Guest Blog Written By: Ashley from The Mutts Kitchen
Roasts, stews and soup are definitely my favourite comfort foods. Growing up mom would let the oven roast on a low temperature for a couple (or more) hours and my goodness would you salivate while waiting for dinner.
Today, I share with you our family roasted dinner recipe. Try serving it with a fresh tossed salad, or even white rice.
CHOURICO STUFFING, OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN & VEGGIES
(Moda Portuguesa)
Recipe by: Ashley
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 1/2 hours
Stuffing Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 chourico, chopped
giblets and liver, boiled in salted water and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 bottle of beer, Molson Canadian preferred (1 cup approx)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp pimenta mouida
4-5 buns or approx half large loaf crusty day old bread, cubed
milk, to soak bread
4+ parsley springs, chopped
1-2 cups of chicken broth (or 1 Chicken Knorr cube dissolved in 2 cups hot water)
Salt and pepper to taste
Stuffing Directions:
1. Sauté onion, green pepper, cooked giblets and chourico in olive oil, until onion and pepper lightly softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add chopped tomato, tomato paste, pimenta mouida, and cook for 2 minutes. Do not burn.
3. In a large bowl, soak the bread cubes 2 or more cups of milk. Pressing the bread down to ensure each piece gets wet.
4. Pour beer over the vegetable sauce in the pan. Using your hand squeeze out bread from excess milk and add to the pan. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
5. Slowly add the chicken broth while mixing. The mixture should not be wet or soupy, just a little mushy.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
7. Stuff turkey/chicken (tie legs/sew the cavity), or place in a oven safe casserole dish and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Bake until a soft crust forms on top.
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Roast Ingredients:
1 3-4 lbs whole chicken (or turkey)
1 chourico
4-6 potatoes, peeled (depending on size – 1 per person)
2 carrots, peeled
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 savoy cabbage, core and bottom still attached and quartered
1/2 bottle beer (approximately 1 cup+), or white wine
1-2 cups water
1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 1/2 tbsp pimenta mouida
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp parsley flakes)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Roast Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2. In a oven roasting pan with a lid (big enough to fit a turkey, I bought a black one with white speckles at Walmart for $10 around thanksgiving), add all dry and wet ingredients including onions (except for the chicken, potatoes, chourico, cabbage, and carrots). Mix thoroughly and ensure that the tomato paste dissolves in the sauce.
3. Add a couple of turns of olive oil, approximately 1/4 cup or so.
4. Submerge the stuffed chicken (recipe above), potatoes, carrots, chourico, and cabbage in the the sauce mixture. *Please note there should only be enough sauce to cover approximately 1/4 of the potatoes. Add a little more water if needed. If you have a large turkey you may want to double up on the recipe and separate the veggies into a casserole dish with some of the sauce and bake until cooked.
5. Bake your roast in the oven, covered for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Every 20-30 minutes make sure you baste the chicken, veggies, etc. This is an important step or else it will not be juicy and flavourful.
6. Remove the lid and allow the chicken, chourico, and veggies to roast for another 45-60 minutes, until chicken is cooked.
7. You can serve this meal just as it is, and with a warm Popseco to absorb the delicious and spicy sauce.
Enjoy!
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