When I presented this dish to my family they turned their noses up at it.
In fact, one member said, and I quote, “You have gone too far with these cooking experiments.” You see I have broken with tradition, as a Middle-Eastern Jew. For us, previously, everything was accompanied with rice, just like the Italians eat everything with pasta. I replied: “lucky you don’t have to eat it!” To which he replied, “Oh, I know but I’ll definitely give it a go.” After devouring the dish, my family decided it wasn’t bad after all. I LOVED IT. This roasted sumac chicken is mild tasting with a wholesome flavour.
Ingredients
Roasted chicken
· Ingredients
· 1 whole chicken
· 1-2 tablespoons oil
· 3 tablespoons sumac powder
· 1 tablespoon lemon and pepper seasoning
· ½ lemon
Salad
· 350g lentils, freekeh and beans super blend (you can but it at coles)
· 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used vegetable stock) if you need more just add a little at a time
· 1 jar (230g) marinated artichoke hearts, drained of liquid
· 2 oranges peeled, pips removed and separated into segments
· ¼ cup whole pistachios
· ¼ cup crushed pistachios
· ¼ cup parsley chopped
· 2 small beetroots roasted chopped
Method
1) Mix oil sumac, lemon and pepper seasoning.
2) Rub the mixture all over the chicken and under the skin, yep, you really got a get in there people.
3) Stuff the lemon inside the chicken; it keeps the chicken moist.
4) Pour a little stock in the bottom of a roasting tray and roast chicken until cooked through. Roughly 50 minutes.
5) Cook super blend with stock, I cooked for roughly 35minutes.
6) Roast beetroots.
Assemble
1. Debone chicken and cut into pieces.
2. In a bowl, mix chicken with super blend, juice of half a lemon, artichoke hearts, segments of one orange, ¼ cup of pistachios, chopped parsley (reserve half) one chopped beetroot. Transfer to serving dish.
3. Decorate with segments of second orange and beetroot pieces.
4. Sprinkle crushed pistachios and chopped beetroot.
Please note: If you roast the beetroot, colour doesn’t run or stain.
If you purchase pre-cooked beetroot then dry with a paper towel so it doesn’t stain.
Love,
Nava.
PS - I love hearing from you! Let me know how it went and feel free to spread the word/passion/love, the more the merrier!
