UrbnSpice

"A Taste Of Heart & Home"

Cooking Techniques

How to Prepare Spatchcock Chicken

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Urb’n’Spice Tips and Techniques Series

Chicken is one of the most versatile of all meats or poultry.  It is prepared in a variety of ways in the Urb’n’Spice kitchen, such as Herb and Butter Sunday Roast Chicken, Pan Roasted Chicken with Creamy Asiago Sauce, or Grilled Chicken Breast with Roasted Strawberry Salsa.  The opportunity to flavour chicken is limitless.  In this post, I will teach you How to Prepare a Spatchcock Chicken, and also show you how to make a Quick Poultry Rub that will give any poultry dish a delicious flavour.

A Spatchcock Chicken is essentially a chicken that has had the backbone removed.  This allows you to butterfly or flatten the chicken more easily for grilling or roasting. Removing the backbone can be done with a sharp pair of kitchen utility shears or a chef’s (French) knife – not a serrated knife.  Alternatively, your butcher can easily remove the backbone for you. Once you have mastered the spatchcock technique, you will be able to create a delicious meal in the oven or on the grill in a much shorter time than roasting a whole chicken.

Spatchcock Chicken with Quick Poultry Rub | urbnspice.com 

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Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder

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The Inspiration of Urbnspice Series

Chowder is a rich and hearty style of soup that is typically made using fish and seafood, smoked bacon, potatoes, vegetables and corn niblets. In this recipe for Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder, I have substituted poultry for the fish and seafood to create a delicious soup that I know you will find flavourful and satisfying.  Skip to Recipe

Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder | urbnspice.com

Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder is a satisfying bowlful of comfort food.

My inspiration for this post is seasonal fresh Peaches and Cream corn, a tender, sweet and creamy tasting variety that is an excellent choice for this chowder recipe.  The corn niblets take this chowder to another level, but why stop there?  I also included the bare cobs in the ingredient list, which are used for a flavour enhancing technique. Serve this chowder with Potato Scones, hot biscuits, buns, or thick slices of fresh bread and butter for a meal that is fit for a king….

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Make It Your Own Burger

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Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipe Series

Burgers are a very personal food and as such, it is my belief that burger recipes should provide the user with the flexibility to Make It Your Own Burger.

The following recipe will provide a number of options; as well I will also elaborate on why I have done what I have done. Enjoy!

Make It Your Own Burger | urbnspice.com

Make It Your Own Burger

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Mulling Over Spices

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Well, with a blog name like “Urb’n’Spice”, it’s high time that I discuss the spicier side of the website – Mulling Over Spices.  It is not that the focus of the website is about spices – not at all.  The website/blog was created as a forum to provide a wider audience help and support with their culinary questions, concerns and issues, and to provide information and help make sense of some of what has us scratching our heads, culinary-wise.

Urbnspice Mulling Spices | urbnspice.com

From time to time, my inventive side gets the better of me and I just must create! Often this happens when I get a request for information. For example, when “kid-of-a-chef’s” gluten-free/grain-free dilemma was unable to find spice blends that she could use due to her dietary restrictions.

As well, I had a village acquaintance approach me expressing their frustration over how tired she was of cooking and eating bland food because of a strict sodium reduced diet. She had completely eliminated all salt from her cooking but had not thought of any alternatives that might make her food tasty or even (heaven forbid) palatable.

My spice blends have been developed with these requests in mind. As a starting point, I build a careful and consistent blend of ordinary herbs and spices. These blends make cooking just a little more interesting and add a significantly higher level of interest to a dish that would otherwise be lack-lustre, flat and uninspired without the addition of salt.

There are many spice blends on the market designed to suit almost any situation: gluten-free, salt-free, organic, etc. Despite all the selection available, creating custom blends is fun for this chef. It is not just the task of blending the spices and experimenting with the blend – but it is the testing, writing and sharing of the recipes with the featured spice blend that is most gratifying.

