As I am sitting here I am happy to announce that we have been blessed with a holiday at one of the most beautiful parts of South-Africa, Kwazulu, Natal. It has been quite cool in the rest of our otherwise sunny country, but fortunately we have not felt too much of the cold snap here at the South-coast. Lucky us! Since we have arrived yesterday morning we have only seen blue skies and sunshine resulting in some swimming and picnicking on the beach.
Our evenings have been slightly cooler and therefore I have felt the need for my warm pajamas and some comfort food. I have to admit that I have been in a serious holiday mood since arriving and did not feel like slaving away in the kitchen. So this afternoon I decided to make a simple but delicious roast for us. The great taste lies in the plain but good quality ingredients. Also, I decided to not make too much of a to do, and kept the veggies chunky, not peeling the butternut but roasting it with the peel which added to the rustic feel of the dish. The good old garlic also got to keep its skin on, roasting sweet and soft, perfect to spread on a chunky piece if ciabatta. Because this is roasted at a high temperature the skin of the chicken becomes crispy enveloping the hot steamy flesh! Yum!
I am also not just the not so skinny cook , I am also the little bit of lazy, hasty cook and this dish will be done in less than 45 minutes! Just enough time to go and take a stroll down the beach and work up an appetite or if you are not on holiday it will be enough time to bathe the kids and set the table…
Well then Bon Appetit….
This will feed your family of 4 and maybe leave you with some left overs for a sandwich.
Ingredients:
- About 1kg chicken pieces
- 1/2 butternut chopped chunky and lengthwise (leave the peal on)
- 1 sweet red pepper cut into chunky pieces
- 1 onion chopped into chunky pieces
- 6 large garlic cloves (resist the urge to peel!)
- few sprigs of thyme, and origanum
- 1/4 cup lemon infused olive oil (unflavored, extra virgin oil of good quality will also do just fine)
- freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat your oven to 220º C
Place all of the above ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together. Transfer to a roasting pan and season with freshly ground salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes until the chicken is golden, the skin is crispy and veggies has caramelized. Serve with a rustic ciabatta bread.
