Dear Reader,

Happy Canberra Day! Canberra is 109 today. We get a public holiday on Monday, but I’m on-call this weekend, so I’m hoping for not too many calls.

I planned to complete my annual CPDP submission today, but I had a huge lunch, and I’ve felt bloated all afternoon. It’s also stimulated the gas-forming bacteria in my microbiota. There’s a lot of gas formed from glucose metabolism in my enteric bacteria, especially those in the Order: Enterobacterales.

I’m just a simple bloke, so focussing and farting is not something I can do together. I elected instead to watch a movie on Netflix called The Ice Road starring Liam Neeson. If you like suspenseful drama, it’s worth viewing.

In other news today, I bought a new oven which cooks with microwave radiation. The old model was only 13 years old and developed a problem. The only keys I could use were the number 3 and the start cook button. I’ve been cooking things for 33 seconds, 3 minutes and 33 seconds for the last few months. The new oven is a 1000 W Samsung. Appliances don’t last very long these days.

Ingredients

• Chicken thigh
• Sourdough bread
• White onion
• Tinned tomatoes (Mutti)
• Capers
• Olives
• Pickled jalapeño peppers
• Olive oil
• Worcestershire sauce
• Cooking sherry
• Red wine
• Basil

Instructions

1. Ideally the chicken thigh has been seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then vacuum sealed to flavours at least hours beforehand.
2. Peel and quarter a white onion.
3. Sweat the onion in a skillet with some vegetable oil. As the onion takes on some colour, add some cooking sherry and then some Worcestershire sauce until the onion begins to caramelise a little.
4. Add in a small tin of tomatoes and simmer.
5. As the sauce thickens a little add in the capers, olives, and pickled jalapeño peppers.
6. Simmer with some stalks of basil and then add a good glug of red wine and simmer.
7. Turn on the toaster oven to as high as possible.
8. Lubricate the surface of a baking sheet with some vegetable oil.
9. Place a piece of sourdough bread in the middle of the baking sheet.
10. Pour some olive oil over the bread so in the oven it’s like it’s “frying” the bread.
11. Remove the seasoned chicken thigh from the vacuum sealed bag and place it on the lubricated bread.
12. Place the bread and chicken into the hot oven and cook on high heat for 10 minutes and then turn the heat down to a low heat and keep cooking for a further 20 minutes.
13. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for about five minutes.
14. Place the chicken and toasted/“fried” bread in an shallow bowl and then spoon the tomato sauce around it.
15. Use a serrated steak knife to eat this because the bread will be stiff and hard.
16. Give thanks to the Lord and enjoy.

Thoughts on the meal

I cooked the chicken perfectly! It was still succulent and juicy. There was an abundance of juices oozing out from the folds of flesh as I penetrated it with my knife.

The sauce was pretty tasty; I like the acidity of the pickled jalapeño peppers along with the olives and capers. I forgot to add some Swiss brown mushrooms I’d also bought for this meal. The acid cuts through the oil and the chicken fat.

I know I said last week I was trying to reduce my meat consumption. I haven’t forgotten, and I have loved ones reminding me of my health. I’m grateful to them for looking out for me ❤️

Final thoughts

1. Do you ever cook meat over oil soaked bread?
2. Does it annoy you when you go somewhere for breakfast and they serve toasted sourdough which is stiff as a board and give you a butter knife?
3. How has your week been?
4. How long have you been using your microwave oven?