Chicken Maryland

Bacon wrapped Chicken Maryland

Posted 2016-07-29 by Gary

Bacon wrapped Chicken Maryland

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The Pialligo Estate Bacon’s Smokehouse burns down

It was a tragedy of epic proportions for residents of Canberra who love bacon. While it was not the complete loss of bacon altogether, it was the loss of some of the nicest bacon available locally in Canberra. Just in case you’re interested, the butcher at the Spence shops also makes lovely thick cut rashers of bacon. I’ve also enjoyed some home cured bacon from a former boss’s husband. Then of course you can always buy bacon from a supermarket where water is injected so that when you cook it, it turns into a soggy mess.

Back to the story, the Pialligo Estate’s Hume smokehouse was gutted by fire in Canberra’s south on the evening of Wednesday 20 July 2016. The good news is that no one was hurt and full production is expected to resume in the first week of August.

I normally buy my Pialligo Estate streaky bacon from “More than Meats” at Westfield Belconnen so when I was grocery shopping last week I snapped up the last two packets just in case there was a run on them and I may be caught short. I also snapped them in the Snapchat sense too (see what I did there).

Pialigo Estate streaky bacon — Pialligo Estate streaky bacon

After yesterday’s (Thursday 2016-07-28) day of eating out I thought I needed some home cooking tonight. I’d already done chicken protection of beef so it’s the chook’s turn to be protected tonight and there is no better way to protect meat than with streaky bacon.

What you need to make Chicken Maryland even more awesome

Chicken Maryland—1 piece (as big as you like it)
Cheese—1 or 2 slices of Coon cheese
Streaky bacon—as many rashers as you like
Red quinoa and brown rice—1 packet of Coles microwave red quinoa and brown rice
Frozen vegetables—whatever and as much as you like

How you cook this

Cook the red quinoa and brown rice in the microwave oven according the instructions on the packaging (90 seconds).
Put the rice in the bottom of a Pyrex container or onto a baking tray it’s really up to you and how crunchy you want your rice.
Lay a couple of slices of Coon cheese on the top of the Chicken Maryland.
Wrap the cheese to the chicken with rashers of streaky Pialligo Estate bacon.
Use your hands to massage the bacon onto the cheese and chicken so it sticks firmly.
Be loving and gentle as you massage the smoky fragrant bacon knowing your attention to detail will pay off as it cooks.
Lay this masterpiece over the rice so that the hot tasty juices of the chicken, cheese and bacon drip into the red quinoa and brown rice and add flavour to the lovely textures of the grains.
Place into an oven which has been preheated to 200 °C (400 °F) and cook for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes turn the heat down to 150 °C (300 °F) and cook for a further 40 minutes.
It’s important to thoroughly cook the chicken. Wrapping it and putting it over a layer of quinoa rice protects the underside from the oven heat so you risk under cooking it. As much as I love a good infection with Salmonella and Campylobacter I don’t want to get enteritis (diarrhoea) myself.
Once cooked, remove the meat and rice from the oven and allow it to rest.
Prepare your vegetables by steaming them or cooking them in the microwave.
Plate up the meal.

After you’ve plated up!

The arty farty photographers say you make a picture, the more basic will say shoot a photograph. Basically I shoot a photograph at this stage and then after I’ve eaten I make a picture in Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. So that must mean I’m basically arty farty!
Eat the meal while standing up at the kitchen counter because my dinner/work table is covered in computer stuff and I can’t use my couch because the so called leather is falling apart.
Wash the dishes
Write the recipe
Blog (verb)
Vlog (verb) because now this is fun and I’m enjoying the learning curve of video editing software. I’m using Final Cut Pro X.

How did it taste?

Bloody superb! How could it not with Australia’s best artisan bacon plus Australia’s best cheese all around Coles hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken.

Feedback

Let me know what you think.

If you cook it please send me photographs and comments.

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What I did this week

Posted 2016-07-23 by Gary

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Evidence based medicine

On Thursday evening, I attended the first of three interactive lectures given by Professor Frank Bowden. I really enjoyed it. I look forward to the next session.

Frank (who is also an accomplished author) introduced me to Poll Everywhere. This is a polling app that you can use on your smartphone or tablet so that in a presentation the lecturer can ask a question of the audience and get real time feedback. Frank asked us questions about our understanding of evidence, test sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value as well as other relatively well known medical conundrums that have been discussed in the context of evidence versus alternative nonscientific ways of thinking.