The “Urb’n’Spice Salt Substitute” was created many years ago for a family member who wanted to reduce his sodium intake due to health concerns. It is a blend of vegetable powders, zests and spices that will lift any dish (scrambled eggs, meat dishes, etc.) from bland to exciting.

Other Urb’n’Spice spice blends have been developed since that original blend to include:

  •  “Journalier” – Beef Seasoning
  •  “Chef’s Blend” – Poultry & Pork Seasoning and Spice Rub
  •  Pork Dry Rub Seasoning
  •  All Purpose Seasoning and Spice Rub
  •  Fish Seasoning and Spice Rub
  •  Roast Chicken or Brick Chicken Seasoning and Spice Rub

Not all spice creations have been used for seasoning purposes. Creating “Seasonal Spice Blends”, such as Mulling Spices and Holiday Simmering Potpourris can be as charming and nostalgic as they are fragrant.

 

With people wanting to cocoon at home with friends and family during the cooler weather, the old-fashioned tradition of serving mulled wines or ciders is becoming more popular once again.

There is something very cosy about the thought of it all – the warm mug in your hands, the fragrant spices wafting from the depths of the brew and the aroma in your kitchen during the slow “warming process”.  One must not hurry the task – it is an excuse to take life just a little bit slower and just enjoy the moment.

Mulling Spices are a perfect balance of what is often referred to as the “warm spices” (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice) with a mixture of dried peels and spices. The spices which are used either loose or enclosed in a sachet are immersed in a pot with wine or cider and slowly warmed, enveloping your home into an aromatic and welcoming hideaway. Mulling Spices make a wonderful hostess gift to accompany the timeless gift of your favourite wine during the holidays.

Another old-fashioned practice that is being re-introduced is simmering spice potpourris.

Simmering Spice potpourris were historically used to usher in the Christmas season with the fragrance of spices simmering in a pot on the stove.   In the good old days, this was accomplished on an open hearth. Water is added as needed to replenish the liquid and it is simmered as long as the fragrance is desired.  It has been a part of our holiday season for many, many years- the fragrance envelops the house like a big warm hug.

Make it your mission to mull over spices this holiday season.   Rediscover spices, herbs and spice combinations from a new and different perspective. There is so much more to experience!

“Variety’s the very spice of life that gives it all its flavour.”
William Cowper (1731-1800)
British poet

You can learn more about the history of Urb’n’Spice here.  If you are interested in learning more about Urb’n’Spice Spice Blends, please feel free to contact me: urbnspice@gmail.com

You can find me on social media (see links below) -be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

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Braising Brazenness

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Ask any chef what their favourite cooking method is and they are bound to say braising.  It is a method I use often in the UrbnSpice kitchen.  In this post, I explain what braising is all about, together with ideas and a recipe for a Classic Braised Beef Stew.  This article is all about Braising Brazenness.

“Braising is one of the most amazingly delicious and yet simple methods of cooking an otherwise tough cut of meat.”

Braising Brazenness: Classic Braised Beef Stew | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew

Braising is definitely one of my favourite methods of cooking.  It uses a combination cooking technique in that the meat (example:  beef cubes) is first seared to brown, and then cooked in a liquid slowly for a long period of time at a lower temperature.  Beef stew, Osso Buco,  pot roasts, chicken thighs, pork belly, beef ribs, lamb shanks and pulled pork are just a few examples of braising.

Try cooking a tough piece of meat using the braising method and I can guarantee that you will find it becomes one of your favourite methods of cooking as well.

But don’t stop there – did you know that you can also use this method for vegetables?  I make a classic vegetable dish called Vichy Carrots, and Honey Glazed Rutabaga which you can see in the photos below.  They use the same concept – braising.  Once the vegetables are cooked, the cooking liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze.

