offers a lovely, yet subtle, grassy/smoky flavor. I served the bird with some morels and potato gnocchi. Very nice. I would repeat.

huiray · May 29, 2015

Late night/early morning meal.

A slow-simmered stove-top braise of: smashed garlic + peanut oil, chopped-up skin-on-bone-on chicken breast, fermented bean curd ["TF"; Szechuan brand] (四川白腐乳) (this one) smooshed into the mix in the pot plus some of the steeping liquid, skinny bamboo shoots (canned), unpeeled straw mushrooms (canned), fresh wood-ear fungus, water, simmer, bean curd skin rolls (腐竹). Seasoning adjusted, simmered till done.

White rice.

huiray · May 29, 2015

Anne_T, thanks for the compliment.

Perhaps one day we shall sup together and it would be my pleasure!

patrickamory · May 29, 2015

mm that sounds fantastic. Where do you source your hay?

Anna N · May 29, 2015

Grilled asparagus and portobello cap over little gem lettuce with tomatoes and shaved Parmesan. A honey – balsamic reduction was the "drizzle".

mm84321 · May 30, 2015

mm that sounds fantastic. Where do you source your hay?

From a farmer just up the road from me. Bought a whole bale, so I will certainly be seeking more uses for it.

Tonight I had a beautiful black bass, still in rigor mortis. I am a big fan of raw fish/tartares lately.

Tartare

Grilled with the first chanterelles, in a saffron jus

kayb · May 30, 2015

mm84321, I'm fascinated by the hay technique. Did you soak the hay first? Did it generate a lot of smoke?

btbyrd, thanks for those links.

I'm thinking if it's a big smoke generator, it would be simple enough to remove to the grill outdoors.

mm84321 · May 30, 2015

I did not soak. No smoke, as it was not exposed to direct heat. Just "crackles" as it came out of the oven. Pretty neat thing to present to a group of friends/family.