How long have I known Frank?

I first met Frank in 1995 when he came to Brisbane as a guest of the Sexual Health Society of Queensland. He gave a lecture on how he and his team were making huge inroads into treating chlamydia and donovanosis in the Northern Territory of Australia. I was in my final year of specialty training and he inspired me to consider practising medicine in Darwin. I ended up in the NT from 1996 to 2007 and worked closely with him. It was marvellous starting work as an honorary VMO at The Canberra Hospital and renewing a connection with Frank.

What I cooked and ate

So Sunday night I enjoyed that faeculent looking split green pea and ham soup which had me farting for days.

On Monday morning I needed coffee after a sleepless night of farting. Fortunately I didn’t light a match. The book is a prop. It’s a copy of Gray’s Anatomy which I won as an academic award in grade 10 in 1980.

My lunch was some leftover split green pea and ham soup in front of the NX-01, my favourite Star Trek starship from the series Enterprise.

Leftover slow cooker pea and ham soup with the NX-01

Now dinner on Monday evening attracted some attention because I broke with tradition and instead of having salmon I had pork sausages.

Cheesy pork sausages with avocado, spring onion, chilli, peas, corn, and carrot

You can see why there were some comments made on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can see why cropping a photograph sometimes has a bad outcome.

My pork sausage meal on Tuesday night also attracted comments!

Pork sausages and macaroni cheese with caramelised onion

On Wednesday night I made a one ‘pot’ Chicken Maryland dish with crunchy quinoa rice.

One 'pot' chicken Maryland with crunchy quinoa rice, avocado, spring onion and chilli — One ‘pot’ chicken Maryland with crunchy quinoa rice, avocado, spring onion and chilli

Thursday Victory Lunch!

On Thursday for lunch I was taken out by a couple of friends from work who had lost a bet on this year’s state of origin series. A mate and I bet these other two friends that Queensland would win the series. The losers would buy the winners a schnitty lunch. There was also a second bet that whoever won the third game would get free drinks. Sadly NSW defeated Queensland in the third game so my mate and I bought the drinks.

The schnitty (aka The Courtney) was huge. I was so full I didn’t eat dinner that night.

Chicken schnitzel with chips and Hollandaise sauce Courtney

On Friday night I replayed the one ‘pot’ Chicken Maryland with crunchy quinoa rice.

Cheesy Chicken Maryland with crunchy quinoa rice spring onions and chilli

Saturday breakfast was fried eggs on brioche raisin toast.

Cheesy fried eggs on brioche raisin toast

Saturday lunch was a Garlo’s chunky steak pie.

Garlo's chunky steak meat pie with Worcestershire sauce and barbecue sauce — Garlo’s chunky steak meat pie with Worcestershire sauce and barbecue sauce

Check out the video from Snapchat which I shared on Instagram. If you’re on Snapchat my user name is garydlum Click on the play triangle

#lunch preparation 😃😋👍🖖 Meat pie goodness

A video posted by Yummy Lummy Gary Lum Food Blog (@yummylummyblog) on Jul 22, 2016 at 7:07pm PDT

On Saturday evening for tea I had slow cooker oyster blade steak with pearl barley couscous.

My life is complete! The scam

On Thursday morning I received an e-mail inviting to speak at a genital infection meeting. It’s a pity it’s a scam.

It’s been a good week

How’s your week been? Tell me in the comments.

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If you’d like to see more please follow me on Twitter here and here, on Instagram here and here and on Facebook here and here.

One ‘pot’ Chicken Maryland with crunchy quinoa rice

Posted 2016-07-20 by Gary

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Chicken Maryland again

Yes, I’m doing Chicken Maryland again. If you follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram you’ll know that I buy salmon and chicken every week. I know that the thigh meat and skin aren’t the healthiest options but it has helped me cut back on red meat.

