Clarice Through The Looking Glass

This week’s info blog is dedicated to two revolutionaries in their chosen fields Clarice Cliff and Lewis Carroll.This week’s recipes are continuing on last week’s topic of healthy eating, and all o do with Chicken, they are White Wine and Herb Roast Chicken, Chicken and Mushroom Top-Crust Pie and Chicken Nuggets.

Clarice Cliff (20 January 1899 - 23 October 1972) was an English ceramic industrial artist active from 1922 to 1963, born in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, England.

Lewis Carroll (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all examples of the genre of literary nonsense. He is noted for his facility at word play, logic, and fantasy, and there are societies dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works and the investigation of his life in many parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, and New Zealand.

The full version of this article can be found at www.garfysplaceinfo.blog.co.uk

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My first recipe is White Wine and Herb Roast Chicken recipe courtesy of Delicious magazine December 2011.

Serves 4, Prep 10mins, Cook 30mins

4 x Chicken Breasts
400g x Baby New Potatoes
2 tbsp x Olive Oil
Handful of Fresh Flatleaf Parsley
2 x Fresh Thyme Sprigs
1 x Garlic Bulb
1 x Lemon, sliced
100ml x Alcohol Free White Wine
100ml x Hot Organic Chicken Stock
Green Leaf Salad, to serve

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan Gas Mark 6. Season the chicken breasts and brown in a little olive oil until the skin is golden. Halve the new potatoes and put in a roasting tin. Coat with 1 tbsp of Olive Oil, and season. Finely chop the fresh parsley and mix in with the potatoes, along with the leaves of the fresh thyme and the separated cloves of a garlic bulb. Put the chicken on top of the potatoes along with the sliced lemon. Drizzle over the remaining Olive Oil, white wine and hot chicken stock, and roast for 30mins or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked. Serve with a green salad.

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My next recipe is Chicken and Mushroom Top-Crust Pie recipe courtesy of BBC GoodFood Magazine February 2012.

Serves 4, Prep 30mins, Cook 45mins

5 x Sprays of Low-fat Cooking Spray
1 x Onion, finely chopped
300ml x Hot Chicken or Vegetable Stock
125g x Mushrooms, sliced
75g x Green Beans, trimmed and sliced
2 tbsp x Chicken Gravy Granules
450g x Boneless, Skinless Cooked Chicken, torn into chunks
2 tbsp x Chopped Parsley
Plain Flour, for dusting
250g x Shortcrust Pastry
1 tbsp x Skimmed Milk, to glaze

Heat a saucepan over a medium heat. Spray with cooking spray, then add the onion and cook for 4-5mins until softened and browned. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat until simmering. Add the mushrooms, and beans, and cook for 5-6mins or until the beans are just tender. Stir in the gravy granules to thicken the mixture, then remove from the heat. Put the chicken into an ovenproof baking dish. Pour in the gravy and vegetables on top, add the parsley, then mix gently to combine. Season with black pepper.

Heat your oven to 200C/180C fan Gas Mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, then use to cover the top of the baking dish, trimming with a knife to fit. Use the pastry trimmings to cut out leaves to decorate the top of the pie (if desired). Brush the pastry with milk, then bake for 35-40mins until golden brown.

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My final recipe is Chicken Nuggets recipe courtesy of BBC GoodFood Magazine February 2012.

Serves 4, Prep 10mins, Cook 20mins

10 x Sprays of Low-Fat Cooking Spray
110g x Instant Polenta
1/2 tsp x Paprika
1 x Egg
500g x Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp x Ground Black Pepper

Heat your oven to 200C/180C fan Gas Mark 6. Spray 2 baking sheets 5 times each with the cooking spray. Mix the polenta and paprika together in a bowl and season with the black pepper. Beat the egg in a bowl with 2 tbsp of water. Add a few chicken pieces, coat in the egg mixture, lift out and roll in the polenta mix. Arrange on the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Bake for 15-20mins until golden brown and crisp. To test if cooked, piece the middle of a nugget with a skewer – juices should run clear, not pink. If pink, cook for a few mins more.

Always speak the truth, think before you speak, and write it down afterwards. – Lewis Carroll

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Tune into my show "Under The Covers with TheRealTonyc" every Sunday from 8-10am on 6townsradio athttp://6towns.co.uk/ It's what your Sunday's were made for.

Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D

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