Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the spices to be sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Use fresh lemon juice and plain yogurt with no preservatives.

Marinate the chicken for up to 12 hours

Bake in marinade until juices run clear

Indian-spiced chicken legs

Ingredients:

6 chicken legs, skinned

2 tsp (10 ml) ground cumin

2 tsp (10 ml) paprika

1 tsp (5 ml) turmeric

½ tsp (2.5 ml) each cayenne and black pepper

1 onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic

¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice

1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil

2 tsp (10 ml) sugar

½ tsp (2.5 ml) all-purpose flour

¼ tsp (1 ml) salt

¼ cup (60 ml) plain yogurt

Preparation:

Separate chicken legs at joint. Place in glass bowl and set aside.

In skillet, stir together cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne and black pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 40 seconds or until fragrant. Remove from heat. Stir in onion, garlic, lemon juice, oil and sugar and pour over chicken, turning to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate from 4 to 12 hours, turning often.

Place chicken, meaty side down, in lightly greased roasting pan. Pour on marinade. Bake in 400-degree F (200-degree C) oven for 20 minutes. Turn and bake, basting with pan juices, for another 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Transfer chicken to platter and keep warm.

Set roasting pan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and bring to boil. Cook, whisking, for 30 to 40 seconds or until thickened. Stir in salt and yogurt. Do not boil. Pour sauce over chicken. Serves 6.

From Canadian Living’s Best Weekend Pleasures

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I use Imagine brand chicken stock, which is additive-free. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, as the concentrates are bitter and contain preservatives.

Rinse the lentils well before using

Saute lentils with cumin, onion and garlic

Add stock and simmer for a half-hour

Lemony lentil soup

Ingredients:

2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

A pinch or two red hot peper flakes

1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin

1½ cups (375 ml) red lentils, rinsed

6 cups (1.5 L) chicken stock

2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

2 tbsp (30 ml) finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Preparation:

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook on low heat for three to five minutes, until fragrant.

Add cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in lentils and combine well.

Add stock, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender and soup is beginning to thicken, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Soup can be pureed, partially pureed or left thick. Add extra stock or water to thin if necessary. Add lemon juice and taste, adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve sprinkled with cilantro or parsley. Serves 6.

From Anne Lindsay

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Look for a red wine with sulphite level lower than 10 parts per million and a red wine vinegar that does not contain sulphites. I used a red wine from  Frogpond Farm and Eden Organic vinegar. Make sure the spices do not contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Remove the backbone and flatten the chicken

The marinade uses fresh herbs

Remove the herbs from the marinade and place on the grill

Place the chicken on top of the herbs

The chicken takes about 30 minutes to cook through

Grilled chicken with scorched herbs

Ingredients:

1 2 lb. (1 kg) whole chicken

2 bay leaves

½ bunch fresh thyme

½ bunch fresh rosemary

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup (75 ml) red wine

1/3 cup (75 ml) red wine vinegar

1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin

1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander

Coarse salt and ground black pepper

Preparation:

Rinse the chicken under cold water and dry with paper towels. Remove the backbone carefully using a boning knife and split each chicken in half lengthwise through the breastbone. You can also simply flatten the chicken by pressing down on the breastbone from the skin-side until it “cracks”, and cook it whole.

Stir the bay leaves, whole thyme and rosemary sprigs with the garlic, wine, vinegar, cumin and coriander together and marinate the chicken for 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours, refrigerated.

Preheat the grill to medium and make sure the surface is scrubbed clean with a grill brush. Remove the bay, thyme and rosemary from the marinade, and place them on the grill, then season the chicken with salt and pepper and place over the herbs. Cover of the grill and allow this to cook 8 to10 minutes (the herbs will smoke vigourously). Baste the chicken with half of the remaining marinade and cook 5 minutes, then turn over and brush with the last of the marinade. Finish cooking, about 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. The juices of the chicken should run clear and the meat should have lost its “pink” look around the bone (check near the thigh bone). Serve hot from the grill. Serves 4

From Anna and Michael Olson Cook From Home

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the spices do not contain colour and always used freshly squeezed lemon juice, as the concentrates are bitter and contain sodium benzoate.

Marinate the chicken for at least four hours

Sear the thighs skin side down

Turn the thighs and then roast until cooked through

Spiced chicken thighs

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

5 garlic cloves, smashed

1½ tablespoons (25 ml) coriander seeds

1 tablespoon (15 ml) cumin seeds

1 teaspoon (5 ml) grated lemon zest

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

Eight 6-ounce (170 g) bone-in chicken thighs with skin

Preparation:

In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the garlic, coriander and cumin seeds, lemon zest, 1½ teaspoons (7 ml) of salt and ¾ teaspoon (3 ml) of pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450° F (220° C). Heat a cast-iron skillet. Turn the chicken in the marinade and scrape off any solids; add to the skillet skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat until the skin is golden brown. Turn the chicken; transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes, until the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the lemon juice.

From Food and Wine