Vichy Carrots | urbnspice.com

 

Braising Brazenness: Braised Honey Glazed Rutabaga | urbnspice.comBraised Honey Glazed Rutabaga

Classic Braised Beef Stew

Classic Braised Beef Stew with Root Vegetables | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew with Root Vegetables | urbnspice.com

CHEF TALK:  I love a classic beef stew. My absolute favourite recipe is adapted from The Canadian Living Cookbook, which is no longer in publication.  My copy has been well used by myself and my two daughters.  I was able to find two more copies of the same book for them from collectors – they were thrilled as it was a cookbook that they used frequently with me in the kitchen. It is called Old Fashioned Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables. Winter vegetables are a perfect accompaniment. I like to cook the vegetables separately and then add it to the finished stew as a garnish.

Canadian Living Cookbook - A well loved family favourite | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew

 

CLASSIC BRAISED BEEF STEW
INGREDIENTS
Imperial Metric
For the Stew:
2 ½ lbs 1.125 kg Lean boneless chuck stewing beef
1 Tablespoon 15 ml Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons 45 ml Butter
¾ cup 175 ml Onion, finely chopped
2 2 Cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup 50 ml All Purpose flour or Gluten Free Flour Blend
1 teaspoon 5 ml salt
½ teaspoon 2.5 ml black pepper
1 1 Bay leaf
1 teaspoon 5 ml Dried Thyme
1 teaspoon 5 ml Marjoram
1 cup 250 ml Red Wine
3 cups 750 ml Beef stock
For the Winter Vegetables:
2 2 Large Potatoes, cut into 1-inch dice (Waxy potatoes such as Red or New potatoes that hold their shape well after cooking)
8 – 10 8 – 10 Pearl Onions, peeled and left whole
4 4 Large Carrots, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 3 Small white turnip, cut into wedges & trimmed
2 2 Medium parsnips, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 2 Stalks Celery, sliced into 1-inch slices
For Garnish:
¼ cup 62.5 ml Parsley, chopped fine

METHOD:

For the Stew:

  1. Cut the Chuck beef into 1-inch cubes. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel.
  2. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
  3. In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil and half of the butter.
  4. Brown the cubes of beef in a single layer, ensuring that the beef is browned well. CHEF TIP: This part of the braising process is very important, so take the time the beef requires to caramelize nicely.
  5. When all of the meat is browned, set it aside. Melt more butter in the saucepan and sauté the onion until tender and golden. Add the minced garlic.
  6. Stir in the flour and continue cooking over medium heat until the flour is cooked out – about 3 minutes.
  7. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
  8. Return the meat to the pan and add the beef stock, bay leaf and herbs.
  9. Simmer, either on top of the stove or in the oven until the beef is tender (about one and one-half hours.
  10. Once the beef is tender, remove the bay leaf and the beef cubes and keep the meat warm.   The remaining braising liquid can be reduced if necessary.
  11. Combine the meat with the braising liquid, and distribute the cooked vegetables around and on top of the stew. Garnish with parsley and serve.

For the Vegetables:

  1. Peel the vegetables and prepare as indicated above.
  2. Steam the vegetables until tender.   Steam the smaller dice vegetables separately. Distribute them around the stew and stir through, if desired.

CHEF TIP: The photograph shown was for a catering event. For added flavour and presentation, I tossed the steamed potatoes in paprika and lightly sautéed them just for colour.   The turned turnip was kept very plain for presentation – it is a beautiful brilliant white vegetable when steamed. Tossed in a bit of melted butter is all that is required for these beautiful vegetables.

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Reductions
    __________

Other Urb’n’Spice Recipes you might Enjoy!

Pulled Chicken

Vichy Carrots

Honey Glazed Rutabaga

Tweaking – A Study in Flavour Amendment

Roasted Strawberry Salsa on Grilled Chicken Breast

Braising is a technique that produces a sauce or glaze that is so rich and flavourful – it is hard to beat.  I hope you are able to try Braising as a cooking technique in your kitchen with these ideas and recipes.

Happy Braising, Everyone!

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Pare-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

 

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

 

Canadian Living – The only magazine I subscribe to since its inception.  I trust the recipes from Canadian Living – they are triple-tested in their test kitchens.