Vertical Roasted Chicken

On October 31, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes3 Comments

One of our favorite meals this time of year is to have roasted chicken with roasted vegetables. Using a can to stand the chicken upright is a great way to get the chicken to roast evenly on all sides and the can helps the inside of the chicken cook more evenly as well. We used our tajine as the base to put all of the vegetables, allowing the drippings from the chicken to coat the vegetables, which makes them even more favorable. It is certainly the type of meal that can be found almost anywhere that you travel as there are so many different ways that chicken and vegetables can be roasted together. You can choose whatever type of root vegetables are in season, but be sure to keep them all about the same size.

Vertical Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

1 whole Roasting Chicken
10 small Red Potatoes
14 Baby Carrots – multicolored
12 Brussel Sprouts
1/2 Red Onion – cut into chunks
4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Dried Rosemary – roughly chopped
1 tbsp Dried Thyme
2 tsp Powdered Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Coat the vegetables with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, salt and pepper, and place them in the base to the tajine (or a shallow baking dish). Coat all sides of the chicken with the remaining olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper. Place a can that is large enough to support the chicken, and that has been washed and dried, inside of the chicken cavity, placing the closed side of the can towards the top of the chicken. Put the can with the chicken in the center of the tajine, surrounding it with the vegetables. Place the chicken and vegetables into the lower rack of an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees and roast for 15 minutes per pound. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Carve the chicken and serve with the roasted vegetables.

Chicken Curry

On June 13, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India, Recipes8 Comments

Indian food is something that can be found in countries throughout the world. It is interesting that we can find curry powder in stores, but true curry dishes are based upon a variety of spices, of which the proportions can be adjusted to change the flavor profile. This was our own personal creation and it is a little spicy, but quite delicious. We enjoyed eating a variety of dishes when we were in India and one of our favorite memories is of visiting a friend who lived in Chennai and eating fish curry at her home. Typically, this would be served with white rice or bread, but we decided to pair it with long grain rice instead.

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Chicken Breasts – cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup Flour
2 tbsp Medium-Hot Chili Powder
2 tbsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Turmeric
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/4 cup Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash the cubed chicken and keep moist. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, the paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp turmeric. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and add to the oil, cooking until the chicken is a nice golden brown, approximate 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Add the chicken broth and whipping cream to the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in. Add the remaining chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and turmeric and bring the liquid to a low simmer. Add the chicken back to the skillet and heat together until the liquid becomes creamy. Cook rice according to the package directions and serve the chicken curry over the rice.

Eating in Egypt

On May 23, 2018May 23, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Egypt, Recipes2 Comments

We wish that we could talk about all of the unique foods that we discovered while we were in Egypt, but the reality is that we didn’t get too many opportunities. Our first four days were spent on a cruise ship going down the Nile river and all of our meals were provided for us. The food was extremely good, but except for one dinner that focused on Egyptian food, it was pretty generic. We did go out to a couple of local restaurants while we were in Cairo, but we actually found the choices to be somewhat limiting. Our hotel had several restaurants, so we did try a variety of foods at the end of the day after our tours completed, but they were somewhat international in nature. We always try to eat local food whenever possible, so we took advantage of the few opportunities that we had.

We were there just a couple of days before the start of Ramadan, which was fortunate since all of the local restaurants basically close while everyone fasts. One of the things that ate that we really enjoyed was mixed grill, which included beef, chicken, and vegetables. We also enjoyed the wonderful breads along with sesame dips and baba ghanoush, which is made with eggplant and tahini. In general, we didn’t find the food to be as exotic as some of the other places that we have visited. If we had to describe Egyptian food in general it would be that it is mostly based on breads and vegetables.

Baba Ghanoush and Yogurt Dip with Marinated Vegetables

Although alcohol is not consumed by a majority of people in Egypt, they did have local red and white wine that was actually quite good. We also found a nice lager that was brewed in Egypt that was very refreshing, especially when returning from our tours in the heat of the desert. Of course we also had hibiscus juice and tea as well, which was refreshing as well. There are plenty of coffee houses with really strong, espresso style coffee, and plenty of people smoking shisha (hookah) pipes. One thing that was hard to get used to was the public acceptance of smoking in restaurants. Not only will you find an ashtray on your table, you will likely be surrounded by people smoking cigarettes wherever you go to eat, including the international hotel restaurants.