What you need for this dish

Chicken Maryland—1 piece so long as it’s not too big for your frying pan
Small nonstick frying pan
Quinoa rice—½ a packet of microwave quinoa rice
Avocado—I always eat a whole avocado because I’m too lazy to store remaining avocado in the refrigerator and cover it with lemon or lime juice to reduce the amount of oxidation and consequent browning of the flesh
Chilli—1 red chilli sliced, you can have it as hot as you like
Spring onion—sliced, as much as you want
Pepper—I like freshly cracked black pepper
Smoked paprika—I like adding some and hoping I dream well. Paprika causes me to have nightmares unless I go to bed in a happy mood and if I’m in a happy mood I often have happy dreams 😉
Caramelised onion—I’ve started to like the bottled variety but you could use home made stuff

What to do to make this one ‘pot’ wonder

Heat up your oven to 200 °C (400 °F)
Cook the quinoa rice in the microwave oven
Set aside half for another meal
Pour the remaining half into the nonstick frying pan and spread out evenly
Add a tablespoon of caramelised onion where you want to place the chicken
Place the chicken on top and then add cracked pepper and paprika to taste
Place the frying pan into the oven and cook for 20 minutes
At 20 minutes turn the oven down to 180 °C (350 °F) and cooked for 40 minutes
Remove the frying pan and then add the avocado, chilli and spring onion
Shoot the photograph after scalding your hand because you forgot to use an oven glove to pick up the frying pan by the handle
Eat the meal from the frying pan because if you’re cooking a one ‘pot’ meal you don’t want to waste water and your time washing a plate.
Be careful not to scratch the nonstick surface with your knife and fork. Yes, use a knife and fork, you’re not a bloody Viking. If you’re a shield maiden however, you can do whatever you like.
Wash the dishes
Write the recipe
Blog (verb)

How did it taste?

Bloody superb

It had crispy skin and the quinoa rice was crunchy and had absorbed all the fat from the chicken.

The avocado gave it a nice creaminess while the chilli gave it a nice bang.

Would you make this?

Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for visiting. Please check out the rest of Yummy Lummy. I’d love it if you shared this site with your friends.

If you’d like to see more please follow me on Twitter here and here, on Instagram here and here and on Facebook here and here.

What I ate this week

Posted 2016-07-17 by Gary

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It’s been a busy week. I’ve had a rental inspection and I’ve had to pack up my work space for building maintenance. There’s also been work. There’s also been some fun. I’m still enjoying learning more of what has happened over the last forty years from friends from Stafford Heights State School.

Pulled pork

Last Sunday I made some pulled pork in the slow cooker and rejoiced in the knowledge that I would have plenty left over for lunches.

Slowly cooked pulled pork with beef and pearl couscous plus chickpeas and vegetables

I had toasted sandwiches made with raisin toast and cheese. Some people questioned my use of raisin toast but I explained that pork loves fruity sweetness. Some queried my use of cheese (Swiss and Gouda) and I explained that it’s a toasted sandwich and so it must have cheese.

Toasted pulled pork and cheese sandwich on raisin toast with an apple and charity chocolate

I also used some of the leftover pulled pork in Friday night nachos after being inspired by blogger and YouTube star Hilah Johnson.

Leftover pulled pork nachos with Coon cheese, chillis, red onion, chives and barbecue sauce

Salmon

As is tradition I enjoyed Salmon on Monday and Tuesday evening. I have taken a liking to frying ramen noodles and eating them with my salmon.

Baked salmon with cheesy crispy chilli noodles

Cheerios

Wednesday evening was the third State of Origin game between the XXXX Queensland Maroons and the Victoria Bitter New South Wales Blues.

For dinner I had cheerios and macaroni cheese.

Cheerios with macaroni cheese #footyfood #origin #qlder

It was marvelous to see Cam Smith raise the shield above his head. Queensland have won 10 out of the past 11 contests.

Fish tacos

Thursday was pay day and as is my want I bought lunch. I bought fish tacos from Urban Bean Espresso Bar. They were quite nice. The sweet potato batons were also very nice.

Chicken

I was still hungry on Thursday night and ate two Chicken Maryland pieces served on some pearl couscous along with an avocado.

Baos

On Saturday night I enjoyed baos at Soi Noodle Bar.

Meaty goodness and offal

After the baos I enjoyed a butcher’s board at Marble and Grain with some Wagyu rump, lamb rib, bone marrow, venison sausage, black pudding and chorizo stuffed onion.

Butcher’s board ‘Travale Farm’ venison sausages, baby lamb ribs, grilled Wagyu rump, grilled bone marrow, chorizo stuffed onion, black pudding stuffed pepper

Doughnuts

Call me Homer. I like doughnuts.

Meat pie

I like Garlo’s meat pies. This was a beef and mushroom pie with some Worcestershire Sauce injected into it before cooking and some Havarti cheese laid on top to melt.